A Raisin in the Sun: Beneatha's Dreams

Beneatha is a collage student and is obviously the best educated member of the Younger family. Her education is very important to her and she hopes to one day become a doctor. Beneatha believes in education as a means to unders

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Another major dream that Beneatha wants is to have her own identity. tanding and self-fulfillment through knowledge and wisdom.

In the play "A Raisin in the Sun," all of the main characters were guided by their dreams, and the same is true for Beneatha. Beneatha dresses in Nigerian garb, dances to African music, and lets her hair grow naturally in an attempt to become more African.

Beneatha also dreamed of overcoming not only the prejudice against blacks, but also the prejudice against women. In the play, Beneatha struggles to create her own identity while battling against the abundant prejudice of the day. When it was discovered that Walter had invested the money in his liquor store scheme and Willy had run off with all the money, Beneatha was devastated. In the play she does this by trying to gain a better grasp on her cultural identity as an African-American. Beneatha was an early feminist and did not take the traditionally submissive role of a woman. While she partially succeeds at creating her own identity, her dreams of becoming a doctor fall short when Walter losses the necessary money. Mama, knowing how much her education meant to her, instructed Walter to save $3000 for Beneatha's medical schooling. Beneatha took pride in this fact and often flaunted her intelligence to her family. Even Walter suggests that she become a nurse, a traditionally woman's job, instead. She had lost all hope and even though her spirits may have been lifted after her talk with Asagai in act III and the chance to move into a new house, it seems that Beneatha will never realize this dream. However, Beneatha is a strong, intelligent woman and will most likely succeed later in life.

Common topics in this essay:
African- American, African Beneatha, Raisin Sun, Beneatha Asagai, French English, own identity, , play raisin sun, well-educated black woman, raisin sun, well-educated black, black woman, money beneatha, play raisin,

Approximate Word count = 578
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

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