Beneatha was greeted by a broad smiling across campus, 22 year old, Joseph Asagai was a slender African man, from Nigeria.
Who is Joseph Asagai in a raisin in the sun?
A Nigerian man studying in Chicago, Joseph Asagai is a student who Beneatha met on her college campus. Asagai is a “rather dramatic-looking” young man who takes great pride in his African heritage and dreams of Nigerian independence from colonial rule.
What is Asagai’s full name?
Character Analysis Joseph Asagai
An African student, Joseph Asagai courts the attentions of Beneatha.
Where is Asagai originally from?
South Africa
The use of various types of the assegai was widespread all over Africa and it was the most common weapon used before the introduction of firearms. The Zulu, Xhosa and other Nguni tribes of South Africa were renowned for their use of the assegai.
Is Joseph Asagai Nigerian?
Joseph Asagai was born in Nigeria to a Yoruba family, and he studied abroad in Canada during the 1950s.
What is Asagai’s nickname?
A Raisin in the Sun study guide
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why is Asagai’s nickname appropriate? | It means “One for Whom Bread – Food – Is not Enough.” It is appropriate because he as well as Beneatha and Walter want more from life than just survival. They want a better quality of life. |
Does Beneatha like Asagai?
She dates two very different men: Joseph Asagai and George Murchison. She is at her happiest with Asagai, her Nigerian boyfriend, who has nicknamed her “Alaiyo,” which means “One for Whom Bread—Food—Is Not Enough.” She is at her most depressed and angry with George, her pompous, affluent boyfriend.
Why is Asagai’s nickname appropriate?
Why is Asagai’s nickname appropriate? It means “One for Whom Bread – Food – Is Not Enough.” It is appropriate because he as well as Beneatha and Walter want more from life than just survival.
How do you pronounce Asagai?
Phonetic spelling of Asagai
- ae-s-uh-g-ay.
- asagai. Jaycee Halvorson.
- [a’zɛgai]
What does Asagai represent?
Asagai, a symbol of Black identity in the play, argues that true freedom for Black people is not attained through assimilation, but from returning to Africa. Asagai here addresses Beneatha’s fatalistic attitude towards her dream of being doctor.
What does Asagai struggle with?
Joseph Asagai is a minor character of the play A Raisin in the Sun who struggles to develop his relations with Beneatha. He always looks for her attention and makes everything possible to spent to spend some time with her.
How did Beneatha meet Asagai?
Beneatha explains to Mama that Asagai is a Nigerian student whom she met on campus and she asks Mama to refrain from asking “ignorant questions” about Africa when he comes to the apartment.
How are Asagai and George different?
George Murchinson is a wealthy African American man who is dating Beneatha at the beginning of the play. Asagai is a Nigerian man who is in love with Beneatha, and they bond over their interests about Africa. The men’s first contrast is in their views towards education.
What gift does Asagai give to Beneatha?
Joseph Asagai brings Beneatha a gift of African records and some Nigerian robes. After he leaves, Travis brings in the insurance check from the mailbox, and Walter seizes this opportunity to discuss his business plans again.
Why was Mama getting a check for $10 000 in a raisin in the sun?
When the play opens, the Youngers are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. This money comes from the deceased Mr. Younger’s life insurance policy. Each of the adult members of the family has an idea as to what he or she would like to do with this money.
Who revealed Walter’s pregnancy?
Mama
Mama sits down with Walter who is upset by—and ashamed of—his poverty, his job as a chauffeur, and his lack of upward mobility. Finally, Mama tells him that Ruth is pregnant and that she fears that Ruth is considering having an abortion.
Who does Beneatha end up with?
Unsurprisingly, Beneatha seems to not be into George at all by the end of the play. When we leave Beneatha at the play’s conclusion, she is even considering marrying Asagai and practicing medicine in Africa.
How old is Beneatha Younger?
Beneatha Younger (“Bennie”)
Beneatha is an intellectual. Twenty years old, she attends college and is better educated than the rest of the Younger family. Some of her personal beliefs and views have distanced her from conservative Mama.
Why did Beneatha straighten her hair?
Rather than force her hair to conform to the style society dictates, Beneatha opts for a style that enables her to more easily reconcile her identity and her culture. Beneatha’s new hair is a symbol of her anti-assimilationist beliefs as well as her desire to shape her identity by looking back to her roots in Africa.
Is Asagai’s present to Beneatha appropriate?
Both the gift and the name are appropriate for Beneatha, because she wants to become someone else, a better version of her current self. The African clothing also can be seen as a symbol of pride in oneself, a quality needed in the Younger family.
What does eat your eggs symbolize in a raisin in the sun?
“Eat Your Eggs”
Being quiet and eating one’s eggs represents an acceptance of the adversity that Walter and the rest of the Youngers face in life. Walter believes that Ruth, who is making his eggs, keeps him from achieving his dream, and he argues that she should be more supportive of him.