Much like the character of the play, the name Beneatha means Beauty, excitement and wonderment, curious and knowledge-seeking, joyful, playful, artistically inclined to make an impact on the world as we know it.
What is the significance of Beneatha’s name in raisin in the sun?
Beneatha is opinionated, especially in her dealings with her brother, Walter Lee; she clearly lives up to her name, an obvious pun, for, especially at the beginning of the play, everything and everyone seem to be “beneath her.”
What does Beneatha’s character represent?
Beneatha, a fictional character in the play, represents the ambitious and suppressed black female intellectual who is stripped of her identity at every turn. The men in her life are as different as black and white, and in essence that is what they are.
What is Beneatha’s identity?
Over the course of the play we see her wrestle with her identity as an African-American woman. Asagai criticizes her, saying that she’s “assimilated,” meaning that she tries to hide her African-ness by acting white.
What does Asagai represent to Beneatha?
What does Asagai say and do to encourage Beneatha’s search for her identity? Asagai represents black racial pride and identity, with a Noble African heritage. Asagai gives her a nickname Alaiyo, which means, “one for which food is not enough.” This name means he understands what is most important for her.
Who is Beneatha related to in a raisin in the sun?
Beneatha Younger (“Bennie”)
Mama’s daughter and Walter’s sister. Beneatha is an intellectual. Twenty years old, she attends college and is better educated than the rest of the Younger family.
What is the significance of the name Alaiyo and how does it reflect Beneatha’s personality and outlook?
One for Whom Bread — Food — Is Not Enough Asagai gives Beneatha the Nigerian name “Alaiyo,” which he translates roughly as: “One for whom bread — food — is not enough,” meaning that his perception of Beneatha is that she is a totally developed person, both intellectually and spiritually, and that she demands answers to
Why is Beneatha a dynamic character?
Answer and Explanation: It can be argued that Beneatha is a dynamic and not a static character. This is primarily because she fulfilled the core criteria of a dynamic character: experiencing a change in character over the course of the story.
Why has Beneatha lost a hold on her dream?
Beneatha loses all hope in her dream, though, after her brother loses her portion of the $10,000 that is supposed to help pay for medical school. George Murchison and Joseph Asagai are the two men in Beneatha’s life, but she has no interest in marrying them.
Why does Beneatha not want to be a doctor anymore?
Q. Why didn’t Beneatha want to be a doctor anymore? she’s sees no human battle worth fighting no human life worth saving . she decided to go to Africa instead.
Why does Beneatha want to express herself?
She is constantly seeking ways to express herself because she is under the false impression that she can access all the world has to offer. The culture of the time wants to force her into stereotypes that fall short of her visions. Bennie suffers from an arrogance and an ignorance about her dreams.
What does Mama’s plant symbolize?
Mama’s Plant
Her care for her plant is similar to her care for her children, unconditional and unending despite a less-than-perfect environment for growth. The plant also symbolizes her dream to own a house and, more specifically, to have a garden and a yard.
What does Asagai symbolize?
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.
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.
Does Asagai propose to Beneatha?
Asagai proposes to Beneatha that she move to Africa with him. I think that she will agree because she is very fond of Asagai and she longs for something to pull her out of the life that she lives now. What choices do the Youngers have, now that the money is gone?
Who is the strongest character in a raisin in the sun?
Interestingly, Hansberry makes Mama, Lena Younger, the strongest character in the play. She always seems to have the right answers while the other characters do not.
Why did Beneatha say she wouldn’t marry George?
Why did Beneatha say she wouldn’t marry George? He was too conceited. He was too poor. He was too shallow.
How is Beneatha related to Ruth?
The Youngers as a heterogeneous family portray the wide range of all African American people. Hansberry’s remarkable respect for strong women is clearly visible in this play. She introduces three powerful women: Mama Lena, her daughter Beneatha, and her daughter-in- law Ruth.
Why does Asagai call Bennie and assimilationist after commenting on her hair?
Beneatha is offended by Asagai’s remarks about her hair and about being an assimilationist because she wants to identify as a woman who is knowledgeable about her African ancestry. In Nigeria, where Asagai is from, women do not straighten their hair. Hair straightening is associated with white beauty standards.
Which of the following best describes Beneatha?
Which of the following best describes Beneatha? She’s an optimist.
How does Beneatha feel about Ruth’s pregnancy?
When Beneatha asks Ruth if she planned the pregnancy, Ruth dismisses the question, and Beneatha snaps, “Where is he [the unborn child] going to live, on the roof?” Beneatha then tries to backpedal, half-heartedly saying that the baby will be “wonderful.” Ruth’s pregnancy is immediately coupled with economic concerns.