Beneatha Younger in A Raisin in the Sunis going through a period of trying to find who she is. She is searching for identity through her African roots in an attempt to discover what it means to be a black woman. Beneatha has been influenced by her African boyfriend, Asagai, to seek out and become more African than American. He accuses Beneatha of being “white” because she straightens her hair instead of wearing it...
Beneatha Younger in A Raisin in the Sun is going through a period of trying to find who she is. She is searching for identity through her African roots in an attempt to discover what it means to be a black woman. Beneatha has been influenced by her African boyfriend, Asagai, to seek out and become more African than American. He accuses Beneatha of being “white” because she straightens her hair instead of wearing it natural. Beneatha tries throughout the play to express herself and find a compromise between her African self and her American self, something her family thinks is odd. She discusses current civil rights issues and even dances to African music in Nigerian robes. Beneatha represents a new awareness to the black experience of the time period that will evolve into future black movements of the 1960’s civil rights era. She is learning to express herself through her heritage and history by embracing African culture. In that expression, she rejects discrimination and racism of the time period. She is realizing her self-worth as a black woman in the 1950’s who has been touched by the Afro-centric politics of the time.
(I have always found Beneatha’s name odd because it contains the word, “beneath.” It is a strange name for someone who is finding her true identity. What do you think? What was Hansberry’s purpose in naming her Beneatha? Is there any symbolism to the name?)
No comments:
Post a Comment