A Cry for Civil Rights in Beneatha’s Troubled Facade
Few modern plays capture the essence of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun galvanizing idealism, prompting the prevailing question of black identity perplexing African Americans. Set in the backdrop of widespread discrimination and glaring racism, A Raisin in the Sun remains as Hansberry 's legacy to the continuing struggle for racial justice and decency in America. Although white readers may have misinterpreted Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun as a universal depiction of American struggles, A Raisin in the Sun ultimately censures racial and gender inequality; through the character of Beneatha, the play advocates for human reconciliation and supplies a narrative to the Civil Rights movement.
Hansberry effectively manipulates Beneatha’s perplexion about her identity as an African American, a sentiment shared by many African Americans, to boldly promote the Civil Rights movement. As an activist for African rights, Hansberry. Hansberry’s sentiment resonates in Beneatha’s search for her own distinct identity where Beneatha declares, “And do you know what I want George, what I really want--? All I want is the right to be different from everybody else-- and yet -- be a part too” (Hansberry 322309). As Beneatha navigates social constraints, urging her to be an ‘assimilationist’, she explores her own cultural identity. Beneatha’s internal strife to be part of society, yet to have singularity, allows Hansberry to present a narrative about young African Americans’ common struggle to articulate a positive African identity. Similarly, Carol Bunch Davis assents, stating, “In Beneatha, Hansberry demonstrates that …show more content…
Through Hansberry’s empowering portrayal of Beneatha, the play advocates for social equality, a disposition shared by prominent leaders of the Civil Rights
Few modern plays capture the essence of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun galvanizing idealism, prompting the prevailing question of black identity perplexing African Americans. Set in the backdrop of widespread discrimination and glaring racism, A Raisin in the Sun remains as Hansberry 's legacy to the continuing struggle for racial justice and decency in America. Although white readers may have misinterpreted Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun as a universal depiction of American struggles, A Raisin in the Sun ultimately censures racial and gender inequality; through the character of Beneatha, the play advocates for human reconciliation and supplies a narrative to the Civil Rights movement.
Hansberry effectively manipulates Beneatha’s perplexion about her identity as an African American, a sentiment shared by many African Americans, to boldly promote the Civil Rights movement. As an activist for African rights, Hansberry. Hansberry’s sentiment resonates in Beneatha’s search for her own distinct identity where Beneatha declares, “And do you know what I want George, what I really want--? All I want is the right to be different from everybody else-- and yet -- be a part too” (Hansberry 322309). As Beneatha navigates social constraints, urging her to be an ‘assimilationist’, she explores her own cultural identity. Beneatha’s internal strife to be part of society, yet to have singularity, allows Hansberry to present a narrative about young African Americans’ common struggle to articulate a positive African identity. Similarly, Carol Bunch Davis assents, stating, “In Beneatha, Hansberry demonstrates that …show more content…
Through Hansberry’s empowering portrayal of Beneatha, the play advocates for social equality, a disposition shared by prominent leaders of the Civil Rights