A Raisin in the Sun discussion questions force students to slow down and think critically about the drama and its themes. The family consists of Lena "Mama" Younger, the proud head of the family and the original tenant of the apartment; Mama's adult children, Walter and Beneatha; Walter's wife, Ruth; and Walter and Ruth's young son, Travis. After moving into a white neighborhood, Lorraine Hansberry's family faced threats and attacks. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. paper. a good plow hand. Mama responds by calling Washington a fool. Offended, Mrs. Johnson exits. Beneatha is an intellectual, who brings politics and civil rights into the apartment, eager to be discussed. similarly to his mother, walter has a strong passion for dreaming big. Beneatha expects her family to pay for her medical school but does not bother to ask if she needs a job. That was the most marvelous thing in the worldI wanted to do that. By comparison, they will do anything to be able to fulfill their American Dream. At the end of the play, she even considers marrying Asagai and going to Africa with him to practice medicine. Instead of being grateful for her family's sacrifices, Beneatha often comes off as being selfish, and at times, downright obnoxious. Instant PDF downloads. Mama, Walter, and Beneatha in the 1959 production of the play. At the beginning of the play, Walter Lee and Beneatha's father has recently died, and Mama (Lena) is waiting for a life insurance check for $10,000. Beneatha Younger, an ambitious, childish, educated young woman in her twenties. Free Raisin in the Sun Essays: Pride and Dignity Raisin Sun essaysPride and Dignity in A Raisin in the Sun 'A Raisin in the Sun' by Lorraine Hansberry follows a black fam. You might even describe her as being a bit of a snob when it comes to her family. (page 58) Beneatha feels threatened by the younger members of the family, cause Ruth is pregnant. Beneatha: No . Beneatha cuts her hair close to her head and leaves it unstraightened after Asagai teases Beneatha about the contradiction of her straightening her hair while rejecting assimilation, integration into the dominant culture. a record. Directed by Lloyd Richards, the cast comprised: Ossie Davis later took over as Walter Lee Younger, and Frances Williams as Lena Younger. Its when hes at his lowest and cant believe in hisself cause the world done whipped him so! Beneatha Younger is a smart, liberated woman in her twenties with aspirations of her own. LitCharts Teacher Editions. (P. 86) You know them steps can get you after a day's work. Beneatha is working to fulfill her dream of being a doctor, a job that was considered not fit for her status during the plays time period. What has He got to do with anything? Beneatha is an attractive college student who provides a young, independent, feminist perspective, and her desire to become a doctor demonstrates her great ambition. Royal Exchange, Manchester production, 2010, Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, "A Raisin in the Sun | Ethel Barrymore Theatre (3/11/1959 10/17/1959)", "The 40 best plays to read before you die", "50 Best Plays of All Time: Comedies, Tragedies and Dramas Ranked", "Inventing a Fishbowl: White Supremacy and the Critical Reception of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun", "'A Raisin in the Sun', Present at the Creation", "How Sidney Poitier Rewrote the Script for Black Actors in Hollywood", "Theater: 'Raisin in Sun,' Anniversary in Chicago", "A Raisin in the Sun review still challenging its characters and audience", "Transcript: Langston Hughes and His Poetry presentation by David Kresh (Journeys and Crossings, Library of Congress)", "A Raisin in the Sun | Royale Theatre (4/26/2004 7/11/2004)", "Chenoweth, Dench, Linney, McDonald, Rashad Nominated for Emmy Awards", Ginia Bellafante, "Raisin in the Sun: A Tale of Race and Family and a $10,000 Question", "Tony-Winning Revival of 'A Raisin in the Sun' Plays Final Performance Tonight", "'Gent's Guide', 'All The Way', 'Hedwig And the Angry Inch', 'Raisin in the Sun 'Win Top Prizes at 68th Annual Tony Awards", "A Raisin in the Sun | Productions | Shows / Tickets | Arena Stage", "Baltimore's Center Stage looks very good in PBS documentary on 'Raisin' cycle", EDSITEment's lesson Raisin in the Sun the Quest for the American Dream, Text to Text: 'A Raisin in the Sun' and 'Discrimination in Housing Against Nonwhites Persists Quietly', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Raisin_in_the_Sun&oldid=1142168436, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Best Play written by Lorraine Hansberry; produced by Philip Rose, David J. Cogan, Best Direction of a Play Lloyd Richards, Starletta DuPois (who played Ruth in the 1989 film) Lena Younger, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 22:06. A Raisin in the Sun Study Guide Literary Elements: Be ready to identify examples that fit with the following terms. It was performed for the first time in 1959. Lena "Mama" Younger is the matriarch of the Younger family. A Raisin in the Sun is a play about dreams and Beneatha has one. In this scene, Beneatha is arguing with Mama about her belief in God. Walter has a sense of entitlement to the money, but Mama has religious objections to alcohol, and Beneatha has to remind him it is Mama's call how to spend it. Two Unattainable Ideals: Beneatha's Struggle for Identity in A Raisin in the Sun Elizabeth Brady Abstract/Description The late 1950's were a time for revolution in African American history as the Civil Rights movement gained momentum and grasped the attention of the public. A twenty-year-old college student with dreams of becoming a doctor, Beneatha is "as slim and intense as her brother," with an "intellectual face." Beneatha holds modern views on gender and shows great interest in her African heritage. With pride and excitement , Beneatha wears the robe from Asagai, plays African music, tries to imitate a tribal dance, and become conscious of her natural hair. Walter: Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? While the Youngers are preparing to move, a white man named Mr. Lindner from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association visits. Impact of Resources on the Movement of Products, Capital & People in the U.S. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry | Summary, Characters & Analysis, How to Determine Minor Key Signatures in Music, Allie in Catcher in the Rye by J.D. In 2008, Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald, and Sanaa Lathan reprised their roles from the 2004 Broadway revival in a television film directed by Kenny Leon. A Raisin in The Sun is a popular play by Lorraine Hansberry. What is Beneathas Dream in a Raisin in the Sun. [19][20] The play won three 2014 Tony Awards: Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Sophie Okonedo) and Best Direction of a Play (Kenny Leon). Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most? 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. Lorraine Hannsberry's play A Raisin in the Sun expresses the dreams and apprehensions of the three strong female characters in atypical gender roles through different generations. [7] On opening night, after multiple curtain calls, the audience cried out for the author, whereupon Poitier jumped into the audience and pulled Hansberry onto the stage for her ovation. When the play begins, the family is about to receive an insurance check for $10,000 from their deceased father's life insurance policy. Hansberry states Beneatha's conflict when she writes Why? Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha argues with her mother about God taking credit for all of humanity's accomplishments. Later in the morning Beneatha, the younger sister of Walter, initiates a conflict by speaking in an unacceptable manner about God seemingly rejecting values that have . A Raisin in the Sun is an invaluable text in enabling students to think about prejudice in America - past and present. This play is based on an African American family in Southside Chicago, 1959. The plot centers around Mama receiving a life insurance payout of $10,000 following the death of her husband. A Raisin in the Sun is about a struggling multigenerational family in early civil rights Chicago, who has received a windfall after the death of the patriarch, and all have competing hopes and plans for the money. . Vaguely threatening, he says he wishes to avoid tensions over the introduction of Black people into the neighborhood, which to the three women's horror Walter bitterly prepares to accept as a solution to their financial setback. I used to care. I dont mean for yourself and for the family cause we lost the money. She dreams of being a doctor and struggles to determine her identity as a well-educated black woman. Have you cried for that boy today? When I was small we used to take our sleds out in the wintertime and the only hills we had were the ice-covered stone steps of some houses down the street. She tries out horse riding and then she wants to learn to play the guitar. During this period, millions of African-Americans fled the segregated southern states, searching for better opportunities in northern states. flashcard sets. Manage Settings This production was based on an off-Broadway revival produced by the Roundabout Theatre. Hansberry wrote the screenplay, and the film was directed by Daniel Petrie. Mama also does not understand that Beneatha is currently uninterested in marriage. If you so crazy bout messing round with sick people then go be a nurse like other women or just get married and be quiet . Independence and then what? . Asagai promotes Beneatha's interest in her heritage by bringing her clothing and music from Nigeria. How does Walter plan to use the insurance money? When Beneatha thanks her family for their sacrifices following Walter's exchange, she seems sarcastic and disingenuous. Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun is set in a one-bedroom apartment shared by three generations of the Younger family: Walter and Ruth, their son Travis, Walter's sister Beneatha, and their mother Lena. The way the content is organized. for a customized plan. Experiences in this play echo a lawsuit, Hansberry v. Lee, 311 U.S. 32 (1940), to which the playwright Lorraine Hansberry's father was a party, when he fought to have his day in court despite the fact that a previous class action about racially motivated restrictive covenants, Burke v. Kleiman, 277 Ill. App. Hansberry's drama is about African-American ethos. Does he pay tuition?" I feel like its a lifeline. She is a college student who dreams of becoming a doctor and leaving behind the poverty and racism that ties her family down. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The plaintiff in the first action in 1934 was Olive Ida Burke, who brought the suit on behalf of a property owners' association to enforce racial restrictions. In the monologue, Beneatha tells a story about seeing a boy get hurt as a child and how she became fascinated by the stitches that the boy received to help him heal. Joseph, a Yoruba student from Nigeria, patiently teaches Beneatha about her African heritage; he gives her thoughtfully useful gifts from Africa while pointing out she is unwittingly assimilating herself into white ways. Struggling with distance learning? With her natural hair, Beneatha proudly marks herself as an anti-assimilationist and visibly expresses her racial identity. (P. Beneatha expresses her humanistic beliefs by denying God's. . 9 in the ratings for the week ending March 2, 2008.[16]. In Act I, Scene 2, Asagai brings Beneatha Nigerian robes and music. A Raisin In The Sun Essay . in A Raisin in the Sun and Harlem In Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, the author reveals a hard-working, honest African-American family struggling to make their dreams come true. According to Beneatha, George is handsome and rich and takes her to expensive places, yet she is not interested in marrying him because George does not treat Beneatha like an equal. BENEATHA: Me?Me?Me, Im nothingMe. The monologue comes shortly after Beneatha learns that her brother has lost the money that was set aside for her to go to medical school. where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man? They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Cure the Great Sore of Colonialism (loftily, mocking it) with the Penicillin of Independence ! She brings to the fore the quintessential issues that [8], Hansberry noted that her play introduced details of black life to the overwhelmingly white Broadway audiences, while director Richards observed that it was the first play to which large numbers of black people were drawn. She tells a story about sledding down the steps when she was young when a boy, Rufus, split his face open on the sidewalk and bled profusely. very well . A monologue from the play by Lorraine Hansberry This play focuses on the Youngers, an African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s. When she models the clothes for him, he tells her, "You wear it wellvery wellmutilated hair and all." Mr. Burke's decision may have been motivated by the changing demographics of the neighborhood, but it was also influenced by the Depression. Travis is an innocent young boy who plays walters son. You can find a skilled professional who can write any paper for you. The first is George Murchison, a boy who takes her on nice dates. A Raisin in the Sun Beneatha Younger Character Analysis Beneatha Younger Because Beneatha is the most educated of the Youngers, she sometimes seems to be obnoxious and self-centered; especially in the early scenes, she freely verbalizes her views in a household that has difficulty understanding her perspectives. Hansberry has borrowed the title from a popular poem by Langston Hughes, " Harlem ." A Raisin in the Sun and The life of Fredrick Douglass have many similarities in regards to their dream. She wants to accomplish things all by herself causes Beneatha to criticize God for taking the credit. A musical version of the play, Raisin, ran on Broadway from October 18, 1973, to December 7, 1975. She embodies a girl struggling to . The play won two 2004 Tony Awards: Best Actress in a Play (Phylicia Rashad) and Best Featured Actress in a Play (Audra McDonald), and was nominated for Best Revival of a Play and Best Featured Actress in a Play (Sanaa Lathan). Beneatha is a twenty year-old college student with dreams of going to medical school and becoming a doctor. 2021 StudyDriver.com - Big database of free essay examples for students at all levels. Our first couple of quotes come from Act I, Scene i of the show: 'And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all! A monologue from the play by Lorraine Hansberry. Discover characteristics of Beneatha Younger. Walter's conflicts with Beneatha stem from her college enrollment and plans to attend medical school. The father, Watler is a dreamer who wants to use his father's insurance money and invest in a liquor store, with the hope that it will get his family out of poverty. . The Hansberry family won their right to be heard as a matter of due process of law in relation to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. When I was very smallwe used to take our sleds out in the wintertime and the only hills we had were the ice-covered stone steps of some houses down the street. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! She feels hopeless and powerless to improve the situation and feels Walter Lee's bad decision has ripped away her dreams. This was an impactful moment in her life. Don't use plagiarized sources. It was released by Columbia Pictures and Ruby Dee won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. However, her hardworking family that is more concerned with money gives Beneatha no time to reveal her true potential. Then isnt there something wrong in a house in a world! Beneatha and her brother share this common trait of putting money above other things, although Beneatha does this much more secretly, she takes Mama for granted because of all the money they got and when she finds out what Walter did with the money she gave up on her dreams. Social Issues In A Raisin In The Sun Lena was waiting for his life insurance check for ten thousand dollars. However, due to the insurance money from . Mrs. Johnson is the Younger family's nosy and loud neighbor, at the beginning of the play. Throughout the play, she searches for her identity. Name 3 activities Beneatha has attempted and abandoned. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% In 2010, Michael Buffong directed a widely acclaimed production at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester,[17] described by Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph as "A brilliant play, brilliantly served". NoI told him he was a sweet boy and full of dreams and everything is strictly peachy keen, as the ofay kids say!" Beneatha Younger, Mrs. Johnson (Mrs. Wilhelmina Othella Johnson). creating and saving your own notes as you read. George is too pretentious, and Asagai wants a more serious relationship than Beneatha. Instant PDF downloads. Beneatha attends college and dreams of becoming a doctor. Throughout the play, she searches for her identity. I hope these open-ended questions for A Raisin in the Sun will yield engaging discussions in your classroom. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. However, as levelheaded as she is, she still has a dream of her own. Beneatha Younger is the youngest child among "Mamas" children. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. In Fruits. [15] According to Nielsen Media Research, the program was watched by 12.7 million viewers and ranked No. And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all! Young Beneatha assumed "that was the end of Rufus," but the next time she saw him, Rufus just had a thin scar on his face. On the Red Carpet for A RAISIN IN THE SUN's Opening Night! Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Historical Context Essay: A Raisin in the Sun on the Brink of the 1960s, Literary Context Essay: Hansberry, Langston Hughes, & the Harlem Renaissance. mutilated hair and all. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. Walter felt entitled to the money. 'A Raisin in the Sun' by Lorraine Hansberry. This was truly being God. This production received three Emmy Award nominations, but all were for technical categories. She asks Ruth or, Walter reenters and tells Mama, Ruth, and, we come from people who had a lot of pride. He adds that his sister. This seems like a pretty ordinary dream, right? The film debuted at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast by ABC on February 25, 2008. Why does Mama buy a house in an all-white neighborhood? director of photography Film Editing by William A. Lyon Paul Weatherwax On 3 March 1996, the BBC broadcast a production of the play by director/producer Claire Grove, with the following cast:[13]. Dont have an account? Motivate students to complete assigned readings with A Raisin in the Sun quizzes. She is twenty years old and very smart at the same time. A scene from the 1959 production featuring Ruth, Mama, Travis, Walter, and Mr. Lindner. Beneatha's Hair Quotes in A Raisin in the Sun I can help you save hours on your homework. Home Monologues A Raisin in the Sun (Beneatha): That was the most marvelous thing in the world. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Beneatha Younger struggles to find her real identity throughout the whole play, "A Raisin in the Sun." She strives to become a doctor despite being a women. Wed love to have you back! insurance payment to Walter. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? The court initially ordered the family to move, but the case went to the Supreme Court, where the decision was overturned. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. That was the most marvelous thing in the worldI wanted to do that. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Beneatha Younger appears in. Mamas highest and biggest dream for her family is to move out of the tiny apartment they lived in and go into a house with plenty of space and a yard where kids can run and play, and she can work in the garden. Its arrival instigates happiness and anger and is also the means by which Hansberry is able to denote betrayal when Willy Harris steals Walter and Beneatha's share. She also provides a feminist and optimistic perspective and tone to the play. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! It used to matter. It is also interesting that Beneatha rejects some aspects of integrating into the dominant culture, like straightening her hair, and accepts aspects like going to college and becoming a doctor. She is arrogant in the way she refuses to acknowledge the familys setbacks and distances herself from the reality that her future is limited. You can view our. Because Beneatha is the most educated of the Youngers, she sometimes seems to be obnoxious and self-centered; especially in the early scenes, she freely verbalizes her views in a household that has difficulty understanding her perspectives. An opportunity to escape from poverty comes in the form of a $10,000 life insurance check that the matriarch of the family (Lena Younger or Mama) receives upon her husband's death. And nobody asked me, nobody consulted methey just went out and changed my life!" After Walter accuses Beneatha of not sacrificing for the family, she responds, "Thank everybody! When the play hit New York, Poitier played it with emphasis on the son and found not only his calling but also an audience enthralled.[5]. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. And we used to fill them in with snow and make them smooth and slide down them all day and it was very dangerous, you know far too steep, and sure enough one day a kid named Rufus came down too fast and hit the sidewalk and we saw his face just split open right there in front of us, And I remember standing there looking at his bloody open face thinking that was the end of Rufus. Beneatha is an attractive college student who provides a young, independent, feminist perspective, and her desire to become a doctor demonstrates her great ambition. 400. As the monologue continues, she mocks her African boyfriend, Asagai, for holding on to his dreams for helping Africa. [6] It was then produced on tour. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is about an African American family living on Chicago's Southside during the 1940s or '50s and was inspired by the discrimination Hansberry's own family faced, as well as other vital issues of the time. Juliann Urban has taught high school English for five years and has previously held the positions of English tutor for at-risk high school students and lead teacher at a private K-12 tutoring center. Bill Duke directed the production, while Chiz Schultz produced. Ultimately, Beneatha is a kind and generous person, who seeks to become a doctor out of a desire to help people. But the ambulance came and they took him to the hospital and they fixed the broken bones and sewed it all up. Throughout the play, she struggles for an adult identity. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# Smiling,, set of gardening tools. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Eventually, Mama puts some of the money down on a new house, choosing an all-white neighborhood over a black one for the practical reason that it is much cheaper. After World War II and the creation of the suburbs outside major metropolitan areas, the idea of the . It is important to note that Beneatha only changes her hair after Asagai alludes to it. It enables students to approach essential questions on money, dreams, identity, racism, society, and values. [18] Michael Buffong, Ray Fearon and Jenny Jules all won MEN Awards. Each reading quiz contains ten multiple choice questions; they are quick to administer and score.A Raisin in the Sun Quizzes schedule:Reading 1: Act IReading 2: Act IIReading 3: Act IIIA list of questions by scene is also included. A+ Student Essay: The Role of Money in the Play, Lorraine Hansberry and A Raisin in the Sun Background. She tried to find herself by getting in touch with her roots. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the symbol Beneathas Hair appears in, the robes, he compliments her appearance, teasingly adding that she looks good even with mutilated, Beneatha gazes at herself in the mirror and clutches at her, stares at him and ceremoniously takes off the headdress, revealing her newly close-cropped and unstraightened, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. on 50-99 accounts. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. His plan is to invest in a liquor store in partnership with Willy and Bobo, his street-smart acquaintances. Asagai explains that the way she wears her hair is not natural; she straightens it each week. Neither man is actively involved in the Youngers' financial ups and downs. Looking at, Ruth tries to make small talk with George while, ants! Walter expresses his frustration that not even my own mother supports his dreams, but, On a Friday night a few weeks later, George and. (2019, Apr 01). bookmarked pages associated with this title. She does not think he should get credit for things that humans achieve on their own. She's even able to participate in expensive hobbies such as acting lessons, guitar lessons, and horseback riding, despite the fact that her family could use the money for more important things, such as getting a bigger place. Walter and Ruth Younger, their son Travis, along with Walter's mother Lena (Mama) and Walter's younger sister Beneatha, live in poverty in a run-down two-bedroom apartment on Chicago's South Side. The demand for houses was so low among white buyers that Mr. Hansberry may have been the only prospective purchaser available.[12]. Salinger | Overview & Quotes, 1950s Discrimination Against Native Americans & Latinx Americans, Common Core ELA - Literature Grades 9-10: Standards, Praxis English Language Arts: Content Knowledge (5038) Prep, SAT Subject Test Literature: Practice and Study Guide, College English Literature: Help and Review, 9th Grade English: Homework Help Resource, American Literature Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Study Guide, Create an account to start this course today. What happens to a dream deferred? [21], On 31 January 2016 the BBC broadcast a new production of the play by director/producer Pauline Harris. Asagai: Were you born with it like that? on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. The characters: Walter Lee and Ruth Younger live with their son Travis, along with Walter's mother Lena (Mama) and Walter's younger sister Beneatha, in a run-down two-bedroom apartment on Chicago . I always thought it was the one concrete thing in the world a human being could do. She is interested in embracing her heritage rather than adopting white culture, she has chosen to attend college and pursue a career (one dominated by white men), and she has no interest in marriage at this point in her life. (including. Mama supports Beneatha's ideas, but she does not understand them. Walter is fixated on the check, as he hopes to use the money to open a liquor store, but this conflicts with Mama's religious beliefs. A Raisin in the Sun, drama in three acts by Lorraine Hansberry, first published and produced in 1959. In straightening her hair, Beneatha is essentially assimilating to white culture. All rights reserved. Lena says that while money was something they try to work for, they should never take it if it was a person's way of telling them they were not fit to walk the same earth as them. What is Mamas greatest dream for her family? . for a group? Sometimes it can end up there. Beneatha and her dialogue comes across as somewhat ungrateful and self-centered What do you want from me, Brother- that I quit school or just drop dead, which? Refine any search. Because it doesnt seem deep enough, close enough to what ails mankind! Why do the Youngers decide to go through with the move? We have experts for any subject. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Beneatha prides herself on being independent. Well, as a Black woman from a poor neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago in the 1950s, this dream is anything but normal. The other man in Beneatha's life is Joseph Asagai, a Nigerian man she met in college. Get your custom essay from professional writers. Beneatha is an intellectual who attends college and intends on going to medical school to become a doctor.