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Beneatha Younger is a 20 years old African-American woman part of the Younger family in the play Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Beneatha is an intellectual, she is the most educated out of the members of her household. She attends college unlike anyone else in her family and wants to become a doctor and help others. Beneatha stands out in Raisin in the Sun because she is very different from everyone else. She is strong and an early feminist in her time,  she believes that the men in her life should be more interested in her intelligence rather than her beauty.

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Sarcastic

" BENEATHA (Dropping to her knees)
Well – I do – all right? – thank everybody! And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all! (Pursuing him on her knees across the floor) FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME! "

On page 37, Beneatha apologizes to her brother Walter sarcastically for having dreams. Not only does this quote explain more to the readers about Beneatha's character, but it also shows the discrimination she gets for being an African-American woman who wants to become a doctor. Beneatha dropping to her knees proves how disturbed she is by the obstacles and doubts she faces for having her dream.

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Do you sympathize with the character? What are their strengths and weaknesses as a person? 

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Do you sympathize with the character? What are their strengths and weaknesses as a person? 

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Yes, I can relate to Beneatha in several ways. Living in a house of all boys I am usually teased and told I can't do certain things. Walter teases Beneatha about going to college to become a doctor because he believes it is a waste of time and money. I also relate to Beneatha because we both like to learn and experience new things, but we give up easily and find new interests. In the play, Beneatha wants to learn how to play the guitar but is mocked by Ruth and Mama because she constantly changes her mind and quits every new thing she starts.

Unlike her other 'dreams', Beneatha strongly cares about becoming a doctor and she won't let the dream defer. Beneatha's determination is a part of her strengths and weaknesses:
Strength
Beneatha disregards Walter's opinion and the stereotypes that could lead to the downfall of her dream. She doesn't let her gender, race, and poverty detract from following her dream to become a doctor. This is a strength because it shows how strong and stubborn  Beneatha can be when she stands up for herself and her dream.
Weakness
One of Beneatha's weaknesses is her ignorance, and she wants things to go her way. Beneatha believes that Mama is the one who should care for her dream. Instead of placing limits on her dream she was confident that Mama's insurance money would go towards her dream of going to medical school.

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Even though Beneatha already is aware of her dreams and that she wants to become a doctor; she is exploring her true identity. Beneatha wants to represent more the color of her skin and her ethnic background. She becomes more comfortable with her natural self and her unique natural hair that she even chops it off. After Asagai, her boyfriend urges Beneatha to embrace her African roots, she begins to explore her identity. This painting reminds me of Beneatha because she is slowly embracing who she is and the beauty of it.

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The poem The Paradoxical Commandments by Kent M. Keith is about trying your best and doing well even if it is not appreciated. This poem relates to Beneatha in various ways; like in the play she doesn't ask for much, and she loves her brother even though he lost the money. In the poem, it talks about loving people even when they could be self-centered. Not only that, Beneatha is a strong character who tries her best to accomplish her dreams even if she knows many doubt her. Like it said in the poem, "Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway." Beneatha knows about the stereotypes but still gives education and becoming a doctor her best.
Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/the-paradoxical-commandments-by-kent-m-keith

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The Paradoxical Commandments By Kent M. Keith, Famous Life Poem

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This selection, entitled, The Paradoxical Commandments, was written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 when he was a 19 year old Harvard Student. Since then, it has been quoted by millions and even mistakenly attributed to Mother Teresa who had a version hung as a poem on a wall in her Children's Home in Calcutta.

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Dreams
The title of the play Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry comes from a Langston Hughes poem called Harlem.  Each member of the Younger family has their own dream. Dreams are mentioned throughout the play; they are valued by the Younger Family because it brings them to hope that things could be easier. For the Younger Family, there are many obstacles because of the way they live, and their dreams are put on hold.  Each character in the play change for the better and for the worse when their dreams become successful or fail. At the end of the play, they still have hope and it doesn't stop them from moving into a big home.
On page 30, Mama quotes her husband Big Walter, " Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams – but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worthwhile."
This quote explains the struggles a Black family goes through during that time, and how having a family and dreams gives them hope. Because of the struggles, the family have with money all they do is a dream of an easier life.

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Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreamin' of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray

Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I pray
I could breakaway

I'll spread my wings, and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I love
I'll take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway

Want to feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get on board a fast train
Travel on a jet plane
Faraway
And breakaway

I'll spread…

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Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson relates to Beneatha Younger because it's about breaking away from a life that doesn't fulfill you. Beneatha feels as though no one cares as much about her dream as she does; she wants to make a change and follow her dreams. Like the song Beneatha wants to travel far away to Africa where she'll learn more about her native country, and be a doctor there.

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Dreams & Hopes
Troy Maxson, the protagonist of the movie Fences, dreamed to become a professional baseball player. The movie takes place during the 1950s, and because of racial discrimination, he didn't get to follow his dreams. This leads to conflict later on when his son Cory wants to follow his dreams to play football. Troy crushes Cory's dream,  ruining Cory's opportunity to go to college. This theme in Fences explains how the loss of one's dream could lead to a loss of others. At the end of the movie, Cory moves on and finds another dream that his father cannot destroy. The theme relates to the situation because Troy couldn't follow his dreams, and without recognizing that it was a different time period he didn't let his son at least try and follow his. When you can't accomplish one dream you try again and find something new that you can accomplish.

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A Raisin in the Sun & Fences
Troy Maxson from  Fences and Walter Younger from A Raisin in the Sun are both very similar characters. Walter and Troy both work jobs that discriminate against the color of their skin; both characters in the play try to get better jobs in response to the money they earn and the racial discrimination they receive. Not only do they both want better jobs, but they also relate in behavior.  Walter and Troy both put their pride before their own family. Troy is selfish and strips away his son's opportunity to go to college and play football, and Walter invests all of the insurance money into a business he wants to start. Unlike Troy, Walter wins his family back after being selfish, but Troy dies before he could see his son again after kicking him out.
Themes that relates to both A Raisin in the Sun and Fences, is Racism and Family. They both take place during the 1950s, a time where racism was experienced by all black families. Because of racial discrimination, they struggled with making money and keeping a roof over their heads. Both families go through problems and struggle with getting along. The differences in both plays are that Walter got to resolve and bring himself back into the family by being the bigger man, but Troy after having an affair distance himself from Rose even more and loses one of his sons because of his selfishness.