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Beneatha from Raisin in the sun  is a very opinionated person and she knows exactly what she wants. She's also determined and doesn't follow anyone or what they have to say about her dreams of becoming a doctor. She'd rather get her life together than worry about marrying someone to provide for her. She'd rather marry a guy for love and not money because she will become a doctor if she puts her mind and heart to it.

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A character trait i would label Beneatha as is independent. She knows she s strong as a women and won't marry a guy just for money. She also dislikes that Asagai said for a girl because she knows girls can do equal as guys can.ASAGAI: For a woman it should be enough. BENEATHA:  I know – because that’s what it says in all the novels that men write. But it isn’t. Go ahead and laugh – but I’m not interested in being someone’s little episode in America or – (With feminine vengeance) – one of them!
Beneatha – “Get over it? What are you talking about, Ruth? Listen, I’m going to be a doctor. I’m not worried about who I’m going to marry yet – IF I ever get married.” “…But first I’m going to be a doctor, and George, for one, still thinks that’s pretty funny. I couldn’t be bothered with that. I’m going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that!” page 50.
This quote shows the trait because she said she doesn't need to worry about who she's marrying and instead her own career and future.

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I'm sympathetic for the character because she's around my age and wants to do her own things but due to their living situation of course she can't do everything she wants to. I feel like her strengths are making her own decisions and being a strong woman. Her weaknesses are having a short temper and not knowing her mom knows whats right for her. A major strength she obtains in this book is not letting anything get in the way of her dreams. Being a black woman with dreams of becoming a doctor is a very unusual thing at this point of time. However, she will keep working hard to achieve everything and anything she ever dreamed of whether it seems crazy or not.

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This art piece represents Beneatha with the traits of her being strong and not letting anyone get in her way. As you can see her and the cat look mean and intimidating. However, despite her actually being a kind person i feel like there's a different way of looking at this. This could be to say that she will do whatever it takes to get her dreams even if she has to fight for it. Another thing is that the dark background could be everything that could potentially hold her back. As she walks out of the darkness she finds the light, it may have taken forever but she never gave up. One of those things holding her back could have been what Walter decided to do with her school money. That showed a weakness of hers but she worked through it to become strong and even more independent to have to work for it all by herself.

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I was black, dark, contained and unknown
Hidden in the secretive beauty of my brown
Men said I created an air of mystery
Like a symphony, I shut down sounds of mysery
They said I was conventional, conservative and serious
Still I gave them no reason to be any less curious
I am dark serious I never get red even when I blush
Sometimes when expressing myself I just can't hush
Talkative. Yet I keep things bottled up inside to prevent a mess
I try to protect myself and those I love from external emotional stress
My colour created a barrier between me and the outside world
I believed my black couldn't relate with the other colourful skins of the world
Yet deep inside I was strong despite my insecurities and lack of self confidence
Providing comfort while protecting my emotions and feelings by building a fence
They said black absorbs all colour and leaves an absence of light
But I am a new era of a black woman, a crowned queen
I am identified in a unique way in my black skin
A black woman is the most colourful and light filled creation I know
She is strong, filled with power, intellect and control
Bad to the bone, intimidating, yet friendly and approachable
I am black; exuding power and radiating authority much bearable
A dark woman of strong will, self control and descipline
Sophisticated in my own independence, so fresh, so clean
My colour dignifies me to be affluent and success oriented
Because most say I can't, I want to prove a point that's cemented
Truth is black women are beautiful, sexy and seductive
Black women are appealing, deep, multi-talented, multi-taskers and active
A black woman is the end of phenomena beauty
Yet the beginning of a new inexplicable beauty.
abigail sikwenda

This poem relates to Beneatha very well. It says that her color created a barrier with the outside world on line 11. This relates to the part when Lindner tried to get them to not move into his all white neighborhood. He came to them as empathetic but Beneatha and their family seen right through the lies. Back then there was major segregation between races and there was a different bathroom, school and even water fountains for the races. This had affected her dreams of wanting to be a doctor because not many doctors were black. However, as a theme she did not give up. The poem later mentions her color dignifying to be success oriented on line 24. Due to the segregation and whites owning everything she just has to push harder and work more than the average person and she is up for the challenge and she will not fail because she's going to put everything she has towards becoming a doctor.

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It's beauty in the struggle, ugliness in the success
Hear my words or listen to my signal of distress
I grew up in the city and though some times we had less
Compared to some of my * down the block man we were blessed
And life can't be no fairytale, no once upon a time
But I be God damned if a * don't be tryin'
So tell me mama please why you be drinking all the time?
Does all the pain he brought you still linger in your mind?
Cause pain still lingers on mine
On the road to riches listen this is what you'll find
The good news is * you came a long way
The bad news is * you went the wrong way
You think being broke is better

No such thing as a life that's better than yours
No such thing, no such thing

For what's money without hapiness?
Or hard times without the people you love
Though I'm not sure what's 'bout to happen next
I asked for strength from the Lord up above
Cause I've been strong so far
But I can feel my grip loosening
Quick, do something before you lose it for good
Get it back and use it for good
And touch the people how you did like before
I'm tired of living with demons cause they always inviting more
Think being broke was better
Now I don't mean that phrase with no disrespect
To all my * out there living in debt
Cashing minimal checks
Turn on the TV see a * Rolex
And fantasize about a life with no stress
I mean this * sincerely
And that's a * who was once in your shoes
Living with nothin' to lose
I hope one day you hear me
Always gon' be a bigger house somewhere, but * feel me
'Long as the people in that mother* love you dearly
Always gon' be a whip that's better than the the one you got
Always gon' be some clothes that's fresher than the one's you rock
Always gon' be a * that's badder out there on the tours
But you ain't never gon' be happy till you love yours

No such thing as a life that's better than yours
(Love yourz)

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These lyrics don't relate to only Beneatha, also her whole family. Line 1 starts off saying beauty in the struggle, ugliness in the success. What that means is that when your'e struggling or successful people will always have something to say about it. That's why Beneatha and her family keep to themself about their living situations. Line 4 is comparing the neighborhoods. Beneatha's family wanted to move to the white neighborhood where things were better with the money they were granted from Mama's husbands death. Most of the song just goes over how you make your life how you want it to be. If you complain and don't work towards anything then of course success isn't going to find you. Beneatha knows this so she has to work two times harder to reach her goal but she is determined to do it. The last lines (37-43) say that there's always going to be better things that you might wish you have but you have to know it all comes with the hard work put in to get that success. Beneatha is on the right path by making it for herself to become a doctor.

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In A Raisin In The Sun i found there to be multiple themes and topics throughout reading. Gender/Feminism, Racism/Segregation, and Class/Money. These all play a big part but i'm going to focus on Class/Money. Money is a big theme in this book because one of the main scenes involves
Walter losing a large amount of money. A quote to support this theme, Mama: “Son, how come you talk so much ‘bout money?” Walter: “Because, it is life, Mama!” Mama: “Oh—so now its life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom use to be life—now its money. I guess the world really do change…” Walter: “No—it was always money, Mama. We just didn’t know about it.” page 74. They're saying 'money is life'. This is true because there's not much back then and now that we can do without money. Also, money can destroy a family by the big argument over it or just focusing too much on it. Like when Walter said this, Walter to Mama: “What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine—you—who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams.” page 94-95. Mama gave him the money and he chose to be irresponsible so that was his decision. However, Beneatha found it as a step back because she was already working hard enough to become a doctor now she has to get all of the funds for school back some way. Money can destroy a relationship that's why it is toxic and the root of evil as some people would say. This theme shows up throughout the book and comes back to a negative conclusion most of the time.

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As A Raisin In The Sun, Fences has several re-occurring themes. Troy always wanted more than he could actually achieve, which left him bitter. However, one i found most fitting was Dreams vs. Reality or Dreams and Hopes. A situation in Fences that supports this theme is Troy putting a stop to Cory's dreams for football. I think he does this out of love and bitterness because Troy had wanted to become a baseball player but since it didn't work out for him he figures Cory won't get no where with football. This situation supports the theme because he knew his own dreams didn't turn out. Then, he figured why let his son try because he thought the same thing would happen. Troy knew the reality of the time period they were living in and how maybe he didn't get successful for baseball due to race, maybe he thought the same for Cory. Cory then had to find something else but he wasn't too passionate about anything else. The reality of it all was heart breaking to watch because having his own father shut him down was a very degrading thing. Considering that Cory had wanted to do this for so long but he couldn't just because of his father. Rose had told Troy just to sign the paper but he refused. Cory's dreams got crushed, but in A Raisin In The Sun, independent and determined as Beneatha is she worked towards her goal. However, their situations were different.

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Comparison: A Raisin In The Sun - Fences

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Comparison: A Raisin In The Sun - Fences

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This brings me on to the next topic. The characters in both A Raisin In The Sun and Fences are similar and different in many ways. I'd compare Troy to Walter because they each make some decisions that are questionable for their own reasoning. I feel like they're both selfish. Troy is selfish by not letting his son, Cory, fulfill his dream due to the fact that his personally didn't work out for him. That's quite selfish considering he could have just let him try it and live for something he's passionate about. Walter is selfish in the fact he took Beneatha's money for schooling and put it into his own dream, a alcohol store which didn't end up working out. That's an example of a questionable decision. Secondly, i would compare Travis and Gabe. They're very insignificant characters to be put in but they have their worth of being there.
During both the reading and movie i feel as if they're both ignored and not as intitled to their opinions as some of the other characters.
As another comparison, Beneatha and Rose are two very different personalities to me. Beneatha expresses her feminism, while i feel like Rose's opinions and her feminism is shut out. I feel like Rose gets walked over and her opinion and word is never heard. Beneatha however, she will always speak her mind on what she believes to be right. The themes are similar in a way that money could help to achieve Beneatha's dream but the money got lost and she had to work around that. For Fences, Cory's dream was crushed due to the fact of his father and Beneatha's brother Walter crushed hers. In both there is somebody making it more difficult for someone else to fulfill a dream. They're different though as well. In A Raisin In The Sun the whole family is close besides when some arguments come up. On the other hand, in Fences there is always some type of dishonesty or issues going on throughout the whole movie. Overall, these were both very interesting to me to watch and read and the themes overlap in some ways and the characters are comparable to others.