Easily, the most interesting plot point in act 1 of A Raisin in the Sun is Walter and Beneatha’s exchange over who is entitled to their late father’s insurance money. Beneatha argues that because it’s Mama’s money, only she can decide on how to use it. Walter claims that it is unfair for Beneatha to accept Mama’s money to help pay for her medical school. Walter makes it seem as though his opposition to her career choice is only based upon the fact that the rest of the family has had to make sacrifices because of it. At the height of their argument, Walter says “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? 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.” This statement proves that Walter opposes Beneatha’s plight not only because she is using Mama’s money, but also because she’s a woman. Because this play is based in the 1950s, blatant sexism was a lot more common and accepted. Beneatha was extremely progressive in her aspirations, whether she cared or not. She is an extremely strong-willed and intelligent woman, and back then this threatened men, especially men who had trouble supporting their own wives and children, like Walter. I believe this is the reason sexism went on for much longer than it should have. Men, who for millenniums have been the hunter, the breadwinner, the leader, were threatened by women who believed they were more than someone to cook for you. To clean for you. To raise your kids for you. Beneatha is a wonderful example of women in the second wave of feminism. These were the women who realized they deserved more than just the right to vote, and all American women today should be thankful for their strength. Unfortunately, feminism today has taken a wrong turn. While feminism is still extremely necessary and important in many countries across the world, in America, women are very much equal to men in 2018. Third wave feminism in America is, in my opinion an unnecessary force which is driving apart political peace in the US.
In the first act of A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha a very young African American female, aspires to become a doctor. Though many people, including her own family members, found her aspirations to be silly, she continued with her schooling. Today, female doctors are not uncommon, and women are seen in an array of different career fields. Though women today are equal to men, the feminist movement hasn’t come to an end. Do you believe that modern feminism is still necessary in today’s progressive society? Why? Why not?
Throughout Act 1 of A Raisin in the Sun, Mama is often portrayed as an almighty figure that must be respected, mostly because she is the character who has the money. Though Beneatha doesn’t exactly care about money in general as much as she cares about being able to make her own money, she disrespects the symbolic figurehead of the story. Mama believes that Beneatha will be able to be a doctor if God allows it to happen. This upsets Beneatha, because she’s “tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves.” More specifically, she doesn’t agree with anyone else getting credit for all the hard work she is doing to make a life for herself, not even God. Being an atheist in the 1950s was probably even more unacceptable than being a woman doctor. Beneatha is slapped by her mother who forces her to repeat the phrase “In my mother’s house there is still God.” I found this scene extremely disturbing. Religious discrimination may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you mention A Raisin in the Sun, and yet this scene is the one that most resonated with me because of its intensity. Beneatha doesn’t even have the free will to not believe in God in her own home, though I guess she’s free to think whatever she wants as long as she doesn’t speak it aloud. It’s obvious that religion is extremely important to Mama.
Do you think it was disrespectful for Beneatha to voice her religious views even though she knew it would upset her mother, the woman who pays for her medical school and supports her in many other ways? Or do you think that Beneatha voicing her religious views is just another trait that shows how strong willed and progressive she is for her time?
Hi Kailey!
I think you did a really good job summarizing Act 1 in your post and emphasizing your observations on some key parts of it. To your question about modern feminism being necessary in today’s society, I believe it is and we should continue empowering women’s rights for the sake of how far we’ve come and keep it existing for near future as it is something to be proud of.
I also had similar thoughts to Mama’s reaction towards Beneatha voicing her religious views. I think it showed Beneatha as being progressive for her time and I find her to be a very rational character in the sense that she has goals set for herself and is trying to pursue a career in a time where it is very uncommon for women to become doctors and receive that type of education. In your post, you explained how Beneatha “disagrees with anyone else getting credit for all the hard work she is doing to make a life for herself, not even God.”I think it proves a point that she is very strong-willed because she knows how much work, time and education she will need to put in and I believe she should be entitled to think that way, even if she is living under Mama’s roof.
Hello, Kailey!
Wow, I don’t think I could of said it better myself. The oppression that Beneatha faced purely from her family is disheartening to say the least. While reading I tried to keep in mind that this play takes place in the 1950s and that people had different views back then. When Walter blatantly told Beneatha that becoming a nurse would be better, and taking it further to say just marrying someone would be sufficient, my heart broke for her. While I know it’s not always the case, I personally think your family should be your number one supporter.
I was equally disgusted when I read about Mama slapping Beneatha across the face for disrespecting God. While it may be Mama’s house and Mama’s money, I fully believe that everyone has the right to believe in what they choose. To forcibly push a religion onto someone, especially your kids, is in my opinion, extreme oppression. I think Beneatha has a courageous strong mind which is needed in a time period such as this one.
You certainly made several interesting points in the first Act. I can tell you have a passion or at least a drive toward the topic of feminism. I agree that Beneatha takes strong strides for the time the play is placed in toward a more equal society of men and women. As you said, men at the time took in different ways this shift in independence of women. Some, like Walter, took to anger and frustration to bash all the women of his family in Act One for not agreeing with him. One thing we certainly see are women taking charge over the man in the family. After all, Walter would rather invest money into a Liquor Store which to him (a drunk) sounds like a great idea. However his whole world is dependent on the women of his family, and perhaps that issue forces a man in this time to lash out.
Feminism has been around in western society for hundreds of years, even before Shakespeare. However, in only the past 100 years has it really hit its stride with polict change in America. Modern Feminism can be a tricky topic in my opinion. I agree to the idea that women should have a right to their own bodies, especially when it comes to medical issues. However, not all feminist groups are fighting for equality before the law, but rather equality in an individuals mind.
I am a Search and Rescue Insructor, and while going through my grueling training, I encountered two women who were also in attendance. It had not been seen as a problem to me, and to be honest I probably wouldn’t have noticed them as any different if it wasn’t for one particular instructor who always seemed to give them extra assistance with the training material. I noticed this because they seemed to be better off than I was usually, and although I needed the help more at times, they seemed to be getting the attention. I trace this to the instructors personal feelings that perhaps they weren’t as well off because they were women. Of course I do not know for sure however the point is they were able to endure the same training as me, however treated differently during it because the instructor internally thought they weren’t as up to it as men.
Kailey,
Your response was well thought out and expressive, but I cannot agree that modern day feminism is any less necessary than it was 65 years ago . Although women are more liberated now than ever, freedom doesn’t always equate to ideal circumstances. Women are oppressed, whether it be the pay gap (In 2016, on average, women made 79.6 cents to every mans dollar) or victim blaming in sexual assault cases. Although America has made a lot of progress in recent decades, we aren’t completely there yet, and we need feminism if we ever want to get there. On another note, I am torn as to how I feel about Beneatha’s passionate expression of her religious views. In one aspect, Beneatha is proving herself as a free thinking, opinionated person. I respect her willingness to express her feelings about God, especially with the knowledge that Mama is extremely religious. With that being said, I also got the feeling that Beneatha said all of those things about her being sick of hearing about God to upset Mama. Mama constantly talks about God and quotes the Bible often, but Beneatha only mentions her annoyance in her fit of rage. Although it is clear that she does not believe in God, she only seems passionate about this when she is critiqued for using His name in vain. I think Beneatha is just defensive, as she also exhibits this kind of behavior when Asagai makes a comment about her “mutilated hair”. All in all, I think Beneatha should be allowed to think and do whatever she wants, without others telling her that her expressions are invalid, but she also must learn to express herself without getting angry and defensive.
Kailey, I completely agree with your statement that Beneatha is a strong and progressive character. Everything she says and does in Act 1 prove that she is defying the standards of her time. I admire the way in which she has no problem being different and going against what most believe. Not only does she want to be a doctor, but she engages in unique activities to discover her likes and even contemplates marriage. I really like when you state, “This statement proves that Walter opposes Beneatha’s plight not only because she is using Mama’s money, but also because she’s a woman”. Walter is an intense male character who values money, and she has no problem standing up to him. Although it must be difficult for Bennie to go against the standards of her time and her family members, she believes that it is more important to fight for what she sees as just.
To answer your question regarding Beneatha’s bold statement about God to Mama, I believe that it is essential that she forms her own opinion on religious belief and faith. I believe that it is up to every person to decide what they would like to believe and how they want to express their faith. It is incredible that Beneatha has the confidence to convey her feelings to her mother during such a strict, religious period. However, I also disagree with the way in which Bennie informed Mama of her distrust in God. Mama is an extremely religious character who relies on God and wants to keep her family as strong as possible. It must be upsetting for Mama to learn of her daughter’s lack of faith through an argument during a difficult time. Now, both of Mama’s children are defying her by going against the lessons she has taught them throughout their lives. I completely support that Bennie has the right to formulate her own beliefs, but I believe she should have kept them a secret from Mama or told her in a more gentle manner, at a different time.
Hi Kailey,
I thought that your analysis of Act one was impressive. I was glad that you included the scene about Bennie disrespecting her mother in your discussion questions. Bennie is a character that is meant to show the shift towards women having more important roles in society as time goes on. Although her opinionated outburst is rather disrespectful towards her mother, it is a bold and vital scene. It shows the contrast between women’s roles awhen mama was growing up versus when Bennie is growing up. Bennie, a younger woman in society, believes that one has to work for their success and that their actions dictate their life results. This scene, although it may seem rude or immature depiction of Bennie, is a powerful overall statement that aims to show the beginning of a shift societies values. Mama on the other hand, believes that God will bring success to individuals rather than the women needing to work for it themselves. This scene in the play is vital in contributing to the overall themes and concepts of the play.
Kailey, I really liked how you made a connection to a very current trend that we are experiencing in today’s society. The feminist movement can be seen almost everyday from powerful women in our society. I strongly believe that modern feminism is still necessary in our progressive society because we have not yet reached a level of equality between men and women. Back in the early 19th century, the abolitionist movement began and it last fifty years. It took half a century for slavery and equal rights for both races to be achieved. The feminist movement is new idea and it may take just as long for all people in our society to feel that women are equal to men. Discrimination against women can be seen everywhere in our society. One outstanding example is the pay gap wage. Men are paid higher than women in many professions for the exact same job. This is just one example of the power that men hold in our society that has yet to be abolished.
I do not believe that it was disrespectful of Beneatha to voice her religious opinions in front of her mother however, she may have hurt her mother in ways she didn’t yet understand. Although Bennie was standing up for what she believed in and was honest, she knew that her mother was a strong believer in God and she knew that her words would hurt her mother. Mama is paying for Bennie’s schooling and I do believe that she could’ve approached the situation in a more calm and reasonable way. In both today and the 1950’s society, parents are regarded and wise and should be given the utmost respect. Mama was a good mother to Bennie and sacrificed a lot in order for Bennie to get to the place she is in now. I don’t disagree with Bennie’s want to voice her religious opinion but I do disagree with the way she approached the situation.
Kailey, I think your response and explanation of Act One did a good job summarizing the text while introducing thought provoking analysis. I agree that Beneatha is a strong willed character that will go to lengths to defy the restricting ideals of her time to succeed. I think you highlighted her role in Act One very well, especially in her aspirations to become a doctor and how you related it to real world connections to feminism today. To answer your question on modern feminism, yes, I believe the current generations should continue to strive for equality. Men and women are said to be treated equal today, but there are still laws that restrict the rights of women and the wage gap in place. People can use Beneatha’s influence as inspiration to support feminism in the world today, despite the play taking place in the 1950s.
Your blog also helped me understand Beneatha and Mama’s relationship better. I thought about Mama slapping her because of her act of defiance, but had not thought about reactions to atheism in the 1950s. I think you’re right to say that it would be widely looked down upon to label yourself as atheist in that time period. This went well with your discussion of the kinds of freedoms Beneatha is restricted, like pursuing the medical field and freedom of religion in her own home. The importance of religion to Mama strikes me as intense too, because personally I am not very religious. I agree that even though Mama made it clear she was in charge, the way she used violence to prove it was disturbing. Based on your question of whether or not Beneatha should voice her opinions on religion in Mama’s house, yes and no. I believe she should absolutely be able to create her own set of beliefs and they don’t necessarily need to follow anyone else’s influence. However, based on the way Mama reacted, I think it would be in her best interest to be more quiet about her differing opinions on religion. Beneatha is headstrong and stubborn; regardless of my opinion, I think her character will continue to speak out and react toward Mama negatively.
I believe that Beneatha voicing her views on religion is both progressive and disrespectful. Her character is meant to portray a modern day woman during the times where women were still oppressed. Her opinion on religion when talking to her mother was bold and different at a time where religion was highly sought during rough times. Her view on religion shows a shift in thought from her mother’s generation, to the new generation where science is more respected.
That’s an excellent point. I hadn’t even thought about Beneath’s outburst as being both progressive and disrespectful. I feel like that statement can also be used to explain a lot of different progressive movements through history.
Hey Kailey! There was nothing wrong with Bennie voicing her religious views but I do believe it was disrespectful for her to voice them knowing it would upset her mother. Even the way she went about voicing her views was disrespectful. She could’ve ended with God having nothing to do with her becoming doctor and that she’s tired of hearing about God. It became disrespectful when she asked her mom if God pays for her tuition. I think that part was unnecessary because it seemed like she was patronizing her mother for believing in God. You can voice your opinion on a subject without making another person feel stupid for believing the opposite of you. My cousin doesn’t believe in God and my family respects that even though we were raised to believe in Him. We never tried to force or disrespect our different religious views on each other either. Also even before Bennie started to talk about her religious views, a few pages before she kept calling the Lord’s name in vain knowing her mother doesn’t like that. The first time she said it, Mama chastised her. Then right after getting scolded she responded by saying “Oh, God!” I honestly think Bennie just wanted to upset her mother.