Shavon Kirksey (Beneatha Younger)

I am going to cast Shavon Kirksey as Beneatha Younger. I have chosen this actress to play as Beneatha because her physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character.  Beneatha Younger is 2o years old and has strength in her face. She is an intense young woman with a lean and almost intellectual looking face. She has a long hair, which she perms every week at the beginning of the play. She is not as beautiful as Ruth was when she was young, but she is confident and sarcastic, and men are always after her (p. 1044). Her biggest motivation is to find her identity as she goes from one thing to another (p.1047). As she searches for her identity, Beneatha cuts her hair and goes back to her roots by leaving it natural (p.1057). She has decided to become a doctor because she wants to cure people (p.1070). This shows how confident she is because she is going against stereotypes (p.1046). Beneatha also has a superior attitude as she even says she is going "to become a queen of the Nile" (p.1053). The play implies that Beneatha didn't choose comfort with George, who is one of her admires. She chooses to be with Asagai, which shows that she might go to Africa with him and work as a doctor there (p.1075).