Joseph Asagai is introduced in Act One, scene two. Beneatha is on the phone with him and tells him to come over. She appears to be happy to talk to him and excited, "Beneatha: (At the phone) Hay-lo ... (Pause and a moment of recognition) .... Well of course I missed you" (56). Beneatha appears to be the type of person who does not go crazy over guys, but with Asagai it is different because he is different. When Beneatha gets off the phone with him she tells Mama that he will not care what the house looks like because he is an intellectual, "Asagai doesn't care how houses look, Mama - he's an intellectual" (56). The fact that Beneatha describes him as an intellectual who will

Asagai is put in the play to be Beneatha's male counterpart. He criticizes her on her beliefs and opinions and then he also criticizes her about her "mutilated hair" (61). He treats her like a Nigerian princess and believes her to be one, and he is the only one in the play that can match her intelligence and at times even beat her out (61). Despite all the criticisms that he gives her, he only wants to help her find her identity, he also pokes fun at her because he does not believe her to be as independent as she claims to be, but he only does, to motivate her and for her to truly be her own person, "It's how you can be sure that the world's most liberated women are not liberated at all. You all talk about it too much!" (64). Beneatha's brother, sister-in-law, and her suitor George all think that she will not become a doctor and that she should just settle down and marry a rich man. Asagai is different; he believes in her and thinks that she is strong enough to do what she wants. Asagai is man enough to admit that Bennie does not need anyone in her life, he truly does think that she will and can be a doctor. He encourages her and challenges her, he believes in Bennie's dream. The way he talks about Bennie and the way she describes and talks about him shows that Asagai is not like the men from American: he does not believe in settling for anything less than full potential, he is an intellectual who does not care about the appearance of things, only their content, and he is also a sophisticate.

In that same scene respect, is another attribute that Asagai's character is proven to have. Mama comes in on the conversation later on, "Mama enters and is immediately all social charm because of the presence of a guest," and he treats her with respect, "total politeness

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1200
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)