English 173: Midterm One
Why did Bruce Norris write "Clybourne Park" in a realism style?
"I tend to write in the realistic form because it limits what's possible and that gives a play a rigidity, a structure... If you want to demonstrate something about the way we behave and interact with each other, then it's really useful to have a concrete world to interact with"
Brecht's criticism of realism
"If you solve the problem on the stage, people won't attack it in the streets" --no one is going to do anything about structural racism/housing inequality if you solve the problem by the end of the play
Themes in Night Vision
"Or have we all, as a society, been abused by negative imaging of black men so consistently that we are all a part of their marginalization" --Ezra: "It's the darkness out there. You could get swallowed by it. G*dd*mn busted streetlight. Been half a year and they haven't fixed it" --If streetlight would have been fixed by the people, something wouldn't have happened - SYSTEMIC FAILURES LEAD TO SUFFERING OF MARGINALIZED GROUPS
Theatron
"Seeing place" where the audience sat in greek theater
How does Wolfe describe his play? I.e. what IS the play? How is it experienced?
"The play is both an exorcism and a party" --celebrates writers/stories/characters from before, wants to move beyond them --exorcism is uncomfortable; play is designed to be uncomfortable and extract demons from society
What did Ben Brantley have to say about panoramic focus?
"The very structure of a play posits the idea of a nation (and a world) trapped in societal purgatory of ineptitude and anxiety"
upward mobility myth
"rags to riches" social works hard work luck race environment mass american economic insecurity the definition of "nothing"
Echoes in Clybourne Park
"you can't live in a principle" - Karl in Act I and Kevin in Act II Death and loss - Kenneth commiting suicide Potential for violence - Albert tells Russ to be civilized and puts his hand on Russ's shoulder, Russ whirls on Albert and tells him not to touch him --mirrored with Kevin and Lena - Kevin tells Lena not to touch him or else
How Tatum discusses different meanings/contexts of the term "racism"
--"Cultural racism -- the cultural images and messages that affirm the assumed superiority of Whites and the assumed inferiority of people of color -- is like smog in the air" --"He defines racism as a system of advantage based on race'... a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as the beliefs and actions of individuals" --"...active racism, blatant, intentional acts of racial bigotry and discrimination..." --She concludes that there are two primary forms of racism, active and passive. "Because racism is so ingrained in the fabric of American institutions, it is easily self-perpetuating"
What is the definition of assimilation? How is the term used in A Raisin in the Sun? Why does Beneatha react so strongly to it? Use one of the terms from Fuch's article to analyze this passage (hint: use climate for matching answer).
--Assimilation is "the process of adapting or adjusting to the culture of a group or nation, or the state of being so adapted." It is used in A Raisin in the Sun by Hansberry when Asagai accuses Beneatha of being an assimilationist after he sees that she "mutilates" her hair instead of leaving it natural. --Beneatha does not believe in assimilation. Assimilation essentially means abandoning one's culture and beliefs to better fit in with the people/country they currently live in. Beneatha is actively trying to oppose assimilation, which is why she is trying so strongly to connect with her African roots and heritage. To her, abandoning these connections is akin to abandoning who she is. --The climate when Asagai and Beneatha are talking is tense, stuffy, but at times playful. Asagai does not mean to upset Beneatha, he only wishes to make her think more about her identity. Beneatha takes his teasing about her hair and wanting to find her identity personally, leading to a more confrontational and argumentative conversation between the two. As the feel of the conversation changes, so does the climate.
Describe the ending of Night Vision by Dominique Morisseau in terms of imagery and resolution (if any) to the central conflict. What questions does Morisseau leave for the audience to consider?
--Night Vision ends with Ezra grabbing a hoodie and going to take a walk in the middle of the night to get some air. Ayanna begs him not to go out wearing that hoodie tonight, but Ezra asks if their decision to call the police about the man who assaulted the woman earlier should be his "burden to change attire" for the rest of his life. Ezra tells Ayanna he trusts her about what she claims she saw, before he leaves. When Ayanna looks out the window, she sees the "flash of police car lights and sirens" and then admits that she is not sure about what she saw. The play ends with her waiting for Ezra to return. --This somewhat resolves the central conflict because Ayanna admits that she is actually unsure about what she saw, like Ezra accused her of earlier in the play. However, we never learn if it was the right thing to do or not and whether a black man had actually been the abuser in question. --Morisseau leaves the audience to consider whether Ayanna made the right choice endangering every black man wearing a hoodie that night by claiming that was what she saw definitively. Also, there is concern about whether Ezra will make it home safely or not and if Ayanna had done the right thing.
Dramatic themes in Clybourne Park
--Through change and through time, you win something and lose something; how you navigate issues related to gentrification is difficult; everyone wants their neighborhood to be safe and friendly; what kind of pain is worth achieving that? What loss is acceptable in a community and what isn't as time changes? --Naming a thing is not knowing it; how language is dealt with in the play - inability to name/label simply things like ice cream, inability to agree on common definitions --Respecting a memory has value - American Dream has to do with monetary possessions and economic achievement; Lena argues there is value to be found in many places
Connection between Fuchs's article, "Visit to a Small Planet: Some Questions to Ask a Play", and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun
--Time - idea of check arriving, time until they can move from small cramped apartment to new house --Climate - stuffy and confrontational, competing dreams and ideas of how the world should work; conflict between importance of money and happiness --Mood - --Hidden Worlds --Music --Class rules --Patterns --Dress/Appearance --Interactions --Power - dynamic between Walter Lee wanting to be the man of the house vs. Mama controlling the family's finances --Language Habits - Beneatha has very sophisticated speech because she is an educated woman pursuing a college and medical degree, while Walter and the other characters have less sophisticated dialect because they have not received the same level of education
How did A Raisin in the Sun get its name?
A Raisin in the Sun title comes from a poem by Langston Hughes which asks questions "What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun? / or fester like a sore - / and then run?" ...etc
What text does "assimilation" relate to?
A Raisin in the Sun, George - rich white guy Beneatha is dating, wants Beneatha to be a "traditional woman" and not talk so much about big ideas, is only there to be emotional punching bag and listen to George
What texts use a realism style?
A Raisin in the Sun, Night Vision, Clybourne Park NOT LAST MAMA ON THE COUCH PLAY - THAT'S SATIRE
stereotype
A generalized belief about a group of people
privilege
A special favor, right, or advantage given to a person or group.
How do stereotypes influences the choices Ezra and Ayanna make in Night Vision?
Although it was pitch black dark outside, Ayanna uses the stereotype that black men are more likely to be violent and wear hooded sweatshirts and pants dipped down low to assume that the man she saw beating a woman was black. Later, when Ezra questions her, he says, "...you didn't even consider... in your mind, we're the default"
What did Terry Teachout say about American theater?
American theater is a monoculture; they tend to not encourage self-criticism --"be sure not to tell your viewers anything they don't want to hear"
Active Racism
Anything which does not try to hide its racist nature. People who participate in this form of racism advocate the continued subjugation of members of the targeted groups and protection of "the rights" of members of the agent group. These goals are often supported by a belief in the inferiority of People of Color and the superiority of White people, culture, and values.
how do you determine the dramatic theme
Ask: what is the outcome of the central conflict? What does writer have to say about the ideas? What is the purpose in examining the play's central action? NOT the subject. offers point of view
What issues directly related to intersectionality impact Beneatha's internal conflicts in A Raisin in the Sun?
Beneatha is conflicted over which identity of herself she should choose to embody entirely. On one hand, Beneatha is of American descent and desires to become a medical doctor and prefers to wear her hair in a way accepted by white Americans. However, Beneatha also desperately wishes to connect with her African roots and learn about her ancestors, their ways of living, and embody the ideal of a "Nile Queen" as Asagai aspires her to become.
What was the purpose of black theater?
Black theater was a theater of protest - protesting situations they are forced to live in, in the US
who is the author of Clybourne Park?
Bruce Norris
What text does "Whiteness" refer to?
Bruce Norris interview article - "Clybourne Park is definitely a play for white people. It's about the white response to race, about being the power elite, about being the people who have power in the race argument."
In Night Vision, name the CC, MOP, Central conflict, dramatic theme, SODA
CC: Ayanna - makes phone call, pleads with Ezra to do something more for the woman, etc. MOP: Ezra - argues with Ayanna over whether she is sure about what she saw, whether it was right to call the police and tell them definitively the criminal was black based on stereotypes Central conflict: whether to make the phone call to police or not, what to say to the police; is it alright to put justice/protecting innocent above certainty about identity/race Dramatic theme: Doing the right thing can have deadly consequences for the innocent due to preconceived prejudices and stereotypes, so it is important to be sure in your observations before criminalizing a single person; criminizaling one will criminalize and endanger entire group; is cost worth it? SODA:
"No More Monsters Here" - CC, MOP, Central conflict, Dramatic theme, SODA
CC: Rebecca, because she changes her views of African Americans. Before, she was afraid of them, but now she understands what it is like to be feared so she will now challenge her views to become more accepting of others. However, Rebecca rejects the cure; she comes in asking for a cure but at the end, she is made uncomfortable by it and realizes the cure is not that easy. MOP: The Doc, because he condemns Rebecca's racist views and tries to force Rebecca to change them. Rebecca thinks she is normal and accepting, but the Doc points out that she is afraid of black people; opposing views about her fear. The Doc is African American, so he challenges her world views; his being a black man means he has a set of lived experiences that are very different from Rebecca's experience as a white woman. Central conflict: The central conflict is understanding versus fear, because Rebecca is afraid of African Americans and Raheem puts Rebecca in the shoes of an African American man to make her feel how horrible that makes other people feel. Central conflict is between the lived racial experience of Rebecca and the doctor; the central conflict is the question whether passive racism can be "cured," and if yes, how? Dramatic theme: passive racism; Systemic inequalities make it difficult to fully know the lived experience of an underprivileged racial group SODA: Rebecca, a white woman [who], walks [does what] in the shoes of a black man [against whom] for three days, as a cure for her "negrophobia" [why], and encounters the lived experience of the racially underprivileged and victimized and realizes that cure involves deep discomfort [to what end].
How does title influence your understanding of who the central character is? Think of texts we have read in class.
Can hint at whose story it is; LAST MAMA ON THE COUCH PLAY - title implies "Mama" is central character, but a different character (Walter) exclaims at some point in the play that it is actually HIS story, not Mama's.
Passive Racism
Conscious and unconscious beliefs, attitudes, and actions that support the system of racism, racial prejudice, and racial dominance and contribute to the maintenance of racism without openly advocating violence, discrimination, or an ideology of white supremacy.
Why is awareness of the contextual meaning of words important in order to be actively antiracist?
Context is incredibly important when deciphering the meaning of words. Words mean nothing without context; context is necessary to determine their connotations, tone, and in turn, meaning. Words have power, and can inflict immeasurable pain on people when used improperly. This is why context is especially important; for one group of people, a certain word could be used as a term of endearment, but if another group were to use that word, it would be considered offensive. To be actively antiracist, it is necessary to consider the implications, connotations, and various meanings of the words you plan to use before vocalizing them.
Give an example of how context can change the meaning of a word.
DIVERSITY In most contexts, diversity refers to a group of individuals or objects having variety or differences, whether that be differences in gender, race, nationality, religion, or any number of things. In a biological context, diversity refers to the variety of plants/species that live in a certain area.
Who is the author of Night Vision?
Dominique Morriseau
How does "essentialism" operate in different contexts?
Essentialism is the idea that people are defined by only a single part of their identity, i.e. race. Cultural socialization has historically created race as an essential category which governs personal behavior and perception to the point where individualization becomes obscured and even often dominated by ideas of racial stereotypes. --demonstrated in Night Vision - hoodie= black, individual looked at only by virtue of their suspected race
Reverse racism
FALSE - NOT A THING; implies that minority groups have somehow gained power over a majority group in society
Author of The Last Mama-on-the-Couch Play from The Colored Museum
George C. Wolfe (1986)
For whom/what did the authors of Raisin and Clybourne write their plays?
Hansberry: to depict the story of the typical working man of color (Walter) Norris: addressing whiteness for white people
Why did Bruce Norris write Clybourne Park?
He watched the play of A Raisin in the Sun at 12 years old, and "realized that I'm Karl Lindner. To see that when you're a kid and to realize that you're the villain has an impact." --"For years I thought I wanted to be in the play A Raisin in the Sun and play Karl Lindner, but as time went on I thought it's really an interesting story to think about the conversation that was going on in the white community about the Younger family moving into Clybourne Park. It percolated for many years, and that's how I ended up writing this play"
Extra credit question: What was one question you were hoping would be on this exam but wasn't?
How does the definition of diversity/intersectionality/stereotypes/prejudice change in different contexts? How is the term used in texts we have read in class?
Problem with essentialism in black theater specifically
If two plays are both about blackness, that does not mean they are about the same thing/similar --Black playwrights/writers always get accused of their stories relating to blackness, even if they are not at all related
Binary thinking
Imagining there are only two sides to an issue
Is How to be Black a critique of active or passive racism?
It is a critique of passive racism because it addressed how the topic of race, especially issues directly concerning African Americans, is covered in modern media and casual conversation. It provides advise to African Americans on how to be the spokesperson for their entire race and how to educate their white friends on why they should not use the n-word, for example. Thurston also addresses the issue with "Post-Racial America," a term he dismisses as an outright fallacy. White people want to forget about race completely, but this is the wrong path to take, according to Thurston. "To not recognize that [different races have totally different life experiences] is not only stupid, but also demeans the experience of those other people. I don't think you can ever achieve cultural understanding by pretending that cultural difference doesn't exist." Additionally, "...America will have a significant problem so long as she is interested in being post-racial as opposed to getting to the point where race is no longer a problem."
who is the author of A Raisin in the Sun?
Lorraine Hansberry
What is a key object of Raisin and what does it stand for?
Mama's plant: resilience, american dream, garden/leisure, family, nurturing, matriarch, growth, production, pleasure, etc.
Why is the idea of the American Dream falsely presented?
Mostly luck is involved in your ability to succeed; Rags to Riches podcast - the myth of upward mobility
Which texts focused on Institutionalized racism?
NFL article - who can use the n-word and why African Americans should not be banned from using it; it takes away part of their culture, so racist
what is the time period of each of the three plays?
Night Vision: present day (2013); Raisin: 1950s; Clybourne Park: 1950s and 2003
Explain the difference between race and ethnicity
RACE - physical appearance Imposed by society based on appearance No personal control Unitary - can only have one; yes or no? Often hierarchical and institutionalized ETHNICITY - language, food, religion, traditions, etc. Created by society based on cultural characteristics Can be a choice Can claim multiple ethnicities Member defined
How the term "Caucasian" came about
Race is a child of racism; caucasian originally referred to people from India/Georgia area, but racist white supremacists decided every white person came from this area because they are "most beautiful" --reinforced in US Supreme court case that Caucasian equals white people of European descent, so racism solidified as an accepted term
Critical race theory
Racism is ingrained in society and affects everyone's daily lives; racism is ordinary --racism is a system, not a small group of individuals acting alone hatefully
Upward mobility myth
Rags to Riches podcast Social networks - supports you when you are struggling financially Environment - biggest predictor of future wealth in the US is zip code to which you were born Race - most important factor; in getting jobs, impacts who gets lucky and who doesn't Hard work - wealthy are more likely to credit this than poor Luck - related to hard work, luck of what family you're born into Mass American economic insecurity - most people close to economic ruin, have very little in savings Definition of nothing - "I started from nothing," but obviously had something; denying your privilege
what are the differences between realism and satire?
Realism: everyday situations, like a real life, focuses on individual choice, language/settings (middle class). Satire: exaggerations designed to produce humor/parody, mocks weaknesses and exposes problems
What is the SODA and what are the 5 parts?
Statement of Dramatic Action: WHO (central character) DOES WHAT (action of play) WHY (reason for action) AGAINST WHOM/WHAT (obstacle, MOC in way) TO WHAT END (final outcome?)
Passive racism and the text it relates to
Tatum's "Defining Racism" When you are not actively racist, but you are part of and benefit from a system from advantage; unless you are actively antiracist, you are passively racist
Which plays focus on prejudice?
Tatum's "Defining Racism," Night Vision
What is the key object of Night vision and what does it stand for?
The black hoodie; stands for a racial identity that a person of color (in the case of the play-- black men cannot move in/out --> systemic racism that people of color are unable to escape from)
What dream is Walter chasing in A Raisin in the Sun? How does that compare/contrast to the actual possibilities of/restrictions to economic mobility in America?
Walter Lee is chasing the dream of success in A Raisin in the Sun, which most obviously manifests itself as the vision of owning a liquor store with his friends/business partners. The idea of a black man achieving success in America is used to demonstrate the restrictions to people of color's ability to move up in classes and wealth. Because his dream of success fails to be realized, this shows that there are more barriers than simply finances that limit the ability of African-Americans specifically to acquire wealth and success in America.
Write a statement of dramatic action for A Raisin in the Sun
Walter dreams to achieve economic success, but barriers stemming from systemic racism prevent his dream of owning a liquor store from coming to fruition so he is forced to abandon his hope in order to fulfill his family's dream of moving into a nicer, yet potentially unsafe, neighborhood.
How do you articulate "dramatic theme"? How does it differ from subject? Give an example from one of the plays that we have read so far this semester, and be sure to identify which play (by which author) it describes.
You articulate dramatic theme by offering the play's point of view on a subject, which is different from subject because it is not just a single word and expresses an opinion. In Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, a dramatic theme could be that "naming a theme is not knowing it."
Whiteness
a culturally constructed concept originating in 1961 Virginia designed to establish clear boundaries of who is white and who is not, a process central to the formation of U.S. racial stratification
Systemic Racism
a form of racism expressed in the practice of social and political institutions
a theme is NOT
a single word
Cultural Racism
a way of thinking that attributes disadvantaged racial groups' lack of prosperity to their behavior and culture, rather than to structural factors
What is the equation for theater given in class?
actor+idea+audience/time
prejudice
an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.
ethno-cultural empathy
attention to the feeling of a person or persons from another cultural group
internalized oppression
belief in distorted messages & stereotypical categories about one's own oppressed group
How does the American Dream relate to Mama's plant in A Raisin in the SUn?
big yard, garden, money, family in front of house with garden and white picket fence - larger THEMATIC CONCERN
Essentialism and its relation to the Last Mama on the Couch play
black suffering is seen as entertainment for white audiences, which is part of the "exorcism" Wolfe is trying to work through --"if we want to live, we have got to dance" --reward given for overreacting speaks a lot about the expectations white people have/want to see for African Americans in a play --criticizes how white people consume black media/culture - look at roles some people are expected to play
What does Broadway mean?
commercial theater, a business; plays are put there to make money; choose money over substance/message --tourist destination
Ethnicity
created by society based on cultural characteristics can be by choice can claim multiple ethnicities
cultural racism
cultural images/messages that affirm assumed superiority of whites
Post-racial
denoting or relating to a period or society in which racial prejudice and discrimination no longer exist.
How do you identify the central character?
determine who is at center of things, who drives the play's action and has the greatest world, journey, who the play cannot exist without.
how do you identify the main oppositional character?
determine who stands in opposition to the CC's (central character) objective and point of view
assimilation
erasing one's identity to adhere to a dominant identity .The process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group.
Satire
exaggerations used to produce humor depend on an intimate familiarity with the model of a parody mocks weaknesses and exposes problems uses visual images, languages, symbols, and situations from the model of the parody
Tragedy
fortunes fall. usually ends with a death.
comedy
fortunes from the central character arise. usually ending in marriage.
institutional racism
institutions and social dynamics that may seem race-neutral but actually disadvantage minority groups
How does Clybourne Park illustrate a panoramic focus (vs singular narrative)?
it draws upon larger systemic issues such as segregation in Chicago housing communities
How is the Last Mama on the Couch Play different from the other three?
it is a satire; it is a play in which the characters know that they are in a play; it is not a realist play
what is the community association, who is involved and what does it stand for?
it is an association that claims to have the interests of the needs and desires of the "community" at hand, but actually are a group of white people who hold racist ideas against people of color and are actively working to segregate communities and prevent people color from moving into their neighborhood. Karl lindner is in charge of association
Name the Central Conflict in Clybourne Park
monetary value vs. community value; irreconcilable conflict - can never calculate either's worth in the same currency
How do you define the central conflict?
opposing world views, philosophical ideas, political points of view that govern the CC and MOP; expressed as A vs B and must be a true conflict
what are Aristotle's 6 elements of drama?
plot, character, thought (theme), language, music, rhythm, spectacle
What focuses on the American Dream?
podcast "Rags to Riches"
essentialism
portrayal of a person/ thing in terms of one or more stereotypical or supposedly intrinsic trai
prejudice
preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience
race
race often imposed by society based on appearance, ethnicity, created by society based on cultural characteristics. "prejudice + power" (old definition)
Realism
recognizable situation everyday language and settings (middle-class) focuses on individual choice
In A Raisin in the Sun, Mr. Lindner is the master of...
subtext - says things that mean very much the opposite --He's from the "Clybourne Park IMPROVEMENT Association" --"We have had it brought to our attention... that YOU PEOPLE" --"Our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities" --Beneatha points out this backward thinking
Stereotype threat
the apprehension experienced by members of a group that their behavior might confirm a cultural stereotype
What was the real life event that Night Vision was based on?
the murder of Travyon Martin --done in a 10 minute play to get right to the heart of the matter, makes story urgent
Intersectionality
the study of how different power structures interact in the lives of people of color, specifically black women
what is theater
theater = people & objects film = people & places fiction = people & ideas
list 5 of the terms Fuchs gives to read a play
time, climate, mood, patterns, power, interactions, language habits, change, dress/appearance, class rules, hidden worlds
Active antiracism
trying to change the status quo and making a deliberate attempt to improve race relations and foster equality
how is the reading a play different from a text (hint: boat drawing)
what is on the page is the text, the production makes the subject or the "ocean". with play you get to read the stage directions and understand behavioral dynamics, you have OBJECTS which carry significance, communal audience experience of humor, discomfort, embodiment- watching it rather than reading it
Internalized oppression
when a member of an oppressed group believes and acts out the stereotypes created about their group
