I watched Spinning Into Butter at Nerinx Hall’s Heagney Theatre. There are only seven characters who actually appear on stage, and they are Sarah Daniel, Ross Collins, Dean Catherine Kenny, Dean Burton Strauss, Mr. Meyers, Patrick Chibas, and Greg Sullivan. Simon is also a major character in this play, but he never actually comes out on stage. Lastly, the setting of this play is in Belmont, Vermont at a liberal arts college. Spinning Into Butter is not just about the many issues a college campus has to deal with, but it is about racism. There are two main storylines in this play. One main event is about a Nuyorican man named Patrick who is very proud of his ethnicity. However, most people do not care about the specific details, so when he is applying for a $25,000 scholarship his ethnicity has to be categorized. The lack of racial concern Sarah and the scholarship committee express …show more content…
Most people do not enjoy talking about sensitive topics because they feel uncomfortable, so it is amazing how someone would write a play discussing one of the most sensitive topics, which is racism. I would think, many people would stay away from watching a play that could cause them to feel awkward. However, I was surprised to find out that this play is very popular, and this play was even created into a movie. My favorite scene of Spinning Into Butter was ending because the characters were openly honest, and the only way to end racism is to talk about the issue. Furthermore, this play is relevant in everyone's life, so it easily makes a connection with the audience. The audience also becomes more engaged due to the funny dialog and actions between Sarah and Ross. An example of the noteworthy dialog is when the older man is discussing “useless” classes, and he mentions one of Ross’ classes while Ross is in the room. Furthermore, it is hilarious when Sarah is passive aggressive towards Ross, but he is confused to why she would be angry with
killing his friend James Roberts. This play is a stark example of how when built up anger and rage cannot be released upon the group or thing causing that anger, many times the explosion is released upon individuals that are not necessarily connected to the situation. The history of the United States of America has countless examples of the oppression of African-Americans, and even though advancements have been made concerning this, there is still not equality between the people of this country. These violent crimes of African-American poor against other African-American poor are a direct result of these people not being able to efficiently and effectively release pent up anger associated with this oppression. It results in the members of the African-American poor being both perpetrators and victims, without any real consequences for the oppressor group.
This is a problem. It’s important to remember the past. Even if you’re not African American, there’s something to gain from the play. We all have a cultural heritage, and we should be aware of where we all came from. This play is taken place in Pittsburgh in 1937, but we have gone a long way since the time of slavery and segregation.
This shows that people need to do the right thing no matter how hard it is so that events in real life do not get out of hand like they did in the play and like they did in the real Salem Witch
The topic of this narrative is race. A possible theme for
One character accuses the other of something, to which he or she must immediately respond and defend himself or herself. The statements of each character are dependent on what the other characters have said before them; that is to say, most conversations between the African-American characters throughout the course of the play only occur due to some sort of accusation or inflammatory remark from another African-American
The play explores the reality that students of color, particularly black and Latino students, are more likely to be suspended, expelled, and arrested in schools, which can lead to involvement in the criminal justice system. Morisseau's play highlights the impact that this trend has on families and communities, and how it perpetuates and reinforces inequality. Through the powerful story of Nya and her son Omari, the play challenges audiences to consider how education, race, and class intersect to create a system that often fails students of
I liked that Paula Vogel did not hold back and let all of the emotions of the play loose. I am anticipating that I will enjoy the play. I personally think I would like it more if the characters were portrayed by only people rather that people holding puppets, but they have too much symbolic meaning to be left out. I think the puppets are meant to resemble the fact that we really have no control over our own lives as children. The release of the real people from the puppets into adults symbolizes the freedom from their
Our action define who we are, so it is essential that continue to be ourselves and fight for what we believe. Just like the play, Beneatha struggles finding her true background. Along the way she loses focus on what her true dreams are. She believes they may just be meaningless in the vicious circle of discrimination and segregation. Identity is something that everyone, white or black, should always keep intact.
I would focus on the cultural background of the characters and how it influences their experiences and struggles. As a Puerto Rican-American playwright, Quiara Alegría Hudes brings her cultural perspective to the play, which is reflected in the characters' language, customs, and traditions. As a director, I would emphasize these aspects through the use of music, costumes, and set design, creating a sense of authenticity and richness that is reflective of the characters' cultural
”(Ellison 291) . The white men awarded the narrator with a scholarship but they see his education as a joke and believe he will not
Moreover, demonstrate consequences are taken to oppress racial and ethnic minorities to keep them in a subservient position. Overall, this film has provided me with a visual depiction of how stereotypes are a mental tool that enforces racial segregation and self-hate. The label of “White” became a necessity for Sarah Jane to achieve in society. To attain it she needed to move to a new city, change her name and deny her mother.
John Guare is legendary for his exploration on the theory of six degrees of separation: the entire world population is tied in a chain of connection, which everyone is somewhat a friend of a friend. Additionally, Guare provided audiences with another distinctive approach to the study of African Americans during the late twentieth-century, via his 1990 play: “Six Degrees of Separation”. The play revolves around a young black protagonist, Paul, who untruthfully imagined himself as part of the upper socio-economic class. His actions and thoughts are undeniably influenced by the effects of racial discrimination against blacks during his time period that have been rooted for centuries.
The famous play shows the audience the life it was like to live as a black female, and shows the struggles that the Young family faced being the first African American family to move into a white neighborhood. This play is considered a
I enjoyed the comical and lighthearted dancing and singing approach the characters had to the somber situations around them. Watching this few years later and after taking a Text and Meaning course, I was struck at the sheer amount of things that stood out. The Negroes were declared “other”. In post colonialist theory, declaring one race “other” marginalizes them and stresses on how
Repressed Homosexuality in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof In the play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, American play writer and author, Tennessee Williams, creates a piece that brings attention to a very dysfunctional, Southern family due to dishonesty, greed and concealed emotions. This story takes place around the 1950s and is centered on a broken, alcohol-loving man named Brick, his vivacious wife named Maggie, and their extremely… unusual family, but this isn’t the typical 1950s type of play. Most of the story and its conflict centers around one main topic: repressed homosexuality. This play was eventually cut down, altered and turned in to a film created by director, Richard Brooks.