Professor Cecilia Liu

Maria Irene Fornes: The Conduct of Life (1985)

Feminist writers usually reject a linear, forward-moving action in favor of contiguity, or a series of scenes in continuous connection. Fornes does not wish to be categorized by restricted labels such as feminist; she has stated that it is only natural that she writes from a woman's perspective. Point out the characteristics attributed to her writing technique.
Comment on Orlando's being both soldier and husband, a South American petty tyrant, victimizing his wife Leticia, his housekeeper Olimpia, and his sex slave Nena.
Are the characters portrayed in the play as stereotypes?
Women playwrights write from their personal perspectives which may be philosophical and political observations about the role of women in western society. Examine the roles women play in The Conduct of Life. What are the female-gendered activities?
Explain how Fornes utilizes a series of fragmentary scenes, elliptical forms, indirect dialogue, interrupted action, and ambiguity as the play structure. Find examples.
Discuss the character of Leticia. Why do you think she allows Orlando to keep Nena in the basement as his sexual slave even after she knows definitely what he's doing? What do you think about the ending? Why does she kill Orlando at the end of the play and what do you think happens after she hands the gun to Nena?
Discuss the character of Nena, and in particular, the speech she makes at the end of Scene 15. Why do you think, after all she has been through, that she says, "And if someone should treat me unkindly, I should not blind myself with rage, but I should see them and receive them, since maybe they are in worse pain than me." Do you think she is referring to someone in particular and if so, who?
How is the domestic unit in The Conduct of Life seen as a political microcosm for a tyrannical, male dominated class system characterized by destructiveness, aggressiveness, and victimization?

August Wilson: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone(1988)

In many ways, Bertha and Seth are opposite or complimentary characters. Characterize their relationship and induce what they might represent in terms of human nature and relationships.
This play displays two sides of African American spirituality: the goopherer, conjurer and black magician in Bynum; and the Christian attitudes of Seth, Bertha, and Martha Pentecost. How do these two polarities interact in the play, especially in the character and actions of Herald Loomis?
Do some research on the "juba" dance, and write a paper illustrating how Wilson uses the tradition in Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
Who is Joe Turner?
Between Bynum's comments in act I, scene 3, Jeremy's pedestal-placing, and Loomis' search for Martha, women are differently portrayed as valuable commodities. Explore the theme of "women and community" in Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
What change occurs in Herald Loomis?
Like Candide, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Heart of Darkness, this play is about travel or journeying. Keep track of references to walking, travel, journeys, the "road." Which characters refer to these? What significance does this motif seem to have in the play?
Songs and music are another motif in the play. For instance, characters sometimes discuss "finding their song." What does that mean?
There are actual blues songs in the play. How are the lyrics significant?
Loomis also has a vision at the end of Act I. Analyze this vision. What do you think it means? Are its details symbolic? Is Loomis' vision similar to or different from Bynum's?
This play seems to comment on racial/cultural assimilation. How do the characters help portray varying attitudes toward this theme? What does Wilson's attitude toward this seem to be?
How do August Wilson's comments (following the play) help you interpret Loomis?
How do you interpret the final scene of the play? What happens to Loomis? What impressions/belifs/ understandings do you think Wilson wants us to have at the end of the play? Is the ending positive or negative?
Source: "Discussion Questions for Joe Turner Come and Gone. 2 Nov 2005

August Wilson: The Piano Lesson (1990)

What is the thematic significance of the final exorcism? Discuss the roles each character plays in casting out Sutter's ghost.
Music is a crucial element of this play as is the trope of the piano lesson. Choose and discuss one example of the use of music in the play.
Discuss the role of magic in Berniece and Lymon's seduction.
The Piano Lesson relies more on reportage and storytelling than action. Discuss the role of storytelling in the play? You may want to focus on two or three stories for comparison.
What are some differences between the roles of men and women in this play? You may want to isolate a few characters for analysis. You also may want to consider their role in the plot, their qualities, their speech, etc.
What is the significance of the railroad in this play? Consider, for example, Doaker's reflections on railroad travelers, his traveling song, the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog, etc.
What is the significance of Avery's dream? Consider in particular his use of allegory.
The Piano Lesson is often a humorous play. Discuss one example of the comic in the play. Upon what literary devices does it rely? What is its thematic significance?