"Easy A"

“A”. A is an important symbol in the play In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks. This is the only letter in the alphabet that Hester knows. She cannot read and cannot write anything but the letter “A”. Throughout the play she writes or says the letter to people, and at many points she practices writing the letter. The letter and main character are parallels to the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The “A” is the letter Hester wore in the Scarlet Letter that marked her as an adulterer in the town. In the play the main character, also named Hester, only knows this letter. It is a symbol of the constant reminder of their mistakes and fate. Also Hester in the Scarlet Letter had a child named Pearl. Hester in the play In the Blood had five children. In both works the children were also a constant reminder of the women’s mistakes. Also both women experience something more demeaning the injustice of their society. Both Hester’s, being outcasts and looked down at in society. They are seen as the unethical in society. Other women say that there is a difference “between our kind and their kind.” Most people would not talk to them and treat them maliciously. In the Blood’s Hester is taken advantage of by her children’s fathers, Welfare, and her friend Amiga Gringa.

The Piano

In the play The Piano Lesson by August Wilson, the piano is a symbol of many things. First, it is a symbol of family. Bernice and Boy Willie’s grandfather, Willie Boy, carved the piano by hand for his master Mr. Sutter. The carvings consisted of the faces of their grandmother and father, the marriage of their parents, a funeral of a family member, and also the splitting of their family which was common during slavery. This piano was a physical memory of their family history. Second, the piano symbolizes domination. The piano was Sutter’s property and so was the family. They were his slaves. This is also why Miss Ophelia liked the piano so much because “she had her piano and her niggers too.” By stealing the piano from Sutter, Boy Charles, Bernice and Boy Willie’s dad, stole the family freedom as well.

The piano symbolizes a better life for many of the characters. When Wining Boy played it he became a recording star. Also if Boy Willie sells the piano he can buy all three parts of Mr. Sutter’s land which will give him the resources he needs to work for him and be self-sufficient. As for Bernice, she is sees the piano more on the sentimental aspect. To her the piano symbolizes memories. The memory of her mother and how she would, day after day, “polished this piano with her tears for seventeen years.” The piano to Bernice is the remembrance of her mother’s struggle after her husband died. She was left alone all because of a piano. Last, the piano is a symbol of the past due to all the family history carved into it. It is also a symbol of death because Boy Charles was murdered because of the piano, and when Boy Willie and Lymon tried to move it they heard the ghost of Sutter. These are the things the piano symbolizes.

Fool for Love

Secrets affect everything. A constant feeling of guilt, fear, and frustration is always with the person who has the secret, and once the secret is brought to light the people who are affected by it are changed forever. In a family, secrets are always present. Sometimes parents do not tell their children about the finances, and children do not tell their parents about the all things they do. Every family has their secrets. In the play Fool for Love by Sam Shepard, the old man had two families whose children were and still are in love. The old man had two families because he was in love with two women. He would disappear from one house for a long time and go to the other. The old man’s secret devastated his families. Eddie, his son, realized that he had been “fooling around” with his sister, May, and they have immense love for each other. Also, Eddie’s mother was so heartbroken that she kills herself. The old man felt so guilty about the whole thing, and that is why he drank so heavily before showing Eddie where he went all the time.

There are many elements of realism in this play. Realism in a play portrays ordinary settings, dialect, and people. They are regular people with ordinary strengths and weaknesses. They make common mistakes and are very relatable to the audience. In Fool for Love the old man’s infidelity is an element of realism. Also the drinking, fighting, and expressions of love are also elements of realism. The setting of a simple motel was very realistic. The actions, expressions, and dialogue of the characters are real and relatable. However, Shepard also is different in the use of Realism. The most prevalent instances are the headlights and the sounds of the door shutting. These two elements in the play were heightened and exaggerated. Also the Old Man was a contrast to the Realism in the play. The Old Man only talked to Eddie. He never talks to May and Martin. The Old Man was like the embodiment of the secret that haunts Eddie. All in all, Shepard makes fantastic use of Realism and secrecy in his play.

Top Gilrs

In the play Top Girls by Caryl Churchill, Marlene decides to throw a dinner party for her promotion to managing director at her job. However, instead of inviting friends and family Marlene dines with five other companions that she does not know very well. Her companions are all women from different times and backgrounds. Isabella is an old woman who has spend much of her time traveling the world, and Lady Nijo used to be the concubine of a Japanese Emperor who, after her life in the palace, became a nun. Pope Joan was a woman who disguised as a man to go study and became Pope. But she was later removed as Pope because she had a baby and was a woman. Gret is a very unusual character. She does not say much, but when she does she is either using profanity or speaking the harsh truth. She also steals the wine and bread at the table. The last companion was Griselda who was a peasant who married Marquis Walter and did anything he told her too. These women, in a sense, all clashed with each other but they also were alike. They would talk over each other and debate with each other, but they also felt for each other at times. For instance, Nijo knew exactly what Griselda was going through in trying to please the man in their life because he was considered their life. Each woman has experienced some sort of failure or loss of love. The only one at the table who did not seem to relate was Marlene.

Marlene is very successful and got a promotion. She even expressed how she has never lost a lover. It was almost as if she was higher than the other women at the table in that since. But comparing to what the other ladies have seen, done, and experienced, Marlene is belittled. To me it seems that Marlene is does have many successes, but when it comes to dealing with people she is not the best. She does not know how to talk to some people, and she cannot relate to real people.