Am I Blue by Beth Henley Essay

The Color Purple by Alice Walker is the story of a poor black woman living in the south between World War 1 and World War 2. This was at a time when, although slavery had ended,many women were still virtually in bondage, and had to put up with many conditions that was reminiscent of the days of slavery. The problem was that they had to endure being treated like an inferior being by their own families sometimes, as well as from the white people that lived there. It was a life that was filled with misery for many black women, and they felt helpless to do anything about their situations.

By having Everyman interact with these conceptualized characters, the author externalizes his inner conflict. Perhaps this technique seems too obvious or almost condescending to our more literate age, but whatever the case, it effectively conveys the central message of the play.

There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and

Walker compares Blue to minorities and the struggles that they endured. Meaning that the struggles including those of animals, blacks and women are the central message of “Am I Blue”. For that reason, these minorities are related to Blue and his austere background and feelings. Consider Walkers example when she says “ And about the Indians, considered to be “like animals” by the “settlers”, who did not understand their description as a compliment ”(381). In addition, Walkers target audience are for those who could relate to Blue, meaning that they can relate to loneliness and even

The exposition in a play gives background information to the audience about the characters and situations the characters are in. Expositions are necessary in plays because without them, audience members would have no clue what is going on. Expositions are also useful in letting an audience know what to expect and see later on in a play. Exposition can occur through action, narration, or dialogue from the characters. In Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, the exposition occurs through action and dialogue. The characters Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Hale, Mr. Hale, the sheriff, and the county attorney all meet up at the Wright’s abandoned farm house letting the audience know that something bad must have occurred at that house. Mr. Hale then

The situations and informal diction or vernacular in the play create an atmosphere of familiarity with the audience, and this familiarity helps the audience to realize that Troy, Rose, and Cory are just like them. Wilson’s technique of drawing the audience in is a method of breaking down social and racial barriers that existed during the time depicted in

The origin of this novel stems from a time with great attitude changes within the African-American way of life. Tensions between gender specifically had begun to emerge, women, who were thought of as subservient, belonging to the house as well as to their husbands. During the timeframe of this story, women had been beginning to emerge with dignity, grace, and authority. The play takes place in Pittsburgh, during the 1950’s when the gap between genders had been shrinking, as women had been introduced further into society as more than just mothers. To most, this diminishing gap, to most would be a seamless concept, however, to the characters of this play would be a deciding factor for many conflicting scenes. The main characters of this play

This connects the reader to the story. This connects to the reader and helps the reader relate to the fight between the couple. The author uses dialogue because it helps the reader establish the tension and fury between the two characters. The text states “ What would you like to do? Get the button back and push it? Murder someone “(108). This textual evidence illustrates how the dialogue was worded helped the reader establish how the characters were feeling at this moment. The text states “ Why are you getting so upset? It's only talk.”(108) This evidence portrays the frustration between the characters and how this creates a divide between the characters. In conclusion, the dialogue helps the reader establish the tone and helps the reader understand the story better.

Though there was a heightened sense of tension over civil rights in the late 1950s when A Raisin in the Sun was written, racial inequality is still a problem today. It affects minorities of every age and dynamic, in more ways than one. Though nowadays it may go unnoticed, race in every aspect alters the way African-Americans think, behave, and react as human beings. This is shown in many ways in the play as we watch the characters interact. We see big ideas, failures, and family values through the eyes of a disadvantaged group during an unfortunate time in history. As Martin Luther King said, Blacks are “...harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what

Blues for an Alabama Sky is an influential play that portrays the lives of African Americans in Harlem in the 1930s. This play is emotionally moving, attacking themes and issues that not only existed back in that time period, but can also be related to the modern era, over 70 years later. In Act I, scene 4, the first theme to appear is of acceptance. In this thematic unit, Angel shows a wish for acceptance in her singing, as well as a wish for acceptance for Guy’s friend.

The exposition in a play gives background information to the audience about the characters and situations the characters are in. Expositions are necessary in plays because without them, audience members would have no clue what is going on. Expositions are also useful in letting an audience know what to expect and see later on in a play. Exposition can occur through action, narration, or dialogue from the characters. In Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, the exposition occurs through action and dialogue. The characters Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Hale, Mr. Hale, the sheriff, and the county attorney all meet up at the Wright’s abandoned farm house letting the audience know that something bad must have occurred at that

The production spearheaded with a solemn poem by Langston Hughes entitled "Harlem." Preparing for an emotionally empowering theater piece, the poem quieted the audience and placed a serious blanket over us. While appropriate for me, I found it extremely coincidental that the poem's title, ties in directly with James Baldwin and his extensive writings on the 1943 Harlem race riots. With the lights off and just a solitary voice reciting the poem, it gave us, the audience, an immediate notion of play's melancholy style.

The narrator describes a year long period where Blue completely withdrew from his life in the city and was nowhere to be found. While Blue is regularly regarded to as a happy man we see moments of despair in his personal life where he seems to be helpless. After he loses his fortune and is showing the narrator where he lives he is first optimistic about the situation then he breaks down “I could hardly see him in the dark. Then after a while his voice came, and I had never heard it so grave, so, almost, tragic. “Please, please,” it begged; “what can I do?”

Characters – agents of the play, they provide motivation for the plot. “Vivid Characters” are the ones who are faced with “obstacles that we the audience can recognise”.

and green. Blue as discussed earlier was represented as the color of the God and other religious concepts, so the major incorporation of the color blue in the reliquary chasse indicated the spiritual significance it carried. Envisioning blue on the chasse unified people to Jesus Christ. Many of the reliquary chasse of the 12th century narrated a story; this individual one narrates the crucifixion of Christ. There are several key figures engraved throughout the exterior of the chasse, however since the crucial scene of the execution are shown on the front face of the chasse, that indicates that this chasse was primarily to be seen from the front rather than the sides. If viewed from the front, the top has three figures designed on it. In the center is the God the Father and on his either sides are two unknown saints. All three figures are represented in mandorlas however in different colors. The God of Father is displayed in the blue mandorla while the saints are shown in green mandorla. Here we can interpret a sense of hierarchy because the God of Father is shown in blue, which represents a divine color, however the saints are represented in green that is a mix of blue and yellow. So, blue still exists and represents divinity, yet the mixture of blue and yellow to produce a different shade of blue signifies that the God of Father is above and more important than the saints.