Debussy's Portfoliographie-Personal Narrative

August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, tells a story of a family haunted by the pain of their past and their struggle to find peace to move forward. The story begins with character Boy Willie coming up from the south visiting his sister Bernice. Boy Willie introduces the idea of selling the family’s heirloom, a piano, to raise enough money to buy the land on which his ancestors were enslaved. However, both Boy Willie and his sister Berniece own half a half of the piano and she refuses to let Boy Willie sell it. Through the use of symbolism, Wilson uses his characters, the piano and the family’s situation to provide his intended audience with the lesson of exorcising our past in order to move forward in our lives. Our past will always be a

Throughout The Piano Lesson, Bernice is constantly getting into arguments with her brother over a piano that holds carvings of her family history. This piano is a very

She looked up from the lukewarm tea in her lap, clearing her throat before she spoke. "I prefer Della."

As an adult, Jing-mei’s mother offers her the piano once more, and Jing-mei accepts the gift. Appreciating the encouragement and faith her mother bestows upon her Jing-mei decides to care for the piano. The piano piece

Warmth, Jonas thought. All he could think about was making it to Elsewhere. His feet traveling through snow. His feet were cold;his whole body was cold. “Elsewhere is close ,but maybe my journey will end soon ,” Jonas said.

The Piano Lesson is a Southern Gothic play in which the living, as well as the dead, have a strong connection to the piano. The piano has a tragic origin that dates back generations. The piano was originally obtained by Robert Sutter who traded slaves for the instrument because he could not afford to purchase it outright. The piano was meant to be a gift for his wife, who coincidentally grew weary of the instrument and began to miss her slaves. In an attempt to quell her depression, Robert Sutter commissioned that the slaves' portraits be engraved in the piano; in addition to the slaves that were traded, the woodcarver also included their families and family histories. Because of the ties to slavery between the piano, the Sutters, and the Charles family, Berniece and Boy Charles came to believe that as long as the Sutters owned the piano, they would continue to own the Charles'. Due to this belief, the Charles' become obsessed with obtaining and owning the piano. During the course of trying to get the piano from the Sutters, the Charles' sacrificed much of themselves and caused many deaths.

The narrator recieved the piano because her mother wanted her to become a prodigy. Her mother traded free cleaning services in exchange for the piano. The narrator’s piano teacher, Mr. Chong, was deaf and his eyes were to slow so he could not see if the narrator was playing the right notes, so she did not try and never became better. At the narrator’s recital her lack of effort at her lessons became visible to the audience. Despite this fiasco her mother wanted her to keep on practicing.

"You really shouldn't be using this arm," he murmurs, pushing her arm down and holding it against her body. She looks at the prince in the mirror, finding his sleepy smile lowering itself to her shoulder where he sets his chin.

John Updike’s poem “Piano Player” presents the reader with a poetic telling of a magical piano that plays by itself. Updike’s poem is filled with various literary elements that escort life into the piano, while seizing the reader’s attention. The literary element used in the poem along with the musical tone of the piano, creates a magical uplifting moment. Throughout the poem Updike uses irony, sound and rhyme, and rhythm and and meter to make a great poem for all ages. In three stanzas (12 lines) Updike goes through the life of a piano player.

Alexandra sat quietly in thought until she heard the harsh pounding of fingers rapping against the door3. She quickly stood up from her spot in a chair and brushed off her dress, adjusting it to be more comfortable. She hurried to the door and opened it apologizing profusely for not getting there quicker. Standing in the door was a young African

Avory can hear sounds of chatter and movements in the distance, but Alden either ignored or didn't hear it as he turned to her with a serious expression on his face, his eyebrows creased in concern over something she doesn't know.

“What luck,” I murmured as I trudged down the stairs of my piano teacher’s house. “Stupid recital hall…” Simply the thought of performing twice in one day threw me off balance, and I tumbled down the remaining steps.

Small, agile fingers raced across the piano like raindrops falling quickly from the sky. Glorious sound filled the theater as every note rang out with unmatched precision and accuracy. The sound of the piano was at the same time soft yet powerful, sweet yet bitter, and was the most divine sound that anyone could have heard; it was indescribable. On the bench of the piano, sat not a man but a boy. A boy feared by all pianists,

“Autumn honey,” I say. “Go wash your hands.” She glances at me and crinkles her nose.

The door knob is always cold to touch like you’re touching a block of ice. When you walk into the door the room is so cold, it feels like you’re standing outside in a snow storm, in