"Master Harold...and the Boys" Written Task 2

life in the mid to late twentieth century and the strains of society on African Americans. Set in a small neighborhood of a big city, this play holds much conflict between a father, Troy Maxson, and his two sons, Lyons and Cory. By analyzing the sources of this conflict, one can better appreciate and understand the way the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work.

The stereotypes in the story, makes it difficult for the readers to conclude the race of each character. People assume that the African American character would be illiterate and uneducated and the white character to be well-educated. During the time period of the story African Americans did not have access to a decent education; making it harder for them to learn just the basics. Whites had access to good education, making it easy to believe the white character is more educated. It is also believed that a person that is well educated will have a better lifestyle when they are older. A well-educated person will have a better job, paying more, and have a better opportunity to afford the means of a luxurious lifestyle. An under educated person will most likely live in poverty, struggle for their basic needs, or live in a declining neighborhood. Behavior is a harder stereo type to use to distinguish a race. Many assume that whites have an entitled attitude toward life. Whites had access to a good education and jobs, they had a “I’m better than you” attitude. On the other hand, many think African Americans were upset because of how easy it was for whites to have better access to the basic necessities such as education and housing.

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

The historical fiction novel ‘the longest memory’ set in the 18th century depicts a character ‘Whitechapel’, an elderly slave working at a plantation, in Virginia. Whitechapel, unlike other slaves is treated with more respect from the ‘white’ individuals in the novel and accepts the treatment inflicted on him by the white men, stating that if he acts with respect then receive good treatment. However, towards the ending of the novel it is prevalent that he desires for things to change following the death of his beloved son ‘Chapel’. The black diggers in the play ‘black diggers’ set in 1914 Australia, are similarly treated in an inhumane manner by white men. The black diggers desire for change in this area and therefore enlist to fight for Australian in the first world war. They long that when they will return, the inhumane treatment they received will no longer be, however, they faced further scrutiny by the white Australian society upon their return.

Negroes do not like it in any book or play whatsoever, be the book or play ever so sympathetic in its treatment of the basic problems of the race. Even [if] the book or play is written by a Negro, they still [would] not like it” (Henry). In addition, John Wallace believes that the word “nigger” is so offensive that he rewrote the novel without the word “nigger.”

The overarching theme of racial discrimination is bought upon by the differing contexts, is bought upon by the different contexts and therefore settings. Shakespeare’s play is set in

creates a play that illustrates not only the struggle of growing up in a prejudiced world but also

the play are ―rich symbol[s]‖ that convey the barriers of a ―racist society‖ (Kenny par. 18). The

The female dancer first falls victim to the prominent white men and the African American boys in the derogatory ideas and thoughts they are having. Before the physical actions of the men, the dancer was already a victim by their degrading thoughts and lustful feelings. The men looked at her like she was a “circus kewpie doll”, already likening her to a toy for their amusement making her nonhuman to them (270). By likening her to a kewpie doll, they could rationalize their animalistic thoughts, making their feelings seems appropriate. By viewing her as inanimate, they allow themselves to continue their lewd thoughts about her

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

-Grew up in Port Elizabeth (deeply symbolic place for him.) Lower middle class environment  poor whites of 1930s vs. political conservatives (generalization!) Fugard epitomizes fact that we can’t generalize like this because for five decades, he voiced against racial oppression. Port Elizabeth represents what it’s like to be poor and white in South Africa.

When looking at the origins of African-American Dramas specifically in Mulatto, Native Son, A Raisin in the Sun, Funnyhouse of a Negro, Great Goodness of Life, and Dutchman, the emotions of all these characters created the sense that everyone in this time were still searching for their identity. Each character in the plays had to overcome difficulties relating to their skin color, thus causing either confusion or confidence in their search for what defines them as their self. It created internal conflicts and they often blamed society for specific expectations and stereotypes. How the characters decided to express their feelings in emotions demonstrates a sense of realism and how they viewed themselves. In each play, we are able to see how the characters deal with the searching of their identity through various emotions and internal conflicts through their life choices.

The scene took place inside the tea room. The room is decorated with pale yellow wallpapers to give it a 50s vibe and classic wooden table sets to create the retro atmosphere as in the play. The play was set around the apartheid, hence it makes sense to see some elements that are relevant to that era. Sam and Willie were wearing white waiter's coats and Hally was wearing a school uniform. The way Sam and Willie dress tells us that Sam is more like an important than Willie is because Willie dresses like he’s doing more physical works and he actually was doing more physical works. Willie was cleaning the floor and Sam was busy doing work in the

“Master Harold”... and the boys, is a powerful play written by Athol Fugard that allows us to analyze the complex relationship between a black man and a young white boy within the context of racism in South Africa in the 1950’s. This play is characterized by metaphors used by the author to illustrate the struggle of people dealing with racism. One of the most important themes of this play is racism, focusing on the injustice in South Africa when the apartheid system was in place. Racial segregation and separation in this time in history demonstrates to us how this system allowed unequal rights for whites and blacks. There is evidence that the relationship between Hally,

“Master Harold”…and the Boys, by Athol Fugard takes place in the apartheid regime of South Africa. The main theme in the play is racism, and the characters Hally, Sam and Willy confront its realities in various ways throughout the play. Fugard uses symbolism as a way to explore racial tensions. He uses four key symbols to establish the themes of racism and division as well as hope, freedom and harmony. These include the meaning of the segregated bench, the flying kite, the ballroom dancing and the crippled father.