Slavery In 'The Piano Lesson'

Much like a lathe a piano has immense complexity. The outward complexity of both comes in the form of their usability; for a machinist, one must learn how to work the cranks and levers of the machine, and for a pianist, one must learn how to use the keys. Within the poem The Machinist, Teaching His Daughter to Play the Piano, Fairchild uses imagery, metaphor, and simile to create a resemblance between the machines at the father job to the piano that the daughter is attempting to play.

Have you ever been punished by your parents for misbehaving in school and not doing your homework? And as a punishment they used to take away your most valuable possessions such as toys; cars, videos games, electronics etc. That makes you feel a little angry and upset at the same since your priced possession has been taken away. This is similar to stories The Piano Lesson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson and lastly, Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The Piano Lesson took place in 1936 Pittsburgh while Joe Turner’s Come and Gone took place the summer of 1911 in Pittsburgh. In both of these stories Wilson uses religious concepts and ghosts to demonstrate several of the difficulties that African in American had to deal with even after the slavery. The Piano Lesson is about a sibling conflict. The two main characters are Berniece, and Boy Willie both of them have positive believes that are dramatically opposed. Boy Willie wants to sell an antique, family inherited piano in order to buy a Mississippi land where his family had worked as slaves. However, on the other hand, Berniece, who has the piano refuses Boy Willie’s request to sell the piano because it is a reminder of their heritage and

In the 1700’s the piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence, Italy first introduced to the world as the "pianoforte" meaning “Soft loud”. “In the last quarter of the 18th century the piano had become the leading instrument of the western art of music that still lives on till today as an exotic instrument played by talented people in the world.” (Wendy Powers, 2003) Music has lived on from the beginning of time by all cultures and races for decades. Music is known to make the heart, soul, and brain one. Without this invention Beethoven would have not made the music that lives on

Growing up, did you ever have a day where you came home from having a bad day and because of so, your parents take away your games or phone privileges? You may throw a fit or even get a little saddened because your most cherished items were taking away from you. What you are going through is exactly what is happening in The Piano Lesson by August Wilson. The play follows two siblings, Boy Willie Charles and Berniece Charles, who have allowed a vintage inherited family piano to cause a rivalry between the two. Boy Willie have come across land in Mississippi that he would like to purchase; land his ancestors were slaves on.

When she passed away, the piano had a place with her youngsters, Berniece and Kid Willie, in spite of the fact that for a period Wining Kid bore it from town to town as a voyaging performer. It as of now dwells in Berniece's front room, despite the fact that she declines to play it.

The piano serves as a testament to the family’s resilience and perseverance

Doaker, forty-seven years old, is the uncle to both Berniece and Boy Willie. Doaker is the owner of the house in which the play takes place and it is important to note that both Berniece and the piano reside with him. For the majority of the play Doaker retains a neutral view of the situation and acts as the storyteller for much of their family history. Doaker describes that the piano was a gift for Sutter’s wife, Ophelia. The piano had been traded in exchange for two ancestors of the Charles family. This is very significant as it demonstrates the value of slaves during slavery, human lives merely worth that of a piano. Ophelia was very fond of the traded slaves and grew ill as a result. In an effort to comfort his wife, Sutter had another member of the Charles family, Willie Boy, carve the traded slaves onto the piano surface. As it turns out Willie Boy had carved more than what was requested, he carved their

Berniece awakes, grumpy at the noise. Boy Willie reports that Sutter drowned in his own well, and was probably pushed. Boy Willie thinks he was done in by the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog. Sutter, as gradually becomes clear, owned the land

In August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Wilson explores a wide range of themes including family and tradition, wealth, and in particular, the piano that is central to the plot of the play. The piano, a family heirloom, is an object that puts the siblings Berniece and Boy Willie at odds with one another. Berniece, dedicated to family and tradition, wants to keep the piano due to all it symbolizes, while Boy Willie wants to sell the piano in order to get the remaining money he needs to buy land from the Sutter family, the family that owned members of the Charles family. The differing opinions of Boy Willie and Berniece (and the rest of the Charles family), lead to intense arguments between the family, and while these arguments do not always pertain

As Avery says, she is carrying stones with her, letting the piano weight her down, keeping it as a grave reminder of her family?s history. If Berniece were able to touch the piano, she would be able to accept and overcome her fear and disgrace of the violent past, but she is not ready to do that.

The Piano - The most significant symbol is the 137-year-old piano. It is an object that displays and showcases years of their family history. It has numerous meanings and symbolizes a lot of things from those 137 years. Originally, It symbolizes the horrors of the system of slavery showing how exchangeable a human could be during that time. The piano continues to represent the hardships of that family and all they endured and ultimately is the emblem for that family and their history. It’s what keeps their family together in the end.

August Wilson’s, The Piano Lesson, takes on a perspective of how a group of family members (and a couple close friends) deal with real family issues and life experiences due to their African American heritage. He focuses mainly on the two siblings, Berniece and Boy Willie, who are arguing over a sentimental piano that holds the family history by pieces that were carved in by the grandfather. In this piece of work the writer has accomplished his intention of telling the story of this family, the play was witty, funny, and had its serious moments. I can easily relate to this play and see how the siblings both feel about this treasured piano. Berniece wanted the piano because of the sentimental value and history and Boy Willie wanted to sell

It is already known by the whole family that Bernice refuses to part with the piano, and Boy Willie’s new plan for the piano does not change her mind. Bernice believes that the piano symbolizes her family’s history and the struggle that they

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.

Doaker then recounts the account of the piano's history. Eras prior, Sutter, their family's slave-holder separated a family by offering a mother and kid to pay for the piano which he purchased for his wife as a commemoration present. The wife was content with the piano yet missed having the slaves, so Sutter had that family's spouse/father (who was a craftsman and excessively significant, making it impossible to offer), cut their similarities on the piano. He cut resemblances of his whole history on the piano. In 1911, Boy Willie's dad stole the piano from the Sutters; in striking back he was executed.