The Laramie Project is a play written by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project by interviewing the residents of Laramie Wyoming about the murder of a gay student, Matthew Shepard. The play raises controversy revolving around homosexuality, hate crimes and acceptance. In addition to the various themes suggested by the play, the author wanted to present the varying perspectives toward homosexuality in the Laramie Community at the time of Shepard death. The three main perspectives towards homosexuality were hatred, tolerance and acceptance. The author also wanted to explore how these perspectives may have changed as the result of Shepard’s death.
Even at the time of Shepard’s death, some still showed their hostility and
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Schultz states, “I just feel bad. Just for all that stuff I told you, for the person I used to be…. I just can’t believe I ever said that stuff about homosexuals” (98). Despite his minister’s statements that homosexuality is wrong, Jedadiah comes to his own conclusions and accepts homosexuals for who they are. He realizes that homosexuals are no different and they do not deserve unfair treatments because of their preferences. When Schultz changes his perspective towards gays, he begins to feel guilty because of his judgments and accusations. Shepard's death made an impact on Schultz’s point of view but Reverend Phelps’ perspective did not change by any …show more content…
He successfully presented the varying perspectives toward homosexuality in the Laramie Community at the time of Shepard death. The play was unbiased and did not show favoritism to a particular group. By showing the different perspectives towards homosexuality, I was able to see the full picture about the matter. After familiarizing with The Laramie Project and Mathew Shepard’s story, I realized all the different perspectives others have towards homosexuality. It is not plainly black and white but there are different shades of grey. The author of the play achieved his objectives because of all the viewpoints that were provided from the different groups of
Montana 1948 is about the loss of innocence and the painful gain of wisdom. Discuss.
In 1954, the Supreme Court took a step in history with the Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka by stating that, “In the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’, has no place. Separate facilities are inheritably unequal.” Little Rock, Arkansas a city in the upper south became a location of a controversial attempt to put the court order into effect when nine African American students were chosen to desegregate Central High in Little Rock. How did the Little Rock Nine affect America? Sanford Wexler stated in The Civil Rights Movement: An Eyewitness History,” its “effect would ripple across the nation and influence the growing Civil Rights Movement;” in addition, the Little Rock crisis forced the federal government
In the past ten years, the nonstop discussion and stress has been over the question of homosexuality. Are homosexuals to be excluded from the community of faith? Article writers, Richard B. Hays and Walter Wink explain their perspective and answer the ongoing talk.
1.The term "Three Fires" refers to the dominant tribes in Michigan during the early 1600s. The three tribes were:
Laramie, Wyoming is known as a mostly conservative, republican party majority, which is why there were no hate crime laws that had to deal with sexual orientation or gender identity. Republicans typically were Christians meaning they were against homosexuality and believed it was very wrong. The Laramie officials did not pass any law for about ten years, which showed the Laramie community that their own government did not approve of homosexuals. The government in Laramie is a major influence on a citizen’s political opinion and how they feel on certain topics like homosexuality. If the government does not show approval, how will the citizens of Laramie gain a major acceptance towards homosexuals? Even the governor of Wyoming did not
The Laramie Project is a play written by Moises Kaufman and the members of Tectonic Theater Project. The play is based on the interviews of the citizens of Laramie about what’s happening in Laramie and their responses to the murder of Matthew. In addition to the various themes suggested by the play, the author wanted to present the varying perspectives toward homosexuality in the Laramie community at the time of Matthew’s death. The author also wanted to explore how these perspectives may have changed as the result of Matthew’s death. Even though the citizens of Laramie persisted that hate is not a value they practice, they still showed contrasting and puzzled views
In The Laramie Project, a character name Cathy Connolly claims that gay the people in Laramie feel the oppression from society, and are
The Oregon Trail was a very important aspect in the history of our country’s development. When Marcus and Narcissa Whitman made the first trip along the Oregon Trail, many Americans saw a window of opportunity. The Oregon Trail was the only practical way to pass through the Rockies. Pioneers crammed themselves into small wagons to try to make it to the unsettled land; however, 10% of these pioneers died on the way due to disease and accidents.
On the day of September 11, 1857, an emigrant party camped at Mountain Meadows was brutally killed by the Mormon militia aided by Indians. This essay examines two viewpoints regarding the massacre found in Sally Denton’s “American Massacre” and in “Massacre at Mountain Meadows” by Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley, and Glen M. Turley.
As of late, Stone Mountain has been repeatedly mentioned on the news and social media concerning the NAACP’s request that the Confederate Memorial Carving and other Civil War symbols be removed as it pertains to the racial conflict that presided over the Civil War. Without a doubt, Stone Mountain proves itself to be an important historical site for America’s history with its origins dating back to the time of the Native Americans. Stone Mountain can be remembered by history has a location where the Creek Confederation and the Cherokee people met. As more land began to be opened for white settlement, an influx of white settlers began moving in and establishing a town at the foot of Stone Mountain. Atlanta, known as the railroad hub of the South, has many railroads going from Atlanta to different parts of Georgia with Stone Mountain being one. This later led to more business for the town of Stone Mountain as people from the city started to visit the great mass of granite. Granite was a needed rock
creates a play that illustrates not only the struggle of growing up in a prejudiced world but also
The Piedmont is located between the Coastal Plain and the Mountain regions, in the middle region of the state. The origins of Piedmont are French, meaning “foot of the mountain”, because it’s located at the base of the Appalachians Mountains. From the western Coastal Plane to the mountains, the elevations range from about 300 feet to near 1,500 feet (Seaman 2006). The fall line, or fault zone, lies between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont. The rivers that flow along the fault line are formed from shoals, low waterfalls and rapids. As the rivers flow from the Piedmont to the coastal Plain the rocks become younger and softer. The streams below the fall line are usually lethargic and smooth-flowing. The streams above the fall line are gravelly and shallow, making boating difficult. As for the land, the Piedmont is called a plateau because it is high and mostly flat. Most geologist separate the Piedmont into two different areas because the rock suites are so different. The eastern part, known as the Carolina Slate Belt and then the western part, known as the Inner piedmont. My main area of focus will be the Carolina Slate Belt, with attention to the ancient
Have you ever been in a place of green with forests and animals everywhere? Well, where some of the Native Americans lived, there were such things. Native American tribes such as the Crow lived in the Great Plains. The Crow tribe of the Great Plains were nomadic and followed the buffalo migrations which provided their food. This tribe spent a good part of the year living in camps that could easily be dismantled and moved to follow the buffalo migrations. Other tribes of the plains were more sedentary. These tribes lived in permanent villages year round.
The Laramie Project, written by Moisés Kaufman, is a compilation of interviews by The Tectonic Theater Project, news publications, and journal entries. After the brutal murder of Mathew Sheppard in 1998. Kaufman along with his theater troupe made six visits to Laramie, Wyoming, where the murder took place, to interview people about what happened and how they felt about the crime in their community. They interviewed about two hundred people, of which about sixty were included in the play. The play showcases a small town in America in a historical time of tragedy. The production of The Laramie Project was simple. The stage setting was minimal and the the actors consisted of eight people portraying more than sixty. Through the patchwork of
In the 1980’s and 1990’s, society wasn’t the most accepting of places for people who were different from the “social norms”. Now I know, people today still struggle with trying to fit in and be “normal” but it was different. Being a gay man living in San Fransisco at the time, which had a large gay population, Richard Rodriguez had a hard time dealing with the discrimination he faced. Richard Rodriguez was an American journalist who wrote and published a memoir about his life as a gay man. In October of 1990, Rodriguez published his memoir “Late Victorians” in Harper’s Magazine, a critically acclaimed publication of the time. In his memoir, Rodriguez describes what it was like to realize he was gay and watch as the country changed to become a more accepting place. He does this by setting up how things can change and then explaining the actual ways things change for the gay population.