A political reading of The Piano Lesson: Survival strategies of black people in white culture

N.A.

Makale detayları

A political reading of The Piano Lesson: Survival strategies of black people in white culture

Yazarlar:

N.A.

Yayıncı:

Yakup YILMAZ

Ana Başlıklar:

Dilbilim

Dergi:

RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi Issue 32, pp.1350-1358

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

2/2023

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001284257

pISSN:

2148-7782

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 The aim of this study is to make a political reading of the American playwright August Wilsons play, The Piano Lesson. Since the play discusses the redefinition of black peoples identity and the significance of the collective black memory in a white society, besides the politics of race, a post-colonial apprach is used as well. The main theme of the play discusses the different attitudes of the Charles siblings towards the sale of a piano which stands for their family roots and history. The siblings divergence about the sale also defines their standpoints in American society. While Boy Willie perceives the piano solely as a source of money to gain power and authority, Berniece appreciates the spiritual values attributed to it. As a matter of fact, throughout the play the piano as an African-American heritage becomes a bridge between the two races, two cultures, two families and two periods of time in American history. It also stands for the long-lasting suffering of black people under the hegemony of the white master. Therefore, as symbolically signified in the title, for the liberation of black people, the lesson that the piano teaches to black characters is the inevitable necessity of embracing the African-American heritages that are the oral tradition and the ancestor worship. Besides the necessity of preserving the values of African-American heritage, for black characters ownership of land and having a religious identity are accepted as methods of gaining power, authority and status and thus, being accepted within the white culture.

 The aim of this study is to make a political reading of the American playwright August Wilsons play, The Piano Lesson. Since the play discusses the redefinition of black peoples identity and the significance of the collective black memory in a white society, besides the politics of race, a post-colonial apprach is used as well. The main theme of the play discusses the different attitudes of the Charles siblings towards the sale of a piano which stands for their family roots and history. The siblings divergence about the sale also defines their standpoints in American society. While Boy Willie perceives the piano solely as a source of money to gain power and authority, Berniece appreciates the spiritual values attributed to it. As a matter of fact, throughout the play the piano as an African-American heritage becomes a bridge between the two races, two cultures, two families and two periods of time in American history. It also stands for the long-lasting suffering of black people under the hegemony of the white master. Therefore, as symbolically signified in the title, for the liberation of black people, the lesson that the piano teaches to black characters is the inevitable necessity of embracing the African-American heritages that are the oral tradition and the ancestor worship. Besides the necessity of preserving the values of African-American heritage, for black characters ownership of land and having a religious identity are accepted as methods of gaining power, authority and status and thus, being accepted within the white culture.

 The aim of this study is to make a political reading of the American playwright August Wilsons play, The Piano Lesson. Since the play discusses the redefinition of black peoples identity and the significance of the collective black memory in a white society, besides the politics of race, a post-colonial apprach is used as well. The main theme of the play discusses the different attitudes of the Charles siblings towards the sale of a piano which stands for their family roots and history. The siblings divergence about the sale also defines their standpoints in American society. While Boy Willie perceives the piano solely as a source of money to gain power and authority, Berniece appreciates the spiritual values attributed to it. As a matter of fact, throughout the play the piano as an African-American heritage becomes a bridge between the two races, two cultures, two families and two periods of time in American history. It also stands for the long-lasting suffering of black people under the hegemony of the white master. Therefore, as symbolically signified in the title, for the liberation of black people, the lesson that the piano teaches to black characters is the inevitable necessity of embracing the African-American heritages that are the oral tradition and the ancestor worship. Besides the necessity of preserving the values of African-American heritage, for black characters ownership of land and having a religious identity are accepted as methods of gaining power, authority and status and thus, being accepted within the white culture.

 Bu çalışmanın amacı, Amerikan oyun yazarı August Wilsonın The Piano Lesson adlı oyununun politik okumasını yapmaktır. Oyun incelemesi boyunca, beyaz toplumda siyah kimliğin yeniden tanımlanması ve kolektif siyah hafızanın önemi tartışıldığı için ırk politikasının yanısıra sömürgecilik sonrası bakış açısından da faydalanılmıştır. Oyunun ana teması Charles kardeşlerin aile köklerini ve tarihlerini ifade eden bir piyanonun satışı hakkındaki farklı tavırlarının tartışılması üzerine kuruludur. Kardeşlerin bu satış hakkındaki birbiriyle çelişen tutumları, onların Amerikan toplumundaki farklı konumlanmalarını da ifade eder. Kardeşlerden Boy Willie, piyanonun satışını kendisine sadece güç ve otorite kazandıracak bir para kaynağı olarak görürken, diğer kardeş Berniece piyanoya atfedilen manevi değerleri takdir etmektedir. Aslında oyun boyunca Afro-Amerikan mirasını simgeleyen piyano, Amerikan tarihinde iki farklı ırk, iki farklı kültür, iki farklı aile ve iki farklı dönem arasında köprü vazifesi görür. Bu piyano, aynı zamanda beyaz toplumun hegemonyasında ezilen siyah ırkı da temsil eder. Sembolik olarak oyunun isminde de belirtildiği gibi piyanonun siyah kültüre verdiği ders ise, siyah ırkın bağımsızlığında Afro-Amerikalıların mirası olan sözlü gelenek ve ataları anmanın kaçınılmaz gerekliliği olmuştur. Oyun boyunca, Afro-Amerikan değerlerini ve mirasını koruma gerekliliğinin yanısıra, dini kimlik ve toprak sahibi olmak da siyah karakterler için güç, otorite ve statü kazanma ve böylelikle beyaz toplum tarafından kabul görme metotları olarak kabul edilir.

Makale detayları

A political reading of The Piano Lesson: Survival strategies of black people in white culture

Yazarlar:

N.A.

Yayıncı:

Yakup YILMAZ

Ana Başlıklar:

Dilbilim

Dergi:

RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi Issue 32, pp.1350-1358

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

2/2023

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001284257

pISSN:

2148-7782

African-American heritage

silence

voice

oral tradition

ancestor worship

African-American heritage

silence

voice

oral tradition

ancestor worship

Afro-Amerikan mirası

sessizlik

ses

sözlü gelenek

ataları anma

Afro-Amerikan mirası

sessizlik

ses

sözlü gelenek

ataları anma

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: N.A.

Yayıncı: Yakup YILMAZ

Ana Başlıklar: Dilbilim

Dergi: RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi Issue 32, pp.1350-1358

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 2/2023

Belge Dili: İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.): 2001284257

pISSN: 2148-7782

Sayı

Yazarlar:

N.A.

Yayıncı:

Yakup YILMAZ

Ana Başlıklar:

Dilbilim

Dergi:

RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi Issue 32, pp.1350-1358

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

2/2023

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001284257

pISSN:

2148-7782