The Piano Lesson Test

On Monday of next week, you will be taking a little test (more of a "quest"- combination of quiz and test) on The Piano Lesson. What will I need to know, you might ask? I would know the following plawriting terms and how they apply to The Piano Lesson:

                                     -MDQ (major dramatic question)
                                     -Time lock
                                     -Enlightenment
                                     -Dark moment
                                     -Sarcey's Principle of Offstage Action
                                     -Catharsis


You will also be asked to identify the speaker of several dialogue excerpts. In order for you to be successful at this task, be sure to know the motives or ultimate goal of the following characters: Doaker, Berniece, Boy William, Avery, and Lymon.

Finally, there will be a short response question on how setting influences the motives of Berniece and Boy Willie. Compare/contrast their interpretations of what it means to be a black American in the 1930's, and how that interpretation ultimately reflects their separate motives.

Aside from the "quest", here is a really interesting interview of August Wilson with Bill Moyers from 1988. Compare Wilson's feelings toward how blacks are depicted in 80's pop culture, with how he depicts the black experience in The Piano Lesson. AUGUST WILSON INTERVIEW