The Piano Lesson Group at eNotes

In what ways does Grace's presence complicate the play's gender themes?...

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:29:47 PST

In what ways does Grace's presence complicate the play's gender themes? in "The Piano Lesson"

who is sutter?

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:41:27 PST

who is sutter?

How does the use of flashbacks establish a continuity in the play...

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 11:24:00 PST

How does the use of flashbacks establish a continuity in the play especially with reference to the Charles family?

How does Boy Willie deal with the presence of Sutter?

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:07:50 PST

How does Boy Willie deal with the presence of Sutter?

In what way does Winning Boy has a tendency to exploid people?

Mon, 9 Feb 2009 19:03:08 PST

In what way does Winning Boy has a tendency to exploid people?

what lessons does boy willie learn in the story because i dont get it

Fri, 2 Jan 2009 18:21:08 PST

what lessons does boy willie learn in the story because i dont get it

The drama "The Piano Lesson" by the American playwright August...

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:25:24 PST

The drama "The Piano Lesson" by the American playwright August Wilson premiered on 26th November 1987. The play concerns the argument between the bother, Boy Willie, and his sister, Berniece, as to whether they should sell the family piano or not.

What year was "The Piano Lesson" written?

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:13:56 PST

What year was "The Piano Lesson" written?

Well it was the Great Depression, but Wilson chose to write in an...

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:47:09 PST

Well it was the Great Depression, but Wilson chose to write in an "alternate" universe, where the community of Pittsburgh was striving enough that opportunities presented themselves enough that 1)the watermelons weren't stolen from the back of Lymon's truck 2) Avery could hold down a job as an elevator operator and find an opportunity to build up a church and "finally" 3)most importantly that any man, not just a black man could have enough...

What is the sense of identity felt by Boy Willie and Bernice?

Mon, 5 May 2008 15:52:31 PST

What is the sense of identity felt by Boy Willie and Bernice?

What attitude towards the past, symbolized by the piano, do you like best?

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:31:35 PST

What do you think about the whole book?

The symbolism of "the piano lesson" in the story is the lesson...

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:04:07 PST

The symbolism of "the piano lesson" in the story is the lesson of history itself. Wilson explores the themes of African-American identity and the struggle for civil rights. In this story, he incorporates specific reference to the legacy of slavery. While for most modern Americans, slavery is a distant event, for many African-Americans the legacy is a living part of their lives and their relationship to others. History varies...

Why does Wilson title his play "The Piano Lesson"? What are...

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:50:22 PST

Why does Wilson title his play "The Piano Lesson"? What are some of the lessons learned, who learns them and how are they taught?

In The Piano Lesson, however, Wilson traces the play's historical...

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:19:13 PST

In The Piano Lesson, however, Wilson traces the play's historical complications back three generations, to an incident in the family's slave legacy that has left them to face the present in terms of a history that, seventy-five years later, is not just personal, but communal and familial. As a result, we see nearly a century of history in the play, which shows us how slavery and other issues of the past are intricately intertwined with the...

The play takes place in the 1930s, and the U.S. was in the midst of an...

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:49:21 PST

The play takes place in the 1930s, and the U.S. was in the midst of an economic depression that stemmed from weaknesses in our economy after World War I. In just three years, from 1929 to 1932, the number of people who had no job increased from 1.5 million to 15 million people. By the mid-1930s, the depression had hit rural areas hard, especially in agriculture, forcing many black farm laborers to lose their jobs. The election...

What was happening in America in the year surrounding the play, The...

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:04:18 PST

What was happening in America in the year surrounding the play, The Piano Lesson?