Consider Yank as a symbol for the average laborer working in the stokehole. How do these workers compare to today's laborers? What might be their perspective on society and the economic landscape? How does this align with or differ from Yank's viewpoint?

Compare Yank to Willy Loman from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. In what ways are they different? How are their destinies similar or different?

Examine the 1920s. If you were Eugene O'Neill today and wanted to explore the same themes, where would you set the play? What would you title it, and who would be your main characters?

If you were a politician in the 1920s, what political platforms would you propose to win the support of laborers like the firemen on the ship?

Research composers from the 1920s and listen to their music. How does this form of art compare to The Hairy Ape in terms of style and content? How does it differ?