Pulitzer Prize for Drama

What is a dream? Is it a will someone wishes to fulfill, or is it a fantasy that will never be in existence? Do people always strive to achieve this so called dream, or are there some factors that stop them from becoming what their hearts desire? Willy loman himself is a symbol of the last question. Abandoning his dream, due to societal pressure, he decided to become someone he wasn't meant to be, and therefore lost his way pursuing what he believed he should be doing, rather than what his…

The play The Piano Lesson by August Wilson tells the story of two siblings and the piano that comes between them. The play explores the lives of an African American family years after slavery is outlawed. Its plot is driven by the two main characters arguing over how important it is to keep a piano that contains the legacy of a family. The play begins with Boy Willie visiting his sister, in the North, with the intention of selling the piano their father inherited them. His plan is to sell the…

play, by American playwright, August Wilson in 1983 and set in 1957. Wilson who was born as Frederick Kittel, adopted the pen name, August Wilson, after the death of his father. Fences is one of Wilson’s most famous plays, which “earned him a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award in 1987” (“August Wilson Biography”). Fences is about a black man, Troy, and his family, who have conflicts with not only each other, but also struggle with discrimination, which was highly present at the time. Troy’s wife,…

Fences by August Wilson is a more complex play than what naturally lies on the surface. Wilson writes a series of controversial themes, metaphors, symbols, and dynamic characters to create the play. The first major theme is the effect of Troy’s broken childhood home. His father was abusive which forced Troy to adventure out of his own house into adulthood at an early age. Troy finds life challenging and serves a prison sentence for fifteen years. His father made Troy quit school and help on the…

August Wilson’s play Fences shares several similarities with Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. The biggest parallel I found between the two works was the portrayal and actions of both Troy and Willy Loman. Personally, I find the similarities between their names to be the most interesting attribute of both characters. For example, Willy’s last name “Loman” is significant as it contradicts how he portrays himself while also presenting his place in society. Willy’s greatest fear would be to be…

Freudian(Psychoanalytical) Literary Analysis of Doubt Doubt by John Patrick Shanley is about a nun who is entirely convinced that a priest had done something inappropriate with one of the students and taken advantage of the fact that the student (Donald Muller) is an African-American. Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the nun, concluded that Father Flynn, the priest, had been forcing Donald Muller to drink wine and molesting him. With the help of a naïve nun named Sister James, Sister Aloysius attempted…

Pulitzer is regarded as the one who originally introduced the facets of yellow journalism. The Pulitzer Prize is named after him as it is one of the most prestigious awards one can win in American journalism. However, in 1897 to win such type of award would be worth nothing, it would be an insult to win a prize like that. There were many controversies surrounding Pulitzer and his newspapers. His newspapers had a reputation for “arbitrariness…

at the Music Box Theatre in New York City on December 26, 1931, Of Thee I Sing is the most successful political satires written by American playwright, George Simon Kaufman. In 1932, Of Thee I Sing became the first musical ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Of Thee I Sing was the first American music with a consistently satirical tone. The Presidency, U.S. Supreme court, and congress were all targets of this satire musical. The plot follows Mr. John P. Wintergreen, who is running for…

Marsha Norman Marsha Norman’s work shows a raw clarity that exhibits pain in all its various forms, a true to life depiction of the life that goes on around us. Through my research into her work, I have discovered that she is a playwright I truly love, I just hadn’t known it yet. Her talents span different styles of theatre and she creates a resounding truth in her works that reach out and grab the audience by the heart. It is through her skillfully constructed text and heart wrenching…

Old Man and the Sea Research Assignment The Pulitzer Prize is an award which notes distinguished writers in any field of literature. A writer can follow in any subject, whether it be journalistic, fictional, poetic, or any other of the many sub-genres of writing, and still be able to apply for the award. The history behind this award of academia involves a man (surprisingly) named Joseph Pulitzer. Pulitzer was well-regarded in the late 19th century for his journalistic jousting “against…