Thursday, July 21, 2011

_Angels in America_ Day One

In _Millenium Approaches_, the first half of his two-part dramatic epic _Angels in America_, Tony Kushner poses what Russian thinkers have called "the accursed questions"--those big philosophical questions about the role of the nation, man's place in society, the social function of art, and so on. We will consider these accursed questions and the others you pose below in Tuesday's class. Those of you who are doing a critical literature presentation or leading the class discussion are exempted from posting tonight.
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8 comments:

  1. Yong Yu XieJuly 25, 2011 at 10:13 PM

    At the end of Act Two, Joe tells Harper that he is the man she is scared of. What is the significance of this scene?

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  2. YunJuly 25, 2011 at 10:20 PM

    What is the importance of justice especially for both Roy and Joe throughout Acts 1 and 2?

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  3. Emily ZhengJuly 25, 2011 at 10:52 PM

    Group #1 Discussion (Emily, Jeremy, Augie):
    -How does Harper's repeated hallucinations/thoughts (man with the knife, Mr.Lies, etc.) fit into the quote about limits of imagination (Act I, Scene 7)? Why is this significant?

    -What parallels can we draw between Roy/Joe's and Lee/Allerton's relationships, especially in regard to father and son relations?

    -The theme of change/inertia is especially prominent in this novel. For example, the deceased Jewish woman is an immigrant who struggled and fought to survive in America. On the other hand, Harper and Joe have a difficult time moving to Washington. What other examples of the change/inertia dichotomy do we see, and why are they significant?

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  4. jonasJuly 26, 2011 at 1:48 AM

    How does Roy's view of homosexuality differ from Joe's?

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  5. Zach JohnsonJuly 26, 2011 at 2:46 AM

    There seems to be a multiplicity of meanings in the term justice. What are the possible interpretations of this term, and how do they differ?

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  6. AustinJuly 26, 2011 at 7:03 AM

    What is the significance of the actors multiple roles?

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  7. Dennis LuiJuly 26, 2011 at 9:22 AM

    What do the overlapping of scenes signify? How might this be related to the "mutual dream" (Act I, Scence 7)?

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  8. Christine GaribianJuly 26, 2011 at 9:58 AM

    What does the overlap of Harper's musings and Joe's proposal to move to Washington symbolize?

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