87 pages • 2 hours read
August WilsonThe Piano Lesson
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1987A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Imagine that you are working on a contemporary production of The Piano Lesson. What do you think audiences need to know to understand the play? Research one aspect of that background information and write it as if you are explaining it to an audience. Reference the text to show the relevance of your research.
If the protagonist is the character who drives the central action forward and the antagonist is the character who tries to stop the protagonist, who do you think is the protagonist of the play? Who is the antagonist? Why? Use details from the play to support your response.
In Act I, Scene 2, the men in the play sing “Berta, Berta” together. What is the significance of the song? Where did they learn it? Why do you think August Wilson included it in the play? For reference, you might find the performance of the song from the film version of The Piano Lesson on YouTube.
Consider the supernatural aspects of the play. Which, if any, do you think are meant to be real? Choose at least three to discuss, and cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
August Wilson was inspired to write The Piano Lesson by a Romare Bearden painting of the same title. Look up the painting and the artist himself. What elements of the painting do you think are represented in the play? Why do you think Wilson considered Bearden to be one of his main influences?
Reread the play and trace the frequent mentions of trains and the railroad. What is the significance? What do they represent? Choose at least three disparate examples in the play to support your answer.
What do you think is Avery’s purpose in the play as a character? What is the significance of Christianity, and what role does it play? How do you think Avery’s relationship with Berniece will move forward after the action of the play ends?
Choose a major image in the play and trace its occurrences throughout the text. What is the significance of that image? How does its significance develop over the course of the play?
What is the main idea or message that you think August Wilson wants audiences to take away from the play? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
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