Wilson Literary Devices

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August Wilson was an American playwright whose purpose was to write plays about what occurred in the 20th Century for African Americans. His most known play was called The Piano Lesson, which The Piano Lessons' significance showed how the family’s culture and past affected slavery for African Americans. This contributed to Wilson's reputation and legacy by conveying the struggles of African Americans to fully ever being free of White Americans in the 20th Century. He uses literary elements of metaphor, conflict, foreshadowing, and symbolism to help his audiences understand the history of the play. Wilson also applies the dramatic structure of setting, character, dialogue, and stage direction to follow through with his intention of informing …show more content…

One example of this element appears in the play, The Piano Lesson written by August Wilson when the character known as Boy Willie discusses with the family about cutting the piano in half, which later on in the play portrays Boy Willie’s conflict with Berniece, not having any sentimental feelings about the piano history. Wilson writes, “Hey Doaker.If Berniece doesn't want to sell that piano.I’m gonna cut it in half and go on and sell my half” (Wilson). The description of foreshadowing shows how Wilson hints there will be an ongoing conflict between Berniece and Boy Willie's opinions on selling the piano. Another example of foreshadowing being used is when the ghost of Sutter keeps reappearing in the play. Sutter's ghost made the character Boy Willie at the end of the play understand the realization of only trouble and problems being brought with the piano. Wilson writes, “Hey Sutter! Sutter. Get your a** out of this house! Come on get some of this water” (Wilson). This element example of foreshadowing shows how Sutter's ghost will …show more content…

Wilson writes, “To place this culture on stage in all its richness and demonstrate its ability to sustain all areas of human life and profound moments of our history” (Wilson). Wilson's purpose of the setting was to show the daily life after slavery happened and what obstacles African Americans were still facing. One other scene of setting occurred in another of Wilson's plays that was known as “Fences.” The setting of the play “Fences” took place in the 1950s, where in Pittsburgh there was a division of the working class and the black African Americans. Wilson writes, “That's the way it goes” (Wilson). This structure of setting represents the difference between the working class and African Americans lost in

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