LitWiki - User contributions [en]

Millennium Approaches 2.4

2006-04-27T21:06:07Z

Lbrown: /* External Resources */

==Summary==
Sitting in a fancy bar, Joe explains to Roy his marriage to Harper, as well as his spiritual struggles. Joe tells Roy that he feels responsible for Harper's emotional problems, but Roy still pushes him into taking the job in Washington. Then Roy brings up the subject of father-figures. Joe tells him that he did not have a good relationship with his - now deceased - father. Later, Roy reveals to Joe that he is dying of "cancer" (64).

Meanwhile, Louis is in the park, exchanging glances with a man. They talk dirty, but they have no place to go since Louis lives with Prior and the man lives with his parents. They begin to have sex but the man stops when the condom breaks. The man then says he wants to leave, at which Louis responds, "Give my best to mom and dad" (63). The man slaps him and leaves.

==Notes==
*'''Walter Winchell''' (62) - an American newspaper and radio [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Winchell commentator] who invented the gossip column at the ''New York Evening Graphic''.

*'''Edgar Hoover''' (62) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Hoover J. Edgar Hoover], the founder of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation].

*'''Joe McCarthy''' (62) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_mccarthy Joseph McCarthy], a Republican Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 to 1957. McCarthy is known for making freewheeling accusations of membership in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist communist party] or of communist sympathies. He appointed Roy as chief counsel.

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==
#According to Joe, why does Harper take Valium?
#Why did Joe marry Harper?
#Who does Roy list as his father-figures?
#What kind of a relationship did Joe have with his father?
#What does Roy reveal to Joe near the end of the scene?
#Where are Louis and the man?
#Why can't they go to the man's place?
#Why do they stop having sex?
#What does Louis say to make the man slap him?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.hollywood.com/celebs/feature/id/1735509 Kushner Hollywood.com Interview]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.

----
[[Angels in America | In Vitro Act 2 Scene 5]]
[[Category:Literature]]

Roy Cohn

2006-04-27T19:09:33Z

Lbrown: /* Commentary- fixing the image */

http://www.logoonline.com/sitewide/promoimages/a/angels_in_america/characters/roy/150x200.jpg http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAcohn.jpg

The character of Roy Cohn serves as vehicle for Kushner's most telling act of counterhistory. As a "Saint of the Right", Cohn represents a point of continuity between the anticommunism of the 1950's and the Republic ascendancy of the Reagan 1980s (Garner 5).

Kushner employs a quite different brand of humor with the character of Cohn, whose gleefully bitter corruption is both comic and frightening. Cohn is a rapacious predator who is first discovered in his command module juggling phone calls and wishing he had eight arms like an octopus. Roy's self-loathing is his most unsettling quality, vividly shown in his scathing denial of his homosexuality: "Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only: where does an individual so identified fit in the food chain,in the pecking order?" Cohn represents a kind of trickle-down morality in ''Angels in America''; he is a symbol of Kushner's notion that if there is corruption, hypocrisy, and bad faith at the top, it will ultimately seep down to each individual in the society (Layman 10).

Like an incipient cancer, Cohn's corruption, however destructive, is nonetheless insidious. It infiltrates and draws on the body's internal systems to spread, eventually overtaking and destroying the host--Cohn or the law.Although he corrupts the method by which judges decide cases (by sleeping with them and the like), he does not try to have cases decided any other way (Quinn 3).

Cohn's deviation from the jurisprudential norm is indeed like that of a cancer, ravenous in its hunger, growing and operating at a rate independent of the rest of the body of which it is a part, destined to overtake and kill the very body that sustains it. But the corrupt, diseased, tumorous nature of Cohn's lawyering also has important textual and thematic links with the physical infection and ensuing "corruption" of Cohn's flesh and blood with AIDS (Quinn).

==Commentary==
One of the main characters in ''Angels in America'', Roy Cohn, exhibits [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ hubris]. From the Greek, <i>[[hubris]]</i> is usually defined as excessive pride and often refers to a reckless disregard for the rights of another person resulting in some kind of social degradation for the victim.

Hubris is a common theme in Greek [[tragedy|tragedies]] and [[myth|mythology]], whose stories often featured characters displaying ''hubris'' and subsequently being punished for it. In Greek law, it most often refers to violent outrage wreaked by the powerful upon the weak. Cohn uses his position and "clout" to get ahead.

When confronted by his doctor, Henry, he explains his role as he saw it: "Now to someone who does not understand this, homosexual is what I am because I have sex with men . . . Homosexuals are not men that sleep with other men . . . Homosexuals...have zero clout...I have clout" (Kushner 51). From this perspective, Cohn not only dominates those around him, but he dominates the society in which he lives. He has the power to make and break the reputations of those around him.

Roy shows no compassion to anyone throughout the screenplay, even when he is on his death-bed. His cold-heartedness and manipulative ways help make him an easy target for hatred. However Roy was doing what he felt had to do in order to succeed, in order to accomplish his goals, in order to get what he wanted. It is for this reason that Roy Cohn is the most symbolic character in this play, for what he epitomizes - America, the capitalist land of the social cheeseburger.

http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/img/photos/photo_roys_closer.jpg

Cohn might be compared to [[Oedipus Rex|Oedipus]]. Oedipus for example, feigns compassion and understanding with his people suffering from the plague in order to maintain his political position. When he is addressing the crowd, he makes his own suffering seem far greater than any other: "Well I know you are sick to death, all of you, but sick as you are, not one is sick as I. Your pain strikes each of you alone, each in the confines of himself, no other. But my spirit grieves for the city, for myself and all of you" (ll. 75-76). Oedipus believes that his triumphs exceed any of those made by his counter parts. This behavior is key to hubris; his arrogance allows him to believe that he is greater than any God.

Cohn has similar moments of superiority and feigned compassion. When discussing his clout, Cohn brags that he can reach the first lady in five minutes if necessary, showing his affluence and span of his reputation. Sometime after finding out that he has AIDS, Cohn goes to a bar to pick up a man with the intent of sex. This reckless behavior shows his disregard for others, putting his sexual needs above anyone else shows his selfish spirit. He had no regard for others, as long as he is able to use them.

As represented in all great Greek tragedies, hubris is the downfall of the character. As we read more about the progression of Cohn, we see how far his affluence takes him, allowing him to have access to ATZ during a clinical trial before anyone else. In the end, Cohn dies, cloutless and the same as everyone else.

http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/img/photos/photo_roy_hospita.jpg

Cohn was chosen to be a part of this play because aided McCarthy during the anit-communist hysteria in the 50's and symbolizes power and selfishness. Also, he was a contradictory man because although he was a "closet homo" he helped in the persecution of gays (Jacobus 1635).

==Study Questiones==
1. Why would Roy find it necessary to have Ethel Rosenburg killed? Could Roy have felt threatened by the loss of power acheived with Socialism?

2. Do you think Roy could have changed, even if he wanted to?

3. Do we feel justification when Roy dies painfully and disembarred? If yes, isn't that kind of a "Roy-esk" quality, if you will?

4. Do you think putting his career at risk is the only reason that Roy Cohn would not call himself a homosexual?

5. Why do you think it is so important for Roy to live a life that is exactly like the life his father lived?

==External Resource==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn Roy Cohn]

*[http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.maconstate.edu/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=athr&ca=1&c=1&ste=6&tab=1&tbst=arp&ai=U13021098&n=10&docNum=H1000019341&ST=Roy+Cohn&bConts=2191 Roy M. Cohn]

=Works Cited=
*Jacobus, Lee A., Ed. ''The Bedford Introduction to Drama.'' 3rd Ed. Boston: Bedford, 1997.

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-27T15:32:08Z

Lbrown: /* Works Cited- fixed spacing */

==Summary==
The scene takes place in a fancy Manhattan restaurant. Joe, Roy and a new character, Martin, who tells them how things are going in Washington, how the Republicans are going to gain full control of the Supreme Court, then the White House and finally the Senate and the whole Congress. After the talk changes to comradeship, Roy and Martin renew their question if Joe accepts the job and agrees to go to Washington. When Joe starts to hesitate, Roy pulls out a letter from the New York State Bar Association with a notice that Roy is going to be tried and disbar. He tells Joe that he needs somebody in the Justice Department to prevent his disbarment and that Joe is the best person for that job. Joe reacts to the plan saying it is unethical and he cannot do it. Only after Roy burst out with anger shouting that he is going to be a lawyer until he dies does Joe promises to think more about this proposal.

==Notes==
*'''Liberalism''' (69) - an ideology, philosophy, and political [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism tradition] which holds liberty as the primary political value.

*'''New Deal Socialism''' (69) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal name] given to the series of programs implemented between 1933-37 under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt President Franklin D. Roosevelt] with the goal of relief, recovery and reform of the United States economy during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression Great Depression].

*'''Bolsheviks''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolsheviks members] of the Marxist Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party's Bolshevik faction. Bolsheviks had an extreme socialist and internationalist outlook, and were opponents of the Russian traditional statehood and the Russian Orthodox Church. They initiated the 1917 Revolution which gave the birth to the Soviet Union.

*'''"...turned St. Petersburg into Leningrad..."''' (70) - Roy is referring to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Petersburg St. Petersburg, Russia], which became known as Leningrad in 1924 in honor of the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, who led the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution October Revolution]. It was later changed back to St. Petersburg in 1991, after the collapse of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union Soviet Union].

*'''Marx and Engels''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marx Karl Marx] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Engels Friedrich Engels] were the co-founders of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism Marxism] and the authors of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_Manifesto ''The Communist Manifesto''].

*'''Lenin and Trotsky''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin Vladimir Lenin] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky Leon Trotsky] were both Bolshevik revolutionaries in Russia during the early 20th century.

*'''Josef Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin Stalin], leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt Roosevelt], the U.S. President from 1933 to 1945, were allies during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II World War II].

*'''New York State Bar Association''' (71) - Founded in Albany in November of 1871, the [http://www.nysba.org NYSBA] is now the largest [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Bar_Association association] of lawyers in the U.S., with about 72,000 members.

*'''Brahmin''' (73) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmin] member of a certain division of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism Hindu] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system caste system].

*'''"ipso facto secular humanism"''' (73) - The phrase [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipso_facto "ipso facto"] is Latin in origin and, when used in a religious context, indicates an individual guilty of specified actions considered unlawful by a committee, resulting in removal of membership from the religious group. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_humanism Secular humanism] is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism humanist] philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice and rejects rituals and ceremonies as a means to affirm their life stance.

==Commentary==
Religion, Judaism in particular, plays a very important role in Tony Kushner's ''Angels in America''. Kushner himself is Jewish, even though he doesn't care much for the religion and instead calls himself a "serious agnostic" (Glenn).
[[Image:Kushner.jpg|right|thumb|''Tony Kushner'']]

One of the characters through which Judaism is represented is Roy Cohn, a divorce lawyer who has been diagnosed with AIDS. Roy is very ambitious, which is shown through his enthusiastic overuse of the telephone system in his office. He uses everything and everyone, especially the law, to his best advantage.

While Roy claims to not be a religious person, he actually just has a very different way of identifying with his Jewish faith (Glenn). He realizes that his faith, as well as his sexuality, would most likely get in the way of his political aspirations so he chooses not to fully embrace these lifestyles. "I'm about to be tried, Joe, by a jury that is not a jury of my peers. The disbarment committee: genteel gentlemen Brahmin lawyers, country-club men. I offend them, to these men ... I'm what, Martin, some sort of filthy little Jewish troll?" (72-73). He believes that his job is affected by his religion, the same way he believes it would be in jeopardy if he publicly announced that he is "homosexual" and has AIDS. As a result, he attempts to hide it all in hope that it will not threaten his political reputation.

Another Jewish character is Louis Ironson. He is also rather detached from his faith, calling himself "an intensely secular Jew" (256) and instead developing "his own philosophy of life" (Glenn). He doesn't speak any Yiddish, he didn't have a Bar Mitzvah, and he does not know the Kaddish (nor what language it's in, for that matter). He criticizes Judaism, insisting that "It should be the questions and shape of a life, its total complexity gathered, arranged, and considered, which matters in the end, not some stamp of salvation or damnation which disperses all the complexity in some unsatisfying little decision - the balancing of the scale" (44-45).

Kushner says that Louis is "the closest thing to an autobiographical character he has ever created" (Glenn). They are both homosexual Jews who are uncertain about their family's religion. Kushner also claims that his family went to a very "Reform" Jewish congregation. "We didn't know Yiddish, we didn't know Hebrew, we didn't know prayers" (Glenn).

Though Louis and Roy are ''very'' different characters, they both, like Kushner, have strayed from their Jewish roots and developed their own views on life.

==Study Questions==
#Who is Mr. Martin Heller and where does he work?
#Why does Roy ask Martin to rub his back?
#Who is Roy's letter from? What does it say?
#Why does Roy say he is being disbarred?
#Why does New York State Bar Association want to disbar Roy?
#Why does Roy want Joe to take the job in Washington?
#What does Roy say he wants to do until the last day of his life?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/index.html Jewish Virtual Library]
*[http://www.nysba.org/ New York State Bar Association]

==Works Cited==
*Glenn, Lane A.. "Angels in America." ''Drama for Students''. Gale, 1999.
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
----
[[Angels in America | In Vitro Act 2 Scene 7]]
[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 1.9

2006-04-27T15:25:45Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

==Summary==
[[Image:Pacino.jpg|right|thumb|''Al Pacino as Roy Cohn'']]
The scene opens with Roy and Henry, his doctor, in Henry's office. Dr. Henry informs Roy that his lesions, throat problem, and swollen glands are all related to Kaposi's sarcomas, meaning that Roy has AIDS. Roy accuses Henry of implying that he is either a drug addict, which must not be the case since there are no "tracks," or a homosexual, since the syndrome mostly afflicts them. Roy then threatens Henry by saying that if Henry does call him a homosexual, he will "destroy" Henry's medical career (50).

Henry does not directly call Roy homosexual but instead says that Roy has slept with many men. Roy then goes off on a rant, saying that Henry is too "hung up on words, on labels" (51). Roy admits to having sex with men, but still insists that he is not homosexual since he has "clout." He then says that he does not have AIDS, he has liver cancer, since "AIDS is what homosexuals have" (52). Henry then says that he cannot get Roy any medication since the new drug AZT has a two-year waiting list.

==Notes==
*'''Kaposi's sarcoma''' (49) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaposi%27s_Sarcoma cancer] of the connective or supportive tissue. Caused by a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpesvirus herpesvirus] infection in which cancerous cells form solid lesions in the connective tissue, KS was one of the first signs of the existence of the 1980s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS AIDS] epidemic.

*'''lesions''' (49) - abnormal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesion body tissue] caused, in the case of Roy Cohn, by Kaposi's sarcoma.

*'''lymphadenopathy''' (49) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphadenopathy swelling] of one or more [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymph_node lymph node].

*'''oral candidiasis''' (49) - also called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_thrush "oral thrush"], an infection of yeast fungus in the mucous membranes of the mouth. Symptoms include white, cream coloured, or yellow spots in the mouth, and it is often found in people with HIV and AIDS.

*'''Hemophiliac''' (49) - someone with the hereditary genetic illness, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemophilia Hemophilia], which impairs the body's ability to control bleeding.

*'''"the NIH in Bethesda"''' (52) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nih National Institutes of Health], the main agency of the United States government responsible for medical research. The institutes are located in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethesda%2C_Maryland Bethesda], a town in Maryland.

*'''AZT''' (52) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AZT azidothymidine], the first [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiretroviral_drug antiretroviral drug] approved for treatment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV HIV].

*'''Liver Cancer''' (52)- the most common [http://www.mamashealth.com/cancer/livercancer.asp form] is Heptoma which affects the tissue surrounding the liver and can be associated with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis#Hepatitis_B Hepatitis B].

==Commentary==
This is one of my favorite scenes in the play. It has so much feeling and emotion. This is where you really get a feeling for who Roy Cohn is. In the scenes before this we learn that he is a powerful man that does a lot, but here is where Kushner lets you know how he feels about American Ideas. I think what Roy says in this scene sank in more than anything else in the book, because there is no interpreting or wondering what Kushner is trying to say. Roy is the personification of Americas attitude toward homosexuality. When Roy says, “Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only; where does an individual so identified sit in the food chain, the pecking order? Not ideology, or sexual taste, something much simpler: clout... homosexuals are men who know nobody and nobody knows. Who have zero clout.(51) ” Those few words are the best way that I have ever heard those American felling stated. Now don’t get me wrong, not all Americans, but a lot of us do feel that way, don’t we have bigger things to worry about?

Maybe Roy is treatening to Henry in this scene because he doesn't want to go public with his homosexuality. Roy states that "Homosexuals are men who in fifteen years of trying cannot get a pissant antidiscrimination bill through City Council"(51). He basically says that he doesn't fit in the category of homosexual because he has power and can make anyone do anything with just a simple phone call.

==Study Questions==
#What illness is Roy diagnosed with?
#How does Roy threaten Dr. Henry?
#For what else has Dr. Henry treated Roy?
#How does Roy define the term "homosexual"?
#Why does Roy not consider himself a homosexual?
#Who does Roy claim he could get on the phone in under five minutes?
#What does Roy call his illness?
#What is the name of the new wait-listed drug that could treat Roy?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=09-Dec-2003 Kushner Radio Interview]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
-------
[[Angels in America | In Vitro Act 2 Scene 1]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 1.2

2006-04-20T16:59:47Z

Lbrown: /* External Resources */

==Summary==
Joseph Pitt sits waiting in Roy Cohn's office while Roy conducts business with several people through his phone system. Roy is loud and obscene until Joe asks him to "please not use the Lord's name in vain" (20). When Roy asks what religion he is, Joe tells him that he is Mormon. Roy then suddenly offers Joe a job in the Justice Department in Washington, DC. Joe says that "it's incredibly exciting" but that he must talk to his wife before accepting the job (22).

== Notes ==
[[Image:LaCage1.jpg|right|thumb|''La Cage aux Folles'']]
*'''''Cats''''' (18) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_%28musical%29 musical] composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber] in 1978 and based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_of_Practical_Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot T. S. Eliot].

*'''''42nd Street''''' (18) - a Broadway [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Street_%28musical%29 musical]. It premiered in New York City in 1980 and is considered one of the most successful productions in the history of Broadway theater.

*'''''La Cage''''' (18) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cage_aux_Folles ''La Cage aux Folles''] is a French play that became Broadway's first "homosexual" musical in 1983.

*'''Schtupping''' (20)- an offensive or indecent slang term for sexual intercourse.

*'''Baptist''' (21)- The largest protestant [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_denomination religious denomination] based on Christian Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John in the United States that are particularly insistent on the separation of church and state.

*'''Catholic''' (21)- A universal religion comprehensive of all mankind that is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LiberaL liberal].

*'''Mormon''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon name] given to members of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saint_movement Latter Day Saint movement].

*'''Ed Meese''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Meese seventy-fifth] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General Attorney General] of the United States from 1985 to 1988.

==Commentary==
''Angels in America'''s Roy Cohn is based on the real-life American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn lawyer] of the same name; however, Kushner's play is not as much "about" Cohn as it is about what "Cohn represents socially and historically" (Borreca). Still, the play's character follows the nonfictional Cohn's life almost flawlessly.

[[Image:Judge.jpg|left|thumb|Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986).]]

Cohn became famous during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy Senator Joseph McCarthy's] investigations into Communism in the government and especially during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army-McCarthy_Hearings Army-McCarthy Hearings]. Cohn was widely unpopular during his lifetime, yet he still gained tremendous political power. He was most famous for his role in the 1951 trial of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]. His cross examination of Ethel's brother produced the testimony that was mainly responsible for the defendents' conviction and execution. Cohn took great pride in the case, claiming to have played an even greater role than was realized. In his autobiography, he wrote that his influence had led to the appointment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kaufman Judge Irving Kaufman] to the case, and that Kaufman, who was a family friend, had imposed the death penalty on Cohn's personal advice.

It was because of the Rosenberg trial that Cohn, at the age of twenty-four, had been recommended and appointed as McCarthy's chief counsel. In 1954, when McCarthy was censured, Cohn resigned and went into private practice, beginning a thirty-year career as a high-powered attorney in New York City. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was charged three times with professional misconduct but never convicted. However, eventually the New York Bar association brought disbarment proceedings against him for unethical and unprofessional conduct, which caused him to lose his license in the last month of his life.

Although he was extremely conservative in politics, Cohn was rumored to be a homosexual, and it was widely believed that he and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._David_Schine G. David Schine], whom he appointed chief consultant, had a sexual relationship. However, Cohn continued to deny he was gay and he even lent his support to anti-gay political campaigns. In 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDs, but he attemped to keep it secret by saying he had liver cancer. Despite aggressive drug treatment, he died on August 2, 1986 (six months after the Cohn in Kushner's play) at the age of 54.

Roy Cohn was also portrayed by actor [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000249/ James Woods] in the 1992 biographical television movie [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0103973/ ''Citizen Cohn''].

==Study Questions==
#What is Roy Cohn's profession?
#What is Roy's favorite Broadway musical? What does this suggest about the character?
#While he is conducting business, what does Roy keep insisting Joe do?
#What job does Roy offer to Joe and what would it require Joe to do?
#Why does Joe tell Roy that he has to "think about" his job offer?
#Who is the Attorney General at the time of the play?
#What is the meaning of “only in America”? - Does a persons life change for better or worse by living in the United States? Does living in the U.S. mark a turning point for religious and political history?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/video/index.html HBO Conversations with the Actors]
*[http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i43/43b00701.htm The Chronicle Review: Only in America] - By Eric Hobsbawm

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
*Borreca, Art. "''Angels in America'', Part 1: Millennium Approaches." ''Theatre Journal'' 45.2 (May 1993): 235.

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[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 3]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 1.5

2006-04-18T03:34:29Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

==Summary==

Joe and Harper are at home discussing the pros and cons of moving to Washington D.C. Harper does not want to go she feels nothing good happens there. Joe tells her he is tired of being a chief clerk, and wants to go where some good is happeneing. Harper compares their apartment to the one in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary's_Baby ''Rosemary's Baby''], and claims Georgetown was the town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist ''The Exorcist''].

Louis and Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz are in the cemetery in front of the little coffin. Louis asks the Rabbi what the [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/holy+writ Holy Writ] says about someone who abandons someone in a time of need.

==Notes==

*'''Rosemary's Baby''' (30)- a 1967 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary's_Baby horror novel]by Ira Levin and a 1968 film directed by Roman Polański
*'''The Exorcist''' (30)- a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist novel] written by William Peter Blatty.Published in 1971. Blatty also wrote the screenplay for the horror film in 1973.
*'''Holy Writ''' (31)- [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/holy+writ Sacred writings]: Religious Text: The Christian Bible.

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==

==External Resources==

==Works Cited==

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[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 6]]

[[Category:Literature]]

File:Louis & prior.jpg

2006-04-17T21:43:45Z

Lbrown: Louis and Prior

Louis and Prior

Millennium Approaches 1.9

2006-04-17T21:41:50Z

Lbrown: /* Notes - typo*/

Millennium Approaches 1.9

2006-04-17T21:40:21Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

Millennium Approaches 1.9

2006-04-17T21:32:08Z

Lbrown: /* Summary- proofreading */

Millennium Approaches 2.4

2006-04-17T21:30:49Z

Lbrown: /* Works Cited */

==Summary==
Sitting in a fancy bar, Joe explains to Roy his marriage to Harper, as well as his spiritual struggles. Joe tells Roy that he feels responsible for Harper's emotional problems, but Roy still pushes him into taking the job in Washington. Then Roy brings up the subject of father-figures. Joe tells him that he did not have a good relationship with his - now deceased - father. Later, Roy reveals to Joe that he is dying of "cancer" (64).

Meanwhile, Louis is in the park, exchanging glances with a man. They talk dirty, but they have no place to go since Louis lives with Prior and the man lives with his parents. They begin to have sex but the man stops when the condom breaks. The man then says he wants to leave, at which Louis responds, "Give my best to mom and dad" (63). The man slaps him and leaves.

==Notes==
*'''Walter Winchell''' (62) - an American newspaper and radio [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Winchell commentator] who invented the gossip column at the ''New York Evening Graphic''.

*'''Edgar Hoover''' (62) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Hoover J. Edgar Hoover], the founder of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation].

*'''Joe McCarthy''' (62) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_mccarthy Joseph McCarthy], a Republican Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 to 1957. McCarthy is known for making freewheeling accusations of membership in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist communist party] or of communist sympathies. He appointed Roy as chief counsel.

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==
#According to Joe, why does Harper take Valium?
#Why did Joe marry Harper?
#Who does Roy list as his father-figures?
#What kind of a relationship did Joe have with his father?
#What does Roy reveal to Joe near the end of the scene?
#Where are Louis and the man?
#Why can't they go to the man's place?
#Why do they stop having sex?
#What does Louis say to make the man slap him?

==External Resources==

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.

Millennium Approaches 2.4

2006-04-16T21:53:09Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

Millennium Approaches 2.4

2006-04-16T20:32:08Z

Lbrown: /* Study Questions */

Millennium Approaches 2.4

2006-04-16T20:22:36Z

Lbrown: /* Summary */

Millennium Approaches 2.4

2006-04-16T20:00:21Z

Lbrown: Setting up the page

==Summary==

==Notes==

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==

==External Resources==

==Works Cited==

Millennium Approaches 1.1

2006-04-16T19:58:15Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

==Summary==
The opening begins with Rabbi Isador Chemelwitz from the Bronx Home for Aged Hebrews speaking impressively at the funeral of Sarah Ironson. Sarah was a resident at the Home for Aged Hebrews. She is the grandmother of a large Jewish family and yet she is being buried in a wooden pine box.

Rabbi Chemelwitz states that he did not know Sarah Ironson well enough to explain her qualities precisely and that she was a quiet person, but yet he knows her type.

The Rabbi preaches how Sarah had immigrated to America from Eastern Europe to make a home for her family.He also preaches that America does not exist, that America belongs to the ones that cause trouble with the elderly and authority figures. He then praises Sarah for having presence on the cultural beliefs of her family and that they could never accomplish what she has. She was the last of her kind.

==Notes==

*'''Star of David''' (15) - a six-pointed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_David star] formed from two equilateral triangles; an emblem symbolizing Judaism. Also called Shield of David.

[[Image:Prayer shawl.jpg|thumb|Prayer Shawl with Star of David emblem]]

*'''prayer shawl''' (15) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_shawl shawl] with a ritually knotted fringe at each corner; worn by Jews at morning prayer, also called a tallit, or talles.

*'''yarzheit candle''' (15) - Yarzheit is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yiddish_language Yiddish] word given to the anniversary of a person's death.

*'''goyische''' (16) - Hebrew/Yiddish [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=goyische term] for someone/thing which is not Jewish.

*'''Litvak''' (16) - the name given to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Jews Lithuanian Jews] or to those who are associated with their religious beliefs.

*'''shtetl''' (16) - a small [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shtetl Jewish town or village] formerly found throughout Eastern Europe.

*'''steppe''' (16) - A vast, semi-arid and grass-covered [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppe plain], as found in southeast Europe, Siberia, and central North America.

*'''Grand Concourse Avenue''' (16) - a [http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=grand+concourse+avenue&csz=bronx%2C+ny&country=us&new=1&name=&qty= street] in the Bronx.

*'''Mohicans''' (17) a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahican member] of an American Indian tribe living in or around the Hudson Valley.

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==
#The beginning scene takes place at who's funeral?
#She is the grandmother of which character?
#During the rabbi's eulogy he tells the family that Sarah was the kind of person that brought the villages with her to America. Where did these villages come from?
#What Great Voyages no longer exist?
#What was Sarah Ironson's husband's name?

==External Resources==

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.

------
[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 2]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 1.4

2006-04-16T18:45:54Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

==Summary==
Louis and Prior are sitting on a bench after the funeral of Louis's grandmother. They are discussing the funeral and having usual banter when Prior suddenly shows Louis the lesions on his arm. He has a disease called [http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_is_kaposis_sarcoma_21.asp?sitearea=cri. kaposi's sarcoma] Even though Louis gets extremely upset, Prior takes it in a very joking manner; he only fears that Louis will leave him because of his illness. Afterwards, Louis goes to bury his grandmother.

==Notes==
*'''WASPs''' (26) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WASP "White Anglo-Saxon Protestants"], a term that denotes either an ethnic group, or the culture, customs, and heritage of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee Yankee] ethnic group in the U.S..
*'''Shirley Booth''' (27) - an Academy Award-winning [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Booth actress] who gained enormous success in the 1950 Broadway [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_Back%2C_Little_Sheba_%28play%29 play] (as well, as the 1952 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_Back%2C_Little_Sheba_%28movie%29 movie adaptation]), ''Come Back, Little Sheba''.
*'''K.S.''' (27) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaposi%27s_Sarcoma Kaposi's Sarcoma], a cancer that afflicts tissues of the bones, muscles, blood vessels, cartilage, etc. Commonly linked to homosexual men with HIV or AIDS.

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==
#What is the Jewish custom to express love for the dead?
#How long was Louis's grandmother in the nursing home?
#Why didn't Louis visit her?
#What is the cat's name?
#What does Prior show Louis?
#What disease does Prior have?
#How does Louis react?

==External Resources==

==Works Cited==

------
[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 5]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 1.4

2006-04-16T05:19:52Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

==Summary==
Louis and Prior are sitting on a bench after the funeral of Louis's grandmother. They are discussing the funeral and having usual banter when Prior suddenly shows Louis the lesions on his arm. He has a disease called [http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_is_kaposis_sarcoma_21.asp?sitearea=cri. kaposi's sarcoma] Even though Louis gets extremely upset, Prior takes it in a very joking manner; he only fears that Louis will leave him because of his illness. Afterwards, Louis goes to bury his grandmother.

==Notes==
*'''WASPs''' (26) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WASP "White Anglo-Saxon Protestants",] a term that denotes either an ethnic group, or the culture, customs, and heritage of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee Yankee] ethnic group in the U.S..
*'''Shirley Booth''' (27) - an Academy Award-winning [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Booth actress] who gained enormous success in the 1950 Broadway [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_Back%2C_Little_Sheba_%28play%29 play] (as well, as the 1952 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_Back%2C_Little_Sheba_%28movie%29 movie adaptation]), ''Come Back, Little Sheba''.
*'''K.S.''' (27) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaposi%27s_Sarcoma Kaposi's Sarcoma], a cancer that afflicts tissues of the bones, muscles, blood vessels, cartilage, etc. Commonly linked to homosexual men with HIV or AIDS.

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==
#What is the Jewish custom to express love for the dead?
#How long was Louis's grandmother in the nursing home?
#Why didn't Louis visit her?
#What is the cat's name?
#What does Prior show Louis?
#What disease does Prior have?
#How does Louis react?

==External Resources==

==Works Cited==

------
[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 5]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Joseph Porter Pitt

2006-04-16T05:02:45Z

Lbrown: /* Background- proofreading */

[[Image:Joe.jpg]]
==Background==
Joe is a Mormon chief clerk for Justice Theodore Wilson of the Federal Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. He is married to Harper Pitt. They have a strained marriage, as Joe is a closeted homosexual. His Mormon beliefs, and what he perceives to be "right" have stood in his way of finding his true happiness. For most of his life, he has not admitted his homosexuality to his family, friends, wife, or even himself. He has been chosen by the great Roy Cohn to be his right-hand man in Washington, and Joe is faced with a tremendous crisis of conscience: He must decide whether he can transplant his paranoid, delusional wife, whom he is growing less and less fond of, to Washington, or leave her to pursue a career under Roy as one of the “Chief Elect” and proceed a homosexual lifestyle eventually devoid of his religion.

== Work Cited ==
*Enotes.com-http://www.enotes.com/angels-america/8614

Millennium Approaches 1.4

2006-04-15T22:15:28Z

Lbrown: /* Study Questions- proofreading */

Millennium Approaches 1.4

2006-04-15T22:14:29Z

Lbrown: /* Summary */

Millennium Approaches 1.9

2006-04-14T02:58:26Z

Lbrown: /* Summary- moved pic */

Millennium Approaches 1.9

2006-04-14T02:58:06Z

Lbrown: /* Summary- added a picture */

==Summary==
The scene opens with Roy and Henry, his doctor, in Henry's office. Dr. Henry informs Roy that his lesions, throat problem, and swollen glands are all related to Kaposi's sarcomas, meaning that Roy has AIDs. Roy accuses Henry of implying that he is either a drug addict, which must not be the case since there are no "tracks," or a homosexual, since the syndrome mostly afflicts them. Roy then threatens Henry by saying that if Henry does call him a homosexual, he will "destroy" Henry's medical career (50).

[[Image:Pacino.jpg|right|thumb|''Al Pacino as Roy Cohn'']]

Henry does not directly call Roy homosexual but instead says that Roy has slept with many men. Roy then goes off on a rant, saying that Henry is too "hung up on words, on labels" (51). Roy admits to having sex with men, but still insists that he is not homosexual since he has "clout." He then says that he does not have AIDs, he has liver cancer, since "AIDs is what homosexuals have" (52). Henry then says that he cannot get Roy any medication since the new drug AZT has a two-year waiting list.

==Notes==
*'''Kaposi's sarcoma''' (49) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaposi%27s_Sarcoma cancer] of the connective or supportive tissue. Caused by a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpesvirus herpesvirus] infection in which cancerous cells form solid lesions in the connective tissue, KS was one of the first signs of the existence of the 1980s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS AIDS] epidemic.

*'''lesions''' (49) - abnormal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesion body tissue] caused, in the case of Roy Cohn, by Kaposi's sarcoma.

*'''lymphadenopathy''' (49) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphadenopathy swelling] of one or more [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymph_node lymph node].

*'''oral candidiasis''' (49) - also called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_thrush "oral thrush"], an infection of yeast fungus in the mucous membranes of the mouth. Symptoms include white, cream coloured, or yellow spots in the mouth, and it is often found in people with HIV and AIDS.

*'''Hemophiliac''' (49) - someone with the hereditary genetic illness, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemophilia Hemophilia], which impairs the body's ability to control bleeding.

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==
#What illness is Roy diagnosed with?
#How does Roy threaten Dr. Henry?
#For what else has Dr. Henry treated Roy?
#How does Roy define the term "homosexual"?
#Why does Roy not consider himself a homosexual?
#Who does Roy claim he could get on the phone in under five minutes?
#What does Roy call his illness?
#What is the name of the new wait-listed drug that could treat Roy?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=09-Dec-2003 Kushner Radio Interview]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
-------
[[Angels in America | In Vitro Act 2 Scene 1]]

[[Category:Literature]]

File:Pacino.jpg

2006-04-14T02:51:54Z

Lbrown: Al Pacino as Roy Cohn

Al Pacino as Roy Cohn

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-14T02:45:09Z

Lbrown: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
The scene takes place in a fancy Manhattan restaurant. Joe, Roy and a new character, Martin, are discussing politics. Roy reveals his disbarment hearings and his plans for Joe's help in the case. He wants Joe to go to Washington, take the job in the Justice Department, and intervene on his behalf. Joe is very trepiditious about such a venture; he is worried about the moral and ethical ramifications. Roy and Martin push until Joe agrees to think about it.

==Notes==
*'''Liberalism''' (69) - an ideology, philosophy, and political [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism tradition] which holds liberty as the primary political value.

*'''New Deal Socialism''' (69) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal name] given to the series of programs implemented between 1933-37 under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt President Franklin D. Roosevelt] with the goal of relief, recovery and reform of the United States economy during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression Great Depression].

*'''Bolsheviks''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolsheviks members] of the Marxist Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party's Bolshevik faction. Bolsheviks had an extreme socialist and internationalist outlook, and were opponents of the Russian traditional statehood and the Russian Orthodox Church.

*'''"...turned St. Petersburg into Leningrad..."''' (70) - Roy is referring to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Petersburg St. Petersburg, Russia], which became known as Leningrad in 1924 in honor of the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, who led the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution October Revolution]. It was later changed back to St. Petersburg in 1991, after the collapse of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union Soviet Union].

*'''Marx and Engels''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marx Karl Marx] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Engels Friedrich Engels] were the co-founders of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism Marxism] and the authors of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_Manifesto ''The Communist Manifesto''].

*'''Lenin and Trotsky''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin Vladimir Lenin] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky Leon Trotsky] were both Bolshevik revolutionaries in Russia during the early 20th century.

*'''Josef Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin Stalin], leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt Roosevelt], the U.S. President from 1933 to 1945, were allies during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II World War II].

*'''New York State Bar Association''' (71) - Founded in Albany in November of 1871, the [http://www.nysba.org NYSBA] is now the largest [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Bar_Association association] of lawyers in the U.S., with about 72,000 members.

*'''Brahmin''' (73) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmin] member of a certain division of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism Hindu] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system caste system].

*'''"ipso facto secular humanism"''' (73) - The phrase [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipso_facto "ipso facto"] is Latin in origin and, when used in a religious context, indicates an individual guilty of specified actions considered unlawful by a committee, resulting in removal of membership from the religious group. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_humanism Secular humanism] is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism humanist] philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice and rejects rituals and ceremonies as a means to affirm their life stance.

==Commentary==
Religion, Judaism in particular, plays a very important role in Tony Kushner's ''Angels in America''. Kushner himself is Jewish, even though he doesn't care much for the religion and instead calls himself a "serious agnostic" (Glenn).
[[Image:Kushner.jpg|right|thumb|''Tony Kushner'']]

One of the characters through which Judaism is represented is Roy Cohn, a divorce lawyer who has been diagnosed with AIDS. Roy is very ambitious, which is shown through his enthusiastic overuse of the telephone system in his office. He uses everything and everyone, especially the law, to his best advantage.

While Roy claims to not be a religious person, he actually just has a very different way of identifying with his Jewish faith (Glenn). He realizes that his faith, as well as his sexuality, would most likely get in the way of his political aspirations so he chooses not to fully embrace these lifestyles. "I'm about to be tried, Joe, by a jury that is not a jury of my peers. The disbarment committee: genteel gentlemen Brahmin lawyers, country-club men. I offend them, to these men ... I'm what, Martin, some sort of filthy little Jewish troll?" (72-73). He believes that his job is affected by his religion, the same way he believes it would be in jeopardy if he publicly announced that he is "homosexual" and has AIDS. As a result, he attempts to hide it all in hope that it will not threaten his political reputation.

Another Jewish character is Louis Ironson. He is also rather detached from his faith, calling himself "an intensely secular Jew" (256) and instead developing "his own philosophy of life" (Glenn). He doesn't speak any Yiddish, he didn't have a Bar Mitzvah, and he does not know the Kaddish (nor what language it's in, for that matter). He criticizes Judaism, insisting that "It should be the questions and shape of a life, its total complexity gathered, arranged, and considered, which matters in the end, not some stamp of salvation or damnation which disperses all the complexity in some unsatisfying little decision - the balancing of the scale" (44-45).

Kushner says that Louis is "the closest thing to an autobiographical character he has ever created" (Glenn). They are both homosexual Jews who are uncertain about their family's religion. Kushner also claims that his family went to a very "Reform" Jewish congregation. "We didn't know Yiddish, we didn't know Hebrew, we didn't know prayers" (Glenn).

Though Louis and Roy are ''very'' different characters, they both, like Kushner, have strayed from their Jewish roots and developed their own views on life.

==Study Questions==
#Why does Roy ask Martin to rub his back?
#Who is Roy's letter from? What does it say?
#Why does Roy say he is being disbarred?
#What is the actual reason for his being disbarred?
#Why does Roy want Joe to take the job in Washington?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/index.html Jewish Virtual Library]

==Works Cited==
* Glenn, Lane A.. "Angels in America." ''Drama for Students''. Gale, 1999.
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.

File:Kushner.jpg

2006-04-14T02:43:14Z

Lbrown: Tony Kushner

Tony Kushner

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-14T02:22:18Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

==Summary==
The scene takes place in a fancy Manhattan restaurant. Joe, Roy and a new character, Martin, are discussing politics. Roy reveals his disbarment hearings and his plans for Joe's help in the case. He wants Joe to go to Washington, take the job in the Justice Department, and intervene on his behalf. Joe is very trepiditious about such a venture; he is worried about the moral and ethical ramifications. Roy and Martin push until Joe agrees to think about it.

==Notes==
*'''Liberalism''' (69) - an ideology, philosophy, and political [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism tradition] which holds liberty as the primary political value.

*'''New Deal Socialism''' (69) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal name] given to the series of programs implemented between 1933-37 under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt President Franklin D. Roosevelt] with the goal of relief, recovery and reform of the United States economy during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression Great Depression].

*'''Bolsheviks''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolsheviks members] of the Marxist Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party's Bolshevik faction. Bolsheviks had an extreme socialist and internationalist outlook, and were opponents of the Russian traditional statehood and the Russian Orthodox Church.

*'''"...turned St. Petersburg into Leningrad..."''' (70) - Roy is referring to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Petersburg St. Petersburg, Russia], which became known as Leningrad in 1924 in honor of the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, who led the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution October Revolution]. It was later changed back to St. Petersburg in 1991, after the collapse of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union Soviet Union].

*'''Marx and Engels''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marx Karl Marx] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Engels Friedrich Engels] were the co-founders of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism Marxism] and the authors of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_Manifesto ''The Communist Manifesto''].

*'''Lenin and Trotsky''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin Vladimir Lenin] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky Leon Trotsky] were both Bolshevik revolutionaries in Russia during the early 20th century.

*'''Josef Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt''' (70) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin Stalin], leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt Roosevelt], the U.S. President from 1933 to 1945, were allies during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II World War II].

*'''New York State Bar Association''' (71) - Founded in Albany in November of 1871, the [http://www.nysba.org NYSBA] is now the largest [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Bar_Association association] of lawyers in the U.S., with about 72,000 members.

*'''Brahmin''' (73) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmin] member of a certain division of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism Hindu] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system caste system].

*'''"ipso facto secular humanism"''' (73) - The phrase [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipso_facto "ipso facto"] is Latin in origin and, when used in a religious context, indicates an individual guilty of specified actions considered unlawful by a committee, resulting in removal of membership from the religious group. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_humanism Secular humanism] is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism humanist] philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice and rejects rituals and ceremonies as a means to affirm their life stance.

==Commentary==
Religion, Judaism in particular, plays a very important role in Tony Kushner's ''Angels in America''. Kushner himself is Jewish, even though he doesn't care much for the religion and instead calls himself a "serious agnostic" (Glenn).

One of the characters through which Judaism is represented is Roy Cohn, a divorce lawyer who has been diagnosed with AIDS. Roy is very ambitious, which is shown through his enthusiastic overuse of the telephone system in his office. He uses everything and everyone, especially the law, to his best advantage.

While Roy claims to not be a religious person, he actually just has a very different way of identifying with his Jewish faith (Glenn). He realizes that his faith, as well as his sexuality, would most likely get in the way of his political aspirations so he chooses not to fully embrace these lifestyles. "I'm about to be tried, Joe, by a jury that is not a jury of my peers. The disbarment committee: genteel gentlemen Brahmin lawyers, country-club men. I offend them, to these men ... I'm what, Martin, some sort of filthy little Jewish troll?" (72-73). He believes that his job is affected by his religion, the same way he believes it would be in jeopardy if he publicly announced that he is "homosexual" and has AIDS. As a result, he attempts to hide it all in hope that it will not threaten his political reputation.

Another Jewish character is Louis Ironson. He is also rather detached from his faith, calling himself "an intensely secular Jew" (256) and instead developing "his own philosophy of life" (Glenn). He doesn't speak any Yiddish, he didn't have a Bar Mitzvah, and he does not know the Kaddish (nor what language it's in, for that matter). He criticizes Judaism, insisting that "It should be the questions and shape of a life, its total complexity gathered, arranged, and considered, which matters in the end, not some stamp of salvation or damnation which disperses all the complexity in some unsatisfying little decision - the balancing of the scale" (44-45).

Kushner says that Louis is "the closest thing to an autobiographical character he has ever created" (Glenn). They are both homosexual Jews who are uncertain about their family's religion. Kushner also claims that his family went to a very "Reform" Jewish congregation. "We didn't know Yiddish, we didn't know Hebrew, we didn't know prayers" (Glenn).

Though Louis and Roy are ''very'' different characters, they both, like Kushner, have strayed from their Jewish roots and developed their own views on life.

==Study Questions==
#Why does Roy ask Martin to rub his back?
#Who is Roy's letter from? What does it say?
#Why does Roy say he is being disbarred?
#What is the actual reason for his being disbarred?
#Why does Roy want Joe to take the job in Washington?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/index.html Jewish Virtual Library]

==Works Cited==
* Glenn, Lane A.. "Angels in America." ''Drama for Students''. Gale, 1999.
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.

Millennium Approaches 1.2

2006-04-13T18:18:16Z

Lbrown: /* Commentary- rereading...*/

==Summary==
Joseph Pitt sits waiting in Roy Cohn's office while Roy conducts business with several people through his phone system. Roy is loud and obscene until Joe asks him to "please not use the Lord's name in vain" (20). When Roy asks what religion he is, Joe tells him that he is Mormon. Roy then suddenly offers Joe a job in the Justice Department in Washington, DC. Joe says that "it's incredibly exciting" but that he must talk to his wife before accepting the job (22).

== Notes ==
[[Image:LaCage1.jpg|right|thumb|''La Cage aux Folles'']]
*'''''Cats''''' (18) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_%28musical%29 musical] composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber] in 1978 and based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_of_Practical_Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot T. S. Eliot].

*'''''42nd Street''''' (18) - a Broadway [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Street_%28musical%29 musical]. It premiered in New York City in 1980 and is considered one of the most successful productions in the history of Broadway theater.

*'''''La Cage''''' (18) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cage_aux_Folles ''La Cage aux Folles''] is a French play that became Broadway's first "homosexual" musical in 1983.

*'''Mormon''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon name] given to members of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saint_movement Latter Day Saint movement].

*'''Ed Meese''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Meese seventy-fifth] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General Attorney General] of the United States from 1985 to 1988.

==Commentary==
''Angels in America'''s Roy Cohn is based on the real-life American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn lawyer] of the same name; however, Kushner's play is not as much "about" Cohn as it is about what "Cohn represents socially and historically" (Borreca). Still, the play's character follows the nonfictional Cohn's life almost flawlessly.

[[Image:Judge.jpg|left|thumb|Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986).]]

Cohn became famous during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy Senator Joseph McCarthy's] investigations into Communism in the government and especially during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army-McCarthy_Hearings Army-McCarthy Hearings]. Cohn was widely unpopular during his lifetime, yet he still gained tremendous political power. He was most famous for his role in the 1951 trial of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]. His cross examination of Ethel's brother produced the testimony that was mainly responsible for the defendents' conviction and execution. Cohn took great pride in the case, claiming to have played an even greater role than was realized. In his autobiography, he wrote that his influence had led to the appointment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kaufman Judge Irving Kaufman] to the case, and that Kaufman, who was a family friend, had imposed the death penalty on Cohn's personal advice.

It was because of the Rosenberg trial that Cohn, at the age of twenty-four, had been recommended and appointed as McCarthy's chief counsel. In 1954, when McCarthy was censured, Cohn resigned and went into private practice, beginning a thirty-year career as a high-powered attorney in New York City. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was charged three times with professional misconduct but never convicted. However, eventually the New York Bar association brought disbarment proceedings against him for unethical and unprofessional conduct, which caused him to lose his license in the last month of his life.

Although he was extremely conservative in politics, Cohn was rumored to be a homosexual, and it was widely believed that he and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._David_Schine G. David Schine], whom he appointed chief consultant, had a sexual relationship. However, Cohn continued to deny he was gay and he even lent his support to anti-gay political campaigns. In 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDs, but he attemped to keep it secret by saying he had liver cancer. Despite aggressive drug treatment, he died on August 2, 1986 (six months after the Cohn in Kushner's play) at the age of 54.

Roy Cohn was also portrayed by actor [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000249/ James Woods] in the 1992 biographical television movie [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0103973/ ''Citizen Cohn''].

==Study Questions==
#What is Roy Cohn's profession?
#What is Roy's favorite Broadway musical? What does this suggest about the character?
#While he is conducting business, what does Roy keep insisting Joe do?
#What job does Roy offer to Joe and what would it require Joe to do?
#Why does Joe tell Roy that he has to "think about" his job offer?
#Who is the Attorney General at the time of the play?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/video/index.html HBO Conversations with the Actors]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
*Borreca, Art. "''Angels in America'', Part 1: Millennium Approaches." ''Theatre Journal'' 45.2 (May 1993): 235.

------
[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 3]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-13T18:13:23Z

Lbrown: /* Works Cited- fixed a source */

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-13T18:12:13Z

Lbrown: /* External Resources */

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-13T18:10:56Z

Lbrown: /* Commentary */

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-13T17:43:52Z

Lbrown: /* External Resources */

Millennium Approaches 1.2

2006-04-13T17:43:23Z

Lbrown: /* External Resources- added a bullet */

==Summary==
Joseph Pitt sits waiting in Roy Cohn's office while Roy conducts business with several people through his phone system. Roy is loud and obscene until Joe asks him to "please not use the Lord's name in vain" (20). When Roy asks what religion he is, Joe tells him that he is Mormon. Roy then suddenly offers Joe a job in the Justice Department in Washington, DC. Joe says that "it's incredibly exciting" but that he must talk to his wife before accepting the job (22).

== Notes ==
[[Image:LaCage1.jpg|right|thumb|''La Cage aux Folles'']]
*'''''Cats''''' (18) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_%28musical%29 musical] composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber] in 1978 and based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_of_Practical_Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot T. S. Eliot].

*'''''42nd Street''''' (18) - a Broadway [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Street_%28musical%29 musical]. It premiered in New York City in 1980 and is considered one of the most successful productions in the history of Broadway theater.

*'''''La Cage''''' (18) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cage_aux_Folles ''La Cage aux Folles''] is a French play that became Broadway's first "homosexual" musical in 1983.

*'''Mormon''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon name] given to members of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saint_movement Latter Day Saint movement].

*'''Ed Meese''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Meese seventy-fifth] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General Attorney General] of the United States from 1985 to 1988.

==Commentary==
''Angels in America'''s Roy Cohn is based on the real-life American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn lawyer] of the same name; however, Kushner's play is not as much "about" Cohn as it is about what "Cohn represents socially and historically" (Borreca). Still, the play's character follows the nonfictional Cohn's life almost flawlessly.

[[Image:Judge.jpg|left|thumb|Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986).]]

Cohn became famous during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy Senator Joseph McCarthy's] investigations into Communism in the government and especially during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army-McCarthy_Hearings Army-McCarthy Hearings]. Cohn was widely unpopular during his lifetime, yet he still gained tremendous political power. He was most famous for his role in the 1951 trial of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]. His cross examination of Ethel's brother produced the testimony that was mainly responsible for the defendents' conviction and execution. Cohn took great pride in the case, claiming to have played an even greater role than was realized. In his autobiography, he wrote that his influence had led to the appointment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kaufman Judge Irving Kaufman] to the case, and that Kaufman, who was a family friend, had imposed the death penalty on Cohn's personal advice.

It was because of the Rosenberg trial that Cohn, at the age of twenty-four, had been recommended and appointed as McCarthy's chief counsel. In 1954, when McCarthy was censured, Cohn resigned and went into private practice, beginning a thirty-year career as a high-powered attorney in New York City. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was charged three times with professional misconduct but never convicted. However, eventually the New York Bar association brought disbarment proceedings against him for unethical and unprofessional conduct, which caused him to lose his license in the last month of his life.

Although he was extremely conservative in politics, Cohn was rumored to be a homosexual, and it was widely believed that he and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._David_Schine G. David Schine], whom he appointed chief consultant, had a sexual relationship. However, Cohn continued to deny he was gay and he even lent his support to anti-gay political campaigns. In 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDs, but he attemped to keep it secret by saying he had liver cancer. Despite aggressive drug treatment, he died on August 2, 1986 at the age of 54.

Roy Cohn was also portrayed by actor [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000249/ James Woods] in the 1992 biographical television movie [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0103973/ ''Citizen Cohn''].

==Study Questions==
#What is Roy Cohn's profession?
#What is Roy's favorite Broadway musical? What does this suggest about the character?
#While he is conducting business, what does Roy keep insisting Joe do?
#What job does Roy offer to Joe and what would it require Joe to do?
#Why does Joe tell Roy that he has to "think about" his job offer?
#Who is the Attorney General at the time of the play?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/video/index.html HBO Conversations with the Actors]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
*Borreca, Art. "''Angels in America'', Part 1: Millennium Approaches." ''Theatre Journal'' 45.2 (May 1993): 235.

------
[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 3]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Angels in America

2006-04-13T17:17:28Z

Lbrown: /* Works Cited */

[[Image:Angels-in-america-04.jpg|thumb|Angels in America]]

==Factual Information==

==Study Guide==

===Part One: Millennium Approaches===
====Act One: Bad News====
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.7|Act One, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.8|Act One, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.9|Act One, Scene 9]]
====Act Two: In Vitro====
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.2|Act Two, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.3|Act Two, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.4|Act Two, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.5|Act Two, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.6|Act Two, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.7|Act Two, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.8|Act Two, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.9|Act Two, Scene 9]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.10|Act Two, Scene 10]]
====Act Three: Not-Yet-Conscious, Foward Dawning====
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.6|Act Three, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.7|Act Three, Scene 7]]

===Part Two: Perestroika===
====Act One: Spooj====
#[[Perestroika 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
====Act Two: The Epistle====
#[[Perestroika 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]
====Act Three: Borborygmi====
#[[Perestroika 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
====Act Four: John Brown's Body====
#[[Perestroika 4.1|Act Four, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 4.2|Act Four, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 4.3|Act Four, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 4.4|Act Four, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 4.5|Act Four, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 4.6|Act Four, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 4.7|Act Four, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 4.8|Act Four, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 4.9|Act Four, Scene 9]]
====Act Five: Heaven, I'm in Heaven====
#[[Perestroika 5.1|Act Five, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 5.2|Act Five, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 5.3|Act Five, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 5.4|Act Five, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 5.5|Act Five, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 5.6|Act Five, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 5.7|Act Five, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 5.8|Act Five, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 5.9|Act Five, Scene 9]]
#[[Perestroika 5.10|Act Five, Scene 10]]
====Epilogue: Bethesda====
#[[Perestroika Epilogue]]

==Characters==
[[Roy Cohn]]

[[Joseph Porter Pitt]]

[[Harper Amaty Pitt]]

[[Louis Ironson]]

[[Prior Walter]]

[[Hannah Porter Pitt]]

[[Belize]]

[[The Angel]]

[[Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz]]

[[Mr. Lies]]

[[The Man in the Park]]

[[The Voice]]

[[Henry]]

[[Emily]]

[[Martin Heller]]

[[Sister Ella Chapter]]

[[Prior I]]

[[Prior II]]

[[The Eskimo]]

[[The Woman in the South Bronx]]

[[Ethel Rosenberg]]

==Major Themes==

==Major Symbols==

==Influences==

==Additional Resources==

==Works Cited==

* Garner, Stanton B. ''"Angels in America: The Millennium and Postmodern Memory," in Approaching the Millenium, Essays on Angels in America,'' edited by Deborah R. Geis and Steven F. Kruger, University of Michigan Press, 1987: pp.173-84.

* Glenn, Lane A.. "Angels in America." ''Drama for Students''. Gale, 1999.

* Kruger, Steven F. ''"Identity and Conversion in Angels in America."in Approaching the Millennium: Essays on "Angels in America."'' edited by Deborah R. Geis and Steven F.Kruger, University of Michigan Press, 1997: pp. 151-69.

* Layman, Bruccoli Clark. ''"Tony Kushner,"in Dictionary of Literary Biography,'' Volume 228: Twentienth Century American Dramatists, Second Series. Edited by Christopher J. Wheatley.

* McNutty, Charles. ''"Angels in America: Tony Kushner's Theses on the Philosophy of History."'' Modern Drama 39,no.1 (Spring 1996): 84-96.

* Quinn, John R. ''"Corpus Juris Tertium: Redemptive Jurisprudence in Angels in America."'' Theatre Journal 48,no.1 (March 1996): 79-90.

* Trilling, Lionel, et. al. ''Bloom’s Period Studies: Modern American Drama''. Chelsea House Publishers, 2005.

[[Category:Literature]]

Talk:Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-13T17:08:35Z

Lbrown:

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-13T17:07:35Z

Lbrown: /* Commentary -proofreading*/

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-13T17:07:08Z

Lbrown: /* Study Questions */

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-13T16:56:24Z

Lbrown: /* Summary- proofreading */

Millennium Approaches 1.4

2006-04-12T16:56:15Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

==Summary==
Louis and Prior are sitting on a bench after the funeral of Louis' grandmother. They are discussing the funeral and having usual banter when Prior suddenly shows Louis the lesions on his arm. He has a disease called [http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_is_kaposis_sarcoma_21.asp?sitearea=cri. kaposi's sarcoma] Even though Louis gets extremely upset, Prior takes it in a very joking manner. He is only afraid the Louis will leave him because of his illness.

==Notes==
*'''K.S.''' (27) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaposi%27s_Sarcoma Kaposi's Sarcoma], a cancer that afflicts tissues of the bones, muscles, blood vessels, cartilage, etc. Commonly linked to homosexual men with HIV or AIDS.

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==
#What is the Jewish custom to express love for the dead?
#How long was Louis' grandmother in the nursing home?
#Why didn't Louis visit her?
#What is the cat's name?
#What does Prior show Louis?
#What disease does Prior have?
#How does Louis react?

==External Resources==

==Works Cited==

------
[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 5]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 2.6

2006-04-12T16:53:21Z

Lbrown: /* Notes - just a few touch-ups*/

==Summary==
The scene takes place in a fancy Manhatten restaurant. Joe, Roy and new character Martin are discussing politics. Roy reveals his disbarment hearings and his plans for Joe's help in the case. He wants Joe to go to Washington, take the job in the Justice Department, and intervene on his behalf. Joe is very trepiditious about such a venture. He is worried about the moral and ethical ramifications. Roy and Martin push until Joe agrees to think about it.

==Notes==
*'''Liberalism''' (69) - an ideology, philosophy, and political [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism tradition] which holds liberty as the primary political value.

*'''New Deal Socialism''' (69) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal name] given to the series of programs implemented between 1933-37 under [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt President Franklin D. Roosevelt] with the goal of relief, recovery and reform of the United States economy during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression Great Depression].

*'''Bolsheviks''' (69) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolsheviks members] of the Marxist Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party's Bolshevik faction. Bolsheviks had an extreme socialist and internationalist outlook, and were opponents of the Russian traditional statehood and the Russian Orthodox Church.

==Commentary==
Religion, Judaism in particular, plays a very important role in Tony Kushner's ''Angels in America''. Kushner himself is Jewish, even though he doesn't care much for the religion and instead calls himself a "serious agnostic" (Glenn).

One of the characters through which Judaism is represented is Roy Cohn, a divorce lawyer who has been diagnosed with AIDs. Roy is very ambitious, which is shown through his enthusiastic overuse of the telephone system in his office. He uses everything and everyone, especially the law, to his best advantage.

While Roy claims to not be a religious person, he actually just has a very different way of identifying with his Jewish faith (Glenn). He realizes that his faith, as well as his sexuality, would most likely get in the way of his political aspirations so he chooses not to fully embrace these lifestyles. "I'm about to be tried, Joe, by a jury that is not a jury of my peers. The disbarment committee: genteel gentlemen Brahmin lawyers, country-club men. I offend them, to these men ... I'm what, Martin, some sort of filthy little Jewish troll?" (72-73). He believes that his job is affected by his religion, the same way he believes it would be in jeopardy if he publicly announced that he is "homosexual" and has AIDs. As a result, he attempts to hide it all in hope that it will not threaten his political reputation.

==Study Questions==

==External Resources==

==Works Cited==
*Glenn, Lane A.. ''Drama for Students''. Gale, 1999.
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.

Millennium Approaches 1.2

2006-04-11T21:35:18Z

Lbrown: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
Joseph Pitt sits waiting in Roy Cohn's office while Roy conducts business with several people through his phone system. Roy is loud and obscene until Joe asks him to "please not use the Lord's name in vain" (20). When Roy asks what religion he is, Joe tells him that he is Mormon. Roy then suddenly offers Joe a job in the Justice Department in Washington, DC. Joe says that "it's incredibly exciting" but that he must talk to his wife before accepting the job (22).

== Notes ==
[[Image:LaCage1.jpg|right|thumb|''La Cage aux Folles'']]
*'''''Cats''''' (18) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_%28musical%29 musical] composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber] in 1978 and based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_of_Practical_Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot T. S. Eliot].

*'''''42nd Street''''' (18) - a Broadway [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Street_%28musical%29 musical]. It premiered in New York City in 1980 and is considered one of the most successful productions in the history of Broadway theater.

*'''''La Cage''''' (18) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cage_aux_Folles ''La Cage aux Folles''] is a French play that became Broadway's first "homosexual" musical in 1983.

*'''Mormon''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon name] given to members of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saint_movement Latter Day Saint movement].

*'''Ed Meese''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Meese seventy-fifth] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General Attorney General] of the United States from 1985 to 1988.

==Commentary==
''Angels in America'''s Roy Cohn is based on the real-life American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn lawyer] of the same name; however, Kushner's play is not as much "about" Cohn as it is about what "Cohn represents socially and historically" (Borreca). Still, the play's character follows the nonfictional Cohn's life almost flawlessly.

[[Image:Judge.jpg|left|thumb|Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986).]]

Cohn became famous during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy Senator Joseph McCarthy's] investigations into Communism in the government and especially during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army-McCarthy_Hearings Army-McCarthy Hearings]. Cohn was widely unpopular during his lifetime, yet he still gained tremendous political power. He was most famous for his role in the 1951 trial of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]. His cross examination of Ethel's brother produced the testimony that was mainly responsible for the defendents' conviction and execution. Cohn took great pride in the case, claiming to have played an even greater role than was realized. In his autobiography, he wrote that his influence had led to the appointment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kaufman Judge Irving Kaufman] to the case, and that Kaufman, who was a family friend, had imposed the death penalty on Cohn's personal advice.

It was because of the Rosenberg trial that Cohn, at the age of twenty-four, had been recommended and appointed as McCarthy's chief counsel. In 1954, when McCarthy was censured, Cohn resigned and went into private practice, beginning a thirty-year career as a high-powered attorney in New York City. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was charged three times with professional misconduct but never convicted. However, eventually the New York Bar association brought disbarment proceedings against him for unethical and unprofessional conduct, which caused him to lose his license in the last month of his life.

Although he was extremely conservative in politics, Cohn was rumored to be a homosexual, and it was widely believed that he and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._David_Schine G. David Schine], whom he appointed chief consultant, had a sexual relationship. However, Cohn continued to deny he was gay and he even lent his support to anti-gay political campaigns. In 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDs, but he attemped to keep it secret by saying he had liver cancer. Despite aggressive drug treatment, he died on August 2, 1986 at the age of 54.

Roy Cohn was also portrayed by actor [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000249/ James Woods] in the 1992 biographical television movie [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0103973/ ''Citizen Cohn''].

==Study Questions==
#What is Roy Cohn's profession?
#What is Roy's favorite Broadway musical? What does this suggest about the character?
#While he is conducting business, what does Roy keep insisting Joe do?
#What job does Roy offer to Joe and what would it require Joe to do?
#Why does Joe tell Roy that he has to "think about" his job offer?
#Who is the Attorney General at the time of the play?

==External Resources==
[http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/video/index.html HBO Conversations with the Actors]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
*Borreca, Art. "''Angels in America'', Part 1: Millennium Approaches." ''Theatre Journal'' 45.2 (May 1993): 235.

------
[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 3]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Angels in America

2006-04-11T21:32:56Z

Lbrown: /* Works Cited */

[[Image:Angels-in-america-04.jpg|thumb|Angels in America]]

==Factual Information==

==Study Guide==

===Part One: Millennium Approaches===
====Act One: Bad News====
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.7|Act One, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.8|Act One, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.9|Act One, Scene 9]]
====Act Two: In Vitro====
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.2|Act Two, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.3|Act Two, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.4|Act Two, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.5|Act Two, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.6|Act Two, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.7|Act Two, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.8|Act Two, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.9|Act Two, Scene 9]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.10|Act Two, Scene 10]]
====Act Three: Not-Yet-Conscious, Foward Dawning====
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.6|Act Three, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.7|Act Three, Scene 7]]

===Part Two: Perestroika===
====Act One: Spooj====
#[[Perestroika 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
====Act Two: The Epistle====
#[[Perestroika 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]
====Act Three: Borborygmi====
#[[Perestroika 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
====Act Four: John Brown's Body====
#[[Perestroika 4.1|Act Four, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 4.2|Act Four, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 4.3|Act Four, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 4.4|Act Four, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 4.5|Act Four, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 4.6|Act Four, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 4.7|Act Four, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 4.8|Act Four, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 4.9|Act Four, Scene 9]]
====Act Five: Heaven, I'm in Heaven====
#[[Perestroika 5.1|Act Five, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 5.2|Act Five, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 5.3|Act Five, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 5.4|Act Five, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 5.5|Act Five, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 5.6|Act Five, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 5.7|Act Five, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 5.8|Act Five, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 5.9|Act Five, Scene 9]]
#[[Perestroika 5.10|Act Five, Scene 10]]
====Epilogue: Bethesda====
#[[Perestroika Epilogue]]

==Characters==
[[Roy Cohn]]

[[Joseph Porter Pitt]]

[[Harper Amaty Pitt]]

[[Louis Ironson]]

[[Prior Walter]]

[[Hannah Porter Pitt]]

[[Belize]]

[[The Angel]]

[[Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz]]

[[Mr. Lies]]

[[The Man in the Park]]

[[The Voice]]

[[Henry]]

[[Emily]]

[[Martin Heller]]

[[Sister Ella Chapter]]

[[Prior I]]

[[Prior II]]

[[The Eskimo]]

[[The Woman in the South Bronx]]

[[Ethel Rosenberg]]

==Major Themes==

==Major Symbols==

==Influences==

==Additional Resources==

==Works Cited==
*Trilling, Lionel, et. al. ''Bloom’s Period Studies: Modern American Drama''. Chelsea House Publishers, 2005.
*Glenn, Lane A.. ''Drama for Students''. Gale, 1999.

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 1.2

2006-04-11T21:30:23Z

Lbrown: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
Joseph Pitt sits waiting in Roy Cohn's office while Roy conducts business with several people through his phone system. Roy is loud and obscene until Joe asks him to "please not use the Lord's name in vain" (20). When Roy asks what religion he is, Joe tells him that he is Mormon. Roy then suddenly offers Joe a job in the Justice Department in Washington, DC. Joe says that "it's incredibly exciting" but that he must talk to his wife before accepting the job (22).

== Notes ==
[[Image:LaCage1.jpg|right|thumb|''La Cage aux Folles'']]
*'''''Cats''''' (18) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_%28musical%29 musical] composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber] in 1978 and based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_of_Practical_Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot T. S. Eliot].

*'''''42nd Street''''' (18) - a Broadway [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Street_%28musical%29 musical]. It premiered in New York City in 1980 and is considered one of the most successful productions in the history of Broadway theater.

*'''''La Cage''''' (18) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cage_aux_Folles ''La Cage aux Folles''] is a French play that became Broadway's first "homosexual" musical in 1983.

*'''Mormon''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon name] given to members of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saint_movement Latter Day Saint movement].

*'''Ed Meese''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Meese seventy-fifth] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General Attorney General] of the United States from 1985 to 1988.

==Commentary==
''Angels in America'''s Roy Cohn is based on the real-life American lawyer of the same name; however, Kushner's play is not as much "about" Cohn as it is about what "Cohn represents socially and historically" (Borreca). Still, the play's character follows the nonfictional Cohn's life almost flawlessly.

[[Image:Judge.jpg|left|thumb|Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986).]]

Cohn became famous during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy Senator Joseph McCarthy's] investigations into Communism in the government and especially during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army-McCarthy_Hearings Army-McCarthy Hearings]. Cohn was widely unpopular during his lifetime, yet he still gained tremendous political power. He was most famous for his role in the 1951 trial of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]. His cross examination of Ethel's brother produced the testimony that was mainly responsible for the defendents' conviction and execution. Cohn took great pride in the case, claiming to have played an even greater role than was realized. In his autobiography, he wrote that his influence had led to the appointment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kaufman Judge Irving Kaufman] to the case, and that Kaufman, who was a family friend, had imposed the death penalty on Cohn's personal advice.

It was because of the Rosenberg trial that Cohn, at the age of twenty-four, had been recommended and appointed as McCarthy's chief counsel. In 1954, when McCarthy was censured, Cohn resigned and went into private practice, beginning a thirty-year career as a high-powered attorney in New York City. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was charged three times with professional misconduct but never convicted. However, eventually the New York Bar association brought disbarment proceedings against him for unethical and unprofessional conduct, which caused him to lose his license in the last month of his life.

Although he was extremely conservative in politics, Cohn was rumored to be a homosexual, and it was widely believed that he and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._David_Schine G. David Schine], whom he appointed chief consultant, had a sexual relationship. However, Cohn continued to deny he was gay and he even lent his support to anti-gay political campaigns. In 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDs, but he attemped to keep it secret by saying he had liver cancer. Despite aggressive drug treatment, he died on August 2, 1986 at the age of 54.

Roy Cohn was also portrayed by actor [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000249/ James Woods] in the 1992 biographical television movie [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0103973/ ''Citizen Cohn''].

==Study Questions==
#What is Roy Cohn's profession?
#What is Roy's favorite Broadway musical? What does this suggest about the character?
#While he is conducting business, what does Roy keep insisting Joe do?
#What job does Roy offer to Joe and what would it require Joe to do?
#Why does Joe tell Roy that he has to "think about" his job offer?
#Who is the Attorney General at the time of the play?

==External Resources==
[http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/video/index.html HBO Conversations with the Actors]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
*Borreca, Art. "''Angels in America'', Part 1: Millennium Approaches." ''Theatre Journal'' 45.2 (May 1993): 235.

------
[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 3]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 1.2

2006-04-11T21:26:05Z

Lbrown: /* Study Questions */

==Summary==
Joseph Pitt sits waiting in Roy Cohn's office while Roy conducts business with several people through his phone system. Roy is loud and obscene until Joe asks him to "please not use the Lord's name in vain" (20). When Roy asks what religion he is, Joe tells him that he is Mormon. Roy then suddenly offers Joe a job in the Justice Department in Washington, DC. Joe says that "it's incredibly exciting" but that he must talk to his wife before accepting the job (22).

== Notes ==
[[Image:LaCage1.jpg|right|thumb|''La Cage aux Folles'']]
*'''''Cats''''' (18) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_%28musical%29 musical] composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber] in 1978 and based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_of_Practical_Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot T. S. Eliot].

*'''''42nd Street''''' (18) - a Broadway [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Street_%28musical%29 musical]. It premiered in New York City in 1980 and is considered one of the most successful productions in the history of Broadway theater.

*'''''La Cage''''' (18) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cage_aux_Folles ''La Cage aux Folles''] is a French play that became Broadway's first "homosexual" musical in 1983.

*'''Mormon''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon name] given to members of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saint_movement Latter Day Saint movement].

*'''Ed Meese''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Meese seventy-fifth] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General Attorney General] of the United States from 1985 to 1988.

==Commentary==
''Angels in America'''s Roy Cohn is based on the real-life American lawyer of the same name; however, Kushner's play is not as much "about" Cohn as it is about what "Cohn represents socially and historically" (Borreca).

[[Image:Judge.jpg|left|thumb|Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986).]]

Cohn became famous during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy Senator Joseph McCarthy's] investigations into Communism in the government and especially during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army-McCarthy_Hearings Army-McCarthy Hearings]. Cohn was widely unpopular during his lifetime, yet he still gained tremendous political power. He was most famous for his role in the 1951 trial of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]. His cross examination of Ethel's brother produced the testimony that was mainly responsible for the defendents' conviction and execution. Cohn took great pride in the case, claiming to have played an even greater role than was realized. In his autobiography, he wrote that his influence had led to the appointment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kaufman Judge Irving Kaufman] to the case, and that Kaufman, who was a family friend, had imposed the death penalty on Cohn's personal advice.

It was because of the Rosenberg trial that Cohn, at the age of twenty-four, had been recommended and appointed as McCarthy's chief counsel. In 1954, when McCarthy was censured, Cohn resigned and went into private practice, beginning a thirty-year career as a high-powered attorney in New York City. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was charged three times with professional misconduct but never convicted. However, eventually the New York Bar association brought disbarment proceedings against him for unethical and unprofessional conduct, which caused him to lose his license in the last month of his life.

Although he was extremely conservative in politics, Cohn was rumored to be a homosexual, and it was widely believed that he and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._David_Schine G. David Schine], whom he appointed chief consultant, had a sexual relationship. However, Cohn continued to deny he was gay and he even lent his support to anti-gay political campaigns. In 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDs, but he attemped to keep it secret by saying he had liver cancer. Despite aggressive drug treatment, he died on August 2, 1986 at the age of 54.

Roy Cohn was also portrayed by actor [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000249/ James Woods] in the 1992 biographical television movie [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0103973/ ''Citizen Cohn''].

==Study Questions==
#What is Roy Cohn's profession?
#What is Roy's favorite Broadway musical? What does this suggest about the character?
#While he is conducting business, what does Roy keep insisting Joe do?
#What job does Roy offer to Joe and what would it require Joe to do?
#Why does Joe tell Roy that he has to "think about" his job offer?
#Who is the Attorney General at the time of the play?

==External Resources==
[http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/video/index.html HBO Conversations with the Actors]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
*Borreca, Art. "''Angels in America'', Part 1: Millennium Approaches." ''Theatre Journal'' 45.2 (May 1993): 235.

------
[[Angels in America | Millennium Approaches Act 1 Scene 3]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 1.9

2006-04-10T23:32:29Z

Lbrown: /* Notes */

==Summary==
The scene opens with Roy and Henry, his doctor, in Henry's office. Dr. Henry informs Roy that his lesions, throat problem, and swollen glands are all related to Kaposi's sarcomas, meaning that Roy has AIDs. Roy accuses Henry of implying that he is either a drug addict, which must not be the case since there are no "tracks," or a homosexual, since the syndrome mostly afflicts them. Roy then threatens Henry by saying that if Henry does call him a homosexual, he will "destroy" Henry's medical career (50).

Henry does not directly call Roy homosexual but instead says that Roy has slept with many men. Roy then goes off on a rant, saying that Henry is too "hung up on words, on labels" (51). Roy admits to having sex with men, but still insists that he is not homosexual since he has "clout." He then says that he does not have AIDs, he has liver cancer, since "AIDs is what homosexuals have" (52). Henry then says that he cannot get Roy any medication since the new drug AZT has a two-year waiting list.

==Notes==
*'''Kaposi's sarcoma''' (49) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaposi%27s_Sarcoma cancer] of the connective or supportive tissue. Caused by a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpesvirus herpesvirus] infection in which cancerous cells form solid lesions in the connective tissue, KS was one of the first signs of the existence of the 1980s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS AIDS] epidemic.

*'''lesions''' (49) - abnormal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesion body tissue] caused, in the case of Roy Cohn, by Kaposi's sarcoma.

*'''lymphadenopathy''' (49) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphadenopathy swelling] of one or more [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymph_node lymph node].

*'''oral candidiasis''' (49) - also called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_thrush "oral thrush"], an infection of yeast fungus in the mucous membranes of the mouth. Symptoms include white, cream coloured, or yellow spots in the mouth, and it is often found in people with HIV and AIDS.

*'''Hemophiliac''' (49) - someone with the hereditary genetic illness, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemophilia Hemophilia], which impairs the body's ability to control bleeding.

==Commentary==

==Study Questions==
#What illness is Roy diagnosed with?
#How does Roy threaten Dr. Henry?
#For what else has Dr. Henry treated Roy?
#How does Roy define the term "homosexual"?
#Why does Roy not consider himself a homosexual?
#Who does Roy claim he could get on the phone in under five minutes?
#What does Roy call his illness?
#What is the name of the new wait-listed drug that could treat Roy?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=09-Dec-2003 Kushner Radio Interview]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.

Angels in America

2006-04-10T03:54:44Z

Lbrown: /* Additional Resources */

[[Image:Angels-in-america-04.jpg|thumb|Angels in America]]

==Factual Information==

==Study Guide==

===Part One: Millennium Approaches===
====Act One: Bad News====
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.7|Act One, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.8|Act One, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.9|Act One, Scene 9]]
====Act Two: In Vitro====
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.2|Act Two, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.3|Act Two, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.4|Act Two, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.5|Act Two, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.6|Act Two, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.7|Act Two, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.8|Act Two, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.9|Act Two, Scene 9]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.10|Act Two, Scene 10]]
====Act Three: Not-Yet-Conscious, Foward Dawning====
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.6|Act Three, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.7|Act Three, Scene 7]]

===Part Two: Perestroika===
====Act One: Spooj====
#[[Perestroika 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
====Act Two: The Epistle====
#[[Perestroika 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]
====Act Three: Borborygmi====
#[[Perestroika 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
====Act Four: John Brown's Body====
#[[Perestroika 4.1|Act Four, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 4.2|Act Four, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 4.3|Act Four, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 4.4|Act Four, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 4.5|Act Four, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 4.6|Act Four, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 4.7|Act Four, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 4.8|Act Four, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 4.9|Act Four, Scene 9]]
====Act Five: Heaven, I'm in Heaven====
#[[Perestroika 5.1|Act Five, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 5.2|Act Five, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 5.3|Act Five, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 5.4|Act Five, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 5.5|Act Five, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 5.6|Act Five, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 5.7|Act Five, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 5.8|Act Five, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 5.9|Act Five, Scene 9]]
#[[Perestroika 5.10|Act Five, Scene 10]]
====Epilogue: Bethesda====
#[[Perestroika Epilogue]]

==Characters==
[[Roy Cohn]]

[[Joseph Porter Pitt]]

[[Harper Amaty Pitt]]

[[Louis Ironson]]

[[Prior Walter]]

[[Hannah Porter Pitt]]

[[Belize]]

[[The Angel]]

[[Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz]]

[[Mr. Lies]]

[[The Man in the Park]]

[[The Voice]]

[[Henry]]

[[Emily]]

[[Martin Heller]]

[[Sister Ella Chapter]]

[[Prior I]]

[[Prior II]]

[[The Eskimo]]

[[The Woman in the South Bronx]]

[[Ethel Rosenberg]]

==Major Themes==

==Major Symbols==

==Influences==

==Additional Resources==

==Works Cited==
*Trilling, Lionel, et. al. ''Bloom’s Period Studies: Modern American Drama''. Chelsea House Publishers, 2005.
*Glenn, Lane A.. Drama for Students. Gale, 1999.

[[Category:Literature]]

Angels in America

2006-04-10T03:54:27Z

Lbrown: /* Works Cited */

[[Image:Angels-in-america-04.jpg|thumb|Angels in America]]

==Factual Information==

==Study Guide==

===Part One: Millennium Approaches===
====Act One: Bad News====
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.7|Act One, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.8|Act One, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.9|Act One, Scene 9]]
====Act Two: In Vitro====
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.2|Act Two, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.3|Act Two, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.4|Act Two, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.5|Act Two, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.6|Act Two, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.7|Act Two, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.8|Act Two, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.9|Act Two, Scene 9]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.10|Act Two, Scene 10]]
====Act Three: Not-Yet-Conscious, Foward Dawning====
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.6|Act Three, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.7|Act Three, Scene 7]]

===Part Two: Perestroika===
====Act One: Spooj====
#[[Perestroika 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
====Act Two: The Epistle====
#[[Perestroika 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]
====Act Three: Borborygmi====
#[[Perestroika 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
====Act Four: John Brown's Body====
#[[Perestroika 4.1|Act Four, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 4.2|Act Four, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 4.3|Act Four, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 4.4|Act Four, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 4.5|Act Four, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 4.6|Act Four, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 4.7|Act Four, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 4.8|Act Four, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 4.9|Act Four, Scene 9]]
====Act Five: Heaven, I'm in Heaven====
#[[Perestroika 5.1|Act Five, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 5.2|Act Five, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 5.3|Act Five, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 5.4|Act Five, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 5.5|Act Five, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 5.6|Act Five, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 5.7|Act Five, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 5.8|Act Five, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 5.9|Act Five, Scene 9]]
#[[Perestroika 5.10|Act Five, Scene 10]]
====Epilogue: Bethesda====
#[[Perestroika Epilogue]]

==Characters==
[[Roy Cohn]]

[[Joseph Porter Pitt]]

[[Harper Amaty Pitt]]

[[Louis Ironson]]

[[Prior Walter]]

[[Hannah Porter Pitt]]

[[Belize]]

[[The Angel]]

[[Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz]]

[[Mr. Lies]]

[[The Man in the Park]]

[[The Voice]]

[[Henry]]

[[Emily]]

[[Martin Heller]]

[[Sister Ella Chapter]]

[[Prior I]]

[[Prior II]]

[[The Eskimo]]

[[The Woman in the South Bronx]]

[[Ethel Rosenberg]]

==Major Themes==

==Major Symbols==

==Influences==

==Additional Resources==
*

==Works Cited==
*Trilling, Lionel, et. al. ''Bloom’s Period Studies: Modern American Drama''. Chelsea House Publishers, 2005.
*Glenn, Lane A.. Drama for Students. Gale, 1999.

[[Category:Literature]]

Louis Ironson

2006-04-10T03:53:41Z

Lbrown: Louis

Louis Ironson is a Jewish word processor and Prior Walter's boyfriend. He leaves Prior after he finds out Prior is dying of AIDs, and he begins a relationship with a co-worker, Joseph Pitt. Kushner calls Louis "the closest thing to an autobiographical character he has ever created" (Glenn).

Millennium Approaches 1.2

2006-04-10T03:29:57Z

Lbrown: /* External Resources */

==Summary==
Joseph Pitt sits waiting in Roy Cohn's office while Roy conducts business with several people through his phone system. Roy is loud and obscene until Joe asks him to "please not use the Lord's name in vain" (20). When Roy asks what religion he is, Joe tells him that he is Mormon. Roy then suddenly offers Joe a job in the Justice Department in Washington, DC. Joe says that "it's incredibly exciting" but that he must talk to his wife before accepting the job (22).

== Notes ==
[[Image:LaCage1.jpg|right|thumb|''La Cage aux Folles'']]
*'''''Cats''''' (18) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_%28musical%29 musical] composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber] in 1978 and based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_of_Practical_Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot T. S. Eliot].

*'''''42nd Street''''' (18) - a Broadway [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Street_%28musical%29 musical]. It premiered in New York City in 1980 and is considered one of the most successful productions in the history of Broadway theater.

*'''''La Cage''''' (18) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cage_aux_Folles ''La Cage aux Folles''] is a French play that became Broadway's first "homosexual" musical in 1983.

*'''Mormon''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon name] given to members of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saint_movement Latter Day Saint movement].

*'''Ed Meese''' (21) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Meese seventy-fifth] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General Attorney General] of the United States from 1985 to 1988.

==Commentary==
''Angels in America'''s Roy Cohn is based on the real-life American lawyer of the same name; however, Kushner's play is not as much "about" Cohn as it is about what "Cohn represents socially and historically" (Borreca).

[[Image:Judge.jpg|left|thumb|Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986).]]

Cohn became famous during [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy Senator Joseph McCarthy's] investigations into Communism in the government and especially during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army-McCarthy_Hearings Army-McCarthy Hearings]. Cohn was widely unpopular during his lifetime, yet he still gained tremendous political power. He was most famous for his role in the 1951 trial of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Rosenberg Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]. His cross examination of Ethel's brother produced the testimony that was mainly responsible for the defendents' conviction and execution. Cohn took great pride in the case, claiming to have played an even greater role than was realized. In his autobiography, he wrote that his influence had led to the appointment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kaufman Judge Irving Kaufman] to the case, and that Kaufman, who was a family friend, had imposed the death penalty on Cohn's personal advice.

It was because of the Rosenberg trial that Cohn, at the age of twenty-four, had been recommended and appointed as McCarthy's chief counsel. In 1954, when McCarthy was censured, Cohn resigned and went into private practice, beginning a thirty-year career as a high-powered attorney in New York City. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was charged three times with professional misconduct but never convicted. However, eventually the New York Bar association brought disbarment proceedings against him for unethical and unprofessional conduct, which caused him to lose his license in the last month of his life.

Although he was extremely conservative in politics, Cohn was rumored to be a homosexual, and it was widely believed that he and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._David_Schine G. David Schine], whom he appointed chief consultant, had a sexual relationship. However, Cohn continued to deny he was gay and he even lent his support to anti-gay political campaigns. In 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDs, but he attemped to keep it secret by saying he had liver cancer. Despite aggressive drug treatment, he died on August 2, 1986 at the age of 54.

Roy Cohn was also portrayed by actor [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000249/ James Woods] in the 1992 biographical television movie [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0103973/ ''Citizen Cohn''].

==Study Questions==
#What is Roy's profession?
#What is Roy Cohn's favorite Broadway musical? What does this suggest about the character?
#While he is conducting business, what does Roy keep insisting Joe do?
#What job does Roy offer to Joe and what would it require Joe to do?
#Why does Joe tell Roy that he has to "think about" his job offer?
#Who is the Attorney General at the time of the play?

==External Resources==
[http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/video/index.html HBO Conversations with the Actors]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
*Borreca, Art. "''Angels in America'', Part 1: Millennium Approaches." ''Theatre Journal'' 45.2 (May 1993): 235.

Millennium Approaches 1.9

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