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Angels in America: Difference between revisions
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==Influences== | ==Influences== | ||
==Study Questions== | |||
#Many of the gay characters struggle with the question of how their sexuality should be, and several come out in different ways during the course of the play. Discuss the meaning of the ''closet'' — are closeted characters different from uncloseted ones? What implications does coming out have for self and community? | |||
#"It's law not justice," Joe tells Louis during their final breakup. Discuss the themes of law and justice as they appear in the play. Is Joe correct that the two are separate entities? Or does the play encourage a more visionary potential of the law? | |||
#Belize stands out as exceptionally compassionate and good, yet at times seems two-dimensional. Which view is correct? Is Belize a virtuous stereotype or a complex moral authority? | |||
#What does the subtitle "A Gay Fantasia on National Themes" suggest? What national themes are evident in the plays? What is the relationship between "gay" and "national"? | |||
#[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestroika <i>Perestroika</i>] was the term for Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of political and economic reform in the Soviet Union. In what ways does the play represent the possibility of ''perestroika'' in America? Is this an appropriate title for part two? | |||
#Choosing at least two examples ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Rosenberg The Rosenberg Trial], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_earthquake The San Francisco Earthquake], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl Chernobyl], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_administration The Reagan Administration]), analyze the role of history in the plays. Does Kushner more or less depict events as they happened? If not, what dramatic and thematic purposes does he serve by shading the facts? | |||
#As a "fantasia," ''Angels in America'' is a major departure from prevailing theatrical realism, with detours into the religious and the supernatural — angels, ghosts, apparitions, and visions appear over and over. What effect do these fantastical elements have on the play as a whole? Go beyond a simple analysis of plot to consider the implications for characters, messages, and themes. | |||
==Additional Resources== | ==Additional Resources== | ||
==Works Cited== | ==Works Cited== | ||