SEX & POLITICS IN FOUR PLAYS.   Term Paper ID:23221 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines relationships based on power & control in Arthur Miller's [The Crucible], Amiri Baraka's [The Dutchman], Caryl Churchill's [Vinegar Tom] & David Henry Hwang's [M. Butterfly].... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines relationships based on power & control in Arthur Miller's [The Crucible], Amiri Baraka's [The Dutchman], Caryl Churchill's [Vinegar Tom] & David Henry Hwang's [M. Butterfly]. Paper Introduction: Politics and Sex in the Theater The word "political" implies the operation of things relating to the government. "The Crucible," "The Dutchman," "Vinegar Tom," and "M. Butterfly" all explore Western society's view and treatment of sex and the ways in which the Western shame of things sexual becomes transformed into political misconceptions and persecution. Three of the plays address the way white Western men use sex to satisfy themselves and create an image of themselves that grants them power. Necessarily, men's use of sex requires the use of women as sexual objects. In the fourth play discussed, "The Dutchman," the playwright address the political ramifications of sexual interplay between blacks and whites. However, these plays also demonstrate that for the Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Jack blames Alice for his lack of sexual potency and soon heand his wife Margery have classified Alice's mother as a witch. Written in 1953, the play is a protest againstthe House Un-American Activities Committee's "investigation" of Soviet spyactivity in the United States after World War II (Worthen 621). B. It was the appearance that gave him the power among his friendsand colleagues and in his own mind. While keeping theplay resolutely political, in the sense that the village is governed by atheocracy and thus the religious is the political, Miller introduces strongsexual undertones. Ed. 962-984.----------------------- 6 However, Millerdemonstrates that under the avowed adherence to Quakerism by the village'sleaders lie their own personal ambitions and desires. Thus, dissent is heartily discouraged. "The Crucible," "The Dutchman," "Vinegar Tom," and "M.Butterfly" all explore Western society's view and treatment of sex and theways in which the Western shame of things sexual becomes transformed intopolitical misconceptions and persecution. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993. Jack and Margerycannot account for the failure of their farm so they credit their failuresto Margery, an easy target. Butterfly," thetraditional Western view of Africa has been that of the "Dark Continent,"savage, sexual, primitive. Her familiarity with him despite never having met him before in herlife demonstrates that she believes she does not have to know thisparticular black man, Clay, to actually know him. Many prominent governmental figures wereforced to name friends and colleagues whose radical affiliations weresometimes real, but often were tenuous and fabricated (621). Sprenger: But the main reason is Kramer/Sprenger: she is more carnal than a man Kramer: as may be seen from her many carnal abominations (xxi. . Butterfly" carries the least religious overtones of the plays asyet discussed. The village is overtly Puritanical, but Miller reveals that thereare undertones of dissent and disagreement with the actions of certain ofthe village's religious leaders, Reverend Parris in particular. In each play, the personalambitions, beliefs, and agenda of the characters in the play inform thepolitical arena in which they operate. ii.125-27). Jack's belief that Alice has stolen his potencydemonstrates the belief also found in "The Crucible" that woman ultimatelyhold the power and, consequently, the blame for the corrupting, evil natureof sex. . . Worthen. This is essentially the job of theplaywright in each of these plays: to made the audience aware that thepolitical can, and often is, personal. Abigail is wreaking vengeance as a woman scorned. Interestingly enough, the women in "Vinegar Tom" all accept theirsexuality as a curse. "M. But, because such a position cannot be articulatedin a culture in which whites still hold the power, Clay must die. . Worthen. Worthenstates that the Soviet Union's consolidation of Eastern Europe, itsdetonation of an atomic bomb, and the rise of communism in China ignited anear-hysteria in the United States, galvanized the "cold war" foreignpolicy abroad and a "witch hunt" for suspected Communists at home (621).The committee coerced individuals to confess their past activities inradical politics (Worthen 621). Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993. W. Undoubtedly, it could not have been difficult forGallimard to determine Song's true gender. B. "M. For avillage created on religious protest, the residents adherence to the tenetsof the Quaker religion is absolutely necessary for continued survival ofthe village. Necessarily, men's use of sex requiresthe use of women as sexual objects. "The Crucible." The HBJ Anthology of Drama. Worthen says in his introduction that the play has become "acultural stereotype of East-West relations" (962). B. Ed. "VinegarTom" demonstrates, as does "The Crucible," that political persecution isvery usually underlaid with issues of personal vengeance. And that you are free of your own history. Gallimard preferred to love the lie than to explore the truenature of his relationship with Song, and the implications of thatrelationship and Song's deception on his own borrowed power. But Clay tells her that blacks have beenrebelling all along. Sprenger and Kramer, the authors of Malleus Maleficarum (TheHammer of Witches), a very popular book in the seventeenth century, explainwhy women are simultaneously at the heart of all things sexual and evil: Kramer: "All wickedness is but little to the wickedness of a woman." Ecclesiastes. . That he denies it, or doesn't evenapparently fit into it, can only mean to her that he is suffering from someform of self-deception: Lula: And we'll pretend the people cannot see you. Butterfly." Lula, in"The Dutchman," is not at all interested in the real person Clay may be.She is fascinated with a version of Clay that places her in a position ofpower. 844- 861.Hwang, David Henry. Three of the plays address theway white Western men use sex to satisfy themselves and create an image ofthemselves that grants them power. However, as he says: "Youshowed me your true self. Butterfly." The HBJ Anthology of Drama. Miller recreates the scenario of the 195 s in a colonial New Englandvillage. And itis Lula, the white woman, who kills him. We'll pretend that we are both anonymous beauties smashing along through the city's entrails (ii. The corrupting influence is portrayed through Jack, amarried man, who lusts after Alice and believes she has adversely bewitchedhis potency. The conversation and brief relationship between Clay and Lula hasalready been determined by Lula's pre-conceived notions of who Clay is. 63-71). The West has sort of an international rape mentality towards the East. . Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993. The West thinks of itself as masculine -- big guns, big industry, big money -- so the East is feminine--weak, delicate, poor . . Whether or not Song was a man or a woman was actually irrelevantto Gallimard, excepting perhaps that as a submissive Oriental woman hisrelationship with her imbued him with a power in his position he couldnever have achieved on his own. However, it was the appearance thatmattered. Ed. She "knows about him,"so to speak. Song's explanation helps one to understand Gallimard's relationshipwith him. . Worthen. Consequently, this is what Lula expects andwhat she sees when she sees Clay. That is, the citizens. . Politics and Sex in the Theater The word "political" implies the operation of things relating to thegovernment. . but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom -- The feminine mystique (III. W. And I am free of my history. Thus, the nature of its characterization of woman'ssexuality is not very much tied to religious explanations. A perfect lie,which you let fall to the ground -- and now, it's old and soiled" (III. Incontrast to the feminine view of the Orient explored in "M. Ed. But the fact that Song was indeed aman is Hwang's own political statement. The Western view of the "black situation" thatLula espouses only recognizes that a black who has assimilated into Westernculture is only playacting. B. When all I loved was the lie. Finally, "The Dutchman" explores the relationship between sexualityand power in a manner similar to its treatment in "M. 18-19,32-34).Thus, based on the actions attributed to Eve, women's sexual nature isviewed as a "carnal abomination" and a reason for doubt and persecution. However, these plays also demonstrate that for the playwright, thedefinition of "the political" is more expansive than merely those thingsrelating to the government. 659-667.Churchill, Caryl. In the fourth play discussed, "TheDutchman," the playwright address the political ramifications of sexualinterplay between blacks and whites. W. "The Dutchman." The HBJ Anthology of Drama. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993. Works CitedMiller, Arthur. In ways to be discussed in the body of thepaper, each playwright demonstrates that affairs that eventually affect thepolitical administration of a society often begin among the personalinteraction of that society's members. In "The Crucible," Abigail begins the witch hunt to avenge herselfagainst John Proctor, with whom she had an affair but who has refused toturn his back on his wife. 621- 658.Baraka, Amiri. His final warning is that a revolution will occurwhen whites can no longer detect the superficial differences betweenthemselves and blacks. . The West is so determined to view the East in a way that grantsitself the power in the relationship that it refuses to see what isactually there. W. However, theplay clearly explores the relationship between sexuality and politicalpower. "Vinegar Tom." The HBJ Anthology of Drama. Worthen. 269-72) Clay's warning to Lula is that she cannot see the rebellion that hasalways brewed among blacks. In "Vinegar Tom," the significance of the sexual in the politicalrelationships of the town's inhabitants is more clearly expressed.Specifically, women's sexual desire is simultaneously portrayed as naturaland corrupting. In many ways, the Easthas been gendered female in Western discourse, as Song Liling explains: Song: . If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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