32 pages • 1 hour read
Suzan-Lori ParksThe America Play
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1994A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
What does the play say about mythmaking and the creation of history? What is the difference between mainstream historical narratives and individual histories?
What does the Great Hole of History represent? Why is the Foundling Father building a replica, and what does it mean that he ends up lost in it?
How would you describe the people who pay the Foundling Father to “shoot Lincoln”? What do you think their different motives are?
What does the play say about the notion of historical accuracy? Use examples from the text to support your answer.
How would you describe the structure of the play? How does it deviate from a traditional climactic structure, and what do you think is the effect of that?
Why do you think Suzan-Lori Parks called this play The America Play? What does the title mean? What does the play say about America?
The play was originally written and performed in 1994. What do you think would be the relevance of the play if it was performed today? How do you think it would speak to current audiences?
How does this play comment on the representation (or lack of representation) of African Americans in the historical narrative?
Consider what the Foundling Father says about his son. What do these things reveal about the Foundling Father’s character?
What is the significance of death and dying in the play? How are these ideas configured as symbols, and how does this depiction compare to traditional Western understandings of death?
Related Titles
By Suzan-Lori Parks
