This is a "Tragedy and the Common Man" Does Nothing About It!

Playwright and essayist, Arthur Miller discusses the real significance and purpose of tragedies in his essay "Tragedy and the Common Man." Miller begins his essay about how there are less and less tragedies being written. He believes the cause is that there are not much heroes left. Also because people have stop believing in heroes and are now full of skepticism because of science. He continues by saying that tragedies are just about "individuals attempting to gain his rightful position in [their] society." This means tragedies are created based on the consequences of the protagonist trying to find his rightful place. Miller goes on to talk about how tragedies are known for their sadistic and "unhappy" endings. However, he says that tragedies actually focus on the "possibility of victory." Meaning that tragedies are about the "hero" trying to reach his goal yet never succeeding at the end. Mr. Miller ends his essay by saying that tragedies will stay forever only in the "heart and spirit of the average man" because tragedies were written when heroes and kings were still part of our lives, now they are just part of history.

I would have to agree with Sir Miller on his point of view of tragedies. I believe that we have generalized tragedies into brutal and somber pieces of literature. For example, Antigone can be pin as a tragedy of of woman dying in honor for her brother. However, have we ever stopped and thought that maybe Creon is not much of fault here? This play talks about Creon's journey into becoming a powerful and respected king. However, his greed for power overpowered his thinking and caused the death of Antigone, his son, and his queen. I realized that Antigone is the antagonist of Creon. She has challenged Creon and  his ruling. Creon, as any king would do, could not possibly stand for someone to go against him. He is trying to not only establish but also maintain his role in his society as king. 

Can I do "An Interview August Wilson" Too?

David Savran rakes playwright, August Wilson's mind with questions about the meaning behind his play Fences. In this interview, Wilson begins by talking about how children will share the same morals and/or values such as their parents. He continues to say that children wouldn't be their parents’ children if they didn't share characteristics. Wilson then shifts the conversation and talks about how African Americans' "assimilation to white American society was a big mistake." He states that Blacks have victimized themselves. They believe that they belong in the projects and poverty. They believed that mistreatment and discrimination from whites is a part of life but once they realize that that is not true, they can start pushing themselves into society. Savran then goes on to ask Wilson about "hostility between father and son" and if "it's a healthy and a good thing." Wilson responses with a firm "Oh yeah;" he says that it is healthy because the father is just preparing his son for a tough world. He states that a father has a sense of satisfaction when a son challenges him because he is strengthening his son for when he steps into the real world. The interview closes with Wilson talking about how everyone gets institutionalized whether they realized or not. The institution can vary from penitentiary, mental hospital, and even a church.

One of the things that caught most of my attention was when Wilson talked about African Americans victimizing themselves. I have met several people with that mentally; the belief that African Americans have been victims of the whites and they are owed something. Yes, I agree that Africans were victims of much torture. However, today’s African Americans shouldn't blame their negativity on the past. I repeat myself several Africans Americans think this way, not all.