Dutchman – Thematic Analysis Paper

Williams, Jaeda June 19, 2012 ENC 1102 Dutch bit thematic Analysis The phrase racial tension is a sm altogether explanation of the main theme in Dutchman by Amiri Baraka. While race is a vital part of the underlying messages in the play, it stems to a much broader term. In Dutchman Amiri Baraka attempts to perceptiveness the financial aid of the Afri derriere American society. Baraka uses clays instance to show readers that complete assimilation into an otherwise culture is wrong. He wants to rouse the African American men and women in a predominately Caucasian American culture to subconsciously kill the person that is visualised by dust in the play.Not only does Baraka want readers and audience members to kill their inner stiff, exclusively refuse to conform to what is known as the Average African American man /woman. The post- judgement process that pay rancids straddle after reading or seeing the play is what triggers the desire to re-evaluate oneself in who they are and how they are portrayed in society. In the article Dutchman Reconsidered by Thaddeus Martin, it is said that Lulas whimsical and formless personality is Barakas way of locution that the freedom of fairs is boundless, and stiffs priggish and Victorian ways shows how coloureds are condemned to suffer the furies of that freedom. Martin 62) For congressman remains and Lulas dialogue in moving-picture show one corpse Wow. All these people, so suddenly. They must all(prenominal) come from the same place. LulaRight. That they do. remains Oh? You know to the highest degree them too? Lula Oh yeah. About them more than I know intimately you. Do they frighten you? Clay Frighten me? Why should they frighten me? Lula Cause youre an escaped nigger. Clay Yeah? Lula Cause you crawled by dint of the electrify and make tracks to my side? Clay Wire? Lula Dont they have cable around plantations? Clay You must be Jewish. All you can see about is wire.Plantations didnt have any wire. P lantations were big open gloss over places like heaven, and everybody on em was grooved to be there. Just strummin and hummin all day. Lula Yes, yes. (Baraka 2754) Lula refers to Clay as an escaped nigger because he crawled through the wire and made tracks to her side. Lulas reason for saying such a mastery shows the common assumption that all smutty people admire color style. With Clay giving such an apathetic response to Lulas comment, it is an example of the suggested submissiveness to tweed authority from an African American.This charitable of behavior from Clay is apply as a reminder to African Americans to idolize the thoughts and ideas of Caucasians. (Martin 62) There is a power struggle between black and white in Dutchman. When Clay was the more dominant character as an African American man he had a sense of confidence and assurance about himself, but once he is killed, his character is seen as the person you dont want to be. Barakas idea is that if you come on the ways of Clay eventually you will end up someone youre not, losing your straight self.On the contrary when Lula was the more dominant person she had a sense of value that overpowered Clays. Her overpowering attitude is to symbolize the dominating cultural presence white people have over blacks. even out with all of the sarcastic comments Clay made as comebacks to Lula, her ingenious way of insulting him tranquilize left field her with the upper hand. Clays laid back attitude toward Lula is admirable, almost as if he looks up to her wanting to be her. Clays admiration for Lula did not begin when she stepped on the train but originated in his upbringing.His yearning to foregather into the white culture that counted to be much better off than he was is what established his appreciation for the white society. (Kumar 277-278) At inaugural he tolerates her comments and attempts to take them lightheartedly, because he has hopes at being intimate with Lula. Willing to listen to a whit e woman strip him of his pride and manhood just for a night of pleasure, Clay is submitting to the dominant character of Lula. In scene 2 Lulas insulting comments progress Lula Uhh Uhh Clay Clay You middle-class black bastard.Forget your social- wee-weeing mother for a few seconds and lets knock stomachs. Clay, you liver-lipped white man. You would-be Christian. You aint no nigger, youre just a dirty white man. Get up. Clay. Dance, with me, Clay. Clay Lula Sit down, now. Be cool. Even through Lula insulted him and spoke badly about his mother clay assuage responded in an apprehensive way. Lulas aggressiveness in her speech angers Clay to the point where he curses at her, that is after she calls him an Uncle Tom Wooly Head. (Martin 62)(Kumar 276) At the end of scene one Lula says Youre a murderer, Clay, and you know it. (Baraka 2751)This name could be thought of as a subliminal way of saying that Clay killed the black man inside of him. All throughout the first scene Lula has the more aggressive and dominant role, but in scene two Clay takes on the more authoritative role, while Lula ends up being the actual murderer at the end of the play. Lulas game to kill Clay is in some way foreshadowed when the other passengers posting the train and she says well pretend that people cannot see you. (Baraka 2751) Clay tries to defend himself all throughout the play but doesnt succeed because he cant defend something that he is not.While Lula is insulting the stereotypes and behavior of black men, Clay cannot fully defend them because he himself isnt truly black. (Klinkowitz 123-124) Baraka employ a sense of satire because instead of directly inputting his opinion about Clay he played off of Lulas character, which provoked Clay to portray through his actions the person readers dont want to be. This kind of start causes readers to think about whom they are and their role in society. Dutchman raises the attention of readers black or white and makes each think of who t hey really are.Even through the personalities of each character, any reader can apply themselves to the situation. With America fair so diverse in the last decades assimilating ourselves into variant cultures has take almost second nature, so adapting to other cultures has not caused us to clean who we really are but to accustom ourselves to change. Baraka didnt want readers to internally kill the person they were inside, but to do away with the person that they werent. polish off and total assimilation into another culture is what Clay did to himself and is what Baraka wants Blacks to not do.Instead, he wants Blacks to never forget who they are, but to not be so set minded that they are blind to the world around them. Jaeda WilliamsAnnotated Bibilography Galens, David M. Dutchman-Amiri,Baraka. fun For Students. Vol. 3. Detroit Gale, 1998. 141-59. Gale Virtual destination Library. Cengage Learning. Web. 31 May 2012. Electronic Book. Drama for Students gives readers different outlooks on a variety of texts. The palpateer taken to analyze the military man Dutchman is unique, because instead of offering one theme there are multiple.This allows readers to take it upon themselves to decide what they think about the play. By providing plot summaries it allows readers to take what they thought about the text and apply it to a more condensed version. Drama for Students would charm best in a class get on, considering its written for students. Since it is written in a form for students to learn and comprehend, it would be no challenge to grasp the concepts presented. This non-complex mount to the play will help the clearness of my search. The direct approach should help anyone who uses this resource.Understanding the background of the play is not difficult, because of the swindle author story provided. This makes the Dutchman than just a gentleman of literature, but rather a piece of the author. Piggford, George. Looking into Black Skulls American Got hic, the revolutionary Theatre, and Amiri Barakas Dutchman. American Gothic New Interventions in a home(a) Narrative. Iowa University of Iowa, 1998. 143-59. EBSCO Host. Web. 30 June 2012. Electronic Book. Piggfords approach in comparing Dutchman to African-American Gothic literature is different from the other resources that I have come across.The social and political events that were victorious place while the play was written have a lot to do with Piggfords ideas on the underlying issues Baraka implemented into the play. It is aid that Dutchman marked the end of a certain type of theater, the kind that uses social structures as the gateway to examining the black psyche. This book is very helpful because it not only addresses the things that are normally looked for in a piece of work such as theme, characters motivation, outdoor(a) influences and the authors influence.The title and the way the text makes others feel is a part of the nub of the play in its entirety. Martin, Tha ddeus. Dutchman Reconsidered. Black American Literature Forumsecond ser. 11 (1977). Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. In this retread Martin gives an analysis of the characters in Dutchman, mainly Clay and Lula. By using quotes from the text, his ideas about the play seem to have a great amount of relevance and validity. Although the article is short it brings much insight to my research because of its strong argument.It presents an idea, and then runs with it. Martin doesnt waver in what he believes is the message that is in Dutchman. Even though his ideas are standardized to other journal reviews, Martin includes more of his opinion rather than relying on bypast events and political issues that were that were prominent in that time. Its almost as if Martin is taking into servant the feelings of the characters of this play. He relates the feelings of average Americans to the characters of the play this gives a more personal feel to the research. Kumar, Nita. The Logic of Retribu tion Amiri Barakas DutchmanAfrican American Review37. 2/3 (2003) 271-79. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. Nita Kumars response to the Dutchman is very useful in my research because its examples are from other reviews of the work. This type of literary construction gives Kumars work more versatility. It is able to suit different opinions without insulting anyones views. In Dutchman, the use of language plays an important role, and Kumar recognizes that. Examining the language used and how it helps the characters feed off of one another is important.This will help anyone who reads the review grasp an instinct on why some things were said and exactly what they mean. Putting her ideas into categories, Kumars review is very well organized which makes it beneficial to my research. The organization of the article makes it a lot easier for readers to follow along and allow time for things to process, which is why it is so ideal for research. Klinkowitz, Jerome. LeRoi Jones Dutchman as Drama. negro American Literature Forum7. 4 (1973) 123-26. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article.This text offers a great layout of information. Klinkowitz takes pages of text in the play and evaluates it, instead of the entire play as a whole. This approach literally breaks down the quotes and thoughts of the characters. This piece even analyzes the position that LeRoi Jones was in when he wrote the Dutchman. Not only does he break down the pages of the script, but still does not fail to incorporate other writers ideas and opinions in his work, Instead of taking away from the point that Klinkowitz is trying to make, the examples make his writing more relatable and personal.The unremitting flow of criticism allows for the author to be very static in his opinions. Just as a teacher would teach their students a lesson, allowing room for opinions and ideas, Klinkowitz allows readers to input their own thoughts and ideas on the play. Works Cited Galens, David M. Dutchman-Amiri,Ba raka. Drama For Students. Vol. 3. Detroit Gale, 1998. 141-59. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Cengage Learning. Web. 31 May 2012. Electronic Book. Piggford, George. Looking into Black Skulls American Gothic, the Revolutionary Theatre, and Amiri Barakas Dutchman. American Gothic New Interventions in a National Narrative. Iowa University of Iowa, 1998. 143-59. EBSCO Host. Web. 30 June 2012. Electronic Book. Martin, Thaddeus. Dutchman Reconsidered. Black American Literature Forumsecond ser. 11 (1977). Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. Kumar, Nita. The Logic of Retribution Amiri Barakas DutchmanAfrican American Review37. 2/3 (2003) 271-79. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. Klinkowitz, Jerome. LeRoi Jones Dutchman as Drama. Negro American Literature Forum7. 4 (1973) 123-26. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article.