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The Piano Lesson

            The 1990 Pulitzer Prize winning play "The Piano Lesson" is an excellent look into African American life during the desegregation of America. Written by August Wilson a half white half black man that grew up in the racist town of Pittsburgh, shows his audience how life was for slaves trying to earn a living after being set free. Boy Willie and Berniece are two such characters. The two sibling's parents were slaves and the only thing that was left to them was an antique piano that their grandfather helped to make. The piano is the main point of conflict between Boy Willie and Berniece because of Berniece's past, Boy Willies plans for the future, and both want what is best for the family.
             Berniece's and Boy Willie's controversy over what to do with the piano has a lot to do with Berniece's past. Berniece is raising an eleven-year-old daughter without a father. She blames her brother Boy Willie for this because it was he who involved her husband on the night he was killed. She is also bitter about the fact that her father and mother were split apart for the piano, probably because she knows what her mother must have been going through not having a husband. This is seen when Berniece and Boy Willie get into their first fight over the piano and Berniece says to Boy Willie "You always talking about your daddy but you ain't never stopped to look at what his foolishness cost your mamma. Seventeen years" worth of cold nights and an empty bed. For What? For a piano?"(1575) A lot of hatred is senesced in Bernieces voice when talking to Boy Willie throughout the play. .
             Boy Willie's plan for the future causes conflict between Berniece and himself for many reasons. Boy Willie is a realist and he thinks that he can accomplish anything that he sets his mind to. Selling the piano makes perfect sense to him because it is the logical thing to do. He tells Berniece this in the first act "I"m talking about trading that piece of wood for some land.


Essays Related to The Piano Lesson

1. August Wilsons: The Piano Lesson

August Wilson titles his play, "The Piano Lesson", however, the play has nothing to do with piano lessons at all. The lesson learned in this play is one of African American history. ... The piano is the center of conflict. ... We can compare the piano to an orita meta. ... In her article, The History Lesson: Authenticity and Anachronism in August Wilson's Plays, Anne Fleche insists that the "universal lesson" to be learned from the piano is; no matter how hard we try, we cannot forget our past. ...

  • Word Count: 732
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

2. On Hating Piano Lessons by Phyllis Theroux

In the informal essay "On Hating Piano Lessons" by Phyllis Theroux, this thesis is argued through the anecdote of the author's daughter disliking piano lessons. ... The stylistic devices such as contrast and cause and effect used in "On Hating Piano Lessons" help demonstrate the thesis of the essay. ... The mother knows that the daughter taking piano lessons will yield rich results, but the daughter hates taking them, saying they are too hard: My daughter thinks that I am cruel, that I don't understand her, that I am trying to force her to be something she is not...

  • Word Count: 609
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3. The Piano Lesson

In "The Piano Lesson" by August Wilson, controversy surrounds a household and it involves everyone who enters its doors. ... Doaker: Berniece ain't gonna sell that piano. ... Berniece ain't gonna sell that piano. ... Doaker: You know she won't touch that piano. ... August Wilson's playwright "The Piano Lesson," uses language in many ways to show his characters emotions, and how that character may feel about another, especially between Boy Willie and his sister Berniece. ...

  • Word Count: 1565
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Piano

Her beloved piano is her best way of communication. ... He clearly has no appreciation of the significance of the piano, so it is left on the beach. It is Baines who rescues the piano through a somewhat snaky route. Mesmerized by her beauty and talent, he proposes to sell her back the instrument one black key at a time, in exchange for music lessons. The lessons turn into erotic encounters, and Baines finds himself in a world of guilt. ...

  • Word Count: 382
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

5. The Piano Lesson - Boy Willie and Berniece

In The Piano Lesson, August Wilson provides this exact situation when Boy Willie arrives in Philadelphia, where he hopes to sell the family piano in order to purchase Sutter's land. ... Boy Willie uses logos to support the argument that because Berniece doesn't use the piano and sees it as a burden, he should be able to sell the piano. ... "That's all I'm trying to do with that piano. ... You ain't even told her about that piano. ... Boy Willie's father, who died over the piano, gave Boy Willie that same piano. ...

  • Word Count: 1083
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Personal Statement - Playing the Piano

When I was eight years old, I started playing the piano. It was during my piano playing lessons as a young child that I discovered the power of passion. ... It was his drive to live and play music, his only sole comfort and passion, that influenced me to ask my mom to enroll me in piano and music theory lessons. I still remember my first lesson. ... I also recalled his resilience and commitment to the piano. ...

  • Word Count: 506
  • Approx Pages: 2
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7. History of the Piano

The piano has long been a valuable member of American families. ... From the Dulcimer to the modern grand piano, we have the history of the forever stunning instrument: the piano. ... His piano was a four-octave instrument, with hammers striking the strings just as they do on a modern piano. ... "The Cristofori piano was wing-shaped like our grand pianos, with a curved body and a lid that could be raised" (Hamilton). ... The pyramid piano was the same design of the grand piano copied to vertical form. ...

  • Word Count: 3032
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Achille-Claude Debussey - Moonlight

He had many jobs before his fame as a composer as a piano player for many popular people and nobles. ... Along with playing piano for von Meck, Debussy had many other duties including teaching piano lessons to her children and being an accompanist in vocal and instrumental recitals at the house. Debussy's piano experience exceeds any other composer or musician of his time. ... "His best-known composition is probably "Clair de lune" (Moonlight) from "Suite Bergamasque" (1890-1905) for piano- (Grolier 1). ... Through Opera music, Chamber music, orchestral music and mainly the Piano Debuss...

  • Word Count: 1628
  • Approx Pages: 7
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9. economy

In the drama, "The Piano Lesson" by August Wilson written in 1945, it showed the difficulties in releasing the past and moving forward in one's life. ... Therefore, the theme in "The Piano Lesson" shows the complexity of African-American attitudes toward the past and black heritage compared to plans for the future. In addition, "The Piano Lesson" is both unique to the dilemma of African-Americans during the time and universal in its depiction of the human condition, which I will further explain later in this paper. ... "The Piano Lesson" had such writing elements as symbols. ... Furthe...

  • Word Count: 1379
  • Approx Pages: 6

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