How are Boy Willie and Berniece related?

In The Piano Lesson by August Wilson, Berniece and Boy Willie are siblings who both want the piano that belongs to their family. Berniece wants to keep the piano because it holds their family history and it reminds her of the hard work her mother put into the piano.

123helpme.com - Comparative Analysis of Berniece and Boy Willie | 123 Help Me

How do I identify an upright piano?

Upright pianos usually have the brand name and serial number located inside the piano, on the back near the top of the strings.

Last updated Mar 27, 2018

What music improves IQ?

They showed that people's scores on IQ tests improved when they listened to classical music by Mozart [2]. Jul 3, 2020

Last updated Oct 21, 2020

Promotion

The Piano Lesson written by August Wilson is a work that struggles to suggest how best African Americans can handle their heritage and how they can best put their history to use. This problem is important to the development of theme throughout the work and is fueled by the two key players of the drama: Berniece and Boy Willie. These siblings, who begin with opposing views on what to do with a precious family heirloom, although both protagonists in the drama, serve akin to foils of one another. Their similarities and differences help the audience to understand each individual more fully and to comprehend the theme that one must find balance between deserting and preserving the past in order to pursue the future, that both too greatly honoring or too greatly guarding the past can ruin opportunities in the present and the future. Because this theme is so prevalent in the work and because The Piano Lesson is a short drama, the most important point of comparison between Berniece and Boy Willie is how they manage their family history. The central conflict of the story is between these two characters who are at war over use of their family legacy. In this drama, family legacy takes the shape of a large piano with expertly carved scenes of the siblings’ family history. Their great-grandfather had etched the scenes into the wood while in the home of his former master and the family had sacrificed much to attain the instrument after their emancipation. This symbol is invaluable to the plot because it symbolizes not only their family, but the family sacrifice, freedom, and legacy. Both Berniece and Boy Willie understand the symbolism of the piano, but where Berniece wants to keep the piano untouched and perfectly preserved, thus preservi...

... middle of paper ...

...ce and although they seem similar at the beginning of the drama, they are actually very similar beings by the end. Comparison of the two shows that both overcome struggles to accept the idea that family history needs to be preserved, shared, enjoyed, and made use of to obtain the most promising future, free from the ghosts of the past. Each character has a steadfast will––a will that Berniece and Boy Willie both demonstrate through their conflict with one another––as well as a level head and a loving heart, which is shown through their conclusion to keep the piano so long as it is being used how it was intended. Failure to let go of the past is just as detrimental to the future as failure to make use of it properly; as with Berniece and Boy Willie, a balance between the two forces is necessary to attain the most productive future and leave the most lasting legacy.

Why is jazz called jazz?

The word “jazz” probably derives from the slang word “jasm,”which originally meant energy, vitality, spirit, pep. The Oxford English Dictionary,...

Last updated Dec 8, 2020

Can a 3 year old learn piano?

Is it too early? You can teach piano to 3 year olds! Piano lessons for 3 year olds are going to be different than piano lessons for older children,...

Last updated Jul 18, 2022

Promotion

What role does Doaker play during family conflicts?

Being one of the elder members of the family, Doaker functions is one of the keepers of the family's history. It is from him that we hear the long and bloody history of the piano. Much like his brother, Wining Boy, he functions as a griot, or African storyteller.

shmoop.com - Doaker in The Piano Lesson - Shmoop

Doaker

Here's what August Wilson has to say about Doaker:

He is a tall thin man or forty-seven, with severe features, who has for all intents and purposes retired from the world though he works full-time as a railroad cook. (1.1.2) Doaker does his best to keep the peace between Berniece and Boy Willie as they argue over the piano. He admits to Wining Boy, though, that he wishes Berniece would let Boy Willie sell it, because it reminds him of their brother's, Boy Charles's, death. Doaker also thinks that the piano is the reason Sutter's Ghost is in the house – he tells Wining Boy that he once saw Sutter's ghost sitting at the piano and that he's heard it play music by itself. Given all this, though, Doaker still stops Boy Willie from taking the piano from the house without Berniece's permission. Being one of the elder members of the family, Doaker functions is one of the keepers of the family's history. It is from him that we hear the long and bloody history of the piano. Much like his brother, Wining Boy, he functions as a griot, or African storyteller. Doaker passes the oral history of the family on to the next generation.

How many piano chords are there total?

12 major chords In this article you will learn all 12 major chords, and how to play them! There are 12 unique notes at the piano, which means we...

Last updated May 17, 2022

Can a 75 year old learn to play the piano?

You are never too old to learn to play the piano, but you'll never learn unless you decide to start. Jun 30, 2017

Last updated Jun 21, 2019

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

Is it okay to sleep with wet hair?

Sleeping and going out with wet hair cannot give a person a cold. However, doing so may have some disadvantages, including hair breakage and an...

Last updated Jul 5, 2022

Promotion

Who is the best pianist alive?

The 12 best modern pianists you should know Brad Mehldau (born 1970) George Duke (1946 – 2013) Jon Batiste (born 1986) Martha Argerich (born 1941)...

Last updated Nov 26, 2021