I felt that the play, Sweat shows a broken America and how we have never really changed from it. The actors, stage development, music, even the smells added to the whole aesthetic of the play. It allowed the audience to be immersed into the play, to feel as each character did. It also presented the audience with a sense of “evidence” to what happened to millions of families as jobs were being taken from them and given to people outside their own country. Within this overarching issue the play managed to also show that the underbelly of the issue seems to be race. The racially targeted comments to Cynthia after she got her promotion and the shift in her friendships; the comments towards the Latin American groups and by making a bartender- Oscar, Latin American, shows the audience the innocence to the two characters actions, as well as the racial issues being built into American history. Middle America today seems to believe that the color of one’s skin and the ethnicity presented by ones features is why they (Middle Americans) don’t have jobs- these ideas are greatly showed in the characters- Tracey and Jason. Their aggressive beliefs and actions shows the worst of what America has become. Furthermore by leaving the play on a cliffhanger the audience is left wondering and wanting more. It opens a conversation by forcing the audience to actually think about how the play could have ended, straying to the idea that America today is no different.
Author: Shashendri
Assignment 2
- Do you think your writting is what society wants to hear or needs to hear?
- What do you think about the diversity in topics/styles of writting in the writing community?
How does my name define me?
Whenever I ask my parents why they named me Shashendri they I have nothing to say; my dad often says he doesn’t even know how he came up with it. Nevertheless, I find that my name, like me and many others, to have many different meanings coming together to make one cohesive statement; each deriving from foreign languages which is the foundation of who I am. “Sha” comes from the Sanskrit languages, meaning blessed light. “Shen” holds the translation of spirit in Chinese. Lastly, “Dri” translating to strong, in Greek. All these meanings, coming from different lands, forming the definition of my name: “strong spirit of light.” Lately, the idea that my name could be translated into something so empowering seems like an obscure thought, but at times it is what motivates me. My name may not be common or easily pronounced, but that’s what makes me who I am.
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I am individual – made up of many different ideas, different challenges, and different backgrounds, yet I am one unique cohesive being.
