The Piano Lesson Journal 7

I think that Lymon definitely has his own agendas for living his life in the city.  He seems like the kind of person that knows how to get what they want, regardless for the feelings of other people.  The way he "seduced" Berniece simply to test his new suit seemed to point directly towards a person with intentions all his own.  I am wondering if perhaps this could come into play later in the story.  Maybe Lymon was the one who pushed Sutter in his well.  In my opinion, Lymon has not played his major part in the story yet, but I might be wrong.  Berniece seems very vulnerable.  Not only did she give in slightly to Lymon's whims, she can never seem to make any agreements with anyone.  Her lack of flexibility only adds to the argument's of other people, like Avery and Boy Willy.

- I also think that the tone has been getting more and more serious as the story progresses, especially with ghosts showing up more often, an the romance scenes.  I think Berniece might be reluctant to choose between Avery and Lymon.

The Piano Lesson Journal 6

All through The Piano Lesson people are almost always arguing about something; these disputes usually occur between Berniece and one of the other characters.  For the first time in the play the author has focused entirely on a disagreement between Berniece and Avery.  I think that Avery's view on women might seem unfair to Berniece, but her argument doesn't seem to carry much weight either.  It is kind of Avery to agree to bless the house.  Berniece needs to move on and start to think about her future.  She also needs to take into account that it would be better for Maretha to grow up with two parents; especially with a preacher for a father.  Berniece seems very locked up and that might not be good for Maretha as she grows up.

The Piano Lesson Journal 5

The thing that stood out to me most while we were reading today was that Doaker had already seen Sutter's ghost before Boy Willy had even come up to the house.  This makes me wonder if maybe Sutter is more concerned with the piano that he is with Boy Willy.  He did say Boy Willy's name when Berniece saw him though, hinting that Sutter is after him for one reason or another.  I think Sutter's motives somehow include both Boy Willy and the Piano, but I'm not entirely sure how yet.  One other thing that caught my attention was how forgiving Wining Boy was being with Lymon when selling him his silk suit.  I wonder if he has an ulterior motive for selling the suit, or if he's just desperate.

- I also think it is strange that Doaker didn't tell people about seeing the ghost earlier.  I'm interested to see if he has anything else to hide.

The Piano Lesson Journal 4

It seems that Berniece and Boy Willy can never agree on anything.  They are always arguing about one thing or another.  They both seem to have good arguments though.  Boy Willy is very practical with his reasoning for selling the piano to buy Sutter's Land.  He appears to be very passionate about it.  Berniece also has good reasons for keeping the piano; Wining Boy and Doaker also seem to support keeping the instrument.  Berniece not only disagrees with Boy Willy about the piano, but also accuses him of being directly involved with the death of her husband.  She says that if he hadn't come to get Crawly in the first place, he wouldn't have gotten killed.  Although she is probably right, Boy Willy argues that it was Crawley's fault he got killed.  Whether or not Crawly was asking for trouble doesn't seem to matter though, as Boy Willy and Berniece don't seem to be coming to an agreement about anything.

- I agree that the author is trying to say something about Boy Willy's inflexibility involving the issue with Sutter's land.  I'm interested to see if Boy willy and Berniece can come to a compromise about it.

The Piano Lesson Journal 3

I was glad that in the second scene of act 1 Doaker explains why Berniece is so reluctant to let Boy Willy sell the piano.  I would seem that it contains the full history of their family; it is isn't surprising that Berniece is unwilling to sell such an heirloom.  Another thing that makes it special is the sacrifice made by Berniece's father to get the piano into their family's possession.  It makes sense that she would have an emotional attachment to the instrument.  One other thing that I am glad they explained is the ghosts of the Yellow Dog.  I wasn't sure what the Yellow Dog was.  It makes more sense now that I understand that the ghosts are the ones burned in the box car with Boy Charles, and that the Yellow Dog is a train.

- I wonder if the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog will have any connection to Sutter's ghost, which was seen earlier in the story.  I think the ghosts could impact the characters more later in the story.

The Piano Lesson Journal 2

One of the things that I noticed while we were reading was that Berniece seems very suspicious.  She was very reserved and didn't seem very ready to have a conversation with Boy Willy.  She also seemed intent on getting Boy Willy and Lymon out of the house.  Accusing Lymon of stealing his truck, Berniece was very direct about asking him and Boy Willy how they acquired the vehicle and what they intend to do at her house.  Another thing that makes her character seem suspicious was when she said that she thinks Boy Willy pushed Sutter down his well.  She might have good reason for her concern though, as Boy Willy seems like the kind of person that would get involved in unlawful activities.  Willy also expressed his desire to sell the piano, another reason for Berniece to feel threatened.

- I also think that Boy Willy could be up to something illegal.  He seems very indirect and reluctant to tell people anything that doesn't further his cause of buying Sutter's land.

The Piano Lesson Journal 1

One of my first impressions was that the language used in the novel is very odd.  The characters grammar is  far from correct, and it makes them seem like lower class citizens with little education.  This might be due to the fact that the characters are African Americans living in a country recovering from slavery and the dissent it caused.  It is too early in the play to assume that slavery will play a large part in the story though.  The mention of an automobile shows that it has to be a significant time since the civil war took place, but if I had to guess i would say that slavery will have at least some effect on the characters later on in the novel.  I think that it is a little stranger to read a play than it is to read a novel; I'm interested to see how the experience compares to reading something like Cry, The Beloved Country.

- I agree, many of the characters seem lower class and under-educated.  I'm not quite sure when this book takes place, but I think we can glean some information about the time period from the language.

Cry, The Beloved Country Journal 7

There were several things that I tabbed while reading chapter 32 of Cry, The Beloved Country.  One of these things was the idea of Stephan Kumalo having feelings of nostalgia for the city of Johannesburg.  I think that this represents that Kumalo left part of himself behind when he left the city.  He had failed to bring son or daughter back, and had to leave a new friend behind.  One other thing I tabbed was how when Kumalo and Jarvis are sitting in the church Alan Paton uses several redundant phrases to describe the atmosphere in the chapel.  This makes the passage seem awkward, and that reflects the tension between Jarvis and Kumalo.  It makes the reader feel uncomfortable and adds to the mood of the passage.  The last thing I tabbed was the motif of the earth being connected to the life it sustains.  After the storm the rivers are described as red with the blood of the earth.  This connection between land and life is mentioned multiple times in the story, and is representative of the symbol of the land and the people.