MRBB Substitute assignmnet

Students are to read Act 2 of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” in small groups and answer the following before the end of class:

On pages 57-58 Toledo discusses the metaphor of African Americans being “a leftover from history.”  Discuss his metaphor more fully.   How does this metaphor impact the way a people might view themselves (identity), their past, and their futures?   How do we see these ideas play themselves out in the tensions of the play?

Questions for  10/18/2017: These will be part of a Socratic quiz.

1. How are the blues used as both metaphor and “way of life”/”way of expression” in this play? Consider what Ma says about the blues, why the music is so important to Levee and Ma, what their individual views about their playing of the music is, etc. How is music reflective of life and thinking?

 

2. Compare the ways Levee, Cutler, Toledo, and Ma go about living their lives and what they think about themselves in relation to the world. Why do they think as they do? What evidence from the play can you use to support your answer?

 

3. Power plays a big role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Who really has the power at each point in the play, and how do they get it? What ‘power plays’ are made throughout the story, and are they successful?

 

4 Ma believes that “only black people understand the blues.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?