Topdog/underdog a play by Suzan-Lori Parks
Address one of the following topic (or a topic of your choosing with my approval) in a carefully crafted MLA formatted research-style essay of approximately 1,500 words.
How does the play’s historical frame shape our understanding/interpretation of the play? Or how does the play force us to rethink our understanding of history?
The play features only two characters, though there are a number of external forces that exert pressure on the action of the play. Those forces represent different areas of life. Consider the way that one external force (or external forces in general) shapes the meaning of the play, or help to frame an exploration of politics, race, toxic masculinity, drama, etc.
Think about the play in the context of the history of minstrelsy. What is the play saying through its engagement with the “performance of race?” What does the play suggest by inverting the traditional dynamics of mintrelsy?
Keep in mind is that you will need to use at least 2 sources for the essay (Your works cited should have three entries: the play and two additional sources). You do not, however, need to hunt to find sources. They have been provided for you.
You will have to skim the sources to identify those that are most relevant to your discussion, then closely read those sources you select to help you support your arguments. Also remember that the purpose of a research paper is to use your research to support your idea, not to use your paper to support the ideas espoused by the authors of your sources. For instance, you should not try to prove to me that an author’s essay is a valid interpretation of the text; rather, you should use the idea that she develops to argue for the validity of your interpretation of the text, even when that means disagreeing with one of your sources. You are welcome to use more than two sources, but you must use at least one of the database sources (Labeled “JSTOR”).
