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August Wilson

August Wilson Biography

Playwright

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“Like you? I go out of here every morning… bust my butt…putting up with them crackers everyday…cause I like you? You about the biggest fool I ever saw. It’s my JOB. It’s my RESPONSIBILITY! You understand that? A man got to take care of his family. You live in my house… sleep on my bed clothes…fill you belly up with my food… cause you my son. You my flesh and blood. Not ‘cause I like you! Cause it’s my duty to take care of you. I OWE a responsibility to you! Let’s get this straight right here… before it go along any further… I ain’t got to like you. Mr. Rand don’t five me money come payday cause he likes me. He gives me cause he OWE me. I done give you everything I had to give you. I gave you your life! Me and your mama worked that out between us. And liking your black ass wasn’t part of the bargain. Don’t try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you. You understand what I’m saying, boy?” - August Wilson, Fences, 1986.”

FencesAugust Wilson
Book:Fences
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“We were land-based agrarian people from Africa. We were uprooted from Africa, and we spent 200 years developing our culture as black Americans. And then we left the South. We uprooted ourselves and attempted to transplant this culture to the pavements of the industrialized North. And it was a transplant that did not take. I think if we had stayed in the South, we would have been a stronger people. And because the connection between the South of the 20's, 30's and 40's has been broken, it's very difficult to understand who we are.”

PeopleIfsThinkingYearsHas BeensCultureLeftDifficultBlackLandBrokenConnectionsStrongerSouthDevelopingWho We ArePavementTransplants
Author:August Wilson
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“I think the play offers (white Americans) a different way to look at black Americans For instance, in 'Fences' they see a garbageman, a person they don't really look at, although they see a garbageman every day. By looking at Troy's life, white people find out that the content of this black garbageman's life is affected by the same things- love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much part of his life as theirs can affect how they think about and deal with black people in their lives.”

PeopleThinkingWayLooksPersonsDifferentPlayLife IsBlackWhiteDealsDutyHonorOffersBetrayalInstanceDifferent WaysAffectedBlack PeopleFenceRecognizing
Author:August Wilson
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“There's no reason why you can't say "August Wilson, playwright" even though all of my work, every single play, is about black Americans, about black American culture, about the black experience in America. I write about the black experience of men, or I write about black folks. That's who I am. In the same manner that Chekhov wrote about the Russians, I write about blacks. I couldn't do anything else. I wouldn't do anything else.”

MenWritingReasonPlayAmericaCultureBlackFolksWho I AmReason WhyNo ReasonAmerican CulturePlaywrightAugustWilsonChekhov
Author:August Wilson
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“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.”

InspirationalCausesDarkHealingCourageAwarenessStrengthSelf ImprovementForgivenessAngelTransformationSelf AwarenessDemonInner StrengthWillingnessPlaywrightIlluminationDark SideConfrontingSelf TransformationBeing A Better PersonInspirational StrengthSelf StrengthLife StrengthBetter Me
Author:August Wilson
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