Essay Questions

Explain the historic context of the play.

The action described in the play takes place during the time when Ronald Reagan served as the 40th president of the United States; although directly legalized racism had abated, the situation in the black community was less than ideal. The black community found itself under attack by the harsh regulations imposed to fight in what is nowadays referred to as the "War on drugs". Many of these laws were made in such a way that they targeted the black population primarily, and as a result the number of black men and women in prisons rose drastically. This created a lot of economic instability in the black communities which lead to violence and unrest. These elements are also present in the play, the narrator describing the characters as being unable to find a job to support themselves and their families and being forced to get involved in illegal activities to sustain themselves.

Where do the characters live and why is this location significant?

The characters live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanian in a group of neighborhoods known as Hill District. These neighborhoods were inhabited even from the beginning of the 19th century by predominately black people and they remain to this day a historical American African area. While the area experienced a boom when it comes to economic growth during the beginning of the 20th century, soon after the end of the Second World War the Hill District area collapsed into poverty. This was largely the result of a government initiative of redevelopment of the area, resulting in more than half of the residents moving out of the area and most of the businesses, which were owned by black entrepreneurs, collapsing. By the time the events in the play took place, the area was in decline, with unemployment on the rise and with few possibilities for the residents when it came to employment.

Why did Tonya refuse to abort the baby?

Soon after King was released from prison, he and his wife, Tonya, found out they were expecting a baby. The couple was excited at first looking forward to welcome a new member in their family, but then after analyzing the situation they found themselves in, decided to abort the baby. While King was fine with the idea of aborting the baby, Tonya could not go through with it and returned home still pregnant from the clinic she was supposed to have the abortion. The refusal to abort the baby shows that even though King no longer had any hope for the future, Tonya still believed things could one day get better. Because of the prospect of one day offering her child a good life, Tonya refused to have an abortion.