FUN AND GAMES +
Dramatic Methods
Dramatic Methods
George plays this "game" with Nick to extract personal secrets about Nick's marriage to Honey.
What is "Get the Guests?"
The very last line is "I am, George. I am," in response to "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
The scariest thing in the world isn't a monster or a ghost—it's facing your own life without any excuses or fantasies to protect you.
Albee wrote about Nick, a young biology professor interested in "chromosomes" and genetic engineering. What scientific advancements of the 1950s (like the discovery of DNA) influenced this fear of "test-tube" humanity?
The Modern Eugenics movement (or the discovery of the Double Helix).
When Angelou writes, "I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide," she is using this specific figure of speech to equate her strength with the vastness of the sea without using "like" or "as."
What is a metaphor?
No matter the historical weight or personal attack, you have the power to "rise."
In "Still I Rise," Angelou teaches that your success and happiness are the best "revenge" against those who want to see you fail.
In this "game," Martha describes George’s failures and his lack of professional upward mobility in front of Nick and Honey.
What is Humiliate the Host?
George "kills" the imaginary son at the end of the play, even though it breaks Martha's heart.
Sometimes you have to be "cruel" to be kind. Destroying a lie is painful, but it is the only way to allow the truth to finally breathe. The truth will sent you free.
Angelou wrote about radical self-love in "Phenomenal Woman." What 1970s cultural shift influenced this focus on natural beauty?
The "Black is Beautiful" movement.
"Shoulders falling down like teardrops" is an example of this device, used to create a visual representation of defeated posture.
What is a simile?
Beauty isn't a standard to meet; it’s a confidence you carry.
"Phenomenal Woman" teaches that your worth isn't in your "fashion model size," but in the "click of my heels" and the "curl of my lips." It’s a lesson in internalizing your own value.
This "game" is the final act of the night, where George decides to "kill" the central illusion of their lives.
What is "Bringing Up Baby?"
Honey stays drunk and "sick" so she doesn't have to deal with her marriage or her fear of pregnancy.
Ignoring your problems by numbing yourself doesn't make them go away; it just leaves you stuck in a "fetal position" while life passes you by.
Angelou wrote about the exhaustion of "Woman Work." What 1970s movement influenced her focus on the domestic burdens specific to women?
Second-Wave Feminism
This rhetorical device involves beginning consecutive lines with the same word, such as the repeated "I" or "You" in "Still I Rise," to create a sense of accumulation and power.
What is anaphora?
This poem serves as a lesson in perspective, teaching that even the smallest, most "ordinary" moments of life are actually miracles when viewed through the lens of gratitude.
What is "Thank You, Lord"?
George and Martha often speak in this linguistic style, where they finish each other's sentences not out of love, but to control the narrative.
What is stichomythia/fast pacing?
Nick is willing to sleep with the host's wife just to get a promotion in the biology department.
If you try to "climb the ladder" by stepping on people, you lose your self-respect and become just another "tool" for others to use.
Albee wrote about George and Martha’s fictional son. What 1950s societal pressure to have a "perfect" nuclear family influenced this plot point?
The American Dream
The use of "Ain't" and other non-standard grammatical structures in her poetry is a deliberate use of this poetic method to honor African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and southern dialect.
What is colloquialism?
Through the repetition of the word "one," this poem teaches the lesson that we are never truly alone because we carry the strength and the "rhythm" of our ancestors with us.
What is "One More Round"?
George’s "weaponry" isn't just verbal; he famously uses this object to "kill" the son by ripping it to pieces.
What is a telegram?
George and Martha’s "son" is their attempt to have the perfect American family "addition." What's the lesson?
The Patriarchal values that dictates our life slowly kills us
Angelou wrote about "gratitude" and "rising" despite trauma. What personal experience as a 1960s activist influenced her need for spiritual resilience?
Her work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
This term describes the pause or break in the middle of a poetic line, often used in poems like "Phenomenal Woman" to control the reader's pace and emphasize specific words.
What is caesura?
This poem serves as a cautionary lesson on "the look" of a predator, teaching that danger often arrives not with a shout, but with a quiet, territorial presence.
What is "Men"?