This is an Online Internet Book Club on Dutchman and The Slave: Two Plays by LeRoi Jones. Discuss this book, share your thoughts, make comments, ask questions, offer responses...
Description
Centered squarely on the Negro-white conflict, both Dutchman and The Slave are literally shocking plays--in ideas, in language, in honest anger. They illuminate as with a flash of lightning a deadly serious problem--and they bring an eloquent and exceptionally powerful voice to the American theatre.
Dutchman opened in New York City on March 24, 1964, to perhaps the most excited acclaim ever accorded an off-Broadway production and shortly thereafter received the Village Voice's Obie Award. The Slave, which was produced off-Broadway the following fall, continues to be the subject of heated critical controversy.
Book Club Questions for Dutchman and The Slave (Fiction)
Suggested Book Club Questions for Dutchman and The Slave: Two Plays (Fiction)
The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on Dutchman and The Slave:
- Did LeRoi Jones emphasize any specific themes throughout Dutchman and The Slave? What do you think LeRoi Jones is trying to explain with this theme?
- What was unique about the setting of Dutchman and The Slave and how did it affect the storyline?
- Could you relate to any of the characters? If so, which ones and why?
- How do characters change or learn throughout Dutchman and The Slave? What events caused these changes? Have you or someone you know experienced the same thing?
- How does Dutchman and The Slave reveal LeRoi Jones's own perspectives about people and the world? For a lively discussion, describe why you think LeRoi Jones is liberal or conservative.
- Did certain parts of Dutchman and The Slave affect you emotionally? Why did it evoke those emotions?
- Did LeRoi Jones's point of view on things lend new perspective to your own view of the world?
Book Club Questions for Dutchman and The Slave (for Non-Fiction)
Suggested Book Club Questions for Dutchman and The Slave: Two Plays (Non-fiction)
The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on Dutchman and The Slave:
- Did LeRoi Jones make persuasive arguments in Dutchman and The Slave? Did Dutchman and The Slave change or reinforce your opinion on the subject?
- What did you learn from Dutchman and The Slave?
- How does LeRoi Jones present the information and did you enjoy it?
- How is LeRoi Jones biased within Dutchman and The Slave? Is there a political slant to what is being discussed and how does it impact the book?
- What, if anything, does Dutchman and The Slave make you want to read next? Why?
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