Assignment 1

Notes on A Soldier's Play

Discussion Questions. Type the following answers. Use the Glossary for clarity on definitions of literary terminology.

1. A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1982.
2. This play originally opened on November 10, 1981. It premiered at Theatre four in New York City.

A. Fort, Louisiana, World War II 1944-Army base

B. Allusions. 1) The two photos on the wall are of F.D.R. and PVT. Joe Louis 2) F.D.R. was the 33rd president and Joe Louis was the first heavy weight African American boxer.  3) F.D.R. was the commander and chief during World War II. Joe Louis is important because he was seen as a role model during this time since he was one of the only colored boxers. 4) The photo of F.D.R helps the audience identify the time the play is set in because he was the president during this war. Joe Louis’s photo identifies the time because he was the World Heavyweight Champion between 1937 through 1949.

C. Social Context of Play. Yes the United States Armed Services is segregated in 1944 during the World War II. Yes white and black soldiers are serving in segregated companies that keep that separate from each other.

D. Cast of Characters.

1. Black soldiers:
1. Vernon C. Waters (Sergeant)
2. Bernard Cobb (Corporal)
3. James Wilkie
4. Louis Henson
5. Melvin Peterson
6. Tony Smalls
7. Ellis (Corporal)
8. Richard Davenport (Captain)
9. C.J Memphis

     

    2.) White Characters

    a.) Charles Taylor (Captain)

    b.) BYRD (Lieutenant)

    c.) Wilcox (Captain)  

Davenport has a higher rank than the black soldiers due to his status being Captain. The person that has a commanding rank would be Captain Taylor.

E) Major Characters. 1) Davenport is an African American captain as well as a lawyer for the segregated Armed Services. He also polices colored troops. He is there to figure out who killed Sergeant Waters. Yes I think Davenport will be important to the play because he solving the murder mystery. Also he is going to reveal to the audience the truth of what really happened to Waters. 2) Waters is a light brown skinned man and a Sergeant. He was murdered at the beginning of the play. He is important to the action of the play because without him there would not be a storyline. Also without Water’s death there would be no need for Davenport to interact with Captain Taylor who is white. The interaction between Davenport and the white soldiers is important for the audience to see because it gives the reader a sense of the era and the racism/segregation that was going on during 1944. Sergeant Waters is the catalyst. Davenport is the protagonist.