Fear in Tony Kushners Angels In America Essay - 1101 Words

Fear in Tony Kushners Angels In America Both parts of Tony Kushners play Angels in America paint a painfully truthful picture of what gay men go through. In most cases, they suffer either inner anguish or public torment. Sometimes they must endure both. Being homosexual in America is a double-edged sword. If you publicly announce that you are gay, you suffer ridicule and are mocked by the ignorant of society; but if you keep your homosexuality a secret, you are condemned to personal turmoil. Kushners work attempts to make America take a close look at itself and hopefully change its ways. The fear of public scrutiny forces many gay men into a life of denial and secrecy. Kushner describes a society, not unlike†¦show more content†¦By doing this, he is succesful in showing that gay men are the same as anyone else. The only difference is who they choose to share a sexual life with. Once again modeling reality, several characters are confident in their sexuality but are hesitant to admit to it. Roy Cohn and Joe Pitt represent the stereotypical gay man who refuses to publicly acknowledge his sexuality. They portray how gay men sometimes go to extreme lengths to deny their homosexuality. Both not only lie to others, but they lie to themselves. There is a certain sadness in the fact that some gay men desire the respect of strangers over being honest with themselves. Why do such a large number of gay men live lives in denial? The answer is simple. The answer is fear. Fear is the driving force behind many gay mens secrecy. The fear of how others may view them and the fear of how they will be received is overpowering. Roy Cohn is a powerful, ruthless, well-connected lawyer, and he is also a closet homosexual. The reason for his double life can be traced back to fear. When he is confronted with his homosexuality, he denies it. He begins to rationalize his lifestyle by saying, Roy Cohn is not a homosexual. Roy Cohn is a heterosexual man, Henry, who fucks around with guys (Kushner, Millennium 46). He further attempts to cover up his sexuality, when he is confronted with the fact that he has AIDS. His denial andShow MoreRelatedTony Kushner s Angels Of Americ A Gay Fantasia On National Themes Essay816 Words   |  4 PagesThe Struggles Accompanying Homosexuality in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America Set in the late 1980s, a period of regression and tragedy for the homosexual community, Tony Kushner’s play, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, explores the lives of four gay men living in New York. Kushner’s two part drama expounds some of the many difficulties encountered by gays during this time period. While two of his characters, Joe Pitt and Roy Cohn, both struggle significantly with their sexualRead More Angels in America Essay737 Words   |  3 Pages Angels in America nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Everyone has his or her own personal faults in life.nbsp; Some are looked down upon more for their issues than others are.nbsp; Homosexual relationships are considered sacrilegious and unethical, so much that we scrutinize persons having those relations.nbsp; We as a society should not look down upon individuals whose sexual preference is different from our own. nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The 80s were a time ofRead MoreWhite Noise By Don Delillo1832 Words   |  8 PagesLiterature of the eighties reflects a general atmosphere of fear at the time—fear of the unfamiliar, of death and disease. Outside of the books from that era, we can see where in American society this fear came from, how it weaved around what was alien and strangled it. We can retrospectively watch as it manifests itself in the roots of the AIDS epidemic, an outbreak of disease that took tens of thousands of lives because its origins were unknown, and it affected those who were different from theRead MoreTony Kushner s Angels Of America1180 Words   |  5 PagesTony Kushner’s â€Å"Angels in America† and Mwaganu wa Kaggia’s â€Å"Not Ashamed but so Ashamed† both explicitly address the social, religious, and political stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and homosexuality. The use of split scenes in â€Å"Angels in America† allows Kushner to demonstrate the similar ways in which both Joe and Prior respond to alienation despite having distinct personal conflicts. The two characters’ societal and personal dilemmas are most evidently intertwined in Act 2, Scene 9 of the play.Read More A.M.Holmes Music For Torching, Seth MacFarlanes Family Guy, and Tony Kushners Angels in America1948 Words   |  8 PagesA.M.Holmes Music For Torching, Seth MacFarlanes Family Guy, and Tony Kushners Angels in America The social progression of America in the 20th and 21st centuries has been arguably advantageous. In the years following the feminist and civil rights movements, the United States has undeniably developed into the world’s leading democratic system. Women and minorities have equal citizenship status under the law. There are more females in the workforce than ever before, and formerly guarded issuesRead MoreWhat Are The Many Versions Of Love Stories That Shakespeare s Midsummer Night s Dream?1705 Words   |  7 Pageshopes that he’ll awaken and fall for a beast. Lysander and Hermia enter soon after and Puck assumes that Lysander is Demetrius, putting the love juice in his eyes. When Helena wakes Lysander, he instantly falls in love with her, and Helena turns in fear. Because of Puck’s mistake, both Lysander and Demetrius end up falling for Helena, and jealous Hermia tries to challenge Helena to a fight (a comedic aspect as none of these characters are truly capable of being cruel or violent). Puck, who secretlyRead MoreAngels in America Essay1271 Words   |  6 PagesCarter O’Leary Angels In America Essay Rabbi Chemelwitz says in his eulogy (Millennium) that the Great Voyages of the past no longer exist. Does the play bear out the truth of his belief or not? If not, what are the new great voyages? Tony Kushner’s play, Angels In America, explores the trials of the journey of human life through the development of his characters throughout the play. When Rabbi Chemelwitz says â€Å"Great Voyages is this world do not any more exist.† (Millennium 16) he speaks onlyRead More Tony Kushners Angels in America Essay2055 Words   |  9 PagesMost of the characters in Tony Kushners Angels in America struggle with their sexuality. Reflected in this struggle, the homosexual characters are flawed to the degree at which they hide their sexuality. Prior, Belize, Louis, Joe, and Roy all deal with this issue in the course of the play. Prior is the least closeted homosexual while Roy is the most. Prior is chosen to be a prophet, is morally upright, and represents good. Roy, the unlawful lawyer, represents evil. Belize, Louis, and Joe fallRead MoreFrom The Plains And The City1851 Words   |  8 Pagesinconspicuously performs a significant role in the compositions. In Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County, the Weston family must confront their past and present in a claustrophobic house during the scorching heat of summer in the Oklahoman Plains. In Tony Kushner’s Angles in America, the AIDS epidemic is rampant and the effects are seen across all spectrums in the American society, while keeping up with the fast pace and intricacies of New York City. Essentially location influences the plays, which steers them thematicallyRead MoreSummary Of Angels Of America By Ifeanyi Dike Jr. Essay2068 Words   |  9 PagesAn Analysis Paper – Angels in America by Ifeanyi Dike Jr 1. World/Dramatic Universe a. In Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, It’s 1985 Brooklyn, New York – 15 years before the new Millennium. It’s fall – warm and cold at once. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is emerging, yet quickly raging causing mass hysteria, fear and confusion amidst the gay community. Ronald Regan is the president of the United States and is suppressing the AIDS research by quite simply, ignoring it. Each character in this play is either