The Piano Lesson Themes - Sutters Ghost

The Piano Lesson Themes - Sutters Ghost Supernatural themes lurk throughout August Wilsons drama, The Piano Lesson. But to fully understand the function of the ghost character in The Piano Lesson, readers may want to become familiar with the plot and characters of The Piano Lesson. Sutters Ghost During the play, several characters see the ghost of Mr. Sutter, the man who probably murdered the father of Berniece and Boy Willie. Sutter was also the legal owner of the piano. There are different ways of interpreting the ghost: The ghost is a product of the characters imagination.The ghost symbolizes oppression.Or it is an actual ghost! Assuming the ghost is real and not symbolism, the next question is: What does the ghost want? Revenge? (Berniece believes that her brother pushed Sutter down a well). Forgiveness? (This doesnt seem likely since Sutters ghost is antagonistic rather than repentant). It may simply be that Sutters ghost wants the piano. In Toni Morrisons beautiful foreword to the 2007 publication of The Piano Lesson, she states: Even a threatening ghost hovering in any room it chooses pales before the gripping fear of what is outside - the steady, casual intimacy with imprisonment and violent death. She also observes that Against years of menace and routine violence, wrestling with a ghost is mere play. Morrisons analysis is spot on. During the plays climax, Boy Willie enthusiastically battles the ghosts, running up the stairs, tumbling down again, only to go charging back up. Grappling with the specter is sport in comparison to the hazards of the oppressive 1940s society. Spirits of the Family Bernieces suitor, Avery, is a religious man. In order to disconnect the ghosts ties to the piano, Avery agrees to bless Bernieces house. When Avery, an up-and-coming reverend, passionately recites passages from the Bible, the ghost does not budge. In fact, the ghost becomes even more aggressive, and this is when Boy Willie finally witnesses the ghost and their battle begins. In the middle of The Piano Lessons chaotic final scene, Berniece has an epiphany. She realizes that she must call on the spirits of her mother, father, and grandparents. She sits down at the piano and, for the first time in a year, she plays. She sings for the spirits of her family to help her. As her music becomes more powerful, more insistent, the ghost goes away, the battle upstairs ceases, and even her stubborn brother has a change of heart. Throughout the play, Boy Willie demanded that he sell the piano. But once he hears his sister play the piano and sing to her deceased relatives, he understands that the musical heirloom is meant to stay with his Berniece and her daughter. By embracing music once again, Berniece and Boy Willie now appreciate the pianos purpose, one that is both familiar and divine.

Goal Setting With Elementary Students

Goal Setting With Elementary Students With the start of the new school year upon us, it is the perfect time to have your students begin school by learning how to set positive goals. Setting goals is an important life skill that all elementary students need to know. While the students may still be a bit too young to think about what college they want to go to, or the career they may want to have, its never too late to teach them the importance of setting, and achieving a goal. Here are a few tips to help your elementary students learn to set goals. Define What a "Goal" Means Elementary students may think the word goal means when you are referring to a sporting event. So, the first thing that you want to do is have students brainstorm what they think setting a goal means. You can use the reference of a sporting event to help you. For example, you can tell the students that when an athlete makes a goal, the goal is the result of their hard work. You can also have students look up the meaning in the dictionary. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word goal as â€Å"something that you are trying to do or achieve.† Teach the Importance of Goal Setting Once you have taught your elementary students the meaning of the word, now its time to teach the importance of setting goals. Discuss with your students that setting goals helps you become more confident in yourself, helps you make better decisions in your life, and gives you motivation. Ask students to think about a time that they had to sacrifice something that they really loved, for an even better outcome. You can give them an example if they are unsure. For instance, you can say: I really like to get a coffee and a donut before work every day but it can get really expensive. I want to surprise my children and take them on a family vacation, so I need to give up my morning routine in order to save money to do that. This example is showing your students that you have given up something that you really liked, for an even better outcome. It explains how powerful setting goals and achieving them can really be. By giving up your morning routine of coffee and donuts, you were able to save enough money to take your family on a vacation. Teach Students How to Set Realistic Goals Now that students understand the meaning of a goal, as well as the importance of setting goals, now its time to actually set a few realistic goals. Together as a class, brainstorm a few goals that you think are realistic. For example, students may say My goal is to get a better grade on my math test this month. Or I will strive to complete all of my homework assignments by Friday. By helping your students set small, achievable goals that can be achieved quickly, you will help them understand the process of setting and achieving a goal. Then, once they grasp this concept you can have them set even bigger goals. Have students focus on which goals are most important (make sure they are measurable, achievable, as well as specific). Develop a Method to Achieve the Goal Once students have chosen the specific goal that they want to achieve, the next step is to show them how they are going to achieve it. You can do this by showing students the following step-by-step procedure. For this example, the students goal is to pass their spelling test. Step 1: Do all spelling homework Step 2: Practice spelling words each day after school Step 3: Practice spelling worksheets each day Step 4: Play spelling games or go on the Spellingcity.com app Step 5: Get an A on my spelling test Make sure that students have a visual reminder of their goal. It is also wise that you have a daily or weekly meeting with each student to see how their goals are developing. Once they achieve their goal, its time to celebrate! Make a big deal out of it, this way it will want them to make even bigger goals in the future.