"The Dutchman" and "Blues for Mister Charlie"

For many African-American writers and dramatists, the issue of race and how it impacts on human relationships and societal perceptions is a theme of enormous significance. Two of the most powerful literary voices in the African-American community are those of James Baldwin and Amiri Baraka (formerly known as LeRoi Jones). Both Baldwin and Baraka have written prolifically and in a variety of mediums. This brief report however, will compare and contrast a single work by each author. Baraka's play, The Dutchman and Baldwin's play, Blues for Mister Charlie address the ways in which violence affects the lives of ordinary African-American men and women and in which a fundamental racism in American society renders these individuals vulnerable to violence.

W. J. Weatherby (1989) commented with respect to Blues for Mister Charlie that when the play was first performed, theatergoers and critics alike received it positively. At the core of the play, in the view of this particular analyst, is Baldwin's determination to express the outraged thoughts and emotions that had blazed within seemingly placid African-Americans for years. Some critics regarded the White characters in the play as little more than stereotypes, however, while others felt that Baldwin had not fully mastered the form of the drama.

Baldwin's Blues for Mister Charlie is set in a small town in the Deep South. Baldwin (1964) commented in the notes for the play that

. . .
e hatred in this play is expressed by Lula, who takes Clay life, in part, because she simply does not wish to listen to him speak about what it means to be a Black male (Tate, 2000). The religious symbolism implicit in this play is found in Clay's name, which evokes the story of the creation and in Lula's character, which evokes Lilith, Adam's first wife before Eve. Greg Tate (2000) claims that the confrontation between Lula and Clay issued by Baraka to symbolize many of the stereotypical myths regarding the threat posed to White women by Black men. Clay inadvertently "causes" his own death by clenching Lula's throat, allowing her an opportunity not only to kill this Black male, but also to rally other passengers on the train to collude in this murder. The "Dutchman" of Baraka's title has been described by Ralph (1985) as a reference to the legendary ghost ship named the "Flying Dutchman" or a slave ship of the Dutch East India Company. It may also refer to the theater practice of constructing a "Dutchman" which is a narrow band of muslin glued vertically onto two adjoining flats to give the appearance of a solid wall. As a metaphor, "Dutchman" in its stagecraft function may image the fatade of civility in Clay and Lul
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Blacks Lyle, Mister Charlie, Whites Blacks, Baldwin Baraka, Clay White, Clay Lula's, Black White, Plaguetown Baldwin, Whites Baldwin, Lula Parnell, baldwin 1964, blues mister charlie, mister charlie, blues mister, black male, civil rights, james baldwin, weatherby 1989, whites blacks, standley 1988, piggford 1997, amiri baraka's dutchman, civil rights movement, play civil rights,
Approximate Word count = 1988
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)