The themes of racism and identity formation in America are addressed in three different works by the playwright August Wilson (1998), Maya Angelou (1970), and Gunnar Myrdal (2002). Each of these writers uses familiar literary devices such as cause and effect, comparison and contrast, and narration and persuasion to tell the story of how minorities, particularly African-Americans, experience life in America. Whereas Wilson (1998) offers a play and Angelou (1970), an autobiographical memoir, Myrdal (2002) presents a sociological commentary on his observations of race and identity issues in a pluralistic society.
Wilson's (1998) play, Fences, focuses on the lives of two young African-American men, Troy and Bono, who approach manhood by separating from their fathers and assuming the responsibilities of adulthood. These men are at odds in the ways that they deal with the past and approach the future. Their choice is between pragmatism and illusion as survival mechanisms. Wilson (1998) uses narration and references to external events such as Hank Aaron's career in major league baseball to describe the tragedy of a young man who was unable to participate in baseball because of segregation. Repetition is one of Wilson's (1998) most frequently used devices as is metaphor. This shapes the storyline by linking the experiences of two ordinary men to the greater social and political environment in which they came to manhood. The language and attitude of blues songs structure the narration in this play.
In Angelou's (1970) "The Graduation" from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, readers are faced with a young girl graduating from high school and seeking to achieve an autonomous identity in the face of white power structures which are repressive. Angelou (1970) uses comparisons between her experiences and those of whites to illustrate the multiple challenges that African-Americans face. The story revolves around the transition f...