The Piano Lesson by August Wilson

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“I got the power of death” (Wilson 29). You might recognize this quote from Boy Willie in The Piano Lesson by August Wilson an African American play writer. In this essay I am going to highlight some things about his life. According to (Britannica Concise Encyclopedia) August Wilson was born on April 27, 1945 in the town of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He was born Frederick August Kittel, Jr. Son of a German immigrant named Frederick August Kittel and his mother was an African-American named Daisy Wilson. August was the fourth out of six children. He and his siblings were raised in a two-room apartment above a grocery store for most of August Wilsons childhood.
After Wilson's parents divorced his mother married David Bedford, his mother and his siblings moved to a mostly white suburb in the Oakland section in 1961. After being bullied from the student’s everyday he transferred to Connelly Vocational High School, and later on to Gladstone High School. According to (www.biography.com) when August was 15 years old, he pursued an independent education at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. August dropped out because of his teacher accusing him of plagiarizing a twenty page report about Napoleon.
According to the World Book (Adler) “August Wilson was a leading African American play wright. His work is a cycle of ten plays called "The Pittsburgh Cycle" that traces the black experience in America.” Mr.Wilson did a total number of ten play based on the 20th century. A play for each decade. August wrote about the ever changing texture of the African American life. The play for each decade idea didn't come to him till later when he looked at the dates of his previous plays; 1911, 1927, 1941, 1957, and 1971. He thought about it and the idea of a...

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1. Adler, Thomas. "Wilson August." World Book.. 1st. Chicago: 2008. Print.
2. "A Playwright's Work Is Never Done." Tell Me More 8 May 2007. General OneFile. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
3. "A Widow's Might." Tell Me More 8 May 2007. General OneFile. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
4. "Wilson marquee." Hollywood Reporter 18 Oct. 2005: 3. General OneFile. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
5. "August Wilson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Dec 12 2013, 02:13
6. "August Wilson." The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature. Oxford University Press, Inc., 2001, 2002. Answers.com 12 Dec. 2013. http://www.answers.com/topic/august-wilson
7. "August Wilson." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1994-2010. Answers.com 12 Dec. 2013. http://www.answers.com/topic/august-wilson
8. Wilson, August. The Piano Lesson. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2007. Print

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