critical analysis of Topdog/Underdog
Write one essay in which you put forth a critical analysis of Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks or Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. Use the topic below and respond to it by formulating and supporting an argument with interpretations of textual evidence. Remember: you’re not expected to answer every question on the prompt. Focus upon a question below and use it as a point of departure for the development of an argument. Please submit a typewritten 2-page Essay
Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks and Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko both feature men of color dealing with trauma and legacies of violence. To what extent do characters in these works (Lincoln, Booth, Tayo, Emo) accept the idea that one must occupy either a dominant or a subordinate role (topdog/underdog, warrior hero/victim) in order to be an African American or Native American man? To what extent do they redefine ethnicity and masculinity in ways that are not binary and hierarchical but ambiguous and interstitial? Choose one text and focus on two characters.
