Essays for Our Town Text

Jonathan Friesen - Writing Coach

length: 575 words 1.6 double spaced pages our town, by thornton wilder, is an american classic, expressing with warmth and humor the eternal truths of human existence. It is a heartening, compassionate glimpse of that time before the great wars before our innocence was lost forever. From the time of its first performances in 1938, it has continued to be regarded as one of the best representations of life in america and of the richness of our theatre world. For decades it has remained a landmark of theatrical craftsmanship and a loving picture of american life.

Analytical Phd Thesis

Winner of the pulitzer prize, our town depicts pathos set against a background of centuries of time, social history. As the stage manager who functions as a greek chorus in the drama says: this is the way we were in our growing up and in our marrying and in our doctoring and in our living and in our dying. During their childhood george gibbs and emily webb are playmates and their lives are inextricably woven together as neighbors' lives are likely to be. But as they grow older they pass into a state of romantic and embarrassing interest in one another.

George proposes to emily in the drug store over an ice cream soda, and they are married with all the good folks of grover's corners in attendance. Emily dies in childbirth and is buried in the town's cemetery on a rainy, dreary day. There she is reunited with those friends and neighbors who have died before her, and who help her acclimate herself to her new existence. In one of the most vital scenes in modern theatre, the peace and quiet of death, which can never be understood by the living, is portrayed. Our town is not just about emily and george and, indeed, is not just about a small town in northern new england a hundred years ago. Our town is a play about what we and thornton wilder thought america and americans were.

As we are about to take a head long leap into the next century we are forced, not only to look ahead to what we might become, but to turn and look back at what allowed us to arrive at this threshold of the new millennium. The characters in our town tell us what they knew of life, its pain and hope its simplicity and truth. Thornton wilder believed that life was meaningful only when lived with full awareness of the value of the present moment. For nearly 60 years our town has demonstrated to its audiences the peril of not doing exactly that.

Shortly before wilder's death, the new york times said: wilder's plays are now more than ever in rhythm with our changing habit of theatergoing. He relates the moment to eternity, seeks the infinite in the immediate, finds the universe in each grain of wheat. His plays have not so much been 'revived' over and over again, as they have almost continuously stayed alive among us. Analysis in fact my town does not resemble the setting displayed in this play although i am sure the setting of our ancestors’ towns were much like this one. Back then everybody knew each other and they did not have to lock their doors and they had a strong fear of death and judgement.

These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of our town. Gradesaver provides access to 678 study guide pdfs and quizzes, 3587 literature essays, 1196 sample college application essays, 118 lesson plans, and ad free surfing in this premium content, ldquo members only rdquo section of the site! membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders. Needless to say, our town is one of the most popular plays by thornton wilder and not for nothing has it won the pulitzer prize in 1938. The most significant aspect in our town is the representation of the everyday life. Not only does the play explores american values of religion or family, it also addresses themes like mortality or as mentioned before, the value of the everyday life. Our town is not offered as a picture of life in a new hampshire village or as a speculation about the conditions of life after death.

It is an attempt to find a value above all price for the smallest events in our daily life. Online 1 life is often taken for granted although we are aware of the fact that life is short and that it can end at any time. Many people do not take heed of their life and they do not pay attention to all those little things which make life important. Like emily, a character of our town, mentioned, people are not aware of how precious life is.

Therefore the main aim of this paper is to give an analysis of how thornton wilder tries to teach the audience through several messages implied in our town. At first, the term paper will tell about thornton wilder’s life, because it is important to know about his personal life when taking his works into consideration. Here we can clearly see a connection to his works, because especially in our town, as mentioned before, he tries to teach the reader or audience by pointing out how precious all the small things in life are and that the people should become aware of all those things. That means that he is not only teaching students on the university, but also the audience through his works. Secondly, this term paper will give some important facts about our town, which are necessary to understand the background and wilders implied messages. Then there will be an analysis on each act of the play based on the main theme, namely that it’s the little things in life that count. These analysis will mainly concentrate on the most significant aspects and parts of the play that carry wilders implied lessons and messages.

Columbia University Department of Economics Discussion Paper Series

At the end of the term paper there will be a short conclusion including an own interpretation and opinion of our town. How does wilder use the hymn blessed be the tie that binds to reinforce the themes of the play? do you think the reference is religious? as a class or group, experience a production of our town this can be a play, a radio adaptation, or even the 1940 movie adaptation. How does watching a production of the play affect your perception of the characters on the page? do they seem more or less archetypal on stage than on paper? thornton wilder once wrote: i 39 ve always thought emily should live. In a movie you see the people so close to that a different relation is established. In the theatre they are halfway abstractions in an allegory in the movie they are very concrete.

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