The Theme of Anowa and The Bitter Game and the Historical and Cultural Elements that Shaped It

Your Name
Instructor Name
Course Number
Date
Anowa and The Bitter Game
Anowa and The Bitter Game focus on the theme of Black history and culture and how it affects different aspects of the individual’s life. Both authors focus on cultural issues and how it has affected people in society (Sanka, Annin, and Addei, 90). Anowa by Ama Ata Aidoo is an African play that analyses problems that were facing African during historical times and also covered some of the issues facing the African continent based on the perspective of a Ghanaian (Aidoo 1). On the other hand, The Bitter Game is a solo theater piece which uses prose and verse to create a commentary about Black America and the excessive use of police force. The two plays focus on the theme of identity that arises from cultural and historical influences.
Description of Each Theme
Keith A. Wallace’s “The Bitter Game” is a play that relies on the protagonist, Pam, who is an African American mother who is trying to teach his son, Jamel, about what to do when he is interacting with police. The boy was caught by his mother playing with a toy gun, but his mother does not want it anything like it around the house. She also takes the opportunity to teach the son about a valuable life lesson and relies on basketball to pass the message (Wallace 13). The play is a response to the shooting of African-Americans by white police officers, and the political undertones which led to the development of the black lives matter movement. The source focuses on racism as an identity crisis that is affecting the protagonist. Police brutality and gun violence are some of the main issues covered in the play, and Wallace relies on his personal experiences as a child to establish a personal relationship with the audience.
In Anowa, the central cultural conflict arises from the failure of the marriage between Kofi Ako and Anowa. Anowa does not agree to listen to his mother’s advice against marrying Ako and this is regarded as the primary source of the issues in the marriage (Sanka, Annin, and Addei, 90). Ama Ata is renowned as an Afro-centric writer who relies on ingenious stories to describe various social issues. The play tells the story of Anowa who is the daughter of Osam and Badua (Aidoo 6). She is forced to marry since her culture does not think it is a good idea that she has stayed for many years without finding a suitor. In the play, Badua says, “Any mother would be concerned if her daughter refused to get married six years after her puberty. If I do not worry about this, what shall I worry about?” (Aidoo 7). Marriage is an essential aspect of the culture and it entails communities, clans, and families. The marriage also directly influences a person’s identity.
Similarities in theme
Both plays have similarities in regards to individuals who are trying to seek their identity. Anowa’s attitude and...