Skip to main content

The Importance of Visibility

Blog Prompt #3: The New Yorker describes Lynn Nottage as having "built a career on making invisible people visible." How does Sweat accomplish this and do you think enabling visibility is important? Why or why not?

The entire play is dedicated to uncovering the injustices faced by working-class Americans. Every character experiences these inequities differently while navigating life in industrialized Reading, Pennsylvania. At the beginning of each scene, Nottage includes a short snippet discussing the news, big events, and weather on a specific date. These often include political events (presidential elections/debates) or economic events (Dow Jones/stock market), but never the events taking place in the actual plot. This shows how the news only showcases events that occur on the macro level, making them visible. However, the effects of the big decisions (NAFTA, presidential elections, etc.) are not shown in national headlines, even though most Americans deal with them. Therefore, Nottage aims to make these seemingly "invisible" people the center of her story. 

Nottage accomplishes this in many ways - highlighting different aspects of the working-class experience through different characters. Jason falls into white supremacy, with "white supremacist tattoos inked across his face" (5). This seems to be his reaction to the horrible living conditions he faced, revealing that tough life experiences can cause individuals to blame/hate each other. Stan suffers some of the worst consequences after anger over job losses causes violence, leaving him with "a traumatic brain injury" that makes him incapable of even picking up a cloth (112). On the other hand, Brucie suffers from drug addiction as he tries to deal with the pressures and stress of living in a low-income area. He not only negatively impacts himself, but he also affects the rest of his family, especially after he steals Cynthia's "Christmas presents under the tree" and her "expensive new tropical fish" (17). All of these characters are "invisible" in the real world, but Nottage makes them visible by sharing their experiences - experiences faced by many working-class Americans today.







In my opinion, the visibility of people of all genders, sexual orientations, races, classes, etc is incredibly important for society. Visibility encourages education and reduces misconceptions about different people, allowing for a healthier and less hateful culture. Furthermore, seeing people like yourself represented in the media makes you feel seen and affirmed in your identity. Therefore, we should work towards including all different people in bigger spaces.

Comments

  1. Arya ShahNovember 12, 2023 at 12:46 PM

    I love how you discussed the short summaries of the events in "Sweat", it shed light on a part of the story I never really considered its significance of. However, I do suggest connecting the meme to your writing. I interpreted it as the working class going mad carrying everyone but no one to support them. Overall, I enjoyed reading your response!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

attempting to plan out my life

I can't lie - I don't know how likely I am to really come back to this list. Regardless, here are the books I hope I read in the next ten years: 2026 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley I'll be honest - my dad has been begging me to read this for the last few years, and I think it's finally time I listen. This will be my first year of college, meaning it's time to really get educated beyond just the subdued version of history I am exposed to at school. Especially because I will be spending so much time in Detroit during my freshman year, I think it is imperative that I learn about black history and its ties to the city. 2027 - American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins I've heard a lot about the life-changing nature of this novel, and by 2027, I truly think this issue will be a prominent focus in American politics, culture, and society. When I was a freshman, I vaguely remember listening to a podcast episode featuring Cummins during a long drive,...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best Sapphic Artists (in my professional opinion)

Since we read "The Three Girls" this week, a very queer-coded piece, I made a list of my favorite sapphic artists: 5) Chappell Roan It seems impossible to compile a list of sapphic artists without including Chappell Roan. After her viral Coachella performance in April this year and her subsequent release of "Good Luck, Babe!" Chappell seems to have come out of nowhere. She is known for her love of drag and won Best New Artist at the VMAs. In some ways, she reminds me of the Marilyn Monroe we studied in "The Three Girls," especially in her desire to escape fame in some moments. However, she is also the opposite, incredibly vocal about her queer identity in every aspect of her life. I can't list her as my favorite, simply because I have not listened to her music enough, especially because she is so new to the spotlight. However, I absolutely love her unapologetic nature and can't wait to see what she does next! 4) LYVIA LYVIA is definitely the smalle...
Post a Comment
Read more

race plays a role

Elham: "They like English accent French accent not your accent not my accent" This line stuck with me as I read the play, especially when you mentioned your inability to relate to it because you are two generations deep, almost fully assimilated into "American" culture. I am also 2 generations deep, a second-generation American. So why is my experience different? It's because: - The sub spells my name when calling attendance instead of attempting to say it. - My first-grade teacher refused to believe I celebrated Thanksgiving. - No history textbook has a picture of someone like me. It's because I've had the following conversation more times than I can count: Them: "Where are you from?" Me: I live in Michigan, I'm American. Them: "No, where are you really from?" And as much as I feel the urge to respond passive-aggressively, I’ve come to realize that these questions often come from kind, well-meaning people who are simply curious. ...
Post a Comment
Read more