While “Will Jessie kill herself?” makes sense as the MDQ, it
pretty obvious throughout the play that she’s going to do it. She’s very calm
and collected, not acting like she’s second guessing her decision and is continuously bringing it up. I think the
more interesting option is “Will Mama be able to stop Jessie from killing herself?". The more I read the more it seemed to me that Mama was the protagonist of the play rather than Jessie, do for me it's more appropriate that the MDQ have something to do with Mama rather than Jessie. As an audience member you don't want Jessie to end her life, you want her to find a reason for living. It's obvious from the beginning that she's not and you hope Mama can do something. You want her to find a way to stop Jessie from killing herself. The play doesn't end with Jessie killing herself, it ends with Mama failing to stop her and accepting that she couldn't.
Your MDQ makes sense, and I understand your reasoning for Mama being the protagonist over Jessie. I feel the audience feels Mama's stress and need to get Jessie to stay alive.
ReplyDeleteI think your MDQ makes perfect sense like Katherine said. Its not only interesting but its really what you all think as you read the play. For some readers, the play revolves around Mama and her actions. Its a yes or no question and is answered when the play ends.
ReplyDeleteI like that you analyzed this play and went deeper than the obvious, "will Jessie kill herself?" Your MDQ functions as an MDQ and makes sense. However, I don't know that it is the most effective MDQ because the play doesn't end when Jessie dies. If the MDQ was "will mama stop her?" When jessie dies-the answer is no-the play is over. But the play doesn't end there.
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