On The Self-identity Of Negritude In Topdog/Underdog

As one of the most outstanding contemporary African American female playwrights,Suzan-Lori Parks leads the trend of writing the black nature.Her Pulitzer Prize work,Topdog/Underdog can be regarded as the intensive manifestation of Negritude.In the light of Anthony Giddens’ s theory of self-identity and other dominant theories of self-identity,this thesis attempts to explore the connotation of Negritude in the play.Specifically,Negritude is narrowed down into the progressive construction,namely,self-reflexivity,self-reconstruction and self-realization,illustrated with the analysis of the black’s plights,black history and black culture embodied in the play.This thesis consists of five chapters: Chapter One is an introduction to Suzan-Lori Parks and her masterpiece,Topdog/Underdog.Meanwhile,the thesis statement on the basis of the systematical literature review and the theoretical framework is also provided.Chapter Two examines the self-reflexivity of Negritude from the perspective of the black’s plights.The exploited social space and the identity crisis presented in the play are the externalization of the black’s self-reflection.Chapter Three explains the process of the black’s self-reconstruction by returning to history.The historical images and events are rewritten in the play,through which the black’s self-restoration is established.Chapter Four elucidates the superior level of Negritude,self-realization from the side of cultural autonomy.The black vernacular and black aesthetics play the essential role of actualizing the black’s self-empowerment.The last chapter serves as the conclusion of the whole thesis and summarizes the implications of Negritude from three underlying dimensions respectively.Moreover,Parks’ s contribution to the expression of Negritude and the black nature is discussed.In summary,Negritude is possessed of self-identity in essence.By probing into the black’s plights,black history and black culture in Topdog/Underdog,three aspects of the black’s self-identity become explicit.Confronted with the predicaments resulted from history and reality,it is achievable for the black people to pursue self-development by returning to the nature of the group.