بررسی دو نمایشنامه "حصار" و "درس پیانو" آگوست ویلسون از منظر نظریات میشل فوکو

august wilson is undoubtedly one of the rare black playwrights whose works have attracted streams of attention and worldwide audience. the present study aims at analyzing fences and piano lesson which are two of the most successful plays in his pittsburgh cycle from the perspective of michel foucault’s theories and ideas. studying these two plays from foucault’s perspective opens new windows into the lives of african americans and the way they suffer and react to power. the first analytic part of this study mostly deals with the way two dominant discourses of race and gender pave the way for power to enter into the lives of african americans. the racist discourse prepares the ground for the white to take lead in all affairs of the society, from sports to finding a job. in fences for instance we are faced with the way becoming a garbage-truck driver is considered a big opportunity by the black protagonist. there are also some instances in both plays where we confront how racist discourse has even entered into the inner circle of the blacks; some characters internalize the racist discourse and try to act according to the white codes of behavior. they try to dress like whites and some of them even become an agent for power and set restrictions on their family’s way to resistance. the gender discourse is another major tool through which power imposes itself into the world of the characters. the researcher tries to depict the way it forces itself into the world of the african americans in whose culture no such gender discrimination exists. this discourse too prepares the ground for power to enter into the most private affairs of the male and female characters and turn women into submissive characters at the face of power; in this way they become doubly empowered by both the racist discourse and the patriarchy within their own african american community. the second analytic part of this study mostly deals with resistance to power. it mainly discusses two major methods undertaken by the characters in confronting the power: the direct confrontation with power and the aesthetic kind. the researcher aims to depict how the aesthetic values of the blacks (their blues music, folk culture, vernacular language and etc.) play a major role in transforming the characters and setting them free from power. in the end what is noticeable in both fences and piano lesson is how the aesthetic resistance to power, preferred by foucault in the later phase of his life, proves to be more effective in building a powerful identity for the characters at the face of power.