Consecrated Grounds

Ayana Graham

Ms. Camper

Eng 003-21

April 17, 2013

What do you make of the setting, or location? Does it help to reveal character or theme?

Africville, as explained in Consecrated Ground, is a torn down, rat- infested, slum like neighborhood that has since been taken over by the city government. It is very rich in history, but lax in proper necessities for adequate living. With poor sewage systems, no electricity or running water, I envision Africville as a bad dream gone worse. It is a wasteland for surrounding cities garbage to be placed, influencing the city people to sell their homes before being expropriated from their land. The theme of drama is extremely evident in this play as main characters Clarice and Willem struggle to come to a medium on whether to advance into the future and move to Uniacke Square, where they will be afforded the same opportunities as their white counterparts, or stay in Africville and slowly but surely disintegrate with their dilapidated property. The struggle over Africville’s fate and its inhabitants is depicted as a political-philosophical competition between conserving the African American race and reducing the community to a congregation of individual "consumers". When Willem signs over Clarice’s property to the City of HalifaxThe City of Halifax (1841-1996) was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, and the largest city in Atlantic Canada.[1] Halifax was also the shire town of Halifax County.

..... Click the link for more information., and does so on the coffin of his son, Tully (slain by rats drawn to the neighborhood by the garbage dump deliberately placed nearby), he dramatically acknowledges that a conservative concern for heritage must give way to the liberal ideal of individualism and socio-economic advancement. Just as the life of his son meant little to the City of Halifax, the life of Africville meant just as little to Willem himself.