Real Women Have Curves - Play Analysis
Analysis of the play "Real Women Have Curves" by Josefina Lopez, exploring themes of celebrating women's bodies, power of women, and immigrant experiences. The setting, characters, conflicts, and significance of the title are discussed in detail, emphasizing the play's message of breaking stereotypes and embracing diversity.
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DRAMATURGY REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVESBY JOSEFINA LOPEZ ORIGINALLY PREMIERED IN MAY OF 1990 IN THE MISSION CULTURAL CENTER FOR LATINO ARTS, CALIFORNIA. IN 2015, L PEZ UPDATED THE ORIGINAL PLAY FOR MODERN TIMES, BUT CARSEN AND I READ THE ORIGINAL 1990 VERSION JOSEFINA LOPEZ LOOSELY BASED ALL OF THE CHARACTERS OFF HER FAMILY, LIKE HER MOTHER AND SISTER. SHE GREW UP AS AN UNDOCUMENTED CHILD TILL SHE GOT HER GREEN CARD. THE PLAY HASN T WON ANY NOTABLE AWARDS, BUT THE FILM ADAPTATION MADE IN 2002 HAS WON MULTIPLE AWARDS AT THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
TITLE SIGNIFICANCE THE TITLE REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE THE PLAY IS DISCUSSING HOW REAL WOMEN, ALONG WITH THE IDEA OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, ISN T ALWAYS WHAT YOU WOULD ASSUME. THE SAYING REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES IS BASICALLY SAYING THAT PERFECTION DOESN T EXIST, AND OUR PERCEPTION OF WHAT IS BEST ISN T ALWAYS RIGHT. THE TITLE IS ALSO PLAYING HOMAGE TO ITS LATIN ROOTS, SAYING THAT REAL AMERICANS COME FROM ALL CORNERS OFTHE WORLD AND ARE ALL DIFFERENT.
SETTING THIS PLAY IS SET IN A TINY SEWING FACTORY IN EAST LOS ANGELES INEARLY FALL OF 1987. SINCE THE PLAY WAS PUBLISHED IN 1990, WE ASSUME THE AUTHOR WROTE THIS IN MODERN TIME. THE SETTING IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE BOTH THE LOCATION AND THE TIME PERIOD LEND ITSELF TO THE RACISM AND WORK THEY ARE DOING, AND THAT MANY UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE WERE HIDING IN THIS AREA
THEMES SOME THEMES THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED FROM THIS PLAY ARE CELEBRATING REAL WOMEN S BODIES, THE POWER OF WOMEN, AND THE INCREDIBLE BOND THAT HAPPENS WHEN WOMEN WORK TOGETHER -THIS CAN BE SHOWN IN THE ENDING MONOLOGUE ANA GIVES WHEN DISCUSSING EVERYTHING SHE HAS LEARNED THROUGHOUT THE PLAY. THE WOMEN GET MORE DONE, NOT ONLY IN THE SEWING BUT ALSO IN FITTING IN IN AMERICA. IT TALKS ABOUT BREAKING THE MOLD OF BEINGA STEREOTYPICAL MOTHER AND SUBMISSIVE WIVES. THIS TIES INTO THE MESSAGE THAT EVERYTHING IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS
CONFLICT AND CHARACTERS THE CENTRAL CONFLICT OF THIS PLAY IS THE WOMEN S IMMIGRATION STATUS AND THE PROCESS OF GETTING THEIR GREEN CARDS AND BECOMING AMERICAN CITIZENS THE ANTAGONIST OF THE PLAY ISN T AN INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER, BUT THE INS ( IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE ) AND THE STIGMA SURROUNDING WOMEN OF THAT ETHNICITY AND SOCIOECONOMICAL CLASS THE PROTAGONIST IS ANABECAUSE SHE IS THE MAIN CHARACTER WHO HAS THE BIGGEST CHARACTER ARC, WITH HER VIEW OF HER FAMILY AND THE WORK THEY DO CHANGING THROUGHOUT THE PLAY
BRIEF SUMMARY THIS PLAY STARTS WITH ANA, A YOUNG GIRL JUST OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL WHO AGREED TO WORK IN HER SISTER S (ESTELA) SEWING FACTORY. ALL 5 OF THE WOMEN IN THIS PLAY ARE UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO GET THEIR GREEN CARDS. ANA WANTS TO GO TO COLLEGE AND BE A WRITER, AND DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE WOMEN SHE WORKS WITH BECAUSETHEY MAKE FUN OF HER FOR HER AMBITIONS AND PHILOSOPHIES. THE OVER ARCHING PLOT/THEME IS ANA GAINING APPRECIATION FOR HER WORK AND HER PEOPLE. SHE EVENTUALLY WRITES AN AWARD WINNING ESSAY THAT ALLOWS HER TO WRITE IN NEW YORK CITY. THROUGH THE PLAY, THEWOMEN GO THROUGH THEIR OWN TRIALS, LIKE TRYING TO OPEN A PLUS-SIZED BOUTIQUE, HIDING FROM THE IMMIGRATION SERVICES, AND GETTING THEIR GREEN CARDS.
CHARACTERS ANA-PROTAGONIST; THE YOUNGEST OF THE WOMEN, OVERWEIGHT, SISTER OF ESTELA, DAUGHTER OF CARMEN. RECENT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE AND A YOUNG FEMINIST ESTELA-MID-TWENTIES, OVERWEIGHT AND OWNERS OF THE GARCIA SEWING FACTORY CARMEN-ESTELA AND ANA SMOTHER, OVERWEIGHT. KNOWN FOR HER KNACK OF STORYTELLING PANCHA-THE BIGGEST OF THE WOMEN, A GENERALLY VERY SWEET PERSON BUT ALSO HAS A SHARP TONGUE ROSALI-THE SMALLEST OF THE WOMEN; SWEET AND EASYGOING
QUOTES WITH THE WORK THAT SEEMED SIMPLE AND UNIMPORTANT, THEY ARE FIGHTING PERHAPS THE GREATEST THING I VE LEARNED FROM THEM IS THAT WOMEN ARE POWERFUL, ESPECIALLY WHEN WORKING TOGETHER . -THIS IS SIGNIFICANT TO THE PLOT OF THE PLAY BECAUSE IT TIES INTO THE CENTRAL THEME WE STATED EARLIER, THAT THE POWER WOMEN HAVE WHEN WORKING TOGETHER IS IMMEASURABLE AND CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. BUT IN THEIR SUBTLE WAYS THEY TAUGHT ME ABOUT RESISTANCE. ABOUT A BATTLE NO ONE WAS FIGHTING FOR EXCEPT THEMSELVES - THIS QUOTE TALKS ABOUT THE MINORITY GROUPS FIGHTING AN INVISIBLE BATTLE THAT AN EVERY-DAY PERSON WOULD NOT EVEN NOTICE
UNUSUAL/UNKNOWN WORDS THE PLAY HAS A SECTION IN THE BACK THAT DEFINES ALL THE SPANISH WORDS USED IN THE PLAY GREEN CARD-A DOCUMENT ISSUED TO IMMIGRANTS UNDER THEIMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT(INA), BESTOWING THERIGHTS,BENEFITS, ANDPRIVILEGESOF PERMANENTLYRESIDING IN THEUS. MOLE- A SAUCE MADE OF CHOCOLATE AND CHILI COYOTE- SOMEONE WHO BRINGS PEOPLE ACROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY FOR
SCENE SELECTIONS! ACT II SCENE 1 PG48-51 ACT II SCENE 3 PG56-PG61 JUST AS FAT AND BEAUTIFUL ACT 1 SCENE 2 PG26 WHAT ARE YOU DOING? -PG30 ANYWHERE
PERSONAL REACTION PAIGE CARSEN Personally I like this play. Although I couldn t relate to I ENJOYED SOME PARTS OF THIS PLAY. I THOUGHT THE STORY WAS GOOD, EVEN IF I DIDN T RELATE TO IT PERSONALLY. I THOUGHT THE WAY THE 5 WOMEN WERE WRITTEN REALLY ALLOWS A LOT OF CHARACTER INTERACTION. I DID FIND IT SLIGHTLY TEDIOUS TO HAVE TO KEEP FLIPPING BACK AND FORTH TO READ THE SPANISH, SO IT WAS VERY HARD TO GET INTO THE FLOW OF READING IT, SINCE I WAS OFTEN ABRUPTLY PULLED OUT OF THE STORY. the struggles of the women, I know that a lot of people can, and the playwright touches on issues through humor. The characters are semi-realistic and very funny, and they have great scenes talking about their lovers, hopes and dreams, etc. I liked how Ana and the other women started the play by teasing each other but they all had their own character arcs and they ended up being closer as a group by the end.
BIBLIOGRAPHY REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (PLAY). WIKIPEDIA, WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION, 2 NOV. 2018, EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/REAL_WOMEN_HAVE_CURVES_%28PLAY%29. LO PEZ JOSEFINA. REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES. DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, 2016.
