Comprehension Aid: "A Living Newspaper Production of the Federal Theater Project"

Getting the Meaning:

• What was the WPA?
• What is a "Living Newspaper"?
• What is "propaganda"? Use the electronic glossary or a dictionary if you need to.
• What does the narrator ("Loudspeaker") tell you about conditions in the Tennessee Valley? (See the Prologue.)
• What is the problem in Scene 15-A? What does Wife want Farmer to do about it?
• What is the problem in Scene 15-B? What does Wife want Husband to do about it?

• Why did the playwright decide to end these scenes with "The TVA Song"?
• In your opinion, is this play propaganda? Explain why or why not.
• What evidence is there that not all Living Newspaper plays reflected the views of the government (who had hired the playwrights)? (See the Introduction.)
• What messages does the play give the audience about the role of women at that time? Do you think this is sexism or reality? Explain.