Here is a list of words used in the play that are outdated or have significant meaning:
William Averell Harriman, 48th Governor of NY (1954-58), senate and presidential nominee, and Democratic statesman. Son of a railroad tycoon.
Charles Pierre Baudelaire, major 19th Century French poet and essayist.
Colloquial term for close slow dancing
Major African-American Blues singer in the 1920s-30s.
Also known as “Bird.” Highly Influential African-American Jazz saxophonist and composer (1920-1955). Became an important figure to the Beat Poets as he symbolized the artist as intellectual.
From carpentry: a short piece of material (usually wood) used in a repair to replace damage. In theatre carpentry it is a piece of material used as a joint to bring two pieces together and then painted over to make the effect appear seamless. Not to be confused with the Flying Dutchman, a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is often a harbinger of doom.
Probably a reference to some of the Beat Poets, especially Alan Ginsburg, who was a friend of Baraka’s before he became militant and then again later in their lives.
This highly offensive and racist term for Black people, African-American or otherwise, originates from Romance language words for black and can be traced as far back as the 1500s. The history of the word is complex, with several volumes tracing its origins and evolution. What is important to realize in the setting of the play is that while still pejorative, it was still commonly heard.
Derogatory African-American slang term for white people, no longer in common usage. Origins of this term are unkown
Technically refers to any rented home. Colloquially, this term has come to mean a run-down apartment or slum.
A derogatory term for an African-American who is subservient to white people. This originates from adaptations of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom (1852), in which the title character is lampooned and debased, as opposed to in the original novel where he is a more positive figure.