ipl-logo

Essay On Sweat By Lynn Nottage

874 Words4 Pages

Addiction is a complicated and challenging condition that affects millions of people around the world. The consequences of drug addiction can be devastating for individuals and for society. Addiction can cause numerous health issues, and changes to personal life with friends and family. The play “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage highlights addiction, her characters Tracey and Brucie both face addiction after traumatic experiences. The play “Sweat” calls attention to the challenges that people and families dealing with addiction face.
Addiction starts as a coping method for people dealing with intense pain or trauma. The play “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage the character Brucie, a father, husband and Union Leader, experiences addiction of Heroin. Brucie is locked …show more content…

In addition to the health issues that come with drug addiction and use, addiction can also cause social isolation. Addiction can also have an effect on families and communities, as loved ones may be forced to deal with the burden of caring for someone struggling with addiction. In the article Heroin Addiction, Ethics and Philosophy of Medicine it says how “The heroin user seems to be considered as one who rejects these cultural values. He refuses the task of self actualisation ; he refuses to contribute positively to society” In the play Sweet by Lynn Nottage the character Brucie experiences addiction the worst, he is torn from his life and is brought to desperate and unthinkable things to feed his addiction. In the play, one of the worst things we hear about that Brucie did to feed his addiction is when Cynthia is at the bar talking to Stan and says “I go downstairs. My Christmas presents under the tree are gone— STAN. / Get outta here. CYNTHIA. AND my fish tank with my expensive new tropical fish, gone.” (Nottage 17) Brucie had stolen Christmas from his family. This is not uncommon for people dealing with addiction, they will use the vulnerability of the people trying to help and turn them into enablers of their addiction. Addiction is a devastating mental illness that affects not only the addict but society as a

Show More
Related
229 Words | 1 Pages

of Methadone and she reported maintain a satisfactory dosing level. During the last quartet, Pt. learned about heroin use, resentment, powerlessness and treatment progress. Pt. seemed to understand that she was completely without power, without strength, without any ability to control how much she used during her addiction.

Read More
808 Words | 4 Pages

Addiction had not only consumed Jesse’s life, but it had taken his father’s (163). When Jesse started dealing in his college years, “He was kicked out of school…and barely escaped without jail time” (162). At this point in his life, Jesse, “could not be

Read More
618 Words | 3 Pages

Although some aren’t as abrasive as others, each one provides its own set of challenges. Sometimes, this can prove too much for a person and they try to find an outlet where they can “hide” from the world. They turn towards drugs and alcohol instead of fixing their situation. Eventually their “outlet” becomes an addiction and soon that addiction takes over their lives.

Read More
649 Words | 3 Pages

“Deterioration” is a creative writing piece told from the viewpoint of a small child dealing with a family full of addicts. The author, Deserai Lucas, describes the long term tragedy that drugs and alcohol pose upon children when both parents are abusing the substances at hand. Lucas’ purpose in this writing is to establish the harmful effects, and the level of awareness a child has in this particular situation. These circumstances are relatable and will attract an audience that has experienced deep pain from watching one suffer through addiction.

Read More
496 Words | 2 Pages

Liz Murray’s mother and father were drug addicts living in the Bronx. She was born in 1980 with drugs in her blood because her parents religiously uses cocaine and heroin. (Murray 11). A vicious cycle of her parent’s use of drugs and mental illness seem to carry throughout several chapters. Murray and her sister survives on egg and mayonnaise sandwiches, toothpaste, and even cherry-flavored chapstick.

Read More
1501 Words | 7 Pages

TITLE     We’ve all witnessed drugs rip apart lives as easy as caramel pull aparts disconnect, and the aftermath can cause emotional pain to many people. Watching the news can be devastating in our area because of the prevalence heroin has. Abby has seen drug abuse first hand, and there is nothing comparable to walking in a house and seeing someone on the floor who overdosed. Having an addict in your family is like getting stabbed for something you didn’t do, it is a pain that recurs for years. James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues” expresses how some scars are permanent and wounds hurt when they are reopened whether it be physical or mental pain.

Read More
1291 Words | 6 Pages

The play sweat by Lynn Nott age takes place in the first decade of the 2000s. During the duration of the play we follow characters through a period of time where the factory they work at starts downsizing and then the union strikes. In response to this the workers are locked out and eventually their jobs get sourced out to Mexico. This all takes place in the small town of Reading, Pennsylvania and more specifically in a bar in this town for the majority of the play. The play speaks to the fragile human condition and many other topics, however, I will be focusing on what Nott age is saying about addiction in the play.

Read More
668 Words | 3 Pages

Tweak: Growing up on methamphetamines is a novel regarding the reasoning behind why a young boy by the name Nic Sheff, who seems to have a bright future, but falls into drug usage. In the story, we will explore Nic passage through treatment, relapse and trying to get clean for one final time. As well as why Nic's troubled childhood, failed relationship among his family member and past lovers led him to falling deeper and deeper to drugs. This novel allows the reader to glance at certain situations that could lead to drug use and relapses.

Read More
1956 Words | 8 Pages

He does a commendable job of avoiding prejudicial tropes of the era and does not demonize the drugs themselves, noting that the drug “was neither diabolical nor divine” (63). By outlining the physical, psychological, and social effects of addiction, Stevenson presents a realistic portrayal of this problem without demonizing the person suffering from addiction, and in couching as a metaphor he successfully avoids exploiting addicts as well. The narrative, especially at the time of its publication, was suspenseful, terrifying, and enthralling, and though these elements may not have aged well as the work seems rather tame by today’s standards, the story of addiction has only increased in

Read More
1682 Words | 7 Pages

Many of the women who contributed articles to the book have battled addiction. For instance, one women talks about her crack cocaine addiction and how it drove her to commit crimes to sustain her addiction. Another lady speaks about her battles with alcoholism, how it impacted her relationships, and how the addiction made it difficult for her to raise her children. Access to treatment programs can considerably lower recidivism rates among people with drug misuse problems, according to research on substance addiction. Counseling, group therapy, and medication-assisted treatments are just a few of the options that may be used to help.

Read More
859 Words | 4 Pages

Drug addiction is a constant war. It is a battle being fought between oneself, possibly family, friends but always, the drug. Yet for anyone that is struggling, there is hope. Despite our differences, there will always be a path to recovery. In “Water by the Spoonful”, Quiara Alegría Hudes incorporates several strategies and tactics through various character’s agencies and symbolism to ultimately create a piece that centers recuperation.

Read More
785 Words | 4 Pages

Addiction is a condition in which a person is compelled to continue an act even if it interferes with ordinary life responsibilities. Life with addiction can become overwhelming and even stressful because there is such a need for a specific item. Addictions cause harm, abuse, fatality, behavioral problems such as, aggressiveness, loss of self-control and paranoia. In “Sonny’s Blues” we see a different type of addiction than what we see in “A River Runs Through It.” In “Sonny’s Blues” Sonny was addicted to heroine, a drug that triggers a release of dopamine into the brain.

Read More
480 Words | 2 Pages

This question is addressed in the third section of the article. For that reason, the author writes with a rhetoric of pathos to encourage the reader to persevere and also purchase Naloxone, a drug which can alter the effects of opioids in case of emergency. Since addiction is an emotional subject, this section of the article contains much pathos rhetoric

Read More
841 Words | 4 Pages

This is because of her escapades of the day that ended up with her crushing a stolen wedding limo into a house (Thomas). The film explores substance use disorder through the eyes and life of Cummings and the people she meets in the rehab. It also explores the challenges they go through in trying to get clean. This essay will show how substance abuse and its related disorder is being portrayed in the film.

Read More
1465 Words | 6 Pages

Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com.proxy151.nclive.org/apps/doc/H1420096909/LitRC?u=ncliverockcc&sid=LitRC&xid=706af6fe. Accessed 11 Feb. 2018. Originally published in The Languages of Addiction, edited by Jane Lilienfeld and Jeffrey Oxford, St. Martin's Press, 1999, pp. 175-192. Tackach, James.

Read More

More about Essay On Sweat By Lynn Nottage

Related Topics

Open Document