Disgraced -- by Ayad Akhtar (2013)

Description
Disgraced is the first play by a Muslim-American to win the Pulitzer Prize. The play is set in 2011-2012 with Amir as the leading man. He is a successful lawyer who is married to an up-and-coming artist, Emily, who draws upon Islamic traditions as her topics and inspirations. Amir has veered away from his heritage by changing his name. He gets sucked into a controversial case with an imam -- Emily urges him to help the imam, but later Amir is depicted as a radical Islamist. Meanwhile, Emily's work gets highly appraised. One of her main works is a portrait of Amir that is based on a famous portrait of a slave.

Halfway through the play, Emily and Amir host Jory and Isaac. The two couples end up in a heated discussion about the interpretation and representation of Islam. Amir drunkenly decides to calm down, but soon thereafter he and Jory see Isaac having an intimate moment with Emily. Isaac and Emily did have an affair before this dinner. Tensions escalate. Amir beats Emily before his nephew, Abe, walks into the room. The final scene occurs months after the disastrous dinner. Abe confesses the struggles he has been having as a Muslim-American to Amir. Emily leaves Amir.

The one-act play tackles many important, controversial issues of today. I recommend the play to all Americans who desire to better understand some of the cultural issues faced specifically by Muslim-Americans today.

Candid Reactions

• In the version I read, Akhtar has  an essay "On Reading Plays" that is worth a read. He assesses the value of reading plays especially in comparison to viewing plays. 
• His beliefs on how plays should be read reminds me of Billy Collins's classic "How to Read a Poem." Akhtar asserts, "It is meant to be pored over, interrogated, dissected, obeyed" (vii). 
• I love how Akhtar describes what it's like to read a play: "This encounter can have the thrill of overheard conversation, the piecing together of circumstance, situation, emotion, the making sense of what we cannot see" (vii).
• Plays and poetry have blatant similarities. Akhtar includes, "In a play, the words are signals; they announce and evoke; as building blocks of a plan, they do not consummate, but rather promise; they direct, conceal, uncover" (viii). 
• Akhtar reminds me of cummings when he states, "Absence, then, is the reigning principle of a written play" (ix). 
• Okay, this portrait is clearly going to be a main issue of the play. 
• Emily has some of the best lines in this play with the least attention drawn to them. Example: "Pays to be the boss" (11). 
• The crush story is . . . well . . . crushing. 
• Emily really is a pusher. 
• Emily's appreciation of Muslims could be portrayed several different ways, but I believe she truly has respect. 
• The title "Impossible Heroes" is kinda funny. 
• What a sneaky line of dialogue when Amir toasts, "To your show. And to Emily in your show" (44). 
• Talk about a conversation starter . . . what does everyone think of Jory's statement, "If everyone was so forthcoming, the world would be a very different place" (51)?
• The criticism of Western appreciation of the Muslim  lifestyle is intriguing. 
• The juxtaposition of lines in Scene Three is perfect. 
• The South Park reference must have been weird for those creators to hear. 
• Wow. I wonder how the audience reacts when Amir responds to Isaac's question: "Did you feel pride on September Eleventh?" (62)
• Isaac's argument that Amir's beliefs are not rooted in Islam, but in his own ego is really piercing. 
• Oh, no. This is getting out of control. 
• Isaac's line about what the portrait represents is so sad. 
• What's with his use of all-caps?
• We start to see the cyclical, generational challenges. 
• The callback to the title is very effective. 
• Of course the play would end like that! 

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning
1. Facing Modern Muslim America

Ayad Akhtar does not provide an escapist play, and thank God for that! He addresses the complexity of living as a Muslim-American in a post-9/11 America. Amir is an inimitable individual, yet he represents a community with his voicing of frustrations, fears, and flaws. Akhtar addresses both the self-loathing and irrepressible pride of Muslim-Americans. He reminds the reader that the story of Muslim-Americans need not only to be elevated, but to be from Muslim-Americans themselves, too. In today's America, general Islamophobia is undeniable, and Akhtar brings forth that reality to the American consciousness.

2. Heritage

This concept ties into the aspect above, but Akhtar asserts that the complexity of being a Muslim-American did not spawn or stop at 9/11. Amir's relationship and attitudes with his ancestors and younger generations reveal the intricacies of honoring heritage. 

Classroom Implications
As usual, the language would most likely rule out this play from being read in a high school setting. However, I think that the content would be really engaging for the students. The topics of identity, racial profiling, and appropriation would all interest the students, I believe.

Personal Takeaway
Recent recipients have focused on modern conflicts.

Ranking

	Dialogue	Characters	Plot/Conflict	Symbol/Literary Devices	Overall Enjoyment	TOTAL SCORE 7.25
0	Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character	Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity	Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping	Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story	Reader has no interest in re-reading play
1	Not consistently realistic	Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity	Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points (1.5)	Devices somewhat enhance story  (1)	Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work (1.25)
2	Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters (1.75)	Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity (1.75)	Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping!	Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation	Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically