Articles
Posted by webbmaster on April 10, 2008
http://www.cnn.com/US/9810/12/wyoming.attack.03/
This article gives more insight into the lives and characters of the two individuals who murdered Matthew and also into Matthew’s life and some of his concerns about being gay and living in Laramie. I would probably use the descriptions of the murderers given by individuals in the play to compare with the article.
http://www.nytimes.com/ads/marketing/laramie/19981011_laramie2.html
I like this article because it discusses the reactions of the residents in Laramie to Matthew’s death and how they want it to be known that the events were atypical of the small town. However, it also discusses a different side of Laramie and how homosexuals were commonly treated poorly. I think this article would be great to use as there are many parallels with the play, especially concerning the idea of acceptance vs. tolerance.
Amanda said
Both of these articles seem to have lots of info for you to compare with the play. In discussing either of them, make sure that you address why the play presents the side of the story that it does. For example, the play glosses over a lot of Henderson and McKinney’s personal history, but a lot of the media focused on their own troubled youths. You could also ask who in the play tells us about the murderers – do they get a fair shot in the play?
The second article could provide a really interesting opportunity for you to compare what the homosexuals in Laramie say about the way they are treated as opposed to what some of the other residents say about it. You could talk about how the play’s presentation of the reality of the town relates to what the article tells us and why the playwrights decided to present the town in the manner that they did.