How effectively does Lopez use dramatic tension to keep the reader engaged? As you read the play, do you feel invested in knowing how obstacles will be overcome and whether the characters will achieve their goals? Do you eagerly push forward to find answers to questions that Lopez creates and see how characters will resolve their conflicts? How does the metatheatrical nature of the play interact with its dramatic tension? How do the commentary and actions of the Young Men and Morgan heighten or diffuse dramatic tension? Does the play's humor heighten or diffuse its dramatic tension? Choose a single act of the play, from either of the play's two parts, and write an essay that explicates and evaluates Lopez's use of dramatic tension in that act.

Essay Topic 2

How much of present-day Henry's character is really attributable to Walter's choice to bring Peter to the farmhouse, and how much is simply an innate part of who Henry has always been? Consider Henry's backstory before he met Walter--his early life, his marriage, his career, and so on. What does this part of his life demonstrate about his character? Why would he suddenly make such a dramatic change in his life based on meeting Walter? What does he seem to have loved about Walter at this stage in his life? What does Henry say changed about him during the AIDS epidemic, and when Walter chose to keep Peter at the farmhouse? Do you think that most people would have changed in the way Henry changed? What commentary of Henry's about Leo, charity, politics, and responsibility in general sheds light on his personality and beliefs? Do these seem to have changed since that pivotal moment at the farmhouse, or are these aspects of Henry consistent throughout his life? Write an essay in which you analyze the characterization of Henry, taking and defending a clear position about how important Walter's decision to keep Peter at the farmhouse really was--or was not--in forming the man that Henry Wilcox became. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text.

Essay Topic 3

What claims is The Inheritance making about cultural appropriation from the gay community? How does this relate to the part of the play's plot in which Henry and his children try to keep Eric from inheriting what Walter wanted to bequeath him? Why do Eric's and Walter's individual personalities, ages, and beliefs matter in understanding this relationship? How does the class status of Henry and his children mimic the power dynamic between the larger community and the gay community? Write an essay in which you show how the plot regarding the farmhouse illuminates the text's concerns regarding cultural appropriation. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text.

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