Some ideas for thesis statements for the "Master Harold" play were sent to your school email address.
Here are the basics:
1. Who is the master and who are/is the boy(s)?
2. Sam has performed incredible kindness, yet for all his intellectualizing, Master Harold still buys into the concept of "separation" that is apartheid. Master Harold, despite "book learning," is unable to see or challenge the social system and Sam's kindness and humanity has gone unacknowledged.
An example of the fact that he cannot see around it is that he thinks it is his place to tell the two employees what to do, despite his age. Also, when he develops his thesis statement about the dance.
3. "Master Harold" as a "coming of age" story. Another example of a "coming of age" story is The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Google "coming of age novels" or "coming of age stories" to see if there are others you've read that you can compare "Master Harold" to.
These are only ideas to get you started. Feel free to use your own as long as you meet the objective of using the drama terms. As stated in class, however, papers that have a thesis statement will score higher than those that merely summarize the events of the play.
