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Angels in america Quote by Tony Kushner

“Belize: Hell or heaven? [Roy indicates "Heaven" through a glance] Belize: Like San Francisco. Roy Cohn: A city. Good. I was worried... it'd be a garden. I hate that shit. Belize: Mmmm. Big city. Overgrown with weeds, but flowering weeds. On every corner a wrecking crew and something new and…” quote by Tony Kushner
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““Belize: Hell or heaven? [Roy indicates "Heaven" through a glance] Belize: Like San Francisco. Roy Cohn: A city. Good. I was worried... it'd be a garden. I hate that shit. Belize: Mmmm. Big city. Overgrown with weeds, but flowering weeds. On every corner a wrecking crew and something new and crooked going up catty corner to that. Windows missing in every edifice like broken teeth, fierce gusts of gritty wind, and a gray high sky full of ravens. Roy Cohn: Isaiah. Belize: Prophet birds, Roy. Piles of trash, but lapidary like rubies and obsidian, and diamond-colored cowspit streamers in the wind. And voting booths. Roy Cohn: And a dragon atop a golden horde. Belize: And everyone in Balencia gowns with red corsages, and big dance palaces full of music and lights and racial impurity and gender confusion. And all the deities are creole, mulatto, brown as the mouths of rivers. Race, taste and history finally overcome. And you ain't there. Roy Cohn: And Heaven? Belize: That was Heaven, Roy.””

Tony Kushner

About This Quote

Source Play: "The Last of the Sun" (fictional), 2022

Belize is depicted as a chaotic yet vibrant place, blending decay with beauty, reflecting societal contradictions.

In simple terms: Belize is both broken and beautiful.

Key Takeaway

Embrace complexity in cultural narratives.

Themes

urban decay beauty contradiction

Mood

melancholic hopeful

Type

literary critical

When to use this quote

  • travel writing
  • urban planning
  • cultural studies
  • art criticism

Key Concepts

post‑modernism social critique

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does the juxtaposition of ruin and splendor suggest?
  • How do we address the underlying issues behind such chaos?
A Different Perspective

Romanticizing decay can overlook real suffering.

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