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''One Third of a Nation'' is a Living Newspaper play produced by the Federal Theatre Project in 1938. Written by Arthur Arent from research by the editorial staff of the Federal Theatre Project, it focused on the problem of housing in the United States and the growth of slums in New York. The play was produced in New York and in nine additional cities, where it was adapted to specific community conditions. It was adapted as a feature film in 1939, and revived on the New York stage in 2011. ==Plot summary== ''One-Third of a Nation'' opens with a scene depicting a burning tenement in New York. The Voice of the Living Newspaper pairs with a character named Angus Buttonkooper, “the little man”, and they both try to explain why decent housing is not available in New York. Their discussions lead them to the basic problem of corruption in the New York housing department. With the expansion of the city, a rich landlord is depicted sitting on a patch of grass, which portrays his property. As the population of the city expands, more and more people try and fit on that patch of grass. They resort to petty fighting and theft to somehow get a place to squat on and get rid of their “dehumanizing misery.” Slowly but steadily, the little man gets politicized over the 100 years of corruption and troubles presented in the play, increasingly becoming impatient and frustrated by the polarity between the wealthy landlord and their impoverished tenants. The piece ends with the delineation of the failure of the Housing Act of 1937, a $565 million project that only managed to alleviate about two percent of New York’s slums. The Little Man and his wife vow to continue to diatribe the government until the housing crisis is resolved and “everyone in America has a decent place to live in." ''One-Third of a Nation'' employs the concept of the little man, an ordinary person with little or no power over his surroundings. The little man is an impoverished person with little access to resources, always suppressed by big men that are capitalists or landlords. The play presents him as travelling through 100 years, witnessing corruption and ill administration throughout his journey. The little man emerges as the protagonist and plays a vital role in fulfilling the Living Newspaper’s function as a social commentary. In a technique characteristic of Living Newspapers, direct communication with the audience, the play concludes with the little man urging the audience to take action and press the government to introduce reforms in housing. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「One-Third of a Nation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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