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Pablo Vergara-Arias

Mr. Phillips

H. Cultural Media Literacy, 04

21 May 2018

Research Essay: Atlanta on Success & Wealth

“Welcome to Atlanta. Donald Glover's city of dreams” (Alston). Though seemingly

simple in concept, Donald Glover’s melancholy comedy offers a surrealist look on what it means

to succeed in America. When Glover first started the show, the aim was to create a show that

“made people feel a certain way. . . a feeling people can’t really siphon or make into something

else” (Staff). Donald Glover not only achieved his goal, in doing so he was able to create an

entire cultural zeitgeist that serves as a sign of the times. To understand Atlanta and its

hyper-realistic intricacies, one has to understand what trajectory Atlanta is following. Donald

Glover sought out to use an aspiring rap artist as a means to progress his commentary. Through

the story of up-and-coming rapper Paperboi, his manager Earn Marks and fellow entourage

member Darius, the three men, live their lives through constant moments of comedy and stardom

juxtaposed against jarring tone shifts that demonstrate the delicacy of humor in the twenty-first

century. Through constant juxtaposition, & exquisitely sharp surrealist satire Donald Glover’s

Atlanta is an uncharted approach into what it means to truly be successful in America. An

America that has become overly infatuated with the love of money and loathe of wealth.

The show thrives on subtle yet razor sharp criticisms. With Atlanta’s first season, Donald

Glover confronted issues such as police brutality, homophobia, transphobia, and mental illness.

(Rochlin) What’s interesting is that Glover was able to tackle all the aforementioned subjects in

the span of a single episode. Episode two of season one serves as a full blown pounce on the

current state of America. Starting from episode one Donald Glover built a momentum that
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twenty episodes later still has not showed any signs of slowing down.While satirizing the state of

the country on a variety of issues, Glover’s focal point remains the value of money and its

relation to success. In following the journey of the three main protagonist from the very

beginning of their musical journey, Glover is able to depict a rags-to-riches stories in the most

unconventional yet metaphorical way possible. Atlanta’s sheer size and span makes everything

done within the city feel surreal (Newkirk). When that surrealism is juxtaposed against the

everyday struggle of the living as a black man in one of America’s most urban cities, it is easy to

see why race is as incorporated as it is in the T.V show. Though every episode in Glover’s

repertoire serves as a perfect commentary piece, no episode stands out more than episode six of

season two: “Teddy Perkins”. Glover’s portrayal of a broken man that’s fallen victim to nearly

every prejudice possible serves as a incredibly astute commentary on everything from the

struggles of fame, race and even age. Glover portrays a reality that demonstrates success does

not equate to wealth in any sense of the word. Glover’s desire to express success leads him into

the an often taboo topic not covered on prime time TV: race

Atlanta chooses to not to use color as a handicap. Donald Glover’s ability to depict

everyday life in one of America’s blackest cities through an exaggerated surrealist lens allows

for reality to be told in an subtle introspective manner while remaining honestly explicit at the

same time. Though Atlanta’s first season dealt with race in a more juvenalian-focused manner,

the juxtaposition of race being satirized in a horatian manner in the second season serves as a

keen commentary on just how much race factors into the perceived ideals of success in the

twenty first century. Glover is no stranger to racial commentary. One has to look no further than

Glover’s/Childish Gambino’s “This is America” video to see how much of a virtuoso Glover has

become with his commentary (Giorgis). As Atlanta has progressed, Glover continues to delve

deeper with the idea of how life as a black man effects the idea of success. As his control of fame
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slowly slips out of his control with Paperboi’s virality growing, Earn finds himself pitted against

the fabricated music industry. Where as Earn’s caucasian contemporaries are more radio friendly

and accessible, Paperboi has to work to earn his spot on the label. In such an instance Glover

gives commentary on how depending on one’s skin color, success lends itself to different

meanings with different standards of efforts. A contemporary issue that Atlanta excells at.

Perhaps the shows greatest strength lies in its ability to be contemporary without being

afraid to dig into the past. The show's contemporary nature can be best observed through its

curated soundtrack. In juxtaposing the Migo’s, modern hard hitting trap rhythms against the pure

power and emption on Nina Simone’s ballads one can see how Glover uses both the then and the

now to progress his message of moving forward without being afraid to look back for influence.

Glover’s desire to put forth the struggles of modern twenty-first century America while

connecting it to past America demonstrates that although contemporary social media would lead

the public to believe significant progress has been made towards relations in the U.S, there is

plenty of ground left to cover. Such issues lead to discussion that oftentimes isn’t seen on prime

TV which lends itself to a question.

Is Atlanta currently the most important show on TV right now? Even if one does not

agree that Atlanta is the most important TV show on right now, one can’t deny that with only

two seasons under its wing, it has already cemented its place as a cultural landmark. In only

twenty-one episodes Atlanta has used its surrealist humor to advance the conservation on issues

that have often times never been presented on modern media (Jurgensen). Whether it be race,

gender, or class, Glover has used Atlanta as a platform to advance an often silenced

conversation. Glover uses all the aforementioned issues to put a spot light under the definition of

success. Glover effectively uses his mastery of satire and surreal humor to demonstrate that in
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modern twenty first century America, money does not equal success. Success relies upon the

ambitions and inhibitions of the individual.

In conclusion, Atlanta works because it isn’t afraid to be everything and nothing all at

once. In its pursuit to tell the story of wealth & opulence, Atlanta serves as a means to represent

the dichotomy between money & success; and success & wealth. Donald Glover is not afraid to

cross the boundary that separates fact from fiction. In a country that is as divided as it currently

is, one has to question does art imitate life, or does life imitate art? Glover’s Atlanta answers

both questions in a way that has never been seen on any screen before. As America continues its

descent into insanity, Glover’s Atlanta will only continue to strive off its distinct use of satire. As

Atlanta continues to push forth, its commentary on the state of man will only continue to

advance with it. Atlanta will continue to be at the forefront of “smart” programing. Programing

that proves America is not brain dead yet. Atlanta and its commentary can be summed up by one

of its poignant and self fulfilling quotes: “​everything’s made up, stay woke (Glover).”
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Works Cited

Alston, Joshua. “Atlanta Can Be Aanything It Damn Well Pleases, Even a Coming-of-Age

Period Piece.” ​TV Club​, Tv.avclub.com, 4 May 2018,

tv.avclub.com/atlanta-can-be-anything-it-damn-well-pleases-even-a-co-1825775747.

Giorgis, Hannah. “Donald Glover's Evolving Vision of Black Kinship.” ​The Atlantic​, Atlantic

Media Company, 11 May 2018,

www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/05/donald-glover-atlanta-and-the-ties-t

hat-bind/560213/.

Jurgensen, John. “How Donald Glover's 'Atlanta' Breaks TV's Rules.” ​The Wall Street Journal​,

Dow Jones & Company, 9 May 2018,

www.wsj.com/articles/how-atlanta-breaks-tvs-rules-1525872029.

Newkirk, Vann R. “Atlanta's Magic Is in the Details.” ​The Atlantic​, Atlantic Media Company, 6

Sept. 2016,

www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/09/atlantas-magic-is-in-the-details/498

887/.

Rochlin, Margy. “In Creating 'Atlanta,' Donald Glover Aims to Show That 'Actual Life Is Very

Messy'.” ​Los Angeles Times​, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2016,

www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-en-mn-1122-atlanta-20161110-story.html.

Staff, NPR. “Donald Glover Explores A Surreal Feel In 'Atlanta'.” ​NPR​, NPR, 17 Sept. 2016,

www.npr.org/2016/09/17/494390868/donald-glover-explores-a-surreal-feel-in-atlanta.