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Role of a narrator in play
Literature secret river by kate grenville igcse questions and answers
The secret river assignment
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Recommended: Role of a narrator in play
ate Grenville’s best selling 2005 book The Secret River, directed by Neil Armfield and adapted by Andrew Bovell, is a shocking, scandalous – not to mention thrilling - insight into the historic events of the settling of Australia. This ambitious new play teaches us the truth behind what really happened between the two groups the ‘Dharug’s’ and the white settlers and by the use of Aboriginal dialect we are placed in the perspective of one white man, leaving the theatre in a deafening silence.
The insightful casting of William Thornhill (Nathaniel Dean), an award winning actor and voice over artist, brings you to a better understanding of the archetypical character. The casting is percipient and the excellent Ursula Yovich plays the roll of the narrator, which through the narrator the audience is able to come to the perspective of the aboriginal people.
As well as mind blowing casting, the visionary scene and atmosphere of the theatre is also exquisite, done by the set designer Stephen Curtis. Evocative lighting is used along with dust and smoke to translate the rich detail and drama...
The compassionate novel Deadly Unna?, written by Phillip Gwynne, creates vivid characters and depicts race discourses experienced by Gary Black (also known as Blacky) in a fictitious South Australian coastal community. The novel portrays a typical coastal town of the 1970s and is set mainly in the Port: the local Pub, the Black family home and the jetty, where the local children play. The story explores the racism between the Nungas (the indigenous population who live at the Point) and the Gooynas (the white population who live at the Port). As Blacky is from the Port, he only begins to develop awareness of the racism around him as a result of his friendship with Dumby Red, a Nunga football player, and consequently stops making racist jokes and comments. Analysis of racist ideas in the town, the marginalisation of the Nunga community, Blacky’s changing beliefs and how it influences and empowers him to respond to the death of Dumby Red, reveals that Gwynne encourages the reader to reject the racist values, attitudes and beliefs of Blacky’s community.
The specialization and individualized professions in the field of Technical Theatre are relatively new to the stage in comparison to the period of time in which the art of Theatre has grown. Aiding in the development of concentrated professions such as scenic design has been a plethora of talented, skillful, intelligent and highly driven individuals. Among these influential fountains of creativity have been John Lee Beatty, Eugene Lee, Boris Aronson, Ming Cho Lee, Jo Mielziner, Tony Walton, Robin Wager, John Napier, Santo Loquasto, Heidi Landesman, and Julie Taymor along with many more.
In The Secret River; through the perspective of William Thornhill, Kate Grenville explores a convict's life and their experience when they are given the option to die, or be taken from their home in Europe to the foreign Victorian State. The most obvious option is for someone to continue living as opposed to them to die as a criminal. The novel is remarkably unique in which providing the point of view of both the Europeans and the Aboriginals as the conflict between them develops and culminates as a result of their opposing cultures. As this rivalry progresses, William Thornhill and other European settlers are 'trapped' within this conflict, and each are given the opportunity to choose how to escape their entrapment. In the novel, many chose
Deadly Unna, a novel written by Phillip Gwynne, delves deep into the society of an Australian town in the 1970s when racial prejudice of the Aboriginals was prevalent. Writing in the perspective of Gary ‘Blacky’ Black who is white, Gwynne makes use of many themes in the novel, such as dysfunctional families, friendship, racism and prejudice. However, the most prominent theme that the book focuses on is racism. The author does an excellent job in developing characters and symbols to contrast the relation between the Nungas, the Aboriginal population and the Goonyas, the white population, showing racism.
The hymn, “Shall We Gather at the River” and “The Scarlet Ibis” have similar themes. One of the themes is, one day everything will end, so instead of wanting and wishing for more, appreciate what you have now. The song and short stories have similar themes and morals of stories.
In the chapter the “Rainy River” of the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, O’Brien conveys a deep moral conflict between fleeing the war to go to Canada versus staying and fighting in a war that he does not support. O’Brien is an educated man, a full time law student at Harvard and a liberal person who sees war as a pointless activity for dimwitted, war hungry men. His status makes him naive to the fact that he will be drafted into the war and thus when he receives his draft notice, he is shocked. Furthermore, his anti-war sentiments are thoroughly projected, and he unravels into a moral dilemma between finding freedom in Canada or standing his ground and fighting. An image of a rainy river marking the border between Minnesota and Canada is representative of this chapter because it reflects O’Brien’s moral division between finding freedom in Canada or standing his ground and fighting in the Vietnam war.
Through out the play aboriginals are marginalised they are told where to go what to do and how to go about life. The play was staged on a perambulate model, meaning that the action of the play shifts between many locations. There is the town of Northam with the Police Station and two Cells, the Main Street and the Government Well Aboriginal Reserve. Then there is The Moore River Native Settlement with the Superintendent’s office, the Millimurra family’s tent and the Aboriginal camp at Long Pool. There is also the Chief Protectors Office and the Western Australian Historical Society in Perth and an area by the railway line. This allows for marginalisation between the audience and the play. This can be perceived as some what payback by Jack Davis for the marginalisation that the Europeans forced upon the aboriginals. Contrasting dialogue is also found within the play’s Aboriginal cast. It is not uncommon for a character to begin a sentence in English, only to lead in to Nyoongah words as they proceed:
Interactions between native peoples and immigrants have caused elements of their cultures and societies to entwine where one overpowers the other unevenly, changing both their individual and collective identities. The ambiguity in the peoples’ intentions and understandings creates tension that forces both people to reflect on their identities and act to shape and strengthen them. Both engage in a battle of defining their own and others’ identities and struggle to make them reality. Director Philllipe Noyce’s film The Rabbit-Proof Fence manifests the effects of interactions between indigenous Australians and English colonists, both attempting to control their societal and national identities through the care of their youth. Based on Doris Pilkington Garimara’s Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, the film uncovers forgotten memories through a simple but mysterious glimpse into Aborigine (person with mixed aboriginal and white descent) children’s experience of forced separation from their families. In the story, three Aborigine girls escape on foot together from a sickening settlement, hoping to return home, 1500 miles away, safely. The film simplistically, but realistically, depicts the Aborigines as victims of a hypocritical government changing their future claiming to help them, but ultimately to change its own standing. The Rabbit Proof Fence communicates the importance of native rights, freedom, justice, voice, family, and home.
The characters in Jack Davis' play "No Sugar" are characters that fit colonial stereotypes (both Aboriginals and Whites) although they seem to be exaggerated. Contrasting characters reveal Ideological ideas and attitudes through things like language, often through conflict.40
The setup of the stage was very simple. It was the living room of a home in the early 1980’s. It looked like a normal household, and it had small things such as crumpled up pieces of paper lying around the wastebasket. It also had a couch, circular class table and a recliner in the living room. The dining room was to the left side of the stage and only had the dining table and surrounding chairs. There was a door in the back of the set where characters entered and exited through. Beside the door was a table and stool where Willum presumably worked on his blueprints for the hotel. The lighting design was great; it put you into the atmosphere of the
The director’s concept was again realized in a very creative and simple way. The stage crew did not have time to literally place trees on the stage, or to paint a border that elaborate—the light made the slatted walls look real and really allowed the audience to become a part of the experience.
Throughout the text, the white colonists are very racist towards the Aboriginals. Even cattle, horses and white women are placed hierarchically higher in society than the black people. In response to this, Astley constructs all narrations to be written through the eyes of the Laffey family, who are respectful towards Aboriginals, hence not racist, and despise societal ideologies. By making the narration of the text show a biased point of view, readers are provoked to think and feel the same way, foregrounding racism shown in the ideologies of early Australian society, and showing that Aboriginals are real people and should receive the same treatment to that given to white people. “They looked human, they had all your features.” (pg 27) There was, however, one section in the text whose narrative point of view was not given by a character in the Laffey family. This instead was given by a voice of an Aboriginal woman, when the Aboriginal children were being taken away from their families. By giving voice to the Aboriginal society, the reader is able to get a glimpse of their point of view on the matter, which once again shows that society was racist, and Aboriginals were treated harshly.
All lives revolve around decisions and instances from ones past. In A River Runs Through It (1992), director Robert Redford uses this idea and applies it to a true story of two brothers from Montana, Norman and Paul Maclean (Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt, respectively). Based on the autobiographical novel by Norman Maclean himself, River uses Maclean’s metaphysical beliefs about life and nature to present its many themes. Using a longing score, various film devices, and a story line involving themes of youth, loss, and the pitfalls of pride, Robert Redford crafts a film about the beauty of the past.
Every face had excellent expressions, presenting their characters perfectly. Also, each actor added their own twist on the characters, anywhere from a slight accent to body language, adding more depth to the entire musical. Furthermore, every actor changed their voice in a way that depicted their character’s emotions and attitude at that particular moment. Also, the color of the lights changes according to each scene and the mood for that particular scene.
I have never once been to a show where a change in lighting made me gasp in surprise; but at the beginning of Act Three, when the lights changed from a soft warm light to a harsh fluorescent truly blew me away. It sets the tone for the entire second half of the play, and I thought the way they went about utilizing the lighting was truly brilliant. I also found the dripping water in the Proctor’s home to be very impressive. It made the entire universe that much more realistic. As I watched the real drops of water drip from the ceiling and into the bucket, I was mesmerized and 100% engaged in the story that was happening. I have seen lots of great productions, with tons of brilliant actors, but I find that the little things, like special effects, and lighting is really what impress me when I go to see a show. The technical aspects of theater are truly what made a fine production great, and I like to pay complement where complement is