Drama Project Reflection
Stage 1 and 2
- What are you learning about the conflicts that drive the plot?
- What are you learning about the characters?
- What are you learning about the themes of the play?
- What is it about a solo reading that enables you to learn these things?
- Why/How have you learned the things you have about the plot, characters and themes?
In this play we can really see the difference between the relationships and conflicts between the members of the family, and how they change from the start of the play to the end. At the start of the play, we have a happy British family celebrating the engagement of two young fellows whereas in the end, we can really see how this atmosphere has changed: The engagement between the two fellows breaks (Sheila and Gerald), a young girl is devastated (Sheila) becase of the death of a lady in her mid-twenties and the father of them all gets angry because he has discovered things which he never knew about, such as the drinking of his son and the cheating of his future son in law towards her daughter! The conflicts all started when an inspector came and asked questions to the members of a wealthy British family. Sooner or later, the conflicts between family members started as some uncomfortable questions asked by the inspector lead some lies to be discovered. For example, an engaged man by the name of Gerald cheated on his girlfriend and a young adult by the name of Eric had hid the fact that he drank alcohol from his parents. I am also seeing that each member of the family has done something which lead to the suicide of a young woman.
The characters are all unique and each of them has its own personality. Almost all of the people who read this play did not find themselves in that same situation ever in their lives, therefore, in order to "imagine" and picture the play in our heads, we must use our "imagination", which is why evry individual who read the play pictured the characters in a unique way based on their personal experiences, propaganda, movies, social life, stereotypes etc. all mixed together.
- Mr. Birling is described by the author
of the play, (J.B. Pristley), as an important and very successful business man, which creates in my mind, the image of a rather old man
smoking a pipe, wearing formal clothes, relaxed, strict, hard headed and stubborn as well.
- These image is the result of my own personal experiences, movies and even stereotypes.
- One would say he is relaxed because he is rich and successful making me feel as if he does not have many things to worry about.
- I think he is stubborn because of the way he interacts with the other characters in the play, showing he sticks to his ideas and does not listen to other as often as he should.
- I imagine him as being old, becase in most cases,to become rich and successful as a business man, you need some experience (age).
- The fact that I also picture him smoking a pipe is just coming from movies because in movies they always show rich people with pipes. Wearing formal clothes because, being wealthy, he has enough money for himself to buy fancy clothes.
- Sheila is described by the author
as a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited which creates in my mind the image of a young girl,
weak on the inside, very sensible, fragile and sweet. I imagine her wearing glasses and being a little bit too secure of herself.
- I imagine her very sensible and fragile because when she knew that a girl committed suicide, she cried, and despite the fact that it was not her fault, she felt like she was to be blamed for it.
- The fact that she cried makes us also see how she is weak and very easy to offend.
- I picture her smart because at the beginning she is the only one that knows how the inspector is going to have a
talk to all the members of the family and she is also the only one sensible enough to feel guilty about what she did even after the
family found out that the inspector who came was not a real inspector.
- Because I picture her smart, I imagine her wearing glasses due to movies and stereotypes, which show how every smart person wears glasses.
- I think she is a bit too secure of herself though because when her family told her how the inspector who came could have been a fake inspector, she stuck herself to her own ideas... Just like her dad (Mr.Birling) is, she is stubborn too.
- Mr. Birling is described by the author
of the play, (J.B. Pristley), as an important and very successful business man, which creates in my mind, the image of a rather old man
smoking a pipe, wearing formal clothes, relaxed, strict, hard headed and stubborn as well.
By reading the play (solo reading), you can think about the characters and the theme of the story in your own way because you can picture the characters and theme in your head however you want them to look. By picturing your own characters, you can learn different things from them, your own things. If you read above the way I see two of characters I find most important the story, it is probably different than the way you pictured them in your head... This is the power of Solo Reading, you can read, picture and create your own characters and theme.
I am really amazed when I see the personality that the author of the play (J.B. Pristley) has chosen to give the characters in the play, and that is because these personalities all bind together to form an amazing play, funny to read as well thanks to the sarcasm involved within the play and all the sudden changes as well as seeing how the inspector is going to "bust" all the members of the family. The play has a good ending as well because it makes the reader want to read more, and more, and more... It makes the reader wish for other characters to come in the play and get "busted". My favourite character was Mr.Birling, which I find not guilty. The inspector says he contributed to leading a girl to suicide even though he only fired her because she was asking for an increase in salary.
Reflection By Adamo Mariani