CST – 2008

This is to be completed for next Friday 16th November

SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS DIMENSIONS

6. “Scottish playwrights portray Scotland as a nation of underprivileged people.” Discuss this statement with reference to two or more plays you have seen orstudied.

  • Reference Men should Weepin terms of
  • setting (1930’s – depression)
  • Unemployment,
  • Housing
  • Health
  • Treatment of old people
  • Poverty – clothes – the mission
  • Poverty – food
  • Resorting to crime and gambling
  • How money is actually earned.
  • And referencing the depiction of those with money – Jenny’s partner, the guy Isa flirts with with a car, who would buy her furs, Lizzie and her second hand clothes trade – the idea that those doing well were viewed by the Morrisons as suspect.
  • Aspirations – what the characters want, material possessions and lifestyles they crave.
  • Contrast with the Christmas after John has been working, the new hat, the radio, football boots etc…
  • Referencing Tally’s Blood
  • Settings – before and after WW11
  • The relative wealth of the Pedreschi family ( now own two shops)
  • The poverty of the Devlins.
  • The impact of the death and absence of the men of the house ( Devlin’s death and Massimo’s incarceration) on the lifestyles of the women left behind.
  • The generosity of the Pedreschi’s (particularly Massimo) , disposable income. spoiling Lucia, setting up Hughie..
  • The mob – were they motivated by more than just the Italians entering the war?
  • Massimo’s feeling of being on a treadmill.
  • A jukebox trust fund
  • The lifestyle of Luigi after the war.

7. Discuss the extent to which Scottish playwrights depict Scotland as an intolerantcountry. You should illustrate your answer with reference to two or more playsthat you have seen or read.

Intolerance in our two plays –

Men Should Weep

  • Sexual double standards
  • Old people
  • Chauvinism

Tally’s Blood

  • Anti – Scot’s sentiment
  • Anti- Italian sentiment
  • Sexual double standards.

ISSUES OF GENDER

Compare the men with the women in contemporary Scottish plays. Which of the sexes do you consider to be more powerful? You should illustrate your answerwith reference to two or more plays you have seen or read.

Men should weep –Consider, compare and contrast these relationships in term of power.

Don’t forget to refer to the plays setting and prevailing norms, in your analysis, and shifts in power between people throughout the narrative.

John and Maggie

John and Lily

John and Jenny

John and Isa

Maggie and Alec

Isa and Alec

Tally’s Blood

Massimo and Rosinella

Stalio(?) and Rosinella

Bridget and Franco

Rosinella and Franco

Rosinella and Hughie

Bridget and Hughie

Lucia and Hughie – as children AND adults

Massimo and Bridget

Reach some conclusion based on your analysis.

11. “Contemporary Scottish playwrights portray young women as being liberated. They seem to be free of the burdens that were put on the older generation ofwomen.”

Discuss this statement with reference to two or more plays you have seen or studied.

Even though our two plays are set well in the past, this question could be tackled by looking at how each younger generation of women are portrayed as more liberated than their mother’s generation. Further analysis will reveal that they struggle with a lot of the same burdens and worries, and that their “mothers” were not as constrained as they first appear.

Men should weep

Jenny and Isa’s expectations and behaviours, compared with Maggie/lily/lizzie.

Tally’s Blood

Lucia and Bridget, compared to Rosinella.

Make a point – explain what you mean – contextualise – support with a quote/stage direction. = 1 mark.

DO NOT REPEAT YOURSELF.