The play Skellig Essay Example For Students

The play Skellig Essay I got the chance to watch the play Skellig at the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham. The play is about Michael, a boy who has to cope with a house move, a newborn baby sister fighting for life and old Skellig, the ungrateful, arthritic tramp discovered in the garage of the new house who is also thought to be an angel. In this essay I will talk about how the actors used the stage, voice and movement to show the characters feelings and emotions throughout the play. The play begins with the familys first day at the house. The towering spiral of junk that depicts the house from basement to attic is used for every scene in the play. If looked at in detail, the spiral of junk wouldve included: an old freezer; piles of old newspapers and books; cardboard boxes; old furniture and ripped up clothes. The whole set was just dark browns, darks blues and dark greens which portrayed the gloom of the play. We will write a custom essay on The play Skellig specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The first one to enter the scene is Michael. Whilst he does a monologue that tells his story so far the rest of the cast pick up instruments to play the music and effects during the monologue. This perhaps portrays the closeness of the family on which the play is based because everyone is on stage at that part of the play. It added a contrast of cheerful music to the dark set and it also included the audience in the play. Michaels voice changes as he begins to talk about his sister. He speaks with a nervous tone of voice as he begins to move very carefully, suggesting perhaps that his sister needs very gentle care at the moment. His father tries to repair and clean the danger-filled garage as best he can which includes a horrible toilet. However, the garage is so wrecked that Michaels father warns him not to go inside. His tone of voice, at that moment, is louder but only shows an attempt to threaten his son and not to suggest that he has power over Michael because later on in the play Michael goes into the garage regardless of his fathers warning. When Skellig is introduced into the play, he is seen by Michael as a strange human-like creature that seems to have almost wasted away. Neal Foster (Skellig) spends most of the play sitting still to emphasise the severity of Skelligs arthritis. When Michael asks him what he is, he simply answers, Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He uses this answer to almost any question asked by Michael and he always expresses this line with stiffness and anger in his voice. This could also represent his arthritis condition. Michael decides to take care of Skellig and asks if there is anything he could do for him. Skellig demands aspirin and states two numbers, 27 and 53. Michael doesnt understand the meaning of he numbers but decides to help in any way he can. There is a big change in levels of the characters in the play. At the beginning of the play, when Skellig is vulnerable and in pain, he is always lower than any other character. Skellig gradually gets higher and at the end of the play, Skellig is the highest and therefore with more power over other characters. Later on in the play Michael meets a girl named Mina who lives next door. She is home schooled, and is very interested in nature and poems by William Blake. They become very close friends and Mina takes Michael to an abandoned house where a lot of owls live. The top of the towering spiral is used as the abandoned house. As Skellig becomes accustomed to and more tolerant of Michael, Michael decides to introduce him to Mina. They decide its best to move him into the abandoned house, due to the fact that Michaels father is going to tear down the garage in a matter of days. This is a very emotional scene, because for the first time Skellig is moved in the play and the audience understand his fear and pain. .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .postImageUrl , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:hover , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:visited , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:active { border:0!important; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:active , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Act 4 Scene 1 is the dramatic climax to the play EssayMina is a very important character in the play and has a lot of impact on how the play progresses. At the first meeting with Michael, she is standing higher then him. However, during the play they change levels so that Michael is sometimes higher but at the end of the play they are on the same level.  Skellig begins to heal and become what would appear to be an angel. He gives Michael and Mina a mystical experience in which they can see ghostly wings sprouting from each others shoulder blades. The three walk in a circle holding hands and looking directly into each others eyes. This scene is based purely on mystery and religious imagery. Although we do not see any wings appear, both Michael and Mina say they can see each others wings which could suggest that they are imagining the wings or maybe angel wings would not be seen to the human eye. The final scene is the most emotional one. Michaels baby sister comes dangerously close to death. Her mother comes to stay at the hospital and prays. That night something mysterious happens and her mother dreamt of seeing a man come in and pick up the baby. She tells Michael and his father about what happened. Cross-cutting is the technique used in this scene to show the audience what happened in her dream. As the mother speaks of the dream, everyone else is silent and very still. Skellig makes all the movement and gestures Michaels mother describes. His facial expressions change from deep thinking to being happy for the baby girls survival. Skellig walks up on the top of the towering spiral in the middle of the stage and disappears from the scene. The flashback is over and Michael realizes Skellig was an angel.  In conclusion, the play Skellig is a very emotional play and the actors use voice to show the feelings of the characters. They use the stage to a full extent to show how Michael grows up throughout the events of meeting Skellig to having to choose between friends to receiving a pair of angel wings. Raw emotion contrasts with moments of great tenderness, and an audience of schoolchildren gave it noisy applause.

Ethnography Research Paper Conducted at Local Mall McDonalds

Ethnography Research Paper Conducted at Local Mall McDonalds Free Online Research Papers Ethnography Research Paper Conducted at Local Mall McDonalds The ethnography research that I studied took place at the food court. I visited the McDonalds stall in the food court of Pacific Fair Mall on a Saturday at around 1pm. Pacific Fair is the biggest shopping mall in Gold coast, Australia. The food court is located in the first level of the mall. The first level was roofed with some kind of translucent material so that sunlight can come in to the mall; also, it can thwart the customers from rain, especially during the winter. In a square shaped area, the stalls were to be found on the sides leaving a big space in the middle, where, large number of tables and chairs were placed. When alls said and done, it created a cozy feel for the customers. The food court comprises of more than 25 individual stalls, from coffee shops to proper cuisine. The shoppers had a wide range of food variety to choose. Some of the stalls are self service and the others were served by food runners (waiters). There was a lot of running around and quick moves between the counter and the kitchen. Most of them working in the stalls appeared to be younger than eighteen years of old. The reason for young staffs could be, less pay per hour. I was amazed by the fact, most of them wearing black trousers as their uniform, but, the shirt differ from stall to stall. Apart from this, there were people working in blue clothing, looked a little elderly, were cleaning the tables with left over food and the wrapping papers. It was a late Saturday afternoon and the food court was filled with people off all ages, there were families with kids, couples, individuals and teenage groups. I could see different races of people, Asian to African. It is easier to assume people with their cameras clicking some pictures are tourists. Apart from that I could see people of different race speaking Australian lingo, for instance, â€Å"no might (mate)†, â€Å"woudcha? (would you)†. These people could be the migrants to Australia and made Australia a multi-cultural destination. Out of the whole crowd I noticed this group of friends who were loud in laughing and cracking jokes. They got seated before they could order food; I guess this was to ensure a seat due to the increasing crowd. The group was between the age group of 15-16 years old. I was seated between them and the counter, which made it very easy for me to hear their conversation at both ends. The group consisted of three boys and two girls. Out of which, one of the guys was loud and cracking jokes and the other two were listening to him, out of the girls one was listening to the first guy’s comments and the other one was meddling with her hand bag and finally removed a Mobil phone, probably checking her message she must have received on it. This is one difference I have noticed between the two sexes everywhere. No matter how big or small a Mobile phone is, men always carry it in their pant pockets where as women always use their hand bags. The boys were dressed sporty. Two among the three were wearing cap and the other guy was blonde. The third guy had a good hair-style. Among the three, two were wearing t-shirts (Billabong) and the other one was wearing a white colored vest. All the three were wearing surf shorts. And to my greatest surprise two guys were not wearing any shoes. And the other one was wearing flip-flops. Among the two, one girl was wearing a tight top and a short denim skirt. And the other one was wearing sleeveless top and a surf shorts. Both the girls were wearing caps. I was surprised because according to the country where I come from, going places with out shoes is considered as indecent. Also in a big shopping mall it is impossible to find one person without shoes. From their dress code we can assume two points: typical summer clothing and they belong to the popular culture, the surf culture. As soon as after they got their seats, both the girls sat back and the guys got up to take their food orders. In most countries and even the one I come from India i.e. when there is a group of girls and boys the girls rarely get up to order their own food. Most of the boys make use of this opportunity to show their graciousness. The group spent a lot of time looking at the menu board which had the list of the different kind of burgers. After much discussion among each other the boys ordered their food. The girls got a small burger and a salad respectively, but, the guys grabbed the Big Macs. Well this reminded me of a Jack Nicholson movie, in which he positively passes a statement saying women never eat on dates. In agreement to that I can not remember ever noticing a girl eating more than the guy on the table. Every one in the group got a drink as well. I guess which an indication of the increasing heat is. The conversations began to flow again and this time they were talking about the food they had ordered. The boys exchanged bites of each others burgers and took comparatively larger bites. After each one of them started eating their meals the conversation grew less among the guy but the women continued to whisper and mutter words among each other. The boys just quickly ate through their food. Where as, the girl who was eating the smaller burger took really small bites and had longer intervals between them. The girl who ordered the salad plate kept on playing with the food by just mixing everything in the plate using a fork and took equal portions of each vegetable. Conclusively, female have more table manners than guys; no matter which age group they belong. 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How redefining the term "mistress" can illuminate other Essay

How redefining the term "mistress" can illuminate other confusing aspects of the poem "Sonnet 130", and potentially also, provide evidence about the poet's unknown identity - Essay Example However, the author has not specified this; his use of the term is ambiguous. The word mistress has three identified meanings. The word can be used in reference to a woman that has an ongoing- extra marital relationship, in many cases, with a man that is married. The second meaning of the term is as a prefix to the title that is bestowed upon a married woman – MRS. Lastly, it is used to refer to a woman who holds a position of authority or who exercises control over something or someone. This paper’s focal point is to establish how various statements within the poem could be more sensible should be it taken to mean that his intention for using the word mistress was in the latter regard. From the language used, the author refers to someone that he did not fancy to be in relationship with. The line, â€Å"And in some perfumes there is more delight than in the breath that from my mistress reeks (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130", 7-8),† is the best illustration of this. Had Shakespeare, been referring to a lover, his description would not have been as blunt. This could be the true quality of a lover, due to the romantic regard lovers hold to each other; one is more likely to withhold this kind of information. Furthermore, lovers rarely concentrate on the negative attributes that their counterparts have, but rather chose to focus on the positive. Therefore, this disqualifies the notion that the author could have been using the word to refer to a person that he had for a romantic relationship. If one is in a romantic relationship, they are usually very fond of their counterpart. Therefore, they speak of them only in the most alluring and appealing fashion. However, from the poem, the author appears afraid of the person that they are referring. â€Å"My mistresses eyes are nothing like the Sun (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130", 1).† the statement itself illustrates that the author does not feel fond of the person in question. He does not feel