The purpose of plays
I was just reading an article in the Review section of today's Straits Times entitled "Let's talk about racial differences" by Hong Xinyi and it reminded me of 2 things I recently learnt about in school...
1) Censorship.
We discussed this topic in GP last week, in relation to the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that were published in several European newspapers and were followed with ensuing chaos. What struck me about this topic in this article are these words found in 2 paragraphs:
"Given the choice between self-expression and maintaining a social equilibrium, a certain willingness to leave difficult, sensitive things about race and religion unsaid rather than a strident, unequivocal insistence on the concept of free speech is perhaps the more mature response.
But where do we draw the line between restraint and running away from difficult realities?"
2) Theatrical plays.
I just begun lessons on "Top Girls" by Caryl Churchill, a play that is focused on feminism and its effects on women's lives. For now, it doesn't seem as engaging as "Long Day's Journey Into Night" but I'm hoping really hard that it'll grow on me, just like "Long Day's". Anyhow, my Lit teacher who is teaching this book, posed many questions to us in his lectures and tutorials that set me thinking of the price women have to pay if they want to succeed in their careers, or things other than the life they usually lead, which is a life of a housewife. He also said something about how Caryl Churchill wrote plays to address issues in society, to "provoke" the audience into reflecting and thinking on questions she poses in her plays. These words in the article I just read really reminded me of my Lit teacher's words:
"Theatre about race and religion that engages that battle between head and heart, prudence and passion, will not, in the end, provide any solutions for world peace.
But at least it provides a space for reflection, a place for the difficult questions to be asked before we embark on finding the answers in our real lives."
1) Censorship.
We discussed this topic in GP last week, in relation to the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that were published in several European newspapers and were followed with ensuing chaos. What struck me about this topic in this article are these words found in 2 paragraphs:
"Given the choice between self-expression and maintaining a social equilibrium, a certain willingness to leave difficult, sensitive things about race and religion unsaid rather than a strident, unequivocal insistence on the concept of free speech is perhaps the more mature response.
But where do we draw the line between restraint and running away from difficult realities?"
2) Theatrical plays.
I just begun lessons on "Top Girls" by Caryl Churchill, a play that is focused on feminism and its effects on women's lives. For now, it doesn't seem as engaging as "Long Day's Journey Into Night" but I'm hoping really hard that it'll grow on me, just like "Long Day's". Anyhow, my Lit teacher who is teaching this book, posed many questions to us in his lectures and tutorials that set me thinking of the price women have to pay if they want to succeed in their careers, or things other than the life they usually lead, which is a life of a housewife. He also said something about how Caryl Churchill wrote plays to address issues in society, to "provoke" the audience into reflecting and thinking on questions she poses in her plays. These words in the article I just read really reminded me of my Lit teacher's words:
"Theatre about race and religion that engages that battle between head and heart, prudence and passion, will not, in the end, provide any solutions for world peace.
But at least it provides a space for reflection, a place for the difficult questions to be asked before we embark on finding the answers in our real lives."
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