Sexism In Blackrock Play
STAGE 2 ENGLISH COMMUNICATIONS
Text Analysis 1 – ‘Blackrock’
Name: Julia Woods
SACE No: 497950R
Due Date: 23rd February 2016
Word Count:
How has the play Blackrock either reaffirmed or challenged your own values, beliefs or ideas?
The play ‘Blackrock’, written by Nick Enright in 1996, is a tragic drama inspired by true events. Set in Blackrock, an Australian beachside working-class suburb, the play discusses the rape and later murder of a young girl, Tracy Warner, during Toby Ackland’s 18th birthday party. Jared Kirby, the protagonist, witnesses the rape from afar by three of his closest mates. He fails to intervene, due to a suggested misplaced sense of mateship and tells no one of what he saw. The rapists, Toby, Craig …show more content…
The sexist attitudes held by the male characters in the play, heavily influenced the way they interacted with their female counterparts. Ricko is a prime example of this with the objectification of his girlfriend, Tiffany: “You’ll do what you always do, bitch. ’Cause you are what you are. What you’ll always be. So shut up and put out.” (pg.55) Ricko’s use of vulgar language and reference to Tiffany’s only use being for sex, highlights what little value he places on Tiffany as a person because she is a woman. At its most extreme, I believe these sexist attitudes contributed to Toby, Davo, and Scott’s decision to rape Tracy: “She wanted to, then she didn’t want to-” (pg.38) The boys disregard Tracy’s pleas to stop the assault because her consent isn’t worth anything to them; she isn’t worth anything to them. They think they have a right to her sexually because she was willing at one point, and deem her to be an object associated with their own sexual pleasure. These views presented in ‘Blackrock’ challenged my own because I believe woman are more than just sexualised objects and should be treated as equals and with respect. 233
Text Analysis 1 – ‘Blackrock’
Name: Julia Woods
SACE No: 497950R
Due Date: 23rd February 2016
Word Count:
How has the play Blackrock either reaffirmed or challenged your own values, beliefs or ideas?
The play ‘Blackrock’, written by Nick Enright in 1996, is a tragic drama inspired by true events. Set in Blackrock, an Australian beachside working-class suburb, the play discusses the rape and later murder of a young girl, Tracy Warner, during Toby Ackland’s 18th birthday party. Jared Kirby, the protagonist, witnesses the rape from afar by three of his closest mates. He fails to intervene, due to a suggested misplaced sense of mateship and tells no one of what he saw. The rapists, Toby, Craig …show more content…
The sexist attitudes held by the male characters in the play, heavily influenced the way they interacted with their female counterparts. Ricko is a prime example of this with the objectification of his girlfriend, Tiffany: “You’ll do what you always do, bitch. ’Cause you are what you are. What you’ll always be. So shut up and put out.” (pg.55) Ricko’s use of vulgar language and reference to Tiffany’s only use being for sex, highlights what little value he places on Tiffany as a person because she is a woman. At its most extreme, I believe these sexist attitudes contributed to Toby, Davo, and Scott’s decision to rape Tracy: “She wanted to, then she didn’t want to-” (pg.38) The boys disregard Tracy’s pleas to stop the assault because her consent isn’t worth anything to them; she isn’t worth anything to them. They think they have a right to her sexually because she was willing at one point, and deem her to be an object associated with their own sexual pleasure. These views presented in ‘Blackrock’ challenged my own because I believe woman are more than just sexualised objects and should be treated as equals and with respect. 233