In the play ‘The Shoe-Horn Sonata’ by John Misto I have chosen to study Act 1 Scene 3. In this scene Bridie and Sheila meet for the first time.…
(INTRO) John Misto’s drama ‘The Shoe-Horn Sonata’ depicts the journey of two women captured by the Japanese during World War ll. The play reveals the unresolved problems of their relationship after fifty years. The reunion of Bridie and Sheila and their problems are dramatized and resolved through Misto’s use of dramatic techniques. He effectively creates images of tension, hardship, hope and survival, friendship and forgiveness to emphasize the relationship between the two women.…
After 50years of being apart Bridie and Sheila have their first reunion. Upon Sheila’s arrival to the hotel there is immediate friction as Misto makes slight indications to the audience towards the end of Act One, Scene Two. An example of this is seen through the technique of stage directions, “Sheila looks at Bridie with surprising intensity-but not with affection. Bridie…
The central character Bridie never loses her core identity although the power of the truth alters the dynamic of the relationship she has with Sheila. Initially, she is introduced to the responder demonstrating the ‘kowtow’. The use of stage directions emphasises that her experience during the war has impacted her and continues to impact her physically and emotionally. Her recollections of the painful events of war are expressed in an emotion- free way which defines her as a strong persona. The use of tone ‘calmly’ whilst she describes her experiences: “The lightest I got was exactly five stone” exemplifies this notion. Throughout the play Bridie has a defined perception of the world. She appears perceptive about British inadequacies during the Japanese invasion as highlighted when she states “I’ll forgive the Japs for what they did to us in camp” and further states her views on sleeping with a Japanese “To go with a Jap to give him pleasure- how could you ever live with yourself”. Ultimately, it is when Sheila tells her about the self- sacrifice she made for her that Bridie’s role and perception is dramatically altered. Ultimately, she evolves into an understanding individual, which is evident when she is talking about Sheila’s actions “They don’t give medals for things like that, but they should”. Hence, the truth serves as a catalyst for the shift in dynamic of their relationship. Throughout the play she remains having a motherly role towards Shiela, as evident when Shiela states “We fought all the time. You were worse than my mother” and when Bridie calls Shiela “My dear girl”. Therefore, the character of Bridie shifts in her role and perception throughout the play the Shoe Horn Sonata as a result of the truth being…
In act one: scene 1 Bridie and Shelia, the two fictional characters, are a visual and dramatic representation of the women who faced the real life experiences of the Australian and British female POW’s captured while trying to flee from Singapore in 1942. In 1996 John Misto created a dramatized staged production which exposed a “untold story of hundreds of women imprisoned by the Japanese in South East Asia as a ringing indictment against Australian indifference to the lots of these women”. Distinctively visual features are purposefully included from the play’s opening scene to aptly recreate the reality of their past experiences, which begins in complete darkness. Two deliberate and commanding hand claps are they first things you hear, this is used to capture the attention of the audience. The word “Keirei” is cried out upon command by the male Japanese guard, gender and power inequality are further established as an older women’s emotive dialogue is heard giving instruction to how to bow, in tribute, to the Emperor of Japan. A spotlight shines down on a women who is demonstrating how to bow properly, she is stiff…
Good morning, Year12 of Wyndham College. My name is Bazil and I am here to briefly discuss the play "The Shoe-Horn Sonata" by John Misto in relation to the use of dramatic techniques used.…
At age 15, you are thrown into a war, fighting for your life and your will to live is slowly diminishing. Are you scared? Probably, but you know that if you show fear, everyone will see you as being weak. This is what the main protagonists of both the play, Shoe Horn Sonata by John Mistro and the movie, Hunger Games directed by Gary Ross endured. Together with photographs, cinematic techniques and symbols, these texts represent the devastation of war, the bonds of friendship forged during a war and their respective will to survive.…
"Inside is where the son and father will always be holding hands"(Adam Johnson). All children one way or another have a special bond between them and their father. But, a father and son form an unbreakable bond. It's natural for a father to groom his son and teach him things he himself faced when he was once young. The poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke entails a memory of a small boy and father perceived to be having a good time and having a good time and dancing despite the father being drunk. “My Papa’s Waltz” is a positive childhood experience because the drunk father made time for his son, the father worked hard to provide for his family and the small boy loved his father unconditionally.…
Music complements the visual action of the text. The lyrics of songs and the chosen music illuminates multiple interpretations of ‘sonata’ within the play in that the music often functions to relay historical events and the more personal story of Bridie and Sheila. Even when the numbers in their choir decimated they continued for they thought it was up to them to carry on. “We sang our sonata whenever we…
Imagine being mentally tortured, beaten and starved to death? Imagine you were taken away from your family and raped till death?…
The Shoe Horn Sonata makes references to actual historical events and places. With the incorporation of many literary devices used in dialogue and language techniques working together, the play creates a sense of realism. This allows the audience to feel empathy and engagement with the…
Godspell, by Stephen Schwartz, is a musical that depicts counterculturalists from all walks of life coming together to learn from a Jesus figure. The play directly quotes the stories and parables found in the book of Matthew. While the play’s parables can be explored to find their overall message of love and redemption, the play can also be observed as an artifact of the countercultural movement.…
On November 20th I went to the Black Box theatre to see the play Seminar. It was a small production, and there were only five actors. Going into the play, I had no idea what to expect. I had heard the play was a bit raunchy, with explicit dialogue and provocative scenes. The play started out with four actors portraying college graduate writers. I loved how realistic the setting was; it really looked like somebody’s real apartment. The actors did very well portraying emotion, and every thing they did and said I could relate to. At one point, a girl was eating real ice cream and complaining on the couch to her friend. I thought it was funny how every girl could relate to that scene. I also liked that the actor had no problem devouring ice cream on top of memorizing her lines and acting at the same time. I would find it hard not to focus on anything other than the delicious taste of the ice cream.…
Haydn composed his Op. 74 quartets in the later years of his life between 1796 and 1797 and it was the last of his completed string quartets. The set of quartets were dedicated to the Hungarian Count Joseph Erdödy and were published in 1799. It was said that this selection of quartets was one of his “most ambitious chamber works” with his attempt of “emphasizing thematic continuity, seamlessly and continually passing motifs from one instrument to another” 1. The fourth of these quartets is nicknamed “Sunrise”. This is due to the exquisite rising theme heard in the first violin part at the beginning of the first movement from bar one to bar four as seen in Figure 1.…
Shakespeare? More like bore me to sleep speare, plays like this should not be enlightened anymore. Shakespeare should NOT be taught to students in High School nor any school due to his advanced themes and language. What is the point of studying his work if it is not even fun to study?…