What is the Matter with Mary Jane? Read Online Free PDF Page B

for an author/playwright to keep a narrative moving. However, this approach can also create intimacy and a stronger connection between narrator and audience as the audience is privy to the narrator’s thoughts and feelings.
    First person narrative enables a writer to use stream of consciousness (also known as internal monologue) as a narrative device. Stream of consciousness allows the reader to develop a more intimate knowledge of a character as they read the thoughts of the character as they are having them. Traditionally, stream of consciousness and the dramatic device of a soliloquy, while serving similar purposes, have been thought of as two different devices. Over time, as more playwrights create monodramas and the lines between monodrama and soliloquy have become blurred, the distinction between stream of consciousness and soliloquy has also blurred.
    Activities:
    1. As the students read the script, record the following:
    a. all of the characters that Sancia plays,
    b. all of the characters that Sancia speaks to in the play,
    c. any other characters that are mentioned in the play.
    2. Identify the ways Wendy Harmer and Sancia Robinson break from the first person narrative to:
    a. keep the narrative moving,
    b. provide additional information to the audience.
    (Hint, the list of characters compiled in question one will help the students to complete this task.)
    3. Choose one scene in the play and write it so it is either a duologue (two characters) or a multi character scene. Compare the newly created scene with the original scene using a compare and contrast chart or similar. The comparison should focus on:
    a. the effect on the audience (reader),
    b. the different ways the audience (reader) receives information in the two version,
    c. the relationship between the audience (reader) and the character,
    d. any other important information.
    Story Arc
    The development of What is the Matter with Mary Jane? follows a traditional (sometimes referred to as Freytag’s Pyramid) dramatic arc featuring: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and dénouement.
    Sketch the story arc of What is the Matter with Mary Jane? annotating the sketch with key lines, actions or any other information from the play. The exposition refers to the set up of the story and imparting important information to the audience. The rising action is a series of events that builds towards the climax or crisis. In a traditional dramatic arc, the rising action occurs immediately after the exposition. The climax or crisis point is sometimes referred to as the ‘turning point’ because it is the point of the play where fate of the character begins to change. Following the crisis point or climax is the falling action, at which point the protagonist will win or lose their battle. The dénouement is also known as the resolution, revelation or catastrophe.
    Activities:
Divide the class into five groups. Allocate each group one element of the dramatic arc (exposition, rising action, climax or crisis, falling action and dénouement). Each group analyses the scenes that relate to their allocated area of the dramatic arc in relation to:
    â€¢ language,
    â€¢ character development,
    â€¢ story development.
    After analysing the scenes, each group should prepare a summary sheet and presentation for the rest of the class.
    Themes and issues
    Young adult fiction, or youth theatre, is often defined as being written and developed for young people from the ages of fifteen to twenty-five. The protagonist in young adult fiction or youth theatre is predominantly a young person overcoming a social, emotional and occasionally a political challenge. Another defining element of young adult fiction is that it generally explores themes and issues the reader is experiencing or familiar with. For example: body image, peer pressure, social acceptance, self-acceptance etc.
    Activities:
    1. As the students read the script, record the following:
    a. the