Setting
The director and designer have approached the setting in a minimalist way. Five old iron institutional beds represent their characters’ lives at different periods of time. Anne’s bed is prettier because wealthy white parents adopt her; Jimmy’s bed is turned around showing us that he has spent time in custody. Images in black and white, which cast shadows over the set, are symbolic of the shadows in each of the character’s lives.
Props
The characters carry a suitcase with their life’s belongings
The white, clean room highlights that the characters can’t hide or breathe in this environment which simultaneously sealed them in, and tore them apart.
The broom is a symbol of domestic servitude
The filing cabinet shows the repression that each of them suffered.
Props
The characters carry a suitcase with their life’s belongings
The white, clean room highlights that the characters can’t hide or breathe in this environment which simultaneously sealed them in, and tore them apart.
The broom is a symbol of domestic servitude
The filing cabinet shows the repression that each of them suffered.
Style and Language
The style of the play is direct and simple. There are very few stage directions. Stolen lacks any clear structure in terms of plot or character development. It is rather themes that link the episodes.
- Initially, the play was to be titled The Lost Generation but was changed after The Bringing Them Home report was published in 1997. What different images does the term lost in comparison to stolen conjure in the reader’s and the audience’s mind?
- List the derogatory terms in the play associated with Aboriginal people. What effect did this language have on their development as individuals?
- Anne states in the episode Am I Black or White? “You know nothing about being a Koori”. (p.29.) Why is this word only used once? Why is Koori selected and not Aboriginal person?
13_literary_devices_exploring_authorial_intent_and_choices.docx | |
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14_literary_devices_symbolism.docx | |
File Size: | 424 kb |
File Type: | docx |