Dramatic texts are written to be performed Essay Example For Students

Dramatic texts are written to be performed Essay Jack Davis No Sugar is a prime example of a play that does not rely solely on dialogue to produce meaning. Through dramatic conventions, Davis is able to provide an insight of the suffering, oppression and marginalisation endured by the Aboriginal people in the post-colonial Australian society. The play focuses on the political dislocation of the Millimurra family, to a reserve in Moore River, as a government attempt of protection. Without relying on dialogue, an effective amalgamation of dramatic devices, including staging, lighting, costume and sound, expose the disastrous effects of colonisation which resulted in the segregation and oppression of the Aboriginal population and the attempted annihilation of their culture. The staging of No Sugar is an effective technique to produce meaning, other than dialogue. The stage design is divided into two sections. One section of the stage holds the Avon Valley of Northam where the police station and the Government Well Aboriginal Reserve are situated. On the other side of the stage is the Moore River Native Settlement which is where the Superintendents office and the Millimurra tent is set. The space on stage works well to show power relations between the two cultures in the post colonial context. The white authority held obvious positions of power, such as the Chief Protectors Office, which works to segregate the Aboriginal people. On stage, the areas of white authority and dominance are placed on the margins of the stage. It is in these places that the Millimurra family is restricted, oppressed and marginalised. The Aboriginal encampment is situated at the forefront of the stage, thus becoming the visual focus. It is only in these areas, where white authority is not dominant, that the Millimurra family is able to celebrate their culture which was considered inferior. This privileging of the Aboriginal culture through staging is evident in both Northam and the Moore River settlement. The division on stage also works to enhance the political dislocation of the Millimurra family from Northam to Moore River. It is through the forceful dislocation that the audience sees how the fight to own and contest the same space is the main source of conflict between the two cultures. The disempowerment of the Aboriginal people is criticised through the lack of equality in the set design. Without relying on dialogue, the staging helps to expose the power disparities of the post colonial context. The staging of Act One, Scene Seven helps to produce meaning by highlighting the segregation of the Aboriginal people. The use of space in the staging clearly illustrates the regulations and restrictions imposed upon the Aboriginal people, without completely relying on dialogue. In this scene, part of the action takes place in the office of the Chief Protector of Aborigines in Murray Street, Perth. It is this office that has an entrance front and rear for whites and blacks respectively. Jimmy Munday, an Aborigine character, is at the office in order to obtain a train fare back to Northam. This office is construction of a government department which carried out the clauses of the Aborigines Act of 1905 an act to make provision for the better protection and care for the Aboriginal inhabitants of Western Australia. Under this act, the Chief Protector Mr. A.O. Neville, was the person responsible for promoting the welfare of Aboriginal people. Jimmys rejected attempts to enter the office, even to get the attention of Mr. Neville, exposes hypocrisy of the Aborigine Act. This Aborigine act actually resulted in the oppression and disempowerment the Aboriginal people and attempted annihilation of their culture. A criticism of white abuse of power is made through the segregation of Aboriginal people in a place which is supposed to assist in their preservation and well-being. It is this example that helps to show the dominance of the white colonisers who, by undermining the Aboriginal people, are able to maintain their control and authority over them. Through the staging of a rear entry, the design of the Chief Protectors office helps to expose the hypocrisy of the Aborigine Act of 1905, without the use of dialogue. Mihailov episode for the novel EssayWithout completely depending upon dialogue, the use of sound in the resolution produces a message that conveys the need for reconciliation and cooperation between the two different cultures. In the resolution, Mary and Joe obtain permission from Mr. Neal to leave the Moore River reserve and return to Northam. It is shown here how the Aboriginal characters cannot create a future without permission from British authority figures. As Joe and Mary begin to farewell each member of the family before they walk to Northam, Magpies squawk. The sound of the magpie embodies one of the main purposes of the text to encourage the cooperation and integration of the two culture. The use of sound whilst Joe and Mary are walking off into the distance works to create an element of hope in the resolution. The two characters are easing away from oppression, and the sound of the magpie can work to finally enforce Davis evolutionary position the hope for an idyllic future where the two cultures have reconciled and grew an understanding for one another. Without solely using dialogue, the use of sound in the resolution is a vital technique in imposing the need for mutual cooperation between the two conflicting cultures. Jack Davis No Sugar uses an effective amalgamation of dramatic devices, not only dialogue, to produce meaning. Through the dramatic conventions the frighteningly real effects of colonisation are exposed, along with the segregation and oppression of the Aboriginal population and the attempted annihilation of their culture. The use of dramatic conventions allows Davis to further criticise the domineering treatment of the Aboriginal people who were considered culturally inferior and socially inappropriate in the post colonial context.