Away and Physical Journey (1 Viewer)

[JayWalker]

Is anyone doing Away and if so could you post some notes on it? This play is really hard to understand and truly befugling..

Thanks

 

[Nox]

From Resources under Area of Study:

File Name: 1091198883_2004_English_(Area_of_Study)_Assessment_Task_Hussein_Awada

.........The play Away by Michael Gow relates to the challenges, goals and discoveries which are achieved by the characters Gwen, Coral and Tom. In the opening scene of Away, Tom playing as Puck performs the final speech a Shakespearean play called “A Midsummer Nights Dream”. In it, he promises to ‘restore amends’ if the audience applauds. This is what Tom does in ‘Away’, he sets about to ‘restore amends’. He changes the other characters and their situations. Also this is a technique called a play within a play used to comment on the forthcoming issues in the play.
Coral is the first victim to be portrayed as really challenged, troubled or paralysed because of the death of her son. Gow portrays this by the use of soliloquy to show her emotionally vulnerable. Corals transformation is undertaken at the turning point of the play which is in the storm.
In response to Roy’s plea that she behaves ‘normally’, Coral hitchhikes and adopts a persona of the artist on the beach and it is Tom who then recognises her as the headmaster’s wife.
In the performance of ‘The Stranger on the Shore’ by Tom, Coral achieves some acceptance of life when she says that “I’m walking, I’m walking” representing a return to life. Coral learns to experience life and the final transformation occurred throughout Tom’s playlet which restored her.
Gwen, however changes from being a stress-ridden bossy mother and wife to coming to an understanding of life and the fact that humans are not in control. The big impact is the storm which is again another turning point this time for Gwen because all her possessions are destroyed. This symbolic that Gwen has lost everything except for Jim and Meg.
Gwen’s change is almost complete after she had walked with Vic on the beach and in reaction with the news of Tom dying. Gwen realises her attitudes are very wrong and becomes a completely different person.
Tom’s playlet the “Stranger on the Shore” reveals that Gwen has completely changed as she stands up and applauds for Coral.

Another technique Gow uses is juxta positioning, which helps to create an effect. For example the storm destroys all of Gwen’s possessions, but not destroying Jim and Meg. The effect created is that she has lost everything except for her husband and daughter........

Cheers.

 

[ujuphleg]

Away

I hope this is of some use to you:

Away’s context in the summer of 1968 is a pivotal aspect in understanding the play’s meaning and journey. 1968 was a watershed year in Australian history for many reasons, the main one being the Vietnam War, where many were being conscripted. It was a time of rebellion for teenagers, and therefore, it is significant that the protagonist of Away is a teenager, Tom. It was a time where Australia was looking for a place in the world, realising that its isolationist foreign policies could no longer continue.

The plays epigraph, a Shakespearean allusion, first poses the question from Twelfth Night “What country, friends, is this?” As an epigraph crystallises the essence of a text, the implications for Away are two-fold. Someone or several people are lost. The answer will be provided by a friend which will be the plays protagonist, Tom. It is also question for a nation questioning its identity, as Australia was and as the young people of this play, Tom and Meg are doing, and hence, could be seen as the beginning of this journey The second quote in the epigraph “I have done nothing but in care of thee, Of thee, my dear one” again is the implication for Tom, and that his journey has been in care of others, to wake them from their metaphorical slumber and heal them. It is this process which is Toms journey, ultimately leading to the inevitable result; once Tom’s journey is complete he will pass on.

Shakespearean allusions continue to demonstrate the circular structure of the journey. The play opens in the “garish light” of the school hall with the final scene from one of Shakespeare’s best loved comedy’s A Midsummer Nights Dream with Tom playing the role of Puck, a magical and immortal fairy. Sadly, the play ends with the opening scene of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy King Lear with Tom in the role of Lear, a frail, old man who is now “unburden’d crawl toward death.” For Tom, once the process of bringing the other families and especially Coral and Gwen through their healing and “amends” his journey is complete. However, the class is outside “under the trees” in the “natural light” implying the possibility of hope for a new journey for the other characters.

Before the result of the journey can occur, the process of journey must, naturally, occur. For the three families in Away the journey really begins going away on summer holidays. Yet, the ultimate result is so much more. While going away is a time for families to relax and remove themselves from their normal environment, going away provides no relaxation or relief for them. Coral and Roy are still mourning the loss of their son, Gwen, Jim and Meg are constantly fighting. Only Vic, Harry and Toms are happy but for all of them, the overshadowing thought of Tom’s death from his illness makes them anxious. Yet, the healing power of nature, a strong theme throughout Away is demonstrated when the characters are away. With the tempest or storm metaphorically stripping Gwen to her essential self, then the cleansing properties of the water restoring her, coupled with the news of Toms imminent departure, Gwen finally realises what she has and what is dear to her. In this sense, Tom shows the characters A WAY to survive and adds to the symbolic meaning of the plays title.

The other healing power in this play is that of theatre. Tom, as an actor, brings joy and catharsis. Through the allegorical play within a play The Stranger on the Shore Tom continues with his care of the characters by showing Coral a way to overcome her grief for her son, lost to the Vietnam war. The closing lines of The Stranger on the Shore have Coral saying in her own voice, and not in the fake American accent she had put on, “I’m walking, I’m walking.” This play brought Coral back to a reality, despite her protestations that she might “not like it there.”

The music used throughout Away is the original score from Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Nights Dream. Significantly, Mendelssohn composed the famous suite of songs at just age 17 – the same age as Tom and Meg. It has been noted for its “beautiful integration” and resonates through the play as a message of hope.

 

[timrie6]

Away Techniques

• Suspense
o Quick interchange of short lines eg when Tom tries to have sex with Meg
• Shakespearean Elements
o By conscious borrowing from SS, Gow draws our attention to the themes of universal importance in Away.
o Tom is Puck at start of the play and King Lear at the end
Puck the catalyst, and King Lear, reconciled to his own death ‘I crawl unburdn’d towards death’
o 5 Act Structure
o Storm (crisis point) used as catalyst for change and redirection of characters. Used in King Lear, The Tempest, Twelfth Night
o Use of Fairies & supernatural elements (Mid Summer Night’s Dream)
o Transition from the civilized world to the natural world (characters are forced to face up to their fears/inadequacies) as in Mid Summer Night’s Dream & King Lear.
o A play within a play as in Mid Summer Night’s Dream- ‘A Stranger on the Shore’ and the school Shakespeare plays, MSND & KL.
o Characters in disorder and in need of being corrected (MSND)
o Themes:
• King Lear: theme of stripping away falsehood and understanding true human values
• Away: theme of stripping away materialistic possessions and social status and understanding true human values eg love, compassion, family stability
• Dialogue
o Roy given more dialogue than Coral when they conversed – shows that Roy was dominant

o Coral uses future tense a lot in her speech “I’m going to..” implying vagueness of promises that may not be necessarily kept

o Colloquialism - “fuken miserable time” – helps to flesh out characters and cut across educational boundaries. It extends the appeal of the text to a wider audience, allowing them to emphasise and relate to characters

o Mute scene- penultimate scene in play where characters are given no dialogue- yet perform actions denoting reconciliation and resolution to earlier conflicts.

o Slang, colloquialism, cultural references eg. ‘dunny’, ‘pressies’, ‘bex’, ‘chips rafferty’ – reflects Australian culture and along with short, chit chat type dialogue (eg after school play) gives more highbrow and lengthy dialogue more significance in comparison:
 Eg Coral Monologue: “That boy! In that blue light the shadows on his face and neck were like bruises”
 Tom Play: “Better I am unhappy for all eternity than she suffer another moment”
• Structure
o 5 Acts: MSND Dream ending is beginning of Away and King Lear’s beginning is the ending to Away- suggesting that journeys are eternal and continual. Tom’s journey had already started before the play and had not finished at the end.

• Symbols
o Catalyst storm: powerful crescendo/climax in play eg “fairies wreak havoc”
o Lighting effects: “the light becomes bright- summery morning” Act 5- indicates optimism for future- conflicts resolved- corresponds with reconciliation

 

[timrie6]

Away – Physical Journey
• How Meaning is created

o Contrast in dialogue
 Short chit chat dialogue (lots of full stops) showing lack of communication contrast with long, lyrical and honest speeches
 Eg. Coral’s emotional monologue straight after the scene just after the play of small talk where coral has said nothing

o Short, quick sentences
 Quick interchange of short lines creates tension
 Eg. When Tom is trying to have sex with Meg & she resists

o Contrast of themes/scenes
 Humour vs Pathos
• Tom and Meg’s friendly banter after the play contrasting with Tom’s death “we have this boy and we won’t have him for long”
 Intimate scenes vs. Group scenes
• Coral’s monologue and chit chat of play
 Violent scenes vs. peaceful scenes
• The scene of the storm followed by Tom, Vic and Harry happily discussing Christmas presents.
• “The fairies wreak havoc” ; “I love my new hat”
 Realistic scenes vs. supernatural
• Shakespeare device
• Use of fairies

o Use of Shakespeare elements
 Tom is Puck at start of the play and King Lear at the end
Puck the catalyst, and King Lear, reconciled to his own death ‘I crawl unburdn’d towards death’
 5 Act Structure
 Storm (crisis point) used as catalyst for change and redirection of characters. Used in King Lear, The Tempest, Twelfth Night
 Use of Fairies & supernatural elements (Mid Summer Night’s Dream)
 Transition from the civilized world to the natural world (characters are forced to face up to their fears/inadequacies) as in Mid Summer Night’s Dream * King Lear.
 A play within a play as in Mid Summer Night’s Dream- ‘A Stranger on the Shore’ and the school Shakespeare plays, MSND & KL.
 Characters in disorder and in need of being corrected (MSND)
 Themes:
• King Lear: theme of stripping away falsehood and understanding true human values
• Away: theme of stripping away materialistic possessions and social status and understanding true human values eg love, compassion, family stability

• Thematic elements (Themes)
o Death
 Coral & Roy’s son’s death- consumes their lives
 Tom’s inevitable death due to terminal illness

o Communication problems
 Harry & Vic keep secret from Tom of his oncoming death
 Tom keeps secret from parents that he knows
 Coral too detached from reality to communicate properly
 Roy can’t understand or deal with Coral’s behaviour so treats her like a child (takes on headmaster role)
 Gwen, Meg and Jim constantly in conflict due to Gwen’s selfish behaviour

o Healing
 Storm catalyst for healing and change- redirects characters and brings them together
 Coral storm brings her to tom which leads to her doing the play which is a healing process for her grief
 Tom Play also helps him come to terms with his death
 Gwen Vic and Harry tell her about Tom dying- shocks her, makes her realize how lucky she is- more passionate and aware of others eg. (to Roy) “You must hate me”

• Characters
o Tom
 Catalyst: Curse on Gwen “I hope it rains...”
o Meg
 Typical teenager
o Gwen
 Doesn’t think she needs to change- thinks every1 else does
o Jim
 Timid, inefficient, tolerant
o Coral
 Introspective, out of touch with reality, consumed by grief, perceptive
o Roy
 Uncompassionate: “Jesus Coral, you’re too selfish”
o Harry & Vic
 “No regrets and no hopes”
 “We don’t look back and we don’t look forward”

 

[timrie6]

English Paper 1 section 3

‘The Journey leads to a greater understanding’

There are three types of journeys – physical, imaginative and inner. These categories allow us to put texts into context and perspective. Away by Michael Gow, represents on the surface, a physical journey. However the physical journeys portrayed lead to inner journeys also being achieved. Similarly, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost depicts a physical journey. However, it is a metaphor for an inner journey through life. The song, Home is where the heart is, written by John Butler, represents two journeys - the physical journey of refugees coming to Australia; past and present, and the inner journey of the nation of Australia confronting immigration and multiculturalism. Finally, the Leunig cartoon, Mr Curly transports wayfaring pilgrims… is visually a physical journey, but perceptively an imaginative journey, and political metaphor.

A physical journey is journey which involves obstacles and movement to new places. Travellers are given the opportunity to expand physically, emotionally and intellectually while responding to challenges and learning more about themselves and the world around them.

In Away, the composer, Michael Gow represents greater understanding through journeys in different ways through the use of two types of journeys – physical and inner, charting the growth and development of characters throughout their separate, individual journeys.
One example is Gwen, whose harsh, unfeeling character is transformed by their trip ‘away’. At the beginning of the play, Gwen is shown to be manipulative, snobbish and controlling character, set in her ways and preoccupied with material possessions. Her vow to “never be poor again” after surviving the depression, brings her to believe that material possessions will bring happiness, and the only way to protect her loved ones, is to control them.
Gwen embarks on a physical journey with her family - the ritual nature of the holiday is evident – “a game we play each year”. However, a new obstacle is introduced – the catalyst storm, which strips the family of material possessions, (stage direction “fairies wreak havoc”) and Gwen of her securities. This forces them from civilisation to nature, where their journey joins with the other two families.
Gwen is faced with the challenge and knowledge of Tom’s inevitable death and the pain and suffering his family were going through. “we have this boy and we won’t have him for long. And whatever he does will have to be enough”.
The physical journey of going away and the obstacles involved forced Gwen to learn more about herself and the world around her – realisation of how she was treating other people and the deeper awareness of how the love that Tom, Vic and Harry shared was much more important than the possessions and status she held so dear.
As a result of this physical journey, Gwen achieved a greater understanding about herself and the world, and also undergoes an inner, personal journey of her mind and spirit – where she reviewed herself and her own growth and development. She expressed remorse (“you must hate me”) and the family reconciled. Meg removes a cardboard carton (Christmas presents) from the scene – an object which previously caused much argument and tension as Gwen used it to make her family miserable. It was now a symbol of the family’s old way of life.
An inner journey is a journey of the mind and spirit – where individuals review their growth and development in the light of experiences which challenge and inspire them.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost depicts a physical journey – but is actually a sustained metaphor for an inner journey of choices and progression through life. It represents two roads, of which only one can be chosen – “as way leads on to way”, making it impossible to retrace your steps and experience everything. The composer expresses regret at this realisation (“And sorry I could not travel both”). It raises some important issues about the degree to which our decisions are consciously made: the extent of control which people have over decision making.
The 4th stanza introduces a sense a closure to the poem in telling the responder that the experience to choose one road over the other is something that will influence the composer for years to come.
Home Is Where the Heart is, a song by John Butler, represents two journeys – the physical journey of refugees: past and present coming to Australia, and the inner journey of a nation regressing due to this (becoming more primitive).
In this text, John Butler attempts to convey greater understanding to the responders with the use of these two journeys. Superficially, “Home is where the heart is” means that no matter what nationality you are, or where you come from, home is where you feel it is. The ironic, underlying meaning is that Australia has no heart, as there is no home for refugees here, according to the government “cos the government’s full of racial hate”. Accompanied by compelling instrumental music (slide guitar and double bass) and repetition of the main message “Home is where the heart is”, John Butler effectively conveys this deeper meaning relating his experiences, opinions and his perception of the situation.
An imaginative journey is a journey of speculation, imagination and inspiration. In the Leunig cartoon, Mr Curly transports wayfaring pilgrims…, Leunig also attempts to convey greater understanding to the responder about the world. It is a political statement in which Leunig’s speculates about the current world situation. This perceptive personal appraisal is expressed using a humourous medium that appeals to a greater audience as it is in a simple appealing form.
The cartoon features Mr Curly (a recurring naïve Leunig figure) driving a ‘little goat drawn cart carved from a huge potato’ rescuing wayfaring pilgrims. Text is included: “Mr Curly transports wayfaring pilgrims away from the bad mood of the world to the peaceful shores of Lake Lacuna, a small, mystical and beautiful place of sanity which lies between the large, uncontrollable forces, the great powers and the major issues. The little goat-drawn cart has been carved from a huge potato”
The symbol of dark clouds looming in the corner suggests to the responder that the “major issues” are inescapable. Also the phrase “Lake Lacuna …place of sanity” is significant as Lacuna means a gap or something not there – suggesting there is no such thing as sanity.
He makes use of bathetic contrast for example between the innocent image of ‘a little goat cart carved from a huge potato’ and the phrase/expression ‘large uncontrollable forces, the great powers and the major issues”.
Leunigs uses Mr Curlys journey to encourage the responder to share his understanding of the world through his speculation, inspiration and imagination that the cartoon has invoked. However the characters involved are yet to complete their journey of understanding, and carry on in blissful ignorance and naïvety of the real world.
Putting these texts into context, it is easier to understand deeper meanings and the underlying intentions of the composer. The act of the characters in the texts embarking on the various types of journeys shown, leads to their greater self awareness and understanding of the world around them and our greater understanding of them, their world and by contrast perhaps places our own world into perspective

 

[katherine_kim87]

hey Jay walker, you need help?? I will help you! =D

Do you need help with Away by Michael Gow? Well guess wot? I currently finished my HSC and for trials, I got 13/15 for my AOS essay and I came top 10 in my school for Standard English. So do you want GOOD-QUALITY notes? Not those notes that people just pasted for you down there. I will go through these notes with you and really HELP YOU understand 'Away' and even help you with other things in standard english! If you want tutoring from me, please don't hesitate to email me: katherine_kim87@yahoo.com.au

My tutoring is VERY CHEAP. It's only 25 bucks/ hour! If you come with a friend and learn together, I will only charge 20 bucks for each of you! Now ISN'T THAT 'SUPER' CHEAP? I am very friendly and nice, So I will be an easy-going tutor for you guys! IT will be held at Burwood Library.

If you are interested, please feel free to e-mail me ok?

Cya!

 

[atra88]

Re: hey Jay walker, you need help?? I will help you! =D

hey katherine im atra and i am currently doing my hsc and am studing away i have to do an essay on it so if you can help me if would be great.
when do u be at burwood libary if we want to come there?

 

[tigerian]

Re: hey Jay walker, you need help?? I will help you! =D

hey katherine im atra and i am currently doing my hsc and am studing away i have to do an essay on it so if you can help me if would be great.
when do u be at burwood libary if we want to come there?

Check your private email for an answer.

 

[erina]

Re: Michael Leunig cartoon..."what is this life?"

does anybody have the cartoon by michael leunig.."what is this life?"
i hear everyone using it saying how good it is but i cant find it anywhere...
spanxx

 

[Rekkusu]

Erina, this may sound illogical, but logical - Wouldn't that be a better reason for you to avoid using something that a HSC marker might see again and again?