Dancing at Lughnasa Essay Example For Students

Dancing at Lughnasa Essay Dancing at Lughnasa, a play written by Brian Frier, is a depiction of a mans memory of his childhood. The narrator, Michael, takes us back to the warm harvest days of August 1936, when he was a seven-year-old boy being brought up by his unmarried mother Chris and her four sisters. The play, through Michaels narration, touches on different aspects of life of the characters by exploring the occurrence of simple events which contribute an impact to their relationships. However, Michael, as a chorus figure, plays the most significant role which affects our perception of the events which unfold. The play opens up with Michaels first speech. When I cast back my mind to that summer of 1936- We see an apparent reflection of the memory through his language. This phrase is repeatedly mentioned in his first speech which reinforces the notion of reminiscing the past. On the other hand, we see as well how Frier distances Michael from the past events through a careful use of words. The word cast in his the first phrase gives an impression that he is trying to detach his memory from him and when he say cast back, it implies how he retraces back his memory without taking part in the past events. He is recollecting the past but not re-living it. This is evidently conveyed by the author for his main purpose of using Michael is as an observer of the present who oversees and judges the lives of the characters from the past. Therefore we see a sort of detachment and distancing of this personage from the events that he is recollecting. Through this technique, Michael appears like an omniscient narrator (although he is not) and this gives an impression that we are discovering the characters and the events at the same as the narrator. Although Michael is involved in these events, the narrative point of view could be qualified as a third-person limited. Frier doesnt really give him an access to the characters thoughts or to what they do in private since he only re-tells a story that he witnessed when he was a child. This method is important because it allows the narrator to assess the events in an adults point of view and this is one of his main functions as a chorus-figure which we will explore later on. Another remarkable linguistic aspect of this speech is that it is characterised by a lyrical tone. The choice of this tonality is important in order to remind us of the notion of musicality and the idea of dance. The tone is very comforting but at the same time it creates a nostalgic atmosphere and the tone itself seems to distance us from the characters being introduced. Frier applies the flashback technique by using Michaels memory to simply separate two elements of his character he detaches the adult Michael from Michael the boy. This explains why the whole play has no plot at all. The narrator relates a story of what he witnessed when he was seven therefore he is relating his memory in an objective manner which simply imply that during that summer of 1936, he did not really have a complete and a deeper understanding of those events. He is narrating a story according to how things had happened exteriorly. This explains as well his absence throughout the play for the reason that he hides and observe everybody as if it is his main preoccupation. for the first time in my life I had a chance to observe him(his father), It had fallen out of Aunt Kates prayer book and she snatched it from me before I could study it in detail. Since the play echoes Michaels memory as a boy, this answers the flatness of the plot. There is no climax in the play and it almost lacks colour and other ingredients that could make the story attractive. This parallels to the boys innocence which is a barrier that separates him from the interior side of the characters. There is nothing spectacular that happens in the play and all the events are stagnant. The childish memory shows us the slow and constant rhythm of their everyday life. We see how theyre engaged to simple things like making tea, knitting gloves, picking blackberries or feeding their pets. There is no apparent development of the characters. Romeo and Juliet - Act 3 Scene 1 EssayHowever, having a complete knowledge of the play, the image of these women dancing and catching hands make our sympathy increase for them.. We see them like a chain which will later on disintegrate into small pieces. There are also symbolism that Frier evokes in the play. Michael narrates this one particular moment because it is the final celebration of these women dancing before it changed forever. It was the moment of a new beginning for him as a boy for it was in this summer that he discovered events and felt something for the first time. In his speech, he uses words like, first wireless, August was about to begin, my Uncle Jack, came home from Africa for the first time, I recall my first shock at Jacks appearance, I remember my first delight and for the first time of my life I had a chance to observe him (his father). However, this particular moment represent as well the path leading to their fate the disintegration one be one of the characters. In one part, the play ends with all the characters similar to their position in the beginning of the play. This tableau image signifies how Michael sees his family as he casts back his mind in that summer of 1936. Since for him, it was the beginning and the end, he tries to preserve these freeze characters in his memory. The kite in the play symbolically represents Michael. He is the outsider trapped in a world of women when he was seven. He even distances himself as he narrates this story. However, like a kite, although he is detached from the whole events that occurred, there is still something that attaches him to this particular moment. His memory is comparable to the chord of the kite that connects him to the past. On the other hand, the swaying of this kite reminds us again of the notion of dancing which symbolises the escape for the five women. It is their only way out to release the tensions and pressures imposed by religion and duty. Frier uses Michael to symbolically give a spirit and a life to this plotless play. The lack of plot is supported by the intervals between monologues and dialogues. It is actually through Michaels speech that we feel for the characters. His words are almost representing an explosion of emotions for it is through his speeches that we begin to feel something. It is through him that we discover what happened to Rose and Agnes and that he has a half-brother. However, there is an existing metaphoric symbolism of Michaels role and the other characters representation in the play. The play could symbolise the dance without a melody and Michael, by remembering the past and assessing the whole events through his analytical point of view, gives the rhythm and the harmonious melody to this dance. We observe how the play is almost like a pantomime because the actual text of the play seems to be lacking paralleling the lack of plot. Frier wants to show that words arent really the voice of the truth and that the actions speak louder than words. dancing as if language no longer existed because words were no longer necessary. But we could also view this symbolism in a different way. The whole book is almost like a song that convey several themes. The relationship between the five sisters and the male characters, Jack and Jerry, symbolise seven different notes (do re mi fa sol la ti) that are interrelated to each other creating a melodious harmony. However, to give a spirit to this melody, Michael symbolises the lyrics which gives the life to this song. This is reflected on his liyrical tone. Like the words of a song, he intervenes and overlaps on some of the scene just as how lyrics overlaps on some of the part of a song. And as the characters disappear one by one at the end, the song loses its notes and melodious elements which imply the disintegration of the sisters. Now fade in very softly, just audible, the music It is time to say Goodnight.