Vision_and_Viewpoint_Essay

The three texts I have studied are Lies of Silence (LOS) by Brian Moore, Inside I’m Dancing (IID) by Damien O’Donnell and The Plough and the stars (PATS) by Sean O’Casey. The theme of escapism is highlighted hugely in these three texts but at the same time shown very differently in each one. Not only does the theme help the texts develop but it also gives an impact to each text by displaying key moments and actions of characters. As said, a theme can greatly impact on a text and we see this with how escapism is defined in these three texts. The theme of escapism is not only necessary but it is also selfish and cruel and as I studied these three texts I realised that escapism can be viewed in both a positive and negative aspect. Michael Dillon in LOS shows us how escape is necessary not only does he want to escape from his marriage but he thinks his new home and surroundings will destroy him thus sees this as a reason he needs to escape from Belfast. Similarly in PATS escape is shown as a necessity. Nora feels she needs to escape from the tenement because if she does not she will give way to the overwhelming forces of Dublin at this time which has happened all around her, including to her neighbours. She feels she needs to distance herself from the poverty in Dublin and she does many things to distract her from the bad actions happening around her, she does not want to know about them so she treats herself to a lovely hat and flaunts it to everyone in the tenement. IID slightly differs from the two previous texts as escape in this text is more defined as selfish. Michael gets accused for leaving Carrigmoore due to selfish reasons, the carers in Carrigmoore feel as if he hasn’t thought it through and he is just being selfish. They do not believe he will survive in the outside world. This theme affects characters in all three texts in many ways directly and indirectly. We see in IIM that having Michael escape from Carrigmoore and go out into the big bad world has a huge effect on Ruari directly as his friend and Michael himself. This leaves Ruari with a big responsibility as Michael has a speech impediment and needs Ruari there to help him with communication as Ruari is the only one who fully understands Michael. This then leaves Michael having a huge dependency on Ruari. This has its positive and negative aspects. There is a difference with PATS where we see Nora’s actions deemed as silly when all she wants to do is escape. This leaves her feeling lonely when all the men want to do is talk about the boisterous behaviour happening outside the door and when they aren’t talking about it they are in the pub drinking due to it, which is a sense of escapism but in a different way than Nora would take on board. At the end of the day in this text the theme of escapism affects each and every character indirectly as nobody really knows what to be doing and actions are taken which leave an impact on the characters. Again we see a difference in LOS where Michael’s actions of escaping from his relationship leave an impact on Moire as she has witnessed her husband disappear off with another woman, Andrea, which would affect any normal person. This directly affects Moire as she also has many other issues to deal with to do with the IRA which she now has to battle on her own as she and Michael have different views on the situation. This directly affects Moire as she now feels on her own. The theme of escapism helps to build and develop on key moments. Without this theme present in the texts we would not see the developments and key moments which are hugely important in all three texts. LOS shows the theme of escape developing a key moment as all the escaping actions Michael takes such as ending the relationship with his wife and leaving his job and going to London, builds up to the key moment at the end of the play where the IRA find Michael in London and his life ends there and then just as he becomes happy with what his life is and achieved what he wanted it to be. We see a similar idea in IID, the whole text is focused on Michael and Ruairis escape to earn independent living for themselves which they achieve, they receive help along the way but they achieve it in the end. As their life becomes what they had always dreamed of things start to go rapidly downhill. Siobhan their carer who they both have a huge soft spot for leaves them as she feels uncomfortable in their company; they are then left to find someone else is never really a success. Then towards the end of the film we see Ruari pass away leaving Michael very upset without his best friend, the one who helped him get where he is today, the one who he had depended on but then we see this text slightly differ from LOS as there is light at the end of the tunnel. This death gives Michael the strength to achieve independent living on his very own without Ruaris direct help but Michael knows that he is where is he is because of Ruari and that indirectly helps him earn his independence. We also see deaths in PATS, which are also built up to throughout the play. Showing Nora’s madness developing, which I see as a sense of escapism as she does not know what else, she should do as everything around her is falling apart. The character of Bessie Burgees is built up as a very powerful and strong woman who at the end of the play takes a bullet for Nora who has gone slightly mad. I then come to a conclusion that the dramatic presentation of a theme or issue can add greatly to the impact of narrative texts. We see this through the characters, key moments and development of the texts. By examining how a theme is defines we see how differently but at the same time similarly they draw an impact in a text. Without a theme there would be no impact.