GCSE Play script
Edited by Mr S Cox
The Curious incident of the dog in the night-time
About:
This booklet is designed to support you through the study of a modern play script for your English Exam. The work in this booklet can be used in a number of ways: a regular homework, revision aid, class resource or even just a catch up material if you have missed a topic. One thing this booklet is not however, is a quick fix. The exercises and information in this booklet are not made so you can just skip through or answer a few questions and then move on. If you do not read the instructions you will find that the work is not always correct and if you do not take the time to answer carefully in full sentences you will probably find that you don’t practise your ability to answer questions as effectively as you would like. The keys to success in English are: 1-Read lots, it honestly helps (there are studies into this and everything) 2-Start early, if you leave it all to the end you wont give it time to settle in your mind, the things you are probably best at are those you practise every day for years, English is the same. 3-Work hard, it is no use just being smart because if you expect to coast through on your intelligence you may be disappointed, and if not in your GCSE’s then your A levels or Degree, trust me when I say it comes back to haunt you! Best of luck!
The works included in this booklet have been heavily influenced by the work of other teachers and academics. The textual samples are from the play 'The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night time’ by Simon Stephens and Mark Haddon and the creator of this booklet claims no credit for any of the textual or visual extracts.
Contents: 1. Key Terms 2. Context 3. Part 1-11 (the play divided into sections)
4. Review 5. Themes 6. Character/Structure 7. Analysis 8. Tasks
9. Revision
Also... Within the play there are opportunities to read and to watch. This booklet assumes you have a copy of the play script to hand and also the internet. By using YouTube and the national theatre website, as well as the BBC learning clips, it is easy to find extracts of the stage play and a huge amount of commentary by directors, producers and actors on some of the issues within their journey to bringing it to stage. Other clips of interest could include materials from various autism charities and groups as well as some clips on the crime genre.
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Before we start For students and teachers: Welcome to the guide for Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. It is a fantastic play and one I hope you enjoy. When this is written it comes at a time when the exam system changes. For students new to GCSE this will be useful advice and for teachers, this will be some suggestions on how to get the most from this topic.
What are the goals? We want to get you through your exams. You may study this play very early on in year 10 and then it might be a year or more before you look back at it. Take a moment to think of what you were studying this time last year? How about year 8? It is hard to remember exactly what you were looking at so long ago and since coursework was scrapped in English it
You should: 1.
Make good notes. Remember that you will have to look back at these much later, so they must be clear and neat.
2.
Learn your key terms now. If you learn them and start using them here, you can often use them throughout the year and t becomes one less thing to revise because you know them well.
3.
Do it right the first time. That is not to say you cannot make mistake, but if you try and find a shortcut through answering questions, all that happens is it becomes one less thing you learn and one less note you can use, after all, you are not going to check back over every question in this guide are you?
4.
Think about what the examiner wants. You may understand the play but if they are looking for you to explore a particular character they will expect quotes, insightful comments, knowledge of context and a clear structure. If those are not in your work THEY CANNOT GIVE YOU MARKS. You cannot hope your will be the exception.
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Making clear notes. I recommend for every section or theme you devote a double page spread. Here is an idea of how you could lay it out in your books so it is easy to review. It is also worth at the start of this topic having a clear bookmark or topic page.
Clear Title and Date
Answer the questions or main task of the lesson.
Summary of the chapter and starter work. 1 - This happens… 2 - We meet …. 3 Key quotes and notes. These could be as bullet points. Make sure you explain them or show why you may want to revise them.
4 5
- “Quote” - useful because... - Note—remember this because...
What you have learnt about this scene or a particular character/theme or structural device. 3 things a lesson is good.
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Key Terms Most pages will have a small green box of key terms, especially when looking at the sections of the play. There is a glossary in the front of many of them but others are just good vocabulary to use. If you do that your work will sound confident and sophisticated, which helps gain marks. In fact the better sounding your work is, the higher the level, even if your ideas are similar, it is about clarity of expression. I suggest: Every lesson when you come across key words add them to a list. Your homework will then be to place those words into a sentence. If you then try and use them in lesson or as often as you can it will really pay off.
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Doing it right
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What the examiner wants
Think about when you have a question. Sometimes you don’t want to answer in long sentences or with a paragraph, but the problem is that when you then look at that answer later on, you have forgotten the question. If you remember that you are here to do an exam at the end of year 11. If the notes are not clear, they wont help and your time will have been wasted. Do it right, don’t try and be the one who has done it first.
Later on is some more information on this. But think about this. The average examiner cannot spend more than 5 minutes marking a paper because they have so many to get through. They will look for key words, good structure and confident writing. Once they see that it becomes easier to put a mark in and check to see if the rest of the work hits it. That can seem a little unfair, but remember you can play to this. If you remember key words, set your work out clearly, manage your time and ensure you show a range of skills. You can get a fantastic grade.
AO’s Assessment Objectives, these are the skills you need and how much they are worth of your marks.
AO1– Using good quotes and finding meaning in them to answer the question. In a play over thousands of words you may only need to find and remember 30 or 40 of the best, but remember you have to be able to talk about those. (40% of the mark)
AO2– Talking about writers skill in your key words, things like metaphor, comic relief or flashbacks for example are all things the writer does to create impact on the reader/audience. These can be pointed out in the quote you use and finding meaning for. (40% of the mark)
AO3– Linking the text to ideas or context. That means a brief explanation of how some of the things in the text show things in the wider world or are influenced by them. These could be history, locations, age, culture, health… just about anything. (20% of the mark)
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Key Terms:
These are key words which describe many of the parts of the play. They are essential because by using them you will be able to secure good marks. If you don’t you cannot show a high level understanding, even if you know what is going on.
Alliteration- The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words. Example: "Fresh fish fingers free for all.”
Antagonist- A character or force against which another character struggles, general the main ‘villain’ but not always ‘bad’.
Aside- Words spoken by the character directly to the
audience, which are not "heard" by the other characters on stage.
Character- An imaginary person that inhabits a liter-
ary work. Literary characters may be major or minor, static (unchanging) or dynamic (capable of change).
Characterization- The means by which writers present and reveal character. Although techniques of characterization are complex, writers typically reveal characters through their speech, dress, manner, and actions.
Chorus- A group of characters in a play which comment on the action.
Climax- The turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story. The climax represents the point of greatest tension in the work.
Comedy- A type of drama in which the characters ex-
perience reversals of fortune, usually for the better. In comedy, things work out happily in the end.
Denotation- The dictionary meaning of a word, not what we always think of when we hear that word.
Dialogue- The conversation of characters in a literary work. In plays, characters' speech is preceded by their names.
Ensemble- The performance of various scenes and ideas by a group of people who can switch out of their roles and join the ‘group’ or ‘background’ of the scene.
Fiction- An imagined story, whether in prose, poetry, or drama. Not real, even if it is based on real life.
Figurative language- A form of language use in
which writers and speakers convey something other than the literal meaning of their words. Examples include hyperbole or exaggeration, litotes or understatement, simile and metaphor.
Flashback- An interruption of a work's chronology to describe or present an incident that occurred prior to the main time frame of a work's action. These can be used to highlight a memory or link to events in the past.
Foreshadowing- Hints of what is to come in the ac-
tion of a play or a story. Often shown by deliberate clues in the speech/text.
Fourth wall- The imaginary wall of the box theatre
Comic relief- The use of a comic scene to interrupt a succession of intensely tragic dramatic moments. Something funny occurring often when we do not expect it.
setting, supposedly removed to allow the audience to see the action. The fourth wall is especially common in modern and contemporary, it is ‘broken’ if the audience is addressed directly or the working of the play made apparent.
Conflict- A struggle between opposing forces in a story
Gesture- The physical movement of a character during
or play, usually resolved by the end of the work. The conflict may occur within a character as well as between characters.
Connotation- The associations called up by a word
that goes beyond its dictionary meaning. Rose is connoted with love and passion.
Convention- A customary feature of a literary work,
a play.
Hyperbole- A figure of speech involving exaggeration. “It’s the end of the world!”
Imagery- The pattern of related comparative aspects of language, particularly of images, in a literary work. Light and darkness for example as good and evil.
something we expect in that kind of piece. So with a stage production we expect expect a certain amount of unrealistic elements because of the limits of stage.
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Irony- A contrast or discrepancy between what is said and Setting- The time and place of a literary work that eswhat is meant or between what happens and what is expected to happen in life and in literature. In verbal irony, characters say the opposite of what they mean. In irony of circumstance or situation, the opposite of what is expected occurs. In dramatic irony, a character speaks in ignorance of a situation or event known to the audience or to the other characters.
tablish its context. So, where and when things happen.
Literal language- A form of language in which writers and speakers mean exactly what their words denote.
by the audience but not by other characters on the stage. If there are no other characters present, the soliloquy represents the character thinking aloud.
Metaphor- A comparison between essentially unlike
Stage direction-
Props- Articles or objects that appear on stage during a
Theme– Key ideas and events which are explored
Protagonist-The main character of a literary work.
Tone- The implied attitude of a character or writer to-
Simile- A figure of speech involving a comparison be-
tween unlike things using like, as, or as though. An example: "My love is like a red, red rose."
Soliloquy- A speech in a play that is meant to be heard
things without an explicitly comparative word such as like or A playwright's descriptive or interpretive comments that as. An example is "My love is a red, red rose," provide readers (and actors) with information about the dialogue, setting, and action of a play. Modern playwrights, Monologue- A speech by a single character without an- including Ibsen, Shaw, Miller, and Williams tend to include other character's response. See Soliloquy. substantial stage directions, while earlier playwrights typically used them more sparsely, implicitly, or not at all. See GesNarrator- The voice or speaker who ‘narrates’ (explains ture. what is happening or gives details for the audiences benefit). Staging- The way a play presents in performance, inOnomatopoeia- The use of words to imitate the cluding the position of actors on stage, the scenic background, the props and costumes, and the lighting and sound sounds they describe. “bang” or “buzz” for example. effects. Pathos- A quality of a play's action that stimulates the Subplot- A subsidiary or subordinate or parallel plot in a audience to feel pity for a character. play or story that coexists with the main plot. Personification- The method of describing object in Syntax- The grammatical order of words in a sentence or living or human ways. The sea raged, for example. line of verse or dialogue. How we put words to make sentence and how that makes us sound. Plot- The unified structure of the events in a piece. play.
through the topics and processes in the play or story.
wards other character or ideas.
Resolution- The sorting out or unravelling of a plot at the end of a play, novel, or story.
Remember! These are not every key word you need and you do not have to use all of them all the time.
BUT If you write an essay without any, you won’t be likely to get above a D. In a good C grade or higher you would find 2 or three in every paragraph which are used correctly. That means not just thrown in, but used properly.
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Autism A disability, but what actually is it?
Aims:
To define Autism
To gain an understanding of how it affects people
To make connections into how this could impact on the play
TO START: SUMMARISE Autism is a well known disability, but many people still do not know much about it. Summarise what you know or watch a short YouTube clip from the autism society and then summarise what you have learnt. You should focus on the points that interest you and particularly what you are surprised or confused about. Make your summary about 30 seconds of speaking, 200 words or 1/3 of a page length, whichever your teacher directs.
-This can be a class discussion, silent book work or paired/group work.-
Autism, what is it? Autism is a disability which affects many (roughly 1 in 100) people. It is a disability which affects the way people process information and is therefore a ‘mental’ disability. It is also often labelled as a hidden disability because many people with autism are not obviously disabled to the rest of the world. In fact many people find that they learn to manage and control many of the symptoms of their autism and that they can live completely normal and productive lives. As a result there are many people with undiagnosed autism or who simply choose to hide it because they feel uncomfortable. This is a sad fact but very understandable as many people can be bullied for simply being different. Autism also is very different in everyone. Some autistic people have poor social skills and struggle to recognise complex emotions, others are completely fine in a group of people and can have many friends but perhaps struggle with language or even feel the need to have constant routines. Some things like OCD habits, an excellent memory and a sensitivity to things like loud noises or physical contact are all common symptoms but it is rare to find any two autistic people who are the same. Many autistic people are of above average intelligence and actually perform very well in maths and science because they have a naturally comfort with patterns and rules. This can also manifest in them picking hobbies such as building or models because of the way they can then be constructed and controlled.
Task:
Autism is also described as a ‘spectrum’. This can be confusing to understand so imagine a colour wheel. Now imagine each colour is a part of yourself, red may be your
ability to communicate, blue could be your social skills and green could be how lazy or organised you are. An autistic person may have their colours distorted so some of their traits are overactive and some don’t even seem to be there sometimes. Just like the rest of us they have different strengths and weaknesses and it is generally that they are just a little more extreme. In fact some people believe we are all on the autistic spectrum but that most of the people we think of as ‘normal’ are just above a
certain line on it.
Why is this important to the play? The central character of the story is Christopher, he is a young teenager (15) who has quite an extreme form of autism which means he does not handle physical contact or extreme sensory overloads well. Nor can he understand things like sarcasm, metaphors or complex emotions beyond things like happy or sad. The play is based on a novel and both show the events which happen through his own point of view. This is quite important to understand because we do not always see things we want to see because Christopher doesn't want to see them. There is also a lot of dramatic irony because we understand what other characters mean or do, yet Christopher doesn't. By telling the story in this unusual way we are able to better understand his way of looking at the world and most importantly we feel sorry for him through his bad times and share his joy when he manages to triumph over other parts of his life.
1– Look at the 3 pictures on the right. Thinking about what you now know about Autism, what do you think in each picture you could say helps to show that Christopher has Autism? Give full sentences and explain your ideas. E.g ‘A common feature of autism is a tendency to be good at maths, this could be shown by the use of shapes and diagrams in picture one which suggest Christopher also likes maths’. Remember to think about what he is doing and why he might choose to do that.
2– Imagine yourself either as autistic or the family of someone who is. Imagine you or that person has accidentally walked into a loud music party or a club. Describe how you or that person may be thinking or feeling. Remember it is ok to struggle with this and that you can use this difficulty in your work.
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AO3 Key Words:
Mental Disability
Affect Spectrum
Symptom Dramatic Irony
Character, theme and notes: An important part of this text is that you may not be sitting your exam for over a year, therefore it is important to make clear notes. With you teachers direction give a brief summary of: -What is Autism
-What is Dramatic Irony
-Why is Autism an important theme
The play is set from the point of view of Christopher and there are many things he is simply not interested in or doesn't understand. As a result the play will sometimes skip over details or present things differently. In many ways Christopher's understanding is that of a small child and in others an adult.
The text is also very exact, we learn a lot about Christopher because of the unusual way he speaks, he gives a great deal of factual information which helps us understand more about the story, even if not always what his emotions are.
Picture B– Christopher with his Dad.
The play in real life also uses a large amount of specialist lighting sound and set design. These are used to also help show how Christopher is feeling, using flashing reds and screeching sounds to demonstrate the confusion and discomfort he experiences.
Picture A– Christopher following a map Picture A– Christopher following a map.
Using Autism in the text
Dramatic Irony
This is a good use of dramatic irony and can be helpful in creating humour, shock or by simply filling the audience in on other details which Christopher does not know himself.
Picture C– Christopher with his model trains.
Dramatic irony is where the audience understands something the main character does not. This is very important to the story as Christopher cannot understand things like sarcasm and often does not appear to care much about other people. As a result he will often miss things which we understand.
TO REFLECT: CONNECT Taking on board what you now know about Autism and the way it can change how people see the world, you now have to make predictions about the way this could affect the text. This is a hard question to think about because you are being asked to think about how writing is put together as well as a challenging mental disability. Create a small piece of writing or bullet point notes (what your teacher requests) which lists some of your ideas in detail.
-How might the relationships between characters be affected?
-How could Christopher's points of view or feelings be shown on stage?
-What clues could the title give us about the nature of the story?
-What situations may Christopher find himself in which could be hard?
-This can be a class discussion, silent book work or paired/group work.Images sourced from the National Theatre
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ON STAGE How does format of a play change the way we experience the story.
Aims:
To identify the conventions of stage plays
To explore how are structured
To evaluate how these features will impact on the story
TO START: NOTES Stage plays work very differently to a novel. Create a brief spider diagram to set out some of these differences, you could alternatively set this out as a table with two columns. Don’t forget to look at things like: Set, props, text and structure. Remember to explore what kind of impact these things may have. You should try to find about 6 key differences between plays and novels.
-This can be a class discussion, silent book work or paired/group work.-
Accessing a script Scripts work very differently from novels. Scripts are intended to be performed as plays and as a result many of the thoughts of the characters are hidden from us, therefore the play either needs to show us these emotions or tell us them through a narrator or some other trick. Plays can also have multiple events happening at once or the additions of music, costumes and lighting. This can make the play more effective than a novel, but sometimes you miss out on the inner thoughts and the closeness of a character in a novel.
Task:
As a play is meant to be performed, many of the parts of the script are notes for people other than the actors or the director. These help us know not just what is said, but what is done.
Heading– Introduces scene or part of the play. Setting– Part of the stage directions to help establish the location and the surroundings. Character– Name in bold and a description, also part of the stage directions.
Stage Directions– In italics, not to be read, show the actions of characters. Dialogue– The words said by characters
1– Using what you now know about stage directions and how scripts are written, use this to create an opening for the play introducing Christopher. Remember to set the location, define the character, explore what actions are currently being performed as well as the dialogue itself. You could try just introducing 1 character or 2. You could try a scene where Christopher is eating tea with his dad or where he is playing with the neighbours dog. This should be about half a page and laid out as you would expect a script. 2-Look at pictures A-D. For each image make a note of what is being shown on the stage and how this could connect to the character of Christopher, you could use some of your ideas from the previous pages. Then roughly draw/sketch the stage and annotate features (watch some of the videos from the national theatre to help understand what is around, or look at the pack, also from the national theatre)
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AO3/2 Key Words:
Set Props
Stage directions Character
Dialogue Establish
Ingredients of the stage. Stage plays can be both very realistic and very unrealistic. That is because you have real, live people which is often a better experience and more genuine than a pre filmed programme. However the stage is limited by what there is, the props and things like lighting and sound which are used. These can help us picture the scene but are not as realistic as if we were actually there. The play ‘Curious Incident’ is obviously NOT realistic in many ways. The use of the LED lights and projectors are very obviously different to real life. However they are very effective at showing the main character, Christopher’s, emotions. These emotions and the way he sees the world are different to us and the use of the lights and projectors help us to understand when he is overwhelmed or calm. The key parts of the stage production are: Lighting, Sound, Stage, Props, Actors and Costume. This play also uses projectors and the lighting is especially advanced, using hundreds of LED’s in the background and the stage itself. Watch one of the clips from the national theatre about the stage and how making the set was important to the play.
Picture A– Christopher stargazing
Picture B– Christopher doing math and getting overwhelmed
Picture C– The set
Picture D– Christopher in London
TO REFLECT: EVALUATE Taking on what you now know about scripts and stage plays, evaluate how successful you believe it was to set the story as a stage performance. Remember when evaluating you have to be able to explain what it does and whether this appears to be well done or poorly done. Your teacher will hopefully show you a few ‘making of’ clips on the board and you may have the national theatre pack in front of you. Use these to help make a judgement. This could be a class discussion or 2 paragraphs in your book exploring what is effective and not effective about the choice of staging. Some starters to help: -The use of a grid on the stage can be suitable because…
-By only using a few props the story is sometimes less...
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Images sourced from the National Theatre
Aims:
Part 1 The opening of the play and introducing a mystery.
To identify the central storyline of the play.
To understand the way this is presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
TO START: NOTES This will be the opening of the play. Before you begin, consider how best it would be to read the play as a class. What risks are there to some of these ideas and why are some better than others? As a class, decide on a set of rules and conditions you will use when accessing the play. You may read it out loud, act it out or even just watch something, however you need to decide how, as a class, you should behave and respond when this happens. The play itself is divided into 2 parts, as we go through we are going to pause at key moments and explore various ideas and extracts. We will also collect key quotes and discuss characters and the overall themes of the play.
Key Words:
Synopsis Themes Monologue
Narration Mystery Abstract
Monosyllabic Patronising Immature
Part 1: Section 1– From the start to page 13, where Siobhan asks “how are you today Christopher?” Synopsis: This is a section where more than one thing is happening on stage. Siobhan, the teacher, is reading from Christopher’s book and talking to him. The action on stage seems to be parts of the book and Christopher’s memories. The two are connected but are meant to have happened at different times. The reading is here and now, the events, in his past. It works a lot like flashbacks so we see Christopher finding the dead dog, being arrested, being told his mother is ill and his father talking to him. Characters: At this stage we meet Christopher, Ed (his dad) and Siobhan (his teacher). There are also minor characters and voices. Themes: The ideas of mystery, crime, family and autism are all introduced here. The audience want to know who killed the dog, what happened to the mother and we see it all through Christopher’s limited perspective. Structure: The events of this section are in two parts and use a lot of flashbacks and voiceovers. This helps show a lot of information in a short piece of time and gets us up to date with the key events in Christopher’s life and past. Many of the flashbacks are depicted through changes on stage of characters and the set itself or sound effects, however importantly the other actors are still on stage (at the sides).
Task:
1– Summarise the key events of the play so far, this may only need to be a few sentences long. 2– What would you say are the key events or event in this section of the play? 3– Look at the following quotes, analyse them considering what the audience understand and what Christopher understands, what impact do they create?
Christopher: “I’m talking to you” Ed: “It’s a bloody dog Christopher” Ed: “I’ll take it during the day when you’re at school” 4. EXTENSION– During the scene the other actors are on set and sometimes reacting, why might the director chosen to have included them in this way?
TO REFLECT: EVALUATE From what we have read of the opening of the play, what kind of person is Christopher and do we like him? Be prepared to explain your answer and support it with events in the play so far.
E.g. I like Christopher because he is a caring person, we saw this when he wanted to find out who killed the dog.
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AO1/2 http://www.canyon-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/The-Curious-Incident-of-the-Dog-in-the-Night-Time.jpg
“Yes, I always tell the truth” As it says, Christopher cannot lie. This is partially due to his Autism and it is a mental block he has against tell non truths. This causes some difficulty in the play.
Duty Sergeant
Consider, if you could not lie, even telling white
I’ve spoken to your father and he says you didn't mean to hit the policeman
lies or things you are not sure are true. How might that change your life. With a partner or on your own, give some examples of everyday life this made make harder. Be prepared to explain your answer.
Quite a key section of Part 1 is where Christopher is talking to the Policeman, who probably doesn't understand Christopher that well.
I don’t think there will be any need for that.
Did you mean to hit the policeman? Christopher Yes Duty Sergeant
But you didn't mean to hurt the policeman?
Christopher No. I didn't mean to hurt the policeman I just wanted him to stop touching me. Duty Sergeant you?
You know it’s wrong to hit a policeman don’t
When we see how he answers the questions we can very quickly forget he is a 15 year old boy. He uses short repetitive answers and the questions seem quite patronising.
Christopher I do
Task:
Duty Sergeant Do you know it is wrong to lie to a policeman and that you can get into a very great deal of trouble if you do?
1– Read through the extract provided, or any dialogue in the play s far between Christopher and the police.
Duty Sergeant
You need to explain how Christopher is presented in this scene through the way he speaks. This looks at STRUCTURE and is very important.
Duty Sergeant
Page 9 from the Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time Play script
To Start: Imagine
Did you kill the dog Christopher?
Christopher I didn't kill the dog.
Christopher Yes Do you know who killed the dog?
Christopher No Duty Sergeant
Are you telling the truth?
Christopher I always tell the truth.
We know he IS a 15 year old boy, but the way he talks seems much younger. In your book give 2-3 quotations and explore how they use sentence structure, language and structural elements like repetition and the lack of emotive language to create the character at this point. 2– EXTENSION look at the section (around page 7) where the Duty Sergeant is checking what Christopher has in his pockets. Use a quotation from here to support your interpretation of his character. Analyse it in the same way you just have in question 1.
TO REFLECT: EVALUATE Christopher doesn't understand the impact of what he says sometimes. When we see him talking very simply to the Police it can create Dramatic Irony and we can find the scene funny, why is this and do you think it right that we find it funny because of how he talks? Answer verbally or in your book, ‘why do we laugh at the way Christopher's autism presents itself at the police station’
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Aims:
Part 2 The opening of the play and introducing a mystery.
To identify themes of crime
To understand the way this is presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
TO START: NOTES The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is partly a detective and crime story. In what ways do you think this is similar to a crime story and what ways is it not? Create a Venn Diagram, -In one circle do crime stories, what do we expect to see in the crime genre. -In the other circle write what we have seen in this play, think of everything so far. -In the overlap include any parts of this story/play which are also in the crime genre.
Think about: What has happened so far? Who the characters are? Where is it being set?
Key Words:
Genre Detective
Persistent Community
A Venn diagram
Sub plot
Part 1: Section 2– From page 13, where Siobhan asks “how are you today Christopher?” to page 22 where Ed says “where have you been?” Synopsis: As before, much of this is also being ‘read’ by Siobhan in the book. We see Christopher announce he is going to investigate the ‘crime’, we see him being told his mother has died and then we see him going to question all the neighbours. Characters: At this stage we meet Siobhan (his teacher) in more detail. There are also minor characters and voices and we see a bit more of Mrs Shears the owner of the dog. Lastly we meet Mrs Alexander who is another important yet small character. Themes: The ideas of mystery and crime are big here as Christopher is ‘being a detective’ however we also see his autism portrayed differently as he knows he is doing something he is told not to.
Task:
Structure: The events of this section include a few minor flashbacks. Most critically where his mother dies. This is very brief and this can be surprising that such a big event is not given more time.
1– Christopher is told in the last section “stay out of other people’s business” by his dad, Ed. Why does he seem to ignore this and is he actually ignoring the instruction? 2– Look at where Christopher is told of his mothers death. Find his response and analyse it as a quote in your book. Why do we think he reacts this way? 3– Christopher meets many of the people on his street. Make a subheading ‘The Community’ and write down, next to each person he meets’ name, what he learns from them and what kind of person they seem to be. Why do you think the Director introduces so many different characters? Who are the most important?
This last question should take a long time as you should look at 5 different people here and find relevant quotes or examples to support what you say about them. If you like you could use a whole page and present the work as a row of houses, however illustration is only to be done once the written work is complete if you have time.
TO REFLECT: EVALUATE From this section and the work you have done so far, make a prediction as to who could have killed the dog or where the story may go next, give 3 bullet points or 2 sentences to sum up your idea. You may discuss this as a class.
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AO1/2
geraldine-alexander-curious-incident-8501896
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/actress-
“Well we’re meant to be writing stories today, so why don’t you write about what happened to Wellington?”
To Start: Profile In your book write the name ‘Siobhan’ in the middle of a half page (or suitable space for a spider diagram). Around this name (or figure if you want), add some of the information we know or is implied about her. What kind of person is she? Why do we think this?
One of the most interesting characters in the play so far is Christopher’s teacher Siobhan. She takes on an almost narrator like role in the play as she reads from Christopher’s book. She also seems to act like a bridge between the audience and Christopher, sometimes pointing out things we ourselves wish to know but Christopher doesn't.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/p01jys2v See extracts here! Christopher’s relationship with Siobhan.
You could add some quotes or even explore the lessons she seems to try and teach Christopher.
Task: Look at the extract on the right. 1– How does Siobhan seem to fit into this scene, is she actually there with the policeman? 2– Siobhan praises Christopher, why might she do that? 3– Why might the director want to use Siobhan’s character in this way? What does she communicate to the audience and how does that help us? 4– Look through the rest of the text we have read so far. Find a quote which show us about the relationship between Christopher and Siobhan, annotate it, An example is done below.
She uses short direct sentences, she knows how to communicate with someone like Christopher.
“I like the details. They make it more realistic.” She praises him, this suggests she may be a teacher or someone who cares about his development.
It sounds like she is reading about this so she is someone Christopher trusts to tell about his experiences.
TO REFLECT: EVALUATE Do you think Siobhan is an effective character in this story? Why? What does she do/not do to make you have this opinion.
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Aims:
Part 3 Looking at Christopher's family.
To identify themes of family.
To understand the way this is presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams. TO START: NOTES The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is centred on Christopher and a big part of the story looks at the idea of family. We have met Ed, Christopher’s father, now we must consider what kind of person he is. Either as a class use hot seating or create a brief monologue from the point of view of Ed. -Talk about the difficulties of raising a son alone and the challenges of Christopher’s autism.
Think about: What do we know about Ed, how does he react to Christopher's actions.
Key Words:
Allusion Deception
Revelation Tangent
Juxtaposition Protagonist
Part 1: Section 3– From page 22 where Ed says “where have you been?” to page 31 where Ed finds Christopher's book on the table. Synopsis: Christopher is talking to his father about his suspicions on who killed the dog, Wellington, his father reacts angrily to the mention of Mr Shears. Christopher then goes on a tangent about being an astronaut, helping us understand his motivations. Finally Christopher has another conversation with Mrs Alexander who explains to him that his mother is actually still alive and had an affair with Mr Shears. Characters: The scene heavily features Mrs Alexander, Ed and Siobhan as well as Christopher. Themes: The theme of family and deception are key here as well as Christopher's own aspirations. Structure: The key parts of this scene are the conversations Christopher has between Mrs Alexander and also with his father. However they are broken by the scene where he talks about the stars, this helps divide the scene and also reinforce the idea we are in his head.
Task:
1– Christopher talks about being an astronaut, what does Christopher say he likes about the idea of being an astronaut? 2– Mrs Alexander tells Christopher about his mother. How does this make us look differently about what Ed said on Christopher's mother being in hospital, why might he have said that? 3– We meet Ed’s work partner Rhodri briefly, the way he talks is juxtaposed to Christopher, find a line from each in their conversation and compare it, think about the way they talk, how it is structured, what expressions and emotive language they use and what the tone may be? 4– This scene has a lot of information about Christopher's likes and dislikes, find 6 quotes and explain what they show. For example you may want to look at what colour food he won’t eat or why he likes the idea of being an astronaut.
This last task will take a while and produce at least 6 short PEE paragraphs, you can find more if you are able but you should conclude by explaining what this reflects about his character and why he makes an unusual protagonist in the story.
Christopher thinking about Space: littlelondonmagazine.co.uk
TO REFLECT: PREDICTION We are given a lot of information, in your book give at least 1 predictions of how the story may progress, look at.
-How will Christopher and Ed’s relationship change? -How might Christopher react to the discovery of his mother? -Who killed Wellington?
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AO1/2
“Your mother before she died was very good friends with Mr Shears.” Christopher is told information by Mrs Alexander which changes everything in the play, however he doesn't always understand what is being said because of his Autism. As a result he does not understand inference or allusion.
To Start: Profile
Mrs Alexander talking to Christopher: Britishtheatre.com
Task: Look at the way Christopher speaks. Create a conversation in your books or acted out (your teacher will decide). Make one version as a normal conversation and another where one character is like Christopher and cannot understand allusions.
You could look at a topic like:
Someone has to tell they child that a pet has died
A person explaining they have a hidden past
Where a person has to explain that they have a crush one someone else
You could include sentence such as:
You understand what I am saying, don’t you?
When I say feelings I mean, feelings, ya know?
Gone to a better place.
It was a dark time.
I have something I want to say but I don’t know how.
You don’t want to know.
In their conversation, Mrs Alexander says a number of things Christopher doesn't understand, look at the following quotes and consider how he has interpreted them and how they were meant to be understood. This may be a class discussion or notes as directed by the teacher.
Mrs Alexander “Really? A level maths?” Christopher “Yes, I don’t tell lies.” Mrs Alexander “Your mother before she dies was very good friends with Mr Shears,” Christopher “I know” Mrs Alexander “Perhaps it would be best not to talk about these things Christopher” Christopher “Why not”
INFER: To find a meaning in something which is not expressly said but is suggested by tone and context. E.G. ‘He is at peace now’ can be inferred as someone has passed away.
TO REFLECT: EVALUATE How successful do you think the writer is at showing Christopher as innocent or naïve? Do you think it would change the story much if he understood these things?
16
Aims:
Part 4 Christopher’s mother and the letters of revelation.
To identify themes of family.
To understand the way this is presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
TO START: CONSIDER “I remember 20th July 2006. I was nine years old. It was a Saturday. We were on holiday in Cornwall. We were on the beach in a place called Polprerro. Mother was wearing a pair of shorts made out of denim and a stripy blue swimming costume and she was smoking cigarettes called Consulate, which were mint flavour.” Look at the quote above. How important do we think this memory is to Christopher? Why? Look at what is said and the detail. Copy the quote into your book and underneath analyse why you think Christopher remembers this so clearly. Think about memories you have from your childhood and why you remember some more strongly than others.
Key Words:
Abuse Emotive
Structure Pace
Tone Tempo
Part 1: Section 4– From page 31 where Ed finds Christopher's book on the table to page 40 where Ed says “You’re soaking,”. Synopsis: Ed discovers Christopher’s book and confronts Christopher, they have a physical struggle and Ed shakes him hard. Christopher has a flashback to his mother and then goes looking for his book which his father has hidden. He finds the book but also letters from his mother who he finally realises must still be alive. Characters: The scene heavily features Ed and Judy as well as Christopher and Siobhan. Themes: The theme of family, memory and violence occur here. Structure: The key parts of this scene are the flashback, the struggle and Christopher finding the letter. Each of them are portrayed differently so as to demonstrate the different emotions prevalent in each part.
Task: 1– What do we know about Judy. Find 5 things (as quotes) we learn about her. Underneath them all give a brief explanation of what this shows us about her character and what kind of person you think she is. Christopher discovering the letter from the stage production
TO REFLECT: PREDICTION Why did she go?
What reasons could there have been for his mother leaving? Do you agree or disagree with her choice? Prepare this as notes or as part of a class discussion.
2– There is a lot of anger in this scene. Find 2 quotes and analyse the way they portray frustration. 3– How is humour created through the structure of language when Christopher looks for his book? Look at the long speech on page 36. 4– How does Siobhan react to Christopher’s bruise? Why might that be?
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AO1/2
The scene has a variety of different tones, structural changes and pace. Most notably between the scene where Christopher and his father struggle, and the scene where he finds the letters.
Christopher with his father
“Christopher, do you understand that I love you?.” The way the text is written and performed, along with punctuation and vocabulary help us understand these changes and the emotional changes as well as the tempo of the scene.
Mild Calm
Remember, to make sure you use quote of explanations to clearly label the points on the graph e.g. the part of the scene where Siobhan questions Christopher on his bruises might be around the middle because there is some tension there but not much.
Emotional Tension
Look at the section of the play. In your book draw a rough graph like this (ignore the blue line, that is just an example) . Plot on the graph 5 points on the scene, label them and draw a line.
Intesne
To Start: Consider
Start
This should take half or a third of a page and you should use a rule.
Task: Look at page 36 and page 34. 1– Summarise what happens on page 34, in your summary you should mention.
How long are the lines on average on page 34?
How many stage directions are there?
How would you describe the way Ed talks and the language he uses? Give two quotes.
What mood and tempo do all of these things create in the extract and how?
2- Summarise what happens on page 36, in your summary you should mention.
Where is repetition used in the speech? Include an example.
How are Christopher's sentences structured, look at punctuation?
How is humour present in the scene?
What mood and tempo do all of these things create in the extract and how?
Middle
End
Extract
http:// www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/ Christopher’s relationship with his mother. TO REFLECT: EVALUATE How does the scene effectively change tone through use of structure and language? Answer the question with examples from your work on the extract, use quotes to support your reasoning. Focus on one thing at a time. You may need to turn this into a piece of extended writing if your teacher directs you to.
18
Aims:
Part 5 Christopher’s mother and the letters of revelation.
To identify themes of family.
To understand the way this is presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
TO START: CONSIDER During the scene Christopher is building his train set. The stage direction states,
“His building becomes frantic. At times almost balletic” What do we think the importance of the train set is as he makes it on the stage? Think about: Metaphors, Foreshadowing, Staging
This can be a class discussion or a brief paragraph/mind map as directed by the teacher.
Key Words:
Paternal Foreshadowing
Christopher and his train set. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from the National Theatre.
Monologue Physical
Abandonment Soliloquy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01jykhc Watch the first half of the clip on Part 1: Section 5– From page 40 where Ed says “You’re soaking,” to page 47 where Ed says “Christopher Christopher?” Synopsis: Ed has to go out on a job as his partner is unavailable. He leaves Christopher at home and Christopher begins to read the letters left by his mother. She explains how she had an affair and left. During this time Christopher is building his train set while Siobhan and his mother read out the letters in his place. Characters: The scene heavily features Christopher Judy and Siobhan. Themes: The theme of family and separation occur here.
Task: 1– Christopher’s mother Judy talks about a series of events up until the time she leaves. Starting with the train set he gets for Christmas, plot these in a flow chart down a page. By each event you need to explain what it was, include the quote and a brief explanation (2 sentences) of how this may have contributed to Judy leaving.
The first part is done for you as an example.
Structure: The key parts of this scene are Christopher’s building of the train set, the monologues from Judy and Siobhan and the way these create intensity in the scene.
Christopher gets the toy train.
“I found a photo of that train set we bought you a
Christopher and his mother. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from the
National Theatre.
couple of Christmases ago” This shows one of the happier times in their relationship where she felt like a good parent. However she was also distant because his interest was the train, not her.
You will need to put into order and look at: these events
TO REFLECT: PREDICTION Christopher’s father is about to walk in and find him. How do you think he will react to Christopher reading the letters? Why do you think this? Support your ideas with what you know about Ed from earlier in the play.
Huge argument, realising she wasn't needed
Spending time with Roger
Shopping together
Ed being cross with Judy
Leaving when Roger asked her to
Christopher throwing food
19
AO1/2
Christopher moves to the middle pf the track. He crouches down. He rolls himself into a ball. He starts hitting his hands and feet and head against the floor as the letter continues. Christopher reacting to the letters. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from the National Theatre.
This extract from the scene is important to show tension. Christopher does not react in the same way that normal characters do and his responses can sometimes be very physical. This is very effective for a visual production.
To Start: Explore Look at the image above. What is being shown here? Is this an effective way of showing how Christopher is feeling about the letters? Why? What do the falling letters and his position represent?
http:// www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/
Task:
Look at the letters in the extract.
In your books divide a page into 6 boxes. Leave space at the bottom of each of these.
In each box pick a part of the scene and at the top of the box use a quote to show where this is in the extract.
Under the quote (but leaving space at the bottom) draw an image of how you would present that moment on stage, you can use stickmen if you wish. Or some of the ideas from previous images and clips we have seen.
Underneath explain the stage directions you would give and what they would show.
Christopher’s relationship with his mother.
TO REFLECT: SHOW OR EXPLAIN
As a group or a pair (no more than 3) re-create 1 or more moments from your storyboard. Be prepared to explain what you chose to do and feedback to others.
This is a storyboard and will show your ability to visualise the tension in the play.
20
Part 6 Christopher’s reaction and Ed’s revelation.
Aims:
To identify themes of betrayal and crime.
To understand the way this is presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams. TO START: CONSIDER What can show pain in the way someone speaks? Think about these symbols and what emotions they can show. What other structural techniques are there? ! sentence, es,
…
Long Short SentencRepetition, ? Onomatopoeia
Key Words:
Conclusion Grief Revelation Subconscious Dilemma Ensemble
Christopher and his mother, the end of part 1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from the National Theatre.
Part 1: Section 6– From page 47 where Ed says “Christopher Christopher?” to the end of Part 1 on page 52. Synopsis: Christopher is discovered by his father after reading the letters. His father explains the pressure he was under and admits to killing Wellington. Christopher decides he cannot stay with his father as his father is now a murderer. Christopher decides he can stay nowhere else than with his mother. Characters: The scene heavily features Ed, though many other characters chip in at the end as part of Christopher's subconscious. Themes: The theme of family and honest. Structure: The extract focusses heavily on Ed’s speech and Christopher’s dilemma.
Task:
1– Ed’s speech to Christopher is full of pain and quite emotional. How is this shown through.
The use of punctuation
The use of language
Sentence structure
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/p01jyf8r See extracts here! Ensemble acting.
You can answer this in three separate short paragraphs or by annotating the extract from the text. 2-The end of the extract uses ensemble acting. Why do you think this is used? 3– What is going on in Christopher's head? Either draw Christopher or mind map around his name all the things he will be thinking about right now. Make the more important things bigger and link and questions he may be asking himself.
TO REFLECT: JUDGEMENT Who is wright or wrong? Consider what we know about Ed and his decision, do we think he has done the right thing hiding the truth like this? Why?
21
Practise Question:
How is Siobhan presented as a teacher to Christopher? Look at: How Siobhan and Christopher are presented together How Stephens presents Siobhan
30 marks (Roughly 30 minutes to answer and 15 to
This is a sample question based on the questions provided in the papers from AQA. Questions tend to focus on characters or themes and if you divided up the time fro the exam you would have about 30-45 minutes to answer (a good amount would be 5-10 minutes of planning and 25-30 writing).
Part 1– What do I need to talk about? There are 3 assessment objectives the examiner will be marking for AO1, AO2 and AO3, AO3 is worth half the marks AO1 or AO2 are worth and you cannot get all your marks from just 1 AO. That means you need to cover them all in your work.
AO1– Interpretation supported by quotes: here you look at your key quotes about the topic and explain how you believe they create meaning to the audience. An example could be the way Siobhan speaks Christopher’s thoughts and this could be used to portray her as
his conscience.
AO2– Analysis of language: Within the quotes you explore you would look out for examples such as Direct address, narrative, metaphors, emotive language, sentence structure and also with a script you could explore staging.
AO3– Context: this is where you can bring in your background knowledge about families, stage plays and autism and link these to your ideas. You should only include these as a brief sentence on each paragraph or indeed in your introduction.
Part 2– How do I structure my answer? For a 25/30 minute answer you have enough time to produce 5-6 good paragraphs with a clear conclusion and introduction. There is no right or wrong length but you need enough opportunity to talk about a range of ideas.
Intro– This should be SHORT, no more than 3-4 sentences. You need to briefly; introduce Siobhan and her character, set out what you wish to explore, mention what you know about autism and stage plays in relation to her character. An example could be “Siobhan is
Christopher’s specialist teacher, because of the needs of his autism she is shown as having a more personal relationship with him and is used to clarify many areas to the audience which Christopher himself is incapable due to his Asperger’s syndrome”
Core Paragraphs– Three key paragraphs (more if you can), which are centred around a key quote or section of the play. Each paragraph should: Introduce the quote, give the quote, analyse the language, talk about what meaning this creates in the play and then where relevant, link to context.
Conclusion– Summarise your earlier points and come up with an answer (or alternatives) to the question. E.g. “Siobhan is shown not just as an educator but a moral teacher to Christopher and in many ways is the link between him and the audience, hence her role as a narrator at times.” Over a lesson of at least an hour or a double. 1– Spend 30 minutes looking at the character of Siobhan, in your book use a page and collect as many relevant quotes or ideas for your work. You will NOT be able to look at them for your writing so you will have to spend some of this time focussing on a few key ideas and learning them. 2– Close that page or on a separate piece of paper you have 10 minutes to now plan your work for the question above. 3– With 30 minutes, attempt to answer the question using your plan in 2 to help.
22
Aims:
Part 7 Opening to Part2 of the play and the journey to the station.
To explore ideas and themes surrounding confusion.
To understand the way this is presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
TO START: BLURB Christopher can find the world confusing. What situations in every day life could Christopher find hard and confusing which other may not. List 5-15. Why are they hard for him to deal with?
Key Words:
Independence Navigate
Montage Perspective
Authorities Ignorant
Part 2: Section 7– From the end of Part 1 on page 52 to page 59 where the station policeman says “Christopher caught you just in time” Synopsis: Christopher is asked if the school can put his story into a school play, he tries to leave his pet rat with Mrs Alexander and he goes to find the station. He buys a ticket and gets to the train. Characters: The scene features a number of characters briefly. Mrs Gascoyne the head teacher is shown as a rather comic character and we understand Mrs Alexander’s concern for Christopher. We also see the Station policeman who is a minor character. Themes: The theme of growth and community. Structure: The extract contains a number of events happening in brief scenes, this reflects the events which stand out to Christopher, rather than a normal person trying to leave home.
Task: Answer in full sentences and paragraphs. 1– The scene is very confusing to Christopher. Explore 3 things which cause him confusion, and find a quote which demonstrates this for each. 2-The station is a hectic place, how is this shown in the script? Look at the ‘voices’ on page 57/58. 3– Imagine you have met Christopher and are having to explain to him the process of reaching the station and boarding the train for his journey. Give him a guide and advice on this. Remember: How can he handle crowds? How can he find out the cost? How can he find the station? Christopher navigating his way to the station.
TO REFLECT: STRUCTURE How effectively is confusion shown in the scene? Why does Christopher find it hard to follow directions? Why can the station be a confusing place? Do you think Christopher will be able to cope with this journey?
23
Aims:
Part 8 A train journey.
To conflict within enviroment
To understand the way this is presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
AO1/2
And also keep good revision notes for exams. TO START: OUT THE WINDOW Look at this image. What do you think of when you look at it? Now look again and try and imagine what Christopher would notice? Remember his love of detail, maths and his inability to think in metaphors or his difficulty with emotional connections. What are the differences? Is there a right way to look at a picture?
Part 2: Section 8– From page 59 where the station policeman says “Christopher caught you just in time” to page 70 “The tube line appears” Synopsis: Christopher goes through his train journey to London, he hides from the station police in order to carry on. Along the way we see a bit more about he deals with situations in his own unique way. Characters: The scene is almost solely Christopher and the Station Policeman, though the other actors play passengers on the train. We also see Ed later on as an extension of Christopher’s inner voice. Themes: The themes of autism and behaviour. Structure: The extract uses a good amount of humour and Christopher’s monologues help us understand more of his character. His conversation with Ed and the way London is presented are also powerful.
Task:
Answer these in full sentences or paragraphs, your work should make sense without having to re-read the question. 1– Give an example of how humour can be created in the scene? 2– London is shown as very busy, how could you use the actors on stage to help demonstrate this, refer to a particular moment or line in the play. 3– Christopher talks to an imaginary version of Ed in his head, what do you think this shows abut their relationship and how Christopher thinks about his father? 4– Christopher knows he is different from everyone else, but how does he show this in the extract?
TO REFLECT: STRUCTURE •How effectively is confusion shown in the scene? •Why does Christopher find it hard to follow directions? •Why can the station be a confusing place? •Do you think Christopher will be able to cope with this journey?
24
Aims:
Part 9 Christopher’s struggles through the London Underground.
To consider aspects of staging for effect.
To how staging impacts audience.
To evaluate how effective staging can be.
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
Word association. Look at image A,B and C. What do you think of when you see these images?
Image A
TO START: DISCUSS
How do you think Christopher would respond to being on the Underground. Atmosphere Commuting Chaotic
Navigating Choreographed Congestion
Image B
Key Words:
Part 2: Section 9– From page 70 “The tube line appears” to page 79 where Ed says “I’m talking to her whether you like it or not” Image C
Synopsis: Christopher goes onto the London Underground he arrives at his mother’s home and sees Judy. Characters: The scene focusses on Christopher but still uses the entire cast to portray the chaos of the scene. Another key character is Judy. Themes: The of confusion and autism. Structure: The scene is notable for the use of chaotic ensemble acting to show the London Underground.
Task:
Draw 4 plans of the stage, they can be a birds eye view. Include on them the way you would show these key moments in the play, include the description of this section underneath. -Where characters are -What they are doing -What is the lighting
Annotate with at least 5 annotations which talk about
-What props -Any special effects
EXTENSION: Answer in full sentences and paragraphs.
1– How does Judy respond when she finds out Christopher thought she was dead? 2– Christopher is not suited to travelling on the underground, give an example to support this view. 3– How does Christopher manage to cope through the journey? What does he do to help himself manage? 4– How does Roger respond to the situation? Why do you think that is? 5– How is humour created in the extract? Find an example?
TO REFLECT: DISCUSSION Christopher believes the world revolves around him? What arguments could you make for or against this as an idea? How does this link to the way the play is staged?
25
Aims:
Part 10 Christopher and his mother find a solution.
AO1/2
To explore how Character is presented on stage.
To understand how character can be influenced.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams. TO START: OUT THE WINDOW Christopher often reacts badly when he doesn't get his way, he screams or groans or lashes out. What do you think this shows us about him and how does this affect what we think of him? How would you describe the way he behaves? Give more than 1 interpretation.
Part 2: Section 10– From page 79 where Ed says “I’m talking to her whether you like it or not” to page 91 Mrs Shears “you’ve got a nerve” Synopsis: Christopher decides he needs to go home to do his A level, meanwhile Roger does not deal well with the change in his life and having Christopher around and Judy struggles to cope. They eventually run back to Swindon in Roger’s car. Characters: The scene is focussed on Christopher, Roger and Judy. Themes: The themes of change and adaptation are shown here which obviously conflict with Christopher’s autism. Structure: The extract is not always happening at a pace and jumps in time. We are also reminded that this is a memory and Siobhan’s appearance helps us to understand that Christopher is struggling to cope.
4th wall The fourth wall is an idea that when you act something we imagine a fourth wall on the stage where the audience is, as if they are looking into a box. Things which clearly are used to show this is not real are said to be “breaking the fourth wall”. So if the actors slip out of role or we are told stage directions. The less realistic it is, the more the wall is ‘broken’
Task:
Answer these in full sentences or paragraphs, your work should make sense without having to re-read the question. 1– On page 82 Christopher says “it was mother who gave me the milkshake” and later “you need to shout more loudly at him…” look at how the characters react, do we think this is real and why do you think it is included in the play? 2– How can we see that Judy struggles to look after Christopher? 3- “someone was going to get hurt” who was Judy talking about and why? 4- “I can’t see any stars here” how does this line suggest Christopher does not belong in London? Read the lines around it for more support here.
TO REFLECT: CHARACTER We don’t know much about Roger, but is he a bad person? Either as a class or individually create a brief mind map around his name and decide what you think of him as a person. Remember to support your ideas with your knowledge of the play so far.
26
Aims:
Part 11 Ending the play, where next?
To explore structure.
To understand how this can be presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams. TO START: DISCUSS We are nearly at the end of the play. What has Christopher achieved over the course of the play? Give 5 challenges he has overcome. What has he learnt from these? Resolution Accomplishment
Key Words:
Pathos Triumph
Comic Relief Literal
Part 2: Section 11– From page 79 where Ed says “I’m talking to her whether you like it or not” to the end of the play. Synopsis: Christopher sits his exam and he and his mother move into a flat/hostel. There is some resolution between Christopher and his father. Characters: The scene focusses on Christopher, his family and the school. Themes: Resolution, autism and family. Structure: As an ending the play leaves us with an open ending though there is some resolutions and stability returned to Christopher’s life.
Task:
Christopher and his father.
Answer in full sentences and paragraphs. 1– Is this a happy ending, give two supporting points to explain your answer. 2– How is humour created an the fourth wall broken? (see previous page for more on fourth wall), remember to support your answer with quotation/s. 3-This ending shows Christopher's personal achievements and his journey, what has he overcome? 4–How does Christopher feel about Toby’s death. Do we think his words give us an accurate understanding of how he feels? 5- How is pathos (emotional concern) created in the scene? 6– What is the significance of the appendix scene to the staging? Consider what it tells us and how this has been used throughout the play.
TO REFLECT: DISCUSSION The use of the final scene (in the appendix) ruins the ending, do you agree or not?
27
AO1/2/3
Aims:
Review Quiz Some questions and a brief essay to see how much you have remembered.
To review knowledge
To apply knowledge
To apply appropriate knowledge
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
Questions on plot and content
Questions on structural elements
1.
What is the name of Christopher’s mother?
1.
What is “ensemble” acting?
2.
What does Christopher’s father say happened to his mother?
2.
Who acts as a narrator like figure?
3.
Who owned the dog?
3.
What is a soliloquy?
4.
What kind of thing does Christopher’s father do for a living?
4.
Where is Pathos in the play?
5.
Explain comic relief?
5.
Who is Siobhan?
6.
What is the “fourth wall”?
6.
Where does Christopher live?
7.
What is “tempo”?
7.
What is Christopher building at the second half or part one?
8.
What is a protagonist?
8.
What does Christopher do instead of hugging people?
9.
What is an example of conflict within the play?
9.
Who does Christopher ask to look after Toby?
10.
What is dramatic irony?
10.
Christopher tells his father he would make a very good what?
You have 10 minutes to look through any notes you have on the theme of autism or conflict.
Question
How do Characters respond to conflict within the play? Before you begin.
You have 40 minutes in total for this question.
Look at the Assessment Objectives earlier on, think about what the examiner wants to see.
You are only allowed the notes you can make at the start of that time.
Take time to plan, about 5-10 minutes in any form you like (that you could do in exam conditions.)
Up to 4 marks (AO4) will be given for quality of spelling and grammar, but remember that if spelling and grammar stop the examiner understanding you, you could lose out on more.
Decide on 3-5 key points/quotes to use and focus only on them.
Remember to read the question again, what is it asking? Does your idea/plan link to this?
Don’t rush and remember, quality matters most. Avoid simple mistakes. It is not just a test of how much but how well.
You will not be allowed the text.
The question is worth 30 marks with an additional 4 for AO4
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Themes Some key themes and quotes to support them.
Aims:
To identify themes in the play.
To understand the way this is presented.
To apply this knowledge.
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
TO START: DISCUSS Identify the key themes in the play. See if you can find up to 10 topics or ideas this play is about and set it out in a spider diagram. It is ok if some ideas are very similar or linked.
Task: Answer in full sentences and paragraphs. Some examples of the major themes and key quotes are provided for you below. For each themes you must: 1– Copy or find 3-4 quotes which you can learn. 2– For each quote include a brief summary of what it shows about this theme. 3– Rate the quote out of 10 as to how good you think it is or if you could use it in the exam, remember the exam is closed book so you will need to remember a lot of these.
AUTISM AND DISABILITY -Christopher's ability to fixate on other details, he does not reactive with emotion and this marks him out as different to the audience. “There was a garden fork sticking out of the dog. The dog was called Wellington. It belonged to Mrs Shears who was our friend.” -Christopher is shown to cope by using repetition and patterns, this highlights his struggles and alienation, this contrasts the chaos around him. “left, right, left, right, left, right.” -Christopher is often portrayed as quite childish which is a harmful stereotype of autism, like when talking about the ice-lolly, this is also shown by the simplicity of the statement. “yes please because that’s red”
LOVE AND SUPPORT -Christopher's gesture of an outstretched hand touching another's fingertips represents intimacy
“Christopher, touch my hand”. -Ed’s frustration represents the harder side of love after he and Christopher struggle and how he feels distant from his own son. “Christopher, do you understand that I love you?” -The way Christopher pictures Ed when he is on the Underground represents his deeper feelings of love for his father. “Try not to let it [scare you],”
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GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT - By the end of the play we see Christopher has pride in what he achieved and now feels more able, he has grown in confidence. This is suggested by the assertive language. “I can because I went to London on my own.” - Christopher is shown with high aspirations but this conflicts with him wanting success for all the wrong reasons, to be away from others and his own selfish interests, this suggests immaturity. “I think I would make a very good astronaut”
CRIME, DECEIT AND MYSTERY - Christopher is shown to be juxtaposed to the typical crime/mystery character as he is unable to deceive. However it also suggests a greater awareness to the audience and shows he is not necessarily innocent or handicapped by this, “I do not tell lies. Mother used to say that this was because I was a good person.” - Ed deflects Christopher and takes advantage of Christopher's trusting nature so as to not admit the truth. This creates sympathy for both characters as the audience recognise the painful situation and there is a level of dramatic irony that Christopher cannot see it. “I’ll take some to her during the day when you’re at school…” - We see Ed struggle to regain Christopher’s confidence, this is a juxtaposition of their roles and gives Christopher the power in the situation. “I want you to know you can trust me…”
CONFLICT, VIOLENCE AND ANGER - Ed shows is anger and frustration through his use of strong language. This portrays him both as aggressive but also caring as a father. “Christopher is getting a crap enough deal as it is…” - Mrs Shears reaction to the dog displays clear shock, emphasised through the use of swearing and possessive pronouns. This creates a shocking conflict at the start of the play. “What in fuck’s name have you done to my dog…” - Christopher is shown as responding to conflict visually. His behaviour of curling up portrays him as weak and vulnerable, contrasting with other, more aggressive, characters. “He remains in his ball/ He
doesn't stop moaning…” TO REFLECT: QUIZ Your teacher or partner will give you a random theme. Your task will be to give the quote you picked for that and explain why… from memory! You can take a few minutes to try and learn the quotes.
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Characters Getting to know the key characters.
Aims:
To identify characters in the play.
To understand the way they are presented.
To evaluate how effective this presentation is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams. TO START: HIERARCHY Using a pyramid with at least 3 levels, place the characters where you believe they go in order of importance. Be prepared to justify your answers. Remember to use a rule and plenty of space for your diagram, about half a page should do.
Most
Least
CHRISTOPHER: A 15 year old boy with Autism. Christopher sees the world differently and is the central character in the text. He loves space, maths and all things with a clear logical order. He has many unusual traits, he won’t eat yellow food, he doesn't like physical contact and he cannot lie. In all of these cases if he has to do those things he will get very upset and traumatised. He has a pet rat called Toby and at the start of the play he lives with his Father. The entirety of the play takes place from his point of view.
SIOBHAN: She is Christopher’s teacher. At the start of the play she is reading Christopher’s experiences from the book he has written, talking to him. She also takes on a role like his conscience and the narrator. Translating aspects of the story for the benefit of the audience and giving us an opportunity to understand Christopher’s thought processes.
E D: Ed is Christopher’s father. He works hard to care for Christopher but sometimes loses his temper. This is in part because he is a single father and struggles to look after his son. His role in the play shares with us the difficulty experienced by families who struggle with disability.
JUDY Judy is Christopher’s mother. At the start of the play Christopher believes she is dead and only has memories of her being happy of care free. He later discovers the truth, that she was deeply unhappy, stressed and having an affair. Christopher latter runs to London to live with her. She tries to be a good parent but does struggle and ends up coming back to Swindon.
WHO ELSE IS THERE? Mrs Shears, Mrs Alexander, Police officer, Roger (Mr Shears) , Reverend Peters, Mrs Gascoyne, The people on the street, people at the station, voices, Rhodri.
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Aims:
Structure How the play is constructed, what key terms do we use and how do we explain it?
To identify structure within the play.
To understand the techniques used here.
To evaluate how effective their use is.
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
Flashbacks
A moment in the text where we look back at the memories of a character.
Climax
A critical point in the play where things reach a natural peak in tension.
Montage
Selection of moments, scenes or events put together to create meaning.
Chronological
In order of time.
Tangent/Digression
Where the topic or action changes direction suddenly for no reason.
Plot/Subplot
The main storyline or a smaller storyline within the main one.
Protagonist
Central character who we feel support for.
Pace
The speed at which events are occurring.
Narrator
A character who communicates events to the audience.
Tension
The building of feeling of fear or anxiety through the scene.
Scene
The events happening at a location and time in the play.
When we look at the play we must remember that, like a story it follows many of the rules of storylines. At the same time it is a stage play and uses many features which are not often found in a novel. In your exam AO3 can be linked to structure as you will often need to talk about ‘writers craft’ this is language features but also it can be structural.
HOW?
Do we write about structure?
If we look at this paragraph we can see they use a range of language features as well as structure and that they come up with a very clever point. This would be an example of A grade work, but could be improved by looking at audience impact or context.
TASK:
Use the features shown in the table above. Find a quotation or moment of the play which support or demonstrates the use of each one. (Find an example of where we see it in the play.)
Create 2 PEE paragraphs based on the examples you have found and linked to the points above.
Example PEE Paragraph: Within the play, Stephens (Director) emphasises that Christopher is a stereotypical immature teenager. The world is perceived through his point of view. As a result he uses flashbacks and digressions to change the direction of the story to better suit Christopher. A good example is where in the middle of the conversation Siobhan says (As Christopher) “I think I would make a very good astronaut.” The simple imperative language and topic is completely at a tangent to the conversation so far and shows that Christopher has lost interest and now wants to go back to talking about himself.
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Analysis The language and techniques in analysing the play and the characters speech.
Aims:
To be able to confidently analyse aspects of the play.
To know the key terms.
And also keep good revision notes for exams.
Fillers
Words used to create pauses or thinking time, “like”, “you know”, “um”
Pauses
A pronounced gap in the speech.
Repetition
Repeating words or phrases for impact (deliberate or not)
False Start
Where a person restarts their sentences because they trip over their words.
Direct Address
Where one character’s speech is directed toward another.
Monosyllabic
Words with one syllable “yes”, “no”
Imperatives
Words which deal in absolutes “I will”, “You must”, “Shall”, they often leave little room to argue.
Immature
A childish or youthful act or speech.
Tone
The way in which someone's speech sounds, e.g. “angry”, “mournful”.
Literal
To take something as it is directly communicated.
Intonation
The rise and fall of a persons speaking pattern.
Sarcasm
Something said whereby the opposite may be the case, often bitter and cutting, used for humour.
Slang
Use of local words or phrases.
Emotive
Words or language which elicit an emotional response.
Metaphor
A word or idea which is described as being something else e.g. He was a lion (to suggest he is brave and strong).
Within the play you are likely to look at themes, characters and also staging, structure and language.
Language, structure and staging are the TOOLS the director and writer use to create an effect.
Character and theme are the TARGET of these tools which the director/ writer shapes.
IMPACT is the effect these have.
In your writing you should look at what TOOLS the director uses to shape the TARGET and create IMPACT.
! Key
Content
Example PEE: When he speaks to Christopher after the discovery of the letters, Ed speaks with a large amount of pauses and fillers indicated by the ellipses. “QUOTE,” This is used to suggest his stress and anxiety. This is further reinforced when he uses exclamations with slang “Jesus Christ…”. This suggests that he struggles to handle conflict well and is both frustrated and desperate. This heavily contrasts with Christopher's own more physical responses and helps draw a distinguishing line between the two, despite them being so close up until now. This is an effective example because the writer communicates a range of strongly supported ideas backed up by evidence in the form of terminology and completes it all with strong analysis.
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Lighting
Set Design Props– The object used on stage Setting– The location, often created through designed backgrounds.
Spot light– light set on one person Strobe– bright flashing light Tinted—Lighting with a given colour
Sound
Movement/Actions
Voice over– A voice from a speaker, often pre recorded. Sound effects-Various noises played over speakers, often show location.
Ensemble– Groups of actors working together. Choreographed– A routine which is planned out, often a dance.
As this is a play, other really important language is that of staging techniques. Above are a range of the more common methods of staging. By including these in your explanation you can enhance marks. Look at how we can enhance the paragraph earlier.
Example PEE: When he speaks to Christopher after the discovery of the letters, Ed speaks with a large amount of pauses and fillers indicated by the ellipses. “QUOTE,” This is used to suggest his stress and anxiety. This is further reinforced when he uses exclamations with slang “Jesus Christ…”. This suggests that he struggles to handle conflict well and is both frustrated and desperate. This heavily contrasts with Christopher's own more physical responses and helps draw a distinguishing line between the two, despite them being so close up until now.
This conflict could be further emphasised by the use of spotlighting or tinted red lights to emphasise the intimacy or conflict of the situation.
TASK: Look at the moment in the play where Christopher is reading the letters from his mother. Make a mind map of this scene and give as many examples of staging and language which is/could be shown here. Construct 3 PEE paragraphs using a range of language and staging features within each one. Underline each one you use. You should include 3-4 in each paragraph.
TO REFLECT: WHY DO WE USE KEY TERMS?
Consider why we use those key terms. Which ones are coming up a lot and which ones are hardest to spot. Why do we need to use them and how often should we be using them in our work?
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Revision What to review and how. A Checklist.
1. Learn EVERY key term you can. Particularly about language and staging. 2. Make sure you can summarise the key events which happen in the book. 3. Have a range of quotes for each character and theme, 3 for each character and theme ideally. 4. Practise your paragraphs, make sure you use 2/3 key terms at least in every paragraph and you use the most suitable quotes. 5. Repeat mock questions, you can use the mark scheme over the page to help see what kind of things to talk about. The question was based on “How is Ed shown as a parent?”. 6. Read the question twice. Remember to answer it and not just list everything you know about the story or character. 7. REMEMBER IT’S A PLAY, don’t treat it like a novel, think about structure and audience.
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Notes: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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