The Shoe-Horn Sonata Essay

melody and choke effectsSonata is a musical term describing something compose specifically for two musical instruments Music is a linking plait throughout the playSonata is symbol that occurs throughout the playBridie and Sheila burst into song at the end of the showtime interview session Their performance effectively takes us back to her pastAurally (what one hears) and visually historical information is conveyed When Jerusalem reaches a crescendo, scene of the Japanese invasion are juxtaposed on the backdrop screens, ironically contrasting character and triumphal song Lacking real instruments, we are told the prisoners had to improvise using their voices alone Even when poesy were decimated and the choir couldnt sing anymore Bridie and Sheila fill the gap They thought It was up to us to defend on we sang our sonata whenever we could so the camp would know there was still music left Music becomes pivotal to their survivalMusic is an aural symbol of willpower and determinat ionWed sit in our hut at night and hum. Wed do it while we dug the graves. Bridie laconically observes, It plausibly sounded bloody awful. But not to us. To us we still had harmony and the japs could never take that away. Voice and odor are fused, We forgot the Japanese we forgot our hunger our boils barbed wire e realthing Together we made this glorious sound that uprise about the camp- above the jungle-above the war-rose and rose and took us with it Sheila also sums up its psychological importance, Fifty voices readiness us free Sound effects add atmospheric detail and mood An example is in the hatchway at where the women describe the sinking of the ship or machine gunning of helpless women and children, We hear the distant sound of lapping wavesProjected ImagesVisual reinforce the script, the use of photographic images reinforces the context and historic authenticity of what is being said. Evocative glimpsesthrough slides of ships burning in Singapore Harbour, the Japa nese invasion and the shocking conditions of the prisoners of war. Distinctively visual methods are used to allow the interview to witness the horrific reality of the period This augments the simple set de home and the use of a two character cast while helping develop the plays raillery and humour This is evident when images released by the Australian Defence Department, showing healthy, clean and happy women are dramatically juxtaposed with those that showed them as they were liberatedLighting and Stage DirectionsLight is a key dramatic device that helps develop themes and characters Misto supplies detailed stage directions which specify tone, mannerisms or line delivery to create a grumpy mood or atmospheric context Directions such as fondly, slightly surprised disapprovingly, very calmly ironic smile casually trying to make light od it position the audiences interpretive response They also focus attention on Sheila and Bridies emotions, building strain and suspense as their re lationship fluctuates. The opening stage directions read darkness. Out of the silence comes the voice of Bridie and after her first line of dialogue, she is visually spot lit.Stage lighting gradually reveals the on air sign establishing our perception of the TV studio context The interplay of light and dark, via spotlighting, blackouts and fade outs, help develop atmosphere or mood for the rest of the play When Bridie and Sheila are emotionally separated, they are often lit separately, whereas once accommodate by the end of the play. They are lit in partnership. As they dance, the light gradually fades away, while a very bright spot light highlights the shoehorn This visually signifies its symbolic importance as something that first brought them together, then forced them apart, and now, once again, reunites them.