Woman in Mind by Alan Ayckbourn Essay Example for Free

Woman in Mind by Alan Ayckbourn Essay How does Ayckbourn present the contrast between Susans fantasy family and her real family in Woman in Mind. Explore the importance of this contrast to the plays central theme. In Woman in Mind Ayckbourn uses Susans creation of an idealistic fantasy family and more importantly the contrast of this perfection with her reality to help portray Susans emotional breakdown to the audience. The role of the fantasy family in this play is to emphasise the unhappiness and emotional turmoil in Susan real world as they generally appear at a point where Susan is in a particularly distressing situation with her real family. One of the ways in which Ayckbourn presents the contrast between the two families is with the use of the differing appearances. For example when the audience meets the fantasy family for the first time they are presented as (tall, good looking, athletic), and Lucys clothing is (fresh, summery, rather timeless). This is a complete contrast to the way in which the real family is presented (an unattractive picture, entirely lacking the lightness and ease of her earlier family). Immediately Ayckbourn has shown the fantasy family to be more ideal and suitable for Susan which hints that Susan is not at ease in reality , even though there has not yet been much insight into the causes of Susans breakdown. The setting of Woman in Mind is also essential in the presentation of the contrasting families although it is important for the audience to remember that the play is seen from an entirely subjective viewpoint and that although two settings are implied only one is actually the reality. Ayckbourn uses the lighting and sound effects to accenuate the contrast between the two worlds. For example the stage direction at the beginning of the play suggests the setting to be a (small, tidy, surburban garden) but when members of her fantasy family appear the use of lighting ( The garden grows inperceptibly bigger and lighter) accompanies the changes which Susan herself suggests herb garden, lake and tennis courts. The setting is vital as it shows the fantasy family to be more upper class and perhaps this helps Susan to feel more worthy in her life. The use of simpler contrasts such as food and drink also helps Ayckbourn to display the contrast between the two families and he achieves this with the use of props. For example, Susan is offered champagne and gourmet meals by her fantasy family whereas, in reality she is given the less sophisticated sherry and must put up with Muriels dreadful Earl grey omelette. The actions of Susan show how much more she prefers her fantasy family, which is shown by the stage directions, for example (leaving her sherry glass on the card tableshe comes across her glass of champagne and drinks it). The contrast between the two families is also presented through the use of language. An example of this is the way in which the fantasy family use nicknames for each other, for example Big Sis, Susie which helps to show the happy, friendly relationship they have. The tone of voice is completely different however in her reality situations. For example when Gerald defends Muriel in saying that Susan should be more sympathetic towards her because of her present and past sufferings Susan is extremely sarcastic Sorry, sorry, sorry. The fantasy family is also presented as having completely different attitudes towards Susan and Ayckbourn has used this along with the other techniques to emphasise her emotional turmoil. For example her fantasy family are extremely grateful for her and appreciate her Were all going to have to take extra special care of you Were just all so proud of you. The contrast between the two families is important in showing the insecurities Susan has in her life and her fantasy family is a representation of her dreams which for Susan become confused with reality. One of the main reasons for Susans emotional breakdown is her feeling of not being loved which is mainly a result of her distant unloving relationship with Gerald. Gerald and Susan have conflicting opinions even about small unimportant things for example, they have different opinions over the bush in their garden. Gerald calls it a dead bush whereas Susan claims : Its not dead I planted it yesterday. Gerald is also very unsympathetic towards Susans turmoil, for example when Susan says she is not very happy, Geralds unhelpful viewpoint is well who is? These days. Very few. Gerald seems too interested in the book he is writing which is an important factor in Susans breakdown. The lack of a physical side in their relationship leads Susan into the arms of her imaginary lover Andy, whilst in reality she has burnt Geralds history of the parish All sixty pages blazing away. More importantly Gerald seems very unaware of the change in his relationship with Susan. For example when Susan tells Gerald she does not love him anymore, Geralds response is Im not aware my feelings towards you have altered that much which gives a clear insight into the lack of closeness in their relationship to the audience. Susans emotional breakdown is also caused by her relationship with Rick which Ayckbourn presents as one without the usual mother-son communication. Although Susan seems to be quite light-hearted and sarcastic over the fact that their son does not talk to them All of us miming to each other over the table she is however, very aware and upset at the lack of closeness between them. For example, when Gerald explains to her that Rick wants all of his furniture to be sold Susan replies Well have nothing left of him at all. This display of sudden distress to the audience emphasises strongly the emotional stress Susan is experiencing. A different side to Susan is seen when Rick tells her of his marriage to Tess and explains that he does not want the family to meet her, and Susan believes it is because of Gerald Why? Because of your father?. This shows the distance in her relationship with Rick and Susan becomes distraught when she discovers that Rick has always considered her to be an unfit mother I dont want to hurt you anymore, Mum, but God help any daughter who had you as a mother. This is a complete contrast in Susans fantasy life however, because she does infact have a very close relationship with her fantasy daughter Lucy. An example of the difference between her two children is that whereas Rick was very reluctant to tell Susan about his marriage, Lucy is very eager theres something I desperately want to tell you. Ayckbourn has also used the role of an interfering sister-in-law to enhance the worthlessness Susan is feeling. Muriel constantly insists on providing meals and drinks and criticises Susan always where Gerald can hear. An example of this is when Muriel puts Earl Grey tea in an omelette and says to Susan I do wish youd label things, Susan. Its a very inconvenient kitchen to work in , it really is. All of these aspects in Susans reality lead her to having low self-esteem and the questioning of her role. An example of this is when Susan claims that the thrill of being a housewife has gone I used to be a wife. I used to be a mother. And I loved itThe thrill has gone which is a complete contrast to her fantasy world which shows that she clearly wants to be able to employ staff (Murieldressed in very formal maids black bombazine) . The fantasy family are summoned to help her cope and their words are Susans real thoughts which become forced into reality and help Susan to say what she is really feeling. For example, when Bill comes outside to persuade Susan to eat lunch with them Tony and Lucy tell him to drop dead, these are Susans thoughts articulated by the characters and lead Susan herself to say the same Oh, Bill, do drop dead. Susan does have , at that stage still have some control over her life as she is able to banish her fantasy family whenever she wants. The complete contrast in families is extremely important in showing Susans emotional breakdown because the fantasy family has been perfected down to every last detail in Susans mind and shows the ideal life Susan would love to lead. However because of the idealism the fantasy family provides Susan becomes less and less able to control her own creation. This is shown in act two where her fantasy life and reality become mixed and she has entered a world of madness created by herself (What we see are images remembered by her from films she has seen, books she has read, TV she has watched). By this stage in her breakdown Gerald seems to know the fantasy family and talks to them in the light-hearted language that they used with Susan earlier Tony, you old rascal. Whereas it was only in reality that Susan felt ignored which forced her into an imaginary world where she was loved and treasured, now it seems that neither of her families are taking notice of her: LOOK AT ME AT ONCE, DO YOU HEAR? ALL OF YOU!!!. This is the final point in Susans breakdown.

The play opens with Nora and the porter, and it immediately puts the Es

The play opens with Nora and the porter, and it immediately puts the spotlight on money, which emerges as one of the forces driving the play’s conflicts Analysis The play opens with Nora and the porter, and it immediately puts the spotlight on money, which emerges as one of the forces driving the play’s conflicts as it draws lines between genders, classes, and moral standards. Though Nora owes the porter a shilling, she gives him a pound, twenty times the value, presumably because she is infused with the holiday spirit. While Nora likes to spend and allows the idea of buying presents to block out financial concerns, Torvald holds a more pragmatic view of money, jokingly calling Nora a spendthrift and telling her that she is completely foolish when it comes to financial matters. Torvald’s assertion that Nora’s lack of understanding of money matters is the result of her gender â€Å"Nora, my Nora, that is just like a woman† reveals his prejudiced viewpoint on women. He quickly makes it known that appearances are very important to him, and that Nora is like an ornament or trophy that serves to his home and his reputation. Nora’s first conversation with Mrs. Linde plays a key role in establishing Nora’s childlike, self-centered, and insensitive character. Though she claims to be interested in Mrs. Linde’s problems, Nora repeatedly turns the conversation back to her own life with Torvald. Nora’s self-centeredness is further demonstrated in her revelation that she failed to write to Mrs. Linde after her husband passed away. It is only now, three years after the fact, that Nora expresses her sympathy; up to this point, she has made no effort to think beyond herself, and the fact that she does so now seems ... ...ut her husband in a good mood by mentioning the costume that she will be wearing at the dance. The thought of Nora dressed up and looking beautiful excites Torvald, who takes great pleasure in the beauty of his house and his wife. Torvald’s remark about Krogstad—â€Å"I honestly feel sick, sick to my stomach, in the presence of such people†Ã¢â‚¬â€illustrates his deep contempt for moral corruption of Krogstad’s sort. While he thinks that such a bad character is in direct contrast to his â€Å"sweet little Nora,† we are aware that Krogstad and Nora have committed exactly the same crime—forgery. Torvald, then, has unwittingly referred to Nora when he scorns â€Å"such people.† Torvald’s unknowing condemnation of the actions of the woman he loves is an excellent example of dramatic irony, a device that makes the audience see details of which certain characters are ignorant too.

A study into Biodiesel as an alternative fuel

Except for hydroelectricity and nuclear energy, the majority of the present-day world’s energy needs are fulfilled by fossil fuels such as petrochemical fuels, coal and various natural gases. These fossil fuels sources are finite and judging from the current usage rates are in danger of depleting shortly.Also the two renewable sources used currently i.e. hydroelectricity and nuclear energy cannot be used as fuels in transport vehicles majority of which are run using fossil fuels. Because of the large and increasing levels of energy requirement demands in both the industrial and domestic sector, as well as the increased pollution problems because of using fossil fuels have made it necessary to develop renewable energy sources that would last limitlessly and would cause less harm to the environment than the traditional fossil fuels.This requirement has fueled the interest in alternative sources to petroleum-based fuels. One such alternative is to use oils of plant origin which i s known as biodiesel. Biodiesel is a biodegradable and non-toxic fuel and has low emission profiles as compared to petroleum diesel (Meher, Vidyasagar & Naik, 2004:249-250).Using converted vegetable oils and animal fats as an alternative to Petrol-Diesel fuel has been around for decades. In fact the use vegetable oil for diesel engines is almost as old as the diesel engine itself. The original Diesel engine was designed to run on cheap vegetable oils.The engine was commonly demonstrated running on peanut oil. Most of the present day diesel engines can in fact run on biodiesel without using any special equipment. The importance of biodiesel as an attractive fuel is increasing due to the depletion of fossil fuel resources (Knothe, Dunn & Bagby, n.d:1).This dissertation is a study into the use of biodiesel as an alternative to petroleum-based fuels by focusing on the various aspects of biodiesel and its use.The study will focus on understanding the various reasons for going in for alte rnative fuels in detail, study the engine performance using biodiesel fuels, assess the compatibility of biodiesel and fossil fuels, study the production process of biodiesel in detail, analyze the emission levels using biodiesel as fuel, and study the advantages and limitations of using biodiesel.What is Biodiesel? Biofuels can be defined as liquid fuels produced from biomass for either transport or burning purposes. They can be produced from agricultural and forest products, and biodegradable portion of industrial and municipal waste.It is generally held that biofuels offer many benefits, including sustainability, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and security of supply. Various scenarios have led to the conclusion that biofuels will be in widespread use in the future energy systems. Biofuels can be converted into liquid and gaseous fuels through thermo-chemical and biological methods.Hence, a variety of fuels can be produced from biomass resources including liquid fuels such as methanol, biodiesel and Fischer-Tropsch diesel, and gaseous fuels such as hydrogen and methane. Biofuels are primarily use din vehicles but can also be used in engines or fuels cells for electricity generation. The figure below shows the types of biofuels.DefinitionsThe term biodiesel is a combination of two terms : the Greek word for life ‘bio’ and ‘diesel’ from the last name of the inventor Rudolf Diesel. The term refers to the diesel equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources. It is a cleaner-burning diesel replacement fuel made from natural and renewable sources such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel is the name for a variety of ester-based oxygenated fuels from renewable biological sources. It can be made from processed organic oils and fats.Chemically, biodiesel is defined as the monoalkyl esters of long-chain fatty acids derived from renewable biolipids. In general terms, biodiesel may be defined as a domestic, renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from natural oils like soybean oil that meets the specifications of ASTM (American Society for Testing & Materials) D 6751.While in technical terms, biodiesel is a diesel engine fuel comprised of monoalkyl esters of long-chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or ani mal fats, designated B100 and meeting the requirements of ASTM D 6751 (Demirbas, 2008:114; Shrivastava & Jain published in Kumar & Nehar 2007:32).Properties of BiodieselBiodiesel is a clear amber-yellow colored liquid with a viscosity similar to that of petrodiesel. Biodiesel is non-inflammable and in contrast to petrodiesel is non-explosive, with a flash point of 423K for biodiesel as compared to 337K for petrodiesel. Unlike, petrodiesel, biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic and also significantly reduces toxic and other emissions when burned in a fuel.However, it is more expensive than petrodiesel, which appears to be the primary factor in preventing its more widespread use (Demirbas, 2008:115). The figure below shows the main technical properties of biodiesel.

Tips for Writing News Stories That Will Grab a Reader