Monday, May 7, 2012

Old Story Time


'Old Story Time'
Beryl Clarke, Contributor

I am picturing, even as I write, an old man, still sprightly, full of humour or should I say 'joke' as he begins the drama of Old Story Time. How do you see him, and have you thought of the setting in which these characters meet now to listen to Pa Ben, as well as of the community in which they live? From your reading, and I do hope you have done your first reading either by yourself or in class, you must have some ideas about setting.

Their village is small but it boasts a school, a post office and a church; there is also a river. These aspects of the setting are all relevant to the way the play develops. Len does well enough in his local school to earn a scholarship to high school, and the post office becomes a place of great interest to Len's mother when he is studying abroad as she anxiously waits to hear from him. The minister of the church is a 'brown' man and he is socially important and greatly admired by Miss Aggie because of his colour. It is her deepest desire and greatest wish that her son should marry the pastor's daughter. This, as you know, puts Len in a pickle. The river has its place here, too. Do you remember where Miss Aggie finds Len when she returns from market? Yes - he is in the river playing with Pearl.

The pieces of furniture we see in the beginning tell us that Miss Aggie is poor. As part of the staging, notice that the same pieces of furniture are used for different purposes in different scenes. While this makes for ease in scene changes, it may also hint at the diverse uses that are made of what one has because of being poor.

At the start of the play we meet no one in the village who is financially well-to-do. Those who gather to hear and participate in sharing the drama are simple folk. Pa Ben, who does not appear to work or to have much money; Miss Aggie is a haggler, then there is her son, Len, and his schoolmate Pearl. Miss Aggie's house is made of wattle and daub, a type of building which by this time was disappearing from the housing landscape in Jamaica. This small group comes together to open the pages of our history. I believe that you will learn much about us from Old Story Time.
You should not be surprised at the themes that are explored in our play for they reflect the Jamaican character then, and to a great extent today. While we will not begin to examine them in this week's 'class', please identify them for future discussion.

My mind goes once more, as it has before, to the question of the playwright's reasons for choosing this title. You may have thought of it, too. The word story conjures up certain ideas. A story is a make- believe account, a fairy tale; it can also be a factual account, as in a media report. A story may be created from truths and/or real occurrences. In other words, while the characters in the story are not real, what they do and say are what real people do and say. So, in this play we do find out about the racial situation at the period in which it is set, the belief in obeah, a bit about the education system and about teenage pregnancy. This title, therefore, suggests that the audience sitting in the theatre watching Pa Ben, Miss Aggie, Len, Pearl, Mr 'Mongoose' McFarlane, Lois and Miss Margaret will learn something about our past. I believe, too, that the word 'story' hints at the humour that is very much a part of the Jamaican consciousness. All of us enjoy a good story, both to tell it and to listen to it.

This play focuses on the dream of a poor mother to have her one child, a son, rise out of the poverty and the low social status into which he was born. She is convinced that their black skin is a hindrance to achievement and upward mobility and sees education as his only way to a successful future. In addition, she believes that he can cement his improved position by marrying a brown-skin girl with 'tall hair down her back'. Like many Jamaican mothers then and now, she struggles and she makes sacrifices to give Len the support he needs.

Some instances of humour that we meet are painful even though they provoke laughter as we watch her try to do her best. It might seem ridiculous to us to hear that she does not even want a black fowl in her yard, but you should realise that her attitude is the result of living the reality of being black and receiving a certain kind of treatment. Do speak to persons who were born in the '30s and '40s, perhaps even before, and you will find out how much skin colour mattered and its effect on one's self-confidence.

36 comments:

  1. what are some themes in this play

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    1. Identify examples of the following tin Old Story Time: Props, Lighting, Costumes, Dialogue, Soliloquy, Aside, Stage direction.

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    2. Discrimination

      Childhood experiences

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    3. what are 2 symbols in the play (symbolism).

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  2. @ Ashley.. Some themes are:- Racial and Class Discrimination
    - Religion and Obeah
    - Education Vs Progress
    - Dreams and Aspirations
    - Love
    - Love and Family Relationships
    - Power and Authority

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    1. so some ways the characters would connect to themes would be like miss Aggy and pearl that would fall under racism

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    3. It is important to note that despite references to "black" and "white", this drama speaks of characters who are all black and who are all Jamaicans. The play highlights the historical legacy of the interaction between African black people and British whites on sugar plantations- an era when power and status belonged only to whites. As a result, many black people adopted the notion of whites being superior and this remained in the psyche of persons from generation to generation. Unfortunately, dark-skinned Jamaicans transmitted self-contempt and the fair-skinned Jamaicans adopted a sense of superiority. This play is, therefore, not about Racism as all its characters are of the same race. However, the drama does explore race relations. What it is really about is the prejudice which existed among Jamaicans. This prejudice is based on skin colour- fair complexion Vs dark-skinned. In olden days, life in Jamaica gave preferred opportunities to Jamaicans who were of light/fair complexion. So much so that many darker-skinned saw themselves as inferior and, like Ms Aggy, accepted their low station. There were the minor others, like Pa Ben, who did not value persons based on the shade of their skin but instead on the caliber their character. Pa Ben denounces George's bad manners when George fails to extend courtesy to him. Thankfully, social shifts have taken place in Jamaica since that period and equal opportunities eventually became available to all, irrespective of skin tone.

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  3. what are the questions you'll ask students if you're a teacher???

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    1. As a teacher, I would ask students questions relating to the themes (for example, Attitudes to Colour, Love & Family, Power & Powerlessness). Students should be able to identify the characters that the playwright uses to portray the themes. It would be good to also ask students about the writer's techniques such as the use of Flashbacks, Symbolism, Stage Direction, etc. Do you know that a point of significance is the change in scene just as Miss Aggy is about to relate to Len how she met George McFarlane? The stage direction indicates that Ms Aggy puts on a red hat. Based on Jamaican folklore, someone wears red to ward away the devil/evil spirits or to protect oneself from these forces. Therefore, although the character (Ms Aggy) does not recognize this trait in George, the playwright is alerting the audience to the true nature of George McFarlane. There are so many techniques used to add deeper meaning to the text. The lighting in the scene when Len appears with a crocus bag over his head is another of the important stage directions that students should be able to comment on. This drama has so much to explore and it makes an interesting read!

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  4. Yes what are some questions that appear in the exam?

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  5. SURE........like THEY would give away exam questions

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  6. What I fail to understand is how the themes of poverty and religion are both portrayed in the book....I would probably have to re-read this summary and see if it is in there

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  7. what ediot would give away questions.

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  8. WHICH CHARACTER IN THE PLAY APPEALS TO YOU MOST?
    GIVE REASONS FOR YOUR CHOICE.


    THE PLAYWRIGHT MAKES USE OF TWO CARIBBEAN FOLK
    FORMS. SUGGEST THE REASONS WHY THE PLAYWRIGHT EMPLOYS THESE FORMS.

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  9. Why does the playwright use the technique of double role playing?

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  10. very nice piece of info...tanx

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  11. Describe the conversation between len and george in act 1 scene 1

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  12. Describe a character sketch on pearl please

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  13. Discuss the circumstances of the deception between Ms Aggie and Mr Mcfarlane (when mama went to George about ABC homes).

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  14. so nice to bring your mom into the story but i guess shes too fat she even make donald trump tweets meaningless compared to hers size

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  15. so nice to bring your mom into the story but i guess shes too fat she even make donald trump tweets meaningless compared to hers size

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  16. hi... can u plz explain pabens role

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  17. what is situational irony in the play

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  18. Unfamiliar words from the play. (page 6- to the song on page 25)

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  19. What did miis aggie carry back for len From the market

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  20. What is the obeah woman name

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  21. You outta order eee wid your stinking mouth bright like

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  22. What is PA Ben's attitude towards mama parenting style?

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  23. Examples of direct characterization

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  24. Can i get a letter about two admires charaters in the play

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  25. Can yall gimme some props in old story time?

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