Dead White Males Essay
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Q1. The two opposing ideologies in this play are liberal humanism and post-structuralism. How are they represented? How does the play operate to position the audience to finally prefer one above the other? Dead White Males is a play about a sexually deprived lecturer, Dr Grant Swain, who attempts and almost succeeds in bedding one of his students, Angela Judd, by utilising his position in the university, and by imbuing his views upon his students. Alongside this plot is the conflict between two ideologies, liberal humanism and post-structuralism. Angela, the main character of the play is compelled to make a choice between post-structuralism represented by Dr Swain, and liberal ...
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ANGELA looks at the MAN, horrified]" (Pp 1) The man in this scene is of course Dr Grant Swain, and his dramatic entrance encourages us to dislike him, because we feel it is wrong to shoot people for no apparent reason. Swain appears to us the villain, due to his unmistakable character, for, aside from his violent episodes, we find that he is interested in only one thing. Sex. He tries to hit on Angela, but she declines his offer. After Melissa accepts his offer of dinner later on, he quickly and conveniently loses interest in Angela making it obvious that he was concerned with only one thing. Another quality we disfavour him for is his over-confidence. From the beginning of the play, when introducing himself and his course, he is "animated by the intense certainty that he has a supremely important message to communicate and is enormously well equipped to deliver it." Swain endeavours to shoot Shakespeare several times, and although this is only in Angela's imagination, we are ...
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'think(s) there is some truth in what he (Swain) says' (Pp 80) the fact that Swain subscribes to post-structuralism still conquers, causing post-structuralism to seem as flimsy as its subscriber does. Even when Angela reprimands Shakespeare for his disgraceful casting of women, liberal humanism still holds its approval above post-structuralism, as Shakespeare asks to be wished back to an era of sanity, implying that Angela's views are insane. Because post-structuralism is the unfavoured ideology, liberal humanism has no other option but to be seen as the favoured one. It's values and attitudes are mouthed by unobjectionable characters and so are preferred over that of ...
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Dead White Males Essay. (2005, February 19). Retrieved November 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Dead-White-Males-Essay/22506
"Dead White Males Essay." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 19 Feb. 2005. Web. 28 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Dead-White-Males-Essay/22506>
"Dead White Males Essay." Essayworld.com. February 19, 2005. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Dead-White-Males-Essay/22506.
"Dead White Males Essay." Essayworld.com. February 19, 2005. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Dead-White-Males-Essay/22506.
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