A. Colonial Hangover.
This theme is immediately explored in Fei-Loong's ranting in the opening act as he is drinking with Tony. Through these "pre-lapsarian" allusions, Lim draws a parallel between the utopic Garden of Eden and the independent Malayan, which was recently free from the claw of colonialism then. Fei-Loong's dream that "everyone in the world lost his memory completely" that the whole "population on earth has to start again in search of itself" mirrors the problem of cultural and national identity crisis in the country after the withdrawal of Western imperial force. This absence , but unlike the trace of memory, the "sickness" of "local mentality" of the British as their superior still exists, which convinces Fei-Loong that the population has to find its identity through "the hard way".
Tony's intervention about the "temptation of the flesh" might be meant to remind the audience of the corrupted human nature which may bring the downfall of a new country, which is displayed shortly after through the corrupted character of Mr. Tan.
Nevertheless, no matter how beautiful Fei-Loong expressed his ideals, they are as trivial as his drinking. "Excessive intellectualism" which is typical of Lim's protagonists, the WOGs. The fact that Fei-Loong conveys his ideals in a night bar accounts for the portrayal of Fei-Loong as at least, an ideal and at most, an inebriated ideal who is drunk with liquor and western conceptions and ideals - indeed, a (post-)colonial drunkard.
More to come...
Friday, September 4, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Past Year Papers
Being a lone wolf, I choose to do the individual project. Hence, I have to make a 15-page essay out of one of the past year questions. Let me compile them in this post to make my life easier:
2003 April
1. "Issues of identity - geopolitical, sociocultural or sexual - remain a constant preoccupation in the four decades of Singapore English Language theatre". Elaborate on this statement with reference to any two plays, which you have studied. The plays should be drawn from different decades.
2. "Many allegedly controversial or groundbreaking Singapore plays are radical without being revolutionary". Debate.
3. "The theatre in Singapore has not taken flight but remains constrained by strictures of methodology, funding, censorship or policy decisions". Evaluate this contention in terms of any one of the strictures listed.
2004 April
1. The subaltern is a figure that assumes different guises across the spectrum of Singapore English Language Theatre". With reference to at least two texts by different playwrights, examine the guises involved, and the concomitant strategies of survival or negotiations of power.
2. "Postmodernism means different things to different theorists". Taking any one text from the canon of Singapore English Language Theatre, justify why it can be considered postmodern in terms of its aesthetics.
3. "Issues of cultural identity continue to preoccupy the Singapore dramatist". Debate this statement with copious references to at least two texts from different decades of Singapore's theatre history.
2005 April
1. "The title of the play hints at the main themes". Debate this contention with close reference to at least TWO of the plays which you have studied.
2. "Politics in Singapore English Language Theatre is anchored in evasive strategies of representation." Elaborate on this statement with reference to the works of any TWO Singapore playwrights.
3. Using any TWO plays from a Singapore dramatist as exemplification, examine the links between their subtexts and their contexts.
2005 November
1. “Much of Singapore English Language Theatre is underpinned by a struggle for self- empowerment”. With reference to the principal characters from at least two plays, examine the implications, strategies and consequences of such a struggle.
2. “The trajectory of Singapore English Language Theatre marks the increasing mastery of the local idiom”. With reference to this statement, examine the use of language in any two plays selected from different phases of Singapore English Language Theatre.
3. Take any one of the following theoretical paradigms – postmodernism, feminism or interculturalism – and assess its applicability to any two plays from the canon of Singapore English Language Theatre.
2006 December
1. “Home, as a concept, assumes different ramifications in the canon of Singapore English Language Theatre.” Consider any TWO characters from the plays which you have studied, and elaborate on their respective views and ideas of “home”.
2. “Many of the plays in Singapore English Language Theatre are organized around a central metaphor or extended conceit.” Analyze the implications of this statement with detailed reference to at least TWO texts.
3. “Much Singapore English Language Theatre hinges on the notion of dislocation – whether spatial, temporal or sociocultural.” Debate this contention with copious reference to at least TWO texts from the canon.
2007 December
1. “Many a play in the Singapore English Language Theatre canon is characterized by an ambivalent ending”. With reference to any two plays from the curriculum, attempt to locate the element(s) of ambivalence and then speculate on the intents and purposes behind that in terms of the larger structure of the play.
2. “Feminism is not confined to the later playwrights of the canon but is also evident among the earlier plays”. Debate this contention with reference to at least two plays from different decades of the canon.
3. “Examine the relative merits of the strategies and manoeuvres employed by any two plays in the Singapore English Language Theatre canon which frame themselves as discourses of alterity”.
2008 December
1. “The metaphor of the puppet extends far beyond Kuo Pao Kun’s Lao Jiu”. Comment on any two other characters from the plays you have studied who may be considered puppets and then compare their respective struggles for freedom.
2. “Many Singapore plays merely nudge against rather than push the boundaries of permissible discourse”. Elaborate on this notion of restraint in at least two plays and illustrate how it may either undermine or intensify by contrast the political thrust of the drama.
3. “The thrust of many a Singapore English Language play is towards recovery, rehabilitation or reconstitution.” Examine the denouement of any two texts from the canon in terms of this statement.
Suddenly... This module seems to be a daunting nightmare.
2003 April
1. "Issues of identity - geopolitical, sociocultural or sexual - remain a constant preoccupation in the four decades of Singapore English Language theatre". Elaborate on this statement with reference to any two plays, which you have studied. The plays should be drawn from different decades.
2. "Many allegedly controversial or groundbreaking Singapore plays are radical without being revolutionary". Debate.
3. "The theatre in Singapore has not taken flight but remains constrained by strictures of methodology, funding, censorship or policy decisions". Evaluate this contention in terms of any one of the strictures listed.
2004 April
1. The subaltern is a figure that assumes different guises across the spectrum of Singapore English Language Theatre". With reference to at least two texts by different playwrights, examine the guises involved, and the concomitant strategies of survival or negotiations of power.
2. "Postmodernism means different things to different theorists". Taking any one text from the canon of Singapore English Language Theatre, justify why it can be considered postmodern in terms of its aesthetics.
3. "Issues of cultural identity continue to preoccupy the Singapore dramatist". Debate this statement with copious references to at least two texts from different decades of Singapore's theatre history.
2005 April
1. "The title of the play hints at the main themes". Debate this contention with close reference to at least TWO of the plays which you have studied.
2. "Politics in Singapore English Language Theatre is anchored in evasive strategies of representation." Elaborate on this statement with reference to the works of any TWO Singapore playwrights.
3. Using any TWO plays from a Singapore dramatist as exemplification, examine the links between their subtexts and their contexts.
2005 November
1. “Much of Singapore English Language Theatre is underpinned by a struggle for self- empowerment”. With reference to the principal characters from at least two plays, examine the implications, strategies and consequences of such a struggle.
2. “The trajectory of Singapore English Language Theatre marks the increasing mastery of the local idiom”. With reference to this statement, examine the use of language in any two plays selected from different phases of Singapore English Language Theatre.
3. Take any one of the following theoretical paradigms – postmodernism, feminism or interculturalism – and assess its applicability to any two plays from the canon of Singapore English Language Theatre.
2006 December
1. “Home, as a concept, assumes different ramifications in the canon of Singapore English Language Theatre.” Consider any TWO characters from the plays which you have studied, and elaborate on their respective views and ideas of “home”.
2. “Many of the plays in Singapore English Language Theatre are organized around a central metaphor or extended conceit.” Analyze the implications of this statement with detailed reference to at least TWO texts.
3. “Much Singapore English Language Theatre hinges on the notion of dislocation – whether spatial, temporal or sociocultural.” Debate this contention with copious reference to at least TWO texts from the canon.
2007 December
1. “Many a play in the Singapore English Language Theatre canon is characterized by an ambivalent ending”. With reference to any two plays from the curriculum, attempt to locate the element(s) of ambivalence and then speculate on the intents and purposes behind that in terms of the larger structure of the play.
2. “Feminism is not confined to the later playwrights of the canon but is also evident among the earlier plays”. Debate this contention with reference to at least two plays from different decades of the canon.
3. “Examine the relative merits of the strategies and manoeuvres employed by any two plays in the Singapore English Language Theatre canon which frame themselves as discourses of alterity”.
2008 December
1. “The metaphor of the puppet extends far beyond Kuo Pao Kun’s Lao Jiu”. Comment on any two other characters from the plays you have studied who may be considered puppets and then compare their respective struggles for freedom.
2. “Many Singapore plays merely nudge against rather than push the boundaries of permissible discourse”. Elaborate on this notion of restraint in at least two plays and illustrate how it may either undermine or intensify by contrast the political thrust of the drama.
3. “The thrust of many a Singapore English Language play is towards recovery, rehabilitation or reconstitution.” Examine the denouement of any two texts from the canon in terms of this statement.
Suddenly... This module seems to be a daunting nightmare.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Robert Yeo - "Are You There Singapore": Hua's Pregnancy
This play is the first of "The Singapore Trilogy". It tells the story of an audacious LSE Singaporean girl (first-year student), namely Ang Siew Hua, whose daring escapades eventually result in her unexpected premarital pregnancy. Familiar?
The feature of the play which immediately strikes me is the parallel between the unexpected pregnancy of Ang Siew Hua (which left me nonplussed at first, as I could not figure out why sexual awakening and experimentation of a girl are incorporated in this supposedly political play??) and the national and political landscape of Singapore. After all, what or who else can serve as an appropriate construct to represent Singapore but a Singaporean?
1. Hua's baby is the product of Hua's curiosity and fascination with regards to the Londoners. However, her so-called "experiencing" of Western culture eventually leads to her self-incarceration under the Western value, turning herself into an entitative cultural colony. This is further stressed by Hua's initial frustration over her pregnancy and her baby, which, at first, appear as moral and psychological burdens to her. However, the fanciful fact that Hua's baby is due on Singapore's National Day not only convinces her not to abort her baby, but also suggests the role of her baby as the prime, invisible symbol of Singapore. Without those struggles, those pains and those scars due to involvement with Western country, values and men, Singapore and Hua would not be what they are.
2. Hua's experimentation also broaches the theme of vague concept of nationhood in the play. Singapore right after independence was like a chalice which consists of Eastern values and cultures as the bottom layer and newly poured Western values on top. Unfortunately, the two layers were not readily miscible as testified by the characters' (Hua, Chye and Richard) attitude who generally dichotomize eastern and western cultures. Nonetheless, the baby, the symbolic construct of Singapore, proves that what appears as unlikely assimilations of two vastly different cultures will eventually fuse to give a unique entity, in this case: Singapore and Lisa Ang.
3. At the end of the play, Hua's decision to be a single mother echoes Singapore's independence. Glamorous promises of the Brits (I am guessing here) are as equally empty as Giorgio's saccharine words. At the end, just like Singapore, Hua becomes disillusioned in Giorgio and Western men and start to shift her focus of faith into her origin, her home, her Singapore, and her self as a Singaporean.
4. Last but not least, Hua's vacillation between abortion or giving birth to the baby imposes a somewhat canonical question with respect to the Singapore's status. Should the accumulated western elements be vanquished and abandoned? Or, should we accept them as part of our past and our identity? Hua's final decision obviously tells the audience what mindset to adopt; after all, memories of colonization and post-abortion guilt are so strong they will hardly fade away. It is up to us to turn them from burdens to propelling drives to move forward, as a person and as a country.
The feature of the play which immediately strikes me is the parallel between the unexpected pregnancy of Ang Siew Hua (which left me nonplussed at first, as I could not figure out why sexual awakening and experimentation of a girl are incorporated in this supposedly political play??) and the national and political landscape of Singapore. After all, what or who else can serve as an appropriate construct to represent Singapore but a Singaporean?
1. Hua's baby is the product of Hua's curiosity and fascination with regards to the Londoners. However, her so-called "experiencing" of Western culture eventually leads to her self-incarceration under the Western value, turning herself into an entitative cultural colony. This is further stressed by Hua's initial frustration over her pregnancy and her baby, which, at first, appear as moral and psychological burdens to her. However, the fanciful fact that Hua's baby is due on Singapore's National Day not only convinces her not to abort her baby, but also suggests the role of her baby as the prime, invisible symbol of Singapore. Without those struggles, those pains and those scars due to involvement with Western country, values and men, Singapore and Hua would not be what they are.
2. Hua's experimentation also broaches the theme of vague concept of nationhood in the play. Singapore right after independence was like a chalice which consists of Eastern values and cultures as the bottom layer and newly poured Western values on top. Unfortunately, the two layers were not readily miscible as testified by the characters' (Hua, Chye and Richard) attitude who generally dichotomize eastern and western cultures. Nonetheless, the baby, the symbolic construct of Singapore, proves that what appears as unlikely assimilations of two vastly different cultures will eventually fuse to give a unique entity, in this case: Singapore and Lisa Ang.
3. At the end of the play, Hua's decision to be a single mother echoes Singapore's independence. Glamorous promises of the Brits (I am guessing here) are as equally empty as Giorgio's saccharine words. At the end, just like Singapore, Hua becomes disillusioned in Giorgio and Western men and start to shift her focus of faith into her origin, her home, her Singapore, and her self as a Singaporean.
4. Last but not least, Hua's vacillation between abortion or giving birth to the baby imposes a somewhat canonical question with respect to the Singapore's status. Should the accumulated western elements be vanquished and abandoned? Or, should we accept them as part of our past and our identity? Hua's final decision obviously tells the audience what mindset to adopt; after all, memories of colonization and post-abortion guilt are so strong they will hardly fade away. It is up to us to turn them from burdens to propelling drives to move forward, as a person and as a country.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
SSA3201 - Singapore English-Language Theatre
Plays I have to read!!!
1. Ovidia Yu: Three Fat Virgins Unassembled
, Woman on a Tree on a Hill.
2. Kuo Pao Kun: No Parking on Odd Days, Mama Looking for Her Cat, The Coffin is too Big for the Hole, Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral, Silly Little Girl and the Funny Old Tree.
3. Goh Poh Seng: The Elder Brother, When Smiles are Done, The Moon is Less Bright.
4. Stella Kon: Emily of Emerald Hill.
5. Robert Yeo: Changi, One Year Back Home, Are You There, Singapore?.
6. Lim Chor Pee: Mimi Fan, A White Rose at Midnight.
7. Harseh Sharma: Still Building, This Chord and Others.
8. Tan Tarn How: The Lady of Soul and her Ultimate 'S' Machine, Under Cover.
9. Eleanor Wong: Will and Seccessions, Mergers and Accusations.
Yes, altogether there are 22 plays!!!
1. Ovidia Yu: Three Fat Virgins Unassembled
, Woman on a Tree on a Hill.
2. Kuo Pao Kun: No Parking on Odd Days, Mama Looking for Her Cat, The Coffin is too Big for the Hole, Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral, Silly Little Girl and the Funny Old Tree.
3. Goh Poh Seng: The Elder Brother, When Smiles are Done, The Moon is Less Bright.
4. Stella Kon: Emily of Emerald Hill.
5. Robert Yeo: Changi, One Year Back Home, Are You There, Singapore?.
6. Lim Chor Pee: Mimi Fan, A White Rose at Midnight.
7. Harseh Sharma: Still Building, This Chord and Others.
8. Tan Tarn How: The Lady of Soul and her Ultimate 'S' Machine, Under Cover.
9. Eleanor Wong: Will and Seccessions, Mergers and Accusations.
Yes, altogether there are 22 plays!!!
The Reason of Existence
Basically, this is a personal blog to channel my thoughts of literature-related modules I am going to take in NUS.
Why do I bother to explain the purposes of this blog if it is personal?
I might forget.
Why do I bother to explain the purposes of this blog if it is personal?
I might forget.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)