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.