Things to do:

- Analyze (meaning) stage elements, plot, character for each script individually; Evaluate (how
effective? impact on audience?)- SIGNIFICANCE AND EFFECT

- Preempt possible questions on theme, character (roles/ relationships), writer's message, how
playwright conveys notions/ issues. Evaluate how writer utilizes devices.

- Look at rubrics

- Stage elements question: 3 Stage elements (props/sets, stage directions, sounds, lighting) form,
structure

How to write:

Q- Examine how stage elements contribute to the mood/atmosphere of the ending of the Brain
(refer to act 3 scene 9 to epilogue) or Emily (page 46-54

A- Intro: address key concerns in question (human condition, personal dilemmas -> how they resolve
it)

Thesis statement: Cause- stage elements (definition?) use of visuals/spectacle (environment), Effect-
effective in bringing out mood/ atmosphere? What is the atmosphere? Sense of protagonist coming
to terms with her conflict/ dilemma? -> hope/ resignation/ sadness/ closure?

Analysis: Unpacking of deeper meaning or layers of the text, evaluation (how writer's craft/
effectiveness of the writer's use of dramatic devices/ critical terminology to convey meaning/
message)
 INDIVIDUAL ANALYSIS + EVALUATION

Ps. Stage elements in first act of Emily are extremely literal, everything is very central to her

Elaine in her own fumbling way, teases, banters etc -> when she talks, there’s miscommunication,
when she doesn’t there’s nothing while Emily draws the reader in as an epic figure

EVERYTHING BUT THE BRAIN

Scene 9:

November: reminds audience that time is running out, evokes urgency, reminded of Elaine’s plan of
turning back time

Capitalization of FINAL CONVERSATION -> emphasis because of the capitalization -> contrasts with
no conversation at all, shows finality and solemness

Stage directions -> father is unable to speak, Elaine sits there and looks, evokes sympathy

Significance of title "November/ 3 minutes left" ->

Time ticking sound slows down, halts -> Father's body clock, Elaine's ticking biological clock ->
important theme especially in the physical degeneration

But Elaine is still waiting, even after father dies, drags out time -> time passing by, time will always
be constant

Difference between previous scenes and current -> previously there's lots of words, banter, but no
proper communication -> light fades? Closure?

They understand that they are each other's constant?

RELATIVITY VS ABSOLUTE -> what is her absolute truth?

Lights fade: life goes on, Elaine has to continue

Scene 10:

B is the mature middle-aged role of Elaine

No reference to who B is speaking for -> can be for both father and Elaine

But if B is speaking for Elaine, refer back to scene 8 -> she finally gets what her father already got but
could not communicate

Folding mechanically until she is overtaken by grief -> routine of looking after father is a habit now,
made more poignant by the fact that it is probably the last time (sense of finality) -> as if

Buries her face in bed linen -> a childlike gesture, seeking comfort from intangible memory of her
dad – audience sympathises with elaine, losing is bad but she has to face it
Dialogue - absolute truth that doesn't make sense, but is absolute truth to you, therefore your entire
life when built around it makes sense -> Elaine and father are each other's respective absolute
truths, familial ties are shown clearly

Absolute truth -> not about our own ideal of the person, but the person himself as a person if his
own , finally realizes it

Relationship with Father is absolute truth, she built her life around him -> now that he's gone, she
can start over, build a new life around new absolute truth(s)

Scene 11:

Dramatic impact of Elaine observing the Chorus: reiterating themes/ message of time/ bears on
train/ happily ever after- forever...?

Revisit fairytale part of the book, revisit key themes, snippets of the past

Scene 12:

Comes to terms with father’s passing

Significance of Tupperware and Father's brain: toast her father's memory, hope for the future

Father's brain -> sentiment, I won't be leaving him behind (absolute truth is her memories of
interaction with her father)

EMILY OF EMERALD HILL

Form: monodrama, two acts, dialogue = a monologue with mimed conversations

Pg 46-54

Doris seeking approval for marriage: contrasts with Richard, using Steve as a human shield to escape
from match-making with Ling boy, sort of manipulative like Emily

Emily: also softening, in comparison with attitude with Richard; conflict that is quickly resolved ->
brings out the change in Emily

Emily sets down the receiver and opens her hand with gesture of letting go, setting free: physical
representation of letting go of Doris

Emily puts on spectacles, seems older: shows maturity, becoming wiser -> character development?
No strength to fight anymore

Charles and Edward getting married at Emerald Hill and subsequently moving away: times are a-
changing, Emily doesn't fight it -> they aren't the apples of her eye like Richard was

Bin-bin: reminiscent of attitude towards Richard, but she's softer (EVENTS ARE REPEATING BUT IN a
BETTER WAY)
Emily letting Bee Choo stay in her house without telling Bee Choo outright that it's charity -> uses
her manipulative nature for a good cause, character development!!! resolves her inner conflict -> :
( that it only happens after/ as a result of her driving those she loved most away

Driving away servant Ah Sim: no longer has power even over the last person she would have the
most power over in her old ripe life

Last scene: disjointed backwards-chronological life flashbacks -> fragmented/ fractured life, a very
literal life flashing before eyes before you die kinda thing, very reminiscent of dementia patients ->
mind is going, personality is going, use of mono drama emphasizes how alone she has been all her
life that she's degenerating alone as well, diminishes her power

Harsh overhead spotlight: emphasizes on Emily's fragility and smallness -> direct contrast to previous
imposing matriarchal figure

Dimming of side lights: emphasizes that she's alone as she dies, draws attention to the singular
character on the stage, diminishing of her life

Chair: juxtaposition of young matriarchal Emily and old dying Emily -> used to be her seat of power,
previously she moved about and stood a lot, but sitting down shows that she's still in power and
she's still the matriarch - but with no power, alone, world-weary, physical fragility

Phone: she uses the chair when she uses the phone, but she's not using the phone now. Previously
phone was used to show actual communication between her and others, for playwright to exploit
her different roles, her vernaculars, to show the different roles and importance of different roles in
Emily but now she's not using it because .?????

Her detoriation/ degeneration: misses Richard, died in peace knowing that she did the best she
could for the rest, but with the regret that she drove away the people she loved most/ most valued
affection from, realization that there are things that she cannot control -> related to times a-
changing, demolished emerald hill, new buildings that sprung up

Lingering sense of Richard as the so-called "big strong son" who actually killed himself in contrast to
vicarious bin-bin

EMILY OF EMERALD HILL -> related to matriarch's power in the household, when Emerald Hill
(physical infrastructure + family) goes, Emily goes -> has been built up to the epic character
 COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Possible comparisons: dysfunctional families, theme of death, mood/atmosphere of ending, care of

family members, passage of time, aging and maturity process, abandonment issues

Dysfunctional families:

Emily (before emerald hill) treated as a young child by her (largely absent) father who cheated on
her mother, "crazy" when father took on "sing-song girl", father's death = abandonment by her
mother, married off by random auntie -> significance being that she never really gets a choice
throughout her childhood, more or less treated as a burden/ and accessory, influences how she
takes care of her household and treatment towards certain family members as unconscious ends to
a means to get what she wants + assert her power and control

(After emerald hill) manipulative character comes out to play:

- mother-in-law: by taking care of her and sucking up to her, taking over role of previous senior
sister-in-law Susie; got benefits like diamond ring

- father-in-law: using her children eg the riding lessons of Richard to "manjah" the grandpa into
leaving inheritance to firstborn -> foreshadows how this decision affected Richard and his decision
and suicide, as well as the fact that she pretty much got everything (inheritance and house) after
Richard died and her husband died and everything was passed to her but she's alone now; highlights
Freddy's mathematics marks in comparison to Richard to show-off to grandfather

- asserts her power/status: asking her sisters-in-law to bow down to her and Kheong during Chinese
New Year

- Richard: firstborn child, apple of her eye, wants the best for him but manner of which her
intentions come out is very manipulative eg trying to get inheritance for him, making him go to
Cambridge to study law, flying immediately over to London to persuade him to change his mind,
thoughts of match-making him with gp Chee's granddaughter in order to convince him to come
home, controlling his choice of friends

- Doris: disapproves of daughter's apparent bookishness, feels that she needs to be in the kitchen
more in order to take care of her family in the future. Significant difference between attitude taken
towards Doris and Richard's rebellion of sorts overseas -> she's angry at first, threatens to cut her
off, but upon hearing Doris' distress she tries and help and lets go by asking her to calm down, take
time to think in contrast to imposing her own decisions on Richard-> CHARACTER GROWTH

- Kheong: from the very start is extremely distant from her because arranged marriage, does not
really seem to care about her or the children (enrollment of children into acs was all done by her),
later goes to Diana lee as mistress -> to escape from domineering wife? She later gets him back, sort
of, by throwing the grand annual party and proving that she's a good wife and he has to give face to
her of sorts. But relationship between husband and wife irrevocably damaged- when he's dying he
doesn't want to see her at all. -> significance: breakdown of marriage,

- extremely creepy how she knows everyone's schedule and plans almost everything for them-> look
at the scene where she speaks directly to the audience
Elaine- parents fell in love for stupid reasons of infatuation, mother infatuated with father for Greek
symbol reasons -> to her it's romantic? Cheesy, but also works as a cautionary tale of love at first
sight (SAM-> wishes for a relationship thing, but also extremely wary and reluctant), because look at
how well her parents' marriage turned out. Mother abandoned father and daughter as well, results
in direct breakdown of young Elaine, affects father who stops successful career to take care of her. Y

Similarities:

Both Elaine and Emily have abandonment issues, no significant maternal figures in their lives. -> as a
result both want to make sure that their future families don't ever leave them, but how they make
sure is entirely different:

Elaine- father and her are already close, perhaps made closer because of Mother's abandonment.
Refusal to find a boyfriend etc because of 1) father's overprotectiveness 2) Elaine clinging onto her
dad, shown especially when she she quits work to take care of him, wants to slow down his aging
process. Result: dad dies, something she cannot control no matter how much she tries/ wants to ->
defeated by natural process of aging and time

Emily: controls every aspect of family, from schedules to universities to matchmaking, to make sure
that they get the best so that they will never leave her. -> backfires on her even, drives away the
people she loves most aka Kheong and Richard.

Result: she's still left alone because of modernisation, times changed as well fo her, all her children
move away.

Theme of death:

Emily of Emerald Hill Everything but the Brain

Stage elements Husband dies of heart attack,
Richard commits suicide -> only
through Emily’s mind/narration,
leaving audience alienated,
presented as recounts, sense of
detachment, Emily mimes
commotion of husband’s death,
audience cannot see
Form but audience doesn’t see life and
characters of Emily, only see it
through Emily’s narration, while
Richard is presented very
obviously, Kheong not so
Impact of death on living still not completely alone, still has
characters bee choo, bin-bin, she still has
confidantes despite her
heartbreak
actual scene of death is shown
directly to the audience, sound
of clock ticking ominiously,
symbolizes father’s heartbeat,
consistent with theme of time,
Elaine by father bedside,
combines visual and aural
elements to accentuate reality
of death
witness interaction between
father and Elaine, close ties,
almost inseparable bonds,
seems almost tragic
Elaine is left alone, knowledge
that she is rather introverted
and shy, father was king and
important impact on her