Personal connection to ‘Torch the Place’

Feature In the text In my life

Does the character remind you of anyone?

The people that you have met and the relationships that you have built might be reminiscent of the
characters and their relationships in the text. An example between the siblings in the text or the
relationship between the mother and her daughter or son.
You might use a quote from the text to anchor to your own personal experience.

Characters, people and Character Remind me of

relationships (which aspects of - Mum - My mum
your personal experiences “I’m your mother, I give birth to
relate to the experiences of the you. You want me to thank Hoarding behaviour
characters?) you?” - Myself
- My grandma
Relationship - traditions
- Mum and her children

As Teresa "chucks" most of the "antiques" in Mom's house, I am reminded of my mother's and my
relationship when the roles switch. When I was asked to clean up my whole load of collections of
“useless” objects piling up in my mother’s perspective, I would always find an excuse for each one
as Mum has done to her “wastes” in the play.

Plot and important moments
(do any major events in your life
reflect the plot of the text ?)
- the lost of the baby
(scene 5) when they
figure out the box of
things the baby had
touched
- Toby finds out the
reason he always being
treated unfairly
- Break up with my
friends after a bitter
quarrel
- Opposite to the text
that I was born in a
really warm family full
of love and care

Is there an idea or value that is in the text that really connects with you? The playwright might have
strong values on justice, sustainability, Can you identify with these values?
What is your position on them? For example-is the character treated unfairly?
How does this connect with your own personal life?
 Ideas and values (what are your Items Items
ideas about the world, and your - Humphrey B Bear - Blanket I kept for more
values, and how do those - Punky Brewster than 10 years
compare with those in the blanket - Fluffy toys I bought in
text?) → Gather early or childhood my childhood
memories from the items - Letters and cards from
- All the things the baby my friends
has touched

Memory - In all the "antiques" I have collected from my childhood, I was reminded of either
cherished experiences or people/things I adored.

Obsession of the past - People usually cherish the things they have regained while always holding
on to the people and things they have lost. Therefore, mum's obsession with the past is also
reflected when she desperately collects all the things related to the unexpectedly lost baby.

I also store a lot of things related to my previous friends like pendants, keychains, hand letters, etc..
which all contain my memories of the past that I treasure a lot. Once I had lost a friend due to an
argument, I collected together everything around me that relates to her and even took one of the
key chains during all the trips.

Settings and places (How are
these ideas affected by the
context in which the text was
produced and the context in
which you are reading or
viewing it?)
- Migrant experience Are there any places where
from China to Australia you have lived or travelled ?
(same) Your experiences of the world.
- Chinese background - Travelling to western
with Chinese traditions countries - found it
hard to adapt to their
living styles
- Cultural shock and
differences

Pg2. Teresa
“Mum calls this house her ‘museum’.
“And Mum’s not a curator. She’s a hoarder.”

Pg110. Mom
“So many memories in this house. Some painful. Some ugly. Confucius say: ‘Everything has beauty, but
not everyone sees it.’ But I see it. “