Shoe Horn Sonata free essay sample

The distinctively visual connects an image with an idea. To illustrate the effectiveness of the distinctively visual in emphasising the ways that individuals respond to significant aspects of life, two uniquely Australian texts stand alone; the prescribed text The Shoe-Horn Sonata by John Misto written in 1996 and the epic 2008 film Australia by Baz Luhramm. Both texts deal with aspects of war and the importance of truth. Each text, whether it be a dramatised stage play or a film script, has a composer who has the capacity to emotionally transport an audience to a different time and place by bringing the written word to the visual medium through their evocative and highly innovative choice of the distinctively visual. In act one: scene 1 Bridie and Shelia, the two fictional characters, are a visual and dramatic representation of the women who faced the real life experiences of the Australian and British female POW’s captured while trying to flee from Singapore in 1942. An image of a Japanese soldier’s face is displayed to the audience, portraying a warrior, instilling fear into the audience and illustrating the fierceness and terrifying nature of the Japanese soldiers. The photograph is enhanced with the dialogue â€Å"The Japs’d come around and beat us for the fun of it. ‘Useless Mouths’ they used to call us†, this adds to the audiences feelings of horror and disbelief to what the women endured. The use of sound effects and music dictates the atmosphere and mood of particular scenarios and adds emotional subtext to various scenes. It adds historical significance to the drama, with Misto using music from the war era and aids in demonstrating the resilience of the women. With a combination of music and sounds effects along with the use of projected images, the audience is able to visualize the situation and feel the emotions of the characters. This is illustrated when Bridie and Shelia find themselves in the water after their ships were bombed by the Japanese. The sound of splashing waves can be heard, with projected images of Singapore on fire, displaying the brutality and danger of the situation and takes us into the minds and memories of Bridie and Shelia. In juxtaposition to this Sheila sings Jerusalem a patriotic, British song, exhibiting the willpower the women have to ‘bounce back’ from the situation and survive this affliction. The sound effects of crickets can be heard whilst Shelia begins to reveal her secret to Bridie. As the scene persists, the noise of the cricket’s increase with intensity, this is until Sheila discloses the truth about her selling herself to the Japanese soldier’s in order obtain the Quinine to save Bridie’s life ,at which point the crickets cease. The crickets symbolize the jungle and transport both the audience and women to that place in time; the conclusion of the noise represents Sheila being set free from war time and is now able to live a normal life. The symbolic nature of the shoe horn is seen throughout the play, portraying a sense of survival for not only Bridie and Shelia but the whole prison camp. In the beginning the shoe horn represents the joys of Bridie’s family and home life and enables the audience to get a feel for the happiness it brings, before the horrors of war proceed. As the play progresses the symbolism shifts. When Bridie and Sheila find themselves adrift after their boats had been sunk, Bridie uses the shoe horn to prevent Shelia from drowning. Although a humorous part in the play, it displays their wants and needs for survival. As the women form a choir within the camp, the shoehorn takes on an essential role in the women’s existence. It is used as a metronome, driving the music, lifting the spirits of each woman and emotionally allowing them to rise above the deprivation and horror around them. This notion is enhanced with the dialogue â€Å"together we made this glorious sound that rose above the camp – above the jungle – above the war – rose and rose and took us with it. Fifty voices set us free†. Most predominantly the shoe horn becomes a symbol of the pain and shame Sheila held for 50 years and the sacrifice she was willing to make in order to save a friends life. Once the shoe horn is returned to Bridie, it becomes a symbol of the women’s redemption of friendship and whipes out the pain and suffering they both had felt since the completion of the war. The symbolism throughout the drama portrays to the audience that in various situations the women used what they had in order to survive and carry on with their lives. Misto uses distinctively visual techniques through the drama to portray to the audience the experiences and feelings Bridie and Shelia felt throughout their tribulation. With the use of projected images, sound effects, music and symbolism, Misto displays the horrors of war, resilience and survival tactics of the women and aims at strengthening the knowledge and appreciation of the women who were held captive by the Japanese. Jess Summerville