WRITTEN WORK

Script

Fade in…

1. INT. DINING ROOM. EARLY AFTERNOON

VALERIE, 18, and her parents are eating dinner. Valerie sits slightly off centre of the table with both her MOTHER and DAD on either side. Valerie is wearing a black t-shirt, which reads ‘The Rainbow Project’. Her t-shirt is tucked into some black ripped skinny jeans. Her wavy purple locks of hair spill over her t-shirt but it doesn’t completely cover the vibrant rainbow lettering. Piercings pepper her ears and her nose ring sparkles in the light. Black eyeliner rims her hazel eyes and mascara accentuates her long black lashes. Cherry red lipstick lines her lips. A deafening silence fills the room. Valerie glances around the room looking past the portrait of the Queen staring back at her and poster on the window reading ‘Vote P.U.P’. Her eyes wander over to the large framed image above the mantelpiece. A picture of her parents outside the Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church standing proudly alongside Dr. Ian Paisley. She furrows her brows at the picture but her face morphs into a look of determination. Dad momentarily looks up and glances over towards Valerie. Dad, mid 40s, is dressed in an off-white button down shirt leaving the top button undone and the tie pulled loose. He wears black suit pants and mismatched socks. He is slightly slumped over and his eyes remain downcast. Opposite him is Valerie’s Mother, early/mid 40s, wears a black pencil dress with her blonde hair slicked back into a chignon bun at the base of her head. She sits upright with her perfectly manicured nails resting on the Jesus pendant on a gold chain that is wrapped around her neck, a permanent frown etched on her face. Mother looks up at the crucifix on the wall and clears her throat to speak,

MOTHER

Lord, make us truly thankful for this food and all other blessings. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

VALERIE AND DAD

(simultaneously)

Amen.

Silence fills the room as they begin to eat their food. They are eating steak with roast potatoes and asparagus, Valerie’s plate is steak-free. Valerie plays around with her food, her foot bouncing frantically as if she is impatiently waiting. Finally Mother breaks the silence,

MOTHER

And where do you think you’re going dressed like that?

VALERIE

I’m going out with Audrey to that protest march I told you about last week.

MOTHER

(scoffs) 

Oh yeah...that freak. Why do you even want to go to that protest about gay marriage anyways? 

Valerie looks at her father, his head slowly raises. He quickly puts his head back down in attempt to avoid her gaze. She looks back at her Mother,

VALERIE

Don’t call her that, her name is Audrey.

MOTHER

Same difference. Why do you even care about gay marriage? The Reverend would be turning in his grave at the idea of that protest, if only he could hear th- 

VALERIE

Mother, can you please just drop it.

MOTHER

No I will not ‘drop it’. You are not going and that is final. This home is a home for God not that LTGBQ crap or whatever they call it these days.  

Valerie rolls her eyes and trudges off to her room, leaving her plate of food lying on the table untouched. Mother places her head in her hands and SIGHS deeply, stress etched all over her face. Dad smiles sheepishly at his wife who glares back in return causing his smile to drop instantly and look back down to the ground. Mother rolls her eyes and disapprovingly shakes her head before heading into the kitchen with her plate in her hand.



Articles from School Newsletter 

 

Essay work 

(i) Re-read lines 188 – 219 of The Merchant’s Prologue (from “ He seyde...” to “....warm wex with hands plye”.

Examine how Chaucer shapes the character of Januarie.[20]

In The Merchant’s Tale, Chaucer utilises the character of Januarie as a literary device to explore social values and behaviours, including the relative merits of men and women in medieval society. The theme of patriarchal dominance becomes distinct as 14th century beliefs state that women were used for business and pleasure. However, Chaucer seemingly subverts this by hyperbolising Januarie’s arrogance and naivety within his attitudes that his fantasy is ultimately unattainable. Perhaps Chaucer is mocking Januarie who acts as a microcosm of all medieval men of his class, exposing the self-delusion and ultimate downfall that becomes to this attitude. This extract conveys the discussion between Januarie and his friends as he expresses his beliefs on how to get the right wife for himself. 

In this extract, Chaucer exerts a satirical tone to ridicule Januarie’s naive beliefs on women; a belief that Chaucer implies is shared amongst many other men in medieval society. Januarie claims he wants a young woman for a wife as he believes that older women are like “oold fissh” in comparison to young women who are “yong flessh” to Januarie. This facile and unrealistic attitude towards women is juxtaposed with the character in the Wife of Bath. This medieval period was a time when women’s beauty was just judged primarily on their appearance and age. Januarie conforms to this as he looks for a young wife who “shal nat passe twenty yeer”. Furthermore, the motif of food can link to men’s carnal desire and the need to consume perhaps in order to survive. This highlights the importance of fertility amongst women to allow men to produce an heir. This metaphorical consumption and carnal desire implies that men’s main purpose of fulfilling the sacrament of marriage is to obtain sexual gratification as they believe that they have access to free and unlimited sex. Januarie’s description of young women as “fair” and “tendre” is contrasted to how he describes older women as “old boef”. The adjective “tendre” is reiterated throughout the whole tale; it has connotations of youth, vulnerability and innocence. Chaucer implies that Januarie has found his ideal wife as she is later compared to this. However, the audience could predict that May is more deceptive and cunning that Januarie had hoped as emphasised by her infidelity which proves that she is the opposite of what Januarie initially described her as. Ultimately, Chaucer utilises satire and irony to criticise Januarie and most medieval men’s attitudes towards women and age. This could be prophetic of May’s adulterous activities imply that young women are not as innocent and naive as men once hoped. 

Chaucer uses this extract to critique medieval men through the use of satire and irony. Januarie is conveyed as naive and foolish as he believes that women can be shaped like “warm wex” and moulded to whatever men want them to be like. The simile “warm wex with hands plye” symbolically portrays an overriding sense of control, malleability and shaping which is evident in the stereotypical medieval man's attitude towards women. The noun “wex” employs a sense of being shaped and moulded, and the image further resonates ideas of an object that forms and obeys the environment or container it is placed in; thus indicating Januarie’s misogynistic attitude of directing or training his partner to the demands of his exclusive environment. Furthermore, the adjective “warm” has connotations of intimacy and passion conveying the character’s pre-determined focus of exploitative acts with women. However, Chaucer cleverly satirises Januarie and by extension medieval male attitudes here by mocking this alleged control and shaping of women through the use of traductio, where the figurative “wex” becomes the literal “warm wex hath emprented the cliket”. This is the tool that undermines Januarie and leads to his inevitable cuckolding. Chaucer amplifies the naive and delusional attitudes of medieval men towards the sacrament of marriage and women, and possibly exposing how this attitude could ultimately be the cause of their downfall. By constructing Januarie as the classic Senex Amans, it would seem that males with these attitudes seemingly fall victim to the ascent of women. Moreover, the rhyming couplets of “despended/amended” has connotations of dissipation in reference to his morals and physicality; echoing the language of the Merchant. The close rhyming with “amended” injects a sense of healing and altering for beneficial purposes. This suggests that Januarie sees the sacrament of marriage as a cure to the poisonous lifestyle he has lived thus far. Additionally, the sense of cohesion and pace created through the simplistic rhyming couplet echoes ideas of fairytale ideals which is possibly alluding to the facile nature that Chaucer presents Januarie as solving his lechery. However, like a fairy tale Chaucer seems to expose the ultimate fiction in this idea. Ultimately, Chaucer highlights the dangers of rooting expectations in fantasies and delusions and implies that men are the cause for their own demise. 

Overall, Chaucer employs techniques like satire and irony to ridicule Januarie’s attitudes towards women in regards to age and appearance. Chaucer uses Januarie as a construct to acts as a microcosm that is representative of most medieval men in society who believed marriage is not a based on love but rather sexual appeasement, wealth and status.