The play Skellig Essay Example For Students

The play Skellig Essay I got the chance to watch the play Skellig at the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham. The play is about Michael, a boy who has to cope with a house move, a newborn baby sister fighting for life and old Skellig, the ungrateful, arthritic tramp discovered in the garage of the new house who is also thought to be an angel. In this essay I will talk about how the actors used the stage, voice and movement to show the characters feelings and emotions throughout the play. The play begins with the familys first day at the house. The towering spiral of junk that depicts the house from basement to attic is used for every scene in the play. If looked at in detail, the spiral of junk wouldve included: an old freezer; piles of old newspapers and books; cardboard boxes; old furniture and ripped up clothes. The whole set was just dark browns, darks blues and dark greens which portrayed the gloom of the play. We will write a custom essay on The play Skellig specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The first one to enter the scene is Michael. Whilst he does a monologue that tells his story so far the rest of the cast pick up instruments to play the music and effects during the monologue. This perhaps portrays the closeness of the family on which the play is based because everyone is on stage at that part of the play. It added a contrast of cheerful music to the dark set and it also included the audience in the play. Michaels voice changes as he begins to talk about his sister. He speaks with a nervous tone of voice as he begins to move very carefully, suggesting perhaps that his sister needs very gentle care at the moment. His father tries to repair and clean the danger-filled garage as best he can which includes a horrible toilet. However, the garage is so wrecked that Michaels father warns him not to go inside. His tone of voice, at that moment, is louder but only shows an attempt to threaten his son and not to suggest that he has power over Michael because later on in the play Michael goes into the garage regardless of his fathers warning. When Skellig is introduced into the play, he is seen by Michael as a strange human-like creature that seems to have almost wasted away. Neal Foster (Skellig) spends most of the play sitting still to emphasise the severity of Skelligs arthritis. When Michael asks him what he is, he simply answers, Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He uses this answer to almost any question asked by Michael and he always expresses this line with stiffness and anger in his voice. This could also represent his arthritis condition. Michael decides to take care of Skellig and asks if there is anything he could do for him. Skellig demands aspirin and states two numbers, 27 and 53. Michael doesnt understand the meaning of he numbers but decides to help in any way he can. There is a big change in levels of the characters in the play. At the beginning of the play, when Skellig is vulnerable and in pain, he is always lower than any other character. Skellig gradually gets higher and at the end of the play, Skellig is the highest and therefore with more power over other characters. Later on in the play Michael meets a girl named Mina who lives next door. She is home schooled, and is very interested in nature and poems by William Blake. They become very close friends and Mina takes Michael to an abandoned house where a lot of owls live. The top of the towering spiral is used as the abandoned house. As Skellig becomes accustomed to and more tolerant of Michael, Michael decides to introduce him to Mina. They decide its best to move him into the abandoned house, due to the fact that Michaels father is going to tear down the garage in a matter of days. This is a very emotional scene, because for the first time Skellig is moved in the play and the audience understand his fear and pain. .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .postImageUrl , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:hover , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:visited , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:active { border:0!important; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:active , .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73 .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u789fe207ba98f5eeec40fcd09bc67e73:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Act 4 Scene 1 is the dramatic climax to the play EssayMina is a very important character in the play and has a lot of impact on how the play progresses. At the first meeting with Michael, she is standing higher then him. However, during the play they change levels so that Michael is sometimes higher but at the end of the play they are on the same level.  Skellig begins to heal and become what would appear to be an angel. He gives Michael and Mina a mystical experience in which they can see ghostly wings sprouting from each others shoulder blades. The three walk in a circle holding hands and looking directly into each others eyes. This scene is based purely on mystery and religious imagery. Although we do not see any wings appear, both Michael and Mina say they can see each others wings which could suggest that they are imagining the wings or maybe angel wings would not be seen to the human eye. The final scene is the most emotional one. Michaels baby sister comes dangerously close to death. Her mother comes to stay at the hospital and prays. That night something mysterious happens and her mother dreamt of seeing a man come in and pick up the baby. She tells Michael and his father about what happened. Cross-cutting is the technique used in this scene to show the audience what happened in her dream. As the mother speaks of the dream, everyone else is silent and very still. Skellig makes all the movement and gestures Michaels mother describes. His facial expressions change from deep thinking to being happy for the baby girls survival. Skellig walks up on the top of the towering spiral in the middle of the stage and disappears from the scene. The flashback is over and Michael realizes Skellig was an angel.  In conclusion, the play Skellig is a very emotional play and the actors use voice to show the feelings of the characters. They use the stage to a full extent to show how Michael grows up throughout the events of meeting Skellig to having to choose between friends to receiving a pair of angel wings. Raw emotion contrasts with moments of great tenderness, and an audience of schoolchildren gave it noisy applause.

The majority of the World’s population now lives in an urban area. Critically evaluate the impact of this change both globally but also for the countries of the South. The WritePass Journal

The majority of the World’s population now lives in an urban area. Critically evaluate the impact of this change both globally but also for the countries of the South. Introduction The majority of the World’s population now lives in an urban area. Critically evaluate the impact of this change both globally but also for the countries of the South. Introduction Urbanisation is inevitable change   The relationship between urban change and urban povertyUrban environmental concerns: a case study of Bangkok, ThailandConclusion   ReferencesRelated Introduction UN-Habitat Report ‘State of the World’s Cities 2008-2009’ pointed that, more than half of the world’s population are people who live in the cities. Over 90 percent of urban growth is occurring in the developing world. Asia will retain the majority of the world’s urban population, account for 63 percent by 2050. During the next two decades, the urban population of the world’s two poorest regions- South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa- is expected to double. A number of Asian countries, such as the Philippines and Indonesia, also have very high rates of urbanisation; by 2020, Indonesia is expected to have five mega cities: a metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million people, and by 2025, its level of urbanisation will reach 68 percent. This global phenomenon is the result from the process of urbanisation. The trend and pace of urbanisation is compounded with various factors and marked by regional disparities. The primary factor is natural population growth, whereas another factor is the combination of rural-urban migration, infrastructure development, and other powerful socio-economic and political processes, including globalisation which drives urbanisation across worldwide (Williams, 1983). Urban growth is the rate of growth of an urban population. It is different to urbanisation which is the process by which there is an increase in proportion of a population living in places classified as urban: the movement from a rural to urban area. Population growth and city size are underpinning urban growth; which is integrated and dynamic process bringing parts into a whole. The data from UN-Habitat can be implied that half of the world’s population will be settle in urban area, especially cities. This trend led to urban transition or urban change that much involve with the scale and rate of urban growth, global economy and development issue. This essay will define the characteristic of urbanisation; examine its changing trend in both positive and negative impacts that resulted from this change. It will also critically evaluate the important urban issue that should be addressed firstly on a case study of Bangkok, Thailand, then conclusion. Urbanisation is inevitable change     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. This term is defined by the United Nations as a movement of people from rural to urban areas with population growth equating to urban migration (United Nations, 2004). Urbanisation is inevitable for development and rural to urban migration can serve as a form of poverty alleviation, provided governments support and facilitate the initiatives of the migrants in both the place of origin and destination. Owing to improvement in transport and better communication, rural to urban migration is no longer a one-time move by and entire family to an unfamiliar destination. This improvement also facilitates contacts by migrants with their place of origin and circular and return migration. As countries develop, rural to urban linkages tend to become stronger (UN-HABITAT, 2003). Small cities and towns can play an important role in regional development and be tter population distribution, it governments support local initiatives by developing basic infrastructure and services. Rapid urbanising countries are spread across the world, and represent a wide range of social, economic and geographical contexts. It resulted in term of urban growth which is attributed to both population growths; refers to natural growth and rural and urban migration, and city growth; refers to infrastructure improvement and city size expansion (Henderson, 2002). Urbanisation contributes to sustained economic growth which is critical to poverty reduction. The economics of scale and agglomeration in cities attract investors and entrepreneurs which is good for overall economic growth. Cities also provide opportunities for many, particularly the poor who are attracted by greater job prospects, the availability of services, and an escape from constraining social and cultural traditions in rural areas. However, urban population growth does not always ensure urban economic growth. The urban poor are often rely on the informal sector for their survival and therefore undertake casual or uns killed labour, or even unregistered and illegal work (Amis, 2004). This weakens their rights and benefits, and constrains their capability to escape poverty. The relationship between urban change and urban poverty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A number of Asian countries have very high rates of urbanisation; 15.4 percent of total population lived in urban areas in 1950 and will have increased to 49.7 percent by 2025 (Asian Study Centre, 2010). The mega-urban regions of Manila and Jakarta have a number of population over 21 million each, while Bangkok has more than 10 million.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Population density can help ensure lower per capita costs for delivery of basic services and easy access to information. Citizens may find it easier to mobilise around shares problems and pool resources to find solutions (Overseas Development Institute, 2008). Urban centres provide economic advantages and job opportunities. Urbanised countries tend to have higher incomes, more stable economies and institutions and are better able to withstand external economic shocks and volatility. Unfortunately, the global economic downturn is seem to increase the number of jobless in the urban migrants who have involved in unskilled labour firm or unregistered and illegal work. There are also pressing environmental concerns associated with urbanisation, evidenced in most of the world’s energy is consumed by urban settlements. Moreover, they are also generates the bulk of the waste in urban areas. It can be said that urban refers to a context, not a specific area or sector; urban issues are multi-sectoral and require integrated approaches that address a wide range of human needs for people living in urban settlements. It has special relationship between urban growth and poverty in term of development (Asian Development Bank, 2004). Urban change has some particular features. Firstly, the scale of change is unprecedented. Secondly, the rate of change is rapid. Finally, the nature and direction of change is more dependent on the global economy; the capitalist context (Sassen, 2001; Yeung, 2000). It can be said that urban change is resulted by urbanisation; which is driven by globalisation. Many of these factors are obviously related. Urban change refers to a context, not a specific area or sector; urban issues are multi-sectural and require integrated approaches that address a wide range of human needs for people living in urban settlements. It can be cause of urban trend; which is linked to some particular aspects of development both socially and economically as following: Unemployment; a large number of workers in developing countries, including a high proportion within urban areas, operate within the informal sector, which often entails casual or unregulated labour that can be illegal or even dangerous (Amis, 2004). The global economic downturn is in creasing the number of jobless worldwide and the urban poor are likely to be affected (DFID, 2009). Social exclusion; urban poor face social exclusion on various levels. The marginalisation stemming from status as a slum dweller may be compounded by discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, and HIV status. The specific groups such as street children and HIV/Aids are particularly vulnerable (UNICEF, 2002). Climate change and the environment; poor people living in cities in developing countries often live inadequate areas such as flood-prone or water-logged areas and are vulnerable to losing their houses due to rising sea levels or natural disasters. Some live without access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation and faced the environmental pollution (IIED, 2009). These urban trends is challenge to urban development, it offers the chance for greater focus on the urban context. This challenge is heightened by the fact that adequate responses to urban change impacts are likely to depend on strong and committed local government and communities. Urban environmental concerns: a case study of Bangkok, Thailand   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The urbanisation process is an important force driving to urban growth in Southeast Asia region. It seems to have been accompanied by excessively high levels of concentration of the urban population in very large cities. Thailand is estimated to be about 43 percent urbanised by 2006, and will have 50 percent of the population living in urban areas by the year 2015 (NESDB, 1998). Bangkok is a megacity which has grown rapidly in its 200 years. As in many developing countries, economic development has been accompanied by severe environmental and social problems. Bangkok’s path of urbanisation has focus on economic development almost exclusively on Bangkok, which has grown as a primate city to more than 30 times the size of the next most substantial urban centre (BMA, 2009). Its growth related to uncontrolled urban growth both in term s of the spread of the city and of successive changes in land use within it. There has been little form al planning (Roachanakanan, 1999). Ongoing environmental degradation and increasing pollution detract from the quality of life of urban Thai people. Urban environmental concerns are also spreading well beyond Bangkok to the broader Bangkok region and other urban areas. There is also a lack of capacity and often initiative to undertake the needed analysis, mobilisation, and action to tackle these emerging problems. With the ongoing focus on economic development at the local level, this situation can be expected to worsen (Poungsomlee and Ross, 1992). Cities can be view as systems involving people’s interactions with one another and with the built environments they have created. The built environments interact with the natural ecological processes of their sites. Intervention in one part of a system inevitably affects other parts. This analysis will divide the impacts into two parts, firstly: the impact on nature; and lastly: the impact on city people. Due to the growing population, demands for water, food, housing, energy, clothing, and consume goods are increasing alarmingly. Rapid population growth not only lesson available calorie supply from food per person but also risks the present food production with pollution (Brookfield and Byron, 1993). The production of these needs water and creates more pollutants. Many Western companies produce their products in Bangkok because of more flexible environmental law and cheaper production costs. This puts extra pressure on the environment of Bangkok. Of critical importance are problems associated with waste water, air quality, and solid waste. Public health is increasingly threatened by declining environmental conditions, especially air pollution in urban centres, about 39 percent of Bangkok residents suffer from respiratory diseases, a rate that is seven times higher than in rural areas (NESDB, 2005). Only about 60 percent of urban solid waste is disposed of to a high standard, with even a smaller proportion being properly handled in the urban fringe areas (BMA, 2009). In the area of waste water, while vast slums have been spent on treatment plants in cities throughout the country, virtually none are operational. Linked to the underperformance of city planning is neglect of managing the built environment in most Thai municipalities, severely affecting quality of life and overall public health and safety. Public participation in decision making is an important urban trend in Bangkok. Due to urban environmental issue, there has not been strong tradition of public participation in the decision-making process at any level. However, with the advert of the new Constitution in 1997, there are explicit provisions for public input into the local decision-making process, especially in managing the local environment and resources. While there is now a strong constitutional and legal basis for civic participation, the reality is much weaker. On the positive side, through the recent â€Å"Small-Medium-Large† programme, community-level planning is being introduced for the first time as a means of better integrating grassroots input into the development process. However, coordination within the municipal development plans is not being encouraged as funding is going is going directly to villages, bypassing the local administrative planning process.    Conclusion      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The important force underpinning the changing pattern; described as population growth and city expansion, is driven by globalisation process. Rapid changes are spread across the world, and represent a wide range of social, economic and geographical contexts, especially the developing countries. Southeast Asia region is the significant model of urban growth, it has very high rate of urbanisation resulted in many megacities such as Manila and Jakarta which have a number of population over 21 million each whereas Bangkok has more than 10 million inhabitants. Overpopulation problem has been address to urban concern in some megacities, especially urban environmental issue in Bangkok. Ongoing environmental degradation and increasing pollution are directly affected to Bangkok residents. This put greater pressure on the environment of Bangkok. The critical problem brings about the relationship between people and city, and making them to be one system: intervention in one part of a system inevitably affects other parts. Linked to the underperformance of city planning is neglect of managing the built environment in most urban residents affected quality of life and overall public health and safety. The important trend due to urban environmental issue in Bangkok is increasing public participation in decision-making. With the adoption of the 1997 Constitution and the 1999 Decentralisation Act (amended in 2001) made possibly change to greater public participation. However, the question still ongoing due to increasing concern on good governance of local authority. References Amis, P. (2004) â€Å"Regulating the Informal Sector: Voice and bad Governance†, In Devas, N. (ed.), Urban Governance, Voice and Poverty in the Developing World. London: Earthscan. Asian Development Bank (2004) City Development Strategies to Reduce Poverty. Manila: Asian Development Bank. Asian Studies Centre. (2010) Urbanisation in Southeast Asian Countries. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Brookfield, H. and Byron, Y. (1993) South-East Asia’s Environmental Future: The Search for Sustainability. Tokyo: United Nations University Press. Department for International Development (2009) Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future. DFID 2009 White Paper. Henderson, V. (2002) â€Å"Urbaization in Developing Countries†. The World Bank Research Observer, 17 (1): 89-112 International Institute for Environment and Development (2009) Climate change and the urban poor: Risk and resilience in 15 of the world’s most vulnerable cities. London: IIED. Poungsomlee, A. and Ross, H. (1992) Impacts of Modernisation and Urbanisation in Bangkok: Preliminary Report. Bangkok: Mahidol University. Roachanakanan, T. (1999) Bangkok and the Second Bangkok International Airport: Politics of Planning and Development Management. PhD thesis, Australian National University. Overseas Development Institute (2008) Opportunity and exploitation in urban labour markets. Briefing Paper No.44. London: Overseas Development Institute. Sassen, S. (2001) â€Å"Cities in the global economy†, In Paddison, R. (ed.), Handbook of urban studies. London: Sage Publications. United Nations Children’s Fund. (2002) Poverty and exclusion among urban children. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre. United Nations. (2004) World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision. New York: United Nations. United Nations Human Settlements Programme. (2003) Promoting the Positive Rural-Urban Linkages Approach to Sustainable Development and Employment Creations: The Role of UN-HABITAT. Paper presentation on FIG Regional Conference, 2-5 December 2003, Morocco. Williams, L.S. (1983) â€Å"The Urbanization Process: Toward a Paradigm of Population Redistribution†. Urban Geography, 4 (2): 122-137 Yeung, Y. M. (2000) Globalization and networked societies: urban-regional change in Pacific Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. BMA Statistic Profile http://203.155.220.118/info/Stat_search/frameENG.asp accessed on 02/04/2011 National Economic and Social Development Board nesdb.go.th/Default.aspx?tabid=92 accessed on 02/04/2011