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CLASS 17-ANANSI Structure of The Play

The play 'Anansi' by Alistair Campbell deviates from traditional structures by presenting its plot through events on a slave ship, interspersed with Anansi stories. This unique format reflects the characters' journey and emotions, contrasting the harsh realities of slavery with fantastical narratives that offer coping mechanisms. The play's organization emphasizes the juxtaposition of real-world experiences and fantasy, using headings instead of acts to delineate different sections.

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7 views1 page

CLASS 17-ANANSI Structure of The Play

The play 'Anansi' by Alistair Campbell deviates from traditional structures by presenting its plot through events on a slave ship, interspersed with Anansi stories. This unique format reflects the characters' journey and emotions, contrasting the harsh realities of slavery with fantastical narratives that offer coping mechanisms. The play's organization emphasizes the juxtaposition of real-world experiences and fantasy, using headings instead of acts to delineate different sections.

Uploaded by

Yohance JA solomon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Mrs. K. Maharaj/ Form 4 English B

ANANSI- ALISTAIR CAMPBELL

THE STRUCTURE OF THE PLAY

 Unlike most plays, for example, Shakespeare’s plays that are divided into Acts and Scenes, this play

does not follow the “traditional” structure/ pattern.

 Instead, different aspects of the plot are presented in the form of events happening in different

sections of the slave ship. For example, The Hold, The Cabin and are often paired with different Anansi

stories.

 The play is possibly structured this way to mirror the journey and feelings of characters, similar to

what they (the enslaved) might have experienced on the actual journey.

 Therefore, the “Acts” of traditional plays are replaced with “Headings” or “Titles”. When referring to

various parts of the play, they should not be referred to as Acts and Scenes.

 The structure of the play allows the audience/reader to move from: SHIPSTORIES SHIPSTORIES

 The parts of the play that take place on a part of the ship represent THE REAL WORLD

 The parts of the play that tell the Anancy Stories represent A FANTASY

 Therefore, the structure of the play moves between episodes of harsh realities of the slave trade to

fantastical stories that function to help the characters cope with the heinous reality of what is being

done to them.

 The different parts are separated by dotted lines and held in different locations on the ship.

 Juxtaposition takes place and shows perspectives of the slave trade and its impact.

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