Unit 1 English - Inheritance essay.
Inheritance explores the challenges faced by rural families
Main Body:
Paragraph 1: Prejudice. Life for the Delaney and Hamilton families is isolated. They are insular in their views. They live in a ‘tight knit’ community. What happens when something ‘goes against’ the norm for these people. What does indoctrinated mean? Entrenched?
Key scenes: Act 1 Scene 7, Act 1 Scene 10, Act 1 Scene 28, Act 2 Scene 1, Act 2 Scene 11.
Paragraph 2: Financial Hardship. Neither Norm not Lyle could sustain their families and make a living from the farm. They couldn’t cope under the financial pressures and they commit suicide. The prologue begins with The Great Depression of the 1930’s and fast-forwards in time to the year 2000, where the Mallee region was in the midst of drought. The characters are forced to go to great lengths to carve out a living for their family.
Key Scenes: Act 1, Sc. 8, 11,13,14,15. Act 2, Sc. 5, 10, 14, 18, 20.
Paragraph 3: Duty vs. Freedom. The characters are stuck in limbo – the farm being an ongoing burden on them. They feel a sense of obligation to stay on the land and to make it work. Would they be happier if they sold and were free? Why can’t they? What stops them? A sense of obligation?
Key Scenes: Act 1 Sc. 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28. Act 2 Sc. 4.
Paragraph 4: Limited Opportunities for the characters. The characters live in a ‘ghetto’. Felix is appalled at this in Act 2 Sc. 11 and Maureen speaks for the Mallee’s collective conscience in both her campaign speech Act 2 Sc. 1 and in her victory song, ‘Lend a Hand’. Consider the characters of William and Julia, their ‘Scots College’ education gave them opportunities that are in start contrast to Lyle, Nugget and the Delaney girls, Brianna and Ashleigh. In a town where both the bank and post office have just closed, what hope is there for them?