The idea of facades across a range of texts Essay -- essays research p

The numbers The B in all in allad of martyrdom Street by James Baxter, the word-painting American Beauty (directed by Sam Mendes and released in 1999), and the play An examiner Calls written by J.B. Priestley and performed at Circa Theatre in 2005, ar all texts that share a similar theme. Although these three texts are different in terms of authorship and the medium through which the significant messages are communicated, what the texts do have in common is that they all convey ideas about how facades and fiddling images of family life only lead to soullessness and domestic disorder. The unique approach that for each one text takes to this issue heightens the impact of the texts in every case, and allows the discussion of facades to pop off more pertinent in a succession when domestic problems unruffled mar our society.Baxters poem, The Ballad of Calvary Street, satirises the concept of facades and bastard family life by ironically using religious imagery, and by utilising nonliteral language and clever diction to develop a rounded photograph of the sad characters at the heart of the poem. The poem discusses firstly the trellises that form Calvary Street (an image which conventionally would symbolise happy domestic life), and mentions the flowers that meridian as bright as blood. In addition to organism an insidious suggestion that there is violence beneath the veneer of this on the face of it secure society, this phrase also alludes to the crucifixion of Christ. This is confirmed by the line that later describes the house as an empty tomb. This evocative simile hints that the house is a place of depression and emotional soullessness, and again tie in this home to the story of Christ however, Baxter is comparing this house to Christs story only ironically. Through the use of religious language, Baxter is able to sarcastically indicate that the values of forgiveness and compassion so often machine-accessible to The Bible and religion are nowhe re to be found in this unhappy home. To emphasise that religion plays no role in this garble version of family life, Baxter intersperses the religious language with mundane descriptions (for instance, he writes, the afternoon goes, goes by, charm angels harp above a cloud ) to show that spirituality and indeed, all ideas of ethics and morality are forsaken in this barren location.Baxter tells in the poem of how two old souls go slowly mad, and const... ...ley play An quizzer Calls all scrutinise the nature of domestic life, and the facades that are developed to incubate the true problems of our society. The Ballad of Calvary Street looks at the manner in which individuality and excitement are suppressed by the maintenance of much(prenominal) a faade, and emphasises that domestic relationships are devoid of any spirituality or ethical framework. American Beauty focuses on the advantages of breaking free from the constraints of the faade, and emphasises the freedom and openne ss that can be achieved once the duties of the faade are forgone. An inspector Calls analyses the way a faade can crumble when there is pinch and confusion to reveal people who are not as respectable as they seem. The issue of facades is very relevant to our society, at a time when, in New Zealand at least, domestic abuse and divorce are still pernicious problems. The issue is often explored across a clasp of texts and could even be argued to be a clich in current times. However, the hardy and honest manner in which these texts address the issue makes the concept of facades so intriguing and fresh, and causes these texts to gain added power and impact.