Scene 8 Flashcards
Stage direction : ‘Del reads the palm, but it is silent.’
-Shows how Del is learning Obeah
Mai - ‘ I don’t have a daughter to pass these things onto’
-She is passing down the ancient tradition to obeah to Del as she has written down the spells in her notebook.
-Shows that Del does hold significance in her life
Mai to Del ‘ you passed with flying colours’ after doing her obeah exam.
-Shows Del’s interest in Obeah and how she had been learning it
-Highlights that Del does care about her roots
‘Pocomania’
Religion which involves smoking as part of the ritual, the fact that Del wants to try shows that she does care about her roots and is interested in her background.
‘The door opens to reveal Enid’ - stage directions.
-Shows that Enid appears which Del didn’t know about
Enid - ‘what I have is yours’
Enid - ‘what I have is yours’
-Shows the importance of family and the sacrifice that Enid is constantly trying to make for her daughters to be successful in England.
Enid - ‘in a way we poor than them’
Enid - ‘in a way we poor than them’ - Enid about her family back home - they are POOR in family and feelings of belonging.
-As even though in Jamaica they didn’t have much money they still had a support system and had each other ‘when i was a girl you kill a cow you share it up and everyone in the district gets a piece. Here you poor and you by yourself’
Enid says ‘when i was a girl you kill a cow you share it up and everyone in the district gets a piece. Here you poor and you by yourself’
-Shows that in Jamaica it is easier because everyone cares for each other and they have their own support system
-In England they are immigrants and don’t have anyone to turn to when they need help
-So in a way in England they are ‘poorer than them’ because in Jamaica they have each other
‘you don’t exist’ / ‘they still don’t know your name’ / ‘nobody see you, nobody here you’/ ‘i wish I was a prize not a curse’
-Enid on why she is disillusioned (something less good than perceived to be) in England in her final speech which she admits to Del
-Admits to Del how upset she is about it
Del takes ‘palm’ of mother Enid onto hers
-The play ends with Del and Enid finally connected by their feelings of disillusioned and lacking belonging.
-As Enid finally opens up and is humble and honest with Del
-Del feels she can finally connect with her mother and as a result takes her ‘palm’ into hers.
The play has a CYCLICAL STRUCTURE as it begins with Mai’s reading in Mai’s house and ends with Del (younger generation) taking over the obeah tradition from Mai which shows how culture and identity and belonging are crucially important to the British-Jamaican experience.
-HIGHLIGHTS HOW CULTURE AND BELONGING ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN THE JAMAICAN-BRITISH EXPERIENCE
