DRAMA FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS : GULP & GASP - Literary Analysis

SYNOPSIS :

Lord Septic is determined to find the long lost gold owned by Lady Gatsby. Lady Gatsby was murdered. Lord Septic buys the railway line in the hope of finding the gold. Meanwhile, Rose who is blind comes to sell flowers to help her sick mother. Lord Septic instructs Crouch to get her out of the station. He takes her flowers and throws them onto the tracks. Percy. Who is a young orphan comes to her rescue but he is knocked down by Lord Septic. Lord Septic and Crouch then tie Rose to a railway track. She finds about Percy’s true identity and the gold. Percy is the heir to the Gatsby gold and is known as Sir Percy. Lord Septic loses everything.

PLOT :

EXPOSITION

Lord Septic, the villain, and his servant Crouch, a bully, are waiting for the midnight express at the train station. Lord Septic owns the train stations and he wants wealth and power.

RISING ACTION

Rose, a blind flower girl comes to the station. Crouch bullies her and Percy, the hero comes in to help her. He tells her about himself.

CLIMAX

Lord Septic hits Percy and ties Rose to the train track. Percy runs off to try and stop the train coming down the track.

FALLING ACTION

Percy stops the train and Rose is saved. Percy learns that he is Sir Percy Gatsby and heir to the Gatsby Gold.

RESOLUTION

Lord Septic and Crouch, the villains, are tied up and waiting to be picked up by the police. Percy, the hero, proposes Rose and she agrees to marry him.

SETTING :

This story is set in an empty train station in rural England. It was during a cold, foggy night.

CHARACTERS :

ROSE

-She is poor and humble. She lives in poverty and sells flowers for a living. The hardship that she is going through made her lead a simple, humble and homely life.
-She is also blind and innocent. Rose is blind due to the flames at the match factory owned by Lord Septic. She cares for her sick mother, so she sells flowers in order to pay for her mother’s medication and treatments.
- She is a devoted child who looks after her ailing mother although she is blind. She is also optimistic as she never gave up in her effort to earn money to treat her mother. She is also quick in finding out about Percy’s background and gives moral support to him to regain his family fortune.

PERCY

-He is an orphan. Percy’s mother was killed on the railway line and he became an orphan living in poverty and hardship. He was found in the litter bin at the railway station, wearing a purse containing a key bearing the initials, NSL. He went through a poor life without realizing that he is actually the rightful heir to Gatsby Gold. Although he is an orphan, he is a selfless and helpful. He helps Rose to pick up her flowers which is thrown by Crouch, and rescued Rose from being killed by Lord Septic when she is tied on the railway tracks by Crouch.
-Percy is generous. Although he is poor he is sympathetic towards Rose and really wishes he could give her some money when he first meets her at the railway station. When Percy came to know that he is rightfully the heir of Gatsby Gold, he willing to share his gold with Rose.
-Percy is quick in thinking. He managed to stop the train before it runs on Rose. He then he climbed up the gas lamp at the far end of the station and put his pants over the lamp. The train driver thought it was a stop light, so his pants brought the train to a halt.”

LORD SEPTIC

-He is portrayed as a cruel and greedy man. Lord Septic is a cruel owner of the match factory where Rose worked. . When she lost her eyesight due to the fire in the factory, he did not pay her for the damage. Besides that he treats Rose like a beggar and chases her form the railway station. Although he is rich, he want more and more wealth, he seeks more power and willing to kill for it. He wants to be the richest man and wants to find the Gatsby Gold.
-He is also hot tempered and egoistic. He grabs Rose by the wrist and demands Crouch to tie her up. He takes control of the situation and he said that no one ever tells him what to do. He can also be very violent. He creeps from the shadows and mercilessly hits Percy on his head with his stick. Then he slams Percy against the locker.

CROUCH

-He can be described as subservient. Crouch is a servant who is so devoted and submissive towards his master, Lord Septic. He gives too much respect to his master. He is dim-witted as he simply agrees with whatever his boss says and instructs.
-He is also a bully. He bullies Rose and throws away her tray of rose across the platform. He has no sense of humanity although he knows that Rose is poor and blind.

LANGUAGE AND STYLE :

The language used is simple and clear. However, the dialogues are full of exaggeration and there is always the repetition of words.

The drama being acted out in schools. Enjoy it! :)