The Letterbox by Ann Marie Di Mambro

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The Letterboxby Ann Marie Di Mambro
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Today we will -

• See how the themes and issues in The Letterbox
  are explored by the writers craft.
• Revisit how to use a PEE table to gather
  information for critical essay notes.
• Utilise information within a PEE table to develop
  a critical essay.
• Use listing or mindmap techniques for gathering
  relevant information for your essay (order).
• Suggest topic sentences for the essay.

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Genre play

• The Letterbox is a short monologue.

Themes Domestic Violence Female Solidarity
Child Abuse Denial Society Turning a Blind Eye
Society as Judgemental
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The Letterbox

• Significance of the title
• It gives nothing away about the content of the
  play
• This reflects the efforts of the main protagonist
  to give nothing away to society about her
  situation.
• A letterbox connects us to the wider world
  through mail. We cannot see the sender. Martha
  is sending verbal messages to Wendy loaded with
  significance about the complexities of adult
  relations which the little girl does not fully
  comprehend. She cannot see the whole picture.
• In a letter you might have to read between the
  lines. In Marthas spoken words you have read
  between the lines because she is not being
  wholly honest and we have to guess at Wendys
  words.

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The Letterbox
Jack and Jill frame the monologue. This device
represents wider society and contrasts with
Marthas plight. Jack and Jill are happy,
carefree stereotypical lovers. However, the
nursery rhyme itself is quite violent, but the
violence is trivialised by the regular rhythm.
Violence in Marthas life is not trivial, it is
brutal, and her domestic reality does not conform
to societys expectation of the happy family.
She does, however, try to trivialise it for the
sake of her daughter.
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The Letterbox

• The husband is sleeping like a baby.
• Is he oblivious to the impact of his actions?
• Does he care?
• Does he think it is his right to treat his family
  like this?
• Does Martha think he has a right to treat her
  this way?
• Is the author saying that Martha is responsible
  for her own plight?
• What do you think?
• Do some background thinking to support your
  understanding of the text.

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The Letterbox

• A good piece of literature will require you to
  THINK
• to understand everything.
• Textual analysis is vital to producing a decent
  critical essay.
• Using a PEE table is one way of analysing texts.
  
• It can build familiarity with the text and help
  you to order your thoughts.
• Clear thoughts mean a logical line of argument
  in your essay.
• S U C C E S S

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The Letterbox

• Past Paper Question
• Choose a play in which one of the main concerns
  is injustice or cruelty or exploitation or
  betrayal.
• State the main concern and go on to show how
  the playwright deals with this concern in such a
  way as to involve your sympathies.
• Stating the main concern (the cruelty and
  injustice of domestic abuse) would be part of
  your introduction. Remember keep referring to
  throughout the essay not just at the end.

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The Letterbox

• Topic Sentences
• Open each paragraph with a key or topic sentence
• Develop the point made in the topic sentence (try
  to either use a quotation or make close reference
  to the text in each paragraph)
• Use a closing sentence that rounds off the
  paragraph and perhaps points the way to the next
  topic.

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Possible Topic sentences and paragraph endings.

• Our sympathies are immediately engaged when we
  realise that the young lovers have cruelly
  ignored Martha who is bleeding and in pain
• The range of emotions displayed, from stoical
  acceptance to straightforward tearfulness, keep
  the audience hooked and sympathetic to Marthas
  plight
• The elipses used to depict Wendys side of the
  conversation invites audience participation. We
  must create a voice for this character Being a
  child (and a child whose words we, the audience,
  are actively creating) trapped in a terrible
  situation evokes sympathy in the audience.

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RECAPPut up your hands!

• What are the Themes of The Letterbox?
• What is the significance of the title?
• Is it a dialogue or a monologue?
• How do the elipses engage the audience?
• Now give me a question to ask the class.