Stolen – Analytical Essay
Nature of task: Analyse in writing how a selected text constructs meaning, conveys themes and how the play
writer uses stage crafting techniques to emphasise the importance of the play’s structure and its intended
messages.
Essay Topic
The long term consequences caused by removing Aboriginal children from their parents and community
are reflected through Jane Harrison’s play Stolen. Discuss how stage crafting techniques have been used
to create the play’s structure, convey significant themes and position the audience to understand the
intended messages.
800-1000 words
Suggested Structure:
Introduction (Four to Six sentences)
Opening sentence – generalization to introduce the topic
Provide sentence(s) about the play script (author, subject matter, date created, motivation to
write)
Another sentence about the form of this text (play script) and how stage techniques are used to
convey specific ideas.
Briefly summarise what this discussion will be focused on or explore.
1st main idea (10 to 15 sentences – one or two paragraphs)
How have stage crafting techniques been used to create the play’s structure?
Explain how it is structured. Why is it structured this way? What does it enable the audience to
understand? What specific scene is a good example of how past and present shift back and forth
to show how the events of childhood have affected the adult characters? What does the narrative
structure of this play provide for the audience?
2nd main idea (10 to 15 sentences – one to two paragraphs)
How has stage crafting (Visual symbolism and characterisation) been used to convey the play’s
main themes? What are the main themes reflected in this play? How do each of the main
characters represented significant themes? How do their behaviours and actions emphasise these
themes. How is the audience positioned in relation to these themes? Use examples from the play
to support what you are saying. How may the experience of these ideas differ to seeing a film or
reading a book?
3rd main idea (10 to 15 sentences – one or two paragraphs)
How would the experience of live theatre and the performance of this play have influenced the
audience? What do you believe is the intended messages conveyed through this play? Are these
messages hopeful or does the play work in a paradoxical way? Who is the intended audience and
for what purpose has this play been written? What emotions do you believe would have been
evoked in the audience? Provide an example from the play to support what you are claiming.
Would the intended message have been accepted in the same way for all audience members?
Explain your ideas.
Conclusion (Four to eight sentences)
Revisit the overall topic in an evaluative way. What does this play represent? Why is it
significant and meaningful? How have stage crafting techniques and a performance-based text
enabled the viewer to experience? What should the audience take from this experience?