The Summer Song Essay Example for Free

The Summer Song Essay When youre are young, it feels like life will carry on forever, and youre very happy. Immortal is used to reveal the boys inflated egos, as they show off to each other and Linda. Price shell have to pay This is adding to the idea of repaying debts, which is mentioned throughout the play, referring to different characters. It could also be a slight mention of Mrs Johnstone, Mickeys mother who gave birth to them both. She is still attached to both of them, even going so far as to give a locket with her picture to Edward, who is now Mrs Lyons son. What fate the later seasons bring, This is adding to the metaphor of the lambs in spring. It is hinting towards the inevitable fate of the slaughter house that lambs face, which the boys soon will. It is mentioned to worry the audience. The lyrics that fit into the foreshadowing category are: Young, free and innocent, This is to emphasise that the boys are still children. Chippy This tells us that Mickey is nearing the end of his life. In the Its just a game scene, Mickey is threatened by frying in chip shop fat, so this is a signal that the boys he will die soon. Last cigarette Cigarettes are associated with death. Last cigarette is a prisoners last luxury before theyre hanged. Its also an allusion to the biblical last supper. Ferry boat This is the idea that the three are being taken to the land of the dead on the River Styx. Broken bottles in the sand, Broken bottles in the sand are hidden, and when you accidentally stand on them they surprise you. This is referring to how unaware the children are of their futures. Oil in the water This brings ideas of pollution, and corruption and spreading fate. Oil and water dont mix, they will always separate. This is like Mickey and Edwards friendship. The use of we in the final paragraph reminds us that we are powerless, and it is the narrator letting us know that hes in the same situation as us, unable to let the characters know of their fate. We do not know whether he is being sarcastic, or would actually like to let them know. Predict no changes in the weather, This reminds us that this happy summer will come to an end. The song is made up of rhyming couplets, which make it sound childish, and adds a sense of finality, so after the last rhyme, you know its over. For young, free and innocent, theres one word for each child. It also makes them seem vulnerable. You know that the innocence will be lost after the song. dreams and fifteen. Have a jarring Para rhyme which interrupts quickly, like what will happen to their lives. The tune of the Summer Song is the first and the last song, Tell me its not true repeated in different themes. Our minds are taken back throughout the previous moments of the play and the first scene when we see Mrs Johnstone with the two dead boys. This connects the audience more to the characters, making it feel harder when the boys die. It suggests that this has happened before, and will happen again. After the first verse there is a pause in the music, to emphasise the narrators last words, The price shell have to pay for just being there. The audience dwells on the idea of the debt that Linda will have to repay, to make up for Mrs Johnstones debt. The line after the pause: But leave them alone, let them go and play, implies that summer is the peak of the year, when everything is at its best, and by the end of it everything is fully developed. It makes you think of leisure, fun, warmth and life. Unfortunately its fleeting, and is soon over, giving way to autumn when everything is wasting away, withering. Some of the lyrics could be portrayed as sarcastic. The song starts in Paradise, and then goes to a chip shop, then darkness, then a filthy beach. The environment seems to get worse and worse. It makes you wonder where they will be next. The first verse is played with a guitar and fairground music and the second is a sleazy saxophone, which clashes with what the narrator is telling us about them being innocent. The last verse is said in a wishful tone, which makes us regretful because we know that these innocent, promising children will soon be dead. At the start of the song, when the children rush on, it gives you an idea of their carefree nature. The narrator interacts with the children throughout the scene. When he is the rifle range man in the first verse, he offers the gun to the children, as if he is slyly hinting at their future. When Linda takes it and misses all three shots, we realise how they have changed, because when they were younger Linda was an excellent shot. The narrator throws them a coconut, and they begin a game of piggy-in-the-middle and Linda gets caught in the middle, at which point they freeze. This is when the narrator talks about the girl in the middle of the pair, the price shell pay just for being there. It emphasises and foreshadows that she will have to choose between the two. The theme of debt shows through here, with the debt transferring to Linda. In the next verse we see them lighting a cigarette, leaning on the lamppost, and suiting their actions to the words. It has a much more grown up feel than the previous verse. In the fourth verse they are at the beach, taking pictures, the first of the two boys, the second of Edward and Linda and the third of Mickey and Linda. Edward and Lindas seem much more genuine and well matched. Then the narrator takes a picture of the three. This makes the audience wish that the children knew of their futures and it makes the picture look empty, and meaningless. When the three exit he says, and only if the three of them could stay like that forever, As if the picture he took could have been more than just a snapshot. It makes you wish time could have stopped. The music of the song is matched to the actions and words. The narrator is always hovering in the background, waiting for a chance to become part of the scene. He is a constant presence throughout so the audience are never relaxed. They are always waiting for him to introduce another twist in the story. Before the Summer Song, he is quite far away, usually in a corner. During it though, he is allowed to come closer to them, and his threats become much more dangerous. The devils got your number hes staring through your window changes to Hes screaming right inside you. The proximity of the narrator to the characters affects the tension of the scene. The overall message of the play is that the inequality of classes is very bad thing, which is enforced as we watch the brothers grow from babies to men, and watch them die. We become attached to them, and regret their death, almost as if its our own fault. The song is when they make the transition from boys to men, and when they become their own people and their true feelings begin to show. Mickey represents the lower class, and Edward the higher. Linda is temptation and the narrator is fate. We see the lower class and the upper class tear each other apart. The second act is darker, as the dream world of child hood, which is reflected in the first half of the summer song, becomes the cold harsh reality of the 80s. I think that the message that Russell wanted to imprint upon the audience is: class is a cruel thing, tearing family and friends apart. The play made me feel sad, and shocked by how Mickey was driven mad enough to shoot his own brother.