Emily of Emerald Hill and sending off Old Vic
Believe me when i say that i appreciate English Literature. Afterall, i have been doing it since i was 13. To think of not majoring in it for the next 2 years seem like a sad goodbye to a good friend. I wouldn't be able to teach Eng Lit to the upper sec, but heck, i am still able to do so and impart the love of it to the lower sec students.
After this semester, i have come to appreciate Literature outside those by the 'Angmohs', namely Singapore and other South East Asian work. One of the work which tugged at my heartstring is 'Emily of Emerald Hill'.
It demands alot from the actress acting the entire monologue for about two hours. During that 2 hours, there is a need of pitch and volume variation and the actress certainly needs to know how to sing and remember 2 hours worth of lines. The actress must also be able to generate facial expressions that are realistic and natural which simulate interactions with other characters in the plot, but not present on the stage. Movement on stage is crucial as she needs to get the position, posture and angle right, while interacting with the audience, who differs one night from another. Truly, Margaret Chan has done all of those and she was able to provide the depth needed for Emily as she is able to better understand the character from a woman, mother, grandmother's point of view. There was so much which she contributes as she has to strike a balance: place herself too deeply in the character's shoes and be engulfed by emotions, thus forgetting her lines.
The director provided insights to the play which many of us could not see from our text appreciation and analysis from our professor. The role of a woman. The struggle to survive. The reasons for doing the things she has done and the result of those actions, all in the name of love. The post-show dialogue with the director has allowed us to see the little 'Emily' in us, as will as the 'Emily' found in the building of a nation.
Sending off the Old Vic was also emotional as much gratitude were expressed by the management to the staff. We saw the passion and love for Art in the people present. High culture demands from the people creating and the people appreciating. But it definitely becomes a dynamic process which builds upon itself and builds on the people involved. Certainly witnessed a play of epic proportion, created in my very homeland that has won appreciation not just in heartlanders, but 'angmohs' who appreciate high culture.
Now for my personal take on Art and Literature, In case you think that i worship Art and English Literature, i am appreciating what God has created. Our God is the Creator and the part in us that is like Him, certainly has the capacity to be inspired by Him and to create something beautiful. If anything, doing Literature all my life as made me see the need for God even more intensely than before. While writers, readers celebrate the ability of Man to create works which are contributing to the pursuit for perfection, and provide moral sense, it certainly also exposed the fallible nature of Man. I can only run to God, the Creator, the God who is perfect, the Alpha and Omega who has paid the price for my sins when nothing good can come out of me to save myself.