English A2(SL) ‘Stolen’ Character Sketch: Anne
Stolen Presentation—Anne
Adult Flashes
“Anne: My home’s got lace curtains --- and I’ve got a room of my own.” P1 --- material comfort
The Chosen P6-7
Stage direction: “Anne’s white parents are represented by shadows falling on to a Venetian blind or a white sheet.” P6 --- The distance between Anne and her adoptive parents Anne’s life in the children’s home Her life with her white parents. --- The example of Harrison’s flexibility with time “Father: We didn’t have you, Princess, we chosen you.” P7 ---The relationship between Anne and her white parents “Father: We’ll give her the best of everything.” P7 ---They have the best intentions but fail to realize that their assurances can’t be guaranteed. “They gave me a doll that had white hair … There’s new pajamas on the bed…Did you want more to eat?” P7 “I mustn’t have been in that children’s home long, cos I can’t remember it at all.” P7--- Her satisfaction with a comparatively affluent life.
Anne’s told she’s Aboriginal
Setting --Anne’s parents walk over and sit on her bedhead --Anne speaks directly to her white parents Key quotes: Father: We thought it was for the best. You know we love you like our own daughter. Mother: We love you and want the best for you --Reiterate their love, like the Australian government. Anne: ‘… And I want to know why you didn’t tell me about this before.’ --hurt by her parents --Anne’s shock was made worse by her parent’s justification.
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English A2(SL) ‘Stolen’ Character Sketch: Anne Mother: ‘The shame…’ --Racism of Anne’s adoptive parents Anne: (angrily) You should be ashamed… --directed at all Australian people who think this way Father: We’ve nothing to be ashamed of. We‘ve always acted in your best interests! Look what you’ve done to your mother! --Anger of all three expresses their insecurity and confusion ‘This is a nightmare!’ she exclaims --Developing conflicting loyalties
To tan or not to tan
Setting Soliloquy of Anne Contrast setting to ‘Anne’s told she’s Aboriginal’ …She falls back on the bed. Key quotes I’m black! [She laughs, pulling at her milky skin. Then she pulls a face.] --Criteria of adoption --Irony My mother’s dying and she wants to see me. My real mother. I just can’t do it, not right now… --Embarrassed by mother and Aboriginal identity --Government policy Every summer I try to get a suntan. I’ve got exams. I’m flat out. Maybe some other time. Maybe when I get back from my holiday from Surfers. [She gets dreamy] I’m going to just lie out there on the beach and go… --accepts the white Australian culture --thinks that she must tan her skin to show status
Am I black or white?
1. Anne explains the dilemma of being torn between her two families Imagine her family living away from the city “I thought they’d live in the country or the outbreak or something. You know – ‘at one with the land’.” … “I thought it would be different, somehow.” P.28 Reality is that their home is a crowded housing commission flat “But here they were in a Housing Commission, all crowded in.” P.28
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English A2(SL) ‘Stolen’ Character Sketch: Anne From the unrealistic imagination, it shows that Anne is innocent and does not really know the real situation of the aboriginals at that time. Her parents have played a significant role in hindering her know what is really happening. 2. Anne’s two families are projected in silhouette as they compete for her loyalty, claiming exclusive right to Anne. It is like Anne is being left behind curtains and not knowing what is real and what is not. White father and mother point out all the things that they have given her: home, education, a future. Then Anne runs to the opposite side of the stage to hear the pleas of her Aboriginal family who appeal to her sense of belonging and to solidarity. She ran back to where she began and her white family starts to threaten her that she is ‘breaking our hearts’ and ‘throw away everything we have taught you’. Putting all the blame on her. This pressure adds on to her confusion in identity and couldn’t make up her mind: whether she is black or white. “She turns away, holding her head as if in pain.” P.28 The black family starts to question Anne. And implies threats of rejection. The “voices are crowding in on her” and “laugh” give the audience a sense of confusion and uncomfortable feeling. Anne herself feels alone and disturbed by their attitudes. The last question shouted from both families: “Who do you think you are?” is in fact the question Anne is least likely able to answer.
Anne’s scene
It is the first time where Anne speaks up and addresses the audience directly. She is no longer silenced and bewildered by the clamor of voices from her two families though still quite uncertain about her own identity. Anne challenges the audience who wants a happy ending depending on their own racial background. She suggests that broader social expectations, from ‘blackfellas” as well as “whitefellas”, are also part of the dilemma for people who don’t fall right into simplistically defined categories. “What about me? What do I want? I don’t know. I don’t know where I belong anymore …” P. 34
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English A2(SL) ‘Stolen’ Character Sketch: Anne Knowing that she does not have to resolve all of her uncertainties in order to live her life, she chose to act pragmatically and decides to celebrate Mother’s Day: “It’s Mother’s Day and I;ve got to make tracks” P.34 Her choice of gift adds in a lot of humor into the scene: “I got my Mum (white mother) some milk chocolates.” … “And I got my mother (aboriginal mother) some dark chocolates.” The serious point Anne makes is expressed in the last sentence: “Either way, I love them both.” P.34 Suggesting that the difference between colors is not all that important. What matters is the love she has for both her mothers.
How have they changed?
Generally speaking, Anne went from content to confused, ambivalent and resilient. Right after she was adopted, she lived a materialized life with doll, laced curtains, etc. Her adoptive family was taking caring of her very well and she didn’t really know her background. But after she knows that she is aboriginal and that she was being taken away from her original family, she was confused about her identity. Not know where she belongs to, if she is a black or a white, wanting to know why her adoptive parents didn’t tell her about all this beforehand. She was also ambivalent about whether or not to stay in the adoptive family or return to where she belongs to. After she realized that only love matters while color is paltry, she becomes resilient and accepts her aboriginal background and at the same time her adoptive life.
How ‘Assimilation policy’ affects Anne?
Anne represents some of the most characteristically dislocating effects of the assimilation policy on Aboriginal people. Being adopted into a comfortable home with material possessions, eg: her own room, a home with lace curtains, a doll and new pajamas The terms “Mum” and “Dad” for her adoptive parents reveal her acceptance of her place in this family unit. Anne accepts the white Australian culture that surrounds her quite completely. --- believes her exams are crucially important --- thinks that she must tan her skin to show status --- Her assertion that she is going to “Surfers” Paradise is stated using the slang term for the
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English A2(SL) ‘Stolen’ Character Sketch: Anne holiday destination. ---Her familiarity with the location --- Planning to complete exam instead of visiting her Aboriginal mother shows the extent to which she has adopted the values and rituals of white Australian society.
What is Anne representing?
1. Aboriginal children who were fostered or adopted by white parents adopted into a comfortable home incapable of communicating directly and meaningfully with each other 2. Author Jane Harrison a descendant of the Muruwari people of New South Wales
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