Themes Flashcards
1
Q
What themes are present in the play?
A
- power
- death
- truth, reality and fantasy
- manipulation
- being seen/watched
2
Q
Where is the theme of power evident in the play, in relation to Ma and Pa Ubu, Niles and Brutus?
A
- all try to undermine the power of the TRC
- through manipulation of incriminating evidence
- Ubu has power as he manipulates the situation so Brutus is accused
- Ma Ubu uses the evidence to gain power through using it as leverage over Pa Ubu
3
Q
Where is the theme of power evident in the play, in relation to the police?
A
- police force granted Pa Ubu the power to assert his strength over the apartheid victims
- used methods such as letter bombs, tubing, exploding earphones etc.
4
Q
Where is the theme of death evident in the play?
A
- vulture symbolic of death
- Pa Ubu’s torture techniques resulted in death
- all puppet victims speak of death
- cartoons show multiple deaths as results of apartheid torture
- Niles hiding evidence of deaths which occurred
- Brutus causing deaths with Pa Ubu
5
Q
Where is the theme of truth evident in the play?
A
- Pa Ubu hides the truth by getting rid of the truth through planting it in Brutus
- Ma Ubu uses the truth to gain power
- Ubu Roi and Niles convince Pa Ubu to hide the truth
- Ma Ubu has to translate the truth
- victims tell their truths
6
Q
Where is the theme of reality evident in the play?
A
- real stories spoken by unreal puppets
- humans show clown-like antics which aren’t always real
- speak to animals which talk, dance, sing and speak to the audience
- Ma Ubu paints her face to disguise the reality/truth of her ethnicity
7
Q
Where is the theme of fantasy evident in the play?
A
- not sure what the shadow puppet could be, perhaps Pa Ubu’s imagination
- fantasy characters
- talking animals
8
Q
What is the theme of fantasy symbolic of?
A
- the TRC was not based on real truths as people cheated the system
- shows that apartheid was so dehumanising and unbelievable
- that people don’t know what is truth
- or can’t believe what happened
- as if it were just a story
9
Q
Where is the theme of manipulation evident in the play?
A
- Pa Ubu manipulates evidence so that he is not found out
- plants evidence in Brutus then kills him
- Ma Ubu manipulates the situation when she finds out the truth
- puppeteers manipulate the puppets, showing how the victims were used/manipulated to punish the perpetrators
10
Q
How is the theme of being seen evident in the play?
A
- victims gave their testimonies as they wanted to be seen and heard
- as they weren’t seen or heard during apartheid
11
Q
How is the theme of being watched evident in the play?
A
- victims were watched on television as the TRC was broadcasted worldwide
- puppeteers always focus on and intensely watch the puppets they manipulate
- security police (Pa Ubu) were always watching the communities during apartheid to see who was a “terrorist” so they could torture them
- TRC had special units who were searching for the truth
