GCELiterature in EnglishDrama Analysis2021

Read the following extract from a play and answer the questions that follow. OKONKWO: (rising from his seat, his voice trembling) I will not sit here and watch my name dragged through the mud like a common thief's! My father built this compound with his own hands. Every beam, every wall speaks of his sweat. And you dare come here with your papers and your laws to tell me I must leave? CLERK: (adjusting his spectacles nervously) I am only carrying out the orders of the District Commissioner, sir. The land has been acquired for the construction of the new government road. You will be compensated accordingly. OKONKWO: Compensated? With what? Money cannot buy the graves of my ancestors. Money cannot restore what my father planted with his blood! (He overturns the table. The clerk scrambles backwards in fear. Women wail offstage.) (a) What does the stage direction '(He overturns the table)' reveal about Okonkwo's state of mind at this point in the play? (3 marks) (b) Examine how the playwright uses contrast to highlight the conflict between tradition and colonial authority in this extract. (6 marks) (c) Comment on the dramatic significance of the sound effect 'Women wail offstage' and how it contributes to the overall mood of the scene. (4 marks)

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