Analysis of Churchill's 'Top Girls'

Top Girls Top Girls Notes: 1 idea = 1 paragraph 1st idea is usually the most obvious one Man’s world < world dominated by man Undervalued Underestimated Routine Bitter Trip [a] Quote [b] FINISHED RÉNOVATION la team🥰⇒ allez sur le deuxième onglet j’ai tout bien mis tt est beau 😍 IDK where to put that so it’s here: * Play is not supposed to be read but watched * See it as a play * women= [wimin] Method: Writing a Paragraph C.Churchill offers the spectators of Top Girls an unusual opening [c] It starts in medias res and none of the characters are formally introduced until later in the scene. Even though we are given names early in the act [d]the spectator is left confused about the identity of the characters, their relationship with each other and their role in the play. When the spectator realises that some of the characters in the scene are fictional [e]or in the past it adds to the confusion. A Woman in a Man’s World (video notes) Man-dominated world = manly man, patriarchy Being a woman in a man’s world: 1st time listening * women prime minister wouldn’t resist * invasion * victory for her tutored by someone * force of personality * great image of uk in the world (they could rival the US) * a lot of respect * wanted to help the USSR * thrived on conflict but drove her down at the end 2nd time listening * foreign policies * lack of foreign(“farm”) experience * Argentina invented the forkland * close friendship with the US president (Reagan) * rebelled against her * grew strong on conflict Notes from others: * fought for what she believed * “ To never give an inch” she would stand her ground * stubborn * determined * Cold war * great at diplomatic * strategic * clever * underestimated at first by fellow ministers and foreign country * woman of conviction * Opinionated = strong opinions * confident * strong * domineering * intimidating * browbeat = intimidate people * Only women (in a picture) * used one of her advisers Thatcher by Ms D * PM: 1979-1990 * right wing: Conservative p. (Tories) = Thatcher * Left wing: Labor p. * “Iron Lady” nickname given by a soviet journalist * 1970= a decade of crisis inBritain * GDP= PI ( gross domestic product) * 25 inflation * social tension reach their peak in winter “winter of discontent”1978-1979 * strike: trash collector * NHS: hospital * won the vote of the middle class * was a polarizing figure * wanted to impose her ideas * first woman to take over n°10 (= 1à,downing street place where the prime minister lives) * was NOT a feminist * her idéologie * Thatcherism * economic libéralisme * states do not interfere in the market * welfare state (etat providence)= social securities * Thatcher was NOT for the welfare state * stopped welfare state * anticommunism * believed that her ideas were the best opportunity to Britain to adapt to a fast-changing world * wanted to close mines and factories * wanted to develop a service * developed The City in London (Central Business district) * did not create the social tension but worsened it * policies= mesure * Social inequalities (rich vs. poor) increased * reinforced “The north South divide” * the minor’s strike (longest strike in Britain's history= 1984-1885) tensions reached its peak) * Even if she is hated she remains a model for politician * This is England * Billy Elliot * Raining Stones * The Iron Lady (not the best) Homework: “Pull the ladder of equal opportunity up behind her” “ Pulling the ladder behind you” means preventing others from beneficing the same privilege you did. By saying this, Jennie Murray is accusing Thatcher of having huge privileges and disregarding women who do not have the same . Jennie Murray highlights the fact that not everyone has a rich husband and help at home. Thatcher has a history of looking down on women and minimising their intellect. Instead of helping women’s cause she belittled them and embraced patriarchy. we, however, cannot say that she had no impact on women’s place in politics because, after her mandate/term, no one said that a woman couldn’t manage a country. Cold eyes= scrutinizing, determined Running a household budget= manipulative Frontpage: * Rust in peace * Iron lady= Margaret Thatcher * rest/rust * Pun = jeu de mots * Paronomasia is a type of pun * Epitaph * Iron gets rusty * Wishing her decay instead of peace * red=rust * Mocking her nickname * Sarcastic tone * Targeted against her * Mother in Front which is a big theme in the books * Two forms of feminism * Foreshadowing the theme of motherhood in political settings * But maybe also meant that she thrived on conflict and rusted in peace * Caryl CHURCHILL * Attended Oxford * Lived in Canada * Born 1938 * Downstairs * Feminist values/ issues * Political issues * Radio dramas * Collaboration w David hare and Max Stafford- Clarck * Won awards ( top girls) * Picture is good * Sources Writing an essay: * Not perfection * Just your best * Thoughts on a particular topic on a particular day * Deeper motivation than mark What makes a good essay: * Knowledge and understanding of the text, informed personal response * Analysis: well developed, alert to the possibilities of question [f] * Response to the litery qualities of the texts ( exp= top girls): it’s drama/ watched not seen * Skills in writing, demonstration and close reading [g] What is an analysis: * Breaking of topics/text selectively and systematically What is planning: * 20-25 min planning * Brainstorming * Plan * Write everything that comes to mind (might be forgotten later) * Write the obvious * Def of the words * To what extentdy= have to answer to the literal question * Write a thesis statement= answer (in a few words) the question (the one you are going to developpe) * Bullet point * Not expected to write everything Avoid * Context * Reformulating the question * List of literary techniques * Don’t ask question * No (I or We) * Don’t personify your essay (this essay will) * Not in first person * As if it was true * No contraction Introduction: * Engage directly in the opening sentence * No annonce de plan * Answer the question directly Main body part: * Topic sentence * Develop this point in more detail * Support each point with quote/example * Conclu sentence Avoid: * No sub paragraphs * No retelling the story * asking question * Use : I, we and One How - Quote: * Get them as close as you can * Make them work for you - Focused allusion: * Discuss a passage in the text or language in a poem : analyse their significance - quote if analysing language The literary dimension: * Go further * Close analysis * How does the question enable you to write about features of style, form Context only if it helps arguments Language: * Use present tense * Be direct and precise * Keep it clear * Use connection only if it helps Conclusion: * Repeating * Nothing new in the conclusion * Return the question * No big Avoid: * “In conclusion”= go straight to the point Essay on unified sisterhood (I got 12/20 💪) Unified sister hood brainstorm: * Family-like relationship * Community * Women supporting women * Common point * Same goal * Support * Commission * Sympathy and sorrow for the misfortune of other * Together * one/unity * FEMINISM-> 1980, political * Division-> patriarchy, intrasexual oppression, rivalry Practice: How far do you agree that the absence of men is the main limitation in Top Girls? Absence: Lack of, no, There is no men in top girls, but this doesn’t mean that they have no importance in the play, they have influence Why are they not here?= bcs Limitation: limits, barriere/ open, Limitation of what? Churchill opens up à feminist space in which women are able to recount their story * sisterhood * Marlene lets the other talk * No men so no fear of being judge * Alcohol open them up * Observe similarities due to partriatchy * All of these women are made to be guilty they all have this idea of patriarchy * Shared motherhood * Overlapping dialogue * Male dominated societies * Show that this pressure of patriarchy * “Oh why are we * Reflects all the sacrifices women have to do in a patriarchal * Marlene advise them and encourage them to go farther/to share Women in top girls create a space Away where they experience about male patriarchy Carly Churchill, in Top Girls, create a space were women can share freely their experiences about partriatchal society by removing men from the play. For example in Top girls act 1 Marlene encourages her guest to open up as wimin, mother, and victim of patriarchal society by asking questions and praising their achievements. Even though there are no male characters on stage they are still presence in the play. ABSENCE OF MEN Indirectly present bcs mentioned Source of Trauma Women’s pov only Women are more important than man Absent in the play (on stage) Absent from characters lives No confrontation men/women Contrast with society especially in the workplace Feminism play LIMITATION:the message doesn’t get across To limit(weakness) -> to allow, to help, to highlight, to enable Limited-> enabled, unlimited, free What Is My opinion: The absence of men in Top girls isn’t a limitation but rather an asset that makes the play stand out and highlights its message. [h][i] Main= others, maybe this is a limitation but not the main Act 1: * Settings= restaurants * characters: women from different eras = confusing * They are talking about their lives * Overlapping dialogues= confusing = the women don’t listen to each other * Different clothes * Way they drink is different * Cheerful/happy/festive * Celebrating Marlene’s promotion * Not domesting setting (kitchen) * Getting drunk (man thing to do) * Nijo: * Married the emperor of japan at fourteen * Raped by him * Loved him after * Emperor’s favorite (he had lot of women) * Father died/ fell out of favour * Became a nun and walked for 20 years * Had a lover who died ( priest ariake) * Had children : * First with his majesty= died * Second was Akebono’s at 17 (was in love with her since she was 13) took the baby she saw her when she was 3 * Third was ariake’s son * Fourth was Ariake’s but died before he was born What we learn about Marlene: * We learn that Marlene has a sister * She is a very busy woman who works a lot * She is not religious * She is a heavy drinker * She works at an employment agency. She is managing director * She is british * She embraces her femininity * She has a lot of energy * sensible= clever and rational * sensitive= feelings * Good guest * commiserate= “yeah it’s hard” “omg i’m so sorry” * Has come a long way * Working class background * To climb up the social ladder * Eating a rare steak is traditionally more associated with male behaviour * Doesn’t restrain herself from eating * Assertive * Efficiente * Strong * She doesn’t say much abt herself * She is a good listener * She asks many questions b her guest * Isabella inquire abt her sister is one of the few time anyone ask Marlene anything abt herself * Act as a stage director Patriarchy: words = * Men * Oppression * Power * Gender inequality * Misogyny * Double standard * Expectation * Tradition * Authority * Old school * Male * Society * Fatherhood * Systemic * To rule Patriarchy: patria= family archy= to rule patriarchy= ruling the family Domination over the family The rule of the father Place of the father in the play: * Their father’s saying dictate their life * Power of fathers over their daughters’ life * Irony sad for a second but move on quickly * Don’t realise that their fathers were sometimes wrong * Isabella * Tried to do what her father wanted but couldn’t * Her father was a clergyman and wanted her to be educated * But she preferred manual labour * Ironie suggest distance * Not honest with themself abt how sad they are * Serious subject * Bathos: anticlimax created form a high/serious subject to a low/trivial subject * Comic * Brings ridicule to what we were talking abt Observation: Patriarchy is introduced in the play through fatherhood, Marlene's guests suffered from the rule of the father[j]. Lady Nijo’s father controlled her life: [k]“Serve His Majesty, be respectful if you lose his favour enter holy order”[l][m]. The use of imperatives highlights the domination he has over her. The fact that utters these words as his last wishes/ just before dying makes it even more significant. Isabella tried to meet her father’s expectations: “ I tried to be a clergyman’s daughter” It raises questions of women's identity being dictated/imposed by the father. Isabella lost herself trying to become someone her father would be proud of. When she says “I forgot all my Latin”, it suggests detachment from her father’s authority it allows her to follow her own path and find her own voice to a certain extent. Motherhood[n]: * Nijo and Griselda= Children taken away from them * Nijo and Gret= child died * Joan and Isabella and Marlene= detached/abandonned motherhood * Joan and Nijo =forbidden pregnancies * Gret and Griselda= got to spend some time with their children * None of the characters stories involve their mothers * Isabella is childless * Gret and Joan both had their child murdered by men * complicated concept * no role model as mothers * Isabella nursed her little sister * Gender normative * desires considered masculine * Male dominated society denied them motherhood Topic sentence: Women have their motherhood taken away from them by men. * Compare and contrast Griselda and Lady Nijo Nijo and Griselda are similare in the way their children were taken away by men. Indeed, in Act1 page80 nijo[o] says “wrapped the baby in white and took it [p]away” in this scene Nijo explain in a very detached manner how she had to give away her baby and couldn’t raise it Nijo and Griselda are similare in the way their children were taken away by men, as a result they couldn’t experience motherhood in a positive way. Lady Nijo seems[q] emotionally detached from her babies when she tells the story “But odly enough I felt nothing from him” [r]. The use of the adverb “odly” suggests she recognises her lack of emotion as not normal: patriarchy has also denied her motherly love. Similarly to Lady Nijo Grisielda had her children removed from her by her cruel husband who wanted to test her love and obedience/loyalty. Griselda subordinates herself to the patriarchal society and internalises it as normal. She is[s] able to regain motherhood when she has shown that she is patient and loyal. Patriarchal societies use motherhood as a powerful tool to control women. Sisterhood: Marlene’s toast: act1-page77[t] In her toast, Marlene uses the pronoun “we”, this conveys an idea of community: Marlene uses the pronouns “we” and “our” during her toast, it suggest that her and her guest are one community that went through similar challenges in life. * Implies that she sees herself at the end of this long line of women who overcame difficulties and turned their life around. Dull Gret: [u][v] From a proverb: * She was seen as a foul * Negative vision of her * Stupid, angry, bad tempered women * Proverbs * Could go to hell and come back unscarred * Women are annoying, angry, troublemakers * Painting made to mock women as pathetic for being trouble maker * Caryl Chruchill changes the way we perceive her * She is strong From the play: * Unlike the other women she is uneducated * She represents a lower social class= peasant * Very quiet during the play * Tells her story at the end while everyone’s drunk * Tells her story in one shot/ monologue ulike Lady Nijo * Nobody’s listening * She can’t stop speaking * Leave tnem speechless * Awkward Last scene of act1: * Society forces women to put on a happy face * Probably more thing but I’m a slow writer : Act 2: scene 1 Settings of scene 1: * Isolated * Shabby * Messy * Dark * Dirty * Obscure * Neglected * Dull * Gloomy * cold/unwelcoming * Not friendly / not friendly Difference between set of act 1 and 2 * Welcoming - unwelcoming/cold * Joyfull /joyfull - lonely * Friendly - dull * Fancy - gloomy * Cozy -sinister/dark * Extravagant -negected * Colorfull -messy/ unkept * Prestigious -shabby * Luxurious Paragraph: By picturing a shabby, neglected and gloomy backyard, Caryl Churchill tries to convey the condition of living of the working class and the atmosphere of the rest of the play. CC wants to show the spectator that the characters are from the working class.CC conveys a gloomy and unwelcoming atmosphere through the stage direction in the beginning of Act 2. The shelter is described as being made out of “junk” which suggests that the place is neglected. It contrasts with the first act in a restaurant where they drink a lot of wine and eat expensive food. The brutal change of scene emphasises the feeling of the audience and shows the gap between the different social classes. CC establishes [w] the theme of class: their conflict, confrontation and inequalities as a central/key theme in the play Scene One: Identity through language * English mistake * Violence * “Don’t” instead of doesn’t * Vocab indicators of low social class= « innit » * Swear words= « thought shit » * Not-standard english * Childish/ simple * inappropriate ( not now but later) * Rude/uncouth[x] * violent/blunt * Not sophisticated The language in act2 scene 1 is informal, vulgar and grammatically incorrect. which conveys a lack of education The first scene of act two reflects the social class of the characters thought the language. Indeed, the language used by Angie is informal and uncouth such as “thought shit” The way A and K talk is an indicator of their social class. The phrase: “she don’t like you is grammatically incorrect which hint at the fact that they are from working class. The language/voice used by Page 100-108: * Angie seems mentally troubled * Joyce loves Angie but not fully * Angie hates Joyce * Kit is being influenced by Angie * Angie likes Kit but she’s violent and impulsive * Joyce respects Kit but doesn’t understand why Kit likes Angie * Kit Joyce/Angie: Mother/daughter Joyce is worried and cares about Angie. She is also annoyed at Angie’s behaviour Confrontational=> anger/frustration Angie has violent thoughts towards her mother. “Kill” her behaviour is childish as well as impulsive and violent. Childish as well (Immature behaviour) Joyce has an ambivalent Kit/Angie: friendship * Circular conv= no ses or purpose * Complicity * They likes each other * Argue but always reconcile * Dependence * Angie is bossy * Implied stage direction “I am sorry I hurt you” * antagonistic Joyce/Kit: * Lot of pauses (stage direction) awkward * Not a strong relationship * Kit might be influenced by Angie’s talk about her mother * Joyce is resentful * Joyce is worried abt Angie’s future/ sees herself in her daughters * Joyce fails to understand kit’s ambition because she did not have opportunities when she was young * Total lack of understanding * I’ll make a cup of tea= comfort zone/ something you say when you feel uncomfortable * Rain= change of scene/ glooming atmosphère * Very realistic * Reflect on social class Bullet point act2 scene1: * Angie and Kit are in a Shelter in Joyce's backyard. They are trying to make plans to watch a film. They argue. * Joyce calls the girls : but there is no response * Angie is telling stories to scare Kit * They are trying to impress each other talking about menstrual blood and first time sex * Joyce comes out again to try to get the girls back to no avail. She insults Angie * They argue about when the safest place is in case of a nuclear war * Angie tells kit that she wants to leave and kill her mother. She suspects that she is her aunt’s child * Joyce comes to the shelter and argues with Angie about cleaning her room before going to the cinema * Joyce and Kit are left alone and engage in an awkward conversation about Angie’s and Kit’s future. * Angie comes back wearing a dress. She picks a brick, it starts to rain. Angie stays out. Act 2: scene 2 Different setting between act 2 scene 1 and 2 * Emphasises contrast between Joyce's living condition and Marlene’s * Sense of dislocation ( go from one place to the other without coherence/ the spectator is not warned) 6 part of act 2 Scene 1: 1st part 108-114: Marlene’s co-workers: * Hurrying * Funny * Talkative/ Chatty * Confident * Stylish * Lively * Casual/ Informal * Cheerful/ Energetic * Supportive * Busy * Charismatic * Supportive * Ambitious 2nd part: 114-118: Jeanine: 20, a fiancee and no kids Job girls office for a job interview Jeanine: not very ambitious however she needs money, ot very confident, a little bit stressed,impressed, intimidated to be in the office with a Top girl Her plan is to get married that’s why she needs money Not career driven Young and inexperienced She embodies the mindset of some women in the 70’ and early 80’ Confused Disappointed Marlene: Confident she interrupts jeanine-> asserts her superiority Not very interested in jeanine as a person. She has internalised some patriarchal ideas about women in the workplace Advice= patronizing Askes a lot of question but doesn’t listen to the answer Not very caring/cold Busy Shows disregard Insulting Only cares for her reputation 3rd part: 118-121 Louise: * Needed a change of color, she is kinda depressed * After it will be too late for me to get a new job bcs I’m getting old * Using my experience i gathered at the previous company Louise (stage direction) Confident Ambition Bitter She is DONE Aware of her own abilities Aware of the “glass ceiling” Career driven She desperately wants to be recognise for her own worth Different from marlene Let her speak Gives her advice even to Louise Doesn’t care abt her life Assertive 4rth part: 121-128 Described two image[y]: * Marlene Answer the question as mrs Kidd: I am Rosemary Kidd, the wife of Howard Kidd, a mother of three and a Housewife. I am currently at my husband’s work, in the general office Before coming here I was at home taking care of my three children and my sick husband I want the newly appointed boss, to reconsider her promotion. Because my husband is making life difficult at home Making Marlene guilty for making their(the kidd family), appealing to marlene as a women- talking women to women I must overcome [z]marlene’s ambition 5th part: 128-132 Practicing the interview [aa] Shona is[ab] very young : * Top girls interview office * Now * Probably home or school * A job * I want money and getting away from my family * I want money now, I need to provide for myself * I would be disappointed[ac] * By lying about my age and my work experience and getting throught the interview * Nell and her interview, to foul them enough so that they believe me and maybe my own immatuirity The absent male in Top girl * 1980= majority of management jobs were occupied by man even fields that were mostly composed of female employees = medical and health * 2010= some fields are now femal dominated ( education, finance,..), now female manager are more numerous * Even if femal manager are numerous, it is still in jobs that involve caring for others which is a broad gender stereotypes and feminity Act 3: Mood: The setting: Cold kitchen, with woods cabinet, tiles floor, a little table with only 3 seats. A fridge with no pictures, no drawings(or only one or two) It’s little, suffocating, unwelcoming, barely any lights, no colors or only one like muddy violet. The walls have some cracks and traces of humidification. * tiny/small so Marlene and Joyce are physically close=> unease more awkward and uncomfortable * Small house-> living condition-> poor * A small dining table with 3 siple tools-> no dining room * Dirty * Women’s place * Emphasizes between Marlene and Joyce Marlene escaped the kitchen [ad] * Cracking paints The mood is awkward Joyce is not very talkative Family and politics Act 3 happens 1y earlier (This dress is prop signaling that act3 is a flashback/analepsis) * Marlenes arrive at Joyce and Angie house with many gifts that she gives to them in order to make up for her absence. * Mood is growing increasingly confrontational * Reminiscing about the past => creates an issue Family and politics are interlinked and are topics which create a lot of tension between the sisters. When Marlene says to Joyce: “still dadda’s little parrot” she confront her sister about the fact she didn’t emancipate from her social class. Marlene believe[s] in the individual which suggest that she rejects social determinism. Marlene blames Joyce for her lack of ambition when Joyce resents Marlene for escaping her social class. Politics is a topic which creates tension between Marlene and Joyce The mood is growing increasingly tense when they when they talk about family issues. Indeed, Joyce resents Marlene for abandoning their family and being selfish. The audience understand that Marlene has not visited her family in many years. When Joyce says “we can do without you” her tone is resentful. Marlene’s clumsy attempt at justifying herself: “I left home, so what, I left home. People do leave home./it is normal” shows the misunderstanding between the two sisters: either does not understand the damage she has caused or she prefers to ignore it because she prioritises her career. Marlene and Joyce’s opposite political opinion creates tension and hostility between them. “I suppose you would have liked Hitler if he was a woman” Joyce suggests that Marlene admires Margaret Thatcher only because she’s a women, overlooking her political message, which Joyce implicitely compares to nazism, suggesting that she considers Margaretd Tatcher as an evil toladitarian ruler ’s political point of view is immoral and betrays her social legacy. By comparing Hitler and Margaret Thatcher, Joyce not only accuses Marlene of being a fascist, but she also states her hatred for Thatcherisme Review article: In this article written by Mark Fisher for the Gardiuan published on the 9th of march 2023, the play Top Girls directed by Suba Das is reviewed. Indeed, in this nuanced review the journalist, states that the choice of direction (decor,...) is too focused on the esthetique of the eighties completely downplaying and disregarding the deep feminist message of the play. Mark Fisher thinks that the actresses are well portrayed and succeed in convening complex personalities. unique characteristics of the play, what makes it so special. Finally he praises the play’s structure and it’s political comment of the patriarchal society that women struggle in. Quote: Most important: “We’ve all come a long way. To our courage and the way our lives and our extraordinary achievements”(Marlene page 77)= dans le cour flemme de réécrire Motherhood: “But Ninjo, I wasn’t used to having a women’s body”(Joan p80)= Didn’t have the opportunity to experience motherhood as she was never close to women and was not supposed to be a woman” +[I don’t think I’d spoken with a woman since I was twelve] Sisterhood: “Have we all got dead lover?”( Joan p73)= all telling their stories and sharing traumatic experiences to have comfort (are able to do this bcs there are no men) “Good for you”(Marlene p78)= all listening to Joan’s love story= girlhood/cute/solidarity “They all stop laughing” (p82)= try all sympathies with Joan+ “Joan,how horrible”(Marlene)= same thing “Oh god, why are we all so miserable?”(Marlene p83)= they all suffered and are now sharing their story, they are supporting each other in a warm/ welcoming atmosphere Influence of men: “I belonged to him”(Nijo p65)= she doesn’t realise she was raped/ treated herself like an object “I still did what my father wanted”(Nijo p65) the quote speaks for itself tbh. “Griselda arrived unnoticed” (p83)= she is used to being ignored+ she hasn’t made great Women out of stereotypes: “I think a drink anyway”(Marlene)=> getting drunk is manly +“It was always the men who used to get drunk”(Nijo) p64. “I tried to do what my father wanted” (Isabella p65)=> At first she lived the life of a perfect clergyman’s daughter but she then realised that she couldn’t be who she was not “I repudiated strongly an suggestion in the press that I was other than feminine”(Isabella p72)= she broke the expectations of her gender even if society accused her not being “feminine”enough Women in their stereotypes (not sure for this): “Don’t you like getting dressed? I adored my clothes”(Nijo p71)= in the stereotype “women only like clothes”/ there is also quotes at the beginning where she doesn’t care abt being raped only that her clothes were ripped Low class: “Pig”(p66 Gret)= not educated Upper middle class: “Restaurant”= money Marlene: “I haven’t time for a holiday” p63= she is a busy woman/ work-alcoholic/doesn’t have time for anything else than her job “They didn’t have Latin at my school”(p66)= poor background “I don’t wear trousers in the office/ I could but I won’t”(p72)= Even if she has a “man’s job” she doesn’t deny her femininity/ could also be an act of protest saying “I don’t have to act like a man to do this job”. “Didn’t you think of getting rid of it?”(p79)= don’t really know but I felt like It was important/ maybe do a link with Angie and act3 Tbh idk: “When he died I was so grieved, I’ll have the chicken please”(p67 Isabella)= questioning influence of men/ weird/ change emotion quickly (lots of other quote like this in this passage but flemme) Revision: Marlene Ninjo Joan dull gret Griselda Isabella Joyce Angi Waitress Mc concubine Oppressed by father + emperor -> sees herself as a sinner even though she was abused pope Internalised gender roles so much that she forgot her own identity as a women and lost her femininity/ women hood = never felt like a women and didn’t get to experience motherhood she speaks a lot at the end, when no one listen to her Represent the true lower class and how lower class are not taken seriously Isolated Marlene does not wait for her to toast= indirectly criticised 🤖 au propre Top girls Contexte of The Play : Thatcher mandate: * She belongs to the Conservative Party (right wing) and was its head in the 1970s * Before she came in power-> decade of crisis as it was the end of the « 30 glorieuse » (most prosperous economic era of modern times), there was an economic slow down leading to the decrease of GDP and inflation=> social tension * She was elected in a context of division * Thatcherism can be linked to neoliberalism -> Economic liberalism (Anglo-saxon model of freedom of business/trades which involved less taxes for companies to ensure less constraint) this system is opposed to the « welfare estate » which help people and intervene in business=> context of the Cold War = anticommunism * She believed that the industry was in the past, she wanted changes and created « The City » in London * She divided the British society: * Winners: privates companies/ TNCs, higher classes, middle class (short term) * Victimes: increase of unemployment, geographical divisions and social inequalities * Resigned in 1990 because of tension in her party= her system (neoliberalism survived) « Pull the ladder of equal opportunity behind her » = prevent other from beneficing the same privilege and social climb she had Place of women at work: * Women started to enter the workplace but were still the victims of stereotypes * Often met the glass ceiling * 1980= majority of management jobs were occupied by man even fields that were mostly composed of female employees = medical and health * 2010= some fields are now female dominated ( education, finance,..), now female manager are more numerous * Even if female manager are numerous, it is still in jobs that involve caring for others which is a broad gender stereotypes and femininity * ⚠️Does not mean they were less women in the workplace, just that they struggled to obtain high paying jobs * To succeed in work life, the attitude is to give up on traditional roles (like Marlene, Nell and Win)-> How free are they? ⇒ Feminism is about giving women a choice The workplace in the 80’s was male dominated: even if fields with mostly female employees such as medical and health of education were mainly managed by men. It has improved since the 80’s. nowadays women are more likely to have managing roles in a company. Act 1: Setting * restaurant * Rich/ fancy/ Luxurious * Cheerful/ happy/ festive/ friendly/ welcoming * Not a domestic setting Characters: Nino: - Married to the emperor of Japan at fourteen-> raped her - pregnant but her child died - emperor’s favorite before her father died and she fell out of favour - had a child with a guy at 17, he took the child and raised it with another woman-> She saw her daughter once when she was three - fell in love with priest Ariake= had 2 children with him but he died before the second was born => was Oppressed by father + emperor -> sees herself as a sinner even though she was abused Dull Gret= from a proverb: * - negative vision of her * - stupid, angry, bad tempered women * - women are annoying, angry, troublemakers * used in a painting to mock women From the play: * Uneducated * Represent lower social class (peasant) * Quiet during the play until she tells her story * She tells her story in a big monologue (unlike Nijo) like she cannot stop talking * Nobody listen (they are pretty much all drunk at this stage) * She leaves them speechless * The whole thing is pretty awkward * Lost her children to demons => symbolises how lower class are not taken seriously + how isolated they are Pope Joan= * Internalised gender roles so much that she forgot her own identity as a woman and lost her femininity/ women hood * Didn’t know she was pregnant and was stoned to death after delivering her baby= never felt like a woman and didn’t get to experience motherhood Griselda= * Marlene does not wait for her to toast= indirectly criticised * She is obedient and submissive * Got her children taken away by her husband (a marquis) to test her loyalty * Power inequality between her and her husband Isabella= * Tried to listen to what her father told her to do but chose her happiness * Her father was a clergyman and wanted her to be educated but she preferred manual labour Waitress= * Ignored by the group * Does not hold any importance * Disregarded=> Dehumanises her Marlene (what we learn about her at the time)= * she is a busy woman who works a lot * She is managing director (high status) * Embraces her femininity (only wears dresses and skirts) * Heavy drinker * Commiserate with her guests, is a good listener, does not share a lot about herself * Working class background= climbed the social ladder * Has a behaviour associated to males= eats a raw steak and drink heavily * Act as a stage director Place of the father in Act 1: * Their father’s saying dictate their life * Power of fathers over their daughters’ life * Irony sad for a second but move on quickly= irony suggest distance not honest with themselves about how sad they are * Don’t realise that their fathers were sometimes wrong * Bathos: anticlimax created form a high/serious subject to a low/trivial subject Patriarchy is introduced in the play through fatherhood, Marlene's guests suffered from the rule of the father. Lady Nijo’s father controlled her life: “Serve His Majesty, be respectful if you lose his favour, enter holy order”. The use of imperatives highlights the domination he has over her. The fact that utters these words as his last wishes/ just before dying makes it even more significant. Isabella tried to meet her father’s expectations: “ I tried to be a clergyman’s daughter” It raises questions of women's identity being dictated/imposed by the father. Isabella lost herself trying to become someone her father would be proud of. When she says “I forgot all my Latin”, it suggests detachment from her father’s authority; it allows her to follow her own path and find her own voice to a certain extent. Motherhood in Act 1: We don’t hear about their mother but they all experienced motherhood in a different way * Nijo and Griselda= Children taken away from them * Nijo and Gret= child died * Joan and Isabella and Marlene= detached/abandoned motherhood * Joan and Nijo =forbidden pregnancies * Gret and Griselda= got to spend some time with their children * None of the characters stories involve their mothers * Isabella is childless * Gret and Joan both had their child murdered by men Training essay: Women have their motherhood taken away from them by men. * Compare and contrast Griselda and Lady Nijo Nijo and Griselda are similar in the way their children were taken away by men. Indeed, in Act1 page80 Nijo says “wrapped the baby in white and took it away” in this scene Nijo explains in a very detached manner how she had to give away her baby and couldn’t raise it. The « it » used to qualify the baby dehumanises him Nijo and Griselda are similar in the way their children were taken away by men, as a result they couldn’t experience motherhood in a positive way. Lady Nijo seems emotionally detached from her babies when she tells the story “But oddly enough I felt nothing from him” . The use of the adverb “oddly” suggests she recognises her lack of emotion as not normal: patriarchy has also denied her motherly love. Similarly to Lady Nijo Grisielda had her children removed from her by her cruel husband who wanted to test her love and obedience/loyalty. Griselda subordinates herself to the patriarchal society and internalises it as normal. She is able to regain motherhood when she has shown that she is patient and loyal. Patriarchal societies use motherhood as a powerful tool to control women. Lady Nijo rebelled against patriarchy (when she beats the mens)- we could say that because of this rebellious behavior she wasn't able to regain her children unlike Grieselda who was obedient and passive Sisterhood in Act1 : * Talk a lot -> Suggest they are listening to each other a little bit more * Lot of details * Talking about loss * Isabella lost Hennie and then her lover * Nijo lost The emperor’s favor * Joan lost Her femininity * “There was nothing in my life” * Cannot have it all= have to lose to gain MARLENE’S TOAST ⚠️ (act 1 page 77) In her toast, Marlene uses the pronoun “we”, this conveys an idea of community: Marlene uses the pronouns “we” and “our” during her toast; it suggests that she and her guest are one community that went through similar challenges in life. * Implies that she sees herself at the end of this long line of women who overcame difficulties and turned their life around. “We won’t wait” ⇒ Marlene only value and welcome women who are not holding her up Act 2: Setting Scene 1 : * Isolated * Shabby * Messy * Dark * Dirty * Obscure * Neglected * Dull * Gloomy * cold/unwelcoming * Not friendly / not friendly -> Very different from the setting of act 1 By picturing a shabby, neglected and gloomy backyard, Caryl Churchill tries to convey the condition of living of the working class and the atmosphere of the rest of the play. CC wants to show the spectator that the characters are from the working class.CC conveys a gloomy and unwelcoming atmosphere through the stage direction in the beginning of Act 2. The shelter is described as being made out of “junk” which suggests that the place is neglected. It contrasts with the first act in a restaurant where they drink a lot of wine and eat expensive food. The brutal change of scene emphasises the feeling of the audience and shows the gap between the different social classes. CC establishes the theme of class: their conflict, confrontation and inequalities as a central/key theme in the play Relationship between the Characters: Joyce/Angie: Mother/daughter * Joyce is worried and cares about Angie. She is also annoyed at Angie’s behaviour * Confrontational=> anger/frustration * Angie has violent thoughts towards her mother. “Kill” her behaviour is childish as well as impulsive and violent. Childish as well (Immature behaviour) * Joyce has an ambivalent Kit/Angie: friendship * Circular conv= no purpose * Complicity * They likes each other * Argue but always reconcile * Dependence * Angie is bossy * Implied stage direction “I am sorry I hurt you” * antagonistic Joyce/Kit: * Lot of pauses (stage direction) awkward * Not a strong relationship * Kit might be influenced by Angie’s talk about her mother * Joyce is resentful * Joyce is worried abt Angie’s future/ sees herself in her daughters * Joyce fails to understand kit’s ambition because she did not have opportunities when she was young * Total lack of understanding * I’ll make a cup of tea= comfort zone/ something you say when you feel uncomfortable Identity through language: * English mistake * Violence * “Don’t” instead of doesn’t * Vocab indicators of low social class= « innit » * Swear words= « thought shit » * Not-standard english * Childish/ simple * inappropriate ( not now but later) * Rude/uncouth * violent/blunt * Not sophisticated The language in act2 scene 1 is informal, vulgar and grammatically incorrect. This conveys a lack of education The first scene of act two reflects the social class of the characters through the language. Indeed, the language used by Angie is informal and uncouth such as “thought shit” The way A and K talk is an indicator of their social class. The phrase: “she don’t like you" is grammatically incorrect which hints at the fact that they are from the working class. Setting scene 2: Big office, probably in London Emphasises the constant between Joyce’s living condition and Marlene’s Marlene’s element, her « home » Characters: Jeanine: * 20, a fiancee and no kids * Job girls office for a job interview * not very ambitious however she needs money, ot very confident, a little bit stressed,impressed, intimidated to be in the office with a Top girl * Her plan is to get married that’s why she needs money * Not career driven * Young and inexperienced * She embodies the mindset of some women in the 70’ and early 80’ * Confused * Disappointed Marlene: * Confident * she interrupts jeanine-> asserts her superiority * Not very interested in jeanine as a person. * She has internalised some patriarchal ideas about women in the workplace * Advice= patronizing * Askes a lot of question but doesn’t listen to the answer * Not very caring/cold * Busy * Shows disregard * Insulting * Only cares for her reputation * (she eats meat and wine)-> Her choice of food and drink is often considered more male behaviour [ae] * « her behaviour in the first act (assertive, confident) her choice of food and wine emphasises her confident and economic power Marlene’s co-workers: * Hurrying * Funny * Talkative/ Chatty * Confident * Stylish * Lively * Casual/ Informal * Cheerful/ Energetic * Supportive * Busy * Charismatic * Supportive * Ambitious Louise: * Needed a change of color, she is kinda depressed * After it will be too late for me to get a new job bcs I’m getting old * Using my experience i gathered at the previous company Louise (stage direction) * Confident * Ambition * Bitter * She is DONE * Aware of her own abilities * Aware of the “glass ceiling” * Career driven * She desperately wants to be recognise for her own worth * Different from marlene * Let her speak * Gives her advice even to Louise * Doesn’t care abt her life * Assertive Mrs Kidd: * mother of three * Wants Marlene to reconsider her promotion bcs her husband is « making it difficult » at home due to him not getting the promotion * Trying to appeal to Marlene as a women -> talking woman to woman The absence of male in Act 2: * a change bcs male are usually in the workplace * No male in this scene even if we are in an office * Changes from the usual workplace of the 80s Act 3: The setting: Cold kitchen, with a wood cabinet, tiles floor, a little table with only 3 seats. A fridge with no pictures, no drawings(or only one or two) It’s little, suffocating, unwelcoming, barely any lights, no colors or only one like muddy violet. The walls have some cracks and traces of humidification. * tiny/small so Marlene and Joyce are physically close=> unease more awkward and uncomfortable * Small house-> living condition-> poor * A small dining table with 3 simple tools-> no dining room * Dirty * Women’s place * Emphasizes between Marlene and Joyce Marlene escaped the kitchen (domestic sphere and traditional setting of women) * Cracking paints * The mood is awkward * Joyce is not very talkative Family and politics in act 3: Family and politics are interlinked and are topics which create a lot of tension between the sisters. When Marlene says to Joyce: “still dadda’s little parrot” she confronts her sister about the fact she didn’t emancipate from her social class. Marlene believes in the individual which suggests that she rejects social determinism. Marlene blames Joyce for her lack of ambition when Joyce resents Marlene for escaping her social class. Politics is a topic which creates tension between Marlene and Joyce The mood is growing increasingly tense when they talk about family issues. Indeed, Joyce resents Marlene for abandoning their family and being selfish. The audience understands that Marlene has not visited her family in many years. When Joyce says “we can do without you” her tone is resentful. Marlene’s clumsy attempt at justifying herself: “I left home, so what, I left home. People do leave home./it is normal” shows the misunderstanding between the two sisters: either does not understand the damage she has caused or she prefers to ignore it because she prioritises her career. Marlene and Joyce’s opposite political opinion creates tension and hostility between them. “I suppose you would have liked Hitler if he was a woman” Joyce suggests that Marlene admires Margaret Thatcher only because she’s a women, overlooking her political message, which Joyce implicitly compares to nazism, suggesting that she considers Margaretd Thatcher as an evil totalitarian ruler ’s political point of view is immoral and betrays her social legacy. By comparing Hitler and Margaret Thatcher, Joyce not only accuses Marlene of being a fascist, but she also states her hatred for Thatcherism Women and success: (first pages of the book “Themes”) While the first minutes of the first scene, were Marlene is celebrating her promotion, seems to be in a world where women’s struggles for recognition in the workplace don’t exist, we soon realise that, much like in the real world, it is easier for mediocre men to have jobs than above average women. 1st instance: Win and Neil still see a man reaching high responsibility jobs after admitting he is “not overly bright” but they add that he will only succeed if “ his secretary can punctuate”-> the success of a man depends on a high skilled women who will certainly earn less than him. 2nd instance: when arguing with Mrs Kidd, Marlene receives harsh criticism. Indeed, Mrs Kidd deems her “not natural”, “one of those ballbreakers” and who will “ end up miserable and lonely” simply bcs Marlene does not back down and intends to keep her job and promotion. While Marlene remains calm for the beginning of the passage, she looses patience at the end saying “could you please piss off?” ⇒ satisfaction from the audience. Even if she is a victim, she greatly participates in these reducing interviews. During her interview with Jeanine, Marlene advises her to not tell her future employer that she is engaged, especially if the last girl “left to have a baby” ⇒ this highlights the fact that, for marlene, motherhood and success in career cannot coexist and that women should choose one of the two. This rejection of motherhood and traditional women values/expectation are also found within characters other than marlene. Indeed, Nell indicates that she has no intention of marrying as she is not interested in “play[ing] house”. Furthermore, Nell and Shona talk abt the fact that they are not considerate of others feeling deliberately as it might worry the employers that this womanly trait get in the way of their work. Win and Louise are also judgmental of women tendencies as Win abandoned an more altruistic carrier in the medical field bcs “ there’s no money in it”. And Louise attributes her success to her un-womanliness, her ability to “pass as a man at work”. ⇒ Churchill does not present alternate possibilities for women to have a good career and a good family life. Social and physical mobility: Mobility is a recurring theme of the play. Indeed, many characters dream of traveling, but there's also the notion of climbing the social ladder. If we focus on the physical aspect of mobility, we notice that the characters who traveled the most are those who have the higher social status. Shona dreams of « burn(ing) up in the M1 (…) in the fastest lane », but with Angie asking Marlene to take her the next time she « gets away » and drive across America, we understand that traveling is a symbolism of a wealthy lifestyle and high social status, it is why Jeanine hopes for a job where she will travel: because she too, wants a good lifestyle. Marlene physically and socially « gets away » from her family. « Out of their house, out of them, never let that happen to me (…) make my own way, out », by saying this, she describes how she physically left them when she went to pursue higher education and then to live in London. The movement she underwent also made her evolve socially, she was « raised » from her social status. Marlene’s extreme mobility contrasts with Joyce’s lack of it, as she stays in the same position, physically or socially, her whole life. She doesn’t leave her small town and doesn’t leave the social class in which she was born. Top girls makes us consider the different factors to grow socially. Indeed, one of the first factors depicted is education. Joyce is hesitant and wonders if Angie should have stayed in school, so when Kit reassures her by saying that Angie « didn’t like it » but Joyce fires back that « (she) I didn’t like it. And looks at me. if your face fits at school, it’s going to fit other places too ». Caryl Churchill institute success as a direct result of academic success and therefore, restrain those who do not have it from having fruitful careers. Indeed, in the play, those with successful careers always show signs of cleverness and qualification. But for the average woman, like Jeanine with « a few Os and As », future prospect are not as good. But it is even worse for people like Angie, with barely any education, who do not have the slightest hope of having a similar futur. The second factor for social growth is ambition. Indeed, in her book, caryl Churchill considers that to change and evolve socially, one must at first really want to. In the case of Joyce, this seems a bit limited, as she does not once express the desire to enter Marlene’s social class “one went away, not me. I’m right here where Iwas And Will be a few years yet I shouldn't wonder”, but on the contrary, seems to harbor a deep hatred towards the upper class. She grounds herself in the same beliefs that have been in her community and family for years, she is suspicious of those who are better off. In her case, it is the importance she holds to her family, as she takes care of Angie and her aging mother, and personal responsibility that act as a barrier to social mobility. This contrasts with the fact that Marlene didn’t hesitate to abandon her family duty and put her career first. Caryl Churchill invites us to question if Joyce would have been able, if she had more ambition and the possibility to give up her duties to someone else like Marlene had, to lead a successful and wealthy life. When Marlene tells her “ You’ve got what it takes.”, Joyce responds “I know I have”. Daughters in Top girls Daughters in Top girls are failed, by society and by their mother. In act 1, Nijo highlights the idea that girls are less valuable than boys. She asks “Was it a boy?” to Griselda when she recalls her story of her first child being taken away, when Griselda informs her that it was actually a girl, Nijo responds “Even so, it’s hard when they take it away”. Furthermore, when Griselda then tells that she gave birth to a boy, Nijo says “Ah a boy. So it all ended happily”. She clearly shows that she associates boys with happiness and the idea of fulfilling a duty whereas girls are almost an afterthought, something without importance or value “It was only a girl but I was sorry to lose it”. While we can interpret this as only a representation of old mentality, the modern world depicted in the play isn’t really better for girls of low social status. Indeed, Angie is abandoned both by her mother and society. Marlene does not hesitate to abandon her for better prospects, the last thing she says about Angie (chronologically) is “ She’s not going to make it”. Moreover, even her adoptive mother cannot help her and think that “She’d better get married” and “she’s not going to get a job when jobs are hard to get”, further locking her in her position. Sisters in Top girls Joyce and Hennie serve the same purpose in their sisters' lives. Indeed, they both fulfil the role expected from their gender, allowing their sisters to achieve their dream and be active in society. Hennie, by staying at home, gives meaning to Isabella's travel, representing home and familiarity Joyce allows Marlene to pursue her career in London by taking care of her daughter and their parents. Isabella feeling like “half of myself had gone” when Hennie dies further highlights the crucial sacrifices the sisters made. Quotes Most important: “We’ve all come a long way. To our courage and the way our lives and our extraordinary achievements”(Marlene page 77)= dans le cour flemme de réécrire Motherhood: “But Ninjo, I wasn’t used to having a women’s body”(Joan p80)= Didn’t have the opportunity to experience motherhood as she was never close to women and was not supposed to be a woman” +[I don’t think I’d spoken with a woman since I was twelve] Sisterhood: “Have we all got dead lover?”( Joan p73)= all telling their stories and sharing traumatic experiences to have comfort (are able to do this bcs there are no men) “Good for you”(Marlene p78)= all listening to Joan’s love story= girlhood/cute/solidarity “They all stop laughing” (p82)= try all sympathies with Joan + “Joan,how horrible”(Marlene)= same thing “Oh god, why are we all so miserable?”(Marlene p83)= they all suffered and are now sharing their story, they are supporting each other in a warm/ welcoming atmosphere Influence of men: “I belonged to him”(Nijo p65)= she doesn’t realise she was raped/ treated herself like an object “I still did what my father wanted”(Nijo p65) the quote speaks for itself tbh. “Griselda arrived unnoticed” (p83)= she is used to being ignored+ she hasn’t made great Women out of stereotypes: “I think a drink anyway”(Marlene)=> getting drunk is manly +“It was always the men who used to get drunk”(Nijo) p64. “I tried to do what my father wanted” (Isabella p65)=> At first she lived the life of a perfect clergyman’s daughter but she then realised that she couldn’t be who she was not “I repudiated strongly an suggestion in the press that I was other than feminine”(Isabella p72)= she broke the expectations of her gender even if society accused her not being “feminine”enough Women in their stereotypes (not sure for this): “Don’t you like getting dressed? I adored my clothes”(Nijo p71)= in the stereotype “women only like clothes”/ there is also quotes at the beginning where she doesn’t care abt being raped only that her clothes were ripped Low class: “Pig”(p66 Gret)= not educated Upper middle class: “Restaurant”= money Marlene: “I haven’t time for a holiday” p63= she is a busy woman/ work-alcoholic/doesn’t have time for anything else than her job “They didn’t have Latin at my school”(p66)= poor background “I don’t wear trousers in the office/ I could but I won’t”(p72)= Even if she has a “man’s job” she doesn’t deny her femininity/ could also be an act of protest saying “I don’t have to act like a man to do this job”. “Didn’t you think of getting rid of it?”(p79)= don’t really know but I felt like It was important/ maybe do a link with Angie and act3 Tbh idk: “When he died I was so grieved, I’ll have the chicken please”(p67 Isabella)= questioning influence of men/ weird/ change emotion quickly (lots of other quote like this in this passage but flemme) Absence of men-> The world of theater is historically a very masculine world especially in Britain where women were not allowed to be on stage until the end of the 17th century. Even in the 2oth century the theatre is still a male dominated environment. As a female playwright Churchill is challenging traditional roles in a play by only casting women. This opens up a space for women to express themselves. Moreover the fact that the play was designed for one actress to play at least two roles allows the artists to explore different roles of women in society. She highlights the fact that women have been cast in many different roles across time and places and that they constantly have to adapt to what is expected from them. -> not only plat/ character based -> showing awareness of the play as drama -> Showing knowledge of the context [a]agent comptable lycée camille pissarro [b]have to be short(no more than a line" contextualise write quotes( meaningful, strategic,...) [c]Topic sentence [d]need a quote [e]"Gret who was painted by Brueghel" (page 84, Marlene) Marlene introduces the guest to Griselda however it is impossible to invite a painted figure irl. [f]question= opportunity, not threat don't be passive and obedient (don't expect that on the 1st essay) [g]don't do long phrases, if you are blocked garde une phrase simple then make it complicated later [h]works as a thesis statements (the teacher said so :) ) [i]she wants me to be more precise (tell what th emessage is) [j]Topic sentence= always at the start of a paragraph [k]when stuck keep it simple [l]quote kept to the minimum, always explain them later [m]ALWAYS ANALYSE [n]We don't hear about the character's mother, but they've all experienced what it's like to be a mother/maternity in different ways [o]or a focused allusion: explaining something in the scene/ story (no need to quote) [p]dehumanizes him [q]always present tense [r]don't have to situate the quote( maybe just the act) [s]NO CONTRACTION [t]Turning point of the play: mood shift from cheerful to dull until page 83 when Marlene says: "oh god, why are we so miserable" [u]Name meaning: Griete⇒name given to a bad-tempered woman. Dulle⇒ mad/ foolish/ stupid [v]She represents the working class [w]good word [x]means rude [y]we just walked around in different way it was SOOOO awkward I want to die [z]getting over a difficulty [aa]I just played Mrs kidd: I killed it bro [ab]homework: do the thing for janine [ac]i hate writing in 1rst person it's so annoying [ad]symbolizes the domestic sphere [ae]Maladroit mais il faut avoid « she eats steaks=> acts like a man 🤓 »

Top Girls
Top Girls

Notes: 
1 idea = 1 paragraph 
1st idea is usually the most obvious one 
Man’s world < world dominated by man
Undervalued 
Underestimated 
Routine 
Bitter
Trip [a]
Quote [b]
FINISHED RÉNOVATION la team🥰⇒ allez sur le deuxième onglet j’ai tout bien mis tt est beau 😍

IDK where to put that so it’s here: 
* Play is not supposed to be read but watched 
* See it as a play 
* women= [wimin]

Method: 
Writing a Paragraph

C.Churchill offers the spectators of Top Girls an unusual opening [c]
It starts in medias res and none of the characters are formally introduced until later in the scene. Even though we are given names early in the act [d]the spectator is left confused about the identity of the characters, their relationship with each other and their role in the play.  When the spectator realises that some of the characters in the scene are fictional [e]or in the past it adds to the confusion.

A Woman in a Man’s World (video notes)
Man-dominated world = manly man, patriarchy 
Being a woman in a man’s world:

1st time listening 
* women prime minister wouldn’t resist 
* invasion
* victory for her 
tutored by someone  
* force of personality 
* great image of uk in the world (they could rival the US) 
* a lot of respect 
* wanted to help the USSR
* thrived on conflict but drove her down at the end 
2nd time listening 
* foreign policies 
* lack of foreign(“farm”) experience 
* Argentina invented the forkland 
* close friendship with the US president (Reagan) 
* rebelled against her 
* grew strong on conflict

Notes from others:
* fought for what she believed 
* “ To never give an inch” she would stand her ground 
* stubborn 
* determined 
* Cold war 
* great at diplomatic 
* strategic 
* clever 
* underestimated at first by fellow ministers and foreign country 
* woman of conviction 
* Opinionated = strong opinions 
* confident
* strong 
* domineering 
* intimidating 
* browbeat = intimidate people 
* Only women (in a picture) 
* used one of her advisers

Thatcher by  Ms D 
*  PM: 1979-1990
* right wing: Conservative p. (Tories)  = Thatcher 
* Left wing: Labor p. 
* “Iron Lady” nickname given by a soviet journalist 
* 1970= a decade of crisis inBritain 
* GDP= PI ( gross domestic product) 
* 25 inflation 
* social tension reach their peak in winter “winter of discontent”1978-1979
* strike: trash collector
* NHS: hospital
* won the vote of the middle class 
* was a polarizing figure
* wanted to impose her ideas 
* first woman to take over n°10 (= 1à,downing street place where the prime minister lives)
* was NOT a feminist 
* her idéologie
   * Thatcherism
   * economic libéralisme 
   *  states do not interfere in the market 
   * welfare state (etat providence)= social securities 
   * Thatcher was NOT for the welfare state 
   * stopped welfare state 
   * anticommunism 
   * believed that her ideas were the best opportunity to Britain to adapt to a fast-changing world 
   * wanted to close mines and factories 
   * wanted to develop a service 
   * developed The City in London (Central Business district) 
   * did not create the social tension but worsened it 
   * policies= mesure 
   * Social inequalities (rich vs. poor) increased 
   * reinforced “The north South divide” 
   * the minor’s strike (longest strike in Britain's history= 1984-1885) tensions reached its peak) 
   * Even if she is hated she remains a model for politician

* This is England 
   * Billy Elliot 
   * Raining Stones 
   * The Iron Lady (not the best)

Homework:
“Pull the ladder of equal opportunity up behind her” 
“ Pulling the ladder behind you” means preventing others from beneficing the same privilege you did. 
By saying this, Jennie Murray is accusing Thatcher of having huge privileges and disregarding women who do not have the same . Jennie Murray highlights the fact that not everyone has a rich husband and help at home. Thatcher has a history of looking down on women and minimising their intellect. Instead of helping women’s cause she belittled them and embraced patriarchy. 
we, however, cannot say that she had no impact on women’s place in politics because, after her mandate/term, no one said that a woman couldn’t manage a country.

Cold eyes= scrutinizing, determined
Running a household budget= manipulative

Frontpage: 
* Rust in peace 
* Iron lady= Margaret Thatcher 
* rest/rust 
* Pun = jeu de mots
* Paronomasia is a type of pun
* Epitaph 
* Iron gets rusty 
* Wishing her decay instead of peace 
* red=rust
* Mocking her nickname 
* Sarcastic tone 
* Targeted against her 
* Mother in Front which is a big theme in the books 
* Two forms of feminism 
* Foreshadowing the theme of motherhood in political settings
* But maybe also meant that she thrived on conflict and rusted in peace
* Caryl CHURCHILL
* Attended Oxford 
* Lived in Canada 
* Born 1938 
* Downstairs 
* Feminist values/ issues 
* Political issues 
* Radio dramas
* Collaboration w David hare and Max Stafford- Clarck 
* Won awards ( top girls)
* Picture is good 
* Sources 
Writing an essay:
* Not perfection 
* Just your best 
* Thoughts on a particular topic on a particular day
* Deeper motivation than mark
What makes a good essay:
* Knowledge and understanding of the text, informed personal response 
* Analysis: well developed, alert to the possibilities of question [f]
* Response to the litery qualities of the texts ( exp= top girls): it’s drama/ watched not seen 
* Skills in writing, demonstration and close reading [g]

What is an analysis:
* Breaking of topics/text selectively and systematically

What is planning:
* 20-25 min planning 
* Brainstorming 
* Plan 
* Write everything that comes to mind (might be forgotten later)
* Write the obvious 
* Def of the words 
* To what extentdy= have to answer to the literal question 
* Write a thesis statement= answer (in a few words) the question (the one you are going to developpe)
* Bullet point 
* Not expected to write everything 
Avoid 
* Context 
* Reformulating the question 
* List of literary techniques 
* Don’t ask question 
* No (I or We) 
* Don’t personify your essay (this essay will) 
* Not in first person 
* As if it was true 
* No contraction

Introduction: 
* Engage directly in the opening sentence 
* No annonce de plan 
* Answer the question directly

Main body part:
* Topic sentence
* Develop this point in more detail
* Support each point with quote/example 
* Conclu sentence 
Avoid:
* No sub paragraphs 
* No retelling the story 
*  asking question 
* Use : I, we and One 
How
- Quote: 
* Get them as close as you can 
* Make them work for you 
 - Focused allusion: 
* Discuss a passage in the text or language in a poem : analyse their significance 
- quote if analysing language

The literary dimension: 
* Go further 
* Close analysis 
* How does the question enable you to write about features of style, form 
Context only if it helps arguments
Language:
* Use present tense 
* Be direct and precise 
* Keep it clear 
* Use connection only if it helps 
Conclusion:
* Repeating 
* Nothing new in the conclusion 
* Return the question 
* No big 
Avoid: 
* “In conclusion”= go straight to the point 
Essay on unified sisterhood (I got 12/20 💪) 
Unified sister hood brainstorm: 
* Family-like relationship
* Community
* Women supporting women 
* Common point
* Same goal 
* Support 
* Commission 
* Sympathy  and sorrow for the misfortune of other 
* Together
* one/unity 
* FEMINISM-> 1980, political
* Division-> patriarchy, intrasexual oppression, rivalry 
Practice: 
How far do you agree that the absence of men is the main limitation in Top Girls? 
Absence: Lack of, no, 
There is no men in top girls, but this doesn’t mean that they have no importance in the play, they have influence
Why are they not here?= bcs 
Limitation: limits, barriere/ open,  
Limitation of what?

Churchill opens up à feminist space in which women are able to recount their story
* sisterhood 
* Marlene lets the other talk 
* No men so no fear of being judge 
* Alcohol open them up 
* Observe similarities due to partriatchy 
* All of these women are made to be guilty they all have this idea of patriarchy 
* Shared motherhood 
* Overlapping dialogue 
* Male dominated societies 
* Show that this pressure of patriarchy 
* “Oh why are we 
* Reflects all the sacrifices women have to do in a patriarchal 
* Marlene advise them and encourage them to go farther/to share 
Women in top girls create a space 
Away where they  experience about male patriarchy
Carly Churchill, in Top Girls, create a space were women can share freely their experiences about partriatchal society by removing men from the play. For example in Top girls act 1 Marlene encourages her guest to open up as wimin, mother, and victim of patriarchal society by asking questions and praising their achievements.

Even though there are no male characters on stage they are still presence in the play.
ABSENCE OF MEN
Indirectly present bcs mentioned
        Source of Trauma 
Women’s pov only 
Women are more important than man 
Absent in the play (on stage)
Absent from characters lives
No confrontation men/women 
Contrast with society especially in the workplace 
Feminism play 
LIMITATION:the message doesn’t get across 
To limit(weakness) -> to allow, to help, to highlight, to enable
Limited-> enabled, unlimited, free 
What Is My opinion: 
The absence of men in Top girls isn’t a limitation but rather an asset that makes the play stand out and highlights its message. [h][i]

Main= others, maybe this is a limitation but not the main

Act 1:
* Settings= restaurants 
* characters: women from different eras = confusing 
* They are talking about their lives 
* Overlapping dialogues= confusing 
= the women don’t listen to each other 
* Different clothes 
* Way they drink is different 
*  Cheerful/happy/festive
* Celebrating Marlene’s promotion 
* Not domesting setting  (kitchen)
* Getting drunk (man thing to do)

* Nijo: 
   * Married the emperor of japan at fourteen 
   * Raped by him
   * Loved him after 
   * Emperor’s favorite (he had lot of women) 
   * Father died/ fell out of favour 
   * Became a nun and walked for 20 years 
   * Had a lover who died ( priest ariake)
   * Had children :
      * First with his majesty= died
      * Second was Akebono’s at 17 (was in love with her since she was 13) took the baby she saw her when she was 3
      * Third was ariake’s son 
      * Fourth was Ariake’s but died before he was born

What we learn about Marlene:
* We learn that Marlene has a sister 
* She is a very busy woman who works a lot 
* She is not religious 
* She is a heavy drinker 
* She works at an employment agency. She is managing director 
* She is british 
* She embraces her femininity 
* She has a lot of energy 
* sensible= clever and rational 
* sensitive= feelings 
* Good guest 
* commiserate= “yeah it’s hard” “omg i’m so sorry” 
* Has come a long way 
* Working class background 
* To climb up the social ladder 
*   Eating a rare steak is traditionally more associated with male behaviour 
* Doesn’t restrain herself from eating 
* Assertive 
* Efficiente 
* Strong 
* She doesn’t say much abt herself 
* She is a good listener 
* She asks many questions b her guest 
* Isabella inquire abt her sister is one of the few time anyone ask Marlene anything abt herself 
* Act as a stage director

Patriarchy: 
words =
* Men 
* Oppression 
* Power 
* Gender inequality 
* Misogyny 
* Double standard 
* Expectation 
* Tradition
* Authority 
* Old school
* Male 
* Society
* Fatherhood
* Systemic 
* To rule

Patriarchy: 
patria= family
archy= to rule 
patriarchy= ruling the family 
Domination over the family 
The rule of the father

Place of the father in the play: 
* Their father’s saying dictate their life
* Power of fathers over their daughters’ life 
* Irony sad for a second but move on quickly 
* Don’t realise that their fathers were sometimes wrong 
* Isabella 
   *  Tried to do what her father wanted but couldn’t 
   * Her father was a clergyman and wanted her to be educated 
   * But she preferred manual labour 
   * Ironie suggest distance 
   * Not honest with  themself abt how sad they are 
   * Serious subject 
   * Bathos: anticlimax created form a high/serious subject to a low/trivial subject 
   * Comic
   * Brings ridicule to what we were talking abt

Observation: 
Patriarchy is introduced in the play through fatherhood, Marlene's guests suffered from the rule of the father[j]. Lady Nijo’s father controlled her life: [k]“Serve His Majesty, be respectful if you lose his favour enter holy order”[l][m]. The use of imperatives highlights the domination he has over her. The fact that utters these words as his last wishes/ just before dying makes it even more significant. Isabella tried to meet her father’s expectations: “ I tried to be a clergyman’s daughter” It raises questions of women's identity being dictated/imposed by the father. Isabella lost herself trying to become someone her father would be proud of. When she says “I forgot all my Latin”, it suggests detachment from her father’s authority it allows her to follow her own path and find her own voice to a certain extent.

Motherhood[n]:
* Nijo and Griselda= Children taken away from them 
* Nijo and Gret= child died 
* Joan and Isabella and Marlene= detached/abandonned motherhood
* Joan and Nijo =forbidden pregnancies
* Gret and Griselda= got to spend some time with their children 
* None of the characters stories involve their mothers
* Isabella is childless 
* Gret and Joan both had their child murdered by men

* complicated concept 
*  no role model as mothers 
* Isabella nursed her little sister
* Gender normative
*  desires considered masculine
* Male dominated society denied them motherhood 
Topic sentence:
  Women have their motherhood taken away from them by men. 
* Compare and contrast Griselda and Lady Nijo 
Nijo and Griselda are similare in the way their children were taken away by men. 
Indeed, in Act1 page80 nijo[o] says “wrapped the baby in white and took it [p]away” in this scene Nijo explain in a very detached manner how she had to give away her baby and couldn’t raise it

Nijo and Griselda are similare in the way their children were taken away by men, as a result they couldn’t experience motherhood in a positive way. Lady Nijo seems[q] emotionally detached from her babies when she tells the story “But odly enough I felt nothing from him” [r]. The use of the adverb “odly” suggests she recognises her lack of emotion as not normal: patriarchy has also denied her motherly love. Similarly to Lady Nijo Grisielda had her children removed from her by her cruel husband who wanted to test her love and obedience/loyalty. Griselda subordinates herself to the patriarchal society and internalises it as normal. She is[s] able to regain motherhood when she has shown that she is patient and loyal. Patriarchal societies use motherhood as a powerful tool to control women. 
Sisterhood:

Marlene’s toast: act1-page77[t]
In her toast, Marlene uses the pronoun “we”, this conveys an idea of community: 
Marlene uses the pronouns “we” and “our” during her toast, it suggest that her and her guest are one community that went through similar challenges in life. 
* Implies that she sees herself at the end of this long line of women who overcame difficulties and turned their life around.

Dull Gret: [u][v]
From a proverb: 
* She was seen as a foul 
* Negative vision of her 
* Stupid, angry, bad tempered women 
* Proverbs
   * Could go to hell and come back unscarred 
   * Women are annoying, angry, troublemakers 
* Painting made to mock women as pathetic for being trouble maker  
* Caryl Chruchill changes the way we perceive her 
* She is strong 
From the play: 
* Unlike the other women she is uneducated 
* She represents a lower social class= peasant 
* Very quiet during the play
* Tells her story at the end while everyone’s drunk 
* Tells her story in one shot/ monologue ulike Lady Nijo 
* Nobody’s listening 
* She can’t stop speaking 
* Leave tnem speechless 
* Awkward

Last scene of act1: 
* Society forces women to put on a happy face 
* Probably more thing but I’m a slow writer :

Act 2: scene 1
Settings of scene 1: 
* Isolated
* Shabby
* Messy
* Dark
* Dirty 
* Obscure
* Neglected 
* Dull
* Gloomy 
* cold/unwelcoming 
* Not friendly / not friendly

Difference between set of act 1 and 2 
* Welcoming                         - unwelcoming/cold
* Joyfull /joyfull                        - lonely 
* Friendly                         - dull 
* Fancy                                 - gloomy 
* Cozy                                 -sinister/dark 
* Extravagant                         -negected
* Colorfull                         -messy/ unkept 
* Prestigious                         -shabby 
* Luxurious 
                                        
Paragraph: 
By picturing a shabby, neglected and gloomy backyard, Caryl Churchill tries to convey the condition of living of the working class and the atmosphere of the rest of the play.

CC wants to show the spectator that the characters are from the working class.CC conveys a gloomy and unwelcoming atmosphere through the stage direction in the beginning of Act 2. The shelter is described as being made out of “junk” which suggests that the place is neglected. It contrasts with the first act in a restaurant where they drink a lot of wine and eat expensive food. The brutal change of scene emphasises the feeling of the audience and shows the gap between the different social classes. CC establishes [w] the theme of class: their conflict, confrontation and inequalities as a central/key theme in the play

Scene One: 
Identity through language
* English mistake 
* Violence 
* “Don’t” instead of doesn’t 
* Vocab indicators of low social class= « innit » 
* Swear words= « thought shit »
* Not-standard english 
* Childish/ simple 
* inappropriate ( not now but later) 
* Rude/uncouth[x]
* violent/blunt  
* Not sophisticated 
The language in act2 scene 1 is informal, vulgar and grammatically incorrect. 
 which conveys a lack of education 
The first scene of act two reflects the social class of the characters thought the language. Indeed, the language used by Angie is informal and uncouth such as “thought shit”
The way A and K talk is an indicator of their social class. The phrase: “she don’t like you is grammatically incorrect which hint at the fact that they are from working class. 
The language/voice used by 
Page 100-108: 
* Angie seems mentally troubled 
* Joyce loves Angie but not fully
* Angie hates Joyce 
* Kit is being influenced by Angie 
* Angie likes Kit but she’s violent and impulsive 
* Joyce respects Kit but doesn’t understand why Kit likes Angie 
* Kit 
Joyce/Angie: Mother/daughter 
Joyce is worried and cares about Angie. She is also annoyed at Angie’s behaviour 
Confrontational=> anger/frustration 
Angie has violent thoughts towards her mother. “Kill” her behaviour is childish as well as impulsive and violent. Childish as well (Immature behaviour) 
Joyce has an ambivalent

Kit/Angie: friendship 
* Circular conv= no ses or purpose 
* Complicity 
* They likes each other 
* Argue but always reconcile 
* Dependence 
* Angie is bossy 
* Implied stage direction “I am sorry I hurt you” 
* antagonistic
Joyce/Kit: 
* Lot of pauses (stage direction) awkward 
* Not a strong relationship 
* Kit might be influenced by Angie’s talk about her mother 
* Joyce is resentful
* Joyce is worried abt Angie’s future/ sees herself in her daughters 
* Joyce fails to understand kit’s ambition because she did not have opportunities when she was young 
* Total lack of understanding 
* I’ll make a cup of tea= comfort zone/ something you say when you feel uncomfortable

* Rain= change of scene/ glooming atmosphère 
* Very realistic 
* Reflect on social class 
Bullet point act2 scene1: 
* Angie and Kit are in a Shelter in Joyce's backyard. They are trying to make plans to watch a film. They argue. 
* Joyce calls the girls  : but there is no response 
* Angie is telling stories to scare Kit 
* They are trying to impress each other talking about menstrual blood and first time sex 
* Joyce comes out again to try to get the girls back to no avail. She insults Angie 
* They argue about when the safest place is in case of a nuclear war 
* Angie tells kit that she wants to leave and kill her mother. She suspects that she is her aunt’s child 
* Joyce comes to the shelter and argues with Angie about cleaning her room before going to the cinema 
* Joyce and Kit are left alone and engage in an awkward conversation about Angie’s and Kit’s future. 
* Angie comes back wearing a dress. She picks a brick, it starts to rain. Angie stays out.

Act 2: scene 2
Different setting between act 2 scene 1 and 2 
* Emphasises contrast between Joyce's living condition and Marlene’s 
* Sense of dislocation ( go from one place to the other without coherence/ the spectator is not warned) 
         
6 part of act 2 Scene 1: 
1st part 108-114: 
Marlene’s co-workers: 
* Hurrying 
* Funny 
* Talkative/ Chatty 
* Confident
* Stylish 
* Lively 
* Casual/ Informal
* Cheerful/ Energetic 
* Supportive 
* Busy 
* Charismatic 
* Supportive 
* Ambitious 
2nd part: 114-118: 
Jeanine: 
20, a fiancee and no kids
Job girls office for a job interview 
Jeanine: not very ambitious however she needs money, ot very confident, a little bit stressed,impressed, intimidated  to be in the office with a Top girl
Her plan is to get married that’s why she needs money
Not career driven 
Young and inexperienced 
She embodies the mindset of some women in the 70’ and early 80’
Confused 
Disappointed

Marlene: 
Confident
 she interrupts jeanine-> asserts her superiority
Not very interested in jeanine as a person. 
She has internalised some patriarchal ideas about women in the workplace 
Advice= patronizing 
Askes a lot of question but doesn’t listen to the answer 
Not very caring/cold 
Busy 
Shows disregard 
Insulting 
Only cares for her reputation

3rd part: 118-121
Louise: 
* Needed a change of color, she is kinda depressed 
* After it will be too late for me to get a new job bcs I’m getting old 
* Using my experience i gathered at the previous company 
Louise (stage direction)
Confident
Ambition 
Bitter 
She is DONE 
Aware of her own abilities 
Aware of the “glass ceiling” 
Career driven 
She desperately wants to be recognise for her own worth 
Different from marlene 
Let her speak 
Gives her advice even to Louise 
Doesn’t care abt her life 
Assertive

4rth part: 121-128
Described two image[y]: 
* Marlene 
Answer the question as mrs Kidd:
        I am Rosemary Kidd, the wife of Howard Kidd, a mother of three and a Housewife. 
        I am currently at my husband’s work, in the general office 
        Before coming here I was at home taking care of my three children and my sick husband 
I want the newly appointed boss, to reconsider her promotion. 
Because my husband is making life difficult at home 
Making Marlene guilty for making their(the kidd family), appealing to marlene as a women- talking women to women 
I must overcome [z]marlene’s ambition

5th part: 128-132

Practicing the interview [aa]
Shona is[ab] very young : 
* Top girls interview office 
* Now 
* Probably home or school 
* A job 
* I want money and getting away from my family  
* I want money now, I need to provide for myself
* I would be disappointed[ac]
* By lying about my age and my work experience and getting throught the interview 
* Nell and her interview, to foul them enough so that they believe me and maybe my own immatuirity
The absent male in Top girl
* 1980= majority of management jobs were occupied by man even fields that were mostly composed of female employees = medical and health 
* 2010= some fields are now femal dominated ( education, finance,..), now female manager are more numerous 
* Even if femal manager are numerous, it is still in jobs that involve caring for others which is a broad gender stereotypes and feminity

Act 3: 
Mood: 
The setting: 
Cold kitchen, with woods cabinet, tiles floor, a little table with only 3 seats. A fridge with no pictures, no drawings(or only one or two) 
It’s little, suffocating, unwelcoming, barely any lights, no colors or only one like muddy violet. The walls have some cracks and traces of humidification.
* tiny/small so Marlene and Joyce are physically close=> unease  more awkward and uncomfortable 
* Small house-> living condition-> poor
* A small dining table with 3 siple tools-> no dining room 
* Dirty 
* Women’s place 
* Emphasizes between Marlene and Joyce 
Marlene escaped the kitchen [ad]
* Cracking paints 
The mood is awkward 
Joyce is not very talkative

Family and politics 
Act 3 happens 1y earlier (This dress is prop signaling that act3 is a flashback/analepsis) 
   * Marlenes arrive at Joyce and Angie house with many gifts that she gives to them in order to make up for her absence. 
   * Mood is growing increasingly confrontational 
   * Reminiscing about the past => creates an  issue 
Family and politics are interlinked  and are topics which create a lot of tension between the sisters. When Marlene says to Joyce: “still dadda’s little parrot” she confront her sister about the fact she didn’t emancipate from her social class. Marlene believe[s] in the individual which suggest that she rejects social determinism. Marlene blames Joyce for her lack of ambition when Joyce resents Marlene for escaping her social class.

Politics is a topic which creates tension between Marlene and Joyce 
The mood is growing increasingly tense when they when they talk about family issues. 
Indeed, Joyce resents Marlene for abandoning their family and being selfish. The audience understand that Marlene has not visited her family in many years. When Joyce says “we can do without you” her tone is resentful. Marlene’s clumsy attempt at justifying herself: “I left home, so what, I left home. People do leave home./it is normal” shows the misunderstanding between the two sisters: either does not understand the damage she has caused or she prefers to ignore it because she prioritises her career.

Marlene and Joyce’s opposite political opinion creates tension and hostility between them. “I suppose you would have liked Hitler if he was a woman” Joyce suggests that Marlene admires Margaret Thatcher only because she’s a women, overlooking her political message, which Joyce implicitely compares to nazism, suggesting that she considers Margaretd Tatcher  as an evil toladitarian ruler 
’s political point of view is immoral and betrays her social legacy. By comparing Hitler and Margaret Thatcher, Joyce not only accuses Marlene of being a fascist, but she also states her hatred for Thatcherisme

Review article: 
In this article written by Mark Fisher for the Gardiuan published on the 9th of march 2023, the play Top Girls directed by Suba Das is reviewed. Indeed, in this nuanced review the journalist, states that the choice of direction (decor,...) is too focused on the esthetique of the eighties completely downplaying and disregarding the deep feminist message of the play. Mark Fisher thinks that the actresses are well portrayed and succeed in convening complex personalities.   unique characteristics of the play, what makes it so special. Finally he praises the play’s structure and it’s political comment of the patriarchal society that women struggle in. 
Quote: 
Most important: “We’ve all come a long way. To our courage and the way our lives and our extraordinary achievements”(Marlene page 77)= dans le cour flemme de réécrire 
Motherhood: 
“But Ninjo, I wasn’t used to having a women’s body”(Joan p80)= Didn’t have the opportunity to experience motherhood as she was never close to women and was not supposed to be a woman” +[I don’t think I’d spoken with a woman since I was twelve]                           
Sisterhood:
“Have we all got dead lover?”( Joan p73)= all telling their stories and sharing traumatic experiences to have comfort (are able to do this bcs there are no men)                           
     “Good for you”(Marlene p78)= all listening to Joan’s love story= girlhood/cute/solidarity             
   “They all stop laughing” (p82)= try all sympathies with Joan+ “Joan,how horrible”(Marlene)= same thing                 
    “Oh god, why are we all so miserable?”(Marlene p83)= they all suffered and are now sharing their story, they are supporting each other in a warm/ welcoming atmosphere 
Influence of men: 
“I belonged to him”(Nijo p65)= she doesn’t realise she was raped/ treated herself like an object   
  “I still did what my father wanted”(Nijo p65) the quote speaks for itself tbh.                                     
   “Griselda arrived unnoticed” (p83)= she is used to being ignored+ she hasn’t made great 
Women out of stereotypes:
“I think a drink anyway”(Marlene)=> getting drunk is manly +“It was always the men who used to get drunk”(Nijo) p64.     
      “I tried to do what my father wanted” (Isabella p65)=> At first she lived the life of a perfect clergyman’s daughter but she then  realised that she couldn’t be who she was not      
 “I repudiated strongly an suggestion in the press that I was other than feminine”(Isabella p72)= she broke the expectations of her gender even if society accused her not being “feminine”enough
Women in their stereotypes (not sure for this): 
“Don’t you like getting dressed? I adored my clothes”(Nijo p71)= in the stereotype “women only like clothes”/ there is also quotes at the beginning where she doesn’t care abt being raped only that her clothes were ripped 
Low class: 
“Pig”(p66 Gret)= not educated 
Upper middle class: 
“Restaurant”= money
Marlene:
“I haven’t time for a holiday” p63= she is a busy woman/ work-alcoholic/doesn’t have time for anything else than her job             
 “They didn’t have Latin at my school”(p66)= poor background           
 “I don’t wear trousers in the office/ I could but I won’t”(p72)= Even if she has a “man’s job” she doesn’t deny her femininity/ could also be an act of protest saying “I don’t have to act like a man to do this job”.                         
 “Didn’t you think of getting rid of it?”(p79)= don’t really know but I felt like It was important/ maybe do a link with Angie and act3
Tbh idk: 
“When he died I was so grieved, I’ll have the chicken please”(p67 Isabella)= questioning influence of men/ weird/ change emotion quickly (lots of other quote like this in this passage but flemme)

Revision:

Marlene 
	Ninjo
	Joan 
	dull gret
	Griselda 
	Isabella 
	Joyce 
	Angi
	Waitress
	Mc

concubine 
Oppressed by father + emperor
-> sees herself as a sinner even though she was abused 
	pope 
Internalised gender roles so much that she forgot her own identity as a women and lost her femininity/ women hood = never felt like a women and didn’t get to experience motherhood

she speaks a lot at the end, when no one listen to her 
Represent the true lower class and how lower class are not taken seriously
Isolated  
	Marlene does not wait for her to toast= indirectly criticised

🤖 au propre
Top girls 
Contexte of The Play : 
Thatcher mandate: 
   * She belongs to the Conservative Party (right wing) and was its head in the 1970s 
   * Before she came in power-> decade of crisis as it was the end of the « 30 glorieuse » (most prosperous economic era of modern times), there was an economic slow down leading to the decrease of GDP and inflation=> social tension 
   * She was elected in a context of division
   * Thatcherism can be linked to neoliberalism -> Economic liberalism (Anglo-saxon model of freedom of business/trades which involved less taxes for companies to ensure less constraint) this system is opposed to the « welfare estate » which help people and intervene in business=> context of the Cold War = anticommunism 
   * She believed that the industry was in the past, she wanted changes and created « The City » in London
   * She divided the British society: 
   * Winners: privates companies/ TNCs, higher classes, middle class (short term) 
   * Victimes: increase of unemployment, geographical divisions and social inequalities 
   * Resigned in 1990 because of tension in her party= her system (neoliberalism survived)  
«  Pull the ladder of equal opportunity behind her » = prevent other from beneficing the same privilege and social climb she had 
Place of women at work: 
   * Women started to enter the workplace but were still the victims of stereotypes 
   * Often met the glass ceiling 
   * 1980= majority of management jobs were occupied by man even fields that were mostly composed of female employees = medical and health 
   * 2010= some fields are now female dominated ( education, finance,..), now female manager are more numerous 
   * Even if female manager are numerous, it is still in jobs that involve caring for others which is a broad gender stereotypes and femininity
   * ⚠️Does not mean they were less women in the workplace, just that they struggled to obtain high paying jobs 
   * To succeed in work life, the attitude is to give up on traditional roles (like Marlene, Nell and Win)-> How free are they? ⇒ Feminism is about giving women a choice 
The workplace in the 80’s was male dominated: even if fields with mostly female employees such as medical and health of education were mainly managed by men. It has improved since the 80’s. nowadays women are more likely to have managing roles in a company. 
Act 1: 
Setting 
   * restaurant 
   * Rich/ fancy/ Luxurious 
   * Cheerful/ happy/ festive/ friendly/ welcoming  
   * Not a domestic setting 
Characters: 
        Nino: 
                - Married to the emperor of Japan at fourteen-> raped her 
                - pregnant but her child died 
                - emperor’s favorite before her father died and she fell out of favour 
                - had a child with a guy at 17, he took the child and raised it with another woman-> She saw her daughter once when she was three 
                - fell in love with priest Ariake= had 2 children with him but he died before the second was born 
                => was Oppressed by father + emperor
                        -> sees herself as a sinner even though she was abused 
        Dull Gret= 
 from a proverb: 
   * - negative vision of her 
   * - stupid, angry, bad tempered women 
   * - women are annoying, angry, troublemakers 
   * used in a painting to mock women 
From the play:
   * Uneducated 
   * Represent lower social class (peasant) 
   * Quiet during the play until she tells her story 
   * She tells her story in a big monologue (unlike Nijo) like she cannot stop talking 
   * Nobody listen (they are pretty much all drunk at this stage) 
   * She leaves them speechless 
   * The whole thing is pretty awkward 
   * Lost her children to demons
                => symbolises how lower class are not taken seriously +  how isolated they are 
        Pope Joan= 
   * Internalised gender roles so much that she forgot her own identity as a woman and lost her femininity/ women hood 
   * Didn’t know she was pregnant and was stoned to death after delivering her baby= never felt like a woman and didn’t get to experience motherhood  
        Griselda= 
   * Marlene does not wait for her to toast= indirectly criticised 
   * She is obedient and submissive 
   * Got her children taken away by her husband (a marquis) to test her loyalty 
   * Power inequality between her and her husband 
        Isabella= 
   * Tried to listen to what her father told her to do but chose her happiness 
   * Her father was a clergyman and wanted her to be educated but she preferred manual labour 
        Waitress= 
   * Ignored by the group 
   * Does not hold any importance 
   * Disregarded=> Dehumanises her 
        Marlene (what we learn about her at the time)= 
   * she is a busy woman who works a lot 
   * She is managing director (high status) 
   * Embraces her femininity (only wears dresses and skirts) 
   * Heavy drinker 
   * Commiserate with her guests, is a good listener, does not share a lot about herself 
   * Working class background= climbed the social ladder 
   * Has a behaviour associated to males= eats a raw steak and drink heavily 
   * Act as a stage director 
Place of the father in Act 1: 
   * Their father’s saying dictate their life
   * Power of fathers over their daughters’ life 
   * Irony sad for a second but move on quickly= irony suggest distance not honest with themselves about how sad they are 
   * Don’t realise that their fathers were sometimes wrong 
   * Bathos: anticlimax created form a high/serious subject to a low/trivial subject 
Patriarchy is introduced in the play through fatherhood, Marlene's guests suffered from the rule of the father. Lady Nijo’s father controlled her life: “Serve His Majesty, be respectful if you lose his favour, enter holy order”. The use of imperatives highlights the domination he has over her. The fact that utters these words as his last wishes/ just before dying makes it even more significant. Isabella tried to meet her father’s expectations: “ I tried to be a clergyman’s daughter” It raises questions of women's identity being dictated/imposed by the father. Isabella lost herself trying to become someone her father would be proud of. When she says “I forgot all my Latin”, it suggests detachment from her father’s authority; it allows her to follow her own path and find her own voice to a certain extent. 
Motherhood in Act 1: 
We don’t hear about their mother but they all experienced motherhood in a different way 
   * Nijo and Griselda= Children taken away from them 
   * Nijo and Gret= child died 
   * Joan and Isabella and Marlene= detached/abandoned motherhood
   * Joan and Nijo =forbidden pregnancies
   * Gret and Griselda= got to spend some time with their children 
   * None of the characters stories involve their mothers
   * Isabella is childless 
   * Gret and Joan both had their child murdered by men
Training essay: 
Women have their motherhood taken away from them by men. 
   * Compare and contrast Griselda and Lady Nijo 
Nijo and Griselda are similar in the way their children were taken away by men. 
Indeed, in Act1 page80 Nijo says “wrapped the baby in white and took it away” in this scene Nijo explains in a very detached manner how she had to give away her baby and couldn’t raise it. The « it » used to qualify the baby dehumanises him 
Nijo and Griselda are similar in the way their children were taken away by men, as a result they couldn’t experience motherhood in a positive way. Lady Nijo seems emotionally detached from her babies when she tells the story “But oddly enough I felt nothing from him” . The use of the adverb “oddly” suggests she recognises her lack of emotion as not normal: patriarchy has also denied her motherly love. Similarly to Lady Nijo Grisielda had her children removed from her by her cruel husband who wanted to test her love and obedience/loyalty. Griselda subordinates herself to the patriarchal society and internalises it as normal. She is able to regain motherhood when she has shown that she is patient and loyal. Patriarchal societies use motherhood as a powerful tool to control women. 
Lady Nijo rebelled against patriarchy (when she beats the mens)- we could say that because of this rebellious behavior she wasn't able to regain her children unlike Grieselda who was obedient and passive
Sisterhood in Act1 : 
   * Talk a lot -> Suggest they are listening to each other a little bit more 
   * Lot of details 
   * Talking about loss
   * Isabella lost Hennie and then her lover 
   * Nijo lost The emperor’s favor 
   * Joan lost  Her femininity 
   * “There was nothing in my life”
   * Cannot have it all= have to lose to gain 
MARLENE’S TOAST ⚠️ (act 1 page 77) 
In her toast, Marlene uses the pronoun “we”, this conveys an idea of community: 
Marlene uses the pronouns “we” and “our” during her toast; it suggests that she and her guest are one community that went through similar challenges in life. 
   * Implies that she sees herself at the end of this long line of women who overcame difficulties and turned their life around.
“We won’t wait”
⇒ Marlene only value and welcome women who are not holding her up
Act 2: 
Setting Scene 1 : 
   * Isolated
   * Shabby
   * Messy
   * Dark
   * Dirty 
   * Obscure
   * Neglected 
   * Dull
   * Gloomy 
   * cold/unwelcoming 
   * Not friendly / not friendly 
-> Very different from the setting of act 1 
By picturing a shabby, neglected and gloomy backyard, Caryl Churchill tries to convey the condition of living of the working class and the atmosphere of the rest of the play. 
CC wants to show the spectator that the characters are from the working class.CC conveys a gloomy and unwelcoming atmosphere through the stage direction in the beginning of Act 2. The shelter is described as being made out of “junk” which suggests that the place is neglected. It contrasts with the first act in a restaurant where they drink a lot of wine and eat expensive food. The brutal change of scene emphasises the feeling of the audience and shows the gap between the different social classes. CC establishes  the theme of class: their conflict, confrontation and inequalities as a central/key theme in the play
Relationship between the Characters:  
Joyce/Angie: Mother/daughter 
   * Joyce is worried and cares about Angie. She is also annoyed at Angie’s behaviour 
   * Confrontational=> anger/frustration 
   * Angie has violent thoughts towards her mother. “Kill” her behaviour is childish as well as impulsive and violent. Childish as well (Immature behaviour) 
   * Joyce has an ambivalent 
Kit/Angie: friendship 
   * Circular conv= no purpose 
   * Complicity 
   * They likes each other 
   * Argue but always reconcile 
   * Dependence 
   * Angie is bossy 
   * Implied stage direction “I am sorry I hurt you” 
   * antagonistic
Joyce/Kit: 
   * Lot of pauses (stage direction) awkward 
   * Not a strong relationship 
   * Kit might be influenced by Angie’s talk about her mother 
   * Joyce is resentful
   * Joyce is worried abt Angie’s future/ sees herself in her daughters 
   * Joyce fails to understand kit’s ambition because she did not have opportunities when she was young 
   * Total lack of understanding 
   * I’ll make a cup of tea= comfort zone/ something you say when you feel uncomfortable 
Identity through language: 
   * English mistake 
   * Violence 
   * “Don’t” instead of doesn’t 
   * Vocab indicators of low social class= « innit » 
   * Swear words= « thought shit »
   * Not-standard english 
   * Childish/ simple 
   * inappropriate ( not now but later) 
   * Rude/uncouth
   * violent/blunt  
   * Not sophisticated 
The language in act2 scene 1 is informal, vulgar and grammatically incorrect. This conveys a lack of education 
The first scene of act two reflects the social class of the characters through the language. Indeed, the language used by Angie is informal and uncouth such as “thought shit”
The way A and K talk is an indicator of their social class. The phrase: “she don’t like you" is grammatically incorrect which hints at the fact that they are from the working class. 
Setting scene 2: 
Big office, probably in London 
Emphasises the constant between Joyce’s living condition and Marlene’s 
Marlene’s element, her « home » 
Characters: 
Jeanine: 
   * 20, a fiancee and no kids
   * Job girls office for a job interview 
   * not very ambitious however she needs money, ot very confident, a little bit stressed,impressed, intimidated  to be in the office with a Top girl
   * Her plan is to get married that’s why she needs money
   * Not career driven 
   * Young and inexperienced 
   * She embodies the mindset of some women in the 70’ and early 80’
   * Confused 
   * Disappointed 
Marlene: 
   * Confident
   *  she interrupts jeanine-> asserts her superiority
   * Not very interested in jeanine as a person. 
   * She has internalised some patriarchal ideas about women in the workplace 
   * Advice= patronizing 
   * Askes a lot of question but doesn’t listen to the answer 
   * Not very caring/cold 
   * Busy 
   * Shows disregard 
   * Insulting 
   * Only cares for her reputation 
   * (she eats meat and wine)-> Her choice of food and drink is often considered more male behaviour  [ae]
   * « her behaviour in the first act (assertive, confident) her choice of food and wine emphasises her confident and economic power Marlene’s co-workers: 
   * Hurrying 
   * Funny 
   * Talkative/ Chatty 
   * Confident
   * Stylish 
   * Lively 
   * Casual/ Informal
   * Cheerful/ Energetic 
   * Supportive 
   * Busy 
   * Charismatic 
   * Supportive 
   * Ambitious 
Louise: 
   * Needed a change of color, she is kinda depressed 
   * After it will be too late for me to get a new job bcs I’m getting old 
   * Using my experience i gathered at the previous company 
Louise (stage direction)
   * Confident
   * Ambition 
   * Bitter 
   * She is DONE 
   * Aware of her own abilities 
   * Aware of the “glass ceiling” 
   * Career driven 
   * She desperately wants to be recognise for her own worth 
   * Different from marlene 
   * Let her speak 
   * Gives her advice even to Louise 
   * Doesn’t care abt her life 
   * Assertive
Mrs Kidd: 
   * mother of three
   * Wants Marlene to reconsider her promotion bcs her husband is « making it difficult » at home due to him not getting the promotion 
   * Trying to appeal to Marlene as a women -> talking woman to woman 
The absence of male in Act 2: 
   * a change bcs male are usually in the workplace 
   * No male in this scene even if we are in an office 
   * Changes from the usual workplace of the 80s 
Act 3: 
The setting: 
Cold kitchen, with a wood cabinet, tiles floor, a little table with only 3 seats. A fridge with no pictures, no drawings(or only one or two) 
It’s little, suffocating, unwelcoming, barely any lights, no colors or only one like muddy violet. The walls have some cracks and traces of humidification.
   * tiny/small so Marlene and Joyce are physically close=> unease  more awkward and uncomfortable 
   * Small house-> living condition-> poor
   * A small dining table with 3 simple tools-> no dining room 
   * Dirty 
   * Women’s place 
   * Emphasizes between Marlene and Joyce
Marlene escaped the kitchen (domestic sphere and traditional setting of women) 
   * Cracking paints 
   * The mood is awkward 
   * Joyce is not very talkative 
Family and politics in act 3: 
Family and politics are interlinked  and are topics which create a lot of tension between the sisters. When Marlene says to Joyce: “still dadda’s little parrot” she confronts her sister about the fact she didn’t emancipate from her social class. Marlene believes in the individual which suggests that she rejects social determinism. Marlene blames Joyce for her lack of ambition when Joyce resents Marlene for escaping her social class. 
Politics is a topic which creates tension between Marlene and Joyce 
The mood is growing increasingly tense when they talk about family issues. 
Indeed, Joyce resents Marlene for abandoning their family and being selfish. The audience understands that Marlene has not visited her family in many years. When Joyce says “we can do without you” her tone is resentful. Marlene’s clumsy attempt at justifying herself: “I left home, so what, I left home. People do leave home./it is normal” shows the misunderstanding between the two sisters: either does not understand the damage she has caused or she prefers to ignore it because she prioritises her career. 
Marlene and Joyce’s opposite political opinion creates tension and hostility between them. “I suppose you would have liked Hitler if he was a woman” Joyce suggests that Marlene admires Margaret Thatcher only because she’s a women, overlooking her political message, which Joyce implicitly compares to nazism, suggesting that she considers Margaretd Thatcher  as an evil totalitarian ruler 
’s political point of view is immoral and betrays her social legacy. By comparing Hitler and Margaret Thatcher, Joyce not only accuses Marlene of being a fascist, but she also states her hatred for Thatcherism

Women and success: (first pages of the book “Themes”) 
While the first minutes of the first scene, were Marlene is celebrating her promotion, seems to be in a world where women’s struggles for recognition in the workplace don’t exist, we soon realise that, much like in the real world, it is easier for mediocre men to have jobs than above average women. 
1st instance: Win and Neil still see a man reaching high responsibility jobs after admitting he is “not overly bright” but they add that he will only succeed if “ his secretary can punctuate”-> the success of a man depends on a high skilled women who will certainly earn less than him. 
2nd instance: when arguing with Mrs Kidd, Marlene receives harsh criticism. Indeed, Mrs Kidd deems her “not natural”, “one of those ballbreakers” and who will “ end up miserable and lonely” simply bcs Marlene does not back down and intends to keep her job and promotion. While Marlene remains calm for the beginning of the passage, she looses patience at the end saying “could you please piss off?” ⇒ satisfaction from the audience.

Even if she is a victim, she greatly participates in these reducing interviews. During her interview with Jeanine, Marlene advises her to not tell her future employer that she is engaged, especially if the last girl “left to have a baby” ⇒ this highlights the fact that, for marlene, motherhood and success in career cannot coexist and that women should choose one of the two. This rejection of motherhood and traditional women values/expectation are also found within characters other than marlene. Indeed, Nell indicates that she has no intention of marrying as she is not interested in “play[ing] house”. Furthermore, Nell and Shona talk abt the fact that they are not considerate of others feeling deliberately as it might worry the employers that this womanly trait get in the way of their work. Win and Louise are also judgmental of women tendencies as Win abandoned an more altruistic carrier in the medical field bcs “ there’s no money in it”. And Louise attributes her success to her un-womanliness, her ability to “pass as a man at work”. 
⇒ Churchill does not present alternate possibilities for women to have a good career and a good family life.

Social and physical mobility: 
Mobility is a recurring theme of the play. Indeed, many characters dream of traveling, but there's also the notion of climbing the social ladder. If we focus on the physical aspect of mobility, we notice that the characters who traveled the most are those who have the higher social status. Shona  dreams of « burn(ing) up in the M1 (…) in the fastest lane », but with Angie asking Marlene to take her the next time she « gets away » and drive across America, we understand that traveling is a symbolism of a wealthy lifestyle and high social status, it is why Jeanine hopes for a job where she will travel: because she too, wants a good lifestyle.

Marlene physically and socially « gets away » from her family. «  Out of their house, out of them, never let that happen to me (…) make my own way, out », by saying this, she describes how she physically left them when she went to pursue higher education and then to live in London. The movement she underwent also made her evolve socially, she was « raised » from her social status. 
Marlene’s extreme  mobility contrasts with Joyce’s lack of it, as she stays in the same position, physically or socially, her whole life. She doesn’t leave her small town and doesn’t leave the social class in which she was born.

Top girls makes us consider the different factors to grow socially. Indeed, one of the first factors depicted is education. Joyce is hesitant and wonders if Angie should have stayed in school, so when Kit reassures her by saying that Angie « didn’t like it » but Joyce fires back that «  (she) I didn’t like it. And looks at me. if your face fits at school, it’s going to fit other places too ». Caryl Churchill institute success as a direct result of academic success and therefore, restrain those who do not have it from having fruitful careers. Indeed, in the play, those with successful careers always show signs of cleverness and qualification. But for the average woman, like Jeanine with « a few Os and As », future prospect are not as good. But it is even worse for people like Angie, with barely any education, who do not have the slightest hope of having a similar futur. 
The second factor for social growth is ambition. Indeed, in her book, caryl Churchill considers that to change and evolve socially, one must at first really want to. In the case of Joyce, this seems a bit limited, as she does not once express the desire to enter Marlene’s social class “one went away, not me. I’m right here where Iwas And Will be a few years yet I shouldn't wonder”,  but on the contrary, seems to harbor a deep hatred towards the upper class. She grounds herself in the same beliefs that have been in her community and family for years, she is suspicious of those who are better off. In her case, it is the importance she holds to her family, as she takes care of Angie and her aging mother, and personal responsibility that act as a barrier to social mobility. This contrasts with the fact that Marlene didn’t hesitate to abandon her family duty and put her career first. Caryl Churchill invites us to question if Joyce would have been able, if she had more ambition and the possibility to give up her duties to someone else like Marlene had, to lead a successful and wealthy life. When Marlene tells her “ You’ve got what it takes.”, Joyce responds “I know I have”.

Daughters in Top girls
Daughters in Top girls are failed, by society and by their mother. 
In act 1, Nijo highlights the idea that girls are less valuable than boys. She asks “Was it a boy?” to Griselda when she recalls her story of her first child being taken away, when Griselda informs her that it was actually a girl, Nijo responds “Even so, it’s hard when they take it away”. Furthermore, when  Griselda then tells that she gave birth to a boy, Nijo says “Ah a boy. So it all ended happily”. She clearly shows that she associates boys with happiness and the idea of fulfilling a duty whereas girls are almost an afterthought, something without importance or value “It was only a girl but I was sorry to lose it”. While we can interpret this as only a representation of old mentality, the modern world depicted in the play isn’t really better for girls of low social status. 
Indeed, Angie is abandoned both by her mother and society. Marlene does not hesitate to abandon her for better prospects, the last thing she says about Angie (chronologically) is “ She’s not going to make it”. Moreover, even her adoptive mother cannot help her and think that “She’d better get married” and “she’s not going to get a job when jobs are hard to get”, further locking her in her position.

Sisters in Top girls 
Joyce and Hennie serve the same purpose in their sisters' lives. Indeed, they both fulfil the role expected from their gender, allowing their sisters to achieve their dream and be active in society. Hennie, by staying at home, gives meaning to Isabella's travel, representing home and familiarity Joyce allows Marlene to pursue her career in London by taking care of her daughter and their parents. Isabella feeling like “half of myself had gone” when Hennie dies further highlights the crucial sacrifices the sisters made.

Quotes 
Most important: “We’ve all come a long way. To our courage and the way our lives and our extraordinary achievements”(Marlene page 77)= dans le cour flemme de réécrire 
Motherhood: 
“But Ninjo, I wasn’t used to having a women’s body”(Joan p80)= Didn’t have the opportunity to experience motherhood as she was never close to women and was not supposed to be a woman” +[I don’t think I’d spoken with a woman since I was twelve]                           
Sisterhood:
“Have we all got dead lover?”( Joan p73)= all telling their stories and sharing traumatic experiences to have comfort (are able to do this bcs there are no men)                           
     “Good for you”(Marlene p78)= all listening to Joan’s love story= girlhood/cute/solidarity             
   “They all stop laughing” (p82)= try all sympathies with Joan + “Joan,how horrible”(Marlene)= same thing                 
    “Oh god, why are we all so miserable?”(Marlene p83)= they all suffered and are now sharing their story, they are supporting each other in a warm/ welcoming atmosphere 
Influence of men: 
“I belonged to him”(Nijo p65)= she doesn’t realise she was raped/ treated herself like an object   
  “I still did what my father wanted”(Nijo p65) the quote speaks for itself tbh.                                     
   “Griselda arrived unnoticed” (p83)= she is used to being ignored+ she hasn’t made great 
Women out of stereotypes:
“I think a drink anyway”(Marlene)=> getting drunk is manly +“It was always the men who used to get drunk”(Nijo) p64.     
      “I tried to do what my father wanted” (Isabella p65)=> At first she lived the life of a perfect clergyman’s daughter but she then  realised that she couldn’t be who she was not      
 “I repudiated strongly an suggestion in the press that I was other than feminine”(Isabella p72)= she broke the expectations of her gender even if society accused her not being “feminine”enough
Women in their stereotypes (not sure for this): 
“Don’t you like getting dressed? I adored my clothes”(Nijo p71)= in the stereotype “women only like clothes”/ there is also quotes at the beginning where she doesn’t care abt being raped only that her clothes were ripped 
Low class: 
“Pig”(p66 Gret)= not educated 
Upper middle class: 
“Restaurant”= money
Marlene:
“I haven’t time for a holiday” p63= she is a busy woman/ work-alcoholic/doesn’t have time for anything else than her job             
 “They didn’t have Latin at my school”(p66)= poor background           
 “I don’t wear trousers in the office/ I could but I won’t”(p72)= Even if she has a “man’s job” she doesn’t deny her femininity/ could also be an act of protest saying “I don’t have to act like a man to do this job”.                         
 “Didn’t you think of getting rid of it?”(p79)= don’t really know but I felt like It was important/ maybe do a link with Angie and act3
Tbh idk: 
“When he died I was so grieved, I’ll have the chicken please”(p67 Isabella)= questioning influence of men/ weird/ change emotion quickly (lots of other quote like this in this passage but flemme)

Absence of men-> 
The world of theater is historically a very masculine world especially in Britain where women were not allowed to be on stage until the end of the 17th century. Even in the 2oth century the theatre is still a male dominated environment. As a female playwright Churchill is challenging traditional roles in a play by only casting women. This opens up a space for women to express themselves. Moreover the fact that the play was designed for one actress to play at least two roles allows the artists to explore different roles of women in society. She highlights the fact that women have been cast in many different roles across time and places and that they constantly have to adapt to what is expected from them.

-> not only plat/ character based 
-> showing awareness of the play as drama 
-> Showing knowledge of the context 
[a]agent comptable lycée camille pissarro
[b]have to be short(no more than a line" 
contextualise 
write quotes( meaningful, strategic,...)
[c]Topic sentence
[d]need a quote
[e]"Gret who was painted by Brueghel" (page 84, Marlene) Marlene introduces the guest to Griselda however it is impossible to invite a painted figure irl.
[f]question= opportunity, not threat
don't be passive and obedient (don't expect that on the 1st essay)
[g]don't do long phrases, if you are blocked garde une phrase simple then make it complicated later
[h]works as a thesis statements (the teacher said so :) )
[i]she wants me to be more precise (tell what th emessage is)
[j]Topic sentence= always at the start of a paragraph
[k]when stuck keep it simple
[l]quote kept to the minimum, always explain them later
[m]ALWAYS ANALYSE
[n]We don't hear about the character's mother, but they've all experienced what it's like to be a mother/maternity in different ways
[o]or a focused allusion: explaining something in the scene/ story (no need to quote)
[p]dehumanizes him
[q]always present tense
[r]don't have to situate the quote( maybe just the act)
[s]NO CONTRACTION
[t]Turning point of the play: mood shift from cheerful to dull until page 83 when Marlene says: "oh god, why are we so miserable"
[u]Name meaning: Griete⇒name given to a bad-tempered woman. Dulle⇒ mad/ foolish/ stupid
[v]She represents the working class
[w]good word
[x]means rude
[y]we just walked around in different way it was SOOOO awkward I want to die
[z]getting over a difficulty
[aa]I just played Mrs kidd: I killed it bro
[ab]homework: do the thing for janine
[ac]i hate writing in 1rst person it's so annoying
[ad]symbolizes the domestic sphere
[ae]Maladroit mais il faut avoid « she eats steaks=> acts like a man 🤓 »

Transcript for:Analysis of Churchill's 'Top Girls'

Transcript for:
Analysis of Churchill's 'Top Girls'