Discuss Alfian Sa’At’s Use Of “Shock Tactics”

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Discuss Alfian Sa’at’s use of “shock tactics” in his play sex.violence.blood.gore to destabilize notions about home and Singapore. Plays and fiction are often written in context with the historical facts of the time as well as with the effect of allowing readers to associate their emotions and experience along with the plots. In the case of plays and novels written by Singaporeans, such should be the case, but Alfian Sa’at does the opposite. Being known as the modern “L’Enfant Terrible”, Alfian Sa’at rejects patriotism in his works (Poon 359), but through provocative and candid styles, he “poses the hard questions that are avoided in public discourse” (Wee 26). Also, as a result of the extensive usage of profanities, sexual references and innuendos, along with the portrayal of uncomfortable behaviors and taboos, it would be rather difficult for readers to relate to the plot. Because it is almost impossible for the acts and scenes in sex.violence.blood.gore to materialize in real Singapore context, it would be easy to cast this play as one that is nonsensical and one that merely seeks to destroy any precursor image of a ‘clean’ Singapore culture, without invoking into readers any form of reflection of thought. It is through the extensive use of “shock tactics” that Alfian Sa’at’s sex.violence.blood.gore, set from the period before WWII to the present 1990s, while defamiliarising readers from reality, invoke deep thoughts and questions on the Singaporean identity and definition of our home with regards to race, gender, politics, nationality and lifestyle. Home is the symbol of comfort, shelter and one where you can truly express your thoughts and emotions. For Singapore, as place where Singaporeans, and maybe foreign workers, call home, she is seen as a global city, a metropolis with a stable, fair and corrupted government. Singapore is also a place where
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