How Does John Misto Explore the Theme of Post Traumatic Stress in the Play "The Shoe Horn Sonata"

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Friendship can be a very powerful thing. So powerful that it can sometimes be deeper than the connection of family. Having faith in something can sometimes be a matter of life of death. And hope itself can keep you fighting that little bit longer. John Misto, the composer of “The Shoe-Horn Sonata” explores the hard times and the effects that WWII had on the female POW’s. in the play, he uses many dramatic techniques to explore the themes of posttraumatic stress, survival and friendship. The techniques used to explore these themes include; stage directions, sound, music and projected images. Friendship is shown through the keeping of the chop bone. In act one, scene five; Sheila reveals that she still has possession of the chop bone. This bone was shared by her a Bridie through their captivity. Something as insignificant as a bone still symbolises what the women have done to stat alive. Not only does it remind them of the harshness of their situation of the time, but also the tenacity of spirit that allowed such a simple object to sustain them in their times of trial. The dramatic technique used to represent the chop bone is the use of stage directions. “M.Voice: [amazed] and you shared the boy like… [He is to tactful to say] SHEILA: [calmly, without taking offence or seeing anything wrong with the suggestion]. Consequently, these stage directions help make the mood of the play, and help the viewers see it from the perspective of each character. Survival in these times for the POW’s was an objective that seemed impossible. However they did triumph. To express this, many techniques where used. For example, the Image of a woman singing. This highlights the importance of music in the war as a means of escaping reality. Music is symbolic of the triumph, joy and survival experienced in the war. Image of woman standing upright also highlights her pride and

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