Discussion of the text

1. Define the passage and give a brief summary of its contents…

2. Expand on the structure of the passage. What is the logical value of tree-monologue in the structure of the scene? The monologue clearly falls into two "parts. Find the sentence serving as a turning point.

3. Speak about Mangan.

What features of a businessman are revealed in his words? What is his method of ruining people like Ellie's father? What is his way of conducting business? Prove your opinion by quoting the text. Account for Mangan's words "I take no risks in ideas, even when they're my own". What displays his contempt for naive enthusiasts? (Mind the words he chooses when speaking about them, his epithets and similes.) Account for the frequent use of the pronoun "I" in the mono­logue. What makes him feel so self-satisfied? Why is Mangan so cyn­ical about himself? Is his cynicism caused only by his superiority, or is it partly a disguise for his weakness? Account for your point of view. Comment oh the contrast between his feelings after the mono­logue ("with large self-approval") and at the. end of the scene ("like a beggared gambler").

4. Speak about Ellie.

What is the new blow she receives? How does she take it? Study Ellie's words "It would have been, this morning. Now! You cant think how little it matters". How do they characterize Ellie's state of mind? Note also the following stage directions. Why doesn't Man­gan's speech produce the desirable effect on Ellie? Comment on her words after Mangan's speech. What does she think of Mangan before and after the monologue? What are, in your opinion, Ellie's reasons for marrying him before and after the monologue? Why does Ellie eventually win the battle of words?

5. In the last act of the play Mangan gives his consent to marry Ellie, but she rejects him saying, "I never really intended to make you marry me, Mr Mangan. Never in the depths of my soul. I only wanted to feel my strength." Can we anticipate it in the passage read?

6. Sum up Ellie's father.

7. What is, in your opinion, Bernard Shaw's attitude to each of the three characters? Prove it by quoting the text of the play and stage directions.

8. Re-read all the stage directions and expand on their role in the given passage.

9. The play is considered to be typical of Shaw's paradoxical meth­od. What seems to you paradoxical in this passage?

10. Comment on the syntax of the passage. Compare the syntac-[77]tical patterns of the monologue and the dialogue. What do they differ in? What sentence patterns typical of dialogical speech can you find in the above passage? Quote the text. What makes the monological part colloquial in spite of the completeness of sentences? Account for the use of parallel constructions in the second part of the mono­logue.

11. Study the choice of words and phraseology.

(a) What words abound in Mangan's speech? Why?

(b) Comment on Mangan's similes and epithets. How can you account for the abundance of vulgarisms (low words) in Man­gan's speech ("rot", "a blamed fool", etc.)?

12. Bernard Shaw's plays are considered good both for staging and reading. What is your opinion on the matter judging by the selection?

13. What graphical means of emphasis are made use of in this passage? Pick out some instances of it and comment on them.

14. Summarize your comments on the text.