Explanation With Reference to the Context | The Sea By Edward Bond | Eureka Study Aids

Extract No. 1

You must tell me exactly what happened. I was going to complain to the chief-of-staff about the battery opening fire. 

You must tell me .......... battery opening fire.

Reference

(i) Drama: The Sea

(ii) Dramatist: Edward Bond

Context

(i) Occurrence: Scene II

(ii) Content: A tempestuous storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village, and Willy is trying to save his friend, Colin. When he sees Evens and Hatch, he does his level best to call them of for help but they refuse. Mrs. Rafi is rehearsing the play she is to perform for raising coast guard fund. At this moment Willy comes to visit her. He tells her in detail what has happened at the sea. Colin's corpse is found eventually. Mrs. Rafi refuses to trade with Hatch, the draper. He, out of desperation, wounds her and runs away from to town believing that aliens from another planet have arrived to invade the city. Mrs. Rafi advises her niece, Colin's fiancee, to go away from the town with Willy. Willy accepts this and goes away with her from the town in search of change.

Explanation

     These lines are spoken by a main character, Mr. Rafi. She is in the shop of Hatch, the draper. Willy Carson enters the shop and Mrs. Rafi greets him. She condoles the death of Colin: "This is a terrible tragedy. Colin was engaged to my niece". Mrs. Rafi offers him to reside at her house till he is in the town. She wishes to know the details from Willy how has Colin drowned into the sea. She says to Willy that she was going to complain the chief-of-staff about the battery opening fire. Fire discipline is a system of communication in the military, primarily for directing artillery. By definition, fire discipline is the language of fire control. Battery is a fortified structure on which artillery is mounted. In naval context, battery is used to describe groups of guns on warships. Thus battery fire is the firing of a battery of weapons. Mrs. Rafi thinks that "battery opening fire" was the main reason which turned the boat of Colin turtle. That is why she was going to complain to the "chief-of-staff". In short, Mr. Rafi wants to do everything in the investigation of the accident of Colin's drowning. This also highlights her punitive and authoritarian role in the society she lives in.

Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

Extract No. 2

Such a night. Thanks heavens I didn't know you were out in it. I would have hade no sleep. I assure you. I would have been tormented by the vision of ---

Such a night........... tormented by the vision of ---

Reference

(i) Drama: The Sea

(ii) Dramatist: Edward Bond

Context

(i) Occurrence: Scene II

(ii) Content: A tempestuous storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village, and Willy is trying to save his friend, Colin. When he sees Evens and Hatch, he does his level best to call them of for help but they refuse. Mrs. Rafi is rehearsing the play she is to perform for raising coast guard fund. At this moment Willy comes to visit her. He tells her in detail what has happened at the sea. Colin's corpse is found eventually. Mrs. Rafi refuses to trade with Hatch, the draper. He, out of desperation, wounds her and runs away from to town believing that aliens from another planet have arrived to invade the city. Mrs. Rafi advises her niece, Colin's fiancee, to go away from the town with Willy. Willy accepts this and goes away with her from the town in search of change.

Explanation

     These lines are spoken by Mr. Rafi's friend, Mrs. Jessica Tilehouse. In these lines Mr. Tilehouse is showing her concern for a young man, Willy Carson. Mrs. Tilehouse and Mrs. Rafi are in the shop of Hatch, the draper. Willy enters the shop and Mrs. Rafi greets him. She condoles the death of Colin: "This is a terrible tragedy. Colin was engaged to my niece." She offers him to reside at her house till he is in the town. She wishes to know the details from Willy how has Colin drowned into the sea. Willy says, "It was a small boat. The storm swept us off course. The guns didn't sink us. We'd already turned over." Mrs. Tilehouse says that yesterday's night was blustery and disastrous. She is pleased at her ignorance about Willy's outing the last night. She says that if she knew that Willy was out in the stormy weather yesterday, she would have had no rest and sleep. She would have been experiencing intense metal pain all the time by the vision of Willy's drowning and dying. She says to Willy, "Oh dear. This terrible sea, this terrible life." In short, these lines show Mrs. Tilehouse's infatuation, compassion and sympathy for Willy.

Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

Extract No. 3

Listen, where is the world's weak spot? Here. They know there's no leadership, no authority, no discipline in his town. So it's up to us. 

Listen, where is .......... it's up to us.

Reference

(i) Drama: The Sea

(ii) Dramatist: Edward Bond

Context

(i) Occurrence: Scene II

(ii) Content: A tempestuous storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village, and Willy is trying to save his friend, Colin. When he sees Evens and Hatch, he does his level best to call them of for help but they refuse. Mrs. Rafi is rehearsing the play she is to perform for raising coast guard fund. At this moment Willy comes to visit her. He tells her in detail what has happened at the sea. Colin's corpse is found eventually. Mrs. Rafi refuses to trade with Hatch, the draper. He, out of desperation, wounds her and runs away from to town believing that aliens from another planet have arrived to invade the city. Mrs. Rafi advises her niece, Colin's fiancee, to go away from the town with Willy. Willy accepts this and goes away with her from the town in search of change.

Explanation

     These lines are spoken by Hatch, the draper. These lines are a direct satire on the political and judicial system of the East Anglian seaside village. When Mrs. Rafi, Mrs. Tilehouse and Willy Carson leave the shop of Hatch, Carter and Thompson appear. They discuss the drowning of Colin. Hatch seems full of certain hallucinations because he considers it was some sort of devil that drowned the ship and not the storm: "They come from space. Beyond our world. Their world's threatened by disaster." He believes that the aliens have come to take control of this town because they know that there is no leadership, no authority and no discipline in this town. This town is the weakest spot for aliens to dominate. This belief reveals the reason why Hatch did not help Colin: "All these ships in distress are really secret landings from space. We won't go out to help them, we'll go and drive them off. Run them down." In short, Hatch's belief in aliens suggests two things; religion on the decline and the dissatisfaction of people with the worldly political and judicial system. Thus these lines trumpet the theme of change and reform.

Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

Extract No. 4

That was a sign. Crying: bad news. That's us. Those devils are up there watching. He's telling them we're onto him. 

That was a sign. ....... we're onto him.

Reference

(i) Drama: The Sea

(ii) Dramatist: Edward Bond

Context

(i) Occurrence: Scene III

(ii) Content: A tempestuous storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village, and Willy is trying to save his friend, Colin. When he sees Evens and Hatch, he does his level best to call them of for help but they refuse. Mrs. Rafi is rehearsing the play she is to perform for raising coast guard fund. At this moment Willy comes to visit her. He tells her in detail what has happened at the sea. Colin's corpse is found eventually. Mrs. Rafi refuses to trade with Hatch, the draper. He, out of desperation, wounds her and runs away from to town believing that aliens from another planet have arrived to invade the city. Mrs. Rafi advises her niece, Colin's fiancee, to go away from the town with Willy. Willy accepts this and goes away with her from the town in search of change.

Explanation

     These lines are spoken by Hatch who is mad and is always paranoid by some extraterrestial attack. Quite distant from Willy and Evens, Hatch comes to the beach with Hollarcut to find the dead body of Colin who has drowned into the sea last night. Hatch hallucinates that the corpse of Colin is crying. He considers this 'crying' a bad omen. He envisages that the cadaver of Colin is surrounded by 'devils; monstrous aliens. He deems that the people on the beach are under the surveillance of these aliens. He speculates that the corpse of Colin is telling these aliens about the presence of Earthlings on the beach. In short, Hatch is a victim of astrophobia and is completely obsesed with the invasion of hostile aliens. 

Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar

Extract No. 5

Perhaps not. We're into the spring tides now. He'll be washed up where the coast turns in. (Points) You see? People are cruel and boring and obsessed. 

Perhaps not. We're ....... boring and obsessed. 

Reference

(i) Drama: The Sea

(ii) Dramatist: Edward Bond

Context

(i) Occurrence: 

(ii) Content: A tempestuous storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village, and Willy is trying to save his friend, Colin. When he sees Evens and Hatch, he does his level best to call them of for help but they refuse. Mrs. Rafi is rehearsing the play she is to perform for raising coast guard fund. At this moment Willy comes to visit her. He tells her in detail what has happened at the sea. Colin's corpse is found eventually. Mrs. Rafi refuses to trade with Hatch, the draper. He, out of desperation, wounds her and runs away from to town believing that aliens from another planet have arrived to invade the city. Mrs. Rafi advises her niece, Colin's fiancee, to go away from the town with Willy. Willy accepts this and goes away with her from the town in search of change.

Explanation

Extract No. 6

You'll be a dog. You collect for your Save the Animals Fund every year and you never go away till we've given twice as much as we can afford. Now you have the chance to earn some more gratitude from your little friends. 

You'll be a dog. ....... from you little friends.

Reference

(i) Drama: The Sea

(ii) Dramatist: Edward Bond

Context

(i) Occurrence: 

(ii) Content: A tempestuous storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village, and Willy is trying to save his friend, Colin. When he sees Evens and Hatch, he does his level best to call them of for help but they refuse. Mrs. Rafi is rehearsing the play she is to perform for raising coast guard fund. At this moment Willy comes to visit her. He tells her in detail what has happened at the sea. Colin's corpse is found eventually. Mrs. Rafi refuses to trade with Hatch, the draper. He, out of desperation, wounds her and runs away from to town believing that aliens from another planet have arrived to invade the city. Mrs. Rafi advises her niece, Colin's fiancee, to go away from the town with Willy. Willy accepts this and goes away with her from the town in search of change.

Explanation

Extract No. 7 

Then create room. Don't you aspire to be an artist? Think of the miners who spend their lives crawling through darkness so that you may have light. That also, in its way, is the task of art.

Then create room. ....... is the task of art.

Reference

(i) Drama: The Sea

(ii) Dramatist: Edward Bond

Context

(i) Occurrence: 

(ii) Content: A tempestuous storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village, and Willy is trying to save his friend, Colin. When he sees Evens and Hatch, he does his level best to call them of for help but they refuse. Mrs. Rafi is rehearsing the play she is to perform for raising coast guard fund. At this moment Willy comes to visit her. He tells her in detail what has happened at the sea. Colin's corpse is found eventually. Mrs. Rafi refuses to trade with Hatch, the draper. He, out of desperation, wounds her and runs away from to town believing that aliens from another planet have arrived to invade the city. Mrs. Rafi advises her niece, Colin's fiancee, to go away from the town with Willy. Willy accepts this and goes away with her from the town in search of change.

Explanation

Extract No. 8

I believe the Universe lives. It teems with life. Men take themselves to be very strong and cunning. But who can kill space and time or dust? 

I believe the Universe ........ and time or dust?

Reference

(i) Drama: The Sea

(ii) Dramatist: Edward Bond

Context

(i) Occurrence: 

(ii) Content: A tempestuous storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village, and Willy is trying to save his friend, Colin. When he sees Evens and Hatch, he does his level best to call them of for help but they refuse. Mrs. Rafi is rehearsing the play she is to perform for raising coast guard fund. At this moment Willy comes to visit her. He tells her in detail what has happened at the sea. Colin's corpse is found eventually. Mrs. Rafi refuses to trade with Hatch, the draper. He, out of desperation, wounds her and runs away from to town believing that aliens from another planet have arrived to invade the city. Mrs. Rafi advises her niece, Colin's fiancee, to go away from the town with Willy. Willy accepts this and goes away with her from the town in search of change.

Explanation

Extract No. 9

Oh no. You soon spot them behind this counter. You get a fair indication from the way they pay their bill. That shows if they respect our way of life, or they are just out to make trouble by running people into debt. 

On no. You soon ...... running people into debt.

Reference

(i) Drama: The Sea

(ii) Dramatist: Edward Bond

Context

(i) Occurrence: 

(ii) Content: A tempestuous storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village, and Willy is trying to save his friend, Colin. When he sees Evens and Hatch, he does his level best to call them of for help but they refuse. Mrs. Rafi is rehearsing the play she is to perform for raising coast guard fund. At this moment Willy comes to visit her. He tells her in detail what has happened at the sea. Colin's corpse is found eventually. Mrs. Rafi refuses to trade with Hatch, the draper. He, out of desperation, wounds her and runs away from to town believing that aliens from another planet have arrived to invade the city. Mrs. Rafi advises her niece, Colin's fiancee, to go away from the town with Willy. Willy accepts this and goes away with her from the town in search of change.

Explanation