Listen, where is ....... it's up to us. | The Sea By Edward Bond | Eureka Study Aids

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