Writing Class Entry

Our Writing Class has elected to share some of their essays on our blog!  We have some very talented writers in this class, and written below is one of the essays written from yesterday's class.  They read two plays and were asked to compare, contrast, and share their opinions on the plays in their essay.  Please read below.

Two Play Excerpts

By: R.G.

The two excerpts from the plays “Harvey” by Mary Chase and “Brighton Beach Memoirs” by Neil Simon are very motivating to me. The play “Harvey” is about a man named Elwood who has a special friend name Harvey who no one else can see. The play “Brighton Beach Memoirs” is about a boy, Eugene, who is trying to play baseball but is annoying everyone inside the house. I like “Brighton Beach Memoirs” more because it is more realistic, uses baseball history, and is funny because of all the screaming matches.

               Both plays have very few things in common. First of all, they both have a lot of dialogue. If it didn’t have dialogue then it would be considered a play. Next, they both have some narration and stage directions throughout the excerpts. You can tell by the many italics in parentheses and capital letters. Finally, both excerpts have four characters. In “Brighton Beach Memoirs” there are 4 characters: Kate & Eugene Jerome and Blanche & Laurie Morton. In “Harvey” the four characters are Elwood, Mrs. Chauvenet, Veta, and Myrtle. All these characters play important roles in the excerpts. As you can see there are very few similarities.

               Though both plays do have many differences. The play “Harvey” has a lot more stage directions and narration. This is true because half the story is telling the audience and the actors information about the next part. Also, there is a lot more imagination in “Harvey.” Elwood is using his imagination to create his invisible friend who he thinks everyone else can see but is wrong. “Brighton Beach Memoirs” is so realistic and is possible to occur any day. Finally, “Brighton Beach Memoirs” has a lot more lines. There are 171 lines in “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and 66 lines in “Harvey.” As you can see, there are many more differences then similarities.

               I like “Brighton Beach Memoirs” more because it is more realistic, funnier with the screaming matches, and uses baseball history. This excerpt is more realistic as there is nothing to imagine unlike in “Harvey” when he believes his invisible friend is a pooka. This scenario could happen anytime at a house somewhere else. This excerpt is really funny because Kate screams at Eugene all the time about dumb things. She thinks that roller blades left in the kitchen will kill her. Finally, I really like “Brighton Beach Memoirs” because of the use of baseball history with old famous players. I like baseball and history so this is the perfect part of this play. There are many reasons why I really like this specific part of the play.

I like “Brighton Beach Memoirs” more because it is more realistic, uses baseball history, and is funny because of all the screaming matches. The author has the freedom to make the play realistic without adding imagination, use baseball history to make the play more alive, and use screaming matches to make viewers laugh. Neil Simon wrote a great play using an actual place an creating a family that is normal. He has taught me a lot about writing plays.