Mother's Day - Reading, Notes and Question Bank

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

J. B. Priestley

•      1894 – 1984

•      No memory of his birth mother. Had a kind step mother.

•      Three wives and three daughters.

•      Called by some the last ‘sage’ of English literature

•      Refused knighthood and peerage

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO FEMINISM

The history of the modern western Feminist movements can be divided into three 'waves'. Each is described as dealing with different aspects of the same feminist issues:

•      The first wave - women's suffrage movements of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries 

     (Read Virginia Woolf's - ‘A Room of One’s Own’ – divorce, contraceptives, abortion)

•      The second wave - women's liberation movement beginning in the 1960s (which campaigned for legal and social equality for women. Read Simone de Beauvoir – 'Women as ‘the other’').

•      The third wave - the perceived failures of second-wave feminism, beginning in the 1990s.

AS YOU READ, REMEMBER:

1) The play was written 1953 when feminism was still a relatively new concept and managed to raise eyebrows and drop jaws when mentioned.

2) Mrs. Pearson is the quintessential English housewife while Mrs. Fitzgerald represents the exotic mysteries of the east. The contrast makes them representative of the two extreme cultures.

3) Try and analyse the social and personal causes behind Mrs. Pearson's problems. Is she a victim of society or simply a woman unable to muster the courage required to usher change?

4) Are the characters of the story reflective of roles of men, children and neighbours in our own society? If a satire is a piece of writing that mocks the society or any part of it, highlighting its flaws in order to facilitate change, is this play a satire? Think about what is being mocked and which change is being subtly encouraged.

5) Mrs. Fitzgerald seems to be an answer to Mrs. Pearson's prayers. Remember that it is not Mrs. Pearson who actually initiates the change in the family's attitude.

6) 'The tea' becomes a symbol of the oppressed woman caught in the domestic arena. The tea is expected and taken for granted. The tea not being ready, even when not really wanted, is a shock to the family. It is a deviation from the norm, an unwelcome change.

7) Consider the role of a woman in a family: before Mrs. Fitzgerald and thereafter. Think about the traditional roles women play in society - daughter, sister, wife, mother. Think about whether these roles have changed and how? Trace them and find out how far back these changes occured. Further, retrospect about what further changes should be made.

8) Question yourself about whether Mrs. Pearson truly has the requisites to maintain the change initiated by Mrs. Fitzgerald. In the absence of the traits required, how long with the change survive?

9) Analyse the role of 'suspended disbelief' in the story. The magic seems an insignificant bit in the overall scheme of things and yet is central to the plot of the story.

10) Analyse the characters of the men and women in the play apart from Mrs. Pearson and Mrs. Fitzgerald. Reflect on the kind of family and social life the other characters represent.

11) Reflect on the fact that the play is written by a male playwright about the role of women in society.

QUESTION BANK:

Short answer questions –

Q.1. What is the main idea of the play? Has it been brought out effectively by the writer?

Q.2. How does Mrs. Pearson act with her children after exchanging personality with Mrs. Fitzgerald?

Q.3. How does Mrs. Pearson deal with her husband in her new personality?

Q.4. Why is Mrs. Pearson always ordered about by her family members?

Q.5. What advice did Mrs. Fitzgerald give Mrs. Pearson regarding being the boss in her family?

Q.6. Doris says, “You’ll see” to her father.What does she mean?

Q.7. Mrs. Annie Pearson and Mrs. Fitzgerald are totally opposite to each other in their attitude. Show  the difference between their personalities?

Q.8. What advice does Mrs. Fitzgerald give to Mrs. Pearson after they change back personalities?

Q.9. How does the Pearson family spend the evening together?

Q.10.This is the most humorous play with many humorous situations. Which situation did you enjoy the most?

Long answer questions:

Q.1. What do you know about feminism and how has the playwright depicted it in this play?

Q.2. As Mrs. Fitzgerald, write a diary entry based on the events of the day.

Q.3. Years later, Mrs. Pearson meets Mrs. Fitzgerald again. Create the conversation they have.

Q.4. Doris grows up to be a young woman married to man different than the one she had been dating during the play. Write a letter as Doris to her mother sharing the intricacies of the daughter's married life.

Q.5. Create a fictional piece about an evening at the Fitzgeralds' home contrasting it with the Pearson's family's day as depicted by the play. Create new characters as required but keep the matriarchs as the main protagonists.