Sailmaker
Learning Intentions To show understanding of the play through summarising To analyse the characters in the play To understand the use of dialect
Sailmaker Sailmaker is set in Glasgow in the 1960s, a period of economic decline. It follows the lives of Alec and his father, Davie, over a ten year period. The play is almost entirely a flashback, told from the point of view of present-day Alec.
Structure Plays typically follow the same structure: Exposition (main characters, basic premise of play introduced) Turning Point (a big thing happens to change the story/main character realises something important) Climax (action/emotion of play reach a peak – nearer the end of the play) Resolution (after climax: things are resolved)
Structure Decide where the exposition, turning point, climax and resolution are in the play. Write three sentences to summarise each section under their headings.
Characters Cut out and stick down Alec and Davie’s faces. Decide which statements go with each character, and write them on the correct page. Then, choose five per character and find quotations to support them.
Davie and Alec Do you feel sympathy for Davie? Why/why not? Is Alec’s attitude to his dad fair? Why/why not?
Family There are two father and son pairs in the play. Answer these questions with evidence. How are Alec and Iain similar? Different? How are Davie and Billy similar? Different?
Dialect When Alec is addressing the audience, as his grown-up self, he uses Standard English. In his flashbacks, his younger self speaks in Glaswegian dialect. Why do you think Alan Spence has done this?
Dialect Alec speaks differently in the present to show the clear difference from his younger self. In the flashback, he speaks in Glaswegian dialect to show he belongs to a particular area and social class: he is a typical working class Glasgow boy. In the present day, he has become an educated man and his speech reflects this change in his situation.
Learning Review What have you liked best/disliked most about the play so far?