shadows under his eyes: maintaining this level of rage must be exhausting.
‘Wait. Is Donnie Brooks that tiny boy with the runny nose?’ I asked. I remembered seeing a cluster of third-years gossiping on the stairs when I’d come down to the basement earlier.
‘Don’t be fooled by appearances,’ said Jono. ‘He’s a little cunt. He’s been going after Ricky for weeks. Asking for a slapping. His brother knows Ricky’s brother. They’ve been fighting for years. Ricky tries to ignore him, but eventually it gets to him.’
‘OK. So Ricky finally cracked and punched him?’
‘Yeah.’
‘And now he’s not here till next week?’
‘Donnie’s parents complained to Robert,’ said Carly. ‘It was probably the trip to A&E that clinched it.’
‘That’s it,’ said Jono, his face darkening as they recounted the injustice. ‘Donnie’s parents don’t like hospitals. It must remind them of all the people their fucking kids have put in there. Anyway, it was only a broken nose. And only a fucking woman goes to hospital with a broken nose.’
‘Because women are…?’
‘You know what I mean, miss.’
‘I think I do. What a horrible situation. Poor Ricky. Has anyone spoken to him? Do you know if he’s OK?’
‘He’ll be fine,’ said Carly. ‘It isn’t the first time he’s been suspended.’
‘Could you be more of a fucking grass?’ Jono snapped.
‘Alex can see our forms anytime she wants,’ she replied. ‘Do you think she doesn’t know this stuff?’
‘Could we redirect this analytical zeal to Sophocles, please?’ I didn’t really care how this lesson went now. I just wanted to get through it without anyone punching anyone else, or storming out, or getting suspended, or, in my case, fired. I wondered if they were all making the same choice. Only Annika looked like she was actually enjoying herself. She loved a fight.
‘I’ll take that silence as a yes. We’ve mainly focussed on Oedipus up till now. So today, I’d like us to think about Jocasta. Do you think she suffers a worse fate than her son?’
There was a long pause. Jono was clenching and unclenching his hands. I looked over at the girls, hoping he’d calm down if I left him alone.
‘Yes,’ said Mel.
‘Because…?’
‘Because she lives with it for longer,’ she said. ‘She knows from the minute he’s born that something terrible is going to happen. She tries to get around it by getting rid of him, and that must have been awful. She must spend her whole life thinking about him, and what she and Laius have done. And then, when they find out what really happened, she kills herself. She can’t live with it.’
Carly shot her a look, which I couldn’t read. Mel didn’t notice, or if she did, she didn’t respond.
‘And her husband died,’ Annika added. ‘And she thinks her son’s dead, too. So she might be lonely?’
‘Those are really good answers,’ I said. ‘Both of you. Well done. Since there are four of you, and since we’re all in need of a bit of empathy today, I’d like you to each take on a different character. You can make notes for ten minutes, and then we’ll do it as a debate. Annika – you be Oedipus. Try to think about why he’s so angry and how his pride causes him harm, yes? Mel, be Jocasta. Jono, you can be Laius, and Carly, you be the shepherd. Work out why you’re the most tragic figure in the play, and be ready to argue your case. OK?’
They settled down to work without too much fuss. I could feel my bunched shoulders relaxing again. It was almost impossible not to have a physical response to the fury that spun between them most of the time. I wondered how the hell their former teachers had coped with them when they were in classes with thirty other kids.
DD,
Is it just because it’s February that everything is so awful? Maybe I’ve got that SAD thing, where you don’t see enough sunlight and you get depressed. It’s virtually dark when I leave home in the morning. And
‘Wait. Is Donnie Brooks that tiny boy with the runny nose?’ I asked. I remembered seeing a cluster of third-years gossiping on the stairs when I’d come down to the basement earlier.
‘Don’t be fooled by appearances,’ said Jono. ‘He’s a little cunt. He’s been going after Ricky for weeks. Asking for a slapping. His brother knows Ricky’s brother. They’ve been fighting for years. Ricky tries to ignore him, but eventually it gets to him.’
‘OK. So Ricky finally cracked and punched him?’
‘Yeah.’
‘And now he’s not here till next week?’
‘Donnie’s parents complained to Robert,’ said Carly. ‘It was probably the trip to A&E that clinched it.’
‘That’s it,’ said Jono, his face darkening as they recounted the injustice. ‘Donnie’s parents don’t like hospitals. It must remind them of all the people their fucking kids have put in there. Anyway, it was only a broken nose. And only a fucking woman goes to hospital with a broken nose.’
‘Because women are…?’
‘You know what I mean, miss.’
‘I think I do. What a horrible situation. Poor Ricky. Has anyone spoken to him? Do you know if he’s OK?’
‘He’ll be fine,’ said Carly. ‘It isn’t the first time he’s been suspended.’
‘Could you be more of a fucking grass?’ Jono snapped.
‘Alex can see our forms anytime she wants,’ she replied. ‘Do you think she doesn’t know this stuff?’
‘Could we redirect this analytical zeal to Sophocles, please?’ I didn’t really care how this lesson went now. I just wanted to get through it without anyone punching anyone else, or storming out, or getting suspended, or, in my case, fired. I wondered if they were all making the same choice. Only Annika looked like she was actually enjoying herself. She loved a fight.
‘I’ll take that silence as a yes. We’ve mainly focussed on Oedipus up till now. So today, I’d like us to think about Jocasta. Do you think she suffers a worse fate than her son?’
There was a long pause. Jono was clenching and unclenching his hands. I looked over at the girls, hoping he’d calm down if I left him alone.
‘Yes,’ said Mel.
‘Because…?’
‘Because she lives with it for longer,’ she said. ‘She knows from the minute he’s born that something terrible is going to happen. She tries to get around it by getting rid of him, and that must have been awful. She must spend her whole life thinking about him, and what she and Laius have done. And then, when they find out what really happened, she kills herself. She can’t live with it.’
Carly shot her a look, which I couldn’t read. Mel didn’t notice, or if she did, she didn’t respond.
‘And her husband died,’ Annika added. ‘And she thinks her son’s dead, too. So she might be lonely?’
‘Those are really good answers,’ I said. ‘Both of you. Well done. Since there are four of you, and since we’re all in need of a bit of empathy today, I’d like you to each take on a different character. You can make notes for ten minutes, and then we’ll do it as a debate. Annika – you be Oedipus. Try to think about why he’s so angry and how his pride causes him harm, yes? Mel, be Jocasta. Jono, you can be Laius, and Carly, you be the shepherd. Work out why you’re the most tragic figure in the play, and be ready to argue your case. OK?’
They settled down to work without too much fuss. I could feel my bunched shoulders relaxing again. It was almost impossible not to have a physical response to the fury that spun between them most of the time. I wondered how the hell their former teachers had coped with them when they were in classes with thirty other kids.
DD,
Is it just because it’s February that everything is so awful? Maybe I’ve got that SAD thing, where you don’t see enough sunlight and you get depressed. It’s virtually dark when I leave home in the morning. And
Similar Books
