Blue Remembered Hills

"The violent activity stops, abruptly. They stand off a bit, looking at eachother guiltily. The wind shifts and sighs in the big old oak...A feeling of murder."

- Stage directions for the death of the squirrel

- "The wind...old oak" is pathetic fallacy as the weather and surroundings are representing what has happened. Similarly it adds to the pastoral setting.

- "A feeling of murder" shows how the children know they had done wrong and also sets the story up for later in the play when they kill Donald

- Shocking as it shows anti-pastoral themes in realism of murder and doesn't look at childhood with rose-tinted glasses

" Donald: The Japs have got him.

Peter: Him's as good as dead then. Them Japs is the cruellest devils as ever walked."

- Shows cultural setting as Japs is used to represent Japanese people and links to feelings of racism and hatred towards the Axis powers of world war 2

- "Him's as good as dead then" shows rumours that have been passed through the parents to the children. Also, it puts fear into Donald about his father

- Said just before Donald tells Peter he doesn't have any matches which eventually leads to Donald's death

"Gasping and panting with self-induced fear... leaving the pram unattended on the woodland paths"

- The pram could represent Donald and how they've all left him alone, unattended and vulnerable

- "Self-induced fear"  suggests playfulness as the games children play can sometimes be used to create fear for themselves to create a reality yet they are running from something they have been told about

- Stage directions given after they believe the Italian POW has escaped

- "Woodland Paths" reinforces the idea of the natural setting the children are involved in

"Angela: Yes, and if he hits me i shall tell his mam...She hits you with the poker, don't she!... Quack! Quack! Quack!"

- The first incline we get that Donald comes from a broken home

- "Quack! Quack! Quack!" Shows the bullying of Donald that he faces with his peers and how life is difficult for him in and out of the home

- In some respect it shows cultural reference as they don't seem shocked that he gets hit with the poker

- Donald fears Angela telling his mother about hitting her than the Italian later on

" John: That's right. We didn't see nothing.

But they start to cry, overwhelmed."

- In some respects shows the childrens transition into adulthood as they know they've done something wrong.

- On the other hand, they are not adults as they are not taking responsibility for what they've done

- "They start to cry, overwhelmed" starting to cry shows how they are still children and show human traits yet overwhelmed suggests a wider human trait as they are overwhelmed by the huge thing that has just happened

- It could be argued that they are the victims as they are the ones who have to live with the pain for the rest of their lives