No sugar – themes, quotes and reasonings

Theme Characters Scenes Quotes Understanding

Racism  Mr Neal, Mr Act 4, scene 5 Racism - was a frequency experience by indigenous
Neville were Sister Eileen - After people but also widely accepted. Shows the attitudes
mainly racist Jimmy collapses, she and the norms of life back them. Jack Davis is saying
 Sister Eileen is unsure what to do that racism is harmful, traumatic and hugely
was and doesn’t know detrimental. It can lead to brokenness, trauma and
confused. which side to take. pain.
Whether she leaves
him and goes to her In this scene we see Joe talking with Sergeant. Joe
white leaders or to explains that going to the settlement was never his
help and Jimmy and choice and he wasn’t removed nicely. He was simply
go over to their side. ‘booted out’, correcting Carrol's assessment that it was
This shows how the the Aborigines' choice to move. Joe insists that the
whites and blacks Aborigines have had no choice in their fate.
were split and how
some of those who
were not in power
chose which side to
be on.
Division Throughout the entirety of the play there was a theme
of ‘us vs them’. The Aboriginal Australians vs the White
settlers.

Power  Mary Act 2, Scene 4 In the play there is a common reoccurring theme of
 Marys friend Mary is asked if she abuse of power. Abuse of power is where someone in
 Mr Neal will work for the power takes advantage of it. In the play No sugar the
Guddeeahs but abuse of power shown by Mr Neal takes form in
refuses because she physical and sexual abuse.
knows that that farm Characters who have been on the receiving end of this
is a bad place where have been Mary, Marys friend she was raped and then
bad things happen. when she had the baby Mr Neal had organised to have
She explains to joe the baby strangled to death and planted in the pine
 what happened to plantation).
her friend.

Act 4, Scene 2.
Mary comes back to In act 4 scene 2, the dramatic techniques are very
the Moore river visual, the stage direction tells us that lights blackout
settlement where and a scream is heard. This demonstrates that bad
she is sent to Mr Neal things happened at the Moore river settlement and
and he uses his goes to show how little care anyone had for the
power against her indigenous Australians. Mary at this stage is very
and whips her. pregnant but Mr Neal doesn’t care and whips her
anyways.

When people are in a position of power there is a

chance, they will abuse that power. Mr Neal is the
prime example where he is in charge of the Moore river
settlement. He uses his power to both physically and
sexually abuse the girls in the settlement.
Family  Millimurra Act 4, Scene 8. In a time where people were separated and didn’t work
family well together, Indigenous Australians always had their
shows to  Munday family who they relied on and trusted through the hard
be the only family times.
important Even when Joe was returning from gaol, he thought
part of the about what he could do to better off his family and in
Indigenous this stage direction you are able to see how he got
lives as that Act 4, Scene 7 something for each member and the care and thought
is all they Mary is having joes’ he puts in to each person.
were left baby and even While the Millamurra and Munday family are living
with after though Mary isn’t under harsh conditions, the still seem to make an effort
everything blood related she is to maintain a strong sense of family throughout the
way taken as important to the whole play.
away. Millamurra family.
“We gotta look after
youse”.

Narrative – Literary Techniques List

Technique Explanation
Allegory A narration that has double meaning- one dominant and the other recessive; add layers of depth to a text.
Analogy Use of a more simplistic idea to explain a more complicated phenomenon.
Anecdotes A short, interesting story from personal experience to supplement the topic of discussion.
Antimetabole A phrase or sentence repeated in reverse order for rhetorical effect
Antithesis Portrayal of ideas that highly contrasted the norm or accepted views; shows distance from contemporary context
Archetype Character conventions that are adhere to represent a persona that fits into that niche.
Chiasmus Similar to antimetabole where two parallel phrases are inverted for rhetorical effect.
Cliché A common, frequently occurring saying; may relate to the reality/humaneness of the story’s context.
Contrast Highlight differences between two people, objects or ideas to emphasise their dissimilarity.
Double Entendre A phrase that expresses double meanings, to mock or articulate an idea perfectly but indirectly.
Epigraph Quotation of another work included by an author in their own.
Foreshadowing Hinting upcoming downfall or demise to create suspense
Hyperbole Highly exaggerated comment/idea
Icons A person, object or symbol that represents a particular concept.
Intertextual Shaping of a text’s meaning using another text to generate related understandings of both texts.
reference
Irony The expression of a meaning using language that implies the opposite, for humorous or emphatic effect.
Jargon Rhetorical device that places two elements in close relationship for comparative purposes.
Juxtaposition Two scenes described consecutively to give a contrasting effect.
Metaphor Using the characteristics of an object or event to describe another concept as being itself.
Motif  An object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work; it can be an image, idea, sound or words, that convey the text’s theme.
Parable  Usually a biblical story or reference through which a moral lesson is taught.
Paradox A contradictory statement which, when investigated, is found to be true.
Register/Diction The language used to address the audience: colloquial, formal, Shakespearean, poetic, slang, etc
Satire  Use of humour and irony to criticise vices in context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
Simile A figure of speech that makes a comparison to show similarity between two things and improve understanding.
Synecdoche Figure of speech in which a single term refers to the whole of something or vice versa.
Syntax (Asyndeton) Set of rules dictating how words from different parts of speech are put together; asyndeton: omission of articles of speech.
Vignettes Small impactful scene or descriptive passage (non-personal) that adds depth to the topic of narration.
Visual imagery Descriptions which are connotative of the setting, using sensory details to paint a picture with words.
Essay Plan
Structure of Essay
 Introduction
 3 body paragraphs
 Conclusion

Side Notes
Refer to:
 The play, No Sugar
 The author, Jack Davis
 The play being Australian
 3 main issues (themes) discussed in No Sugar; family, division, power or racism (mention these in introduction, then use one point per
body paragraph)
 Language features/techniques

Example Essay
Introduction:
Jack Davis’ “No Sugar” is an Australian play that highlights the destructive nature of racism on the indigenous community. Through the
dramatic forms and features, it shows the violence/trauma, removal/displacement, discrimination and loss of culture experienced by the
aboriginal family through their forceable removal by the white Australian government. This conveys the impact of racism, creating awareness
and acting as a catalyst for change.

Body 1: Removal and displacement

Through dramatic forms such as setting, the destructive impact of racism is shown through the forcible removal of indigenous people creating
displacement. The destructive nature of racism is shown in the play through the removal of indigenous people to the Moore River Settlement.
This created the sense of displacement as they were forced to adopt “white ways” including forced work. Through the dispersed setting and an
open stage, Jack Davis creates the various areas such as the police station and the reserve to convey a sense of realism for the audience. In
scene 10, act 1 the aboriginals are forced to the Moore River Settlement “coz wetjalas in this town down want us ‘ere, don’t want our kids at
school with their kids”. Through colloquial and indigenous language, this quote highlights the destructive attitudes of the community to the
indigenous creating a sense of fear and isolation. Through the dramatic form of setting and context of the play, the destructive nature of
racism is shown by the way the indigenous people are moved to the Moore River by the white government.

Body 2: Violence and trauma

The dramatic form of dialogue is used in the play to create an atmosphere for the reader and audience. This method demonstrates the
damaging impact of racism through the violence towards the indigenous individuals resulting in traumatic events. Through the dialogue
between the characters, the intense and frightening language is used by the author to send a clear message of the issue. In scene 4 act 2, Mary
explains to Joe about the way Neal treats the girls and women at the settlement. “He reckoned he was gunna belt me once”. Through the slang
language, this quote demonstrates how they were threatened with violence if not done what they were told. This distinguishes a realisation of
sexual assault from the white man towards the young aboriginal females. From the use of dialogue, its carry’s the playwright forward and gives
the audience a more clear idea of the destructive nature of racism.

Body 3: Discrimination and loss of culture

The use of characterisation in “no sugar” is portrayed throughout the play to give off a good idea of each character’s personality, attitudes and
beliefs. This highlights how the indigenous community are disrespected as they are not treated how they expect to be. This leaves a feeling of
discrimination and loss of their culture by the white Australians; this demonstrates a destructive impact of racism upon aboriginals. In
response to a lifetime of discrimination, Jimmy becomes very aggressive towards the white Europeans as he believes that if they cant respect
him and his race he shouldn’t have to do the same. In scene 5 act 1 we see a clear vision of discrimination when Sam and Jimmy are both
under arrest after drinking alcohol. “The two accused were apprehended in Bernard Park yesterday at approximately nine-twenty p.m. They
were both under the influence of liquor.” We notice the use of characterisation through the use of aggressive language from the sergeant
towards the two aboriginal men. This renders a stable image of the mistreatment of the indigenous community from the white Australian
government creating in our minds a message of reality.

Conclusion:
Through the dramatic forms of setting, dialogue and characterisation, no sugar explores the destructive impact of racism in a clear manner. He
expresses the realism of removal from families and homes, the continued violence towards the aboriginal community from the white
Australian government members and the trauma they cause to those individuals. The discrimination felt constantly and the loss of their
culture and some of their identities. Jack Davis wrote this play to not only entertain the audience but to give us a sense of reality to what life
was like for them and for the viewers to live in someone else’s shoes for even a few moments, he used the techniques of colloquial language,
personification and imagery to give off this message of destructive impact of racism.