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David Ives Sure Thing is a play in which comedy and fantasy is combined to entertain the reader in a way never done before. A typical, everyday conversation between two strangers is taken to new possibilities through a neat device that Ives has concocted. It is through this stroke of genius that gives the reader a sense of fantasy and comedy all at once. By use of a bell, Ives reroutes his characters conversations so that they can be played over and necessary changes may be made. It is this thought of a bell, which takes the characters back in time, that makes this play what it is. Imagine being able to go back in time whilst in the middle of a conversation in order to make a correction in something that was said.
Now think of the power that one could obtain by simply changing their response to a statement posed. The outcome would be that of enjoyment from both sides. There would be no arguments and nobody's feelings would get hurt. Now lets get back to real life.
Ives takes this otherwise common place, and makes it funny and satirical by throwing bells into the mix. These bells, during the occurrence of the characters conversation, represent a wrong answer, if you will. They refer to a statement that was made that might have turned the other person off, and, after a bell sounds (Bell. ), the characters are back into their conversation as if nothing has happened. So what is being said about the characters by the constant ringing of the bell? If the characters in the play represent your everyday boy and girl, then this play might be warning people to not go out and try to find love any time soon.
The constant ringing of the bells is funny in a satirical way. It is pretty much stating, in a sense, that people are too picky. If this play was set in real life, then the two people in that caf would have never got past the first five minutes of their conversation. It is pointing out the fact that in this day and age there are so many variables that can be the deciding factor of whether two people will hit it off or whether these two people just dont mix well. Ives also uses the bells as irony, for example: Betty: Labels are not important. Bill: Labels are not important, exactly.
Like me, for example. I mean what does it matter if I had a two-point at (Bell) - three-point at (bell) - four-point at college This passage is pointing out how hypocritical Betty is. She just said labels dont matter, then the bells represent that Betty is not pleased with the outcome of Bills college GPA. So after all that and the conversation pieces that came before that, she is going to contradict herself and let something silly like his college GPA get in the way of what could have been a good relationship. It just goes to show that even those that think they are proper and intelligent are not prone to making mistakes. The end of the play makes the bells silent by the repetitious succession of agreement.
After all the nonsense they finally just get on with it and start agreeing to everything that is said. This seems like your typical case of boy meets girl, boy likes what he sees, boy agrees to whatever girl says in order to find out if girls bed is soft or lumpy. The ending here could just be Ives way of sarcastically saying that this is the best and only way to go, he could be reiterating the words of a wise man, Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by (Frost, Robert). This individualistic view mixed with a totally new style of writing is what gives this play its meaning. Ives did a terrific job in depicting the absurdities found in everyday, normal conversation, and by identifying the frailties of man. This play is comedy wrapped up in a learning experience, with a side of satire, and some fantasy to wash it all down.
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Research essay sample on Back In Time Real Life
