We used music, to act out madness, how the music made us feel, we went through different stages first it was annoyed, angry, frustrated and then madness, I believe this worked quite well, we all had different reactions, some screamed at the end because all the madness built up and others just broke down on the floor.
It was good idea to use music, because we all believed the anger was just a little more realistic. It reminded me of frustration, like you can’t reach or have something, and the song almost sounds like a song you would play whilst going into battle. It’s a weird mix of feelings but I think they work well together.
Later in the lesson we looked at a picture of a girl or a boy, in a room, naked. The room is completely empty and I don’t think it has any windows. The girl looks trapped and alone. You get the image that she is a victim of something, but there are many different perceptions to have of this picture, she could be suicidal, mad or she is an abuse victim. I think the point of this picture is that there could be many different reasons as to why she is like this, she could of locked herself in a room, is being kept their against her will or she doesn’t know where she is. I think the whole point is that you keep on guessing because when your mad, you don’t know where you are in life, your head is in such a mixture, the person you were years ago isn’t there anymore. You’re completely different and no one around you realises why you’ve changed.
Also in the lesson we all performed plays in which one of the characters went mad, but not an extreme reason, little ones that irritate them, or they’ve just had a really bad day and one thing makes them go over the edge to madness, where they cant handle anymore and explode with emotion.
I learnt quite a lot from this particular lesson. I’ve had personal experiences of madness, in my family and some friends, so I do know what its like. But I got a final realisation of what it’s like. You’re completely trapped in yourself and theirs no way out. Many people’s perceptions of mentally ill people are wrong, they are normal; their mindsets just aren’t the same as everyone else’s. It’s very sad to think that some people get outcast from society, just because their different, they still get locked away because most people are scared of them, its not right. We all need to learn that they need equal treatment and care whatever their illness.
