Looking at two different texts one being The Painting: The Family by Paula Rego and the story of John Tanner and Rachel McLean.

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William Hollis 11C8

GCSE Drama

We looked at two different ‘texts’ one being The Painting: ‘The Family’ by Paula Rego and the story of John Tanner and Rachel McLean. The painting does not have a specific story behind it as Paula Rego never explained why she painted it. The painting is left, very much, to the imagination to the person who is looking at it. So many interpretations of ‘The Family’ may come across to different people.

The story of John and Rachel is a true story about a couple who were together, while at different universities. At first their relationship was fine at first but after a while john started to become very jealous of Rachel, and what she was wearing and where she was going. In the end, after things driving him mad, John strangled Rachel to death, with a tea towel. John then, after realising what he had done, buried Rachel under the floor boards in her house. Her body was later found and John Was convicted of Manslaughter.

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In the two stories there are a lot of similarities as the painting could be showing Rachel’s revenge, if she had the chance. Also both involve death/murder. The story of John and Rachel is clearer and easier to understand compared to the painting ‘The Family’ which has so many different meanings. Both stories (the murder parts) were set in a bedroom. The kinds of people in the two texts seem quite jealous and angry. They also have a person, who seems to have been upset and turned into the killer.

In lesson we created three scenes based upon the painting ...

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