The Pieces Of Silver- Karl Sealy
- Themes
- Class issues
- Difference In Culture
- Poverty
- Fear and respect
- Innocence
- Discrimination
- Consequences
- Education
- Ignorance
- Family issues
- Relationships between teachers and pupils
- Cultural Markers
- The title
- Karl Sealy’s title can be viewed as both childish for the children’s perspective yet mature from an adult’s perspective.
- The childish view includes the notion of the Pieces of Silver being related to Pirates of the Caribbean or pieces of treasure.
- The adult view however includes the notion that the pieces of silver can be related to Judas who betrays Jesus in the bible for 30 pieces of silver. Karl Sealy sets up from the outset that money will be handed over as a betrayal.
- Both of these views together illustrate the concept that the story will contain a childish and mature perspective to life between the children and adults. Although the adult world seems like the most mature way of interpreting the title, Karl Sealy endeavours to increase the children’s role in society by giving them an aim.(The pieces of silver)
- Language
- In the first line, Karl uses the phrase “pall of silence” which can be interpreted as a reference to a coffin covering. He uses the bell as an enemy to the children because when it rings, a pall silence settles over the noisy playfield. He is showing that the children suddenly stop being happy and stand in silence as if it was death.
- In line 3, Karl says that the children are “reluctantly playing games of cricket and pickups were abandoned.” Their reluctant behaviour shows their fear towards socialising and that they are not enjoying the cricket games. The word “abandoned” suggests that the boys are scared and are panicky.
- The children “slithered down from the old tamarind tree on the school grounds” or “dropped quickly from branches making haste to clear their mouths of the green acid fruit they had been enjoying.” The children’s haste indicates their fear towards the consequences of what could happen by their teachers if they were not quick. The word “slithered” refers to snakes which are religiously portrayed as bad creatures in Adam and Eve.
- In line 47-48, Karl Sealy describes the boys as delivering their hands into their pockets emphasising fear and discipline and the notion that the boys would love to contribute but in some cases can not for no fault of their own.
- He describes the boys “in the lower classes” which is a very effective pun. This phrase can be interpreted as the lower classes in school or possibly the lower social classes in that they cannot afford the simplest of things. This phrase makes the reader have compassion upon the boys.
- Another example of his use of puns is in line 52 when Karl Sealy describes an A4 sheet of paper as a “foolscap sheet” of paper. On this sheet of paper, the names of boys who had contributed to the retiring head’s money. The use of this word is very effective because the writer is implying that the idea is foolish and unfair.
