Imaginative or creative assignment based on the play " The Cherry Orchard", By Anton Checkov.

University Degree Linguistics, Classics and related subjects

Eva Schreuder International School Hilversum D 0239 057

International School Hilversum

‘Alberdingk Thijm’

English World Literature

Higher Level

Paper Two

Word count 1,334

Eva Schreuder

D 0239 057

May 2003

English A1 HL, World Literature Second Draft:

Paper two

Statement of intent

I have chosen to do assignment 2b: imaginative or creative assignment based on the play “ The Cherry Orchard”, By Anton Checkov. “The Cherry Orchard” starts in the early morning hours somewhere in Russia. Through the descriptions of the cherry trees being in bloom one can see that it is springtime. The estate owners, Madame Liubov Andryeevna Ranyevskaia and her family, return home from a trip to Paris and their personnel and a family friend, Yermolay Aleksyeevich Lopakhin, are waiting for their arrival. Throughout the play it becomes apparent that the owners are no longer capable of financially maintaining the Estate, this is the house where the play takes place and the Cherry Orchards surrounding this house. As the play progresses the reader learns the reason behind the financial problems the family is experiencing. Because of the irresponsible spending behaviour of the mother of the household, Madame Andryeevna, the family is in trouble. She was used to another lifestyle. One with a constant money flow, and she is not willing to change that now that the money doesn’t flow in anymore. Eventually the play ends tragically because the family has to depart from the estate. The mother and Landowner leaves with her daughters and household helps, but in the chaos of their departure the eldest of the company, Feers, is left behind.

This creative piece is concentrated on the seventeen-year old daughter Ania. She is the biological daughter of Madame Andryeevna. Her sister, Varia, was adopted. Ania isn’t take very serious in the play, the characters in the play see her as an idealist, like Trophimov, and that this won’t be enough for her to be successful. Ania is innocent and immature. During the challenging times the family experiences, she is the one who keeps optimistic. Even though this is not what the family needs it is still a distraction, she comforts her mother with her happiness. Yet I cannot imagine that she is happy all the time, and this diary entry. The date at the start of the diary fictional as it was not specified in the text.

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In her diary entry I want to illustrate that she isn’t as happy as she is portrayed to be. She is in fact unhappy. She finds it hard to be back at home. To see that financially the family can’t support themselves in the way they used to. This worries her. She wants to get out of the problems her and her family are in and she hopes to marry a rich man who can help her reach a higher financial status, and help her family with some money. She believes they deserve this after all they have gone through. The end of the diary entry is happier because she is about to go to sleep and from personal experience I can say that if one goes to sleep thinking about all the bad things, one cannot fall asleep, this again as a more realistic element. This entry will be a pastiche of Ania’s use of language, this so that if creates a more realistic notion of the entry. Before writing this entry I red the play again and looked closely at her character to check that I wont make the mistake of writing something that Ania would never have said or done. I also looked into the situation of women back then to ensure she isn’t too modern for her time. One may also say that I used my own experience as a teenager, and voicing this as Ania in the form of a pastiche. I choose to take this character because I find her the most intriguing. Her endless optimism is amazing.

Assignment

“My own room, my own windows, just as if I had never been away! I’m home again!”

17th May 1912

Dear Diary.

We came back from Paris today; I’m finally back home after such an extensive and tedious trip. It was wonderful to be back in the house and go through all the rooms I knew so well. Every door that opened before me revealed more memories attached to this house. A hotel room could not ever replace the feeling I get here in this house. I had this especially when I entered the nursery with Mamma. It was wonderful to see how this moved her. She became overwhelmed with emotion and I could see in her eyes that she was very delighted to be home. This entry will not be too extensive as I have not slept for four nights during our journey back home and for this matter am rather struck by fatigue. But there is so much I have to tell you, that what I will no get to tonight I will tomorrow.

Paris was wonderful. Yet it was a bit nippy at times. The season I choose to be there, the first four months of the new year, was not the best of times temperature wise, but it did create an Easter I had never experience before. I know I have written to you about it, but I did truly enjoy it. It was wonderful to be away from the problems that we have here. The money is running out and this causes problems for us as a family. I found this out in Paris, I had to make Varia tell me about it, she said that if Mamma keeps on spending like she does, the Cherry Orchard will not be ours for much longer. But Mamma doesn’t seem to care. She really did buy too much at times, she claims that we cannot simply walk around looking like we have no money, no one is to know of our financial predicament. I wonder if this is the reason she has not told me herself about the situation personally. Maybe she is not accepting the situation that we no longer have money and that it seems as if in the future we will have to start working for it. What a strange thought, I will try not to ponder about this right before bed, as it will refrain me from sleeping tonight.

It does bother me to think that maybe in the near future we will not be together any more because we cannot afford to live together. During this trip I believe that we have come close together as a family and I would not like to think this would be an item to separate us. All this I can somehow put aside. It is a worry nut I do think that Mamma will think up a way to keep us together. What really gets me angry, and was enhanced in Paris, was the way Varia and Mamma treated me like a little child. I am seventeen, yet they insist on treating me as if I was a toddler. This I can find in the way they withhold information from me. Especially Mamma seems to think that I am not mature enough to handle the facts of our financial status. It should not be that I have to torture Varia a little so I can also find out what the two of them talk about after sending me to bed. Im almost of age and I think that it is time they started treating me like and adult. If only Mamma and Varia knew how much it upsets me that they do not see me as old enough to find out the not so pleasant things in life.

In Paris I acted a lot like I was happy, even at times when I was not. I did this only so that Mamma would have one less thing to worry about. She would enjoy herself whilst spending money we don’t have but then as soon as we would return to the hotel she would not be as ecstatic as she was in the shop after collecting her newest goods. She seems have regretted at some points of spending all that money. Even so she would still continue the next day. Varia would complain about her spending patterns and Mamma would get even more upset. I didn’t want to be the reason behind Mamma being unhappy so I pretended as if I had never experienced such good times. Maybe if I had handled the situation differently, portraying what I felt, I would have finally been taken into account as an adult. But then I do not at any cost want to put more stress upon Mamma. She would not cope well with more things to worry about. I should think of some other way of showing her that I am old enough, as soon as this entire nightmare is over.

Will this all be over soon? I wonder how they could go away. Maybe if I were to get married to a man with good fortunes, which would make all our problems go away. It would be nice if somehow we would have money and we would have no things to worry about. I do hope this uncertainty will soon be over. I was very shocked in Paris when Varia told me that the only way things would be able to be solved would be if we sold the estate. But how could that be done? We have built up incredible memories here at this estate and to sell them would be to lose our past. I’m sure that Mamma would not do such a thin. After selling the villa near Mentone, she would not have anything left if she did sell our home. This is all very strange, how things have got so out of hand ever since pappa died six years ago. I really miss him; coming back home reminded me again on how empty our house is without his presence. If he were still here we would not be in this trouble. Someone a while ago told me that daughters have a special bond with their fathers; I miss the things we used to do. There is not a day that passes without me thinking about him. I still hope that he is not really deceased, but on an extended holiday and that any time he can walk through the door and come and comfort us all. I wish I could still tell him about my plans for the future, allow him to help me convince Mamma I am grown up. God rest his soul.

On a merrier thought, my heart jumped today when I saw Trofimov today. I realised how much I had missed his company with his lofty idealism. I know that I do ever marry him that he wont be able to support this whole family for he is only a student, but I see potential in him to become a very successful man. I wonder if he will ever end his university or will remain the eternal student like Lopakhin calls him. I know he is not at all the most attractive of the men I know, but he is the man that I like the most. Varia wants to know nothing about the possibility of him and me ever being together. It is hilarious how she reacts when I mention his and my name in the same sentence, in a way that could remotely be considered as romantic. In front of mother I do know show my intense fondness I have for him for I am afraid she will not agree. On this not I am going to bid my adieus and will fall asleep and dream of a bright and happy future with Trofimov. Good night and I will write more to you tomorrow because I can no longer fight the sleep.

Word count: 1,334

Bibliography

Checkov, Anton, “The Cherry Orchard”.
Morris, T A, European History 1848-1945 (revised edition), First Publication 1985 by University Tutorial Press Ltd, this edition was published in 1995.