Bring me my Bow – Sydney Box (A Capsule Summary)
Introduction:
The play opens on the platform of St.Christopher’s School, where the annual speech-day celebration has started. The guest of honour, Lady Champion – Cholmondeley, wife of the Minister for War, is presenting prizes to the subject-toppers.
Miss. Goosens’ Speech:
After the presentation of prizes, the headmistress of St.Christopher’s, Miss.Goosens gives a speech in which she expresses regret that no girl has been successful in winning a State scholarship to the Universities that year, because of the drastic reduction in government grants due to the very enormous expenditure on national rearmament. She expresses disappointment that a prospective girl, for the award, Mary Blake, hence, would not be making it at Oxford.
Miss.Goosens further justifies that none of them will really grudge any sacrifice they are called upon to make for the safety and solidarity of their great and glorious Empire, especially When Lady Champion – Cholmondeley’s husband (who is the Minister for War) is to carry out a rearmament programme.
Lady Champion – Cholmondeley’s Speech: justifying Rearmament:
Lady Champion – Cholmondeley now comes forward to speak, and she emphasizes on a very important virtue in life for the girls, which is character, as it is character that makes a woman a good wife and a good mother. Then she elaborates on the rearmament plan, justifying the reduction in scholarships. She emphasizes the need of Britain to defend herself and her citizens from any danger of attack, and hence the decision to rearm. They have determined to build gun for gun, plane for plane, and battleship for battleship. She quotes a maxim, saying, “A strong nation is a respected nation, and a Britain armed means a world at peace.” She empathises with the girls of St.Christopher’s for having had to sacrifice their scholarships, but adds that, by doing so, they have done their bit towards bringing about national security.
Vote of thanks: Miss. Goosens:
Miss.Goosens thanks the guest of honour for one of the most inspiring addresses ever made and according to the wishes of Lady Champion – Cholmondeley, announces an exhibition for girls of the Sixth Form to be awarded annually to a girl to go on to Oxford, to take up a University career. The topic is on “A Britain armed means a world at peace.”
Mary Blake’s refusal to write the Essay on Rearmament:
Later, in her study, Miss.Goosens and Miss. Armstrong discuss Mary Blake, the head girl who was pretty certain to win. She had come with a grant, as her father was killed in the war, and her mother now ekes out a living by running a laundry. Suddenly, Mary Blake, comes in with permission, and asks to be exempted from writing this “beastly essay,” because she did not believe in war and armaments, nor in anything Lady Champion said that afternoon. She deems the Minister for War as a “career-hunting old hypocrite!”
Introduction:
The play opens on the platform of St.Christopher’s School, where the annual speech-day celebration has started. The guest of honour, Lady Champion – Cholmondeley, wife of the Minister for War, is presenting prizes to the subject-toppers.
Miss. Goosens’ Speech:
After the presentation of prizes, the headmistress of St.Christopher’s, Miss.Goosens gives a speech in which she expresses regret that no girl has been successful in winning a State scholarship to the Universities that year, because of the drastic reduction in government grants due to the very enormous expenditure on national rearmament. She expresses disappointment that a prospective girl, for the award, Mary Blake, hence, would not be making it at Oxford.
Miss.Goosens further justifies that none of them will really grudge any sacrifice they are called upon to make for the safety and solidarity of their great and glorious Empire, especially When Lady Champion – Cholmondeley’s husband (who is the Minister for War) is to carry out a rearmament programme.
Lady Champion – Cholmondeley’s Speech: justifying Rearmament:
Lady Champion – Cholmondeley now comes forward to speak, and she emphasizes on a very important virtue in life for the girls, which is character, as it is character that makes a woman a good wife and a good mother. Then she elaborates on the rearmament plan, justifying the reduction in scholarships. She emphasizes the need of Britain to defend herself and her citizens from any danger of attack, and hence the decision to rearm. They have determined to build gun for gun, plane for plane, and battleship for battleship. She quotes a maxim, saying, “A strong nation is a respected nation, and a Britain armed means a world at peace.” She empathises with the girls of St.Christopher’s for having had to sacrifice their scholarships, but adds that, by doing so, they have done their bit towards bringing about national security.
Vote of thanks: Miss. Goosens:
Miss.Goosens thanks the guest of honour for one of the most inspiring addresses ever made and according to the wishes of Lady Champion – Cholmondeley, announces an exhibition for girls of the Sixth Form to be awarded annually to a girl to go on to Oxford, to take up a University career. The topic is on “A Britain armed means a world at peace.”
Mary Blake’s refusal to write the Essay on Rearmament:
Later, in her study, Miss.Goosens and Miss. Armstrong discuss Mary Blake, the head girl who was pretty certain to win. She had come with a grant, as her father was killed in the war, and her mother now ekes out a living by running a laundry. Suddenly, Mary Blake, comes in with permission, and asks to be exempted from writing this “beastly essay,” because she did not believe in war and armaments, nor in anything Lady Champion said that afternoon. She deems the Minister for War as a “career-hunting old hypocrite!”
Miss. Armstrong too speaks in her support, justifying her stance. But Miss.Goosens says that she would never have this revolting vulgarity and commands Mary Blake to sit down at her desk and start writing her essay, and asks Miss. Armstrong to follow her out of the room. Mary Blake stabs at the writing pad in front of her with her pencil. The point breaks and she flings the pencil on the floor. Then she sobs, and buries her head in her hands on the desk, and soon she is fast asleep.
Mary Blake’s Dream: (Now, the rest of the action takes place in her dream.)
Miss.Goosens asks the girls to recite a nursery rhyme about the war. Lady Champion – Cholmondeley is summoned to adjudicate. Now, all the girls, in turn, begin to narrate their own absurd poems on the war. Lady Champion- Cholmondeley is not pleased with the poems recited by the girls.
Now, Miss. Goosens asks Mary if she is ready. Mary says ‘yes’ and just recites one line: “Who killed my father?”
To which the girls reply:
“I’ said the shell.
“I sent him to hell.
I killed your father.”
Miss. Armstrong now speaks out on these lines in defence of Mary Blake:
The shell sent him to hell, all right, but the shell came from a gun and somebody fired that gun. And somebody ordered him to fire it. And somebody else declared war before that. And thousands of others cheered in support of war and said that war was fine and courageous, and natural and inevitable and justified. And they were the people who killed Mary’s father. And she points towards the audience. She adds that, they will continue to kill him, in the same way in which they killed another Man (Jesus Christ) who came to bring peace to the world, so long as hate, greed, and nationalism are in their hearts.
She ends by saying that, “Not until there is economic sufficiency for everyone –
The Germans and the Jews, The British and the French, The Negroes and the Whites,
Not until the ‘haves’ share their riches with the ‘have-nots,’ not until men learn to love one another as they love themselves, will the world be ready for peace, and safe for Mary and Mary’s father.”
Miss. Goosens now objects to Mary’s ‘poem,’ saying that it was not a poem at all and that Mary has to recite another one. Mary refuses, but Miss. Goosens compels her.
End of the Dream: Into Reality:
Now the dream fades, when Miss.Goosens wakes up Mary from her sleep and asks her if she had finished writing her essay. Mary Blake refuses to write the essay even if they were to offer her a scholarship, and even if it means she’ll have to go back to work in the laundry, and it would be a better option as it is a ‘clean job.’
Mary Blake’s Dream: (Now, the rest of the action takes place in her dream.)
Miss.Goosens asks the girls to recite a nursery rhyme about the war. Lady Champion – Cholmondeley is summoned to adjudicate. Now, all the girls, in turn, begin to narrate their own absurd poems on the war. Lady Champion- Cholmondeley is not pleased with the poems recited by the girls.
Now, Miss. Goosens asks Mary if she is ready. Mary says ‘yes’ and just recites one line: “Who killed my father?”
To which the girls reply:
“I’ said the shell.
“I sent him to hell.
I killed your father.”
Miss. Armstrong now speaks out on these lines in defence of Mary Blake:
The shell sent him to hell, all right, but the shell came from a gun and somebody fired that gun. And somebody ordered him to fire it. And somebody else declared war before that. And thousands of others cheered in support of war and said that war was fine and courageous, and natural and inevitable and justified. And they were the people who killed Mary’s father. And she points towards the audience. She adds that, they will continue to kill him, in the same way in which they killed another Man (Jesus Christ) who came to bring peace to the world, so long as hate, greed, and nationalism are in their hearts.
She ends by saying that, “Not until there is economic sufficiency for everyone –
The Germans and the Jews, The British and the French, The Negroes and the Whites,
Not until the ‘haves’ share their riches with the ‘have-nots,’ not until men learn to love one another as they love themselves, will the world be ready for peace, and safe for Mary and Mary’s father.”
Miss. Goosens now objects to Mary’s ‘poem,’ saying that it was not a poem at all and that Mary has to recite another one. Mary refuses, but Miss. Goosens compels her.
End of the Dream: Into Reality:
Now the dream fades, when Miss.Goosens wakes up Mary from her sleep and asks her if she had finished writing her essay. Mary Blake refuses to write the essay even if they were to offer her a scholarship, and even if it means she’ll have to go back to work in the laundry, and it would be a better option as it is a ‘clean job.’
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