Binge drinking, drug use, rape, murder and mateship. These five relatively serious social issues have been under weighed by our society. The issues that have been hidden in life are then revealed through texts. The play Blackrock and expository text Damage Done clearly reveals truths that reality has obscured. Binge drinking is a major issue which concerns teenagers. Blackrock is a play written by Nick Enright and shows how teenagers are allowed to purchase alcohol for a beach party that was unsupervised.
This was seen as socially acceptable in Blackrock’s community, “Toby had a supermarket trolley full of stacked beer cans. ” Teenagers should not have the power to purchase alcohol and provide tonnes of it at a party. This issue should not be socially acceptable, because if we accept teenagers buying lots of alcohol, the issue of binge drinking will just become a much bigger problem. The younger teenagers in Blackrock all respect Ricko. The young one’s see him as the ‘alpha male’. The younger teenagers look up to Ricko, therefore they mimic his actions to be socially accepted within the teenage group.
Ricko is seen in the most scenes of the play as consuming alcohol whether it be at a party, “You get us some beers and sausages, Tiff , “ or when he is just kicking back to relax. “ you’re going to get us some beers and we’ll sit up on the rock,” says Ricko to Tiffany. Ricko is always seemed to be drinking therefore he influences the younger teenagers to drink alcohol. Enright cleverly constructs Ricko to represent the issue of binge drinking that has been influenced by peer pressure. Enright clearly demonstrates the issues in reality that has been obscured.
Drug use was an issue that Enright has exposed in the play Blackrock. Though it was a minor issue in the text, it is a quite serious issue which could potentially be dangerous and fatal when overdosing. “Tonight, a session what do you reckon! ” says Ricko to Jared. By the tone of Ricko’s voice, it foreshadows how he is immediately excited and amused just talking about making plans for a session. “A session” refers to smoking marijuana, which is illegal in Australia. Not only is Ricko persuading Jared to put his life at risk for using drugs, but he is also influencing Jared to break laws.
Enright reveals how same adults in the society can put younger teenagers at risk. Through his exploration of this issue, it informs parents in particular about issues on society that have been hidden in real life. One of the major issues in the play was rape and murder of a fifteen year old girl, Tracy Warner. Tracy came to Toby’s party in a shirt and short skirt, which made guys in particular judge her as a “slut”, and a non virgin. “You know she was a virgin? ” asks Rachel, “Then why didn’t she act like one,” answers Jared.
The way Tracy was dressed made guys think that it was a signal that she was a “moll” who wanted to have sex. Tracy only wanted to lose her virginity to Toby, yet he allowed his three other mates to join in as they brutally gang raped her. An issue as brutal and cruel as this should not be hidden in the society, it should be told to people in the communities, so that girls in particular should be warned about it. The way the three boys acted upon her should not have been tolerated or even socially accepted.
The way they viciously raped her was an act of cruelty and sexual assault on women. People in the society should be told about issues as serious as this, therefore Enright promoted this issue to reveal truths that reality obscures. The murder of Tracy Warner brought upon the major issue of the play, mateship. Ricko was the criminal who in doubtfully murdered Tracy when she was staggering in pain after the vigorous raping by three other boys. Ricko tells Jared about the situation that his brought upon himself and Jared struggles to decide between what is right and his “mate”. Oh, come on mate, you know I’d do it for you”, says Ricko to Jared, as he pleads for help. The issue of mateship is a major in most teenagers lives, in particular boys. The issue has always been dealt with, even now, “bro’s before hoes. ” Enright demonstrates how the issue of mateship is a major issue that is affecting teenager’s lives which is a truth that reality has obscured. Damage done is an expository text written by Warren Fellows. The expository text is about the brutality and terror that Fellows had to experience.
This text also deals with some of the issues revealed in Blackrock. It deals with issues such as drug trafficking, rape, murder and misuse of justice. Fellows’ uses techniques to expose the issues that have been obscured in reality. The main issue explored in Damage Done was Fellows own experience of drug trafficking. The text is about Fellows horrifying nightmare living in Thailand prisons. Fellows had to live in Thai jails because he was caught drug trafficking in Thailand. “It is one that stays in my head and plays like a short horror movie over and over. He tells the story of how one mistake brought upon a terrifying nightmare that he can never forget. Fellows exposes the harsh punishments that drug trafficking can get you to experience, that reality has obscured. Fellows describes the Thai prison guards as very “evil” people who misuse their power to perform disgraceful actions. “He drove into the alleyway and savagely raped the young Thai girl. ” The words that would make you filled with disgust. Fellows exposes how the Thai prison guards are very disgraceful and despicable people who misuse their power and terrify innocent civilians.
Fellows reveals the truths about some prison guards in some particular countries that could misuse their power to behave inappropriately to a point where they can rape and murder civilians. “The Thai guards shot her father and her brother was beaten mercilessly, then she was raped by all of them. ” Texts are often written to reveal truths that reality obscures. This is evidently presented in Nick Enright’s play, Blackrock and expository text Damage Done by Warren Fellows. The issues that they explore are binge drinking, drug use, mateship, rape, murder, drug trafficking and misuse of justice.
The issues presented in both of the texts should not be socially accepted. Binge drinking and drug use should not be tolerated as they are very potentially dangerous chemicals that harm a teenagers developing brain. Not only, is the issue of drugs and alcohol important but the issue of mateship is very important in a teenagers life. It influences them to make wrong choices and decisions. The issue of misusing power should be ceased, as the lower class people should be socially seen as equal. They do not deserve to be shot, killed or raped. VEEEEE LE LUU.
