Cloud Nine: How Did Act 2 Fit?

[Joseph Shaker]

Hi guys, I was thinking about the play and right now I think I really enjoyed Act 1, but the second felt a bit out of place to me, I want to know what you think though.

In my opinion, Act 1 is excellent because it has a lot of irony and people are fighting against a societal norm. A conflict exists. Through the opening lines where everyone wants to be/serve a man, the excellent ironic (and comedic) timing of the mother-in-law, and the entire character of Clive, the acts of adultery and relationships are made more complex. Traditional English society adds a very strong sense of tension in the background. Everyone has to play nice and look pretty and clean in front of one another but everyone has something to hide. There are also themes like war and the treatment of slaves that broaden it past a big sex affair.

On the other hand, I think Act Two falls short becuase the conflict within it is much weaker. People are not fighting against society, they are just sleeping around and their lovers get upset. I think some of the flashbacks are cool, but to me I felt it is a lot more relationships/sex with a lot less of a broader picture. I guess it was less compelling to me because in that society, compared to the society in Act 1, the punishment for what the characters did was less so there was less tension

Maybe I misinterpreted it. What do you guys think? I still really enjoyed the play overall. There was a lot of awesome irony that was funny in the moment but really made me think.

[Henry Burby]

Good Question. I don’t have a definitive answer, but I think that the second act showed that, even though the punishments where less immediately severe, the people were still unhappy. The seventies where the morning after period of the sixties, and after the honeymoon was over, it was clear that sex doesn’t solve everything. The Sixties were a vital stage, and the greater freedoms allowed people to ask the questions of society, but ten years latter, the people had realized that freedom wasn’t the final answer, and that there is no final answer to be found. We just have to try and find what works, and carry on.

[Olivia Murphy]

Hey, nice analysis of the first act. I agree about the context of the 70’s Henry supplied, but I think the connection between the two time periods is another kind of irony: it is to illustrate that although 100 years have gone by, little change has really occurred within the spectrum of women’s rights and societal standards. I think the idea that the characters have only aged 25 years even though 100 years have gone by is a commentary that society has only progressed about 25 years in this time and that there is more work to be done. That’s why there is still conflict between relationship partners because although a certain progress has been made, they still don’t understand each other. Even within the gay male community there is a certain amount of oppression, as portrayed by the more feminine gay male feeling misunderstood. Additionally, the mother struggles to understand her children’s relationships, but at least she is making an effort. Etcetera.
I find this a bit exaggerated, but I still understand Churchill’s point. If you look at these changes through that perspective, the second act doesn’t seem that out of place. That is how I understand the play anyway. I don’t know if what I’m saying makes any sense, haha. I’m still fuzzy on some things, like why Edward started sleeping with women and what exactly Churchill was trying to say about parental relationships.

[jenniferchang]

From what I understand, I believe Act 2 was there to show how society has developed from the way it used to be, where it was mainly male-dominated. In Act 1, the males dictated the relationships and what happened, while the women just sat back and did what they were told. However, in Act 2, the women, and the gay guys, were able to be both sexually and socially free, to be able to live for themselves. I think that was the whole point of Betty’s speech at the end. She retracted her statements to Ellen, where she had told her that sex was not for a woman to enjoy, and to just “keep still”. She was able to defy Clive and her mother, and be her own person.

I thought this play was interesting. And I agree with Olivia, I felt it was a bit exaggerated, but it got the point across strongly, albeit a little confusingly.

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