1. ‘The old were well looked after, as long as they didn’t outstay their welcome.’ What does this mean, in your opinion?
3 2. Do you think that the Wall may be a symbol for something else? Explain your answer.
3. People have become so used to the Wall that they have started ignoring it. Only one person seems to be curious as to what is on the other side. What reasons might someone have for not wanting to know what is on the other side of a wall or barrier?
3 4. What is the message in this play, in your opinion? Explain your answer.
5. Imagine you are the director of Over the Wall. Describe how you would stage this play. (a) How would you represent the Wall on stage? (b) What kind of clothing and props would you give the actors? (c) How would you portray the time and place of the play?
Investigate
Look at places throughout the world and across history where walls have been built and people divided. Choose one wall or barrier and write a news article describing what its purpose was, where it was constructed and if it was eventually broken down.
Create
1. Think of a time where you have come up against a wall or barrier and not known what was on the other side. Write the opening to a short story inspired by the title ‘Over the Wall’.
2. Barriers or walls aren’t always used to divide us, sometimes they are there to protect us. Organise a class debate on the following motion: This house believes that good fences make good neighbours.
3. (a) Think about a time when you put up a barrier or a wall between yourself and someone else. Ask yourself:
Why was this barrier necessary? What kind of things might you miss out on if you did not break down the barrier? Why was it hard to break down this barrier?
Write a personal essay outlining your views in the space provided on pages 47–48 of your Portfolio.
(b) Redraft your personal essay in the space provided on pages 116–117 of your Portfolio.
