Personal Reflection and Progression

After a recent tutorial with Sharon regarding my work for the other unit, I have looked critically at what I have produced in this one and have applied some of the suggestions for improvement in the other assignment to this one as well. I am aware that I have struggled with time management in this project and this has led to difficulties in the design process. I feel that in learning to manage my time better, I will be able to produce more visually impressive designs and subsequently more skilled outcomes. In order to achieve this I need to complete the following tasks:

• Add visuals into research for Sally- There are not enough images. Consider further use of images in all research going forwards
• Publish the moodboard which informed my designs- People need to see this in order to undestand the characters I have created
• Write reflectively on my work throughout the creative process- Think critically. What could I improve? How? What have I done well? Could I build upon this? How?
• Catch up on work missed- I was absent for the Anita Berber continuity work but have partnered with Leonie who is also yet to complete this. With this in mind, I will complete the look this Wednesday and the continuity run the following week in order to get this done in time for deadline and within the guidelines set.
• Diversify research sources- utilise the library!
• Include more practical posts- I need to show that I have practised my design ideas and am able to write critically on these to improve my outcomes and demonstrate that I am approaching work on a practical level. 
• Ensure all final outcomes are published on the blog with critical evaluations on the process. Consider areas for improvement as well as strengths

How Do You Understand the Role? Key Words and Summary

Sally's role in the play represents the decadence of the era; Bowles is a fantasist, displaying frivolous and debauched behaviour which ultimately leads her to a fall from grace with the pregnancy and subsequent abortion.

Previously, it is clear that Sally thinks her flightiness is smart- she brags about this a lot until she realises she is pregnant and unsure of who has fathered the child... On this realisation she attempts to dismiss it as a joke but I believe this to be part of the façade she presents to the world.

When discussing the fact that her intention is to have an abortion, Cliff asks Sally if she has done this before and she responds that she has "thousands of times." This attitude to the predicament she is in masks Sally's true feelings.

In the original text, Sally is described during this period as wearing increasingly heavy make-up; this could reflect her desire to hide from the world, covering up her true self from those around her but could also be a result of her lifestyle of excess As Sally is a heavy smoker her skin would probably be dull, the continual drinking and morning sickness would lead to bloodshot eyes and she would attempt to detract attention from this with thick make-up, causing herself to appear more sickly in the process.

What Will Happen If They Don't Get It Now?

By reading on from the chosen scene, we can establish that Sally has an abortion as a consequence of her unstable personal circumstances. However, further research into Weimar Berlin tells us that this move forwards is risky for Sally. According to what I have read, abortion in Germany was illegal in the early 20th Century; despite wide discussion about reversing this, sentences for abortion were reduced during the Weimar Republic period and abortion was only legal in cases where the life of the mother jeopardised by the pregnancy.

Despite laws preventing abortion, studies show that it was still a reasonably common practice and that population was in steep decline due to use of contraceptives and illegally performed terminations. According to an article in the New Oxford Review:

"Contraception, of course, was not foolproof, so abortions multiplied and "official disapproval" of them faltered. In 1917 new guidelines set forth by the Reich Health Council allowed abortions "on the strictest health grounds," only if approved by two doctors. In 1926 the law on abortions was mollified, and in 1927 the Supreme Court allowed doctors to perform "therapeutic" abortions. German law on abortion became "one of the most liberal in the world" because doctors could easily convince officials that any abortion was necessary for "health" reasons."

Barbeau Gardiner, A. (2009). The Road to Hitler Was Paved With Abortions. Available: http://www.newoxfordreview.org/reviews.jsp?did=1209-gardiner. Last accessed 23rd Oct 2014.


The need for the procedure to be approved by two doctors would have been financially strenuous in times which were already economically difficult; Germany had been through a period of hyperinflation, meaning the currency (the German Mark) declined in value and the cost of living increased. The financial implications of abortion are mentioned in the script and discussed at length in the book... As Sally is unemployed, financial stress would possibly have an affect on her appearance as well as the initial symptoms of pregnancy. 

Why Do They Want It? Why Do They Want It Now?

Obviously Sally's desire to be loved and settle down is not entirely linked to her pregnancy- I think a feeling like that would take time to develop but as Sally has suspected she may be pregnant for some time, confirming the fact will have put her in a vulnerable position. When we are vulnerable, support is one of our core needs and I think Sally believes that the support of a loving partner would solve all of her troubles. If Sally was in a relationship with the father of her unborn child, she would not need to consider abortion as an option- or, at least, this is how Sally views a relationship but she could simply be thinking in an idealistic way; nevertheless, Sally wants love more that ever right now because she sees this as a way of gaining security and avoiding the dilemma of whether or not to continue with her pregnancy.

What Do They Want?

Sally is a character who makes me feel sad for her- She comes across as brash and flighty, having brief affairs with a variety of men but I believe that what Sally truly desires is a loving relationship. In my chosen scene, Sally and Cliff are discussing what he can write his book about; Cliff suggest writing about her and Sally responds with the following:

"Of course! I told you I'd inspire you! "The Affairs of Sally." But make me ravishing and sublimely seductive- so no man can resist me- not even a very handsome, rather strange, young American... Who allows me to share his room... and his bed- and falls desperately in love with me! (Pause) This is fiction! A guaranteed bestseller!"

Masteroff, J & Ebb, F. (1967). Prompt Book, Cabaret. Available: http://nutic.wikispaces.com/file/view/CABARET+Script.pdf. Last accessed 23rd Oct 2014. 

If we take this extract at face value, this is an idea that Sally has invented merely to inspire Cliff's writing; however, if we read between the lines, I think we can see that it is much more than this to her. We know that her idea for the novel is partly based in truth- Sally is prone to many affairs... and I think it safe to assume that the slant of a love story she puts on this is based on a deep-rooted desire for love. Having just found that she is pregnant, Sally would be feeling vulnerable... No steady relationship to rely on, limiting her options and backing her into a corner. I think the most notable part of the above quote is the stage direction when Sally pauses... She has expressed this idea that someone could love her and then cuts off her train of thought, eventually continuing to dismiss the idea as fiction which would be the stuff of great acclaim. I think this dismissal of the relationship she talks about is a front to cover her vulnerability, she has shown a glimpse of her true self, beneath the façade and quickly back tracks to cover this up. Another reason that she might do this is because she is aware of the fact that keeping the baby is not an option, even though this is probably what she wants- covering the desire for love as a mistake will make it easier for her to pretend that an abortion is what she wants, avoiding questions from those closest to her.  

Sally's previous scene- Where has she just come from?

Looking back through the script, the scene that Sally appears in immediately prior to the one I have chosen is Act One, Scene Five. This scene, like Scene Nine, also takes place in Cliff' room but the two are not alone; instead, they are joined by Ernst who is having an English lesson and later Fraulein Schneider. Sally enters the room part way through the scene wearing a fur coat and smoking a cigarette in a rather long cigarette holder; she is in seemingly rather high spirits which conflicts with the stage directions in my chosen scene. As there is such a conflict between my chosen scene and Sally's previous one, I have decided to construct an idea of where Sally has come from when she enters Cliff's room in Scene Nine; the stage directions for the scene read as follows:

Masteroff, J & Ebb, F. (1967). Prompt Book, Cabaret. Available: http://nutic.wikispaces.com/file/view/CABARET+Script.pdf. Last accessed 23rd Oct 2014.

As Sally has just confirmed her pregnancy in this scene, it is reasonable to assume that she has come from the Doctor's surgery. Clearly in a state of shock, despite being a heavy drinker anyway, Sally comes in and pours herself a shot of gin immediately regardless of knowing that she is pregnant. Perhaps Sally's decision to drink here is down to "dutch courage" as she has yet to tell Cliff the news.

When is it?

Isherwood mentions that Sally's suitor Klaus leaves for England in mid-January, and that shortly afterwards, he writes to Sally breaking off their relationship. Isherwood continues to describe how, in the weeks following this, he and Sally spent much of their time together. During this time, Sally expressed that she thinks she may be pregnant but dismisses the topic when encouraged to see a Doctor. It seems to be soon after this that the pair meet Clive and the heavy drinking ensues so I can only deduce that this all takes place around the end of February. Nearing the end of winter, the trees would still be bare and and the weather still particularly cold, in fact, when I looked up the temperature of Berlin at this time of year it seems that it is generally around 10 degrees at it's highest. 

Although it doesn't mention anything about Sally being unwell, I know that she is pregnant at this point and that pregnant women are more prone to cold and flu like viruses. Add to this the cold weather and Sally's heavy drinking and I think her appearance would be suffering considerably. Her skin would be dry, her nose perhaps as red as her bloodshot eyes. Clothing would still be heavy to keep out the cold and in a previous scene, Sally is described as wearing a canary yellow beret and a shabby fur coat. 

I feel this photo I took last winter (right) reflects the gloomy atmosphere of winter in Weimar Berlin, as well as the poor-disguised melancholy of the troubled Sally. 

I also would like to try and find a yellow beret to include in my image as I feel that this would not only link back to the story, but would add to Sally's aura of obsession. As Patti Bellantoni states in her book on colour:

"Bright yellow is associated with obsession, whereas the more orange-amber is welcoming and comforting"

Bellantoni, P. (2005). Innocent, Cautionary and Idyllic Yellows. In: Actipis, E. and Anderson, C. If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die. Oxford: Elsevier. p71.