The Magnolia Tree Film Analysis

The field of performing arts successfully highlight the issue of voluntary euthanasia, illustrating the significance of the topic, and the ever-evolving debate surrounding it. The many disciplines of performing arts such as music, theatre and dance can be utilised to persuade an audience of a certain opinion on voluntary euthanasia.

Playwrights produce empathetic, realistic characters the audience can connect to and empathise with. By creating characters that feel complete and don’t lack feelings, the audience are much more likely to be persuaded by the show and the characters themselves. Furthermore, using the Stanislavski approach, actors and actresses can effectively use pathos to persuade the audience to understand the importance of

This is evidenced in Michael Griffith’s The Magnolia Tree. The premise of the play is simple; an old mother with Alzheimer’s Disease is deteriorating before her children’s eyes. Throughout the play, the children discuss what to do with their mother since caring for her at home is no longer possible. One suggests putting her into a nursing home whilst another argues that euthanising her is the best solution. Despite the characters’ discussion on what to do, it is not them that make the decision. Instead, the audience is polled on whether or not they should euthanise the mother, challenging the beliefs of the viewers. After the audience has finished answering this confronting question, the option with the most votes is played out on stage. By having two endings, Griffith has shown his unique take on theatre, one that invites the audience into the play and in turn challenges their thoughts and opinions. Additionally, by giving the audience the autonomy to choose, Griffith employs logos to question the viewer’s opinions. This gift of choice allows the audience to use their own logic to decide what is right, after they have seen both sides fairly and logically argued. This forces the audience to confront the issue and may even persuade them to a side they would not usually