“The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds”

“The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” Paul Zindel Introductory Notes

Topics….. • Triumph in the face of adversity • Self-image • Dreams • The inability to make meaningful human connections • Half-life

Style…. Setting • Set approximately in the 1960’s • Most of the action takes place in the front room of the Hunsdorfer house, a wooden structure that was once a vegetable shop run by Beatrice’s father • House is rundown and cluttered

Voiceovers • the play is framed by Tillie’s voiceovers • Allows her to speak her true feelings and dreams Comic relief • Used at various times to break the tension Telephone calls • Intrusion of the outside world • Provides a way for the playwright to expand Beatrice’s character

Terms…. Gamma ray – a high energy photon emitted after a nuclear reaction or spontaneously from the nucleus of a radioactive atom that lowers the energy level of the nucleus Half-life - The time a radioactive substance takes to lose half its radioactivity through decay

Cobalt 60 • A naturally radioactive isotope of cobalt that has a mass number of 60, spontaneously emits strong gamma radiation and is used in radiotherapy and in industry Marigold - A common garden plan, native to tropical America, with scented stems and strikingly rich yellow or orange flowers

“The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds”