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Sive. John B Keane. John B Keane. John B. Keane was born in 1928 in Listowel , County Kerry and it was here that he spent his literary career, running a pub which provided him with inspiration for his characters and ideas.
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Sive John B Keane
John B Keane • John B. Keane was born in 1928 in Listowel, County Kerry and it was here that he spent his literary career, running a pub which provided him with inspiration for his characters and ideas. • Keane, one of Ireland's most well known and respected literary figures, died on 30 May 2002 at the age of 73, after a long and difficult battle with cancer.
Sive - Background • Siveis a play that depicts Irish rural life in the 1950s. • The story is centered on an illegitimate eighteen year old girl called Sive. She lives with her uncle Mike, his wife Mena and Nanna, Mike’s mother. • A local matchmaker Thomasheendecides that Sive should marry an old man called Sean Dota. Sean is rich but very old and haggard.
Sive - Background • Thomasheen convinces Mike and Mena to organize the marriage of Sive to Sean Dota. They will receive two hundred pounds as soon as she marries him. • Sive however is in love with a young man called Liam Scuab. Mike refuses permission for Liam to marry Sive and Mike and Mena plan to force her to marry Sean Dota.
Sive - Background • The main character of the play is Sive, yet she rarely speaks in the play. We get a clear sense of how she is being used: her voice is literally drowned out by the power-hungry nature of the society in which she lives. • The drama is a clear tragedy – many of the characters reveal their selfishness and greed throughout the play. Money dominates almost every line of the play, which shows us the moral of the story -- that innocent people suffer in a society that is dominated by powerful and self-absorbed people.
Cast of Characters • Sive • Mike Glavin (Sive’s uncle) • Mena Glavin (Mike’s wife) • Nanna Glavin (Mike’s mother) • Thomasheen Sean Rua (the local matchmaker) • Sean Dota (the man Sive is meant to marry) • Liam Scuab (the man Sive wants to marry)
Questions • What clues are there that Nanna doesn’t like Mena? • How did Sive’s father die? • Why do you think Sive wants to know about her parents? • Thomasheen tries to convince Mena to marry Sive off to Sean Dota. Describe three ways he does this. • Do you think Sive and Sean Dota would be a good match? Explain why or why not.
Questions • What arrangement does Thomasheen make with Mena before he leaves? • What does Nanna think of Thomasheen? Find a quote from the play to back up your answer. • What does Mena say Mike has a great love of? • What is Mike’s reaction to the planned marriage between Sive and Sean Dota? Find a quote from the play to back up your answer.
Scene Two Questions • What kind of person do you think Sean Dota is? Give examples from the play to support your answer. • What excuse do Mena and Thomasheen make for Sive and Sean Dota to be alone together? • Why is Mike starting to come around to the idea of Sive marrying Sean Dota? • What do Mena and Thomasheen plan to do to keep Sive away from Liam Scuab? • What does Sive think of Sean Dota? Give examples from the play to support your answer.
Act 2 Scene 1 Questions • In your opinion, why do Mena and Mike lie to Liam and say that Sive isn’t getting married? • How does Liam try to persuade them to stop the marriage? • What reason does Mena give Sive for Liam calling to the house? • How do you think Sive feels after hearing that news? • How does Mike react when Nanna tries to persuade him to stop the marriage?