Annotations

1. 'Don't put the lights up yet.... I'm not ready; I'm not quite ready'.
A: This line is taken from the one act play 'The sandbox' written by Edward Albee. The play depicts how old people are neglected and abused by their children. It is a mixture of realism and absurdism. Characters in the play give stage directions while enacting their rules mommy and daddy drag old grandma to the beach and leave her in a sandbox. They are actually waiting for her to die. It becomes dark on the stage and thunder is heard. It is a sign that grandma is about to die. Mommy pretends to cry mean while grandma is busy in the dark, trying to cover herself with sand. It takes a long time, She must appear to be dead by the time the lights are put up. She tries to hurry up she shouts out stage directions. She says that the lights should not be put up as yet as she is not ready.
Paragraph Question and Answer

1. Describe the role of the young man in the play The sandbox.
A: Edward Albee is a well known play writer of America. The one act play the sandbox is written by him. It the play grandma is dragged to the beach by mommy and daddy and left in a sandbox. A young man nearby is doing calisthenics. He continues his exercises till the end of the play. He is meant to represent the angel of death flapping his wings. The sandbox represents the deathbed. At last grandma shouts to the young man and the musician asking them to help her. The young man fembles and finally announces that he is the angel of death. He has to come to take her with him. He kisses on her forehead. Grandma comments that the young man is acting very well. As the musician continues to play grandma breathes her last.

G. Venkatesh