Cosi
“Working with these people has changed you”. How does Nowra show change in Lewis through the play in Cosi?
In the play, “Cosi” written by Lewis Nowra demonstrates his life through the character of Lewis Riley, who is the central character. The actions of Lewis and other characters are shown through the stage directions. His personality in the beginning is described to be a shy and an unsure University student who is still trying to figure out the society of the mid-sixties. Lewis started off only wanting to take the job at the asylum to become a director of a play because he needed the money to help him guide through University. But as the play continues on, Lewis begins to become a part of the group of people he is surrounded by and he helps them to gain the comfort of being themselves to get them “out of their shells”. Even though they were classed as “mental patients” he begins to realise that there is a part in them that is still normal and that he will prioritise towards helping all of them to be treated normally again before the people he sees outside on the daily basis. By working with the people in institution it has somehow changed Lewis to also get his personality away from the shyness and the unsureness that he had felt in the beginning.
This play shows an interesting display of the time when the Vietnam War was occurring. During the time of the war, moratoriums and other organisations led by men and women were to trigger the Australian government that they were highly against the conscription of men from the age of 20 years old and over. University students mainly had taken part of these actions due to the unwanted youth conscription of University students who just want to focus on their education rather than the fighting in the war against the Viet Cong. Lewis begins to change by becoming more interested in directing the play rather than joining his good friend, Nick and his girlfriend, Lucy to protest against the war along with the moratorium group.
In the play, “Cosi” written by Lewis Nowra demonstrates his life through the character of Lewis Riley, who is the central character. The actions of Lewis and other characters are shown through the stage directions. His personality in the beginning is described to be a shy and an unsure University student who is still trying to figure out the society of the mid-sixties. Lewis started off only wanting to take the job at the asylum to become a director of a play because he needed the money to help him guide through University. But as the play continues on, Lewis begins to become a part of the group of people he is surrounded by and he helps them to gain the comfort of being themselves to get them “out of their shells”. Even though they were classed as “mental patients” he begins to realise that there is a part in them that is still normal and that he will prioritise towards helping all of them to be treated normally again before the people he sees outside on the daily basis. By working with the people in institution it has somehow changed Lewis to also get his personality away from the shyness and the unsureness that he had felt in the beginning.
This play shows an interesting display of the time when the Vietnam War was occurring. During the time of the war, moratoriums and other organisations led by men and women were to trigger the Australian government that they were highly against the conscription of men from the age of 20 years old and over. University students mainly had taken part of these actions due to the unwanted youth conscription of University students who just want to focus on their education rather than the fighting in the war against the Viet Cong. Lewis begins to change by becoming more interested in directing the play rather than joining his good friend, Nick and his girlfriend, Lucy to protest against the war along with the moratorium group.