Whose Life Is It Anyway

The playwright 'whose life is it anyway?' written by Brian Clark is based around a sculptor called Ken, who has been paralysed neck down in a car accident and is told that he will never be able to move any part of his body again. Most of the action takes place around Ken's paralyzed body and his bed. The story's centre of attention is Euthanasia (whether Ken should be allowed to take his own life or not), which serves as the main plot of the story; however there are more issues at hand. The theme of the story is more of a dark comedy but there are also more serious themes involved in the subplots, including love, drama and social issues. Throughout the play Ken is battling for his right to die seeing that he is paralyzed and will not be able to carry on with his life. In this play, Clark explores the recurring themes of euthanasia, the power of bureaucrats and dignity for Ken to die with free will. It is only through techniques that the play writer is able to convey his ideas. Clark has effectively lightened this contemporary disheartening issue that many people are facing nowadays through the use of language such as the strong characters, black humour, innuendo, and metaphors. The characters play a significant role in this play. Ken is an example of this. He is able to give the audience an insight into his life by conveying his ideas. He does this by using black humour, puns and innuendo. He shows us what a valuable contributor to society he may have been because he is funny and clever. We like him, and realize what an enormity it would be to dull his brain because it is whole and working strongly, in contrast to his body. This leaves the audience nervous and edgy to see what happens next as they wouldn’t want to see a man as nice as ken give his life up.

Ken uses metaphorical language, which refers to sexual desire. After his accident he feels as he is not treated as a real human being but more like an unfortunate existence, that needs to be cared for.