English composition drama essay Essay

Watching a drama clearly is more effective than reading a drama, and in the same perspective comparing a drama that is watched to a short fiction that is read is undeniably on two different ends of the spectrum. The usefulness of a story that has more meaning within itself than intended on when watching itself play out compared to reading a short fiction clearly holds watching the drama more advantageous. But other than just that the effectiveness between watching and reading a drama gets called into question. Watching a drama has an advantage when compared to reading a short fiction because of the way the drama is acted out giving the audience more depth and meaning to the story. There is a clear advantage to watching a drama compared to reading a short fiction. To be able to understand the advantages, one must understand the notable differences between the two. Firstly, short fictions are designed to be read, unlike dramas, which are meant to be acted out in front of an audience. Also, with short fictions the reader is informed about the setting or other important details that are described in the text. However, the setting in a drama is visually portrayed by many elements. The audience sees the exact setting that the author illustrated with his wording. Besides the author’s description of the time and place, other visuals such as costumes give the audience a more definitive perception of the setting. The advantage that drama has over short fiction is that the drama provides the audience with the exact setting that the author constructed while the readers of fiction have to imagine their own setting, which will always vary between one reader and the next. The use of tone also gives a drama the upper hand against a short fiction because short fictions lack the visual components that dramas are able to incorporate in the performance. Such as, the use of lighting, interchangeable scenery, and appropriate props that emphasize the desired tone communicated by the author’s directions. â€Å"For instance, if the playwright wants to evoke an atmosphere of anticipation, that something dreadful is about to happen, the lighting can be adjusted to create a dark, forbidding set†(LearningExpress, 2). Watching a drama is very effective in constructing meaning because of the precision to details the author provides. When an audience can physically see what is going on in a drama, a conflict or resolution becomes easier to comprehend rather than reading a short fiction that does not have nearly as much descriptive detail that a drama expresses. â€Å"This enables the dramatist to create very realistic atmospheres that will convey to the audience a particular mood in the drama†(LearningExpress 2). Something simple as the way characters are dressed in a drama give meaning to their social status such as, someone that is wealthy, or someone that lives in poverty. When given the option to either watch, or read the drama, the decision that is made should always be to watch the drama. It is much more effective to watch the drama in comparison to reading it. â€Å"†¦drama is not intended to be read off the printed page but to be acted out in front of an audience(LearningExpress, 1). If one were to read a drama instead of watching it, then the reader will experience the possibility of misinterpreting the author’s directions for the way a character is meant to speak at a certain time in the drama, which can cause confusion for the reader. Also, the experience of being a part of a large audience watching a drama proves to be a more effective than simply reading it. â€Å"When we read the written script of a play, †¦ but we cannot experience the reactions of other people as they watch the drama with us†(LearningExpress 5). Seeing the reaction of an audience gives a greater sense of appreciation of dramas and their ability to affect many people at once. Dramas were written to be a performance and not to be read to one’s self. Ultimately, watching a drama over reading short fiction clearly has its advantages. The visual elements in a drama such as the set, costumes, and props are completely understood and appreciated fully compared to the two different ideas that were separately concluded from different readers of a fiction novel. The functionality in a drama to provide the audience with the same outlook compared to the various different messages fictions can convey is the main advantage watching dramas has over reading fictions. The concise detailing an author provides in their dramas lets the audience find the meaning in a simpler way. Watching a drama is proven to be much more effective because of the overall experience each audience member get to appreciate. Work Cited â€Å"Reading Drama Study Guide: GED Language Arts, Reading. † Education. com. LearningExpress Editors, 9 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 June 2013. .