DNA: School Edition (Oberon Modern Plays)

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And when Phil becomes leader, he tries to deflect the blame altogether by blaming an imaginary pervert.' Everything is much better though, I mean really it is! Everyone's working together, they're a lot happier. It says "The nucleotides forming each DNA strand are connected by noncovalent bonds, called hydrogen bonds." but those are covalent peptide bonds. It should say the bonds holding the two DNA strands together are noncovalent hydrogen bonds.

Leah is a moral character and tries to reason with many of the characters. She is sensible and able to think for herself and speak her mind. However, she still falls under the leadership of Phil as she is not strong enough to alter the opinions and actions of anyone in the group. It's clear that the gang has its own set of rules, which override those of the world outside. Going outside the gangs ranks, is a no-no.' This is a very famous photograph. It's called Photograph 51. It was actually taken by another scientist, Rosalind Franklin and it's what's called an X ray diffraction photograph, so Franklin shone X rays through a sample of DNA molecules and the way they scatter or diffract off the molecules, the pattern they leave on the photographic plate, allows you to deduce the structure of those molecules. He gets us to frame an innocent person, gets someone to identify the body and kill Adam when he turns up alive.

The molecular structure of DNA

Act 4 Scene 2 Phil is sat with Richard in the field. The stage directions clearly state, ‘Phil is not eating.’ Although Richard takes Leah’s role, something is missing/ wrong as Phil is not eating. This is significant. Does he realise he needs Leah? She tried to use Adams death as an opportunity, rather than a crisis. Talking to the TV cameras, she's even prepared to frame an innocent man for their crimes.' DNA presents the issue that characters acting as a group demolishes the restrictions a person acting individually would usually impose on themselves. Resulting, is the person’s susceptibility to conformist groupthink. An example of this in the story is Mark and Jan’s retelling of the incident that lead to Adam’s presumed demise. Their repeated use of “we” implies that they were intoxicated with the power and freedom of consequence they felt, in acting as a group, “We’re having a laugh thinking what’s this nutter going to do next, we can make him do, we can make him do…”. After learning of Adam’s death, however, their fear of facing repercussions that mirror the intimidation and abuse they themselves executed on Adam, is revealed by their willingness to cover up the murder. This fear acts as proof to show that the bullies do have the ability to sympathize with Adam. Yet despite knowing of their wrongdoing, they continued to harass him. Why? You know, being bullies? Within a group? Or if it’s a constant theme of human history. Does that bother you Phil? Adam wants to be part of the group and Mark and Jan see exactly what he will do to be part of their gang:

Scene 1: Mark and Jan discuss that someone is ‘dead’ and this throws the audience into the middle of the action. A group of teenagers are bullying a boy at their school called Adam. They force him to do things he doesn’t want to do (like running across the motorway, letting them punch him, and eating leaves and dirt). One day their bullying goes to far, and while walking across a gate over a mine shaft whilst being pummeled with stones, Adam falls. So we were sort of, well alright, taking the p BLEEP s sort of. You know what he's like, he was sort of hanging around--

The Biological function of DNA

Leah: " It’s Adam, Phil, Adam! We used to go to his birthday parties, he used to have that cheap ice cream and we used to take the piss, remember?" (p58) Cathy appears to have a callous side when she obtains DNA evidence from an actual postman who fits the description Phil made up. Did she do this because she is a social climber who is trying to impress the leader, or did she genuinely not realise what she has done? (p38) Then we plant one of Adams jumpers, with the D.N.A of a random stranger on it near the scene of the crime, and we put them off our scent.