David Mamet's Oleanna is a play that at first is difficult to grasp in several areas. The plot structure is very difficult to follow. The conference between John and Carol does not seem to ever move towards a resolution. In addition to that, the language and lack of flow complicate things further.
             The quote I chose is spoken by John, the professor, in Act I of the play. It is a good example of the short and somewhat ambiguous phrases that John tends to use.
             "Well, you see? That's what I'm saying. We can only interpret the behavior of others through the screen we...(The phone rings.) Through..."
             These three lines from act one are very representative of the first portion of Oleanna. We the audience are witness to what at first seems to be the common situation in which a college student visits their professor's office hours to ask a question. However, one of the first noticeable characteristics of the play is the lack of flow of its dialogue. All conversation in the play seems to be very broken up and oftentimes difficult to interpret. Also it shows that even when the professor explains his ideas and thoughts in full, they are often abstract and indistinct. As I read through the first act, I saw no indication of any foul or deviant ulterior motives in his speech. The professor seemed to be a man of good nature and eager to help a student in need, all despite his tendency to use somewhat odd phrasing and cumbersome or complex language. This makes it all the more shocking to see how certain portions of dialogue from the first act have been used in Carol's report to the tenure committee to incriminate John.
             This next excerpt comes from the third act of the play. In this act, the play continues to change dramatically from its initial theme. We now see Carol completely asserting herself and John is now the person in disillusion.
             "I say it was not. I SAY IT...