Topic 13 - Shared knowledge and absurdist drama (Session B) > Zoo Story > Task D > answer

Zoo story

Task D – Our answer

Peter clearly has the traditional schematic assumptions concerning children and marriage. So we may well begin to assume that he has a fairly traditional set of attitudes. So far, from the evidence of turn 3, it appears that Jerry has the same schematic assumptions too. Indeed the exclamation mark at the end of his utterance in turn 3 suggests that he is pleased that Peter is married (and Peter has effectively confirmed Jerry’s assumption in turn 4). But what Jerry says in turn 5 appears to contradict the schematic assumption that he held in turn 3. This lack of consistency in Jerry’s apparent assumptions from turn to turn is clearly absurd and unsettling, both for Peter and the audience.

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