What happened after that?

Act I, Scene 4

Mr. M is alone onstage; he delivers a monologue directly to the audience. He starts by talking about Confucius's ideas about life, since he identifies as a Confucian. Specifically, he talks about the idea that someone eagerly pursuing knowledge forgets all sorrows and other concerns, saying that it is not exactly true for him, even if he does pursue knowledge eagerly. He moves on to another idea of Confucius's—that he could do anything his heart prompted without transgressing what was right. He says he is envious of Confucius, that he could be so sure of his morals to be able to wake up and know you will only do things that are right. Even though he is old, Mr. M says he cannot have such a calm heart, and he describes his state of constant inner turmoil as being like a zoo full of mad, hungry animals. He extends the metaphor to say one of the animals, Hope, has broken out; this, he says, is why he is a teacher—to keep his hope alive.

In closing, he summarizes his life. His full name is Anela Myalatya and he is a 57-year-old bachelor who lives a simple life going back and forth between his small home and his small classroom. He compares these two spaces to matchboxes, describing his bare room which only has a table, a chair, and a bed. He describes how people yell to him as he runs between his two places, telling him that he'll be late, and he remarks that they are right—"History has got a strict timetable. If we're not careful we might be remembered as the country where everybody arrived too late" (p.34).