Perhaps some aspiring dramatist would write the play, "Martha" similar to Brecht's, "Mother Courage."

http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/mothercourage/fullsumm.html

ClassicNote on Mother Courage and Her Children

Scene One

The play opens in Dalarna, a province of Sweden, in 1624 during the Thirty Year's War. The Swedish army is recruiting for a campaign in Poland. A Recruiting Officer complains to his Sergeant that it is impossible to recruit the number of men he is expected to find and that he might as well commit suicide. The Sergeant agrees with him and says that what the people need is a good war, explaining that war forces people to become organized. The Recruiting Officer sees Mother Courage approaching in her wagon. She comes onstage seated on the wagon with her daughter Kattrin while her two sons pull the wagon like animals.

The Sergeant stops her wagon and demands to know who she is. Mother Courage sings a song telling the troops to come and buy from her. The Sergeant demands her papers, and she explains that she got her name, "Mother Courage", in Riga when she ran through the bombardment because she was afraid her loaves of bread would get moldy and ruin her business. She then hands the man various papers, but they are not what he is looking for. He demands to know all of their names, and Mother Courage informs him that her eldest son is named Eilif, her next son is named Swiss Cheese, and her daughter is named Kattrin. All of her children have different fathers.

The Recruiting Officer focuses on Eilif and tries to take him away to sign him up for the army. Mother Courage prevents him. The Sergeant argues with her, saying first that Eilif should be a soldier instead of a peddler, and then arguing that Mother Courage is a hypocrite for making money on the war but not allowing her own sons to fight in it. He then tells her to look at him, a man who enlisted when he was only seventeen. Mother Courage tells him he will not see twenty.

She pretends to be able to predict the future. She takes two pieces of parchment and puts a black cross on one of them; the other she leaves blank. She then puts them in a helmet...

From the analysis:
"Basically, she has learned nothing, saying, "I must get back into business." "

Fascinating . . .I wonder if you could send this synopsis to Martha, and what she would make of it.

Nancy

Nancy, Eric, Frank,

thanks. I feel the same way, Martha did not really do anything that bad. But I guess, she feels a bit now that this new experience can enrich her. She will be able to understand more people being in prison, she even mentioned something about it.

Of course, I do not wish anybody this kind of experience, but she is a tough woman, she will be all right!