「現代社会における葛藤：演劇、家族、そしてテクノロジー」の英語長文問題

The flickering stage lights illuminated Aiko’s face, etched with the weariness of a demanding rehearsal schedule. Her latest production, a modern interpretation of a classic Noh play, was nearing its premiere. The pressure was immense; the success of the play rested heavily on her shoulders as the director. Yet, a different kind of pressure weighed even more heavily on her mind: her aging mother’s declining health. Aiko’s mother, Hana, had recently been diagnosed with a debilitating illness, requiring round-the-clock care. Aiko, the only child, felt a profound responsibility to provide that care, wrestling with the conflicting demands of her demanding artistic career and her familial duties. She had applied for a period of parental leave from her theater company, but the application was met with hesitation from the management who were worried about the disruption to the play’s schedule, a production already behind schedule due to unexpected setbacks. Adding to her stress was the limited mobile data plan she had. Constantly checking on her mother via video calls consumed her mobile data rapidly, leaving her with a paltry amount each month for her own work. She found herself meticulously budgeting her data, prioritizing video calls with her mother over checking emails or doing online research for the play, a task that often required large amounts of data. The irony was not lost on Aiko; her work, which explored themes of human connection and sacrifice, now felt distant, even meaningless, in the face of her real-life struggle to balance her professional aspirations with the urgent needs of her family. The digital tools that were supposed to bridge the distance between her mother and herself had instead become another source of anxiety and limitation. She wondered whether she was capable of managing the competing demands of her three worlds: the demanding world of theatrical production, the deeply personal world of caring for her aging mother, and the frustratingly limited world of mobile data and communication.