'Boys from the Black Stuff ' - 'yossers story '.

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English Coursework

Alan Bleasdale wrote a series of five plays called ‘Boys from the Black Stuff ’

 They are all about five different people in five different situations of unemployment.

I will be studying a play called ‘yossers story ‘.

In the mid 80’s unemployment was very high, riots broke out as the unemployment stormed through Liverpool looking for justice. The plays which Alan Bleasdale wrote were all through Liverpool, thousands of people were unemployed throughout Liverpool.

To this day people see the unemployed as lazy, poor, unhappy and homeless, people who just walk around the streets, sleeping outside, on park benches, in shop doorways, in cardboard boxes, no homes, no jobs and no money, left to beg on the streets.

Traditionally plays have followed a set of events in three parts.

The first part of the play is called “exposition” were everything is under control and calm. The second section of the play is called “complication” where all order has been dispensed with and chaos reigns.

The third and final part of the play is the resolution where order returns and in most comedies it normally ends in a marriage, the end result is happiness.

A Protagonist is the main character of the play, the leading man or woman such as Bruce Willis in Die Hard, or Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, a protagonist always “saves the day”. Yosser is the opposite. Bleasdale’s reasons for making Yosser an anti-hero was to educate people into understanding what it could be like to be unemployed, someone you may be able to connect with, the experience of understanding what it would be like if we found ourselves in that position.

 Yosser takes his children to the pub. The Landlord of the pub says to Yosser “ Sorry Yosser – No children in here”. Yosser once again just stares blankly. The Landlord feels intimidated and lets them stay. Yosser sits next to Grame Souness and says “You look like me” Graeme looks at Yosser and replies “right”.

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Yosser, on the other hand is total opposite, he is so not a hero, and unfortunately he is the “loser” often weak and sometimes violent. Yosser is an untidy, scruffy person who has no job; no direction in life, his wife left him.Yosser is unemployed. Even though Yosser might be a loser he still maintains a strong bond with his three children. There is an unconditional love between them. Yosser fears he may lose his children, he never lets them out of his sight. The children are an integral part of Yosser’s life. Even though Yosser might be a loser ...

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