Look at the Way Tension is Built up in Scene 35. Examine the Characters of Mr. Briggs and Carol Chandler and Explain how Language adds to the Dramatic Effect of this Scene.

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Look at the Way Tension is Built up in Scene 35. Examine the Characters of Mr. Briggs and Carol Chandler and Explain how Language adds to the Dramatic Effect of this Scene.

‘Our Day Out’ is a play by Willy Russell about a school trip. The trip is undertaken by the Progress Class, also known as the remedial/S.E.N class. Mrs. Kay teaches the Progress Class and has organized the trip.

 “Y’ go down there in the week if y’ can’t do sums or writing. If y’ backward like.”  At the very beginning of the play Carol explains to Les, the lollipop man, what the progress class is. The progress class is part of an inner-city comprehensive school in a rough area of Liverpool. The trip is to Conwy Castle in Wales but has many unscheduled trips going and coming back. The stops include a trip to the zoo, a beach and the fair.

        The trip has no educational value and as Mrs. Kay says just before they leave

“We want everyone to enjoy themselves.”  

Mrs. Kay says this because she knows that the children won’t have many days like this in their lives so she wants to make it a good day out for them.

The teachers that are meant to accompany the trip are Susan Colin and Mrs. Kay but the head teacher doesn’t trust Mrs. Kay and sends Mr. Briggs to accompany them

“I don’t want to be unprofessional but I get the feeling that she sees education as one long game.”

The teachers on the trip don’t want Mr. Briggs on the trip in much the same way that Mr. Briggs doesn’t want to be on it either.

“He’s come to keep an eye on us.”

“Make sure we don’t enjoy ourselves.”

        Throughout the play a conflict between Mr. Briggs and Mrs. Kay builds up which finally breaks in scene 31.

        Mr. Briggs is a man in his thirties and teaches examination classes.

 “We can get Frank Collins to take over your examination classes for the day.”

Both Mr. Briggs and the head teacher believe that Mrs. Kay isn’t a good teacher. Nobody really likes Mr. Briggs other than the head. Even Les, the lollipop man, has something to say about Mr. Briggs.

“Arrogant get that one is.”

Mr. Briggs is waiting for something to happen on the trip so that he can report it to the head and all the other staff on the trip know that that is what he will do as soon as they arrive back at school. Mr. Briggs is seen as a child hater, which we can see when he speaks to Mrs. Kay when he is speaking on the bus

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“You’ve got some real bright sparks here, Mrs. Kay a right bunch,”

 And when he and Mrs. Kay are talking in the castle during scene31 he accuses Mrs. Kay of been on the children’s side “You are on their side aren’t you?” which makes it completely obvious that he sees the children as a different species of people who don’t deserve his respect.

Mrs. Kay, on the other hand, is a kind person who likes the children. She has

unusual teaching methods and to Mr. Briggs “She always reminds me of a mother hen rather than a teacher.” This is quite ...

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