Our Day Out - character study of Mr Briggs

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                                                                                                       Our Day Out     

                                                                                                          Mr Briggs

 Mr Briggs is a very complicated character to work out. Both him and Mrs Kay are very different. Mrs Kay is a very caring person and very easy going where as Mr Briggs is very strict and enjoys the fact that he has been sent on the trip as a spy. He has been sent as a spy to watch Mrs Kay because he knows that she is easy going and the children run rings around her because shes too soft and as a teacher he is reliable and trustworthy and will do exactly that.

When we first meet Briggs in the play driving along the poor Liverpool streets, the lollipop man Les refurs to him as a 'arigant git' which shows hes not respected by people, even people who dont know him as a person.

 We first meet mrs Kay at the school gate surrounded by children and this hows she is popular with the children. She gives mr Briggs a cheery and happy greeting "Good morning mr Briggs."but he only replies with a grumpy and misarable "Morning".

 Mrs Kay has organised a school trip for the progress class which is a special class for the special needed children. Two of the older boys, Reily and Digga also want to go on the trip but if mrs Kay had her own way she would take them but she knows its against the rules and asks them to get a note to ask if they can go but just as they both think they got their own way, she catches them out "If i dont ask for a note you'll just hide behind the corner for ten mintues and say he said you could go." She tells the children to get on the bus but the driver stops them because he doesnt want chocolate or lemonade on his bus but mrs Kay takes him for a private chat, facing him away from the bus so the two young teachers can get the children on the bus without him seeing and she tells him about what they go through but she exadurates to win him over to the childrens side and feel sorry for them and she succeeds. She knows what she was doing because when the young teacher Susan asks what did she say she said she lied. "Lied like hell of course." She knows very well that they have got sweets and drinks.

When the children and teachers hear he is coming along on the trip they are disappointed because they know he will ruin the day because hes grumpy and they dont like him and he will spoil the day. He gets on the bus and amedately barks at the children to sit down and behave. He shouts without a reason, he always expects the worst and then he starts giving the children a lecture about how to enjoy the day and tells them how to enjoy themselves. He doesnt think of the fact that Mrs Kay has already talked to them and he wants to show not only the children but to show the teachers that he is incharge of the trip. He starts insulting them to Mrs Kay "You've got a right bunch...". The children just say "Yes sir" to keep him happy but they don't really intend to do what he says.

 Briggs tells Mrs Kay that the driver is a headcase. He is showing that he totally disagrees about the kids unlike the driver, he does not feel sorry for the children or even think about their poor lifes.

 A few boys in the back of the bus are smoking but Briggs only catches one boy, Andrews. He shouts at him and sends him to the front of the bus. He is very strict and would not let Andrews argue or answer him back. "I said get to the front!" Briggs stays at the back of the bus and sits between the 2 boys to make them behave.

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 Briggs starts talking to Digga about the docks as they pass the South Docks. He tells them how he goes there on the weekend to take pictures but Digga tells him that his dad works there and hates it. Briggs doesnt understand why he hates it so much because its a nice place but this shows he doesnt understand about the lifes these people have.

 Briggs see's Linda kneeling on her seat talking to Karen on the seat behind her. Briggs gets up and walks towards her. He seems to "pick" on her for the sake of it, about her ...

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