Our Day Out. The character who I sympathised the most is Mr Briggs although that he is strict, bossy and annoying I like him because he will teach children

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Ashley Buchanan

Our Day Out

The title of the play I read was called “Our Day Out,” by Willy Russell.  The play is about children who are taken on a trip by four teachers and they are on their way to Conway Castle but they stop at many other places such as the zoo, the beach and the fair and all the children are all happy and glad to be out of terrible city of Liverpool so I feel sad for them cause they live in a bad city, when I live in a nice clean neighbourhood.  In my essay I shall be referring to the question in the play Our Day Out with whom do I sympathise most Mrs Kay or Mr Briggs.  Mr Briggs is who I sympathise with most.

The play is set in Liverpool and a school is off on a trip but as they rush off, to pile on the bus but the children were stopped by the driver and Mrs Kay makes the driver feel sorry for the children because they live in poor area and school: “we usually do the better schools.”  The school is bad as is the town.  The progress class is for all the children who have difficulty reading, writing and understanding subjects: “by Christ I’ll bet she’s kept busy, they’re all bloody backward round here,” This tells me that most of the children are all quite stupid and dumb and won’t gain a real job.

We are introduced to Mrs Kay, the progress class teacher when she is getting the children ready to get on the bus.  She treats the children like they are just 5 years old, just like a mother to love and care for them:

“Well if the antics in her department are anything to go by, she always reminds me of a mother hen rather than a teacher.”

She is more of a mother than a teacher which was said by Mr Briggs.  The children respond to her as a mum by just saying no and yes and she tried to make the children say her real name, but they forgot it so the same response to Mrs Kay is positive.  Before they left they were on the coach being told that there is only one rule today: “think of yourselves but also think of others as well.”  I can tell that Mrs Kay has no respect for the school being presented or how the children really behave she just wants’ them just to have fun.

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We learn about what Mrs Kay is like when we see her with Carol.  Carol is asking Mrs Kay questions about the place that she lives and is comparing it to much nicer places but Mrs Kay says nothing and just comforts her.  In the stage directions: “smiles at her and links her arm.”  She cares for carol and doesn’t say anything to her for that Mrs Kay knows that she won’t be very successful in her life and be able to afford a nice house in a nice place, for that she isn’t really smart enough to obtain ...

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