A character study on Briggs in

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Lewis woodall

GA 5

Newfield School                                                                                                                                1/7/04

A character study on Briggs in “Our Day Out” and a selected scene from        “Our Day Out”.

For my character study I have chosen Mr. Briggs. I chose him because has a very defined character in the play, he is all ways described well in each scene. The play gives you his point of view and feelings on most subjects that come up.

        Mr. Briggs has a very different teaching method from the other teachers. I think this is because he teaches examination students, not learning difficulty students. Mr. Briggs’s classes are a lot stricter and he doesn’t vary his pattern, he also thinks that children should supervised all the time I think this because in scene 30 near the end he says “when we get to the castle we’ll split up into four groups. Each member of staff will be responsible for one group”. However Mrs. Kay would still supervise the children but would only shout at them when they had to move from example in scene 4 she shouts to “Maurice! Come away from that road” where as Mr. Briggs would be breathing down their necks all the time.

        I think that both of the teachers have their methods right for the class they teach. An examination class needs to be pushed so they don’t think they can walk thought the exams, where as a special needs class will need to take the whole thing slower. Mr. Briggs understanding of different teaching methods is none existent. He applies all the same rules to the special needs class as he would to the examination class I think part of this may be because he been teaching them all his career and he lacks the understanding of the special needs students.

        The first good scene with Mr. Briggs’s thoughts in is in the coach. Two boys who used to be in the progress class are coming on the trip. They are smoking on the back seat another boy wants to share the cigarette but the two boys not let him. Until Mr. Briggs comes to the back then one of the two boys gave it to the boy Mr. Briggs sees that one boy smoking and sends him down to the front he does not listen to him explain that the other two boys where smoking as well. I think that Mr. Briggs has tunnel vision when he see something he takes care of it, this is shown again when the children are at a shop one kid is running so Mr. Briggs disciplines him, mean time all the other kids are stealing from the shop. In my opinion I would have told him to slow down and move on the boy does not need a full depth reason. Mr. Briggs then takes that boys seat and when they are passing the docks starts to make conversation but he does not understand the boys background. He thinks that when one of the boy talks of his dad going away he means that his goes out to sea but the boy doesn’t mean that. I think that the boy actually means that his dad is in jail. I think Mr. Briggs is a new teacher and this is his first school and I think that he came from a ricer environment. When Mr. Briggs realises what the boy actually means he walks back down to the front on the way he notices that a girl is not in uniform. He thinks that, that is not acceptable and talks on even though they are on a school trip they should still be in uniform and look respectable.

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        Mr. Briggs view on education is that children should follow strict rules and be taught by telling it them rather than interacting with the children.

        The relationship between Mr. Briggs and Mrs. Kay is purely business. They know each other because they work in the same school as the play unrolls the relationship between Mr. Briggs and Mrs. Kay steadily declines until the scene on the cliff top where Mr. Briggs is with Carol where after Mr. Briggs is more pleasant and relaxed.

Mr. Briggs’s relationship with the kids follows the same pattern as his with Mrs. Kay.

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