blood brothers

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Despite the many comic elements in the play, Blood Brothers essentially deal with the theme of hardship. With close reference to Russell’s language and dramatic methods, say to what extent you agree with this statement.

 The dictionary definition for hardship defines it as adversity: a state of misfortune or affliction; "debt-ridden farmers struggling with adversity"; "a life of hardship”, asperity: something hard to endure; "the asperity of northern winters”. The Blood Brothers play was written by a Willy Russell who lived a life in some ways familiar to both blood brothers Micky Johnston and Edward Lyons. Willy Russell was born in Whiston near Liverpool in 1947. There was a strong tradition of storytelling in his family, who were 'thinking' working class. His school career in the 'D Stream' was undistinguished at fifteen he left school with one 'O' Level, in English Language, with little idea of what he wanted to do beyond a vague notion of wanting to become a writer. He was unsure of how to enter that world, so he drifted into hairdressing. Subsequently he spent more time writing songs than setting hair. Eventually he left hairdressing and worked in several industrial jobs before deciding to return to full-time education at the age of 20. He then became a teacher and also later a playwright. Russell lived through the time and experienced Thatcherism. Thatcherism was when Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979 and inflation and unemployment were high, She realised that a new kind of economics was necessary. Some commentators contend that she was responsible for renewing the British economy, although others argue that she was responsible for mass unemployment and a vast increase in inequality between rich and poor. The main effect of Thatcherism was that it made the rich become richer and the poor become poorer.

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 Having considered all of the above it is therefore not surprising that in Blood Brothers Willy Russell treats the themes of unemployment and the class system. Indeed the play was more than likely set anytime between the 1970’s and 1980’s. the novel is briefly about the two classes rich and poor and how one mother of the poor class sells her child being a twin to another mother of the rich class but unfortunately both twins die at the end as they find out they were twins.

 Russell uses a lot of dramatic devices for instance juxtaposition; he uses ...

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