"How does Alan Bleasdale create pity for Yosser in "Yosser'sStory"?"
"How does Alan Bleasdale create pity for Yosser in "Yosser's Story"?" Alan Bleasdale created "Boys from the Black stuff", a 5 part very touching story about unemployment in the 1980's in the heart of Liverpool. One of the four stories, "Yosser's Story", follows a man struggling to find a job and look after his three children! It was made into a verisimilar T.V. play in 1982.A T.V. play shows the reactions of Yosser close up. We get to take a journey in his mind and feel the emotions he feels. Using a range of techniques, Alan Bleasdale makes us feel pity for Yosser throughout this story. Irony is created quite often for Yosser using juxtaposition. We are given evidence of this in scene 12 and 13. In scene 12 we see Yosser trying to assert himself that he can cook and that he isn't a failure, while doing this he clearly tells himself, "Sod the chippy"(sc 12). However in scene 13 we cut to see Yosser and his children coming out of the chippy. This shows Yosser's failure to even cook a simple meal for himself and his family. These two scenes are very powerfully juxtaposed to create a pathetic moment for the character of Yosser. The anacalutha in Yosser's speech shows that he may be afraid of something. The examples in scene 29 prove that he is self conscious in talking to the priest. We can tell this by the way he stutters as he approaches the confession box, "Father,
"If you want to make them listen, make them laugh" - What does Willy Russell want you to listen to and how effectively does he use humour to make that message appealing?
"If you want to make them listen, make them laugh." What does Willy Russell want you to listen to and how effectively does he use humour to make that message appealing? In "Educating Rita", Willy Russell conveys his views about education through humour. The writer makes the play funny so that the audience will listen to his points about education. This subject is particularly important to Willy Russell as he wasted his first chance at education. With six months schooling to go, he realised he had left it too late to start studying and "like it or not I'd end up in a factory." Russell was stuck in a dead end job and wanted to become a writer. He took O level English Literature at night school and passed it, but to get into college needed five O levels. He found a college that would allow him to take all his courses in one year. Russell got a second chance for education, in "Educating Rita", Russell tries to teach the audience how important education is and that it should not be wasted. Frank and Rita are presented as two opposites in personality, outlook on life, educated background and etiquette. Willy Russell creates Rita as a construct similar to that of his own life. Russell had very little real education; his school years were taken up by bullies and peer pressure. The school that Rita went to was much the same. "Broken glass, knives an' fights. An' that was just in
In what way has Rita changed since comingback from Summer school? Discuss.
In what way has Rita changed since coming back from Summer school? Discuss Since coming back from summer school Rita has changed quite dramatically. She is now much more widely read and more articulate with her words. She has adopted a completely new way of thinking and contemplating things. She has gained some self-discipline and this is demonstrated in Act 2 Scene 1: "... this tutor came up to me, he looked at the book in me hand an' he said "ah are you fond of Ferlinghetti?" it was right on the tip of me tongue to say, "only when it's served with Parmesan cheese", but, Frank I didn't..." Rita has learnt to hold her tongue in certain situations as she has shown here. However as the scene goes on we can see that Rita has also gained some undesirable characteristics. Without her realising she has become pretentious she no longer has respect for books the way she used to. "She tosses the book on the desk on the UP left bookcase." When Willy Russell says, "she tosses..." it is suggesting that it is fine to handle books in an ostentatious manner. She used to value each book she had and read. Rita no longer wants to belong to "the masses" she wants to belong to the middle class. She is now conforming to a stereotypical student picture. Rita has purchased second hand clothes just like a "proper student" would, as they are popular among students. She said she would not procure
"A Kestrel for a Knave" and "Our Day Out" both raise the issue of social stereotyping. With close reference to the texts explore to what ends and effects this issues is raised.
"A Kestrel for a Knave" and "Our Day Out" both raise the issue of social stereotyping. With close reference to the texts explore to what ends and effects this issues is raised. To socially stereotype someone you discriminate them based on things like their background, their financial status or the area they live in. Both stories; "A Kestrel for a Knave" and "Our Day Out" raise the issue of social stereotyping and both are set against a poverty stricken, working class background. "Our Day Out" is set in a poor, run down area of Liverpool in a working class community. The children all attend a secondary modern school in the 70's. They have no prospects and are all expected to be "factory fodder". "A Kestrel for a Knave" is set in a working class mining community near Barnsley. As with "Our Day Out" the children who attend the school are seen as hopeless, but instead of the children being fodder for factories the majority end up working in the local mines. Billy's estate is overlooked by a middle class area called Firs Hill. Hines uses Firs Hill to represent a contrasting world to Valley Estate. Billy's home. Barry Hines doesn't portray Billy as a stereotype; he is a very realised character. Billy is however a product of his own social background, for example, he steals chocolate from Mr Porter's shop, eggs and orange juice from the milkman, and he commits acts of vandalism by
"And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have came to know as class?" Which do you think is more responsible for the deaths of Mickey and Edward in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers.
Sam Plackett "And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have came to know as class?" Which do you think is more responsible for the deaths of Mickey and Edward? Blood Brothers is a play set in Liverpool, Willy Russell wrote it in 1983. Willy Russell has wrote plays based in Liverpool because this is where he was brought up as a kid in a working class family, Blood Brothers relates to this and aspects of class that he would have experienced when he lived there. Willy Russell grew up just outside Liverpool, he left school when he was only 15 to become a hairdresser, it was in his early twenties when he decided to go back to school and take his O levels. His plays were about everyday circumstances and his portrayal of life then. In this essay I intend to find out the reason for Mickey and Edward's deaths, whether it was superstition or class, I will evaluate both of the possible causes and how they are used within the play, then I will have to make a conclusion to which side of the argument proves to be the correct one. The main sources of superstition revolve around Mrs Johnstone because she is the character who believes that when certain things happen consequences will unfold due to this. Willy Russell points these superstitious events out to the audience, by using one of the characters to mention this or a song will be used
"Blood Brothers" is set in Liverpool in the early eighties.
"Blood Brothers" is set in Liverpool in the early eighties. The play follows the life of two main characters: Eddie Lyons and Mickey Johnstone. The play has proved extremely popular with audiences of all ages. In this essay I aim to consider all the dramatic qualities of the play and how Willy Russell uses them to promote the dramatic effectiveness of the play. In "Blood Brothers" the characters fall into two stereotypical groups: the working class Johnstones and their associates, and the middle class Lyons. It seems ironic that although the Johnstone family live on the breadline they start off cheerfully, compared to the Lyons who never seem content. This makes the audience what is wrong in the lives of both families and created dramatic tension. The main characters, Eddie and Mickey are people that we can relate to: we feel pathos with them as they face the trials and tribulations of life. Russell uses pathos to involve the audience so they feel pity when Mickey loses his job, fear at the end of the play when the shooting scene takes place, and experience childhood joy when Eddie and Mickey share jokes. Humour, in its various forms, plays a large part in æBlood BrothersÆ. It keeps the audience interested and balances out the conflict and sadness in the play. Throughout the play we experience different types of humour such as the use of a pun when Mickey and Eddie are
"Blood Brothers", a play by Willy Russell, was set in the late sixties/early seventies and was written in 1981
DRAFT COPY OF BLOOD BROTHERS ESSAY "Blood Brothers", a play by Willy Russell, was set in the late sixties/early seventies and was written in 1981. It is a Liverpudlian West Side Story about twin brothers being separated at birth because their mother cannot afford to keep them. She gives one of them away to a wealthy woman who longs for a child. The two children grow up as friends in very different environments, not bothered about the old tale about a curse that states that if twins are separated at birth, they will die if brought back together during their lives. But a quarrel between the two boys soon brings trouble. Russell uses the play, including the scene that I am going to be focusing on, to put across views about 20th century society and to show the importance of class and life in Liverpool in the late sixties and early seventies. He also highlights the importance of environment and the way society, at the time, regarded single mothers. Single mothers were thought of as lower class characters that have many children born of different fathers. At the time that "Blood Brothers" was set, politics would've been really bad. The government probably wouldn't have cared or been bothered about the poor living conditions that some of the weaker families were living in. This would've had a large effect on those weaker families, such as the Johnstones, because of lack of money
"Educating Rita " begins with Frank searching frantically in his bookcase, muttering the names of famous authors under his breath as he searches for what we think tobe a book. However, to our surprise, Frank pulls out a bottle of Whiskyand...
"Educating Rita " begins with Frank searching frantically in his bookcase, muttering the names of famous authors under his breath as he searches for what we think to be a book. However, to our surprise, Frank pulls out a bottle of Whisky and pours himself a drink. This tells us that Frank perhaps has a drinking problem. Rita's entrance in the scene is an important moment. She knocks twice on the door although Frank yells at her to come in. Eventually she bursts into the room swearing and using common language (this is different with Franks very upper class English) " I'm comin' in, aren't I? It's that stupid bleedin' door. You wanna get it fixed!" This is very dramatic as we are made to wait for Rita's entrance and she doesn't walk into the room, as we would expect a student, having her first meeting with a teacher, to do. She tells Frank what to do. She is at the college because she wants to be and wants to do things in her own way. The main characters in educating are Rita and Frank. Rita is a working class person who is trapped in life and wants choice, she has little education and a poor job as a hairdresser and during the play she tries to break free from her social class, she thinks she should have had a baby by her age, she wants to discover herself first but no one understands so she thinks she is different, in the play she says "I should have had a baby by know
"Educating Rita has survived as a popular play in production because Willy Russell successfully combines humour with serious themes."
"Educating Rita has survived as a popular play in production because Willy Russell successfully combines humour with serious themes." Educating Rita, a play written in 1979, and by 1983 the fourth most popular play in Britain, remains a favourite of the British today. Based partly on his own experiences, Willy Russell created a theatrical masterpiece, remarkably with only two characters. So we ask ourselves the question: how did he accomplish this? I will explore just how the play has survived in current British culture, with hundreds of plays being written every year, yet still remaining a favourite of students, grandparents, and critics alike. I will first explore the humour within the play, and the different forms it takes. Firstly is verbal; one example can be taken from the very first scene, where Rita's boldness and Frank's obvious shocked response makes us laugh, and endears us. On stage, we have only just met Rita and Frank. We are unaware of how the two characters personalities are, and the only thing we have to judge them on is their appearance. Rita: "That's a nice picture, isn't it?" (referring to a nude painting upon his office wall) Frank: "....yes, I suppose it is." Rita: "There's no suppose about it. Look at those tits." This kind of sheer boldness in Rita is what makes her original, and Willy Russell's choice of verbal slang is perfect to create
Rita leaves her home and family behind and moves to a different place. How does her life style change? (P2)
Educating Rita . When we are first introduced to Rita she is a hairdresser. How would you define her in terms of her social class? Support your ideas with examples from the film and elsewhere e.g. the most recent classification system used to define social class. (P2) I would define her in terms of her social class as a snobby person. She fits in a working class D, the way she speaks (language) is different the type of clothes she wears is different, she wears mini skirts. The environment Rita lives in is run down and dirty there is no front garden and no green space. 2. In details discuss how physical, social and economic factors have combined to affect Rita's personal development and self-concept and that of others? (M1) Physically Rita has been smoking and she has been on the pill and other wise she is in good health. Rita works long hours and she is in a lot of stress. Rita marriage is going nowhere; she is deceiving her husband by not telling him that she is on the pill. Socially Rita is not very out going but she is a hairdresser she does meet different people. Rita feels left out at the university because she feels that she does not fit in and the other students won't accept her. 3. Using the information you have gathered about Rita consider the ways in which her life has changed since she began her degree course. Evaluate the effects of social and economic