Back in the Playground Blues
Back in the Playground Blues The poem "Back in the Playground Blues" written by Adrian Mitchell is about a boy remembering about the time that he was at the playground. The poem is written in first person, and the "I" of the poem is completely scared of the playground. He remembered the time which he was there and of how much he suffered. He felt as if he was trapped in the big playground compared to his size, left unprotected by their parents from the "rulers of the Killing ground", and hoping that he wouldn't be the one chosen by them to make fun of. The "I" also criticizes that the "rulers of the Killing ground" always found a reason to pick on someone, be it because of physical appearance, religion or beliefs. He also mentions that someone from the playground, probably the principal says "It prepares them for Life", and that in his opinion this had already been the worst place in his life. I imagine that the incident takes place in a poor community, because the children do not look as if they were mimed and a rich parent probably wouldn't trust the principal when she said that it prepares them for life. He also comments on the walls of the playground and says that it was broken and dusty, as if no one was taking care of the playground. The fact that he gives the impression that all the kids hated the "Killing Ground" also suggests that it takes place on a poor
Write about Yosser (the main character) from series 4 ('Yosser's Story') of Alan Bleasdale's 'Boy's from the black stuff'.
During 1982 Liverpool was going through a rough patch of unemployment. It affected a lot of people. There was loss of deep feelings, dignity and self respect. A series was made by Alan Bleasdale called 'Boys from the Black Stuff'. It is showing the audience how unemployment changed lives and how it affected everyone. I watched Series 4; 'Yosser's Story'. I will write about Yosser (the main character) and how his Stereotype figure, which is: * Tough guy * Aggressive * Threatening * Grumpy I will explain how this changes to a real character and how the author uses techniques e.g. Dramatic monologues, juxtaposition and the dream sequence which makes us feel deeply for Yosser and his three children. In the play Yosser starts off being a very stereotypical person. He comes across as lazy and arrogant. He has a job (even though he is on the dole) at the building site, and he has the job of building a brick wall. Though he 'claims' he has done it before he puts the wall together using dry sand and bricks out of place and nothing is inline. It shows he is not really that bothered about it. Yosser is then fired from this job so in anger he storms off, whilst yelling out abuse he knocks down his pathetic excuse for a wall and storms off with his three children who also went to work with him. This behaviour shows us he is very arrogant. Yosser feels like he does not need anyone
The play, 'Our Day Out', was written from many of Russell's life experiences at Shorefields Comprehensive School.
The play, 'Our Day Out', was written from many of Russell's life experiences at Shorefields Comprehensive School. This was where he taught from 1973-4. In that year at Shorefields he once accompanied a teacher of the remedial department on a school outing. This was to Conway Castle and the zoo from the remedial class. But, at the very last minute the deputy head teacher of the school decided to come on the trip with the remedial children. Through out the trip the deputy head teacher lightened up and relaxed. However, at the end of the trip he reverted to his typical self. In doing so, he ruined the positive achievements of the trip. The stage directions of a play are an important feature because they can say a lot about a characters personality and characteristics. Stage directions show how a character does or says something. For example 'suddenly barks', this suggests that the character says something at once in an abrupt manner. Therefore from this quotation I can infer that the character is rude and impolite. This gives the reader an insight to the character with only a few simple words. Also it can tell the reader how a character does something. For example 'pushing, shoving'. This helps the reader image how the scene would be acted and in the manner it would be done. The stage directions portray the pupils clearer and more concise. We can salvage a lot about the
To analyze and explore carol's character in Our Day Out.
Our Day Out Aim: To analyze and explore carol's character in Our Day Out The main themes in this pay are Authority, Child-Adult Relations & Power; themes are demonstrated in numerous ways i.e. in the scene on the cliff at the end of the play carol threatens to jump off the cliff and Briggs is powerless to stop her, it also shows her challenging his authority and eventually reducing him to begging. The characters in the play are Mr Briggs a rule-loving teacher, Mrs Kay a 'cool' teacher who wants the kids to have fun as opposed to Briggs who thinks that they should learn but not have fun, Carol who is one of the poorer children who go to Mrs Kay's 'special' class. The kids who go to the school in the play are not really smart and not rich, they are looked upon by most of the adults in the play as a group not individuals and this is a Key Idea which shows up a lot throughout the play the fact that wherever the kids go they cause havoc and mayhem is a reason why they are viewed in this way. Carol is on first impression a very shallow, unintelligent person but when we get to know her better we find that she Is forgetful but she does in parts of the play turn out to be quite insightful and intelligent, Mr Briggs has a key role and really represents the reversal of power that the play embodies, his authority is challenged repeatedly by the kids but Carols overturns it. The
Original writing - the roller coaster
Original writing - the roller coaster "The weather looked a bit cloudy, threatening rain, but it was pleasantly warm. Near perfect conditions for a family visit to the Theme Park which had recently opened nearby. The TV ads promised a perfect day out and thrills galore, and the place looked so spectacular we just couldn't resist. The bus that took us to the Theme Park was huge, with room for a couple of hundred people on board. And not all crammed in like sardines either; everyone got a seat, there was plenty of leg room and air conditioning kept us all cool. We scythed through the traffic, and in no time at all arrived at our destination. A sign above the gate said Welcome to Mystique Park, Even I was excited, and my kids were buzzing. I bought the tickets - a bit steep for the whole family, but all the rides are free once you're in. The great metal gates swung open and in we swarmed, carried along by the enthusiasm of the crowd. And what a sight met our eyes! The place was fantastic! Rides galore, shops, souvenirs and all the facilities you could possibly wish for. A huge roller coaster - The Whirlwind - dominated the skyline, and we followed the signs straight there, hoping to be the first in the line. Somehow a few others had beaten us to it, but we weren't made to wait for long. We climbed aboard and pulled down the safety rail, me and the wife in front, the two kids
I understand I first went to Longroyd nursery school when I was three years old
Autobiography - The school I understand I first went to Longroyd nursery school when I was three years old. It was said that this was because my mother made a mistake about my age. She later caused a panic by informing them I'd had yellow fever. Jaundice was what she actually meant. I clearly remember having jaundice because during the day I was allowed to lie in Granny Annie's bed in the front room with the fire lit. This luxury was unheard of. I was given medicine that I had to drink through a straw to stop it touching my teeth. I think it was quinine. Usually when we were ill Mam, would give us an eggcup full of 'Fennings Fever Cure'. This stuff burnt the polish off your teeth, which wasn't surprising. I was told later that it was dilute nitric acid. The principle was that it dissolved the top layer off your teeth and throat killing all the germs. I loved the taste. I lay there all yellow and they fed me oranges. I didn't actually eat them I sucked them dry. The skin was pierced and I squeezed and sucked the juice out. The outside lav was miles away so I was allowed to use Grannies best po and not just to pee in. remember looking at the poo in the po and being alarmed I'd never seen it so close up. Because I was sucking orange juice my poo was not only orange but also round like an orange. It was as if my body was reconstituting the orange back to the solid. I was puzzled
Compare and contrast any two of the main characters in Our Day Out. Pay particular attention to dramatic effects and how the audience might react to each of them.
Compare and contrast any two of the main characters in Our Day Out. Pay particular attention to dramatic effects and how the audience might react to each of them. Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs Mrs Kay is the form tutor of the progress class. She is in her early forties. She is a very caring teacher and is admired by her pupils and most of the other faculty. Although some teachers are not so sure of Mrs Kay's teaching methods one of these is Mr Briggs. Mr Briggs is the form tutor of year six. He is in his early thirties and above Mrs Kay in the school. He is a very stern man and can often be taken as uncaring but the other teachers on some level respect him. The first difference in these two people is the way that they think. Mrs Kay thinks with her heart and Mr Briggs thinks with his head. Although Mrs Kay's way of thinking isn't really an appropriate way of thinking in a normal school environment the progress class is not normal. These children have problems learning and need to be approached in a different manner. Mr Briggs might understand that if he understood the need for a progress class but he sees the class as an excuse for valuable teaching time to be wasted. Briggs' way of thinking can be classed as "Old School" where as Mrs Kay is a new age teacher. She believes in teaching the children with respect and trust and they will gain responsibility and behave
Compare two/three scenes showing how the writer creates contrasting dramatic effects
Compare two/three scenes showing how the writer creates contrasting dramatic effects 'Our day out' is a comedy in which a group of Liverpool school children is taken on a trip to North Wales. There is a lot of fun and many of the scenes make us laugh such as the zoo scene and the fair scene. Some of the characters are funny some are kind and some are very mean. The characters use slang language. These are based on author's own experience. Many things happen on the beach scenes such as teacher's and children playing football. Children running, screaming paddling, shouting, laughing and even the teacher Susan pretends to seduce Reily and the kids spy on Susan and Reily: "Susan- I'm all yours...handsome...! Reilly- Don't mess, miss Susan-(putting her arm around him) I'm not messing big boy I'm serious!" The effect on the audience will be does the teacher fancy Reily and if she does is she going to do anything and is Reily just going to stand there and watch. In this part of the beach scene Mr Briggs sits alone on a rock away from the children which tells us he doesn't care about the children and he doesn't want to know them or understand them. "Briggs sits on a rock apart from the main group" The most frequent dramatic effecting this scene is laughter. It makes the audience laugh when Mrs Kay is playing football with the children, when Mrs Kay chases Kevin and ducks his
Explore the ways in which Willy Russell uses comedy and pathos in "Our Day Out" to entertain or to influence
Our Day Out Coursework Explore the ways in which Willy Russell uses comedy and pathos in "Our Day Out" to entertain or to influence his audience and make them consider social and educational issues of the time in which the play was set. There are many ways in which Willy Russell uses comedy and pathos in "our day out" to entertain or to influence his audience and make them consider social and educational issues of the time in which the play was set. The social issues we are asked to consider include inner city deprivation, the future's of less able children and the 1970's economic recession. The main educational issue explored in the play is how to educate children like those in Mrs Kay's progress class, whether to follow Mrs Kay's liberal or Mr. Brigg's traditional view. The most immediately clear characteristic of the play is that it is humorous. One of the ways Willy Russell uses comedy through out the play is to use humorous incidents or scenes. In scene twenty-nine the children are leaving the zoo, just as the coach is about to leave the zoo keeper is forced to run out and stop the bus because the children have stolen all of the animals. The children had succeeded in smuggling the animals onto the bus without a member of staff realising, and this sudden appearance of the animals would also be surprising and amusing for the audience. The scene is also funny because of
Our Day Out - review.
Our Day Out Our day is a 20th century drama play. It is written by Willy Russell and is based upon a school trip from the inner city Liverpool to Conwy Castle in Wales. It is set in the late 70s to the early 80s during which time there was a high crime rate, high unemployment rate and a great lack of oppertunity. Most people living in Liverpool at this time were living in Council Estates wich were cramped, graffitied and very polluted. Most of the residents of these council estates worked in the factories or were unemployed. The play focuses closely n the lives of the children living in these council estates and how they react when they are taken ut of their familiar surroundings of the city and taken to the fresh clean countryside. Willy Russel expresses the points of view of both the pupils and the teachers but he does however persuade the audience to relate to the childrean and recognise their needs and points of view of the children. Each of the teachers on the trip expresses a different and original style of teaching. Mr Briggs is very strict and believes very strongly about the children being well-disciplined. He almost scares the children into respecting him. Whereas Mrs Kay gains the childres respect by listening to them and caring abut them. She is laid back and quite informal, she has fun with the children and tries to help them. Section 2 As an audience our