Compare the ways the Education system is depicted in "HardTimes" by Charles Dickens and "A Kestrel for a Knave" byBarry Hines
Compare the ways the Education system is depicted in "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens and "A Kestrel for a Knave" by Barry Hines Hard Times by Charles Dickens is set in a fictional town called "Coketown" in the 1850's. A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines is set in Barnsley in 1960s. Both towns are industrial and employment is found mainly in factories and mines. A Kestrel for a Knave is based around a school and the first three chapters of Hard Times take place in a school. In Hard Times Gradgrind, who believes in utilitarianism, runs the school. The school is designed to produce useful, fact filled humans who will work well in factories or mines and will not cause trouble as they have little imagination and lack their own opinion. The children are treated as products in factories and they are referred to as numbers. This system aims to avoid personality expressed by names and individuality is frowned upon as it is seen as a threat to the extreme control that Gradgrind holds. In A Kestrel for a Knave the secondary modern school is run by Gryce. It accommodates the failures of the 11+ exam; those destined for working class jobs. Pupils face harsh punishments, that are often violent, and are suppressed by the authority. The boys, however, still rebel against the system as eventually the punishments become a way of life. Dickens presents Gradgrind as a hard man and this is
Similarities And Differences Between 'Billy Elliot' And 'Kes'
Similarities And Differences Between 'Billy Elliot' And 'Kes' In this essay I am comparing the two films Kes, made in 1969 and set in the 1960's and Billy Elliot, made in 2000 and set in the 1970's. Both of which have the same location, Northern England and both have a strong relation to a working class environment where coal mining was the main source of employment. The films are similar in terms of community, family, and the characterisation of Billy, the central character in both films. The films are different however in terms of setting, action, style and ending, I shall be focusing on all those listed points later in my essay. The main character in both films is called Billy; this is not all they have in common. Firstly both the characters undernourished and come from poor backgrounds. In Kes Billy's father is never around and in Billy Elliot the boy's mother has passed away. They are both the youngest in the family and both have much older brothers that bully, patronise and intimidate them to a great extent. In both films the main characters find their own separate ways in which to escape from their hopeless and challenging life. In Kes this is done through Billy looking after and training a hawk and in Billy Elliot through Billy learning to ballet dance. Examples in the films to support this theory would be in Kes when you see how happy Billy is when training the
Schooling in the 1970's as shown in Kes
Schooling in the 1970's as shown in Kes In this essay, I intend to discuss three main points highlighted in Barry Hines' play, 'Kes'. The main theme that I will explore is how Barry Hines viewed teachers in the 1970's (when the book was first written). Kes brought up the question of whether corporal punishment worked or not. I aim to conclude to whether or not corporal punishment worked. Another aspect of the education system in the 1970's that I will explore is if pupils from poorer backgrounds were disadvantaged and treated differently. Kes is the story of a young boy named Billy who struggles in life to really do anything. At school, he is always getting into trouble and fights, at home; his relationship with his mother is non-existent because she is not a very good mother. When Billy finds a young Kestrel and decides to train it his life changes and suddenly he realises his potential in life. One of the main differences from our education today that is shown in Kes is how the teachers treat and act towards their pupils. In this section, I will explore how the play depicts teachers in the 1970's. The headmaster, Gryce, is an excellent example of how the typical 1970's teacher is viewed. In scene 11, The Headmasters study; Gryce is shown to be a short-tempered man who seems to enjoy caning pupils. For example you could tell that the messenger had never been in trouble
'A Kestrel for a Knave' - Barry Hines.
'A Kestrel for a Knave' - Barry Hines. 'A kestrel for a knave' is set in the 1960's in a medium sized town similar to Barnsley in Yorkshire. Schools at this time where split into two-tier. At 11 pupils had to take an exam to determine whether they would go to a secondary modern school or a grammar school. In the football scene the teacher Mr. Sugden bullies Billy because he cannot play football. Mr. Sugden is a PE teacher at a local secondary modern school. Mr. Sugden's appearance is very neat and tidy. In the football scene Sugden was dressed in a ' violet tracksuit'. 'The top was embellished with cloth badges'. Sugden is very violent towards his pupils especially Billy. 'Mr. Sugden bounced the ball on Billy's head compressing his neck into his shoulders'. Mr. Sugden takes four main parts in this scene. Sugden taking these parts shows he is in control throughout the scene. Sugden is very aggressive throughout the football scene. 'Slack work lad, slack work.' Sugden's frustration is pushed to the limit when a dog appears on the pitch. 'If Mr. Sugden had a gun, Mr. Wolf would have been dead in no time.' Sugden has an inferior attitude towards all his pupil's in particular. Mr. Sugden believes Billy is an idiot. Sugden makes Billy feel small when he says 'hand up if you saw Casper have a shower'. This also shows Billy has no friends at school. Mr. Sugden believes that he is
The Role of Parenting in Henry Roth's Call it Sleep
Kate Golden February 12, 2002 Essay on Call it Sleep The Effects of Parenting in Henry Roth's Call it Sleep In the novel Call it Sleep, by Henry Roth, one of the hardest tasks is to truly understand the character of David Schearl. Written from the perspective of a young child, the reader has to wade through rambling streams of consciousness filled with significant meaning, as well as, well-developed mature thoughts. However, you cannot truly comprehend a character like David unless you fully understand his familial structure and the effects it has on him. David's parents are important because they prove to be the source of his rejection and confusion with the world around him. By rejecting his parents and their culture David is only left with confusion, guilt, and loneliness. The Schearl household is filled with secrets, blame and denial that shake the basic foundations that a family depends on. David's home is lacking openness and intimacy, and that forces David to look towards other places, such as religion, for such needs. Upon examining the effects the family's dysfunctions have on David; one can better understand the true nature of his character and his search for a personal identity independent of his parents. David's relationship to his mother, Genya, is filled with love. However, as David gets older this love is sometimes replaced by shame. David,
Discuss ways in which Playwrights use the possibility of theatre to convey the meaning of a story
Q: "Discuss ways in which Playwrights use the possibility of theatre to convey the meaning of a story" A: Playwrights can use the possibility of theatre very effectively to convey the meaning of stories. The book "Kes" was written by Barry Hines in the 1970's but was performed by a group of school students at Colley School, Sheffield in April 1974 who wanted to find a contemporary play that they could not only perform, but associate with themselves. Having read the novel, they were already able to sympathise with many of the situations and characters in the story of Kes. The book then became popular in 1976 when it was adapted into a film by Alan Stronach and the title changed from 'A Kestrel For A Knave" to the simple title of 'Kes'. Barry Hines was a working class realist, he grew up in Barnsley and it is obvious that the ideas of this book come from his own experiences in Barnsley where times were hard and the best prospects for a child's future, were working down the pit. He used this book to get the message across of what a certain kind of life was really like. The way that he uses the possibility of theatre in the novel is very effective. Obviously there are some things that would be able to be used in film but not in theatre such as a live kestrel, music and quick effective scene changes. But, messages of hardship and sadness are more effective on stage because the
How Are The Relationships Between Teachers And Pupils Presented In Chapter 8 Of 'Whispers In The Graveyard' By Theresa Breslin, And The PE Lesson In 'A Kestrel For A Knave' By Barry Hines?
How Are The Relationships Between Teachers And Pupils Presented In Chapter 8 Of 'Whispers In The Graveyard' By Theresa Breslin, And The PE Lesson In 'A Kestrel For A Knave' By Barry Hines? ' "Forgotten your kit again?" Sneers Watkins. He picks up a pair of shorts from the lost property box in the changing grooms and throws them at me.' This quote displays the relationship between a teacher (Watkins) and a pupil (Solomon Morris). 'Every lesson for four years! And in that time you've made no effort what so ever to get any kit. You've skyved and scrounged, and borrowed and...and...BEG.' The quote above also symbolises the relationship between a teacher (Mr Sugden) and a pupil (Billy Casper). In this essay I am going to compare two extracts of a lesson and find out the similarities between them. First I'm giving a background about the two victims: Solomon is an only child, whose mother has ran away from home and he now is in the very incapable hands of his father. This is because his dad is a very heavy and dependent drinker, which means there is never any spare money for food and other loyalties. It's no wonder he doesn't have a simple PE kit. On the other hand, Billy has one horrible brother (Judd), a mum, but this time his dad has run away from home. Again, they've not got much money as his mum has a spending problem so not much room for food, etc. With no support, his
"What is the Importance of the Kestrel in the novel " A Kestrel for a Knave."
"What is the Importance of the Kestrel in the novel " A Kestrel for a Knave." Billy Casper is a mischievous young boy. This is expressed in the title of the book, " A kestrel for a knave." Billy leads a lonely and miserable life because his family does not love him and just think of him as a nuisance and a liability. His mother and his brother Jud are not interested in him at all. They are both more interested in their social life and their appearance. Billy gets the kestrel about a third of the way through the book because he feels that he needs someone to love and to show affection to. I think that the kestrel symbolizes Billy's love for his father. Throughout the book we see this but especially in the "Tall Story" we see Billy's love for his father when he writes, " Jud's going to the army and he's not coming back but your dad's coming back instead." The kestrel is Billy's opportunity to express his love to someone. The first example where we see that the kestrel plays and important part in Billy's life is in pgs 33-35. These pages explain the scene where Billy goes to the library to get a book out on falconry. " I want a book on falconry." From the story we can tell that Billy is the not the kind of person who would normally go to the library, but he has become so interested in the kestrel that this interest has driven him to the library. When Billy arrives
How important is Kes to Billy?
How important is Kes to Billy? " Fast asleep during the lord prayer! Ill thrash you, you irreverent scoundrel!" These are the words of Mr. Gryce, Billy's headmaster. The context this is in is that Mr. Gryce needed to make an example of somebody and Billy was his chosen victim. The school Billy goes to isn't a particularly nice school by any means this is however made worse by the fact that Billy is in a class known as the Easter leavers. At home Billy is thought to be destined to work in the mines like his older brother Jud. Billys dad ran away when Billy was just a young child and Billys mother is more interested in herself than Billy or Jud. Jud watches his own back and has no real plans in his life and lives from one break out of the mines to the next. Billy is stuck in the middle of this slap dash family, the lives though the torment on a daily basic. However there is a slim ray of light in this world for Billy. Kes. Kes is a bird, and Billys best friend and the only good thing he has got going for him. Kes is what the whole of Billys life is shaped around. Billy is always doing things which might get him in trouble or make him look foolish will help Kes. For example, when Bilyy has just finished football his sports teacher, Mr. Sugden is behaving very childishly because he lost in the game of football, and he blames it on Billy. He pushes Billy in the showers and
A study of Neil Fry and how the other characters react with him in Bernard MacLaverty's 'More Than Just the Disease'.
Coursework essay A study of Neil Fry and how the other characters react with him in Bernard MacLaverty's 'More Than Just the Disease' 'More Than Just the Disease' tells us of a boy's struggle to live with psoriasis, but also shows us much more. This short story gives us an insight into how boys of Michael and Neil's age thought and what their opinions are on certain 'touchy' subjects such as, in this case, skin diseases. These points are put across in the style of writing MacLaverty uses and in several other ways. Although we follow Neil through his experiences on holiday, the reader doesn't hear his thoughts as in other novels. This makes him appear distant to us. It seems as if he has no feelings or emotions save being attracted to Anne and his paranoia surrounding his chest. "He blushed because she looked directly into his eyes and she smiled as if she liked him." This also shows that he is a shy and fairly timid boy. "Buttoning the jacket right up to his neck." He is ashamed even around his best friend. Neil is continually haunted by the words of him mother "Be tidy at all times." This makes it seem as Neil is suppressed by his mother to do what she says all of the time. His mother has drilled her rules into him. Her phrases are continually running around his head. In his house, the family always eat breakfast at the table "Breakfast wasn't a meal like in his house."