Investigate the ways in which Barry Hines explores Billy's life in 'A Kestrel for A Knave'.
Investigate the ways in which Barry Hines explores Billy's life in 'A Kestrel for A Knave' Billy was a troubled teenager bought up in the 1960's in Yorkshire on an estate surrounded by poverty. Like many children who lived on that estate they were poor and had no real luxuries in life. It wasn't a case of existing but a case of survival in a tough, joyless world. Billy's mother couldn't care for Billy in the way most mother's do, this was because she was living in poverty but also because she was feckless and too self absorbed in what's going on in her life to think about her family as well. 'There were a packet of dried peas and a half bottle of vinegar on the shelves. The bread bin was empty.' Billy received no affection from either his mother 'O shut up now then! You've cried long enough about it.' Even when Billy tried to shoe emotion towards his mother she didn't respond 'Billy rushed around the table to his mother and tried to bury his face in her. She held off, embarrassed' Or his brother 'swung his fist under the blanket and thumped him in the kidneys', which reflected, in his attitude to life and school. Billy's mother was very irresponsible and had no respect for his education 'haven't you gone to school yet' This attitude from his mother later reflects in Billy's attitude to school, which is disturbing, as Billy is very intelligent but feels as though school is
In Kestrel For A Knave, Hines presents most of Billy's schooling, and his teachers of any significance that we encounter, in a negative way - Discuss.
Wider Reading In Kestrel For A Knave, Hines presents most of Billy's schooling, and his teachers of any significance that we encounter, in a negative way. The very first teacher we encounter, Mr Gryce, typifies that impression. He is the head teacher of the school and is very strict. The first word Hines uses to describe him is "furious" which gives the reader a notion of what he is like. He walks around with a cane to intimidate the children. During assembly he shouts at a boy for coughing, even though he clearly didn't see who it was. I think that this aspect of his character is not really convincing or realistic at least not by the standards of my own school. This has the effect of making me question Hines' characterisation, but it does at least make his attitude towards Billy's teachers very clear. The main thing I notice about Hines' presentation of Mr Gryce is the way he makes him contradict himself. An example of this occurs when a child reads from the bible, "Never despise one of these little ones," and yet Mr Gryce treats younger people particularly badly. This confirms my impression that we should have no sympathy towards him and suggests that Hines has set out to ridicule him. Gryce even canes Billy for falling asleep during the Lords Prayer. I notice how intimidated the children are by his presence, "When he arrived they formed up as neatly as a hand of cards
A Kestrel for a Knave
A Kestrel for a Knave For this assignment, I shall be looking at Barry Hines' novel 'A Kestrel for a Knave'. The story focuses on a day in the life of Billy Casper, a fifteen-year-old schoolboy growing up in an environment lacking in many ways. In this assignment I am to look at examples of deprivation in the various areas of Billy Casper's life. Barry Hines writes about a young boy growing up in the 1960's. Despite the fact that the Welfare State had been in place for over twenty years, Hines' novel sheds much light on the kind of life some children still had to live, in order to survive in societies that should have been well developed. The text writes in extensive detail about how a boy like Billy had to live, and I felt quite sympathetic towards Billy - for him having to endure so much abuse in one day. Considering the Welfare State had been firmly in place for two decades, reading this novel opened my eyes to how some families had to live. Barry Hines was a teacher and he would have had first hand experience of what life was like for some children of the era. Maybe, through such a novel, Hines hoped to raise awareness by outlining the poor standards in which people were living. I shall now therefore like to explore ways in which Billy's life lacked. Firstly I am going to write about how Billy's life lacked within the home. I found that Billy was heavily denied of
How does Barry Hines create sympathy for Billy Casper? In a kestral for a knave
How does Barry Hines create sympathy for Billy Casper? In 'A Kestrel for a knave?' KES is set in the early 1960's in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and in the first few pages we get the impression that Billy and his family live on a deprived estate. There are many signs of this throughout the novel and one of the first things we read about is that Billy and his brother not only share a bedroom but also share the bed itself. 'He stayed in his own half of the bed, groaning and turning......' The bedroom window didn't even have any curtains at it. There was obviously no central heating as Billy was very cold when he got up and had to prepare and light a coal fire. Unlike most homes today there was not much food in the house what food there was, was kept in a pantry rather than a fridge; fridges were not commonplace objects in the homes of ordinary people in the 60's. the floor covering is another clue to depravation; it was not covered in carpet but lino. The family had not got much regard for their home. One example of this is the mother cleaning her shoes on the edge of the tablecloth. So as a conclusion to the historical setting we can tell that Billy lives in a time where life wasn't as easy and things we take for granted like central heating, electricity and hot water weren't so widely available. Only the rich people had the luxuries like hot water and Billy certainly
How does Barry Hines create sympathy for Billy Casper in 'A Kestrel for a knave'?
How does Barry Hines create sympathy for Billy Casper in 'A Kestrel for a knave'? Kes is a novel written by Barry Hines set in Sheffield, south Yorkshire, in the 1960's. The story describes two different places that really contrast each other. The first place is where Billy lives all the houses are council houses, the whole area is run down and deprived of luxuries such as central heating. The contrasting place is called Firs Hill where all the houses are big, clean and very posh with lots of luxuries like hot running water. I suppose we already feel sorry for Billy because of the disadvantaged area he lives in. Kes raises a lot of 1960's issues for example, Billy has no father, his mother goes out most nights and always returns home with a new man, making us feel sorry for Billy as he's no one to look up to. Another issue is that of the education system which lets Billy down badly. He attends a boy's secondary modern where he suffers draconian punishment such as thrashes from a cane or lashes from a belt. Billy will have to leave school when he is 15; his only choice of employment will be to work down the mine (pit) with his brother Jud who's a bully. Billy hates the thought of having to work down the mine, which creates sympathy as he's forced into a no hope situation. The first incident I have chosen is Sugden P.E lesson (pg. 87-108) I have chosen this because when
Kes affected Billy's life in many ways, for good and for bad
The Affects of Kes 'Kes' or 'A Kestrel for a Knave' contains a story about a normal teenaged boy named Billy Casper. Billy's life is turned around after he obtains a young hawk and trains it. This essay covers all the main effects that the hawk had on Billy, such as how he took it upon himself to train the hawk responsibly, how training the hawk gained him self-respect in many aspects, how Billy becomes separated, isolated from the world, and how the hawk caused him problems. Kes affected Billy's life in many ways, for good and for bad. Some of the best things Kes did for Billy, were helping Billy to achieve success, through means of; training Kes, giving successful talks in school, earning respect with his classmates and Mr Farthing and finally gaining self-respect. Comments from Mr Farthing like these show that he admires and respects Billy and his kestrel. For instance; when Billy stands up in class and gives his speech on training Kes, Mr Farthing refers to Billy as an expert; '"Yes, yes. I suspected as much when he made it look so simple." "It's not Sir." "But that's the mark of an expert isn't it. Someone who makes a difficult skill look easy?"' This shows that he considers Billy as an expert, but says it to Billy subtly. Also Mr Farthing believes that Billy is learned in the skill of training kestrels as he follows his instructions, showing that although he is a
Compare the characters of Mr. Grycefrom Barry Hines''Kestrel for a knave' and Mr. Squeers from Charles Dickens' 'Nicholas Nickelby'.
Sean Martin Compare the characters of Mr. Gryce from Barry Hines' 'Kestrel for a knave' and Mr. Squeers from Charles Dickens' 'Nicholas Nickelby' During the course of this essay I will be comparing the teaching methods, school conditions and general demeanor of Mr. Gryce, a secondary school headmaster in the 1960's, and Mr. Squeers who controls a boarding school for disabled and unfortunate children in the 1830's. Both schools are set in Yorkshire. Mr. Gryce is an experienced teacher with 35 years in his profession, although he is seen as a well experienced teacher he is also at or past the suggested retirement age, and some would consider him unfit for the demanding job. In all schools throughout the world the main point in attending is to receive an education, but Mr. Gryces' is different. The reason for going to his school is to learn four things, 'Discipline, decency, morals and manners.' On the other hand, Mr. Squeers had no teaching experience before he started running his boarding school. The only reasons he started teaching were for the money and secondly the power that he could be sure of gaining even if he and his wife had to steal for it. '...As Mrs. Squeers took the boots from the new arrivals only to be given to her son.' The only reason they were getting away with this conniving scheme is that there were no educational laws at that time stopping from
The films 'Kes' and 'Billy Elliott' are superficially similar.
English Media Coursework The films 'Kes' and 'Billy Elliott' are superficially similar. One of the most striking similarities is that they are both set in mining towns when the coal industry was still running. However, what mining represents and means is very different in the two films. In 'Kes', it is something that Billy Casper is desperately trying to get away from, whereas in 'Billy Elliott', Jacky and Tony are fighting against the closure of the mines - it is unlikely that Billy will ever work there. In 'Kes', the likely fate of Billy Casper is that he will work in the mine. However, he is adamant that his will not happen. One of the reasons that he is so against working in the mine is that he has seen the effect that it has had on his brother, Jud. Jud is a stereotypical young man - he's strong, vain, chases after women and often drinks. He also picks on Billy in a very severe way. Jud despises the fact that Billy is still in school and he is almost happy every time he tells Billy that one day soon, he will be joining him, getting up early in the morning and working long hard hours in the mine. Billy is much smaller than Jud, and Jud uses his strength and size against Billy to take out his frustration. For example, when he comes home and finds Billy reading a book, a pastime he would never do, he steals the book out of Billy's hands and says "What's thou got
How does Billy's tall story in "A Kestrel For A Knave" and "The Poor Relation's Story" By Charles Dickens influence your opinion of the characters?
How does Billy's tall story in "A Kestrel For A Knave" and "The Poor Relation's Story" By Charles Dickens influence your opinion of the characters? Billy Casper, the main character in "A Kestrel For a Knave" has a very poor lifestyle. He is a short, skinny destitute teenager about to leave high school. He lives in one of the roughest and crime-ridden estates in town. "They said, you'll have to keep your eyes open now, you know, 'cos they're all alike off that estate. They'll take you breath if you're not careful" - Mr Porter The residents on Billy's estate are terribly poor and so they have to turn to a life of felony and Billy is no exception. Although Billy has a worthy excuse, this can be said for most people who choose to lead a criminal lifestyle. Billy has an extremely distinct lack of respect for his house and his estate, so much so that he pelts his own house: - 'Then he picked one up, weighed it in his palm, and threw it high in the direction of the house' (Referring to eggs) He is poorly fed and very malnourished and is persistently looking for warmth right the way through the book. He lives with his mother and his half-brother, Jud. His father left home after finding his mother on the sofa with another man. The reason he is so emaciated is because his mother does not feed him the right things: - "Here, there's two bob for you. Go and buy yourself some
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