Explain how Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay�s characters change throughout the course of the play �Blood Brothers�
The play �Our Day Out� was written about the children and teachers from a comprehensive school located in a deprived area of southern Liverpool. The play follows the events that occur throughout the day as the children and teachers embark on a school trip to Conwy Castle in Wales. There are a few main characters in the play but two of the most influential ones are Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay who are both teachers but that is about all they seem to share in common. Mrs Kay is a fun loving relaxed teacher that seems to care more for the children�s well being and happiness rather than their education. This is very different to the views of her work colleague Mr Briggs; he doesn�t feel the need to grow close or get to know the children and as long as they�re listening to him and doing as they are told he doesn�t care. Basically he thinks the only thing that matters is the children�s education. So as you can see the two teachers have very different views on education in combination with completely opposite personalities which do clash, resulting in them not being the biggest fans of each other. So what happens when they�re forced to work together outside if the classroom?
To begin with why don�t we look at both of their views on education? Mrs Kay essentially believes that some children are beyond help, it is too late for some people so instead of lying to yourself and acting as if there is still a possibility that they can succeed in life you might as well just let them enjoy them selves rather than giving them false hope and making them work hard when at the end of the day it isn�t going to have any effect on the outcomes their lives. Mrs Kay doesn�t believe this is a harsh opinion to have she thinks it is just a realistic attitude. You know this because she actually says so herself in her own words: �Even if you cared, do you think you could educate these kids?� This is how you know that she really believes these children just don�t have a chance in the real world, she honestly thinks that the children really are not going to grow up to have careers it was too late for them the day they were born so she just wants them to have fun while they�re still young because she knows that once they grow up that�s it, there lives are over. But this bleak outlook on the children�s future is not shared with her working partner Mr Briggs. His philosophy on education is that no child is stupid, every child could be taught but less able children are like that by choice and because of this he sees them as the enemy. He has an image in his head that in the world of education there is two sides good and evil. And by Mrs Kay thinking it is ok to let the children have fun and not trying to educate them she is fundamentally a member of �the dark side�. You get this impression as in one point of the play he actually says to her, �You�re on their side, aren�t you?� This really makes Mr Briggs sound like a paranoid character that you don�t feel any sort of sympathy towards in consequence to this throughout various points of the play he portrayed as the pantomime villain. So you can see the two teachers are absolute opposites and at this moment in time the chances of them getting along seem slim.
