The difference between Mrs. Kay and Mr. Briggs at first is shown through pleasantness and strictness. Secondly and more importantly their differences are shown though their attitude towards education and the future of the students.
Mr. Brigg’s attitude is shown quite strongly in parts. He shows that he has no trust in the students. This is shown in scene 31 when Mr. Briggs makes all the students go around Conway castle in groups with a member of staff. Te reason Mr. Briggs hasn’t got any trust in the students is because he is a very traditional and old fashioned style teacher, he was also probably a Christian. Christians believed that children are born evil and remain evil until educated; because of this belief Mr. Briggs has a big social barrier between the students.
At times Mr. Briggs becomes relaxed this is shown in scene 38 where Mr. Briggs and the rest of the progress class got to the fair which was actually suggested by him. An example of this is shown in some of the dialogue prier to the scene (Scene 37). Mr Briggs says to Mrs Kay:
“Play your cards right, I might take even you for a ride on the Waltzer.” A less relaxed and strict Mr Briggs wouldn’t have suggested going to the fair, let alone going for a ride with Mrs Kay.
Another memorable character is Carol this is because she can come across as an in-secure sweet little girl. This is shown in scene 6, when Carol is linking arms with Mrs Kay. Willy Russell uses this not just to show how that Mrs Kay is like a mother but also to show how carol responds to it and accepts it. This shows that she sees her as a mother and embraces it; this could be due to the fact that she may not have a mother or that her mother doesn’t act like a mother. Willy Russell uses this affectively and includes this. This is effective as it draws in the audience and creates a sense of relationship between us.
As well as Carol being quite sweet and innocent Russell shows she can be quite rebellious this is shown in scene 35 where carol refuses to go home as she wants to stay in Wales where it is nice. This is good drama as Russell shows us she argues with Mr Briggs and threatens to throw her self off the cliff.
“Try an’ get me an’ I’ll jump”
This is good drama because as an audience it buts your heart in your mouth. The reason for this is because of the bond Russell creates.
At the start of the scene you think that Mr Briggs will be in control and that she will get a way from the cliff. But we soon realize from what she says (I’ll jump) you know that actually she is in control. The reason for this is that the whole way through the play Carol has been honest and that she isn’t the sort of person that would be joking.
On stage there are many effects, for example, music, lights, setting, tension, humour, sense of pace. Willy Russell uses these factors to make the play effective. Some of the scenes that I think are effective are the zoo scenes and the cliff scene. The reason the zoo scene is effective is because of the way Willy Russell has written it; as if it is a split screen. This is mainly shown because it was created for T.V. The split screen is between the café and the zoo. This is effective on its own as it creates a sense o pace and holds the interest of the audience’s attention.
In the children’s zoo it starts off with the children picking up the animals and stocking them. At one point carol tries to stroke the animal Ronson picked up. This shows that the children are insecure. In the next scene it is between Mr. Briggs and Mrs. Kay. In this scene Mrs. Kay asks Mr. Briggs to call her by her first name. This shows that they are becoming friends and building a relationship. After the next scene where all the children are clutching fury friends and calling them names. Mr. Briggs soft gentle side to him is coming out this is shown by the way he sees something good in the children.
“They’re really interested, you know, really interested in the animals.” He goes onto say that he might set up extra classes for the children. This scene also contains humor as for the first time Mr. Briggs shows trust, faith and sees the good side in the children while they are doing something bad like stealing the animals. Also it makes it funny, as you think about what will happen next and how the teachers will react. In scene 28 you see the children’s zoo empty. However in scene 29 all the children are already on the coach which is which is unusual but the teachers don’t appear to be suspicious at all. This may be because they are still calm from their conversation. This also creates humor as it creates anticipation and what will happen or how it will happen, whether Willy Russell will make it so Mr. Briggs spots the animals or whether the children end up keeping them. It turns out that Willy Russell sparks the climax by introducing new characters, the keepers, who ‘spill the beans’ but the tone and mood is still good and calm. Willy Russell chooses to use Mr. Briggs to create an anticlimax that yells and shouts at the children turning back to how it was.
The cliff scene is dramatic and effective as one of the main characters (Carol) attempts and threatens to commit suicide. Also Carol stands up to Mr. Briggs and tells him what the children actually think of him and how they see him. She says that she knows he doesn’t care about the children or their future.
“What do you care for eh? Eh? You don’t care do y?” This creates a real climax as well as humor. This is because Mr. Briggs comes into the scene thinking he’s ‘running the joint’ but in-fact its carol that takes control. The reason for our enjoyment of this is throughout the play she has been honest and serious so you know that she isn’t joking and that she will jump. She clarifies this by being the one that calls the shots and by making sure her point gets across.
“Don’t lie, you know you hate me. I’ve seen you going home in your car and the way that you look at us. You hat all the kids.”
One of the reasons Carol threatens suicide is because she wants to stay in Wales ‘where every thing is nice’. Towards the end of the scene, in a way Carol seems to see sense that a little girl cant survive on her own an wins Mr. Briggs over by him not bringing up the matter again and not telling her off. Willy Russell uses suicide in the play because it is a matter that can affect us in one way or another throughout our lives.
The structure of the play is carefully designed and written. Willy Russell starts the play by introducing one of the main characters Carol. You soon find out that she is desperate to get to school as she is going on a school trip. Its starts off with her trying to cross the road but the “lollypop man” but he wont let her cross.
“How do you know that a truck or car isn’t gonna come speedin’ out of that side road? Eh?” The reason he doesn’t let her go is because he like having power. This is memorable and powerful as sets up the start really well as you know what the people are like even though we have only met two characters.
The play finishes with Mr Briggs destroying the film canister which consists of all the memories of the day. This shows that although he had changed and become nice for a bit, he has changed back to his normal self. The reason this is memorable is because it shocks you; that the children’s only day out was now lost. He may have done this because he didn’t want anyone to now that in fact he did have fun and that there is a soft side to him.
During the course of the play Willy Russell writes many memorable scenes. He structures the play with many stops one of these is the Café. This scene is very memorable. It starts when the two shopkeepers are looking out the window of the café though a pair of binoculars. Once they see the children on the coach they franticly try to close the shop. The reason this is memorable is because it is funny.
Another scene that Willy Russell wrote is the cliff scene. This is one of the most important and memorable scenes. The reason it is memorable is because it’s so dramatic. This is where Carol stands up to Mr Briggs and decides that she doesn’t want to go back to Liverpool and she threatens suicide.
The reason the play on a whole is memorable is because it shows the lives of others that are less fortunate to us. Also it is memorable because the play is cyclical. The reason Willy Russell wrote it like this was to emphasise the fact that it might just appear as a normal trip to us but this is a major thing to them and a big influence on there lives.
The language of the play makes it particularly good drama. Willy Russell uses a lot of realism in his dialogue. I am going to use the beach Scene (scene 32). An example of this is when Jimmy says:
“Ey Miss, we could have brought our costumes an gone swimmen.”
Willy Russell uses abbreviations to show how the children have accents (Liverpool) and they’re educationally deprived. This is shown when they use slang; Jimmy says “undies” instead of underpants.
When the teachers talk they sound in contrast from the children. Mrs Kay says:
“Look, the reason I don’t want you to go swimming is because there aren’t enough staff here to guarantee that it would be safe. I want to go home with a full coach load thank you. This is different from the children because her language is formal, never slang or abbreviated. Willy Russell does this to make us stop and think. An example of this is in the coach scene when Digga says:
“She’s always with the blacks off the boats, your ma. And they’re loaded, them blacks are. Digga uses the word “Blacks”. Nowadays using it in this sense sounds inappropriate and wrong. But Willy Russell is showing that people in these times were naïve and ignorant about ethnic culture. The reason this is effective and makes good theatre is because it makes us stop and think about how much society has changed.