The major themes in ‘Our Day Out’ are the lack of Education, Opportunity and Deprivation in the inner city, show how Willy Russell makes the Audience aware of these ideas.

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The major themes in ‘Our Day Out’ are the lack of Education, Opportunity and Deprivation in the inner city, show how Willy Russell makes the Audience aware of these ideas.

‘Our Day Out’ is all about a day in 1970, in the lives of poor Liverpudlian kids.

      In Liverpool the back streets were covered in kids doing nothing and also adults as the Docks were closing down which led to high unemployment. Also the factories, where the unemployed would go closed down as well, so at the time in the play the amount of people unemployed and on benefit was high and the benefit wouldn’t be able to support all of them. The kids are in a progress class which means that they don’t really get taught a lot. They aren’t clever; they are rejects!

In the play we learn about the language of the characters, what they say, do, and what they say about other characters. We find in the play a lot of everyday conversations and from this there are different languages, formal, which is not used regularly and non-formal which is used a lot. It is mainly slang as the kids come from an area of uneducated parents, for example ‘wanna’ and ‘nottin’, these are common words in the play and many more are used. With the play having everyday conversations it makes the play sound more realistic. And people watching will understand it. Willy Russell puts his thoughts in most of the character’s mouths and this is how he gets across to the audience. In the play a lot of humour is used to keep people interested in the storyline as at the end it really hits you. If the play had no humour no-one would get attracted to it and the message that Willy Russell is sending wouldn’t get across about kids not getting any education and having nothing to look forward to. Willy Russell makes the play natural by putting everyday words and sayings into their mouths like ‘Agh`ey’ and ‘There’s nott’n comin’.

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In the play poor education is easily recognisable but especially with Carol as she’s one of the younger and maybe poorer group.

Carol starts off the play as she is running to school not to miss the trip. Willy describes her in the book as a girl;

‘Wearing a school uniform which doubles as a street outfit and her Sunday best. She is eating half a sandwich and clutching a supermarket carrier bag.’

There are many ways that you can tell that Carol isn’t well educated, including a part when Carol asked Mrs. Kay if you had ...

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