1. Revision
Blood Brothers
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2. Themes Class divide Family Growing up Superstition and Fate
Hopes and Dreams
Nature versus Nurture
Love and Marriage
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3. Characters Mrs Lyons Mr Lyons Mrs Johnstone Mickey Edward Lyons
Other children including Sammy and Donna-Marie
Linda
Narrator
Chorus to play minor roles such as Miss Jones
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4. Motifs Marilyn Monroe Guns- toy and real The idea of games Dancing
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5. Techniques Parallel scenes to bring out class differences
Use of key episodes to give a flavour of life, since play covers a long period of time
Use of songs
Use of motifs
Narrator and chorus
Flashback – starts with final scene
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6. Language
The working class characters speak in Liverpool dialect, which makes them sound natural, warm and likeable.
The middle class characters speak in Standard English, with Received Pronunciation – this is the cause of humour when the boys first meet.
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7. Essay Questions The role of the narrator Comments on the action
Tells the story and involves the audience
Links episodes together
Warns of danger by appearing on stage at crucial times
Points out themes
Asks audience questions
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8. What do the songs add to the Play?
Link scenes and draw parallels
Remind the audience of Key themes
Link the two halves of the play by using some of the same words/ tunes, such as ‘Easy Terms’
Mood and atmosphere
Humour and pathos
Fill in parts of the plot
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9. The tragic outcome is inevitable from the very start. Discuss.
Theme of Superstition and Fate
Starting with final scene
Continual warnings from the narrator
The Marilyn Monroe motif
The gun motif
Nurture – Johnstone family are in trouble from the start e.g. Sammy’s behaviour and Mrs Johnstone’s fears for Mickey
Class divide
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10. To what extent do you feel sympathy for Mrs Johnstone?
At the start, very little: ‘a stone in place of a heart’, but gradually as story unfolds we feel much more:
Husband walks out leaving her with little money
Mrs Lyons pushes her into it
She does it ‘for the best’
She’s a loving mother to all her children
She stays cheerful and makes the best of things
But do we also feel she could have controlled her children better, been harder on them?
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11. What does this play have to say about class?
The class divide is unfair
Russell shows that two people with identical DNA can be so different in what they achieve because working class people were denied the chances to develop
Russell poses the question: ‘could it be what we, the English’ have come to know as class?’
Money can’t buy love but it can buy power.
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12. Can you think of any other questions?
Now you try…
What has this play to say about mother/child relationships?
How is the theme of love presented? You may consider family love, romantic love and married love.
How far do you think Russell presents the working class characters in a more favourable light than the middle class characters?
Can you think of any other questions?
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13. What is it?
Sometimes an EMPATHY question is set on either of the Literature texts, Blood Brothers or To Kill a Mockingbird.
This means that you have to put yourself in the position of a character and write in their voice, while showcasing your knowledge of the text in your own words. (Walk in their shoes!)
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14. Usual forms of the question
Imagine you are _____________. At the end of the story you think back over what has happened. Write your thoughts and feelings. Remember how __________ would speak when you write your answer.
Imagine you are __________. Write down your thoughts and feelings about: the events that were important to you; your relationship with _______; how you feel you have changed.
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15. Tips Write in the first person Refer to events they took part in
Root your answer in the text
Include some authentic touches where possible using the character’s way of speaking, such as Mrs Lyons calls Eddie Edward.
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16. To quote or not to quote?
It can be difficult to incorporate quotations, although it is sometimes appropriate.
However, you should ‘echo’ the text or closely refer to quotations.
You do not use quotation marks unless you are using direct speech.
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17. Example: Eddie
Things are going a bit better now Linda and I are friends again. That’s all we are, friends. Not that I wouldn’t like it to be more, but she loves Mickey, and I wouldn’t be disloyal even though he doesn’t want to know me anymore. I still think of him as a brother, but I have had more success in life and he envies me. I wish I could turn back the clock to before I went to uni…
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18. Your practice task:
Imagine you are Linda Write down your thoughts and feelings after the deaths of the twins.
Plan your response, including events, themes and feelings.
Write the opening paragraph or more.
If you wish to, you may finish the essay at home.
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