Our Day Out Essay, Research Paper
The Headmaster says at the beginning of ?Our day Out? that
Mrs. Kay thinks education is ?one long game? and Mr. Briggs goes with her ?to
keep some sort of order?. Write about the difference between Mrs. Kay and Mr.
Briggs?s attitudes towards the students. Then choose one scene where we see
them with the students and explain in detail how you would tell the actors to
play these two parts."Our Day Out" is a 20th
century drama play.? It is written by
Willie Russell and is based around a school trip from Inner city Liverpool to
Conway Castle,? Wales. The general plot is how a teacher, Mr Briggs’, attitude
towards the pupils changes. It is about his conversations with Mrs Kay, as both
frequently disagree with each other and always believe they speak for the great
majority. ??????????? Mrs Kay is
a open-minded, tolerant and kind hearted teacher, who is affectionate for the
children as people. She understands that a lot of the children come from a
deprived background and makes allowances for this, she genuinely cares for the
children; She tells Maurice ?to come away from that road?, when they are
waiting for the bus , because she is truly concerned for his safety, not
because she enjoys ordering her class around.??????????? Mrs Kay
does not believe in traditional teaching methods of discipline and high
standards, she is lost to understand the unfairness of a society which puts
these children to the back of the queue. She wants the children to least have a
good day out, even if they are not going to resolve the struggle of the unequal
chance and social injustice.For many of the children she has
perhaps taken on a motherly role, she hold there hands, put her arm round them
and cuddles them, which they may not get at home, she possibly feels they need
more love and care then education.
defends her pupils against difficult attitudes based on discrimination.However Mr Briggs is completely
the opposite to Mrs Kay, he is strict and intolerant to bad behaviour, he
believes in the ?old school? way of teaching with systematic views of
discipline, standards and uniform, whatever the ability or background of the
pupils in the progress class. When Carol is on the top of the
cliff we can see that Mr Briggs does not know what it is like to be Carol and
children like her in that situation. He is taken aback at the fact that Carol
talks back at him which he is not use to by the less able children.After the incident with Carol Mr
Briggs changes, he sees the world from her perspective. He becomes more relaxed,
insists on a visit to the fair and lets the children treat him like they do Mrs
Kay. Still this change does not stay that way, as the coach nears Liverpool,
reality returns, and Mr Briggs purposely exposes the film which is a record of
his changed? relationship with the
Progress Class.? I have chosen the scene on the
beach when Mrs Kay is on her own with the children, she is playing with a group
of kids in the sea, who are laughing and screaming, Kevin asks if he can go
swimming and Mrs Kay says no and starts chasing after him, catches him and tips
him up side down in the sea. I would tell the actress who is taking the part of
Mrs Kay to act a motherly part, very playful, jokingly and loving towards
Kevin, as if it was there own child they were playing with.For a scene with Mr Briggs I have
chosen the scene when he is telling the children off after taking some of the
animals from the zoo on to the coach. I would tell the actor taking the part of
Mr Briggs to act very angry and to also act as though he is above all of the
children like a military officer.?????? ?
Katherine Bond 11W