Education in "Blood Brothers" links to social class. Throughout the musical, Russell shows that wealth brings different educational opportunities, which leads to a different lifestyle. As Mickey does not have a better education, he has fewer options, resulting in crime, drug addiction and depression.
How does Willy Russell present social class in Blood Brothers?
Log in here. Social class or social inequality is actually one of the main themes of Willy Russell 's 1985 play Blood Brothers, and he presents this through his main characters—Mickey and Edward. Mickey and Edward are genetically identical twins, and they even have similar personalities; however, they actually couldn't be more different.
What is the theme of Blood Brothers by William Russell?
A theme is an idea that runs throughout a text. In Blood Brothers, the themes of social class and inequality, superstition and fate, and violence are explored. Willy Russell asks several questions of the audience through the events of Blood Brothers, particularly about how equal our society is.
What is the role of Education in Blood Brothers?
Education in "Blood Brothers" links to social class. Throughout the musical, Russell shows that wealth brings different educational opportunities, which leads to a different lifestyle. As Mickey does not have a better education, he has fewer options, resulting in crime, drug addiction and depression.
Does Mickey have a better education in Blood Brothers?
As Mickey does not have a better education, he has fewer options, resulting in crime, drug addiction and depression. Click to see full answer. Just so, what is the main theme of Blood Brothers? A theme is an idea that runs throughout a text.
How does Russell show the importance of education in Blood Brothers?
While Mickey uses swearwords which Edward has not heard before, Edward is shown to be better educated. Russell indicates to the audience that social class can have a significant impact on the levels of education of children, giving them different starting points in life.
What influenced Russell writing Blood Brothers?
Russell says that his work was based on a one-act play that he read as a child "about two babies switched at birth ... it became the seed for Blood Brothers." Originally developed as a school play, Blood Brothers debuted in Liverpool before Russell transferred it to the West End for a short run in 1983.
What is the message behind Blood Brothers?
At its heart, Blood Brothers is a play about the dangers of inequality and injustice.
What are the main themes of the play Blood Brothers?
The main Blood Brothers theme and issues are as follows:Social class.Nature VS nurture.Friendship & loyalty.Growing up.Fate & superstition.Violence.
Is Blood Brothers the musical on Netflix?
Blood Brothers is now available to stream on Netflix.
Is Blood Brothers a true story?
A prank by a couple of rich kids and their socially inferior playmate leads to murder in "Blood Brothers," a surprisingly uncompelling drama, based on a true story, from freshman helmer Arno Dierickx.
How does Russell present the theme of violence?
Russell, however, clearly has a different view. By weaving violence into so many moments of his narrative, he essentially allows the audience to become used to it—and then he depicts a shocking, brutal act of violence in the final moments of his play.
How is childhood and growing up presented in Blood Brothers?
Mickey is presented as very childish at the beginning of the play, but he is desperate to view viewed as older than he is so he can be treated in the same way as his brother, Sammy. He makes a huge distinction between being seven years old and being nearly eight, attempting to sound like he is more grown up.
Is Blood Brothers suitable for a 10 year old?
Special notice: Blood Brothers contains moderate adult language and scenes of a violent nature, therefore it is not suitable for young children. Accompanied youths aged 12 and up are welcome to see the show.
Who is the villain in Blood Brothers?
Sammy JohnstoneSammy Johnstone was born in the early 1960's to Mr and Mrs Johnstone. Mrs Johnstone is in crippling debt, and because of this, his father walks out on him, Mrs Johnstone and her six other children.
What is the significance of the title Blood Brothers?
This story is about two brothers Paul and Benjy. Both brothers can be considered to be 'Blood Brothers' because they are thirteen year old twins. Despite the fact that Paul and Benjy are twins; they both display different personality traits.
What is the theme of Blood Brothers?
Another theme introduced in the play is violence. This is present in Mickey’s life from when we meet him at the age of seven and gets worse and worse until his and Edward’s deaths at the end of the play. At its heart, Blood Brothers is a play about the dangers of inequality and injustice.
What does Willy Russell ask the audience?
Willy Russell asks several questions of the audience through the events of Blood Brothers, particularly about how equal our society is. Through presenting twins, who have the same DNA but are brought up in such different families, the playwright shows how much our life experiences affect the opportunities we have in life.
What did Mickey and Edward's education reveal?
Mickey and Edward’s differing educations reveal as much as, if not more than, anything else about the great divide between the twins’ lives. As a result of the Education Act of 1944, secondary state schools in many areas became either ‘secondary modern’ schools or ‘grammar’ schools. Students took an exam at the end of primary school which assessed ...
Why are grammar schools considered sink schools?
While they were intended to be equally valued , in practice, grammar schools received much more funding and secondary moderns came to be seen as ‘sink’ schools.
What is the theme of Blood Brothers?
A theme is an idea that runs throughout a text. In Blood Brothers, the themes of social class and inequality, superstition and fate, and violence are explored.
What does Russell draw the audience's attention to in the book?
Russell draws the audience’s attention to how Mickey and Edward ’s lives have been affected by the opportunities they have had ( as a result of their social class) rather than their personalities. If Mickey had access to the same education and contacts that Edward had, would the tragic ending have been avoided?
What does Mrs Lyons draw attention to in the song My Child?
In the song My Child, Mrs Lyons draws attention to all of the things she will be able to give to the twin that she takes, that Mrs Johnstone will be unable to provide.
What is the difference between the Johnstone and Lyons families?
The difference between the Johnstone and Lyons families draws attention to the impact that a person’s social class can have on their opportunities in life. From the moment that Mrs Johnstone goes to work for Mrs Lyons at the beginning of the play, the audience’s attention is drawn to how their lives are worlds apart. This contrast is emphasised throughout the play, through the characters of Mickey and Edward. Even at the age of seven, the twins’ experiences of life are disparate. When they are young, their friendship overcomes their differences, but as they get older, the space between the brothers gets wider and harder for them to move past. Margaret Thatcher believed that anyone could be successful if they worked hard. Russell demonstrates that for Mickey this is not true. Without having the opportunities that Edward is given, Mickey’s prospects are very limited, regardless of how hard he works and his desire to succeed.
How does Russell explain the difference between Mickey and Edward?
Russell indicates to the audience that social class can have a significant impact on the levels of education of children, giving them different starting points in life.
How old are Mickey and Edward when they meet?
When they first meet at the age of seven , Mickey and Edward are completely different.
What did Margaret Thatcher believe about the twins?
Margaret Thatcher believed that anyone could be successful if they worked hard.
What is the tragedy of Blood Brothers about?
Write about: Friendship, and the breakdown of friendship, are at the heart of the tragedy of ‘Blood Brothers’. Russell uses that tragedy to highlight issues of poverty and crime and their impact on real people, which he considered was the direct result of government policy in the early 1980s when the play was written.
What happens to Mickey and Edward in the movie The Twins?
From this point, the opportunities of privilege and the consequences of class become more apparent as the twins progress to their inevitable deaths. Edward returns to the parties of university; Mickey robs a filling station and is sent to prison. Edward becomes a local councillor; Mickey is released from prison addicted to anti-depressants. Whereas once Mickey was happy to take ‘sweets an’ ciggies’ from Edward, he is too proud to accept a new job and a new house from him. This is not simply because ‘a job and a house’ are a more valuable favour. It is because Mickey is now aware of the differences between himself and Edward and he resents them.
What is the difference between Mickey and Edward?
Sammy calls Edward a ‘poshy’, suggesting that he and Mickey cannot possibly be friends. Mickey immediately denies it, declaring that Edward is his ‘best friend’, even though Russell has made clear to the audience that Edward is very much a ‘poshy’, speaking in standard English, living in a large house in the park, consulting the dictionary. Edward is sent to a private boarding school while Mickey goes to the local secondary modern school. Neither of the twins comments or otherwise reflects on the vast difference in opportunity, privilege or class which this represents.
What is the significance of fate in Mickey and Edward?
Fate seems to play a significant part in the friendship of Mickey and Edward. Despite being separated at birth, and the best efforts of Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons, they meet at the age of seven and, ironically, become best friends and blood brothers almost immediately. Russell seems to be suggesting that their shared and inevitable fate will not allow them to be separated – or perhaps their similar interests in swearing and sweets implies brotherhood. It is, though, essential to the play’s structure that the brothers are drawn to each other: the drama relies on their friendship.
Did Mickey shoot his brother?
In the end, Mickey has no intention of shooting his brother: the gun goes off accidentally. Despite the tragedy of the twins’ death, and the devastating impact of social class on their friendship, Russell cannot apparently bring himself to end the twins’ relationship in the absolute tragedy of an intentional killing.
What is the B lood brothers about?
B lood Brothers by Willy Russell is a 1983 musical about Mickey and Edward, a pair of twins who are separated at birth and raised at opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum. Mrs. Johnstone is a poor single mother preparing to give birth to twins. Her employer, Mrs. Lyons, adopts one of the twins.
Who wrote the musical Blood Brothers?
Blood Brothers (1983), by British playwright Willy Russell , is a musical that follows the fates of Edward and Mickey Johnstone, twins separated soon after birth. The story begins shortly before they are born. At thirty, Mrs. Johnstone is pregnant and already the mother of five children, when she is abandoned by her husband.
What does Russell represent in the book?
Russell represents middle class people as manipulative as she reminds Mrs Jonhstone that she has done a bad thing, and if anyone finds out she will suffer the consequences of losing her children, by being locked up. Middle class people are thought of as being well educated where working class are not.
How does Willy Russell express the inequality of social class?
Willy Russell successfully expresses the unfair treatment and inequality of social class by using the families in “Blood Brothers” The social divide in the play "Blood Brothers" from Willy Russell links into social class. It all starts with the differences between Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons.
What is the difference between Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Johnstone?
It all starts with the differences between Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons. Mrs Johnstone is working class and works as a cleaner for the middle class family the Lyons. The play shows how class can change a whole life. Mickey first realises how important class is when Eddie says “I go to university tomorrow.".
What does Mrs Jonhstone say when she says she has a stone in place of the heart?
When we hear that “she has a stone in place of the heart” she is portrayed that she is emotionless and cold hearted. However, later on we learn that Mrs Jonhstone loves each child equally, “I’ll even love these two when they come along”.
What is shocking but not surprising about Mickey?
This provides us with a display of how Mickey’s upbringing and social division limits him from certain aspects of middle class. What is shocking but not surprising is that Mickey does not know what a dictionary is. This is because Eddie has better equipment for learning than Mickey, as Mrs Lyons can afford privileges like dictionaries for Eddie to learn from.
What is the policeman's response to Mrs Johnstone?
The policeman’s response to Mrs Johnstone is treated with very little respect, it is like he was looking down on them as they are in debt and cannot afford many new things.
What does Mickey wish he could have been?
Mickey wishes that "he could have been Edward", as his life would have been different. The death of the two brothers has always been flash forwarded throughout the whole play "If they ever find out, they will die!" devastated