How Does Willy Russell Use Dramatic Techniques In Our Day Out

843 Words2 Pages

Characters, Themes, and Dramatic Techniques in Our Day Out by Willy Russell

`Our Day Out` was written by Willy Russell to show people life in the inner city of Liverpool. There are a lot of scenes which create tension, excitement and disappointment in Our Day Out. One humorous part is Les the lollipop man, just after Carol has explained what the purpose of the progress class is, he replies "By Christ, I bet she's kept busy, they're all bloody backward around here". The use of slang "I'll keep dixie" and swearing "right, dickheads move" create a realistic impression of the characters. Accents are also used in Our Day Out, mainly by Carol who has a distinguishable accent… "Agh,ey Les…". Using slang, …show more content…

The play contains realistic characters, such as Briggs and Mrs Kay. Briggs sets a strict example of a teacher, while Mrs Kay is a completely different individual. Briggs shouts at the children, and has no empathy for them… "Stop!Slater,walk…walk!…" This shows how Briggs wants to retain control by issuing orders. Mrs Kay however, is very laid back and relaxed and lets the children run amok while she has coffee. There is a considerable difference between the personalities of Mrs Kay and Briggs. Russell creates personality changes in certain characters further on in the play, as we shall see later. The author is skilful in making the audience alter their opinions. For example, in the scene where Mrs Kay tells of the deprivation of sweets and lemonade, we feel sorry for the children. However we are equally appalled at the behaviour of the children, in other scenes, particularly when they are stealing in the café.

Mrs Kay is by far the kids preferred teacher. This is because she is very relaxed and motherly towards the children. She cares for the children and listening to their points of view, gives her a …show more content…

Russell shows Carols lack of education… "…if I started to work hard an` learned how to read…" In the play, she is often to be seen in Mrs Kay's company.

The cliff-top scene is one of the most dramatic parts of the play. It is also the scene where both Briggs and Carol have a change in their personality. Carol becomes rude and rebellious (like Linda) and starts calling him "Briggsy". She begins to use unfamiliar words and phrases… "friggin" and also has a change in attitude, from being well-mannered to being cheeky in a cocky sort of way. She also begins to ignore him at times, which she wouldn't have done previously. Briggs however, becomes somewhat more considerate and develops empathy for Carol and her classmates. To begin with, he expects to be obeyed, but later realises that he is not getting the desired response from the children. After Carol tells him how selfish he is, he takes it into consideration and tries a different approach by smiling at the children.

The constant camera changes from Briggs to Carol and vice versa, create tension, as does the scene where Carol steps towards the edge of the cliff. The use of tension in this scene, creates questions

More about How Does Willy Russell Use Dramatic Techniques In Our Day Out

Open Document