thesis statements blood brothers

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Disclosure Policy
• Refund and Returns Policy
• Events – with Search
• CSEC ENGLISH A & B SBA
• CSEC ENGLISH A EXAM OUTLINE 2018-2025
• CSEC English B 2023-2027 Texts, Poems, Short Stories
• CSEC English B Poems 2023-2027
• Password Reset
• [email protected]

‘Blood Brothers’ by John Wickham Analysis

A Reading of the Short Story

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. Paul is an introvert who loves nature and he loves to contemplate about life. Whereas, Benjy is Paul’s polar opposite. This further reinforces that although both boys are genetically related that is where the commonality ends.  Benjy is an extrovert who is very carefree and fun loving. However, Paul thinks his brother believes he is superior and as a result he grows to hate him. Paul is conflicted about his feelings because deep down he wants Benjy to be his friend and confidant. The story ends with Paul attacking Benjy. Benjy is surprised and confused because he did not know or understand why Paul reacted in this way.

• Paul is an introvert.
• He is artistic and he paints pictures
• He loves nature.
• He is also very reflective. He contemplates nature as well as his feeling towards his brother.
• He dislikes Benjy’s ability to accomplish simple tasks quickly.
• He resents Benjy because he reminds him of his own short comings.
• He envies Benjy and his envy turns to hate.
• He thought Benjy feels he is superior to him.
• He is an extrovert and carefree
• He is confident.
• He is a typical boy, very active, adventurous and always exploring.
• He is ignorant to his brother’s disdain for him.
• He felt he is superior to Paul.
• He mocks Paul.
• He is an old shoe maker in the village. Both boys go to visit him.

Narrative Point of View:

• Third Person Narrative

Setting:  The story takes place in an unnamed village. 

Conflict:   Paul envies Benjy carefree personality as a result of this he grew to hate Benjy.  This hate resulted n him attacking his brother.

• Love and family relationships
• Childhood Experiences
• Appearance vs Reality

28 thoughts on “‘Blood Brothers’ by John Wickham Analysis”

this help me a lot

It really did

Same cause I have been doing this topic in class from last week

This helped me a lot

Thank you for your feedback.

Thanks for your feedback Gisseli!!!!

this is not helpful at all . where is the summary the techniques background information and the mood .these would be helpful too u knw

this is not helpful. where is the story? where is the Summary?

Hi William,

You can find the story in the World of Prose. We do not include these stories on our sit for copyright reasons.

Watch the video and you’ll know all of the story by listening to the person who is reading it and the summary is the overview of the story. I hope that this was helpful to you,(William).

What is the rising action and climax

I want a whole summary about what actually happen in the story

give the full summary of blood brothers with paul and benjy

Y’all should do a skit and the script ….it will help others a lot

What is d conflict of this story?

The conflict is paul attacked benjy because his envy grew until it turned to hatred towards benjy, but then when paul realized that benjy felt fear just like him. He decided not to make a finishing blow. So in the end, Paul did not kill benjy but he almost did.

This really helpful thanks a lot

you guys could state what is benjy fear

In the end of the short story, Paul attacked Bengy in the Shoemaker’s Shop with an awl, a screwdriver like tool. After Bengy begged Paul to play outside with him while Paul sat inside the shop. Bengy came closer to Paul and touched his shoulder. This almost triggered Paul and he turned around with the awl and held it above Bengy but soon noticed that Bengy was scared. This left Paul content as he walked home because he realized “happy in the discovery that his brother also knew fear.”

Thanks alot for the help may god bless u

The name that you’re using states the truth.

This website was really helpful because it made me understand the story ‘Blood Brothers’ by John Wickham better. So thank you for creating this website.

How did either brother deal with the conflict ?

rising action

Can you describe the setting a bit more?

What are the literary devices

The fact that Paul envied benjy carefree personality as a result Paul grew to hate benjy

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Ask LitCharts AI
• Discussion Question Generator
• Essay Prompt Generator
• Quiz Question Generator

• Literature Guides
• Poetry Guides
• Shakespeare Translations
• Literary Terms

Blood Brothers

Willy russell.

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

The theme of superstition and fate is one that the playwright—in the voice of the Narrator —brings up over and over again throughout the musical. Near the beginning of the play, the devious Mrs. Lyons tells Mrs. Johnstone that if two long-lost twins ever learn that they are related, they will both die instantly—and at the end of the play, despite the improbability of Mrs. Lyon’s made-up superstition, this is exactly what comes to pass. The Narrator also spends many of his songs referencing various other superstitions, such as breaking a mirror or spilling salt on a table. Although he, an omniscient character, clearly knows that Mrs. Lyons has invented her superstition about twins, he is essentially saying that by making it up, she has made it real.

The threat of this false superstition is made to seem even more powerful by the contrasting mothers in the play: Mrs. Johnstone and Mrs. Lyons. Somewhat gullible, but also steadfast and loving, Mrs. Johnstone believes the fake warning wholeheartedly, and many of her actions throughout the play are motivated by her fear of her children dying. Mrs. Lyons, meanwhile, knows that the superstition isn’t true, but eventually comes to partially believe it anyway. She has allowed a belief—one that she knowingly created to control another person—to control her own mind. This is ultimately proof of her instability and eventual insanity.

The end of the play, of course, brings about the deaths of both Mickey and Edward , seemingly confirming that the superstition was correct—and that from the moment of their separation, the twins were fated to die. Yet the play actually suggests a far more interesting question. Through their various actions—which were themselves motivated by fear and superstition—the mothers within the play actually cause their sons’ deaths. Russell is proposing, therefore, that we as humans essentially make our own fate by believing in fate—that through our fear of the future and our irrational beliefs, we make our worst nightmares come to pass.

Superstition and Fate ThemeTracker

Superstition and Fate Quotes in Blood Brothers

So did y’hear the story of the Johnstone twins? As like each other as two new pins, Of one womb born, on the self same day, How one was kept and one given away? An’ did you never hear how the Johnstones died, Never knowing that they shared one name, Till the day they died…?

MRS. JOHNSTONE: Oh God, Mrs. Lyons, never put new shoes on a table…You never know what’ll happen. MRS. LYONS: Oh…you mean you’re superstitious? MRS. JOHNSTONE: No, but you never put new shoes on a table.

In the name of Jesus, the thing was done, Now there’s no going back, for anyone. It’s too late now, for feeling torn There’s a pact been sealed, there’s a deal been born. … How swiftly those who’ve made a pact, Can come to overlook the fact. Or wish the reckoning to be delayed But a debt is a debt, and must be paid.

MRS. LYONS: You do know what they say about twins, secretly parted, don’t you? MRS. JOHNSTONE: What? What? MRS. LYONS: They say…they say that if either twin learns that he once was a pair, that they shall both immediately die. It means, Mrs. Johnstone, that these brothers shall grow up, unaware of the other’s existence. They shall be raised apart and never, ever told what was once the truth. You won’t tell anyone about this, Mrs. Johnstone, because if you do, you will kill them.

You’re always gonna know what was done Even when you shut your eyes you still see That you sold a son And you can’t tell anyone. But y’know the devil’s got your number, Y’know he’s gonna find y’, Y’know he’s right behind y’, … Yes, y’know the devil’s got your number … And he’s knocking at your door.

MICKEY: What’s your birthday? EDWARD: July the eighteenth. MICKEY: So is mine. EDWARD: Is it really? MICKEY: Ey, we were born on the same day…that means we can be blood brothers. Do you wanna be my blood brother, Eddie? EDWARD: Yes, please.

You see, you see why I don’t want you mixing with boys like that! You learn filth from them and behave like this like a, like a horrible little boy, like them. But you are not like them. You are my son, mine, and you won’t..you won’t ever…Oh my son…my beautiful, beautiful son.

MRS. LYONS:…If we stay here I feel that something terrible will happen, something bad. MR. LYONS: Look, Jen. What is this thing you keep talking about getting away from? Mm? MRS. LYONS: It’s just…it’s these people…these people that Edward has started mixing with. Can’t you see how he’s drawn to them? They’re…they’re drawing him away from me.

Happy, are y’. Content at last? Wiped out what happened, forgotten the past? But you’ve got to have an endin’, if a start’s been made. No one gets off without the price bein’ paid.

MRS. LYONS: Where did you get that…locket from, Edward? Why do you wear it? EDWARD: I can’t tell you that, Ma. I’ve explained, it’s a secret. I can’t tell you. MRS. LYONS: But…but I’m your mother. EDWARD: I know, but I still can’t tell you. It’s not important, I’m going up to my room. It’s just a secret, everybody has secrets, don’t you have secrets?

MRS. LYONS: Afraid he might eventually have forgotten you? Oh no. There’s no chance of that. He’ll always remember you. After we’d moved he talked less and less of you and your family. I started…just for a while I came to believe that he was actually mine. MRS. JOHNSTONE: He is yours. MRS. LYONS: No. I took him. But I never made him mine. Does he know? Have you told… MRS. JOHNSTONE: Of course not! MRS. LYONS: Even when—when he was a tiny baby I’d see him looking straight at me and I’d think, he knows…he knows. You have ruined me. But you won’t ruin Edward!

MRS. JOHNSTONE: YOU’RE MAD. MAD. MRS. LYONS: I curse the day I met you. You ruined me. MRS. JOHNSTONE: Go. Just go! MRS. LYONS: Witch. I curse you. Witch! MRS. JOHNSTONE: Go!

And who’d dare tell the lambs in Spring, What fate the later seasons bring. Who’d tell the girl in the middle of the pair The price she’ll pay just for being there.

There’s a man gone mad in the town tonight, He’s gonna shoot somebody down, There’s a man gone mad, lost his mind tonight … There’s a mad man running round and round. Now you know the devil’s got your number. He’s runnin’ right beside you, He’s screamin’ deep inside you, And someone said he’s callin’ your number up today.

MRS. JOHNSTONE: Mickey. Don’t shoot Eddie. He’s your brother. You had a twin brother. I couldn’t afford to keep both of you. His mother couldn’t have kids. I agreed to give one of you away! MICKEY: You. You! Why didn’t you give me away? I could have been…I could have been him!

And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class?

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

Mrs Johnstone

Mrs. johnstone: impoverished.

Mrs. Johnstone and her family live in poverty. This is what forces her to give Edward to Mrs. Lyons. However, she does have a 'happy-go-lucky' attitude, embracing what life throws at her.

Cycle of poverty

• Mrs. Johnstone and her family are trapped in a cycle of poverty, and this makes it difficult for her to take care of her large family.
• “When I bring home the dough, we’ll live like kings, like bright young things.” (Act One).

Giving Edward to Mrs. Lyons

• It is this desperate state of poverty which ultimately causes her to give away one of her children, Edward, to the wealthy Mrs. Lyons.
• She imagines how much better things would be for the child in a house where “he wouldn’t have to worry where his next meal was comin’ from.” (Act One).

Burden of children

• The fact that Mrs. Johnstone has so many children obviously adds to her financial burden, and Russell could also be subtly drawing attention to religious attitudes which forbid the use of contraception.
• “She is aged thirty but looks more like fifty” (Act One).

Happy-go-lucky?

• Despite her impoverishment, Mrs. Johnstone seems to be able to take a happy-go-lucky attitude towards life, not letting the smaller challenges that life throws at her break her spirit.
• For example, she is overjoyed when her family is rehoused to the countryside, but never considers why this has happened:
• “Oh, bright new day, we’re movin’ away.” (Act One).

• Mrs. Johnstone is lively and loves to “go dancing” (Act Two), with an obvious interest in show business because of her repeated references to the Hollywood icon “Marilyn Monroe” .

Mrs. Johnstone: Impulsive

Mrs. Johnstone sometimes behaves in a way which shows her to be rash and impulsive, meaning that she rarely thinks about the consequences of her actions.

Making mistakes

• Instead of dealing with issues as they arise, or learning from her mistakes and avoiding repeating them, Mrs. Johnstone instead tries to ignore or run away from her problems.

Misdemeanours

• “Y’ shouldn’t sign for the bloody stuff, missis. If y’ know y’ can’t pay, y’ shouldn’t bloody well sign.” (Act One).

Consequences of giving Edward away

• However, it could also be said that this tendency to not think about the consequences of her actions is one of the reasons why she gave Edward to Mrs. Lyons in the first place.
• She was dazzled by the thought of her child growing up in a “palace” (Act One) like Mrs. Lyons’ house, and didn’t fully take into account the guilt and shame she would ultimately spend the rest of her life running away from.

1 Context & Author

1.1 Context

1.1.1 Setting

1.1.2 Political Background

1.1.3 Education & Work

1.1.4 Marilyn Monroe & Pop Culture

1.1.5 Family

1.2.1 Willy Russell

1.2.2 End of Topic Test - Context & Author

2.1 Act One

2.1.1 Overview: Introduction to Mrs Johnstone & Lyons

2.1.2 Analysis: Introduction to Mrs. Johnston and Lyons

2.1.3 Overview: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.4 Analysis: The Birth of Mickey & Edward

2.1.5 Overview: Mickey Playing at Home

2.1.6 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.7 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds

2.1.8 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.9 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Seven-year-olds 2

2.1.10 End of Topic Test - Act One

2.1.11 End of Topic Test - Act One 2

2.2 Act Two

2.2.1 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.2 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers

2.2.3 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.4 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 2

2.2.5 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.6 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Teenagers 3

2.2.7 Overview: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.8 Analysis: Mickey & Edward as Adults

2.2.9 End of Topic Test - Act Two

2.2.10 End of Topic Test - Act Two 2

3 Characters

3.1.1 Mickey

3.1.2 Mickey as a Damaged Adult

3.2.1 Edward

3.2.2 Edward 2

3.2.3 End of Topic Test - Mickey & Edward

3.3.1 Linda

3.3.2 Linda 2

3.4 Mrs Johnstone

3.4.1 Mrs Johnstone

3.4.2 Mrs Johnstone 2

3.5 Mrs Lyons

3.5.1 Mrs Lyons

3.5.2 Mrs Lyons 2

3.5.3 End of Topic Test - Linda & Mothers

3.6 Mr Lyons

3.6.1 Mr Lyons

3.7.1 Sammy

3.8 The Narrator

3.8.1 The Narrator

3.9.1 Minor Characters

3.9.2 End of Topic Test - Other Characters

3.10 End of Topic Sessions

3.10.1 Grade 9 - Key Characters

4.1 Parents & Children

4.1.1 Parents & Children

4.2 Growing Up

4.2.1 Growing Up

4.3 Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.1 Friendship & Brotherhood

4.3.2 End of Topic Test - Parents, Growing Up, Friends

4.4 Fate & Superstition

4.4.1 Fate & Superstition

4.5 Nature vs. Nurture

4.5.1 Nature vs. Nurture

4.6 Social Class

4.6.1 Social Class

4.6.2 End of Topic Test - Fate, Upbringing & Class

5 Literary Techniques

5.1 Structure

5.1.1 Structure

5.2 Tragedy

5.2.1 Tragedy

5.3 Dramatic Irony

5.3.1 Dramatic Irony

5.4 Imagery

5.4.1 Imagery

5.5 Character & Voice

5.5.1 Character

5.6 Music & Lyrics

5.6.1 Music & Lyrics

5.7 Accent & Dialect

5.7.1 Accent & Dialect

5.7.2 End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques

5.7.3 End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques 2

Jump to other topics

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

30+ school subjects covered

Mrs Johnstone 2

Dramatisation - Eduqas Introduction and overview of Blood Brothers

Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers was intended to be performed with music, rather than simply read. It is important to consider the characterisation, staging and music when studying the play.

Part of English Literature Blood Brothers

Introduction and overview of Blood Brothers

Reading a play gives a limited experience of how it should be, because it is written to be performed. The actors, scenery and production (ie lighting and sound) all create atmosphere and contribute to the telling of the story and the audience’s feeling of the play.

In a musical, like Blood Brothers , the songs also make an important contribution to the overall experience of the performance. The director of a musical will make a lot of choices about how it is performed, which is based on their interpretation of the text.

The three areas we will look at in terms of the dramatisation of Blood Brothers are:

• characterisation

More guides on this topic

• Plot summary - Eduqas
• Plot summary quiz
• Themes - Eduqas
• Themes quiz
• Characters - Eduqas
• Characters activity
• Form, structure and language - Eduqas
• Form, structure and language quiz

Related links

• Bitesize revision podcasts
• Jobs that use English
• BBC Teach: Literature
• Watch Macbeth on iPlayer
• BBC Sounds Classic Stories
• Edusites Subscription
• Get Revising: Eng Lit
• RSC: Teacher Resources

Blood Brothers: Key Quotations ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

Key Quotations

Remember, the assessment objectives explicitly state that you should be able to “use textual references, including quotations”. This means summarising, paraphrasing, referencing single words and referencing of plot events are all as valid as quotations in demonstrating that you understand the play. It is important that you remember that you can evidence your knowledge of the text in these two equally valid ways: both through references to it and direct quotations from it. 

Overall, you should aim to secure a strong knowledge of the text, rather than rehearsed quotations, as this will enable you to respond to the question. It is the quality of your knowledge of the text which will enable you to select references effectively.

If you are going to revise quotations, the best way is to group them by character, or theme. Below you will find definitions and analysis of the best quotations, arranged by the following themes:

Nature versus nurture

• Social class  
• Superstition and fate

Nature versus nurture is one of the most prevalent  themes within the play and challenges ideas related to personal and social responsibility. Throughout the play, Willy Russell presents the contrasting experiences and consequences relating to Mickey and Edward’s separate childhoods by demonstrating the influences of both genetics and upbringing.

 “As like each other as two new pins/Of one womb born, on the self same day.”

– The Narrator, Act I

Meaning and context

• At the beginning of Act I, the narrator tells audiences that the twins are connected by nature , with the same natural mother
• The narrator uses an idiom  to compare shiny and identical new pins with the two baby boys
• This line, delivered in the prologue , ensures audiences know the depth of connection between the twins, due to their nature and genetics
• By telling audiences this at the start, it allows them to watch this connection tested as the play unfolds; this challenges the nature versus nurture  debate
• The comparison of new pins with the twins is emphasised by the rhyme , highlighting the theme of nature (genetics) 
• Here, Russell emphasises to the audience that the boys are naturally similar
• The idiomatic   expression: like two new pins, emphasises the boys’ innocence and similarities: he implies they are unspoilt, foreshadowing the influence of nurture   (upbringing)

“You learn filth from them and behave like this, like a, like a horrible little boy, like them. But you are not like them”– Mrs Lyons, Act I

• This line is delivered in Act I by Mrs Lyons to Edward
• She refers to Edward playing with Mickey, Linda and the other working-class  children
• Mrs Lyons is suggesting that if Edward mixes with these children from another class, he will be influenced negatively by them
• She tells him he is different to the working-class children
• When Edward is naturally drawn to Mickey, Russell suggests nature is a factor in our identities
• Russell suggests the inevitable connection of family: despite Mrs Lyons’s desperate attempt to keep the twins apart, she is unable to defy nature
• Russell suggests Edward’s upbringing ( nurture ) is sheltered: Mrs Lyons is anxious to keep him separated, not only from his twin, but from working-class children
• Mrs Lyons’s use of the pronoun , “them”, divides the classes, showing Edward’s upbringing as isolated from his natural family
• The words “filth” and “horrible” suggest Mrs Lyons’s strong negative judgments on the working-class
• Russell shows Mrs Lyons as a mother with hypocritical attitudes about upbringing ( nurture ), suggesting she is aware of differences between the social classes
• This challenges Conservative  perceptions of the time which suggested anyone, regardless of class, had the ability to succeed

“I wish I could still believe in all that blood brother stuff. But I can’t, because while no one was looking I grew up” - Mickey, Act II

• The relationship of the twins becomes strained in Act II: when Edward returns from university, confident and secure, Mickey has just lost his job at the factory
• Mickey refers back to the moment they became blood brothers when they were eight years old (unaware they are really twins)
• Mickey tells Edward that his different upbringing made him grow up faster, facing more challenges than Edward had to face
• Mickey’s desperate tone highlights his isolation: he feels unsupported and hopeless 
• Pauses in Mickey’s dialogue suggest a serious tone
• His language, “I wish” and “But”, suggests the chasm between his dreams and his reality
• Here, Russell alludes to the way nurture influences outcomes for individuals
• Edward reminds Mickey of their bond as blood brothers, alluding unwittingly to their natural connection and showing his immaturity
• Mickey’s dismissive   tone about “blood brother stuff” suggests a bitterness towards Edward stemming from their different upbringings
• Russell suggests that Mickey’s harder upbringing is less sheltered than that of Edward’s middle-class  upbringing ( nurture) , and this creates barriers in relationships

Social class

The musical, Blood Brothers, explores the influence of social class on an individual’s ability to determine their own future. The play presents the twins' tragic lives from birth to death, presenting the influences of both privilege and discrimination on the families’ emotional and physical well-being. 

“Don’t you know what a dictionary is?” – Edward, Act I

Meaning and context    

• This line comes from Act I: Edward asks Mickey a question
• Edward has just met Mickey, aged eight, and is surprised at Mickey’s lack of vocabulary
• This line shows the difference between Edward's and Mickey’s social class 
• Edward, in his new middle-class family, expresses surprise at Mickey’s swear words and that he is unfamiliar with a dictionary, depicting Edward’s life as sheltered
• Mickey’s working-class family is depicted as less educated than Edward’s, highlighting the contrasting childhoods
• Russell shows how the twins’ future is influenced, from an early age, due to social class

“It used to be just sweets an’ ciggies he gave me” - Mickey, Act II

• This line is from Act II, when Mickey is struggling to pay his bills after losing his job
• He is referring to the way Edward has helped him financially since they were young
• Here, Mickey refers to how Edward’s situation is even better now they are adults
• Mickey’s low self-esteem after losing his job is expressed through frustration towards Edward: now he needs even more help, not just cheap sweets and cigarettes
• This line alludes to Edward’s better financial position due to his middle-class upbringing
• Although Edward is generous and kind-hearted, Mickey begins to find his help demeaning , contributing to his violent actions which follow in the rest of the play
• Russell criticises, via Mickey’s mental deterioration and low self-esteem, the emotional and psychological effects of the social class  system’s inequalities

Superstition and Fate

The narrator reminds audiences of the theme of fate  and superstition throughout the play to mirror these ideas with themes focusing on free will and external pressures. Russell depicts his characters making decisions which bring about their own fate , suggesting that the past brings consequences we cannot avoid. As well as this, he asks audiences to consider how far social inequalities have a part to play in an individual’s fate . 

  “There’s shoes on the table an’ a joker in the pack/“Someone broke the lookin’ glass … Now y’ know the devil’s got your number, y’ know he’s gonna find ya” - The Narrator, Act I

• These rhyming lines are delivered by the narrator in Act I, after the mothers make their fateful deal
• He lists a number of superstitions: this refers to the superstition Mrs Lyons tells Mrs Johnstone to persuade her to give away her son
• The lines suggest that the mothers will not escape the consequences of their evil deal
• The narrator delivers a number of rhyming songs throughout the play, reminding audiences of the origin of the tragic events, the superstition
• The narrator uses rhyme to allude to the supernatural qualities of superstition and its fateful consequences:
• The songs have a chant-like, sinister tone
• The songs refer to the devil, connoting the supernatural and linking it with evil
• The narrator delivers the lines from the background, in dark lighting, to create an ominous atmosphere
• Russell links superstitious beliefs with tragic consequences 
• When the narrator delivers the rhymes, he sounds like the voice of the public
• He uses contractions , such as “ya”, associated with the dialect  of the working-class public
• Mrs Johnstone, a working-class woman with little education, believes in superstition: she asks Mrs Lyons to remove the shoes from the table
• Russell suggests a lack of education can be linked to superstitious beliefs
• Russell criticises this: Mrs Johnstone’s belief in the superstition causes the tragic deaths of the twins
• Russell uses the narrator to remind audiences that debts will always have to be paid; all actions have consequences

Paired quotations:

“They say…they say that if either twin learns that he once was a pair, that they shall both immediately die” - Mrs Lyons, Act I

“I curse you. Witch!” - Mrs Lyons, Act II

• In Act I Mrs Lyons makes up a superstition in a bid to persuade Mrs Johnstone to keep the boys apart
• After Mrs Lyons breaks her promise to allow Mrs Johnstone access to Edward and to let them know they are brothers, Mrs Lyons uses this superstition to persuade her to keep the contract in place
• In Act II, Mrs Lyons accuses Mrs Johnstone of being a witch, while putting a curse on her because she is unable to keep the twins apart
• In the superstition, Mrs Lyons uses the pronoun “they” to indicate the general public
• This serves to involve the audience and challenge perceptions 
• Mrs Johnstone, as a superstitious, working-class woman, does not question Mrs Lyons 
• Here, Russell shows the vulnerability that comes with a lack of education and low self-esteem
• This made-up superstition depicts Mrs Lyons as a deceitful and manipulative character
• By Act II, Russell depicts the mental deterioration of Mrs Lyons, showing her erratic and aggressive behaviour towards Mrs Johnstone when she is challenged 
• This line cements Russell’s aim to show Mrs Lyons as an unsympathetic and  hypocritical character:
• The irony  of Mrs Lyons using superstitious language after mocking and deceiving Mrs Johnstone because of her superstitious nature, illustrates hypocrisy
• Mrs Lyons’s deceit leads to the tragic deaths of the sons, thus Russell criticises the lack of accountability related to superstitious beliefs

“And do we blame superstition for what came to pass?

Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class?” - The Narrator, Act II

• At the end of the play, the narrator suggests that superstition is a factor in the tragic outcome
• He asks audiences to question the influence of the superstitious deal, as well as  inequalities between the social classes
• The narrator, using rhyming lines, summarises Russell’s themes at the end of the play
• The rhyming lines help emphasise messages about fate and social class
• The narrator uses the pronoun “we” to illustrate his role as one of the public
• This pronoun helps bond the narrator with the audience, suggesting a social and communal responsibility to address each issue raised in his words
• He uses a rhetorical question   to directly address audiences:
• The use of two rhetorical questions stresses each of Russell’s themes to the audience

Examiners love it when students link ideas and themes in the given extract to the rest of the play. A fantastic way to do this is to include quotations from elsewhere in Blood Brothers that show a connection, contrast, or character development. 

However, it is equally valuable to include your own “paired quotations”: two quotations that might not feature in the extract but show these connections, or changes. These paired quotations are marked on this page and are great when memorised together.

Russell presents the prevalence of violence in young boys’ lives, both from men and women. The violence, at first, is playful and harmless fun. However, as the boys grow up the violence becomes deadly, suggesting its far-reaching power. 

Paired Quotations:

“Till the day they died, when a mother cried/My own dear sons lie slain” - The Narrator Act I

“You won’t tell anyone about this, Mrs. Johnstone, because if you do, you will kill them” - Mrs Lyons, Act I

• The narrator tells audiences that the play ends in violence: that a mother will mourn her sons’ deaths
• Mrs Lyons persuades Mrs Johnstone to keep a secret, telling her she will be responsible for their deaths if the twins ever know they are brothers
• She is referring to a made-up superstition that requires separated twins to remain apart
• Russell has the narrator introduce the theme of violence at the start of the play in order to show its impact in the story: the play will end with the deaths of two sons
• Russell uses emotive imagery  to show the grief of a mother crying to convey the tragic consequences of violence
• Foreshadowing the tragedy this way helps audiences grasp key themes
• The use of the word “slain” refers to murder: this links the mothers to the murder at the end of the play
• When Mrs Lyons suggests Mrs Johnstone will “kill them” if she does not abide by the superstition, Russell hints at their involvement in the murder
• The pauses in Mrs Lyons’s dialogue, give a sinister tone to the line, foreshadowing t he violence to come

“Mrs Johnstone has opened the knife drawer, and has a lethal-looking knife in her hand” - Stage Directions, Act II

• These stage directions show Mrs Lyons becoming violent in Act II
• Mrs Lyons threatens Mrs Johnstone in her kitchen when she learns Mickey and Edward are still friends
• Russell uses stage directions   to show audiences Mrs Lyons’s actions
• The actions represent a silent pause in the scene, creating tension
• Russell links violence with feelings of powerlessness and mental deterioration
• Mrs Lyons resorts to violence when she cannot control her situation
• In this scene, she is called a “mad woman” by the children
• Mrs Lyons slaps Edward when she feels unable to control him
• Mickey, too, resorts to violence when he feels powerless and is depressed
• Here, Russell shows the middle-class mother resorting to violence when powerless, while Mrs Johnstone, with challenges far greater, remains calm throughout the play
• This challenges perceptions which link the working-class to violence
• Russell could be suggesting violence is related to individual circumstances or nature , rather than social class
• This challenges stereotypes of a violent working-class

Paired Quotations: 

“You can get up off the ground again / It doesn’t matter / The whole thing’s just a game” - The Narrator, Act I

“I’m gonna get a real gun soon” - Mickey, Act I

• The narrator delivers these lines in Act I when the children are playing a game in the street: they are pretending to be cowboys shooting Native Americans, a typical game of 1970s England
• The narrator tells audiences that in these childhood games, the children can get up after being shot as it is just pretend 
• Later, Mickey tells audience he is going to get a real gun to impress his friends
• In Act I, the narrator tells audiences that the children’s game is not real, and the children will be able to get up after being shot
• He suggests that the games the children play can lead to attitudes which underplay real violence
• Here, Russell uses foreshadowing to hint at the real violence of Act II when Mickey commits armed robbery and shoots Edward
• Russell shows the negative male influences of Mickey’s childhood lead to violence:
• He looks up to his aggressive older brother, Sammy, and tries to impress his friends by telling them he wants a real gun
• This links the innocence of childhood games with real violence
• In this scene, Russell’s stage directions reference the children becoming “bored with genocide” when they stop the game
• He challenges the normalisation   of violence, suggesting children grow up to see it as a game

Aim for quality, not quantity. There are no rules about the number of references you should make to the whole text, but making 2-3 thoughtful, detailed and considered references, closely focused on the question, will attain higher marks than, for example, 6-7 brief and undeveloped references.

You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes

Get unlimited access.

to absolutely everything:

• Downloadable PDFs
• Unlimited Revision Notes
• Topic Questions
• Past Papers
• Model Answers
• Videos (Maths and Science)

Join the 100,000 + Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Did this page help you?

Author: Sam Evans

Sam is a graduate in English Language and Literature, specialising in journalism and the history and varieties of English. Before teaching, Sam had a career in tourism in South Africa and Europe. After training to become a teacher, Sam taught English Language and Literature and Communication and Culture in three outstanding secondary schools across England. Her teaching experience began in nursery schools, where she achieved a qualification in Early Years Foundation education. Sam went on to train in the SEN department of a secondary school, working closely with visually impaired students. From there, she went on to manage KS3 and GCSE English language and literature, as well as leading the Sixth Form curriculum. During this time, Sam trained as an examiner in AQA and iGCSE and has marked GCSE English examinations across a range of specifications. She went on to tutor Business English, English as a Second Language and international GCSE English to students around the world, as well as tutoring A level, GCSE and KS3 students for educational provisions in England. Sam freelances as a ghostwriter on novels, business articles and reports, academic resources and non-fiction books.

• KS2 English
• Study Guides
• Practice Tests
• Rapid Revision
• YN+ Digital

This website uses Cookies

GCSE Study Notes and Revision Guides

Blood brothers (grades 9–1) york notes, willy russell, examiner's notes, you assessed this answer as grades 6–7 . hover over the highlighted text to read the examiner’s comments., question: how does russell present ideas about friendship in the play.

Write about:

• how the nature of friendship changes due to circumstance or time
• how Russell presents ideas about friendship.

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.

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.

Russell manufactures coincidences in the twins’ lives: both families move from Liverpool to Skelmersdale; both boys are suspended from school; they meet again accidentally aged fourteen. When they meet, each eyes the other jealously from a distance. Crippled by a lack of confidence in their appearance, each wishes they could be ‘a little less like me’ and more ‘like that guy’. Ironically, of course, being twins, they are exactly like ‘that guy’.

There are, however, significant differences between Mickey and Edward which eventually drive them apart. In childhood, neither seems aware of any difference in their social class. 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.

It is in adulthood that this difference drives the twins apart. When Edward returns from university he finds that Mickey has married Linda, is expecting a baby and has lost his job. While Mickey feels the pressure of his responsibilities, Edward important?’. Russell frames this as a question, not a statement, revealing a great deal about Edward: he has no awareness of the privilege which Mr Lyons’s job has allowed him or the problems which poverty brings, Mickey’s response is blunt. He dismisses Edward as ‘still a kid’ and their friendship as ‘just kids’ stuff’, the adverb ‘just’ emphasising how little he thinks of it now.

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.

Mickey’s resentment builds when he learns that Edward has taken the ‘one thing left in my life’: Linda. However it is Mrs Johnstone’s revelation that they are twins which finally drives Mickey’s resentment to its peak: ‘I could have been him!’ Despite this jealousy of Edward, and the shooting that follows, Mickey tells Edward, ‘I was gonna shoot y’. But I can’t even do that.’ 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. He leaves the audience some small hope and faith in friendship and brotherhood at the end of the play.

Having read our examiner’s notes, select another grade if you would like to change your own assessment. Click NO CHANGE if you are happy with your assessment.

This is the copy relating to the passage of highlighted text.

• TOP CATEGORIES
• AS and A Level
• University Degree
• International Baccalaureate
• Uncategorised
• 5 Star Essays
• Study Tools
• Study Guides
• Meet the Team

GCSE: Blood Brothers

• English Literature
• Willy Russell
• Blood Brothers

"And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have came to know as class?" Which do you think is more responsible for the deaths of Mickey and Edward in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers.

Sam Plackett "And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have came to know as class?" Which do you think is more responsible for the deaths of Mickey and Edward? Blood Brothers is a play set in Liverpool, Willy Russell wrote it in 1983. Willy Russell has wrote plays based in Liverpool because this is where he was brought up as a kid in a working class family, Blood Brothers relates to this and aspects of class that he would have experienced when he lived there. Willy Russell grew up just outside Liverpool, he left school when he was only 15 to become a hairdresser, it was in his early twenties when he decided to go back to school and take his O levels. His plays were about everyday circumstances and his portrayal of life then. In this essay I intend to find out the reason for Mickey and Edward's deaths, whether it was superstition or class, I will evaluate both of the possible causes and how they are used within the play, then I will have to make a conclusion to which side of the argument proves to be the correct one. The main sources of superstition revolve around Mrs Johnstone because she is the character who believes that when certain things happen consequences will unfold due to this. Willy Russell points these superstitious events out to the audience, by using one of the characters to mention this or a song will be used

• Word count: 2330
• Level: GCSE
• Subject: English

"Blood Brothers" is set in Liverpool in the early eighties.

"Blood Brothers" is set in Liverpool in the early eighties. The play follows the life of two main characters: Eddie Lyons and Mickey Johnstone. The play has proved extremely popular with audiences of all ages. In this essay I aim to consider all the dramatic qualities of the play and how Willy Russell uses them to promote the dramatic effectiveness of the play. In "Blood Brothers" the characters fall into two stereotypical groups: the working class Johnstones and their associates, and the middle class Lyons. It seems ironic that although the Johnstone family live on the breadline they start off cheerfully, compared to the Lyons who never seem content. This makes the audience what is wrong in the lives of both families and created dramatic tension. The main characters, Eddie and Mickey are people that we can relate to: we feel pathos with them as they face the trials and tribulations of life. Russell uses pathos to involve the audience so they feel pity when Mickey loses his job, fear at the end of the play when the shooting scene takes place, and experience childhood joy when Eddie and Mickey share jokes. Humour, in its various forms, plays a large part in æBlood BrothersÆ. It keeps the audience interested and balances out the conflict and sadness in the play. Throughout the play we experience different types of humour such as the use of a pun when Mickey and Eddie are

• Word count: 892

"Blood Brothers", a play by Willy Russell, was set in the late sixties/early seventies and was written in 1981

DRAFT COPY OF BLOOD BROTHERS ESSAY "Blood Brothers", a play by Willy Russell, was set in the late sixties/early seventies and was written in 1981. It is a Liverpudlian West Side Story about twin brothers being separated at birth because their mother cannot afford to keep them. She gives one of them away to a wealthy woman who longs for a child. The two children grow up as friends in very different environments, not bothered about the old tale about a curse that states that if twins are separated at birth, they will die if brought back together during their lives. But a quarrel between the two boys soon brings trouble. Russell uses the play, including the scene that I am going to be focusing on, to put across views about 20th century society and to show the importance of class and life in Liverpool in the late sixties and early seventies. He also highlights the importance of environment and the way society, at the time, regarded single mothers. Single mothers were thought of as lower class characters that have many children born of different fathers. At the time that "Blood Brothers" was set, politics would've been really bad. The government probably wouldn't have cared or been bothered about the poor living conditions that some of the weaker families were living in. This would've had a large effect on those weaker families, such as the Johnstones, because of lack of money

• Word count: 1713

> "Well how come you got everything...and I got nothing". This quote by Mickey highlights the relationship between class and opportunity which is what this essay is going to be focusing on. Willy Russell is a modern playwright but throughout history these themes have appeared in literature, for example world war one often revels the fact that men of a more lower class were sent to the front line whereas men from a wealthy class made all the decisions. The playwright uses a number of techniques to make the message accessible to the audience. Some of these include dramatic devices, language and the overall content of the play. The relationship between class and opportunity is that the opportunities you receive is based upon the class you are represented by. > Blood Brothers is a powerful illustration of how divisions in social class can affect the opportunity an individual has in life. It is a tragic musical written by the fantastic writer Willy Russell. Mrs Johnstone, a lonely woman whose husband has abandoned her and a houseful of mouths to feed, learns she is expecting AGAIN, however what she doesn't learn till later on is that she is having twins which adds to the life problems that her life comes to struggle with. She works for Mrs Lyons who is desperate for kid s but isn't able to have any her self, when she finds out about Mrs Johnstone's pregnancy she uses it to her

• Word count: 815

Blood Brothers interview with Willy Russell

Mr. Russell, welcome to our program, Writers' Question Time. Could you briefly tell us what your play is about? Thank you for inviting me to the show. "Blood Brothers" is about the story of twin brothers separated at birth. The twins' working-class mother - Mrs. Johnston - is too poor to keep both twins, so gives one to her very rich employer Mrs. Lyons, who cannot have children of her own. Mrs. Johnston is extremely superstitious, and Mrs. Lyons discovers this early on when Mrs. Johnston finds shoes on the table. Mrs. Lyons takes advantage of this, and tells Mrs. Johnston 'that if either twin learns he was one of a pair they shall both die immediately!' Until the twins are about eight years of age, Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Johnston have no problem keeping their secret shut away. They then find that the twins have met, and have become very good friends without realising they are related to each other. Mrs. Lyons persuades her husband to move the family away from the city to the countryside. Later in the play, Mrs. Johnston and her children get moved from the slums, closer to the house of Mrs Lyons. As the twins discover each other once again, Mrs. Lyons' mental health begins to deteriorate, and paranoia starts to kick in. With Mrs. Johnston, anxious as ever that her secret will slip out, the general mood of the play becomes more sinister, and the ending is tragic. Mr. Russell,

• Word count: 2740

Who is to blame for the tragic deaths of the twins in Willy Russell's 'Blood Brothers'?

Who is to blame for the tragic deaths of the twins in Willy Russell's 'Blood Brothers'? Blood Brothers, a story of twins separated at birth, growing up in completely different environments, but with the same genetic composition, "never knowing that they shared one name, 'till the day they died, when a mother cried, my own dear sons lie slain", is a compelling story of which we will discuss in detail, of who is to blame for their tragic deaths. There are many character in 'Blood Brothers', which can be blamed for the tragic deaths; Mrs.Lyons, the rich, devious woman, Mrs.Johnstone, the under-privileged mother of eight, Sammy, Mickey's brother and his influence, and even superstition and fate. First of all, we will discuss the case of Mrs.Lyons, a vindictive, manipulative woman who has a caring side to her, for the desperation of the love for a child. Indeed she did start all of this deception, by offering to take one of Mrs. Johnstone's baby's and lying to Mrs.Johnstone that she could see her child everyday. She also lied to her husband that the child was theirs and not an adopted baby (as Mr.Lyons hated the fact of adopting children). Mrs.Lyons decided to take it upon herself to have the child as her own, "He need never guess" was her response to Mrs.Johnstone, about the deceit...could this be the story of the twins' deaths; being cruelly separated at birth by Mrs.Lyons, not

• Word count: 2139

The Function of the Narrator in Blood Brothers

The Function of the Narrator in Blood Brothers The narrator's role in 'Blood Brothers' is quite unusual. The convention of the narrator in most plays is such that they are usually brought on to introduce the next part of the play and then move offstage and the play continues. However, in Blood Brothers the narrator is a physical character and is on stage all of the time. At the beginning of the play the narrator says, "So did y' hear the story of the Johnstone twins?" This indicates that he is the storyteller. His presence at every scene thereafter shows that he is telling us about that part of the story. The narrator is on stage all the time, watching the characters and often lurking in the background, and this makes him seem a sinister and threatening character, which contrasts with other plays where the narrator is usually neutral. Also, as the narrator already knows the end of the story and is telling it back to the audience he can also suggest what is going to happen in the future which has a disquieting effect. Although the narrator knows what is eventually going to happen he doesn't try and prevent it in any way and even seems to be pushing the characters into performing their actions. The narrator speaks in rhyming couplets, which is akin to the supernatural characters used by Shakespeare; this would link with his prophetic knowledge and his cold presence around

• Word count: 1225

Blood Brothers - The Narrator

To what extent do you think the Narrator is presented as a moral guardian or a figure of doom in the play? Give reasons for your opinions. Throughout the play of Blood Brothers I think that the Narrator is presented as a moral guardian. It could be argued that he is a figure of doom because of his actions, but I disagree with this statement because I see him in a different light and I feel that Willy Russell wants his audience to look beyond his actions and see the positive reasons why he delivers bad news. I believe that the Narrator makes his actions obvious and that Willy Russell has made sure that his audience see him as evil straight away because of he says and does. But I think that Willy Russell is hoping that his audience look deeper and don't judge him based on his outward thoughts and sayings. I feel that there is something hidden underneath all the bad forebodings which he gives. There is something else to him and I think this is why I can see him as a moral guardian. From the opening of Act one he sets the scene. 'He steps forward and starts to recite the prologue to his audience. In this soliloquy he tells 'the story of the Johnstone twins...how one was kept and one was given away...never knowing that they shared one name, till the day they died.' This soliloquy is very effective in the fact that it allows the Narrator to prepare the audience for the

• Word count: 2281

What is the importance of the narrator in blood brothers?

What is the importance of the narrator in Blood Brothers? One of the most compulsory characters in Willy Russell's 1983 play Blood Brothers is the narrator. He is the main dramatic device and is critical for the audience. He makes the plot constantly flow and explains loose ends throughout the story. As well as being the narrator he plays various minor roles. He sings many songs, which show characters' emotions, and introduce and develop important themes. The narrator's main focus is to explain the story and what's happening. After long sections of speech he will briefly explain what's just happened, in case the actions don't make it clear. He also makes sure you fully understand the story. One example is just after Mickey shoots someone. The gun goes off and straight after the narrator says, "There's a man lies bleeding on a garage floor." This explains someone has just been shot and because you don't see it, you might not have known it had happened without him. He appears to be very omniscient by dropping hints about things that are going to happen in the future. This is one of the many devices he uses, to reveal the plot. The narrator plays many small roles in Blood Brothers as well as being the main character. Some examples are the milkman, Mrs Johnstone's ex husband, the policeman, the gynaecologist and the judge. All of these roles seem to bring negativity and bad

• Word count: 938

The German Job

The German Job By Tom Prendergast I could tell he was aiming bottom left. I just knew by the way he was standing nervously, waiting for the whistle. Putting the shiny white ball on the perfectly marked spot, stepping slowly back, lining up the crucial shot. Everyone silent. Ten other players hoping their schoolboy dreams would come true. Seventy six thousand fans from around the world packed into the Olympiastadion Berlin waiting anxiously for one single kick. Tens of millions watching carefully from houses, pubs and streets and then there was us, ten rows up, right behind the goal with a perfect view of the fear in the taker's eyes, ready to jump up in joy or drop in despair and after coming all this way we needed something special. All that long, hard labour, all of those brainless, dangerous risks and the bits of luck we had along the way, but to get so close to our dream only to be crushed and by the worst possible team, but........... wait, I better tell you how we got here first. My name is Jonathan Francis, also know as John, Jono, Frankie, Francy, Franny, King Kong - don't ask, but most people call me Johnny. I've always had this dream, since I was little enough to kick a ball, to go to a World Cup Final and see England win against the Germans in the final - for obvious reasons, but I always knew that it wasn't going to be very likely with it always being

• Word count: 2727
• Fewer than 1000 73
• 1000-1999 112
• 2000-2999 39

Teacher Reviews

Peer reviews.

• 1 or more reviews 4

24/7 writing help on your phone

To install StudyMoose App tap and then “Add to Home Screen”

Blood Brothers: Act One on Social Class

Save to my list

Remove from my list

Blood Brothers: Act One on Social Class. (2016, Nov 12). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/blood-brothers-act-one-on-social-class-essay

"Blood Brothers: Act One on Social Class." StudyMoose , 12 Nov 2016, https://studymoose.com/blood-brothers-act-one-on-social-class-essay

StudyMoose. (2016). Blood Brothers: Act One on Social Class . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/blood-brothers-act-one-on-social-class-essay [Accessed: 16 Aug. 2024]

"Blood Brothers: Act One on Social Class." StudyMoose, Nov 12, 2016. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://studymoose.com/blood-brothers-act-one-on-social-class-essay

"Blood Brothers: Act One on Social Class," StudyMoose , 12-Nov-2016. [Online]. Available: https://studymoose.com/blood-brothers-act-one-on-social-class-essay. [Accessed: 16-Aug-2024]

StudyMoose. (2016). Blood Brothers: Act One on Social Class . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/blood-brothers-act-one-on-social-class-essay [Accessed: 16-Aug-2024]

• Class and Crime: Is Working Class More Prone to Offending than Upper Class? Pages: 2 (447 words)
• A False Witness, One Who Speaks Lies, and One Who Sows Discord Among Brothers Pages: 2 (434 words)
• Analyse the the music used in the play 'Blood Brothers' Pages: 7 (1823 words)
• Edwards and Mickey Characters in Play Blood Brothers Pages: 6 (1588 words)
• Analyzing Two Theatrical Narratives: Blood Brothers vs. Annie Pages: 6 (1509 words)
• Differences Between Eddie and Mickey in Blood Brothers Pages: 10 (2821 words)
• Eddie in Blood Brothers Pages: 5 (1306 words)
• Reltionships in Blood Brothers Pages: 4 (1153 words)
• The Function of the Narrator in Blood Brothers Pages: 3 (766 words)
• Blood Brothers by Willy Russell Pages: 4 (1135 words)

👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!

Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.

• International
• Education Jobs
• Schools directory
• Resources Education Jobs Schools directory News Search

'Blood Brothers' exemplar essay response- purpose of the narrator

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

An essay for Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers considering the purpose of the narrator. Used with top set Y11.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 77%

A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

Willy Russell Blood Brothers bundle

Bundle contains: PowerPoint covering whole play (Lit and Lang focus) Paired academic non-fiction booklet/ non-fiction task booklet Three example responses to the AQA GCSE Literature exam question Knowledge organiser Revision lesson for characters and themes

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

This resource hasn't been reviewed yet

To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource: