PEE paragraph on transcript and the Drummer Hodge scene

Transcript
The teacher uses interrogatives such as 'so what is the main point of the poem?' to set the agenda of the class discussion and make the class think. The lexical choice of 'so' focuses the students and adds to the fact that she wants them to come to a conclusion. Interrogatives are also used in latched talk: 'it's a kind of, of amorous play, isn't it?' 'Amorous?' 'Yes, amorous play' which shows the asymmetrical power between the student and the teacher. The teacher has more airtime which shows her expertise and makes her sound more knowledgeable. The interrogatives are also used to apply constraints to the discussion: 'is that a threat?' to remind the student, Alex, that they're in a classroom and she as the teacher has control over him. This asymmetrical power is then challenged using another interrogative 'what if I don't answer?' which shows sarcasm and a certain amount of disrespect for the teacher's authority.

The Drummer Hodge scene
The techniques used during this scene show how Hector and Posner are both very isolated and lonely characters. The use of latched talk makes Posner sound eager: 'How old was he?' 'If he's a drummer...' 'No. Hardy.' and shows that the poem has made an impact on him. As well as this, the adjacency pair of 'not being in the swim. Can you see that?' 'Yes, sir. I felt that a bit.' shows that Posner feels comfortable with Hector and this is also a co-operative overlap. However, Hector quickly puts constraints on this situation as he says 'shall we just have the last verse again and I'll let you go.' which reminds both the characters and the audience that they're in a professional, classroom setting and that there is an asymmetrical power between the two characters. Hector shows his expertise through utterances like 'it's a turn of phrase he has bequeathed to Larkin, who liked Hardy apparently' which Bennett uses to show how knowledgeable, fluent and passionate he is. This is also shown in the longer airtime Hector has compared to Posner: the audience can tell that this is an important scene between the characters and that Posner is learning something from Hector who is shown as being wise but vulnerable,

Donnie Darko film review

Donnie Darko film review

Considered a cult classic by many, misunderstood by others, there’s no arguing that Donnie Darko (2001) is one hell of a film. Is it a horror film? Is it a psychological thriller? Critics have been trying to label this film ever since its release but it is difficult. The film does deal with some quite horrific ideals but it’s not scary in the sense of jump scares and popcorn flying out of buckets. With its irresistible misery and twisted plotline, it’s a film that can be rewatched over and over again whilst still finding more things to love and understand. The casting choices are great, with Jake Gyllenhaal taking the title role as a schizophrenic teenager who is told by a grotesque-looking rabbit (called Frank, naturally) that the world is going to end in 28 days. As the film progresses, you can see Donnie gradually becoming more disturbed and him trying to understand the meaning behind his troubling visions. Not for the faint hearted, his journey ends up becoming a chilling experience for both Donnie and the audience.

Richard Kelly (director) expertly uses the artificial exploitation of the American-dream lifestyle to emphasize Donnie’s inner turmoil: houses with white picket fences and carefully mown lawns contrast perfectly with Donnie’s unnerving hallucinations and a darker, more twisted side to time travel. There is a kind of beauty in nothing making sense at first glance, but by the end of the film, it all clicks into place. In particular, some of the more distressing scenes are filmed in such a way that the audience feels like they’re hallucinating and this adds to the dissociation and oppressive intensity of the film. It would also be fitting to mention the incredible choice of music to accompany the film. In fact, I would argue that in many of the scenes in the film, it’s the chilling music that makes the atmosphere so downright creepy.

What’s so enthralling about this film is the way it manages to combine so many different topics whilst still having a distinct purpose. Kelly manages to combine romance, reality, the future, time travel, mental illness and horror into nearly every scene which is important and necessary for the conclusion of the film to be understood. This perhaps explains why it has so much of a cult following and why it continues to maintain such a respected cinematic status. Despite its somewhat puzzling ending, this doesn’t take away from the rest of the film; it instead adds to it and makes you want to watch the whole thing again: the definition of a brilliant film. You are left with so many questions that all you can do is sit in silence as ‘Mad World’ plays in the finishing sequence and press replay. Overall it’s a film that will stay with you long after the final credits roll. Donnie Darko has a concept and plot surrounding it that is so unique I doubt you will ever see anything like it again.

Discuss how Irwin and Posner's relationship is presented in this exchange

Discuss how Irwin and Posner’s relationship is presented in this exchange

Throughout this discourse, we see how Irwin has impacted on Posner’s life and how his teaching has affected his future. The audience sees Irwin as a successful historian presenting on the BBC using lots of elevated lexis (‘venerate supine antiquity’)to show his high intelligence contrasted with Posner’s failure in life after leaving Cambridge unable to cope and being stuck with a lot of regret and cynicism, arguably as a result of Irwin’s attitude to the boys’ learning.

Bennett uses the interrogative to express Irwin’s curiosity and disbelief in Posner, saying ‘what happened in Oxford? …And did you write it yourself?” to highlight Irwin’s intrigue into what has become Posner’s life. This could come across as being quite genuine, but at the beginning of the scene Irwin has already stated that ‘disability brings with it an assumption of sincerity’ which suggests that his relationship with Posner is quite strained and not as it seems from the very beginning. This is also supported by Bennett having both characters use ellipses to show that the characters are treading carefully in their dialogue and are suspicious of each other, which Irwin is proved right to be as the audience finds out later in the scene. It is revealed in his sudden urgency (‘tell me, sir. I need to know’) that Posner is recording their conversation in order to catch Irwin out and sell the story of him and Dakin’s presumed inappropriate relationship for money.

The use of the declarative and simple sentences also makes the atmosphere between Irwin and Posner feel tense and uncomfortable. Posner says things in a very short, clipped manner such as ‘I have a counsellor... It didn’t work out…you’re a celebrity’ which gives the impression that there is a lot of subtext: things aren’t being said and there is no room for argument. Compared to the Posner we see in earlier scenes: shy, eager to please, sensitive…it makes him come across as having this cynical confidence which is emotionally distressing for the audience to see. Along with this, Irwin’s use of asyndetic listing (‘Saner, wiser, more rational…’) puts across that he doesn’t have time for Posner, that he is trying to rush their discourse and that full explanation of what Posner is asking isn’t worth his time, which is an entirely different story to the one we saw when Posner admitted to Irwin that he thought he might be homosexual and Irwin was a lot more understanding.

In addition, Posner seems to feel more equal to Irwin now he is 5 years older, although he does still resort to using the vocative ‘Sir’ to signify that he’s not all grown up yet. Their relationship is still teacher-student in Posner’s eyes and this is supported by Irwin refusing to sign his book to David, which is Posner’s first name. As Irwin only called Posner by his last name, it shows that Irwin doesn’t really respect him as an older adult now and still sees him as the struggling, sensitive teenage boy he taught years ago. As well as this, Irwin uses taboo language (‘I wasn’t like Hector. Now fuck off’) towards Posner which also shows that he doesn’t have a lot of respect for him. Their relationship is clearly a complicated one, tainted with blame and a history that has already damaged Posner and could damage Irwin in the future.

Dystopian novel opening

‘Write the opening to a dystopian novel where you imagine your school many years in the future’

It wasn’t a surprise to anyone when it happened. The world had slowly become so artificial that it was almost like natural progression for students to not only be graded on their intelligence but also on their looks. It started with the appearance ratings from 1 to 10 whispered between friends and giggled over. This led to modelling, beauty pageants and apps that allowed you to publicly rate people that you’ve dated. Until  society reached a point where just as letters were stamped onto our brain capacity, numbers were burned onto our skin.

When I went back to school a few days ago for research purposes, the outside hadn’t changed much, but the atmosphere was completely different. I felt like I was being judged the second I walked through those towering black gates, that eyes were scanning me from my head to my toes in order to place me in some messed up social ranking. Immediately I felt extremely self-conscious and wrapped my arms around my waist as if to hide away people’s looks.

But what shocked me the most was how students were taught. Lessons like PE and PSHE were now more like ‘Muscle Building’ and ‘How to wear make-up’ lessons and alongside students’ target exam grade was a target appearance grade. As well as this, some teachers have been replaced by YouTube videos and online lessons. This shocked me in a way that I hadn’t expected, because the concept of being judged on your appearance would have caused riots in 2015, but here in 2025 it doesn’t seem odd at all, as if it had always happened. Maybe it had, and we’d just never noticed it before. 

Dystopian school ideas

1.  Schools will provide a much wider set of services to the local community, providing a hub of shared facilities to cater for the needs of the community from social services and support through to healthcare and faith centres.
2. Students will learn at times most convenient for them. (Yet some attendance at an actual school will be required to help students develop appropriate social skills)
3. Children using spread sheets to track their height and weight through school life. Not just tracking behaviour and educational goals, schooled to look a certain way?
4. Robot teachers allow teachers to teach at home whilst their students are in the classroom (no supply teachers)
5. No lessons, just teachers available and specific time dedicated to lessons via the internet

TV Documentary notes

10 Days in North Korea

• Statement sentences
• Informs audience on context, gives North Korean back story
• Commentary
• "..." says....
• Explains what's being shown ('this statue symbolizes...')
• Acts as a translator for the audience
• Let's the camera and interviewees do the talking
• "That's what we were told by...he'll accompany us throughout this trip..."
• "Our visit ends in..." like a tour guide
• Formal, low frequency lexical choices eg. embewed
• Describes visual scenes in great detail: '...run down but wide, spectacularly clean and practically empty road...'
• "It is said that..."
• Dramatic language 'striking', lots of statistics and comparisons with other countries, emphasis on difference
• 'He's talking about...'
• 'It promotes...or rather...'
• Awareness of other perspectives, 'although it seems dangerous to foreigners', unbiased
• Based on factual evidence and observation
• After possibly shocking phrases 'receiving food rations', there is a pause in the voice over to let that information sink in 

How does the article inform and entertain its reader?

Feminist protesters storm red carpet at London premiere of Suffragette'- The Guardian, 07/10/15

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/feminist-protesters-storm-red-carpet-at-london-premiere-of-suffragette

The article has a bold headline to attract the reader's attention and inform them of an event in a concise way that is informative but doesn't go into too much detail so the reader knows enough to be interested in the article.  The subtitle 'Feminist protesters storm red carpet at London premiere of Suffragette' intrigues the reader particularly by the lexical choice of storm. The imagery of fast-paced, unstoppable action has connotations of a force of nature: something that is inevitable and can't be controlled. It also makes the reader think of a large mass of people because of the collective noun of protesters all going in the same direction with the same objective in mind.

As well as this, the contrast of protesters, who are normally considered to be more present in informal settling such as city streets, being on the red carpet suggests prestige, formality which entices the reader into reading more. There's also the stereotype of protesters being from working class backgrounds and being somewhere 'unobtainable' to stardom that is entertaining for the reader. 

There is also a faded subtitle smaller than the headline which gives the reader more information about the event and encourage them to read the rest of the article: 'More than a hundred protesters jumped the barriers onto the red carpet as green and purple smoke bombs filled the air outside the Odeon cinema'. The quotation 'more than a hundred' is quite ambigious because more than a hundred could be 105 or 175 and this could exaggerate the amount of feminists protesting and therefore increases the impact of the article on the reader.

The lexical choice of 'jumped' suggests connotations of high energy, youth, revolution, for example jumping over metaphorical barriers being protesters jumping over barriers at a prestigious event.
By specifying that the smoke was green and purple has a dramatic effect on the reader, showing it's importance and informing the reader on how visually effective the smoke was.
The imagery of smoke having 'filled the air' suggests not being able to get away from the smoke in the same way protesters on the red carpet were unavoidable, shown in the quote: 'Presenter Lauren Laverne was forced to raise her voice to interview the directors on camera in front of the cinema as the activists chanted...' The focus of the article is also slightly ironic because it is giving a voice to the protesters who were trying to be silenced at the event. This is a unique angle to the story because most other newspapers would have only interviewed the actresses on the red carpet and their opinion on the situation and not spoken to the protesters, but the Guardian gives a voice to both the actresses and the feminist protesters which could be refreshing and more interesting for the reader.



The article is presented in short paragraphs which could be because as the article is online, the journalist has awareness that the reader does not have a lot of time to read long walls of text. The article is broken down so that it could be skim-read during someone's lunch break, on the tube on someone's phone etc and this means the article is accessable for anyone who can get onto their website. However, the article also caters for people with more time on their hands as key phrases such as 'Suffragette' and 'Sisters Uncut' have links to other articles on The Guardian website that are relevant to the article being read so that extra information is available if the reader wants to learn more without weighing down the article with extra unnecessary details.

There are also 4 photographs from the premiere featured in the article that attract the reader's attention because of their colour and eyecatching signs:
 

This keeps the reader entertained and interested as well as further breaking down the text. A caption underneath each picture briefly describes what's happening in the picture so even if readers hadn't read the article, they could gain a good visual understanding of the event just by looking at the picture.
Direct speech from the objects of the article also makes the article feel more informal and entertaining andthe space for comments at the bottom of the article makes the reader feel involved in the article and it's topic, which could cause them to form their own opinions and get involved in the 'conversation'.

Key genre features in a newspaper article

'Feminist protesters storm red carpet at London premiere of Suffragette'- The Guardian, 07/10/15

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/feminist-protesters-storm-red-carpet-at-london-premiere-of-suffragette

• Bold headline to attract reader's attention and inform them of an event in a concise way

  'Feminist protesters storm red carpet at London premiere of Suffragette'

•  Storm: Imagery of fast-paced, unstoppable action. Force of nature, inevitable, can't be controlled. Makes the reader think of a large mass of people (collective noun of protesters) with the same objective, all going in the same direction.
• Contrast of protesters who are normally thought to be in quite an informal settling eg. the streets being on the red carpet which suggests prestige, formality. Intrigues the reader.
•  Stereotype of protesters being from working class backgrounds being somewhere 'unobtainable' to them also intrigues the reader into wanting to read more.

• Smaller, faded subtitle to give the reader more information about the event and encourage them to read the rest of the article.

'More than a hundred protesters jumped the barriers onto the red carpet as green and purple smoke bombs filled the air outside the Odeon cinema'

•   'More than a hundred' is quite ambigious because more than a hundred could be 105 or 175 so this could exaggerate the amount of feminists protesting (hyperbole)
• The lexical choice of 'jumped' suggests connotations of high energy, youth, revolution (jumping over metaphorical barriers, protesters at a prestigious event etc)
• By specifying that the smoke was green and purple is dramatic, showing it's importance
• 'Filled the air' suggests not being able to get away from it,  not being able to ignore the protesters on the red carpet ('Presenter Lauren Laverne was forced to raise her voice to interview the directors on camera in front of the cinema as the activists chanted “Dead women can’t vote” and “We are suffragettes”) 
• Irony because the article gives a voice to the protesters who were trying to be silenced at the event

• The article is presented in short paragraphs which could be because as the article is online, the journalist has awareness that the reader does not have a lot of time to read long walls of text. The article is broken down so that it could be skim-read during someone's lunch break, on the tube on someone's phone etc. 
• Key phrases eg. Suffragette, Sisters Uncut have links to other articles on The Guardian website that are relevant to the article being read so that extra information is available if the reader wants to learn more but the article is still concise and compact. 
• The article also has 4 photographs from the premiere that attract the reader's attention, keep them entertained and further break down the text. A caption underneath each picture briefly describes what's happening in the picture. 
•  The article also contains direct speech from the objects of the article which makes the article feel more informal and entertaining. There is also a space for comments at the bottom of the article which makes the reader feel involved in the article and it's topic.

The Library

We all have that one place in our town where we feel most at home. If you've grown up in that same town your whole life, it's likely this is a place you've been continually going to ever since you were small. This is the case with my local library.
When I first started going it was a red-brick building: one floor of bookshelves and the smell of oak polish lingering on cupboard doors. The children's section was relatively small with just a few brightly coloured rugs and deflated beanbags to liven up the look of the otherwise grey walls.

But I loved it. I remember curling up behind a certain bookshelf in the corner of the room, wedging myself between the wall and the shelf in a way that was only just comfortable. I loved that it was like a permanent game of hide and seek, until my parents cottoned on that I was always going to be a child that hid away with a book whilst everyone else made dens out of coloured cushions and squealed: "Mummy, mummy, look at me!" Incidently, it was with my knees tucked up to my chest and my blonde bunches pressed against the wall that I discovered my love of reading, poring over yellowed pages that had been turned hundreds of times before. Looking back, I think this represents how my reading life has been for the past few years: trying to fit it in whenever and wherever I could, even if it meant squeezing it in between lessons or the last half hour I have before going to sleep.

So you can imagine my 8 year old heartbreak when I found out that the library was being knocked down. Red brick by red brick my hiding place was obliterated and a tacky, temporary, too-bright replacement was put in it's place, in between two beauty salons with such similar names there had been a lawsuit. My beloved books were gone, replaced by shiny hardbacks with glossy pictures and authors with smiles that didn't quite meet their eyes. Thankfully the atrocity was rendered unnecessary when within a year a new library had been put in the old one's place and not only had my hiding place been given back to it's rightful owner (me), but it now had cushions, and there was a muted yellow carpet that made the whole room look warm and welcoming. Light could now stream through big glass windows and warm my hands as I flicked through clean white pages, eager for the words to imprint themselves on my brain and transport me to another world just as they always did.

And 8 years later, every Tuesday, I still visit the place I still know the most, in concept at least. I could make my way to the YA section with my eyes closed, guided by the smell of pixie dream girls that never make their way off the page (usually because some skinny boy thinks of them as more than human). I'm still greeted by the familar smile of librarians that have worked there since the days of red-brick walls and are now drinking cups of tea from the vending machine upstairs, and each time I visit, I always see a little girl hidden behind a bookcase, her nose buried in a book and her eyes in another world.

Comparing Hector and Irwin

Compare 2 different teachers from ‘The History Boys’ and explore the way they are presented using quotations and reference to linguistic techniques

Both Hector and Irwin have very different approaches to education and how students should be taught. Despite the generation gap suggesting that Hector, the older individual, should have a sterner, traditional approach to learning and Irwin, the younger man, should have a more liberal attitude, the roles are in fact reversed.

Hector is motivated by the desire to feed knowledge to his students just for the sake of knowing it: ‘all knowledge is precious, whether or not it serves the slightest human use’. In contrast, this is very different to the Headmaster’s utilitarian view and Mrs Lintott’s teaching method of ‘force-feeding facts’. Hector teaches his students to his own curriculum of ancient literature and language, whereas Irwin strictly teaches what is needed in the exam.

Irwin believes that education is a temporary, disposable concept. Education isn't something for when his students are ‘old and grey and sitting by the fire’. It’s for an exam in a month’s time and after that, what they have learnt will be useless. Similarly, he teaches his students to ‘get through’ an exam, as if his only purpose of educating young people is so that they can pass an examination, so that they have the knowledge and facts that will cause them to ‘not fail’. In other words, he is teaching them not to fail an exam, rather than to exceed in life- which is what Hector is trying to do.

However, Bennett destabilises the truth with little or no distinction between who the ‘bad’ character is and who the ‘good’ character is. Although Bennett has the audience discover later in the play that Irwin is not the well-intentioned young supply teacher he is presented to be originally (he is employed to try and help the boys succeed after all). The audience also discover that Hector is physically inappropriate with his students and uses his love of literature and history to try and excuse his actions.

The eccentric English teacher frequently switches from speaking English to French ('Last time was the last time also...I, too. Non. Absolument non.')  and this suggests that Bennett is trying to make Hector cover up something and try to keep secrets. This makes Hector difficult to understand and the audience feel as though he’s hiding something, which is eventually found out to be true. As well as this, Hector is first presented in the play by Bennett as someone dressed in motorcycle leathers, which is unusual of a stereotypical teacher, and the students removing his clothing one by one. The stage directions showing this specify that each boy removes an item (of clothing) which could be Bennett's way of representing that it is specifically the students that dismantle his pretentious façade and not a particular event or period in time. The students are the reason he has the armour on in the first place and also the reason it is taken away.

Not only does this scene show him to be a secretive person, it could also be seen as Bennett showing foreshadowing for what happens later on in the play: Hector being stripped of his pretentious, skewed morals and shown for the person he really is- a paedophile who justifies himself with norms in the past and turns his students into anti-conformists so that he has more control of them. It could also be said that as Hector is traditionally a heroic name, Bennett's character is hiding behind his misleading name as well as his inappropriate behaviour.

He tells the impressionable students that 'outside his classroom they are slaves' and that inside it, they are ‘free’; allowed to say anything they want and to express themselves however they see fit. During the brothel scene, Hector gives Dakin a lie to tell regarding what they are really doing in their lesson so that the headmaster won't get suspicious. He also says in French 'Tell our dear headmaster what you are doing' almost as if to normalise the situation. This is Bennett's way of showing Hector's calculating way of turning the students bitter towards the outside world and his way of making them feel more comfortable with him: "Whatever I do in this room is a token of my trust. I am in your hands." In this way, it’s his false pretence of respect (calling the students ‘sir’) that allows Hector to manipulate the students into thinking that what happens to them when on ‘pillion duty’ is acceptable, and that they are the ones that are in control when they are with him.

On the other hand, Irwin is not entirely innocent himself. Bennett shows him as being associated with ruins and ruination, first at the beginning of the play when he is seen in a wheelchair and next when he is at the abbey. This could be seen as a way of subtly telling the readers that something in Irwin is ‘broken’ or decrepit. It could also be argued that Bennett is showing Irwin as someone who causes destruction as well as someone whose personality is influenced by it, as in the play, as soon as Irwin starts teaching the students, he loses control. Just as Hector uses inappropriate humour (the brothel scene) to try and interest the students, it doesn't take long before Irwin catches onto this way of teaching and starts referencing the 'fourteen foreskins of Christ'. It could be that Bennett is trying to tell the audience that just as Irwin is trying to mimic Hector's way of teaching, even if it's only to get the boys' attention, Irwin is also going to act inappropriately with his students, just as Hector did.


 In the narrative at the beginning of the play, Irwin, the teacher turned TV Historian, is trying to take basic human rights away without the British Public noticing. For the audience, the jump from the Irwin who is trying to get students into Oxbridge into the one who is trying to win around MPs is so massive because it’s only later on in the play that we see the more deceitful character come to light. This is shown when Irwin is telling the students about how it would be more beneficial to lie about certain degrees of their personalities and interests in order to get into Oxford (‘of course, you can make it seem like you’re telling the truth’). Even though Irwin lies, he’s honest about lying and the impact it has on both him and the situation on hand. Bennett portrays him as knowing that he’s being deceitful but he never tries to take the blame off himself or cover it up with lies which Hector was doing to try and excuse his behaviour.

Alternatively, Hector is dishonest about being honest. He uses what was acceptable in other time periods such as ‘The transmission of knowledge is in itself an erotic act. In the Renaissance…” to try to deflect the blame away from him and to try and justify his actions. When before his character seemed almost endearing and wise as he dropped in random pieces of knowledge, Bennett now shows him as being someone quite pretentious and cowardly, hiding behind his own words in order to avoid telling the truth. It could be said that he has force-fed himself ‘reasons’ for allowing his behaviour to continue just as the students have choked down the knowledge they need to get into university. As well as this, just as Hector has previously ignored the rules for hitting Timms in the past, he’s also ignored the rules for engaging in inappropriate behaviour and just as hitting students would have been acceptable many years ago, the rule on relationships with students has also become outdated, which both Hector and Irwin find difficult to grasp.




Inside the classroom as well as personality wise, the two men both have very different styles of teaching. Bennett shows Hector as not using exercise books in his teaching but as being more histrionic, for example by using music (Paif plays at the beginning of the brothel scene) to try and engage the students as well as give them the impression that they are in a safe, relaxed environment where they are encouraged to be open about their thoughts. He also lets the students decide what they want to learn, such as on the occasion when he uses language to try and manipulate the boys: 'Where would you like to work today?' However, this means that the students aren't always learning about things that are necessary, shown when the students are speaking French even though that is not something that is going to be in the exam. This further reinforces the idea that Hector sees education as being for knowledge, not exams, as learning a foreign language is both useful and rewarding. This is something that Irwin would never do, so Bennett is reiterating that the two teachers both have very different attitudes to education. This gives the impression that Hector has been created as being a person with the mentality that no subject is off limits and there are no boundaries, which as we know is a representation of both his method of teaching and his relationship with the students.






Irwin, on the other hand, is the complete polar opposite. Bennett makes Irwin uses exercise books in the stage directions, shown when he is throwing exercise books onto the desk, and this histrionic gesture is also symbolic of reality coming down with a bang. After the freedom of Hector's classroom, the students are now being jolted into real life with the sharp crash of exercise books hitting the table. Irwin also uses bathos to try and belittle Dakin as Bennett presents Dakin as having a very high opinion of himself, and the teacher's use of bathos knocks him off his pedestal a little. Dakin is very used to being showered with praise and admired by everyone who knows him, for example Hector and Posner, so when Irwin refers to his essay as 'the dullest of the lot', it's embarrassing for him and this could be an explanation as to why Dakin then goes on to desire Irwin's attention so much: because he wants to impress him and make Irwin have a high opinion of him as well as everyone else. Leading on from this, when Dakin ceases to impress Irwin with his intellectual ability, he starts to use his physical appearance to try and get positive attention from Irwin. Although Dakin is portrayed as being very full of himself and very over-confident, Irwin somehow manages to make Dakin feel insecure, and this is a feeling Dakin isn't familiar with ('I don't know why I want to impress him so much'). In this way, Irwin is walking precariously on the teacher-student boundary line so he has this in common with Hector, although Hector has clearly crossed the line long before Irwin arrived.






As a contrast of Hector's attitude to exams and education, Irwin is very much motivated by his desire that the students do well in their exam and because of this, sticks very strictly to the school curriculum. Whereas Hector taught his students pop-culture references of the 1980s and taught them how to talk to a prostitute at a brothel in French, Bennett has Irwin mention examiners frequently as a constant reminder that the boys are being taught for an exam grades: phrases like 'think bored examiners' reiterate that the boys are being taught to show off and get on the good side of the examiners, as if that will improve their performance in the exam.



































In conclusion, Hector and Irwin are both very different teachers with contrasting ideas about education and how children should be taught. One believes in teaching to an exam curriculum and the other believes in learning just for the sake of having knowledge. But both teachers have behaved inappropriately with students at times: Hector on the motorcycle and Irwin as he started to develop a crush on Dakin. They are both manipulative; one is just a lot more honest about it than the other.
Bennett destabilises the truth for the audience, presenting neither as good nor bad as they both have good qualities. For example, Hector believes that education should be passed down as Bennett reminds us in the last line of the play ('That's the game I wanted you to learn boys. Pass it on.')
and that students should enjoy learning and have control over what it is they are being taught. Irwin on the other hand does genuinely want the boys to get into the universities they want and he doesn't want it for the selfish reasons the Headmaster does. Bennett uses the characters in The History Boys to show us as the audience that there are always grey areas, that no person is ever completely good or bad and that education continues long after school finishes.

The History Boys: Characters

• Written by Alan Bennett, premièred in 2004
• Set in a grammar school in the north of England in the 1980s
• Centres around 8 sixth form boys applying to Oxford and the 3 teachers and headmaster of the school who are trying to get them there
• In the 1980s, students had to stay at school for an extra term in order to sit an exam that would enable them to go to Oxbridge

Posner:  Quiet Jewish boy. Likes reading, singing, in love with Dakin. Thinks that if he gets into Oxford, Dakin will love him.

Dakin:  Attractive and knows it. Both Posner and Irwin (young supply teacher) are in love with him but Dakin only has eyes for the headmaster's secretary, Fiona. However, he enjoys the control he has over Irwin and doesn't want to be embarrassed in front of him.

Scripps: Christian, very focussed on his faith. Budding writer, records events in his notebooks. Posner confides in him. Priest-like qualities. Non-judgemental. Similar to Bennett as Bennett was also very religious when he was young and considered taking Holy Orders. 

Rudge: Rugby player. Likes things to be simple and straight forward. Doesn't want to be liked for something he isn't. Very authentic, is only ever himself without apology, 

Akthar: Muslim. Happy to be involved in the boys' testing of Irwin. Knuckles down when he needs to.

Crowther: Keen actor, Friends with Lockwood.

Timms: The Joker, Hector hits him frequently, enjoys teasing Irwin and everyone else. Comes across as being confident. 

Lockwood: Shrewd film buff. Interested in politics.

Headmaster: Only focussed on results, getting students into Oxbridge, not very caring or compassionate. Quite leery towards Fiona and other women, sees the arts as a waste of time, motivated by his own ego. Quite inauthentic e.g.. swearing.

Mrs Lintott: History teacher. Only teaches to get kids through exams but they do brilliant. Doesn't allow emotions to be involved with her teaching. Often overlook as she is a woman working in a boys' school. Opposite to Hector in many ways. e.g.. methods of teaching

Irwin:  Young history teacher, innovative approach to education. Employed to get students into Oxbridge. Wants students to have a unique spark as well as an excellent education. Crush on Dakin, although conceals it well. 

Hector: Eccentric but well established teacher. Close to retirement. Doesn't teach to an exam. Very inspiring, kids adore him, he doesn't follow the rules. 'Know knowledge just because you can', liberal attitude. Is quite inappropriate with students and tries to use history to absolve himself. Relates to Thomas Hardy: heavy sense of gloom and destiny. 

Notes

• No competition between the friends- they all want each other to do well. 
• Contrast between the teachers' teaching methods and approach to education
• Teachers as humans: 'The hardest thing for a student to understand is that teachers are human beings too. The hardest thing for a teacher to understand is not to let the students know this.' 
• The motif of ruins and ruination are associated with Irwin e.g. abbey, physical appearance at beginning of play
• Posner and Hector are linked by their feeling of not fitting in and confusion
• Headmaster has utilitarian views- nothing is important unless it's useful (Hector)
• Bennett uses character to represent different views on education
• Irwin 'trains' the boys to be liars-possible representation of adult life
• Subjunctive is used a lot: what if/could/might

My Apparently Unfathomable Language

Dear Readers,

I'm a girl who spends probably a lot more time on the internet than I should, and unfortunately I think this has affected my language. Sure, I hang around with friends and family, but I think you can only really pick up 'normal' words from that if that makes sense. But if you spend as much time on the internet as I do, then you can pick up little phrases that (out of context) sound completely insane.

I'm also half Irish, which apparently makes me have the accent occasionally, but especially when I'm actually in the country. Honestly, it's like an Irish switch has been turned on in my brain and suddenly I sound like I've lived there for years- and then I watch a lot of American TV so I end up having a slightly American twang. It's very confusing.

One of my friends has a bad habit of trying to sound like a cool 'gangsta' via text message and after 5 years of knowing her this has severely affected my texting habits. Before you know it, I'm dropping 'bruhs' and 'dudes' all over the place which I would never dream of saying out loud. I also communicate heavily using emojis which I unfortunately cannot transfer into real life, although they would be very useful.

As well as this, 5 years on a crowded, rowdy school bus has left me with a slightly above average speaking volume. This means I am very concious of how loudly I'm talking. But the content of my speech is usually pretty normal; I just understand a lot of internet lingo that I try to not let slip on. I'd hate to have to explain to someone what 'shipping' was or what 'YouTubers' are if someone didn't know already. I'm also not a 'fangirl' or someone who writes 'fanfiction'.

I'm just someone who spends way too much time on the internet.
Until next time,
Jayme.