Drummer Hodge Transcript

The teacher is the dominant participant. “What is the main point of the poem?”. The teacher is demonstrating his authority by choosing the topic. The teacher uses the interrogative “Is it literally about a man ‘playing with the snow’?”, this encourages the pupils to really think about the meaning of the play. The teacher again shows his authority by choosing who speaks in the classroom, “I haven't asked you Alex”. The teacher uses latched talk, “His desires. Right.” to point the students in the right direction. The fact that the teacher interrupts the student could be seen as an abuse of his power, however in opposition to this it could be viewed as a good thing, as the teacher is guiding the student to the right answer. “[er, [great” the teacher uses this co operative overlap to almost stop the student from doubting herself.

1)We can tell that Hector is the dominant participant because he initially sets the agenda, “what have we learned this week?”. Also Posner uses the vocative ‘sir’ which suggests that Hector is of high authority to Posner.

2)Posner responds by again using the vocative ‘sir’. Posner also uses interrogatives, “I wondered, sir”, to widen his knowledge on the poem.

3)One key quote is "The words of Mercury are harsh after the songs of Apollo. You that way, we this way.” This quotation demonstrates the idea of sexual desire and swearing off of something that once gave him pleasure.

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

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

Irwin begins with an interrogative, almost as if he is the teacher and Posner is still his student. “familiar?” refers to the past which suggests Irwin is still hung up on the past. However in opposition to this, the fact that Irwin didn’t know which university Posner went to, even after how hard he worked the boys, shows how detached Irwin is from his past with the boys. “What happened at oxford?” “Cambridge”.  It is significant that Posner got into his chosen university by dismally following Irwin’s system of thinking outside the box when it comes to examinations. Posner ends up writing about the holocaust, as a Jew, with a sense of detachment. Posner goes against his better judgement and denies his heritage all to impress some examiners. Irwin in no way acknowledges that this was down to him.  

In this scene we are made to feel sorry for Posner. He didn’t get through Cambridge and he is in such a bad place he begs Irwin for a story on what happened between him and Dakin. This is quite unusual as all throughout the play, Posner is one of the more comic characters. Posner always seems to be mocking himself in order to ease his pain, "I'm a Jew. I'm small. I'm homosexual. And I live in Sheffield. I'm fucked." However when we come to this scene in the play, the moment is no longer funny but tragic and going back to that scene after learning about Posner’s future it is an accurate foreshadowing of Posner’s life.

“All the effort went into getting there and then I had nothing left”. Posner explains to Irwin how once he got to Cambridge he felt he could not go on even after all the hard work he put in. Posner in this scene is almost a reflection of Bennet himself. Bennett attended a public school and got into Oxford with others who came from private schools and wealthy families and so Bennett felt a lot more pressure to excel just like Posner explains to Irwin.  

Even though the play was written in 2004, Bennett still kept the stigma surrounding homosexuality at the time throughout the play. Four of the characters had homosexual predilections and three of them suffered tragic fates. Hector dies in a motorcycle accident from which Irwin is crippled and Posner becomes the loneliest, most troubled of all the boys.

Discuss how Mrs Lintott is presented in this scene (pg.82-87)

Discuss how Mrs Lintott is presented in this scene (pg. 82-87)

Mrs Lintott is constantly divided from the rest of the characters due to her gender. Although she has a close relationship with and is respected by the boys, “a nickname is an achievement”, shows how much she values the opinions of the boys, her feminist revelations indicate that she feels she is only measured by her gender. “I just wonder whether it occurs to any of you how dispiriting this can be?” “but at least you get their problems. I seldom do.” This hints the disappointment that Mrs Lintott feels at the boys open relationship with Irwin. Mrs Lintott is honest and liked but yet she isn't trusted with the boys problems. Perhaps because she is a woman.

Alan Bennett presents Mrs Lintott as quite sarcastic. “I hesitate to mention this”. Mrs Lintott says this line shortly before going on, without a hint of hesitation, to make a huge speech about women. It also suggests that Mrs Lintott is quite self aware that she isn’t always in control of her emotions. “lest it occasion a sophisticated groan”, this quotation implies that Mrs Lintott has gone off on a tangent before and now simply expects a groan from the boys.

Mrs Lintott allows her feminist views to influence her ability to be impartial in certain situations. “Nor will you. Next”. The boys are trying to prepare for their oxbridge interviews and instead of remaining professional and encouraging Akthar, she reacts quite childishly by dismissing him before he has even begun his interview. This suggests that Mrs Lintott is such a strong feminist she can’t even look past a teenage boy’s silly comment.

I believe that Mrs Lintott’s view on education changes throughout the play. At the beginning of the play Mrs Lintott feels strongly about education and prides herself on how well she has taught the boys, “They’re all clever. I saw to that.” However it seems that towards the end of the play Mrs Lintott simply loses faith in the education system.

Bristol

Bristol in my mind is like a smaller version of London. I think it has quite a bit of diversity and culture to it. Bristol is very well regarded for its night-life and music scene. Bristol is also well known for its independent spirit. There are various festivals that go on throughout the year like our one and only St Pauls Carnival which celebrates Caribbean culture and we have had many, now famous, residents of Bristol. For example, George Ezra, Banksy, Carol Vordeman and even JK Rowling. Some of the downsides to bristol have to be bad traffic and parking. The buses are also a big problem in bristol. There is only one bus company so if they want to take their time reaching you there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. Maybe if a rival bus company were to come about they would smarten up their act. This of course would be up to the mayor who i have had the fortune of meeting, where I soon learned that he loved the sound of his own voice and also his red trousers and so I doubt the buses will improve any time soon. On the upside bristol has large areas of green spaces which are regularly used to host various events and festivals. Overall I think bristol is a great city, whether that be to live in or just to pop in for a good cup of tea and a bickie.

My Language Use

When I am speaking with authority figures, for example teachers, doctor and dentist, I am quite formal. I speak clearly and don't interrupt them when they are speaking. I also use this type of language when I am on the home phone.
 When I am speaking to my family e.g. my parents, siblings and cousins I am much more relaxed with my language use and my conversations are usually mixed with humour. However when I want for something from my parents I tend to use a more child like language which can sometimes get me sympathy.
 When I am speaking to my friends my language again is very relaxed and full of humour. I also use quite a bit of slang and I use the word 'like' many times in a sentence if I am ever describing something.
 When I speak to young children I use a higher tone of voice and use simpler language.
There are also certain phrases that I use quite often such as 'waste not want not' which is an excuse i use when 'my eyes become bigger than my belly'.

Article

How does the article ‘Boy needing urgent cancer surgery vanishes’ inform and entertain its reader?

The title is what immediately draws us in to the story. The use of emotive language ‘urgent’ makes us want to find out what is happening. The fact that it is urgent cancer treatment that he needs instantly makes our heart go out to him. The noun ‘boy’ is associated with youth and vulnerability which makes us sympathise for him. The word vanished also makes the story sound almost exciting in a way. The sub-heading includes the boy’s age, “A 10-year-old boy”. The fact that he is so young again makes the reader sympathise and they then, out of a sense of obligation, feel the need to finish the story for him. “Will die a brutal and agonising death”, this line obviously is going to affect any reader, not only does it state he will die, but that it will be ‘brutal’ and ‘antagonising’. These are not words that I would associate with a child, and so as a reader I would continue to read and be drawn in by this story so that I could, in my mind, find a way to help this child. They also do not name the child, which again draws the reader into the story and it gives it a sense of mystery.

Throughout the article short anecdotes are given “the boy, who had lived in England with his parents for two years”. This lets the reader get to know the boy and his life before all of this happened. There are also a lot of facts and statistics in the article “the surgery could last as long as 12 hours”

Comparisons between Hector and Irwin's teaching styles

A comparison between Hector and Irwin's teaching styles

We first see Hector begin his lesson with Posner singing and Crowther playing Piano, "Posner sings some Piaf". Irwin begins his lesson by handing out textbooks, "Distributing exercise books". This is the first type of comparison that we see between hector and Irwin's teaching styles. Hector does more to enhance the boys, academically and emotionally, as opposed to Irwin who focuses purely on the small part of their lives that they live in the classroom. Hector is very open to alternative styles of teaching, he allows the boys to act out a scene in a brothel in french, purely so that they can work on their french grammar, which they do not need to be learning. Irwin however is solely focused on the boys success at getting into a prestigious university.

When it comes to teaching there is controversy about whether positive feedback or negative feedback is better for improving a pupils work. Irwin clearly agrees that negative feedback is the way to go as he gives the boys no praise for their efforts, "dull, dull, dull". Irwin believes this use of repetition will convince the boys they need to work harder. Hector however is constantly praising the boys for their efforts.

Hector dislikes the idea of teaching for the sole purpose of an exam. "I count examinations... as the enemy of education".Hector believes that by memorising pieces of literature, it is helping the boys to get ready to face the 'adult world', he essentially wants to teach the boys something that will stay with them long after they leave school.