Please Grade my essay - English Lit GCSE

How is the character 'Mrs Johnstone' portrayed in the play 'Blood Brothers'?
In this essay i am going to explain how the character 'Mrs Johnstone' is portrayed in the play 'Blood Brothers'. At the start of the play the audience are told that she is only twenty-five years old and already has had seven children. This suggests that she is naturally a maternal character, embracing new life and showing her caring personality. William Russell (Russell) may also be hinting at religious rulings against contraception in her life, therefore implying that she is a Catholic.

The character 'Mrs Johnstone' is also portrayed as an extremely poor woman. I know this because at the end of the play she says to Mickey (before shooting Edward) 'I couldn't afford to keep both of you'. This shows the readers that she is trapped by poverty and reinforces the idea that it is difficult for her to take care for her children and is ultimately the reason why she gave Edward away to the middle-class 'Mrs Lyons'. Russell suggests that she is 'old before her time'. This indicates that she had to sacrifice any youthful enjoyment and financial security to care for her children - she cannot gain financial security because she is unable to get a full-time job, due to her having to care for the children and the decline in the economy.

'Mrs Johnstone' is also uneducated and Russell implies this through a number of different ways. She does not value intellectual or academic pursuits and this is why she is superstitious. It also means that she lacks concern for the education of her children and this is shown by her taking little interest when 'Sammy' and 'Mickey' are suspended for their behaviour. When 'Sammy' is suspended 'Mrs Johnstone' says it's the school's fault for 'letting the silly gets play with magnesium.'

Also the character 'Mrs Johnstone' is fatalistic and this is shown by her saying 'what wil be will be'. This infers that she does not concern herself with explanations of events in her life, she just accepts them. For example she rejoices in her relocation but does not wonder how it occurs, to her it is merely the work of fate's lucky hand.

In addition to her being a fatalistic character, she also does not think about the consequences that may confront her. The character 'Mrs Johnstone' makes rash decisions on impulse rather than thinking carefully over the consequences of her actions. I know this because she buys items out of the catalogues knowing that she is unable to pay for them.

On the other hand 'Mrs Johnstone' is also a very lively character. She has a zest for life and this is shown in the play through her passion for dancing, however she is also lively in her general attitude. 'Mrs Johnstone' has a happy-go-lucky attitude and therefore follows her instincts and this is her best guide through life. Russell also portrays the character 'Mrs Johnstone' as a strong and generous woman. She knows what is right and wrong, however her circumstances make it hard for her to be a 'good' person. In the play she gives up her child because she knows that he will have a more comfortable life with Mrs Lyons and that he will have more opportunities. She also refuses Mrs Lyons' attempted bribe to move away because she values people over money.

Overall the character 'Mrs Johnstone' is portrayed in the play 'Blood Brothers' as an extremely generous, kind and maternal woman, however due to the cycle of poverty she is uneducated and poor due to the lack of opportunities in her life.

PLEASE CAN YOU GRADE IT AND SAY WHAT'S GOOD AND WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED AND HOW I CAN IMPROVE IT. THANKYOU :smile:

IT SEEMS SHORT BUT WHEN WRITTEN ONTO PAPER IT FILLS 3 1/2 PAGES

Bbc bitesizeeee

c- it is very well but you have not explained where in social class she is you have not used any sympathy and have not compared her to Mrs. Lyons either. you have also not used any quotes from the play. good effort.

Reply 3

Kholmes1

Original post by shaba993

Really? I would say its higher although im bad at english so who knows. But Op used quotes.

Reply 4

Jayd Shah

B+ - I think the essay deserves a solid B+. The previous marker seems to be judging you by A-Level standard instead of GCSE. For a GCSE essay, this is solid in content and your usage of quotes seems competent. However, the organization of the essay is somewhat messy and you can afford to use more formal language. Good luck!