Detailed essay plan on the theme of Social Class. Analysis of importance of each song in the play. Description of key turning points in the events throughout the play.
Songs
‘Overture’
• Reflects opening mood – haunting, melancholy
‘Marilyn Monroe’
• Character’s history
• Reflects Mrs J’s mood and feelings: happy to sad
• Theme – love & marriage
• Foreshadows events? Linda?
‘My Child’
• Mrs L persuades Mrs J to give her a son – moves action forward
• Reflects mood and feelings of characters – Mrs L’s longing and desperation to have a child,
Mrs J’s wonder at lifestyle; both mothers’ hopes and dreams for sons
• Theme – love, class, jealousy
‘Easy Terms’
• Mrs J = rocking babies to sleep as creditors take goods
• Character’s feelings – love, regret – fearful she’ll miss out on how Edward will grow up
• Foreshadows events – situation worsens - repossessions
‘Shoes Upon the Table’
• Just after Mrs L pressures Mrs J into handing over the baby
• Theme – superstition, past actions come back to haunt you
• Character’s feelings – guilt, anxiety, paranoia
• Link to the other events in story – death of brothers when superstition comes true
‘Kids Game’
• Kids playing cowboys
• Foreshadows future events – shoot out at end; Sammy’s robbery
• Mood – jolly, having fun together, carefree: contrast to later
• Theme – friendship
• Entertainment
‘Long Sunday Afternoon’
• Mickey and Edward’s feelings of sadness, loneliness as boys react to news Edward’s
leaving
• Mixed mood – value each other; loneliness
• Adds detail – contrast in characters
• Theme – friendship, eg, admire each other, even though they are opposites; class, way they
speak
‘Bright New Day’
‘That Guy’
• Mickey and Edward sing about each other
• Adds detail – characters – feelings of admiration tinged with jealousy
• Theme – jealousy, friendship
• Foreshadows – Mickey’s future envy of Edward
‘I’m Not Saying a Word’
• Edward serenades Linda
• Adds details about characters – Edward’s feelings of love for her
• Foreshadows future events – their affair
• Theme – jealousy, deceit
• Mood and atmosphere – underlying tension, secrecy
‘Miss Jones/Sign of the Times
• Mrs Lyons sings about redundancies as Mickey and Linda marry and Mickey joins line of
unemployment
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