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- 19th Century Novel
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- An Inspector Calls
- Blood Brothers
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- Great Expectations
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Apr 21 Blood Brothers - Superstition
Mrs Lyons : They say that if either twin learns that he was once a pair, they will both immediately die.
What is the significance of superstition in Blood Brothers?
You must refer to the context of the play in your answer.
Superstitious ideas weave themselves throughout the play, whether Mrs Johnstone’s irrational fears of a pair of shoes on a table or the children’s belief that it doesn’t count if your fingers are crossed. On the face of it, they may seem charming and harmless. However, these ideas could be seen as a way for the characters to deflect the blame for events away from themselves and instead for them to see their mistakes as ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’. Superstitious ideas are also associated with the uneducated and working-class Mrs Johnstone, who may have more reason than most for not wanting to take responsibility for her actions. It may also have suited those in power at the time for people like Mrs Johnstone to blame ‘a pair of shoes on a table’ or a ‘cracked mirror’ for their misfortunes, rather than, more rationally perhaps, to blame the government in charge.
At several points in the play, the narrator sings about everyday superstitions, or what we might call old wives’ tales. For example, we see Mrs Johnstone’s horror at a pair of shoes put on a table, but the Narrator goes on to list many common superstitious beliefs, like ‘someone broke the lookin’ glass… salt’s been spilled [and] you’re walkin’ on the pavement cracks’. These are ideas that many people are familiar with which seem harmless, but which show, on Mrs Johnstone’s part, an absence of rationality and an acceptance of fate. She isn’t a character who believes that she is in control of her destiny, but rather feels that life happens to her. It isn’t surprising that she feels this way as Russell has constructed a world where his characters are all products of the social class that they were born into. We can assume that Mrs Johnstone has had a minimal level of education (which seems to have been heavily influenced by the Catholic Church – she plays with her Rosary beads at one point) and doesn’t make decisions based on reasoning, but rather on impulse and emotion. As a result of circumstances that she doesn’t question – for example her unquestioning acceptance of her role as a wife and mother – she soon finds herself the lone parent of seven children (a lucky number?). In this use of superstition as part of Mrs Johnstone’s character, Russell shows these beliefs as blinding his character to the real causes of her life’s problems.
As well as these everyday superstitions, Russell often has the Narrator refer to a ‘pact with the Devil’ and to a ‘price that must be paid,’ perhaps on the ‘never-never’ as though what Mrs Johnstone did when she gave her baby away was always going to have to be ‘paid’ for; there were always going to be consequences to this action. The play refers repeatedly to debts that must be paid, and Mrs Johnstone’s assumption that, in the future, things will be better. In reality, there is no reason why the boys and their mothers couldn’t have lead happy lives in this situation. It is almost as though, in the world of the play, Russell is replicating the story of Adam and Eve, where Eve commits the first sin and must therefore be punished. It seems as though, right from the start, Russell is determined that there must be moral consequences for Mrs Johnstone’s decision to give her baby away. This may be because motherhood is held up as such a crucial female virtue and that to trespass upon ‘natural’ motherhood transgresses that idea to such an extent, that Russell feels that it must be punished. We could also see this idea as stemming from Mrs Johnstone’s religion. The fact that she has so many children and her use of Rosary beads strongly suggest that she is a Roman Catholic. Whilst a religion is not a mere superstition, it does have some close associations with acceptance of fate and the acceptance of what happens to you in life as being controlled by a higher power. All of these ideas contribute to our impression of Mrs Johnstone as a character to whom things happen and as someone who does not take control of her own destiny, neither does she take responsibility for her life choices.
We see that in Blood Brothers, superstition and religious belief are a tool for characters to accept the events life throws at them and to quietly put up with the social inequality which is the true root of their suffering. Russell doesn’t seem to criticise his characters for these beliefs or their inability to see the unequal social structures that trap them. Yet we have to question whether these characters would ever be able to move beyond their circumstances if they can never see for themselves the revolving wheel of class that they are trapped in.

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Apr 21 Blood Brothers - Superstitions - planning
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Blood Brothers
Willy russell, everything you need for every book you read..

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?

Superstition In Blood Brothers
The following sample essay on Superstition In Blood Brothers discusses it in detail, offering basic facts and pros and cons associated with it. To read the essay’s introduction, body and conclusion, scroll down.
Over the past term, me and my fellow classmates have studied the play ‘Blood Brothers’ by Willy Russell. The hit West-End show follows the story of two twins, separated at birth and brought up in two very different social backgrounds; one growing up in a rich family, while the other remains with his real mother in a poor family, living in the slums of Liverpool.
The play explores many themes, ranging from the problems of society, to the possibility of superstition playing a massive part on life.
After we watched ‘Blood Brothers’, we acted out certain scenes from the script and attempted to use various techniques to portray the story in many different ways. ‘Blood Brothers’ tells the tale of Mickey and Eddie, two twins separated at birth due to a number of reasons.
The first act introduces the story, and examines the events leading up to the birth. It also witnesses their first meetings as children. This part of the play is very comedic, however the frequent use of the narrator (who plays a paramount role throughout the play) quickly shifts what appears to be a funny scene into a dark and eerie one.
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The second act sees the reunion of the brothers, now hit with puberty, and an increasing sense of competition.

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Although initially positive, the story takes a turn for the worse when Mickey is badly affected by the poor economy of the 80s, and turns to crime as a source of income. He is then arrested, and falls into a deep sense of depression, despite being recently married to his teenage love, Linda (whom Eddie also shares a love of). The play comes to a climactic ending, where both brothers are killed following Mickey’s mental breakdown.
The play discusses (in a slightly left-wing fashion) the problems of a class system in society, and how this can tear families apart, and ruin lives. It also investigates whether superstition plays a role on life, with the narrator constantly supporting this idea. Mickey, is one of the brothers who still lives with his real mother, while Eddie grows up in a more upper-class background. The pair are very friendly to each other to start with, and their friendship grows, but then collapses towards the end. Mrs Johnstone is the real mother who was left by her husband a few years before.
Mrs Lyons is the woman who Eddie is brought up to know as ‘Mother’, who like Mickey suffers a mental breakdown. These two, unlike their sons despise each other a little way into the plot. When we read the script, the very first scene we performed was opening of the play in Act One. This scene studies the events leading up to the birth of the twins, and how Mrs Johnstone could be convinced to give up one of her sons. The main reason for her seemingly cruel decision was to still be able to look after her family financially.
She claims that had she only one child, she could provide enough food for everyone, however with any more it was impossible. To make this scene interesting, we used a range of different techniques. The first and most obvious was role-play, a drama medium (various ways to communicate dramatically to the audience). We did this by attempting Liverpudlean accents, doing different gestures, and moving in unique ways that we believed the characters would in real life. In this scene, I played the milkman and gynaecologist.
The milkman had a very stereotypical Liverpudlean voice, and a slightly lazy posture to illustrate his boredom of delivering milk day in and day out. The gynaecologist however, was quite the opposite. He was well-spoken, and took a rather positive view on life. His movements were quick and small. The milkman, like Mrs Johnstone was fed up with life, and was feeling the hardships of life more than others. The doctor was happier, partly because of his social status. The small choice of changing some attributes contributed to showing how much class played a part on life. Another technique we used was props.
We had to bring in an object that would help portray the character. I brought in an empty glass bottle that helped show the character’s profession. This scene was important to the play as it laid out the path for the story to continue. One of the other groups performed the scene where Eddie becomes very angry with his mother for not allowing him to play with Mickey. They used still image to mark a specific moment. This made the scene memorable, and that point stand out. In the second act, we performed the scene where Mickey argues with Linda over why he needs his pills.
The scene is very depressing, and shows how hard Mickey’s life is. I played Mickey, and once again used role-play. His movements were a lot slower than in the first act, and he was much quieter. However a technique that I felt made the scene more interesting was mime. As another part of the scene was going on, I acted out silently in the background Mickey at work, trying to stop the urge to take his anti-depressants. We utilised staging, an explorative strategy to make the scene more interesting for the viewer, while still understandable.
As the scene went on, we also dimmed the lights to show Mickey’s mental state getting more and more disturbed and unpredictable, this is an example of an element of drama we used. This scene was one of the last parts in the play where Mickey is sane, and shows what may have led him to go mad, and kill his former best friend. One group did the final scene, where both die. This scene is ultimately tragic, but also shows the consequences certain actions can have in the future. When Mickey shoots Eddie, they used slow motion (an explorative strategy) to show the importance of that scene.
Overall, the work we have done so far has greatly improved my understanding of how to perform a scripted play to the audience by also using interesting techniques to portray a certain message. The work of other groups worked impeccably well at portraying the story behind the play, as did the work of ours. The range of techniques used created memorable and believable scenes that kept the audience captivated, and wanting more. The work this term has contributed greatly to my understanding of drama, and how to appreciate as well as enjoy other pieces of work that utilise these techniques.
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"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 to show something superstitious happening. At these stages in the play he is already asking the audience whether they believe in superstition.
The first incidence of superstition comes at the beginning after the opening song; this is when the audience finds out that Mrs Johnstone is superstitious and that superstition may appear later in the play. Mrs Lyons enters Mrs Johnstone’s house and then there is a stage direction saying that Mrs Lyons puts her new shoes on the table, Mrs Johnstone replies to this angrily “Jesus Christ, Mrs Lyons, what are y’ trying to do?” At the bottom of the page where this happens the narrator says “There’s shoes upon the table an’ a joker in the pack, the salts been spilled and the looking glass cracked, there’s one lone magpie overhead.” The narrator is giving us examples of superstitions. Here he is trying to hint that something bad is going follow because of the shoes upon the table. After this it is possibly significant that she claims not to be superstitious three times, three is meant to be a lucky number but in her case it is unlucky because the gynaecologist tells her that she is expecting twins when she can only just cope with the amount of children that she has. This also justifies how the shoes on the table were unlucky for her, Mrs Johnstone says “If I’m careful we can just scrape, by even with another mouth to feed.” This is the point when the gynaecologist tells her that she is expecting twins, so it proves how unlucky she is and it makes the audience feel sympathetic for her.

This is a preview of the whole essay
In the following scene Mrs Johnstone tells Mrs Lyons that she is expecting twins, Mrs Lyons has been trying for a child and would desperately want one but has been unable to, when she finds out that Mrs Johnstone is expecting twins and she knows that Mrs Johnstone is struggling to support her family she wants one of her babies. Mrs Johnstone reluctantly agrees, as she knows that she cannot afford to look after it, the child would have a better upbringing in Mrs Lyons household and she could accept some money off Mrs Lyons. The next incidence of superstition happens here with Mrs Lyons making Mrs Johnstone swear on the bible that she cannot tell anybody about their deal, Mrs Lyons says “Mrs J, no one must ever know. Therefore we have to have an agreement.” A song follows this scene and then in the next scene Mrs Lyons creates the superstition that could be the reason for Mickey and Edward’s deaths. Mrs Lyons threatens Mrs Johnstone in the one way that she thinks Mrs Johnstone will never let out this secret because she knows that Mrs Johnstone is superstitious after the shoes were placed on the table. Mrs Lyons says, “They say…they say that if either twin learns that he was once a pair, they shall both immediately die.” Even though this superstition is made up the consequences of it are true and the narrator asks the title question to the audience because they already know that the twins will die from the beginning of the play so he is asking them whether they believe this superstition could be responsible for their deaths or whether it could be something else. The question of whether Mrs Lyons is to be blame for creating this superstition could also be asked. The song called “Shoes upon the table…” follows this and an atmosphere is created. This will keep the audience waiting to find out how they die so that they can make a judgement on whether superstition is to blame.
These are the two main sources of superstition affecting the outcome of the play and they both affect Mrs Johnstone who is the only character who believes in superstition, she has twins unexpectedly and then they die both connected to superstition.
There are other incidences of superstition happening though which are connected throughout the play these are the links of the number seven. At the beginning of the play Mrs Johnstone has seven children, the gaps within the play are seven years long and Mickey is sentenced to seven years because of an armed robbery. The number seven occurring in these places could be linked to the seven deadly sins which could be connected to the deaths of Mickey and Edward.
The other reason that Willy Russell suggests responsible for the deaths of Mickey and Edward is class. The class divide is between Mrs Johnstone’s family and Mr and Mrs Lyons. Mrs Johnstone’s family are working class, they are struggling financially as we can tell from the beginning when the milkman comes and refuses to deliver the milk because she has failed to pay for weeks, meanwhile the children are complaining that they are starving. Mr and Mrs Lyons are much richer than Mrs Johnstone, Mr Lyons is a businessman who works frequently they have everything they want except a baby.
It is the differences in class that make us like Mrs Johnstone more than Mrs Lyons. The audience prefers Mrs Johnstone because they will have sympathy for her not being able to cope with seven children and her husband has left her so they will side with her more than Mrs Lyons. Later in the story we see that Mrs Johnstone’s relationship with Edward is better than his with Mrs Lyons, this asks if the reason Mrs Lyons could never have children is because she was destined to be a bad mother. Willy Russell makes the working class look like better people compared to middle class, I think this because he came from a working class family and he may never have liked the middle class people that he met.
There is an important part in the play when Mrs Lyons tells Edward to stay away from the lower class, she looks down upon Mickey and does not want Edward growing up like him. Edward uses some rude vocabulary which Mickey said earlier, Mrs Lyons replies “You learn filth from them and behave like this like a, like a horrible little boy, like them.” She refers to the lower class as ‘them’, this may suggest she does not regard the lower class as being respectable people and they are much different from her. After this she says, “You are my son, mine…” this is some dramatic irony which underpins that Edward is not really her son and that he would fit more appropriately in Mrs Johnstone’s family. This is the second time we see Mrs Lyons as a mother, the first time the Edward is just a baby in a cot, Mrs Johnstone goes to pick him up as he is crying but Mrs Lyons stops her and says, “If he needs picking up, I shall pick him up. All right?” In my opinion she has been a bad mother in both cases so her not being able to have a baby justifies that maybe she could not because she was destined to be a bad mother.
There is another incidence that shows bias due to someone’s status. When Mickey, Edward and Linda are caught by a policeman throwing stones the officer takes them back to their homes, at Mickey’s house his tone is angry and he tells Mrs Johnstone to look after her son better. When he arrives at Edward’s he is much more casual about the situation and he does not mind because Mr Lyons is a more important person in the society. The policeman threatens Mrs Johnstone, “You don’t wanna end up in court again, do y’?”
With Mr Lyons he says, “I’m not sure I’d let him mix with the likes of them in the future. Make sure he keeps with his own kind, Mr Lyons.” The policeman tells us that there is a definite divide in class when he says ‘own kind’. This shows how class is an important aspect in this story if a policeman who is someone who should be setting an example to the society is being unfair to someone because of their status.
When they are older they can understand how their lives have grown apart due to class. Edward has been able to get a good education and a descent job. Mickey has had the opposite, he cannot afford his baby and he eventually goes unemployed, this drives him towards the robbery and later towards the argument with Edward. Edward is oblivious to what Mickey has been going through because Edward has always had everything that he has needed.
If the reason for Mickey and Edward’s deaths was because of superstition you could say that they have been very unlucky because a series of far-fetched coincidences occur throughout the play. These are that Mr Lyons is coming home just after the baby is expected to be born; they both move into the same neighbourhood by chance; when Edward is shot the text says that the gun exploded. Instead of saying that superstition is responsible for their deaths you could say that it was simply their fate, this can link up with when Linda says, “When you die you’ll meet your twinny again, won’t y’?” Back then Mickey was told that his twin died at birth but what Linda says is true because it is just as he dies that he has found out whom his twin is that he thought was dead. It is also coincidental that all of the bad luck happens to the lower class. They cannot get employment and when Mickey eventually loses his job Linda is pregnant at the time, Mickey also has bad luck that he was the twin who was not given the same opportunities as Edward. In the final scene when it is revealed that they are twins he says, “Why didn’t you give me away! I could have been… I could have been him!” Even though it is chance that Mickey was not taken away and that Edward is I believe that it is class that makes him so angry here because if Mickey would have had an equal upbringing to Edward’s they would have nothing to argue about. It is that Mickey is jealous of Edward for the reasons that Edward has a job, money and in the final stages he has Linda that drives apart the friendship they once had. The majority of the bad luck involved in the play revolves around the lower class, I believe that Willy Russell is making a statement that the lower class deserve more and that they are treated unfairly in society.
From this I can conclude that class is responsible for the deaths of Mickey and Edward. If both families were lower class or if both families were middle class Mickey and Edward would not have died. When they are young it does not matter to them that they are from different types of homes, it is their parents who are telling them to stay away from each other and to stick to their own kind as the policeman says. It is only when they grow older and they have more responsibilities that they become to realise how different they are from each other. Mickey’s jealousy is what makes him want to kill Edward, if Edward did not have a job Mickey would not have had a reason to despise him, the same applies to if Mickey would have had a job then they would have been on equal terms and probably still being friends. In the play there are definitely some circumstances which are unlikely and would not normally happen. Willy Russell suggests that superstition is a possible option of explaining why they died but superstitions do not always come true and the one that kills Mickey and Edward allegedly is made up by Mrs Lyons and there is no evidence that this superstition has came true anywhere else. I think that Willy Russell asks whether superstition is responsible for their deaths because he does not want to say that class is the reason for their deaths because it would look like he is directly blaming people from being in different classes. Therefore class is the reason for their deaths as it drives apart their friendship because of their differences.

Document Details
- Word Count 2330
- Page Count 4
- Subject English
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Blood Brothers English Lit Superstition Theme
Subject: English
Age range: 14-16
Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated
10 December 2022
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This blood brothers resource is perfect for teaching different themes including superstition. A slideshow us included with different quotes and character analysis’ as well as a practice essay question with a PLAN for the essay.
This file comes in PowerPoint format but can be uploaded and used as Google Slides!
- Practice question
- Character overview slide
- Mrs Johnstone quotes
- Mrs Lyons quotes
- Kids in Mickeys school quotes
- Narrator quotes
- Essay plan for 5 paragraphs
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Blood Brothers Themes GCSE English Literature BUNDLE
This blood brothers bundle includes 5 different themes including social class, superstition, violence, growing up and nature vs nurture. 45 SLIDES INCLUDED with essay plans that students can stick into their books. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ SAVE 20% ON BUYING THIS BUNDLE ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Includes: - 45 slides - Character quotes - Mrs L - Mrs J - Mickey - Linda - Edward - Sammy Each theme comes with a practice question and they can use the slides to write up their answers OR the printable version of all the slides! Thanks for checking this resource out, Aron
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“My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken” is a short story written by Alejandro R. Roces, one of the Philippines’ most celebrated writers of short stories and essays. The story is popular in short story anthologies. It was listed as one of Martha Fol...
An orange moon, sometimes called the “blood moon,” has many superstitions and myths that surround it. Some say it’s a sign of the apocalypse or that the world is going to change, while others claim it marks the end of days. Many of these su...
The difference between a stepbrother and a half-brother is whether he is related only through marriage or whether he is a blood relative. Half-brothers share one biological parent, while stepbrothers do not.
Apr 21 Blood Brothers - Superstition ... Mrs Lyons: They say that if either twin learns that he was once a pair, they will 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
Superstition is immediately linked to the working class, because Mrs Johnstone is superstitious whereas Mrs Lyons isn't. This gives Mrs Lyons power over her
The play discusses (in a slightly left-wing fashion) the problems of a class system in society, and how this can tear families apart, and ruin lives. It also
Superstition is arguably the main diving force behind the events of 'Blood Brothers'.Russel shows how supersitious belief drives Mrs Johnstone's
The narrator 's use of superstitions is utilized to create and make Mrs Johnstone feel trepidation and regret constantly over her decision of giving one of her
Blood Brothers. now.
Initially, Russell uses Mrs Johnstone's superstition to reveal Mrs Lyons's manipulation of her. · This also allows Russell to use Mrs Johnstone's belief in
They find out that they have the same birthday and declare themselves 'Blood Brothers'.
Includes: Practice question; Character overview slide; Mrs Johnstone quotes; Mrs Lyons quotes; Kids in Mickeys school quotes; Narrator quotes; Essay plan for 5
Theme of Superstition Essay Plan. Key Ideas. Quotes. Overview. • Definition of superstition: Something that people rely on when their lives are shaped be events