Blood Brothers Act 1 Page 5-13 Answer the questions directly onto your copies of the text as annotation.

. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. How is the Narrators prologue an effective opening for an audience? What does the flash-forward (the re-enactment of the deaths) add in terms of drama? Comment on the narrators use of rhyme and language e.g. elision, dialect What do we learn about Mrs Johnstones background in her first song? Why is the motif of Marilyn Monroe significant? As well as literally dancing, how else can we went dancing be interpreted as? Comment on Mrs Johnstones language e.g. slang, dialect, idiolect How does her song reveal her working class roots? How does the milkman create humour? What do the cries from kids 1 to 4 reveal about Mrs Johnstone and their working class background? How is a parallel scene (contrasts with the previous one) created in Mrs Lyons house? Comment on Mrs Lyons language. How does this link to her class status? What is Mrs Johnstone superstitious of (p.8)? What role does the narrator play regarding the shoes on the table? How is this theme of superstition link to the tragic outcome? Comment on the irony that Mrs Johnstone has 7 children with twins on the way and is deemed by the welfare as incapable of controllin them and Mrs Lyons has a large house and money, yet cant have children. Despite this, what similarity do they both share? E.g. dissatisfied with life How does ellipsis show suspense and disbelief when Mrs Lyons offers to take one of Mrs Johnstones babies. Comment on Mrs Lyons dream to have a child (song). What do the stage directions on p.11 reveal about both women? Underline and comment on the reasons which help to persuade Mrs Johnstone to give up her baby. How is tension created when Mrs Lyons forces Mrs Johnstone to swear upon the bible (comment on use of music, stage directions and the narrator)?

15. 16. 17. 18.