To Sir, With love

Analysis

This book was written by E.R. Braithwaite. He was born in 1912 in British Guiana. Eustace
Braithwaite is well-known as a novelist, writer, teacher, and diplomatist. During World War II, he
joined the Royal Air Force as a pilot - he would later describe this experience as one where he had
felt no discrimination based on his skin colour or ethnicity. After the war, like many other ethnic
minorities, he could not find work in his field and eventually took up a job as a schoolteacher in the
East End of London. The book To Sir, With Love (1959) was based on his experiences there. The
other famous works are A Kind of Homecoming, Paid Servant, A Choice of Straws, Reluctant
Neighbours. His numerous writings have dealt with the difficulties of being an educated black man,
a black social worker and a black teacher. Genre definition of the literary piece under consideration
is autobiography. The action takes place over a period of time when the protagonist is a school
teacher.
This text is about the schoolteacher’s experience. The author described himself. It is a first person
narration with descriptive passages. The main character came in the class as a new teacher. He tried
to make a good impression on them. But he had difficulty in coping with the class. At the end of the
story the class interrupted his lessons by knocking the lid of the desk, began to swear and
misbehave. Eventually he was in despair, lost his temper and thought over what to do next sitting in
the school library. The final is open in the text. The reader can only guess whether or not he found
the approach to the class.
So, the prevailing mood of the text isn’t cheerful or ironical at all. The actions happen in tense
atmosphere. The author keeps the reader’s attention in suspense. He forces the reader to sympathise
to the teacher.

To achieve this result the author used a lot of lexical and stylistic devices. Describing the Weekly
Review the author used epithet (pet schemes) to underline the director’s positive attitude.
Moreover, he added (which director would brook no interference). It shows the reader how
importance the Review is. Braithwaite used repetition (in his own words, in his own way)
and synonyms (to comment, to criticise, to agree or disagree) to express that this Review is rather
objective as a lot of opinions create objectivity. The author emphasised that children were free to
express their opinion (no one and nothing was sacred; the child was safe from any form of reprisal).

Moreover, he used direct speech of the principal. There are also phraseological units (to take
some pains), antithesis (careful – careless; individual – collective), opposites (mixture of a relief
and disappointment). It makes the story more vivid, solid and comprehensive.

Describing the teaching process the author used epithet (a painful  procession), simile (he was as

transient as his many predecessors), metaphor (he were trying to reach the children through a
thick pane of glass). Thus, Braithwaite shows us how hard the process of teaching was. The teacher
wanted to be a successful, he tried to interest his pupils and was anxious what impression he made
on them.

The author introduced the terms of phases of his relationship with class (the silent treatment, the
noisy treatment). It tells about that the teacher was well-educated, seriously attitude to his job and
plan his work accordingly.

There are also epithets describing the children (remote, uninterested), metaphor (a conspiracy of

indifference), simile (children stared with attention a birdwatcher). It means that the teacher is not
indifferent to his pupils, he wants to inveigle them into active interest so he observes them.

The author used the epithet (burning anger) to display the feeling of the teacher that he was going
to lose his temper. Phraseological unit (to play right into their hands) was used to end the climax.
At the end of the story a lot of words with negative connotations were used (disrespect; no sense
of decency; ugly viciousness; minds were rooting after filth). These words reveal that the narrator in
despair. He did all his best to interest his pupils. He was very disappointed that all his efforts didn’t
meet the pupils’ respond. And such cliche (to fell sick at heart) improves it.

At the end rhetorical question was used (Why did they behave like that? What was wrong with
them?). The author makes the final open and gives opportunity to the reader to suppose what would
be further. From the point of view of syntax the text includes a lot of long and complicated
sentences. It tells that the narrator is well-educated person. All these language means reveal the
author’s manner, his style of writing. He renders his feeling and thoughts such way and therefore
reaches his desired effect.

The main idea and the author’s intention consist in that teaching is a very long and difficult process.
And it is up to the teacher to find the way to the pupils. The class behaves such way as it is allowed.
There are no books, prescriptions or algorithm of actions how to behave with class. Because it
needs an individual approach to each particular one. Something that can be appropriate to the one
class can be inadmissible to another.