Blood Brothers: Easy Terms - Act 1
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Mrs. Johnstone sings "Easy Terms" to her babies, using the phrase as a play on words to mean being close to someone while also alluding to her debt that will never be fully paid off. She explains that "living on the never-never" refers to living on loans that will never be repaid, as she owes debts to both Mrs. Lyons and her other creditors that she must pay off over an extended period of time. The song highlights the power imbalance between Mrs. Johnstone and Mrs. Lyons as the former relies on the latter for financial support through long-term credit.
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Blood Brothers: Easy Terms - Act 1
- 2. READ FROM PAGE 16 - 20 Mrs. J. Sings ‘Easy Terms’ to her babies: • Easy terms is a play on words meaning to be close to someone and also a way of paying back a debt over a long period of time. • Living on the never-never means to live on loans that we never be paid back. • The song makes connections between Mrs J’s debt to Mrs Lyons and the debts she must pay to her creditors.
- 3. LIVING ON THE NEVER, NEVER •Read and annotate the song Easy Terms. •Consider how Russell creates sympathy for the character of Mrs Johnstone here. •Focus on word types, sentence moods, literary and linguistic devices.
- 4. NOW READ UP TO ‘THE DEVIL’S GOT YOUR NUMBER’ • As you read consider the power relationship between Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons, what is Russell trying to suggest about class? • How does Mrs Lyons manipulate Mrs Johnstone? • What is the role of the narrator?
- 5. REVIEW ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IN FULL SENTENCES USING QUOTATIONS 1. How does the writer create sympathy for Mrs. Johnstone in this Extract? 2. How has your opinion of Mrs. Lyons changed? 3. How does Mrs. Johnstone’s superstition become important in this extract?