Comparison between Irwin and Hector

The play ‘The History Boys’ by Alan Bennett is about a group of sixth form boys who are studying in order to gain a place at an Oxbridge university. The teachers who are helping them to do this each have unique personalities and teaching styles that they have adapted to give something to the boys to get the best out of them. They are portrayed cleverly by the playwright to symbolise different aspects of a moral, or arguably immoral, society. Interestingly Irwin and Hector, who are both complex characters, have mirroring personality traits that manifest themselves in different ways but Irwin represents the more clearly defined and apparent type of dishonesty whereas Hector represents the more under-hand and malicious type that a reader can assume is the moral high ground.

Irwin’s outlook on education is that it is a game using short sentences, ‘it’s a performance. It’s entertainment’, and a cutthroat like competition, ‘you will be competing against boys and girls’, to really hammer home the point. He actively encourages the students to make it a game as well, ‘and if it isn’t, make it so’, as he sees education as strictly goal orientated and ‘for now’, meaning the short term rather than the future. On the other hand, Hector believes that ‘all knowledge is precious’ even if there is no ‘human use’ for it. He suggests that his philosophy is that ‘the pursuit of knowledge’, the word ‘pursuit’ suggesting a chase or a journey, is life long and never-ending. Irwin states that Hector is ‘not trying to get’ the boys through the examinations, suggesting that there is a lack of effort on Hector’s side and that ‘Hector never bothered’ with formal examinations. Despite the more laid back approach to education, it is interesting that Hector does say at one point that he ‘wanted them to compete’ and ‘show off’. This suggests that Hector is not that different from Irwin even if he portrays himself otherwise and says that this is the ‘worst thing’, acting ashamed instead of encouraging it like Irwin does. It can be inferred that he simply prefers the boys to learn in his way rather than Irwin’s.

It is interesting to note that the goal of Irwin’s teaching is to get the boys into higher education rather than to make the boys ‘more rounded human beings’ like it appears that Hector is trying to do. When Hector’s motives are further analysed, it is apparent that there is a hidden motive behind why he is trying to educate the boys. He ‘is trying to be the kind of teacher pupils will remember’ instead of trying to help the boys succeed. This portrays him as being selfish and suggests that instead of wanting what is best for the students, Hector has his own dishonest motives for why he is a teacher. Irwin seems prepared to do almost anything to get to the goal, openly promoting dishonesty and lies by telling the boys that ‘truth is no more an issue in an examination’. This means that truth has no purpose or intent when attempting to pass through another phase of life. As the teachers in the play often guide and prepare the boys for life in the adult world, he is essentially saying that they must lie in order to pass through different phases of their lives as this is what the adult world is about. This suggests he is a dishonest person, as Dakin later finds out when he investigates Irwin’s past, and is hiding under a pretence of lies by being emotionally distant from the students. However, Hector is not a beacon of moral example as he is morally ambiguous throughout the play, hiding behind arguments of morality such as ‘can’t you see that even to say etcetera is monstrous.’ Whilst Irwin is somewhat upfront and honest about his dishonesty, Hector tries to hide it behind an act. He does this by performing in front of his students, for example speaking in French instead of English and using quotes in place of saying what he truly means, rather than actually teaching them. This theatricality falls flat when the other teachers find out that he has been molesting the boys. Irwin also shows an interest in one of the students in a sexual way but the difference between Hector’s interest and his is that because Irwin is young and is encouraged by Dakin, it is more accepted despite still being on the same moral decline.

Although it may seem that Irwin is more conventional in his teaching methods than Hector, it is soon apparent that he mirrors Hector in his eccentricity by teaching in a style that is new to the boys. They both challenge the students, which is typically what a teacher must do, but the way that Irwin approaches topics is where his unconventionality shows. This is the main difference in attitudes that the two teachers have, distinguishing them from each other. Irwin believes that ‘the wrong end of the stick is the right one’, meaning that you must say controversial things in order to get the attention of the examiners. He says this as he wants the boys to ‘flee the crowd’, meaning popular opinion, and to make original arguments in order to participate in the History game. In contrast, Hector wants to avoid discussing controversial subjects as he feels like that ‘silence is the only proper response’ to an atrocity that he has not experienced.

Irwin is emotionally detached from his lessons, stating that examinations ‘are a fact of life’. The word ‘fact’ portrays that Irwin is distancing himself from any ‘feelings about examinations’ by talking about them in an almost cold and clinical way.  Despite this, Alan Bennett uses irony in the characterisation of Irwin to show one side of an intellectual argument, which says that you can spin truth or fact in order to make a point. Although Irwin is discussing fact, which is something very solid and truthful, he is continuously promoting deception and lying, which are very flimsy and untruthful, to the boys.  His teaching methods also echo his own personal stances as he encourages the boys to talk about History from ‘the side’, suggesting they take an uninvolved and unemotional stance, and to not be conventional in their arguments. The emotional distance when talking about historical tragedies does offend students as they realise that ‘the holocaust is just another topic’ to Irwin, as he speaks about a tragedy as being of a policy instated by a politician, but Irwin maintains that history is about distancing yourself and does not seem to care about the feelings of Posner who lost family in the war.

In contrast, Hector is emotionally driven and often relies on the boys as an emotional crutch: Posner ‘pats Hector’ on the back when he has an emotional breakdown in the classroom. This is only occurs when his act is stripped away though. In some ways, it can be said that Alan Bennett portrays Hector as emotionally detached too. Not being entirely transparent in the beginning by being over theatrical may be a way for Hector to retain his human side. Hector is also portrayed by the writer as being the opposite end of the intellectual spectrum which reasons that human suffering is the driving force of what makes the truth what it is. Alan Bennett also uses Hector as a tool to vocalise the emotional responses of the students, namely Posner who is horrified by the discussion as lost relatives during this period of history. Hector sees that Posner is’ speaking from the heart’ in the discussion as he sees that horrific historical events cannot be spun into another angle as it dehumanises tragedy, allowing it in a way to be just another statistic. He believes that suffering is the truth.

In conclusion, Irwin and Hector are not as different as a reader may like to think. Both have unconventional teaching methods and dishonest character traits. These are just portrayed in different ways. Irwin is simply more upfront about being dishonest whereas Hector is not as he prefers to characterise himself as a good person.

Commentary on NATO article

The article uses factual information to convey across the main details of this article. This makes the article more reliable, as well as more interesting, because statistics make an article more thought-provoking. One piece of factual information uses interesting language, ‘to intercept and shadow two Russian military aircraft’, in order to bias the article against the Russians. The word ‘intercept’ suggests an intrusion into the Russian military forces, giving the article a negative tone that comes across to the readers. This potentially gives the reader, who is most likely British as they are viewing the BBC website, the ‘us versus them’ attitude that the article’s use of lexis gives off.

The main body of the article uses direct quotation, which helps to mix up the structure and entertain a reader, as it is easier to read a quote when it has been separated by quotation marks. The direct quotations are from Michael Fallon whose title is Defence secretary which suggests that he has some expertise in his field of work. This gives a more serious, formal tone to the article as well as adding some credibility to what is being said. It also interests a reader who is reading in order to find out the facts of Britain’s stance on Russia’s military backing. The second expert in this article gives his opinion on the possible political outcomes of NATO deployment in the Baltic countries by saying that ‘this move is likely to irritate Moscow.’ This allows the reader to be educated through a human view point, making it more personal and easier to connect with, as well as informing a reader on the different social dilemmas such as what ‘NATO does not want to be accused of.’

The complexity of the sentences creates a formal tone that invites a reader into focusing on the content of the article. Embedded clauses are especially inviting as they help to create the complexity. A complex sentence that draws attention to itself is the one that states Vladimir Putin’s views on ‘the stationing of British troops.’ The person who is quoted on this, ‘Sir Andrew Wood, a former British ambassador to Russia’, is suggested to know Vladimir Putin as he had previously worked in Russia. This also suggests that he knows the area and the political stance well. He makes an inference using direct speech, ‘Vladimir would see’, as to how the President would react which also suggests there is personal element to it. This makes the article more reliable and concrete. The use of the word ‘provocation’ suggests a surplus of emotion and spins the tone of the article through the use of emotional empathy by suggesting that it would be Britain’s fault for pushing Russia into a defensive position. There is an implication of warning from Sir Andrew Wood through the use of this lexis. The reader is engaged with the use of this emotive language as it makes the article less cold and detached despite the formal, clinical tone of language.

As many people do not like reading long winded paragraphs, the article is broken down into smaller sections which make the article more engaging for a reader. One of the smaller paragraphs uses the metaphor of a ‘regular drumbeat’ in order to describe the movement of the soldiers. Drumbeats are often associated with the military so it gives the visual imagery of calm and peaceful military marches. ‘Regular’ suggests it is an on-going process so it gives a time period to the plans, allowing a reader to consider that the impact of the deployment of troops is long term rather than a short term event that could be easily forgotten. This provokes thought and draws the reader in. On the other hand, when the defence correspondent gives his view, ‘it will be a ‘persistent’ rather than a permanent presence’, so it can be inferred that there is uncertainty in the article as to what is likely to happen. This draws a reader in as they have to determine the outcome for themselves, which seems to be the purpose of the article.

The personification of the ‘nervous NATO allies’ infers that emotion is involved in a place where it may not otherwise be. This helps to create a more human situation, allowing a reader to emotionally engage, instead of looking at the countries as an abstract noun that has no emotions.

 The use of photos to break up the paragraphs also helps to contextualise and put an image in a reader’s head as to what is going on. It helps to inform readers visually, as you can infer the emotions of soldiers from their facial expressions in the photo, which helps the reader to infer the general mood of the forces in relevance to what is going on in Europe.

The use of direct quotation also helps to mix up the structure and entertain a reader as it is easier to read a quote when it has been separated by quotation marks. In general, the structure helps to engage an audience and make them want to read on. The headline is in a larger font, has been bolded, and is as attention grabbing as a title referencing NATO deployment could be. Other phrases in the article that have been bolded are also  eye catching.

The Smiling Capital of Britain

A study was conducted in 2003 which counted how many people in a city smiled back at Comic Relief researchers. Naturally, Bristol came out on top as being the smilie-iest city in Britain. I think that’s what makes the city tick: the people.

Most Bristolians come with a bit of vim and vigour; a sharp wit and a sharp tongue. They’ve got a humour that is typical of Britain. A dialect, familiar to anyone who has experienced life here, has developed over time but because Bristol is so multicultural, different accents and dialects from near and far have seeped in to the pool. But of course, there cannot be a city without land and architecture.

One of my favourite areas in Bristol is the College Green area. Surrounding the luscious open green space is a hub of interesting buildings, both deep-rooted and fresh faced, like shops, museums, and contemporary restaurants. The museum lies just up the street, which is decorated with vintage boutiques and eclectic charity shops, and is a treasure trove of history. A dozen stationery shops dot the area like a pointillist piece of art, waiting for hordes of coffee drinking art students to seep in with their student IDs. These prove them worthy of a discount in an area where the price of a pair of shoes is probably an average student’s entire month worth of food.

On the rare occasion that I’m shopping alone, my feet like to wander over to this area to avoid the hordes of people campaigning for clothing at Cabot Circus, which is a large shopping district. Cabot Circus in itself is a wonder. People from all over the country flock here because the shops scream a type of indulgence that you want to own and wrap around your neck like a cashmere scarf. The shop windows are full of blown-up photos of ‘quirky’ British models that you envy simply because of their impeccable genetic makeup and bone structure.

If I have the time and patience to navigate the crowds in Cabot Circus and its neighbouring district Broadmead, there are always street entertainers ready to sell themselves in pieces to you by showcasing their talents and hopefully making you part with some of your lose change. It’s a collection, or rather, a juxtaposition of the flash lifestyle of Burberry shoppers and the laidback Green Party supporters that are prevalent in Bristol. There must be something that attracts people of opposing lifestyles to a city like Bristol.

Some people, especially native Bristolians, complain that the city has ‘nout to do’ or that the neighbouring places like Bath are more to their tastes. I disagree wholeheartedly with any criticism like a child sticking their fingers in their ears. You know why? Because Bristol has character and a unique history. Those are the two traits that make you fall in love with a home, and with a city. That’s why I fell in love with the Smiling Capital.