Transcript Men Should Weep - Dunoon Grammar School

Men Should Weep
by Ena Lamont Stewart
By Amber, Molly, Yasmine and
Jacqueline
What issues does Men Should Weep
highlight?
• Men Should Weep is set in 1930s Glasgow.
• At this time most of Glasgow was living in
tenements and life was cramped and smelly.
• Most people didn’t have their own clothes,
everything was second-hand, even
underwear.
• Poverty was common and extreme.
Scottish History
• Glasgow had the worst of the depression in the 1930s and got lots
negative stereotypes.
• Unemployment, sub-standard housing and poor levels of health
had a dramatic effect on Scotland.
• Men returning from the war found that woman had taken on jobs
because of the shortage of men and these then became labelled as
female jobs.
• After the war ended there was no need for weapons, which resulted
in a huge loss of jobs, and unemployment for those who had
fought in the war.
•Sectarianism (religious discrimination) was common in Glasgow.
Although the country was mainly Protestant, Irish immigrants had
established a large Catholic community.
•Unemployed, skilled Scottish labourers complained bitterly about Irish
immigrants taking 'their jobs' and this brought discrimination into the
labour yards.
•The Church of Scotland encouraged this anti-Catholic behaviour at the
time. Children went to either Catholic or Protestant schools, they lived in
different streets and areas of the city, and the rivalry was played out on the
football field, between Rangers and Celtic.
Historical Timeline
• 1916: David Lloyd George, became Prime
Minister: he introduced pensions in 1908,
which is highlighted in the play.
• 11 November 1918: The First World War
comes to an end. Many are dead or have
lost loved people because of it.
• 1928: The National Party for Scotland is
founded.
• 1928: All women over 21 are given the
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vote. Married women over 30 got it in
1918.
1929 : the global Great Depression, Britain
was particularly badly hit.
1930: Unemployment in Scotland reaches
25% during the depression years.
April 1934: The Scottish National Party is
founded.
3 September 1939: The Second World War
is declared.
Issues The Play Deals With
• Poverty
• Unemployment
• Gender Roles
• Stereotypes
• Scottish History
More Issues…
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Social conditions
Living environment
Urban Scotland
Deprivation
Social divisions
Impact on characters and relationships
Economic decline
Post war Depression
Characterisation and portrayal.
The Setting
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Men Should Weep is set in the 1930’s,
when Glasgow was mainly tenements