Men Should Weep - Theme of Role of Women

Question 1

Lily’s view of Maggie’s life

Answer 1

Dialogue:
“Livin in a slum an slavin efter a useless man an his greeting waens.”

Question 2

Dialogue:
“Livin in a slum an slavin efter a useless man an his greeting waens.”

Answer 2

1. Poverty: this shows the theme of poverty because of how Lily describes Maggie’s house, treating it as if it is something to be ashamed of because poverty is undesirable even though most don’t have a choice.
2. Role of women: this shows the role of women because Lily describes Maggie’s life to her as being a slave to a man and his children who do nothing to help out, not even saying that they are Maggie’s children even though she was the one to carry them for 9 months. This shows the under appreciation for what women do.

Question 3

A man’s temper

Answer 3

Dialogue:
“That’s just talk. If onythin wis tae happen tae ony o the waens, John would tak it bad. They canna staun up tae things like a wumman. They loss the heid and shout.”

Question 4

Dialogue:
“That’s just talk. If onythin wis tae happen tae ony o the waens, John would tak it bad. They canna staun up tae things like a wumman. They loss the heid and shout.”

Answer 4

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women through how they are expected to handle the tougher half of things. Women are left with what men can’t handle, for example dealing with issues with their children. Contrastingly they also talk about how men do not handle thing as composed as women do, losing it and shouting instead of dealing things calmly. This portrays the difference of men and women.

Question 5

Jenny wants to lead a life outside of poverty

Answer 5

Dialogue:
“The kitchen’s aye like a pig-sty… there’s never ony decent food, an if there wis, ye’d hae nae appetite for it… an sleepin in a bed-closet in aside a snorin aul wife. Naw I’ve had enough. I’m gonna live ma ain life.”

Question 6

Dialogue:
“The kitchen’s aye like a pig-sty… there’s never ony decent food, an if there wis, ye’d hae nae appetite for it… an sleepin in a bed-closet in aside a snorin aul wife. Naw I’ve had enough. I’m gonna live ma ain life.”

Answer 6

1. Poverty: this shows the theme of poverty through the lack of cleanliness of the house and how the do not have decent or nutritious food to eat. Jenny find that the state of the house would put people off whatever food they would have available and that shows how affected by poverty this family is, struggling to keep their house in a good state where it would do them benefit.
2. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women because currently Jenny is arguing about wanting to leave home and not wanting to lead a lifelike her mother where she slaves around the house doing chores and looking after an entire family. That is the expected role of a women especially when they are married and have a family, women are not typically independent nor go out working because they husband earn money for the house.

Question 7

Isa controls Alec

Answer 7

Dialogue:
“He’ll dae whit I tell him, that’s mair than you can say. I can twist him roon ma little finger.”

Question 8

Dialogue:
“He’ll dae whit I tell him, that’s mair than you can say. I can twist him roon ma little finger.”

Answer 8

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women because they are stereotypically portrayed as the obedient ones in the relationship. But with Isa and Alec it is the opposite way which also does contrastingly show the role of men due to their reversed gender roles in this case. Isa takes control in the relationship and likes to brag that she has Alec in a way that she can make him do whatever she wants because she knows he will come running after her.

Question 9

No one helps Maggie, even when she’s out working

Answer 9

Dialogue:
“Yer mammy’s just tired. She’s been oot a day cleanin’ ither folks’ houses, and mebbe we ought tae have helped mak things a bit easier for her.”

Question 10

Dialogue:
“Yer mammy’s just tired. She’s been oot a day cleanin’ ither folks’ houses, and mebbe we ought tae have helped mak things a bit easier for her.”

Answer 10

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women through the hardship of taking on the responsibilities of a woman during this time period. Women were expected to take on all domestic tasks, including cooking, cleaning, and looking after the family. Furthermore some women went out to do female dominant jobs such as cleaning to earn money for their families when it was tough to do so with many men struggling for jobs.
2. Family: this shows the theme of family through the love the family have for one another. Here John explains to his children that they should help out around the house - including himself - to help out Maggie who does excessive amounts for them.

Question 11

Jenny offers her family financial help

Answer 11

Dialogue:
“You can take that back tae yir fancy man. We’re wantin nane o yir whore’s winnins here.”

Question 12

Dialogue:
“You can take that back tae yir fancy man. We’re wantin nane o yir whore’s winnins here.”

Answer 12

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women because of the expectation of marriage when dating a man. Here John shows his distaste to the money Jenny has brought them to help because she is not married to this man. Women are expected to get married and become a house wife but here Jenny does not abide to this and lives with a man whom she is not married to and does not wish to pursue the job of a house wife.

Question 13

Ernest has scuffed his new football boots

Answer 13

Dialogue:
“Whaur d’ye think I’ll find the money for anither pair? Oh, I cannae staun ony mair o this… I cannae staun it! (shouting at John) Leave me alone!.. I hate ye! I hate the hale lot o ye!”

Question 14

Dialogue:
“Whaur d’ye think I’ll find the money for anither pair? Oh, I cannae staun ony mair o this… I cannae staun it! (shouting at John) Leave me alone!.. I hate ye! I hate the hale lot o ye!”

Answer 14

1. Poverty: this shows the theme of poverty through Maggie’s stress of Ernest already ruining his new football boots that he has gotten. After a hard day of work this stress makes her snap.
2. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women through the workload put onto women. After a hard day of working to earn money for her family we see Maggie finally break as everything in the house is still left to be done and her son has scuffed his new boots. Her repetitiveness shows us how exhausted she is because she cannot find words to describe her feelings and this relays to us how tiring it is to take on all the responsibilities of a woman in this time.

Question 15

The heavy domestic workload

Answer 15

Dialogue:
“Right enough, if a woman did everythin that ought tae be done aboot the hoose, she’d go on a day an a night till she drapped doon deid.”

Question 16

Dialogue:
“Right enough, if a woman did everythin that ought tae be done aboot the hoose, she’d go on a day an a night till she drapped doon deid.”

Answer 16

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women through the workload that is left for a woman. Women are expected to complete all the domestic tasks in a day and this here shows just how much that really is, explaining that they wouldn’t sleep and most likely collapse of exhaustion before they were finished.

Question 17

Lily doesn’t have a husband

Answer 17

Dialogue:
“Puir Lily! Goad help her… (sotto voice) the interferin bitch. Nae wunner she coudlna get a man.”

Question 18

Dialogue:
“Puir Lily! Goad help her… (sotto voice) the interferin bitch. Nae wunner she coudlna get a man.”

Answer 18

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women through how women are expected to marry during their life. It is never expected that a women does not want a husband as the role of a woman is to want to marry and carry children, and so a woman is blamed for ebbing undesirable instead of wanting to be independent and not wanting marriage.

Question 19

Isa proves she controls Alec

Answer 19

Stage Directions:
“(She takes him with a practiced hand by the back of his collar and jerks him off his chair.)”

Question 20

Stage Directions:
“(She takes him with a practiced hand by the back of his collar and jerks him off his chair.)”

Answer 20

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women because Isa does not fit in the stereotypical obedient wife role because she instead has it that her husband Alec is obedient to her. He tries to stand up to her in this instant and claim the seat as his but she pulls him from the chair and takes it to sit in. Her control over her husband contradicts the role of women.

Question 21

Maggie doesn’t get much sleep

Answer 21

Dialogue:
“Seems I’m no sooner in ma bed than I’ve tae rise. It’s a right for you wi naethin tae dae but sit there an gant.”

Question 22

Dialogue:
“Seems I’m no sooner in ma bed than I’ve tae rise. It’s a right for you wi naethin tae dae but sit there an gant.”

Answer 22

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women through how Maggie is losing out on sleep due to how much she has to do. Also she is so exhausted that the time she spends in her bed feels like nothing as it isn’t long until she is getting up to work around the house again.

Question 23

Maggie cries

Answer 23

Stage Directions:
“She collapses in a storm of weeping.”

Question 24

Stage Directions:
“She collapses in a storm of weeping.”

Answer 24

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women because of how exhausted Maggie is that when a heavy wave of emotion hits her she can’t even hold herself up. Maggie works hard day and night inside of the house and whilst out cleaning other people houses, and when she comes home after a stressful day to find no one has done anything to help in the house she becomes infuriated and upset and begins to cry. Her upset and anger shows to us how difficult it is to keep up with the constant demand of household chores and tasks and shows us to responsibilities of women are heavy to take on.

Question 25

Mrs Harris’ son was ill and she had no help from her husband

Answer 25

Dialogue:
“I mind when oor Wullie had the pewmony. I wis up a day an a nicht. No a wunk o sleep did I get till he’d past the crisis… and there wis his feyther, lying snoring his heid aff.”

Question 26

Dialogue:
“I mind when oor Wullie had the pewmony. I wis up a day an a nicht. No a wunk o sleep did I get till he’d past the crisis… and there wis his feyther, lying snoring his heid aff.”

Answer 26

1. Role of women: this shows the theme of the role of women through how even when their children become ill and they still have all other tasks in the house to do their husbands still will not help. Women are expected to deal with all things domestic and family related whilst men get to go out and ignore it at their workplace. This shows the role of women through how they are left to do whatever work a man cannot be bothered doing because it is dirty, not manly or tiring - in this case the woman losing sleep to tend to her sick child.