Peaky Blinders-Representation

Question 1

A ‘Secret History’ of England

Answer 1

Unlike traditional dramas, Peaky Blinders focuses on the working class & industrial Birmingham

Not about royalty or the rich, but the lower classes & women

Represent ambition & success despite their working-class roots

Grittier, more violent

Question 2

Men as Brutal & Violent

Answer 2

Shelby brothers seem fearless, but actually suffer from PTSD

Knight: “Men who have forgotten about physical consequences”

Question 3

Strong & Empowered Women

Answer 3

Polly – The matriarch, leads the family, not just a mother figure, but a flawed, nuanced leader
Grace – Initially dismissed as “too pretty, but discovered as the cunning undercover agent

Reflects WW1’s impact: women took over running the country

Question 4

Representations of Class & Local Identity

Answer 4

The Shelbys = Social Mobility

Represent ambition & success despite their working-class roots

Question 5

Representations of Gender-Tommy

Answer 5

The ‘Tough Guy with a Heart of Gold’

Emotionally restrained but capable of extreme violence

Protective over his family & community

Kind to children & the elderly