For the highest marks in the exam you need to show an excellent understanding of the relationship between the play and the context in which it was written.

To show that you are writing about ideas in the play in relation to context, you might use sentences such as:

Delaney presents the theme of ......... to show the audience that during the 1950s working-class families struggled to...

Delaney explores ......... as a theme throughout the play in order to subvert the traditional gender stereotypes of the 1950s.

The theme of .......... is presented by Delaney who had the intention of...

For each theme explored, think:

How is the theme presented effectively to show us something about the 1950s, in which the play was written and set?

Remember that you also need to closely analyse the techniques that Delaney uses to present these themes.

Now have a go at the following activity, which will help you to evaluate the effectiveness of the themes in play.

You should always refer to your own text when working through these examples.  These quotations are for reference only.