A Kestrel for a Knave

1
A Kestrel for a Knave

• By Barry Hines

2
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Reasons for studying a novel. You can learn a
  great deal about life from reading novels. After
  all, you only experience a fraction of what
  society has to offer in your own lifetime.
  Novels give us an insight into other aspects of
  life. Novelists create characters different from
  ourselves, then show us how these characters
  interact with one another and their communities.

3
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Through reading a book, we can enlarge our
  understanding of other patterns of behaviour.
• In this novel, the focus is on deprivation
  suffered by people whose lives have little or no
  purpose.

4
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Approaching a text. You are not expected to
  memorise facts. You will be asked to discuss
  issues to show your independent understanding of
  incidents and conflicts in the novel. You must
  base your opinions on what you read in the text.
  One issue in the text is a criticism of the
  school system, this is something you are familiar
  with, but you must remember to use the evidence
  in the text to back up your arguments.

5
A Kestrel for a Knave

• The title. The quotation from The Boke of St
  Albans tells us about the proper hunting bird
  for each rank in a court. The final listing is
  a Kestrel for a Knave. A knave has two
  meanings, the first is a serving boy at court,
  the second is dishonest person. When reading
  remember that Billy is connected to the meaning
  of a thief and someone who holds a low position
  in society.

6
A Kestrel for a Knave
Character study
7
A Kestrel for a Knave

• The setting. The social setting of this novel is
  Britain in the late fifties/early sixties.
  During this period many people wrote about social
  emptiness. Barry Hines is concerned about
  council estates and schools that had been built
  too large for any real interpersonal
  relationships to develop. There are three main
  settings that you will need to focus on, you
  should look for comparisons and contrasts and to
  consider the effect they have on Billy.
• Home
• School
• Countryside

8
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Structure. This novel starts on a winters
  morning, then it reveals events from the previous
  summer, before returning to the present day with
  its variety of incidents leading to the dramatic
  conclusion late that night.

9
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Structure. The structure follows an ordinary
  school day in Billys life, what is important is
  the way in which the kestrel is mentioned
  throughout the text. We learn how Kes is found
  and trained and her important role in Billys
  life. Our final image is of Kes as the avenger,
  stooping to her prey at Billys command.

10
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Plot. A Kestrel for a Knave has no formal
  chapters but you will need to keep track of the
  events as they unfold, and see how incidents are
  linked. You will soon see there is often cause
  and effect relationship between incidents.
  Understanding the plot is more than just knowing
  what happens. You need to be able to discuss the
  connections, an example of this is when Jud asks
  Billy to put his bet on for him at the start of
  the day.

11
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Themes. These are the ideas that the text deals
  with. As you read, the themes will reveal
  themselves. Some of the themes that are dealt
  with are,
• Family relationships,
• Poverty,
• Education,
• Weaknesses and hidden strengths.

12
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Style. This is how the writer communicates his
  ideas to us. You need to be sensitive to the use
  of imagery, direct speech, interior monologues
  (thoughts). In this novel, a third person
  omniscient (all knowing) narrator tells the
  story. The focus is mainly on the protagonist
  (central character). The narrator reveals
  Billys thoughts through memory sequences.
  Images of sight, sound, touch and smell are used
  extensively to communicate Billys response to
  his surroundings.

13
A Kestrel for a Knave

• The Kestrel. The way in which Billy captures and
  trains the bird is significant as it shows his
  confidence, dedicated interest and intelligence.
  Through the hawk he begins to learn about
  himself. Mr Farthing recognises Billys
  potential and he makes the connection between
  Billy and the wild bird specific when Billy
  relates his experience to the rest of the class.

14
A Kestrel for a Knave

• The death of the kestrel. At the end of the
  novel Billy breaks out of his imaginary sequence.
  We see him returning to the harsh reality of
  having to live without freedom, powerless in the
  harshness of his world. In burying his hawk he
  buries any chance of escaping the limitations of
  his life. He returns to an empty house, and he
  brings us back to the destructive emptiness of
  the start of the novel.

15
A Kestrel for a Knave

• The Family. Firstly we must consider the role of
  the family in establishing fundamental education.
  It is in the family that a child learns the
  difference between right or wrong how to live in
  harmony with others where to get acceptance,
  support, understanding and love.
• This novel opens on a family scene, which
  immediately shows a dysfunctional family.

16
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Types of abuse that Billy suffers.
• Physical both Jud and Mrs Casper attack Billy.
• Verbal threats are a normal part of his daily
  interaction.
• Emotional no warmth is shown to Billy, even
  after the loss of his hawk.

17
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Mr Gryce. He is a typical cruel headmaster, who
  is in control of a large school. Most of the
  boys are unwilling learners. He has a bullying
  nature, he often slaps heads and regularly canes
  the boys for breaking his rules. Barry Hines is
  showing us that when a man has absolute power
  there is a danger that his bullying behaviour
  goes unchecked.

18
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Mr Crossley. He concentrates on the most
  meticulous details of school administration and
  he overlooks the needs of his pupils. He allows
  Billys classmates to poke fun at him and is
  sarcastic to Billy as well.
• Mr Sugden. He is a caricature of the sports
  teacher. He is more concerned about his own
  appearance. He enjoys basking in his own glory
  and adores flattery. He abuses his power and
  betrays the role of educator as he does not
  possess an understanding of fair play.

19
A Kestrel for a Knave

• Mr Farthing. He is a typically good teacher. He
  takes note of the boys in his class, he always
  asks them to share their own experiences. He
  does not allow interruptions or mockery. He sees
  the true potential that Billy possesses.

20
A Kestrel for a Knave

• The Pit. Billys employment prospects are
  narrow, he will probably follow Jud down tpit.
  Deep coal mining has long been associated with
  exploitation of the work force. Coal mining
  created communities dependent on the pit, with a
  culture of their own. Sons followed fathers down
  the pit as a matter of course, and the closure of
  the pit posed a huge economic threat to the
  community. The production of coal has gradually
  declined since 1957, many coal mining areas still
  suffer from severe deprivation and unemployment.
  

21
A Kestrel for a Knave

• This scheme of work will prepare you for your
  exam. You will have a question on this text.
  This presentation will enable you to examine the
  text in close detail, and it is your
  responsibility to take frequent notes and page
  references for specific quotations for revision
  purposes.
• I have chosen this text as it is a personal
  favourite of mine and one I also studied while at
  school many years ago. I hope that you enjoy it
  much as I still do.
• We will read the entire text, and discuss issues
  as they arise in the text. We will conclude by
  watching the incredible film adaptation of this
  text, but you must remember that it is text we
  are studying and not the film.