A Kestrel for a Knave

1
A Kestrel for a Knave

• The context and setting of the novel
• Billy Brick

2
Setting

• A medium sized town based on Barnsley
• Coal mining area within a rural area
• Main characters live on the council estate and
  the pit is the major employer

3
A European KestrelImage courtesy of Flickr
m.geven
4
The Setting

• The book is set in one of the coal mining areas
  in the north of England
• The area has a strong dialect
• The dialogue in the book and film is written in
  dialect

5
Examples of a South Yorkshire dialect

• gioer stop that, get off
• thisen yourself
• nog lump
• owt anything
• tab cigarette
• nowt nothing
• allus - always
• snap miners lunch

6
The school system

• Much of the novel is set in school.
• Secondary modern rather than grammar School.
• Pupils took eleven plus or intelligence test.
• Many left at 15 and went straight to work.
• Poor facilities, funding and disinterested
  teachers. Pupils often not easy to teach.

7
Work in the 1960s

• Almost full employment existed.
• Boys went into unskilled work in factories, shops
  and unskilled labouring.
• Some would be taken on as apprentices (mostly
  boys women would work in offices, shops or
  factories before marrying).
• High proportion left with limited reading and
  writing skills and went down pit.

8
Society and housing

• During 50s and 60s many new council estates were
  built to accommodate workers and their families
  during boom years.
• Key features large and anonymous, broke up
  communities, replaced traditional terraced
  housing damaged during 2nd WW.
• Better quality housing but often less community
  support.

9
General Summary 1

• The novel depicts a day in the life of Billy
  Casper, a 15-year-old living in a northern town
  in the 1960s.
• We see his difficult home circumstances,
  unsatisfactory experiences at work, his love of
  animals and expertise in training the kestrel
  hawk he calls Kes.
• Novel begins with Billy getting up one morning
  when his brother goes to work down the local pit.

10
General Summary 2

• No food in the house, no lit fire, mother still
  in bed, reader sees Billys routine.
• Paper round difficult as Jud (his brother) has
  taken Billys bike.
• Not having his bike leaves Billy in trouble with
  his employer, steals orange juice and eggs and
  observes residents of Firs Hill and their
  lifestyles.
• Billys mother has a series of boyfriends. Billy
  sees one leaving the house.

11
General Summary 3

• Billy refuses to shop for his mother as her
  credit at the local shop is poor and he runs away
  when she chases him breaking stolen eggs.
• Billy visits his kestrel hawk, Kes, which he
  keeps in a shed in the garden.
• First flashback we discover how Billy acquired
  the bird and how he stole a book about training
  Kestrels after being refused entry to the
  library.
• Flashback ends as Billy realises he is late for
  school. When he arrives there we see some of the
  difficulties he has with his teachers.
• Caned along with others for falling asleep during
  assembly.

12
General Summary 4

• Friendly English teacher, Mr Farthing forces
  Billy to talk about Kes.
• Billy becomes involved in a fight with Macdowell
  which is broken up by Mr Farthing who wants to
  see Kes fly.
• Comical and cruel scene shows Billy playing
  football with teacher who bullies him.
• Billy hurries home to find Jud has left money for
  the bookies which he is reluctant to place for
  his brother.
• Mr Farthing arrives to witness Billy feeding Kes
  a newly killed sparrow and admires his skill.

13
General Summary 5

• Refuses lift back to school due to Juds bets.
• Asks advice whether horses are likely to win and
  the man in the bookies suggests that they wont.
  Billy believes him and spends the money on
  himself before returning to school.
• Jud arrives at the school looking for Billy and
  it becomes obvious that the horses have won.
• Billy is in serious trouble.