Saturday, October 12, 2019

By referring closely to J B Priestley’s account of Bradford, explain :: English Literature

By referring closely to J B Priestley’s account of Bradford, explain what he considers gave the city its particular character at the time he was writing. J.B. Priestley, in his writing about Bradford, believes its character comes from, what might seem like, conflicting ideas. These ideas contribute to what Priestley calls Bradford’s odd quality. The character of Bradford, in 1933, when Priestley was writing, was made up of two extremes, provincialism and that of a cosmopolitan city. Provincialism remained in Bradford, firstly because the railway went to Leeds and not to Bradford and therefore the city didn’t get much new trade, such as any other manufacturing and/or greater educational opportunities. As this was not the case and the railway went to Leeds instead of Bradford, the main job type in Bradford was the woollen industry, as it had already been for generations. All over Bradford there would have been spinning mills where people were employed to work very long and unsociable hours for very little pay. Another reason why provincialism remained in Bradford was because the woollen profession was what the people were used to. For generations in Bradford the woollen trade is what the local residents have been accustomed to and they enjoyed it. In 1930s when I am talking about, the peasants in the outskirts of Bradford would commute into Bradford on the trams. This kind of Bradford (the woollen industry etc.) is all they know and understand about life. This style of living is all that comes naturally to them. I feel that the people who lived and worked here in Bradford became very insular; they did not look beyond their experience. This is what kept provincialism a reality in Bradford. There is a lot more about Bradford that I haven’t already explained, aside from provincialism! A contradicting view of Bradford, to the above, is that the city was very based around cosmopolitan ideas and mindsets. Some people never ventured further than twenty or thirty miles out of Bradford whereas, others would have travelled to, what would seem to regular Bradfordians, the end of the universe, selling and buying woollen produce. Although they had travelled the world, gained more understanding and become more intelligent, when they returned to Market Street, Bradfordians would never have changed as, say Londoners would have. They still remained their same selves. When you met someone from Bradford you would think they had only travelled as far as York or Morecambe, but in actual fact they might have been to By referring closely to J B Priestley’s account of Bradford, explain :: English Literature By referring closely to J B Priestley’s account of Bradford, explain what he considers gave the city its particular character at the time he was writing. J.B. Priestley, in his writing about Bradford, believes its character comes from, what might seem like, conflicting ideas. These ideas contribute to what Priestley calls Bradford’s odd quality. The character of Bradford, in 1933, when Priestley was writing, was made up of two extremes, provincialism and that of a cosmopolitan city. Provincialism remained in Bradford, firstly because the railway went to Leeds and not to Bradford and therefore the city didn’t get much new trade, such as any other manufacturing and/or greater educational opportunities. As this was not the case and the railway went to Leeds instead of Bradford, the main job type in Bradford was the woollen industry, as it had already been for generations. All over Bradford there would have been spinning mills where people were employed to work very long and unsociable hours for very little pay. Another reason why provincialism remained in Bradford was because the woollen profession was what the people were used to. For generations in Bradford the woollen trade is what the local residents have been accustomed to and they enjoyed it. In 1930s when I am talking about, the peasants in the outskirts of Bradford would commute into Bradford on the trams. This kind of Bradford (the woollen industry etc.) is all they know and understand about life. This style of living is all that comes naturally to them. I feel that the people who lived and worked here in Bradford became very insular; they did not look beyond their experience. This is what kept provincialism a reality in Bradford. There is a lot more about Bradford that I haven’t already explained, aside from provincialism! A contradicting view of Bradford, to the above, is that the city was very based around cosmopolitan ideas and mindsets. Some people never ventured further than twenty or thirty miles out of Bradford whereas, others would have travelled to, what would seem to regular Bradfordians, the end of the universe, selling and buying woollen produce. Although they had travelled the world, gained more understanding and become more intelligent, when they returned to Market Street, Bradfordians would never have changed as, say Londoners would have. They still remained their same selves. When you met someone from Bradford you would think they had only travelled as far as York or Morecambe, but in actual fact they might have been to

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