(a) Denham

Denham is business-like and confident while allocating tasks and fitting in the j programme. He is an important official for the function and sits confidently beside the Head. He courteously addresses the girls as ‘Miss’. While discussing P.T. and Games, he shocks the audience with his views. He is a trained boxer and does not want to do P.T. exercises which he feels are unnecessary for him. His tone is initially blunt, critical and argumentative. However, when Miss Phillips gently replies to his arguments and outwits him, he graciously and politely accepts his defeat.

(b) Miss Joseph

Miss Joseph is business-like and confident while allocating tasks and fitting in the programme. She is an important official for the function. She sits on the stage beside Mr. Florian with composure. She also addresses the audience with confidence.

(c) The Narrator

Ricky Braithwaite, the narrator, is a very sensitive person. He is very upset at the racism that he has to face after serving in the army. He gets a job in a school, and initially has a very difficult time with the students who are disrespectful, ill-mannered and mischievous. They harass him from day one. However, his novel and creative ideas, innovative techniques and understanding of the students’ psychology, ultimately wins their hearts.

Though he was bullied, harassed, mentally and physically tortured many times, he didn’t lose his patience and continued implementing his novel ideas and techniques that helped him to bring a significant change in his students’ lives. On the day of the half-yearly report of the Students’ Council, he is very anxious to see how they behave. When they are business-like, confident, cool and courteous, he feels proud of them.

(d) Miss Dare

Miss Dare spoke about the problems which all humanity has to face in terms of sickness and disease, and of the advantages gained by interchange of knowledge, advice and assistance. Her contribution was something of an anticlimax after Femman’s performance, and she seemed to realise it, but continued with her speech.

(e) Miss Phillips

Miss Phillips, whom everyone had thought to be frilly and brainless, proves while answering Denham’s questions that she is the bestinformed of the three teachers on the stage. She intervenes skilfully when the other two teachers are at a loss, without embarrassing them. She speaks coolly, honestly and with authority.

She is very slightly built but she controls her class very well. She tells Denham that the whole timetable in the school was meant to help the students in the world after they left school, and doing what one was told in spite of not liking it, is part of the training. She confidently asserts that she was sure that Denham saw the importance of what she had said, and why he had to do P.T. Thus, she put ‘ Denham in his place very coolly.