Over the past term, we explored the subject of oppression within our drama lessons. Two of the subjects that we studied were: the oppression of women during the suffragette movement in the UK and the oppression of African Americans in the USA in the 1950s. Using explorative strategies and acted drama we brought these cases to the stage and appreciated for ourselves how fortunate we are that individual people have so bravely taken a stand against unacceptable social norms.

The Suffragette Movement began in 1866 when the first campaigns for woman’s suffrage appeared; it began at this time because the Industrial revolution had lead to women’s full time employment, working together and being able to discuss political issues. Suffrage means the right to vote, and that is what the Suffragettes were campaigning and protesting for, they felt that they were being oppressed by the Government as they did not have the same rights as men. The Suffragettes protested in many ways; some of their protests were violent, and so when they were imprisoned they went on a hunger strike. Another form of getting public attention on the Suffrage movement than protesting was what Emily Davison did at The Derby. On 4th June 1913, the Epsom Derby, a horse race, was held. During the race, Emily Davison threw herself in front of the horse owned by King George V and died four days later in hospital. In my opinion, what Emily Davison did was a courageous act and made a statement in the name of what she believed in, the Suffrage movement. It drew attention to the movement and played a role in it’s succession in 1928. I believe that that was the intention of her action.

In groups we created a short piece of drama based on the story of Emily Davison at the Derby. My character in the scene was an upper class, and slightly full-of-herself, spectator of the horse race and of the incident with