Upstairs, Downstairs Responses

Is the representation of the Chauffer portrayed from a biased point of the view? If so why?
 Our opinion is biased because we are only shown other people's opinions, and are never given a chance to form our own. For example, in the scene where the chauffer and Percy go to the talk, we never fully hear the speaker, we only see the reactions of the audience. The chauffer never actually discusses why he has the opinions he does; just that that's what he believes. Another reason the portrayal of the Chauffer would be negative is that the BBC have knowledge now of what was really going on in Germany with the Nazis, so have to make sure that the audience know that what they were doing was bad. However if the programme had been made at the time of the nazis, the Chauffer may not have been represented so negatively as they did not have full knowledge of what was going on at the time.

In what ways could you say the upstairs family and downstairs staff are clinging to tradition in the changing world?
The scene where the chauffer walks into the kitchen in his uniform shows that the cook is set in her ways and thinks that food comes before anything else. Also, the husband tells Percy that she can't live in their house if she has fascist views because 'they are British'.

Why do you think Lady Persephone wants to join the black shirts?
 Rebellion and boredom. Also because she likes the chauffer ;)

Can you find similarities between Lady Persphone and Jenny from An Education?
 Rebellion, and (young) age trying to be mature. Status in the family - being treated as a child and wanting to rebel. For example, Jenny goes to Oxford and doesn't tell her father the real reason.

Whose British collective identity do you think is the strongest and why?
Upstairs, if you rebelled, the consequences could result in being disowned, depending on the situation and your status. Downstairs, people tend to get over rebelliousness, for example the chauffeur scene (as above) because they see other things as more important. Also, the indian man who normally took his meals upstairs broke the collective identity by coming downstairs; he was accepted. However the Black Shirts would kill you if you were living in Germany and didn't follow the collective identity.