Hello, everyone, and welcome to this lesson in exploring the importance of books and stories.

My name's Dr.

Clayton, and I'm here to guide you through Learning Journey today.

Today's lesson's all about getting to the real core of stories.

Why do we tell stories? How are they important to us as a society? We're gonna be thinking about these questions quite conceptually at first, and then we're gonna focus on three books in particular and think about their central themes and why they might be important to consider for society.

So if you're ready, grab your pen, laptop, whatever you using for this lesson, and let's get started.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to consider why stories and their central themes might be important for society.

So we have five words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

They'll be identified in bold throughout the learning material, and I'll try to point them out to you as well, so you can see them being used in context.

So our first keyword is universal, which means relating to or done by all people or things in the world or a particular group, applicable to all cases.

We're going to be thinking about how and why literature might be considered universal.

How does it speak to the human experience? Our second key word is the American dream, and this is the idea that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life.

We're going to be thinking about how Fitzgerald presents the American dream in "The Great Gatsby" and how that presentation might affect society.

Our third keyword is totalitarian, which is a political system in which those in power have complete control and they limit people's freedom.

We're going to be considering how Orwell presents a totalitarian government in "1984" and how that might affect society.

Our fourth keyword is social class, and this means the division of society based on social and economic status.

We're going to think about how Fitzgerald's presentation of the American dream relates to ideas of social class and the divisions between people.

Our final keyword is individualism, which means the idea that each person should think and act independently rather than depending on others.

We're going to be thinking about why that might be important to retain that individualism.

So I'll just give you a few moments to write down those key words and their definitions.

So pause the video, write them down now.

Fantastic.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So we have two learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to think quite conceptually about why we as human beings tell stories.

What's the purpose behind them? How might they change our world? For our second learning cycle, we're going to think specifically about the themes, so the central messages of stories and they might be relevant to us.

We're gonna consider themes of Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," Bronte's "Wuthering Heights," and Orwell's "1984." These are all considered classic great works of literature, and we're gonna think about what they might tell us about life and how they might relate to people.

Now since we're starting off with conceptualising stories and what they mean to us, we're gonna start off by thinking about the history of stories because stories have always been a part of human history and society.

Sometimes we have this idea that stories exist in printed books and through words only.

But actually the earlier stories began with visual stories, such as cave paintings, and they then transitioned to the oral tradition of passing stories from generation to generation by word of mouth.

Now this was not only an incredible feat of memory, but they were also fascinating because people made small changes to stories as they recited them.

So little by little, stories changed through generations become more relevant to what was happening in society.

Then we shifted to written narratives as literature became more prevalent in society.

And then we had the advent of the printing press in the 15th century, and that allowed us to begin to mass produce stories.

Nowadays, due to technology, we can also tell stories through videos, recordings, and social media.

Now what I'd like you to start off by thinking about is why you think stories are a big part of the human experience.

Now, if you're going through this with someone else, you might talk about ideas together.

If you're going through this by yourself, you might just think about ideas.

So pause the video, consider why stories have always been a big part of the human experience.

Welcome back, everyone.

Had some fantastic ideas there about why we found stories so fascinating and why they're such an enduring part of human existence.

Now let's think about the ideas of two of our Oak pupils.

So Laura said, "I think it's our way of relating to each other and creating social and emotional bonds." We're inherently social beings.

We look for ways to connect to other people, and we want to be accepted into groups.

Now, one way we might do that is through telling each other's stories that help us to relate to one another and see the world through each other's point of view and perspective.

Now, Izzy also said, "I think it's also a way of helping us make sense of the world around us." I've always considered psychology and literature to go hand in hand 'cause I think stories reveal something about the world around us.

They reveal something about human nature.

That's why the works of Shakespeare endure because he speaks about universal themes of love, power, and ambition that are still relevant to us today, and we still all feel those emotions.

And reading stories is the way to us make sense of those human experiences and emotions.

Stories will also offer us a way to explain a phenomenon we don't yet understand.

The earlier stories about monsters on the earth were ways that people trying to explain something they could see but they couldn't comprehend.

And I think in essence, stories are enduring because they make us feel less alone.

They offer us a chance to see ourselves as part of something bigger or to find other people that think in the same way that we do.

So now, for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that humans were only able to share stories after the printing press was invented in the 15th century? Pause the video, make your selection now.

The correct answer is false.

Now I'd like you to tell me why it's false.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now you might have said that before printed stories, humans shared tales through paintings and the oral tradition of passing on stories by word of mouth.

So very well done if you've got those right.

Fantastic work so far, everyone.

For the first task of the lesson, we're going to really take it back to the idea of books being able to change someone's world, 'cause that's the title of the unit.

And that's something that I think will help you in your study of literature in general because I think it helps to understand that big why question.

Why do we read books? So what I'd like you to think about is how do you think books and reading stories might change someone's world? Now you might think about the fact that stories offer us a way of exploring the wider world.

That stories also offer a way of exploring human emotions and the human experience.

As before, if you're going through this with someone else, you might talk about ideas with them.

If you're going through this by yourself, you might just think about ideas.

So pause the video, take a few minutes to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

Had some fantastic ideas there.

What I'd like you to do now is consider Izzy and Laura's ideas and think about how well they align with your ideas.

So Laura said, "I think giving someone a window into the wider world might help them feel more included and accepted." I think reading's a great way of expanding your world.

And sometimes when you're reading, you might come across a character who looks, sounds, or thinks like you do, and that might make you feel less alone.

As we said earlier, we're all looking for social connections to feel part of something bigger, and reading books is one way to achieve that.

And Izzy said, "Perhaps reading about the wider world might also change people's perceptions and alter their social political views." So maybe reading about someone else's life might change the way you think, or reading about a different country or culture might change your perspective.

As we said, reading expands your world and helps you to see and understand more of other people and their cultures.

So pause the video.

Consider how well Laura and Izzy's align with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

That's some fantastic thoughts there in response to Laura and Izzy's ideas, and some expansions on them in terms of how reading might help someone process an emotion they haven't felt before, such as love or grief.

And seeing how a character face the situations might help you face things in your own life.

Now, I'd also like you to take a moment to reflect, consider which stories or books have changed your world or your viewpoint, and why.

Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see so many different ideas.

Because it's such a personal, individual question, we're all gonna have different ideas about what might have changed our world.

Now, let's take a look at the ideas of our Oak pupils.

So Laura said, "I think reading Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' really changed my world as it made me see how important women's rights are.

Now many of you may be familiar with "The Handmaid's Tale." I think it's such a powerful story that really challenges us and makes us take a hard look at the world around us and what direction we're heading in.

Now, if you like "The Handmaid's Tale," I'd also really recommend her "MaddAddam" trilogy, as again, it's a very dystopian look on the future, but it focus more on the rise of biological technology and what might happen through those scientific advances.

Now Izzy said she thinks "reading Rhys' 'Wide Sargasso Sea' really changed her perspective on literature and how we react to characters.

Now, Jean Rhys is one of my favourite writers.

If aren't familiar with the story, essentially "Wide Sargasso Sea" offers us a backstory of the birth of Mason in "Jane Eyre" and how she became the mad woman in the attic.

It's an incredibly powerful piece of post-colonial literature, and it really addressed society's perception of people and cultures.

So now we've spent some time thinking generally about the importance of stories, we're gonna now take a closer look at three classic works of literature and think about how they might relate to society today.

You're all doing amazingly well, everyone.

We're now on to our second learning cycle.

We're going to take a look at the central themes of Orwell's "1984," Bronte's "Wuthering Heights," and Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Consider what they might tell us about society and how they might change someone's life.

Now before we look at the text themselves, let's just take a moment to remind ourselves what themes are.

So the theme of a story book is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in the novel, short story, or other literary work.

Some common themes are love, ambition, power, and family.

And arguably these themes are part of the universal human experience.

They happen to all of us.

We all experience those emotions, we all have those feelings, and therefore talking about them makes stories and books more relevant to our lives.

Now, as I said earlier, we're focusing on three classic literary texts.

These three texts are Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," Orwell's "1984," and Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." Now what I'd like you to take a moment to think about is whether you're familiar with any of these texts.

Do you know anything about them? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

That's some great discussions there.

People are absolutely right in saying that phrases such as Big Brother come from Orwell's "1984." And some of you may also have seen Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby." We're gonna talk through the novels now, and perhaps you might feel inspired to read one of them if you weren't already familiar with it.

So we're going to begin by considering Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Now "The Great Gatsby's" considered one of the great American novels, and it tells the story of Jay Gatsby and his quest to make himself worthy of his childhood love, Daisy Buchanan.

One of the central themes of "The Great Gatsby" is the American dream.

Now the American dream is the idea that anyone can succeed in life and better themselves no matter who they are or what their social class is.

We might not call it the American dream here, but ultimately this is the core principle of capitalism.

If you work hard enough, you can achieve your dreams. Now Gatsby himself was born poor and worked himself up to be a self-made millionaire in order to be worthy of Daisy's affections.

However, despite his money, Gatsby can still never measure up to Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchanan, because they come from old family money, and their perception of Gatsby is he will always be less than them because he had to work for his money.

Now, ultimately, Gatsby doesn't succeed in realising his dream.

Fitzgerald's novel ends in tragedy.

Daisy accidentally kills a woman in a car accident, and Gatsby takes the blame.

This leads to him being shot by the woman's husband, and no one comes to his funeral.

Daisy and her husband sail away into the sunset without a care in the world.

So what I'd like you to think about is, what is Fitzgerald saying about the American dream through Gatsby's ending? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone, some great ideas there.

Now arguably we might say that Fitzgerald is critiquing the American dream, suggesting it's not possible for everyone to achieve their dreams. No matter how hard they try, they can't escape their social class and achieve social mobility.

Gatsby did everything he could to change his life and integrate himself into high society.

Yet inevitably he's the one who takes the blame for their crimes, and they continue to live their lives as if nothing happened.

So now let's think about what the wider impact of Fitzgerald's critique of they American dream might be.

Let's begin by thinking about what effect it might have on people.

How might it effect you if you discovered that actually hard work doesn't matter as much as class? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

You might have thought, potentially it might cause people to have a more pessimistic outlook on life.

If you believe that working hard won't change your life or your circumstances, you're more likely to have a negative view about your life.

Now let's think about it more broadly.

How might that pessimistic view affect society? What would happen if no one believed that hard work would benefit them? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some fantastic ideas there about how this really cuts the heart of capitalism and society and the way we live today.

We're told if we work hard, we're can achieve anything.

If people don't believe that, they might decide there's no point in working hard or even working at all.

If it's not gonna benefit them, then what's the point? If everyone had this attitude, then society and the economy would grind to a halt, and that'd be fairly catastrophic.

So hopefully you can see here how important books can be.

Books can give you hope, or they can make you believe that society doesn't value you or your hard work.

They can change your whole outlook on society and impact the way that society works.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" is arguably a critique of the American dream.

Pause the video, make a selection now.

Now the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like to tell me why it's true.

Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now you might have said, "The American dream tells us that everyone can achieve their dreams and rise up in society due to hard work.

However, though Gatsby devotes his life to his dream, he can't achieve it." So very well done if you got those right.

So now let's consider Orwell's "1984." It's widely considered to be one of the most effective dystopian novels ever written.

Orwell's "1984" tells a story of a totalitarian government who suppresses people's freedoms and individuality through surveillance by the Thought Police and fear.

Now a totalitarian government is a political system which those in power have complete control and limit people's freedom.

An individuality means the idea that each person should think and act independently rather than depending on others.

Essentially in "1984," the government has complete control over everyone.

You're constantly watched and listen to through your technological devices, your neighbours, your family.

And anything that's seen or heard to be subversive means you're arrested.

Everyone lives in constant fear of being thought to be subversive.

It's where we get the phrase Big Brother is watching from.

This is the core message that runs throughout the novel.

Now, what I'd like us to think about first is why do you think individualism is an important aspect of being human.

Orwell tells of a future where the government controls everything about how we look, how we think, how we live our lives.

So why is it important that we have freedom to do what we want? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great discussions there.

Let's take a moment to think about what two of our Oak pupils said.

So Laura said, "I think if we were all the same, we wouldn't be able to innovate or create anything new." Creativity comes from our individuality, our ability to see the world differently to how others view it.

If the way we think is controlled, we'd never be able to create anything new.

And for me, I think that concept of creativity is a core part of being human.

And Izzy said, "Individuality also means we can grow and progress as a society rather than remaining the same." If we all think the same, we're never gonna move forwards because it wouldn't be anyone to challenge our beliefs or make us see something in different light.

We'd just be stuck in a repetitive cycle.

Now the core idea of control from Orwell's novel comes through as an idea of constant surveillance and people policing our thoughts.

And arguably that's still very relevant today.

What I'd like you to think about is whether you agree with that statement, why or why not.

Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some fantastic ideas there.

Let's take a look at what our Oak pupils thought.

So Laura said, "I think advanced technology make it easier for surveillance to happen.

We can't exist without it." Now we have GPS trackers in all of our digital devices, our movements can be constantly followed.

We also have technology that's voice-activated and designed to listen to us.

So you can easily see how these could be used by those in power to follow where we go and what we're saying in the comfort of our own homes.

Now Izzy said, "Technology such as social media can influence how we think and affect our individualism." At our core, we're social beings.

We want to fit in.

If we see that everyone around us on social media is saying or doing a certain thing, we're more inclined to follow them.

Those in power are aware of this.

That's why there's a proliferation of bots on social media.

They're designed to push certain ways of thinking in order to influence others.

Now hopefully you can see here how texts help us see what society might become and they might warn us about the future.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

So Orwell's "1984" considers which of the following themes, A, government control, B, coming of age, or C, family? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now the central theme of Orwell's "1984" is government control.

So very well done if you got that right.

So now we're going to think about our third text, Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." Now "Wuthering Heights" follows a relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff.

Heathcliff's an orphan who is largely considered an outsider by the others in the novel apart from Cathy.

He's adopted by Cathy's father.

But once the father passes away, he's treated as a servant by the son.

Now Cathy and Heathcliff spend their childhood together and bond over the disdain of other people.

The two of them fall in love.

However, Cathy marries their neighbour, Edgar Linton, due to her infatuation with his social status.

Following her marriage and subsequent death, Heathcliff punishes everyone around him through mental and physical abuse in his quest for revenge.

He's haunted by the idea of Cathy, believes he's visited by her ghost.

At the end of the novel, Heathcliff dies, and the locals believe they see visions of Heathcliff and Cathy wandering the moors together.

Now, some people view "Wuthering Heights" as a great love story.

The concept of the two of them finding each other in death is something we find incredibly romantic.

And one of the novel's most famous lines is when Cathy says, "Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same." Now, we love the concept of soul mates, and this is why people consider it a great love story.

However, what I want you to think about is what Bronte might have been warning us about love.

Despite their love for each other, Cathy and Heathcliff marry other people, and Heathcliff is driven by revenge and shows abusive tendencies throughout the novel.

So what do you think Bronte might have been warning us about love? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone, some fantastic discussions there about the realities of love and toxic relationships.

Through Cathy and Heathcliff, Bronte may have been warning us about the destructive nature of love and jealousy.

Though Cathy and Heathcliff love each other, ultimately they're cruel to one another and to other people, and it destroys the relationships of everyone else around them.

Edgar and Isabella and their children are all victims of Cathy and Heathcliff's love.

So love not only destroys those in the relationship but also everyone else around them as well.

Now I'd like you to think more broadly about the novel.

Why do you think the realities of destructive nature of love and jealousy is an important message for humanity and society? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now you might have said, "Love is a universal human emotion.

It's important we understand every aspect of love, what positive and negative relationships look like." Though we might find the intensity of Cathy and Heathcliff's love appealing, ultimately, it's a toxic relationship that harms not only them but everyone around them.

And that might help us to understand what sort of love we should be looking for.

Now, for a quick check for understanding, What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" depicts a positive love between Cathy and Heathcliff? Pause the video, make your selection now.

Now the correct answer is false.

Now I'd like you to tell me why it's false.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now you might have said that arguably Bronte depicts a destructive nature of love and jealousy.

So very well done if you've got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're onto the final task of the lesson.

What I'd like you to do is consider the three books and their central themes.

So we have Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and the critique of the American dream.

We had Orwell's "1984" and ideas of government control and the loss of individualism.

And finally, we have Bronte's "Wuthering Heights," the potentially destructive nature of love.

And what I'd like you to do is ask the following questions.

So which book would you most like to read? Why? And which book do you think is most likely to change someone's world? Why? So pause the video, answer the questions now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some fantastic ideas there.

Now let's talk through the ideas of a couple of our Oak pupils, and I'd like you to think about how well they align with your ideas.

So let's begin with Izzy.

So question one was, which book would you most like to read and why? And Izzy said, "I'd most like to read '1984.

' I'm really interested in ideas of individual freedom and how the world us seek to control our ideas." Question two was, which book do you think has most likely to change someone's world and why? And Izzy said, "I think 'The Great Gatsby' is most likely because the idea that we just work hard enough we can achieve anything is ingrained in society, I think it would make people realise that actually sometimes the odds aren't stacked in their favour." So pause the video.

Consider how well Izzy's ideas align with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see people thinking about the impact of "The Great Gatsby" as Izzy did and how it could really change the way society works and the way we view our lives.

Now let's consider Sofia's ideas.

So question one, which book would you most like to read and why? And Sofia said, "I'd most like to read 'The Great Gatsby' 'cause I'm really interested in ideas of social mobility and how they affect our relationships with people." Question two, which book could you think is most likely to change someone's world, and why? And Sofia said, "I think 'Wuthering Heights' would be most likely 'cause I think it would potentially make people realise what a toxic relationship looks like and maybe help them to see it's not healthy for them." So pause the video, consider how well Sophia's ideas align with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see people thinking about how "Wuthering Heights" might have further implications about masculinity.

Now, men are supposed to react in relationships.

If we think that Cathy and Heathcliff have a beautiful love story, then we might see Heathcliff's abusive tendencies as an acceptable part of that, and that's not the message we want society to have.

Hopefully, thinking about these texts help you to see how books are important and how they might actually change someone's world.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Stories have existed throughout human history.

Potentially, we might tell stories as a way of creating social bonds and relationships between people.

We may also tell stories as a way of understanding the world around us.

Stories might change people's worlds by offering them a sense of connection with others.

They may also inspire people to see the world in a different way and change their perspective.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.