Hello, hi, and welcome.

Thank you so much for joining me in today's lesson.

Now, this lesson is all focused on "Small Island" Act 2, Scene 1.

Now, the actual lesson is called A Broken Promise, which I'm sure gives you some clues as to the kind of tone and atmosphere at the start of Act 2.

So, shall we get started on the lesson and see what this is all about? Let's go.

So, by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explain the events of Act 2, Scene 1 and compare to Act 1.

Let's just look at the keywords that we will need for today's lesson.

They are pride, betrayal, social hierarchy, prejudice, and euphemism.

Now, pride is described as this feeling of satisfaction at your achievements or situation.

You have pride in something.

Now, pride is quite similar to the word proud in terms of its meaning and its feeling.

So, if you feel proud of something, you will have pride in it.

Now, sometimes pride can make people feel like they don't want to be honest about a situation or they don't want to reveal something.

Now, in "Small Island", when we look at Act 2, I really want us to think about this in terms of Gilbert.

Now, in Act 2, Gilbert doesn't reveal his situation because of his pride.

So, I want us to remember that key word when we start to look at Gilbert's situation and why he might not want to share that information with others.

Now, we also get this word betrayal.

Now, betrayal is the opposite of loyal, so it is doing the opposite of what is being said, or you act in a disloyal way.

Now, in terms of betrayal, I really want us to think in "Small Island" who or what is betraying our characters or why the characters might feel a sense of betrayal.

So, if we think about them in Act 1, when they're feeling so optimistic and hopeful about their situation, Act 2, it's very different, so who or what might have betrayed our characters? And why might they feel this huge sense of betrayal? Then, we get this idea of social hierarchy.

So, this is the idea that society is organised in terms of status and power.

So, social hierarchy in terms of "Small Island", we may want to think about things like class, race, ethnicity, and gender.

Now, prejudice is an unfair or unreasonable opinions formed without thought or knowledge.

And prejudice is a really negative thing, it's this idea that you will purposely view someone negatively just by preexisting ideas.

So, it is that idea about, yeah, it's being unfair, unreasonable opinions formed without thought or knowledge means you are being prejudice.

And we see this a lot in "Small Island", how our characters are treated by others with prejudice.

And then, this idea of euphemism.

Now, euphemism is the use of a word or phrase to avoid saying an offensive word or phrase.

So, it's a little bit confusing.

But yeah, a euphemism is a way not to say something offensive.

It's the way that you say something to conceal what it is you're actually saying.

So, keep your eye out for those words in the lesson as we go through.

The outline of our lesson A Broken Promise looks like this.

We're going to start by looking at and reading Act 2, Scene 1, and then we're going to explore this idea of broken promises, so where we see broken promises happening in Act 2, Scene 1.

So, let's start with that reading.

Six months have passed between the end of Act 1 and Act 2.

So, if you remember those dramatic revelations at the end of Act 1, we are now six months further down the line.

And in that time we find that Gilbert is renting a single room in Queenie's house.

So, we see those interconnecting relationships there now Gilbert is in Queenie's house.

We know that he works late sorting mail for the post office, and he oversleeps and misses Hortense's arrival.

So, it's a very different situation to what he dreamed of in Act 1.

We know that Queenie is pregnant and she's renting rooms to cover her rent.

Hortense has just arrived in London and Bernard is still missing.

Okay, so we're going to read together the stage directions at the start of Act 2.

Now, these are so beautifully descriptive and they really give us a different atmosphere compared to Act 1.

So, as we read these stage directions, really think about what atmosphere is created and how it is so different to Act 1.

So, let's read together.

"A grey, starkly realistic world.

A small room at the top of Queenie's House in Earl's Court.

A single bed, a small table, and two chairs, one of which has a broken leg and rests on an old book.

There is a gas fire and an armchair.

A suit hangs on a hanger on the back of the door.

In one corner there is a gas ring, a sink, and a kettle.

A very small window looks out onto the rooftops.

It is a late afternoon in November and the sky is already growing dim." So, I'd like you to discuss what do these descriptions suggest about the surroundings? Pause the video so you've got time to reread the descriptions and answer that question.

Off you go.

Great, some excellent discussions happening there.

And some of you are really starting to pick out those key words that give us the clues about what is happening.

They really are beautiful stage directions, aren't they? Like, they don't just help you imagine the atmosphere and setting, but they really help you imagine what this would look like on stage, so Edmundson's done a fantastic job here.

So, let's just look at these keywords.

So, we've got these words grey and dim, and quite rightly lots of you said this feels really depressing, it feels really dismal, and I guess perhaps it presents this idea of a loss of hope.

If you think of Act 1, there was all this sense of hope, and ambition, and aspiration.

And here we are faced with this grey, dim, bleak atmosphere.

And there's this really interesting phrase here of this starkly realistic world, and this suggests that the characters in Act 2 may be facing a harsh reality or truth, that their expectations have not been met by the reality.

There's a real disparity between their hopes and what they actually live in England, so it's a really interesting description.

And then, we get these descriptions here of Gilbert's room, so these lists of things.

So, again, pause the video and discuss what do these descriptions suggest about Gilbert's room? Pause a video and discuss your answers now.

Excellent.

Right, let's just go through this list.

So, there's a real sense that this room feels really (stutters) dilapidated, it's hard word that, dilapidated and claustrophobic.

So, this list of things, it's very small, it's very cramped, things are broken.

It doesn't really.

It's the opposite of luxurious and opulent, isn't it? It's really cramped and claustrophobic, and it's this idea that Gilbert's world has become really small.

So, in Act 1, he was off on a ship, the world was his oyster, it felt really big and ambitious.

And his room now almost represents that world becoming even smaller.

And yeah, this absolutely contrasts a feeling of ambition and hope in Act 1.

And it's perhaps this description really mirrors the broken promises and dreams of the Mother Country.

So, like Gilbert's room, his broken table and the broken chairs, you know, we have these broken promises that of the Mother Country and these broken promises of all the dreams that he thought he was going to fulfil by migrating to England.

Now, true or false time.

Gilbert is renting a room in Queenie's house, true or false? Yeah, absolutely, he is renting a room in Queenie's house.

Now, A or B to justify your answer? Yep, well done.

It is described as a small room at the top of Queenie's house.

So, now it's over to you to do some reading on your own.

So, you'll need to grab those copies of "Small Island" and turn to Act 2, Scene 1.

And I'd like you to read that scene, and I'd also like you to answer the following questions as you do.

They'll just help to really deepen your understanding.

So, let's read the questions together.

Number one, what do the stage direction suggest about where Gilbert is living? So, we've done some of this together already, but there are some more stage directions that reveal even more.

How does the description of Hortense contrast her surroundings? What does it suggest about her feeling towards coming to England? How do we know Hortense is unimpressed with her new life? What did the bed and the chair reveal about Gilbert and Hortense? Number five, "There are children," this is a quote from the scene, and this is a euphemism.

So, this idea that euphemism, you are not saying what you really mean, you're using a euphemism to conceal what it is you actually want to say.

So, I want you to think about what do they really mean? So, in the context of there are children when you come to this part in Scene 1, what do these people really mean? And why doesn't Gilbert tell Hortense about the reality of life in England? So, you may want to think back to those key words at the start of the lesson to help you answer number six.

Okay, so you'll need to pause the video so you've got plenty of time to read this scene, and I look forward to sharing those answers with you.

Okay, pause video now, and off you go.

Well done, everyone.

Yes, it is a really bleak start to Act 2, isn't it? When we think about the drama, the revelations, the hope of Act 1, and then Act 2, Scene 1, it really just feels so bleak, doesn't it? So, with that in mind, let's answer this question one, what do the stage directions suggest about where Gilbert is living? So, there's this quote here, "We hear a rat running over the roof of the room." So, leading on from those initial descriptions, we now have this description of rats described in the stage directions.

And this, again, emphasises Gilbert's poor and dilapidated living conditions.

And I also think a rat is a really interesting symbol 'cause it could also refer to how Gilbert is now part of the rat race of the city.

This kind of faceless, endless idea of this, of city life.

And number two, how does the description of Hortense contrast her surroundings? And what does it suggest about her feelings? So, Hortense is described as pristine and wearing white, which has really strong connotations, and it is a real stark contrast to Gilbert's dim and grey room.

And this perhaps suggests that as a newcomer, perhaps she still has a bit of optimism left in her.

And she's also wearing her wedding outfit, so this really emphasises how importantly she views migrating to England.

So, there's a really clever use of description here in using Hortense's appearance to contrast Gilbert's grey and dim room.

And then, how do we know that Hortense is unimpressed? Well, it's not very well hidden, is it? I mean, Edmundson describes that she's disorientated, she's shocked, and inwardly afraid, so some really strong emotions from Hortense.

And she's also described as staring in shocked silence.

So, it really reveals Hortense's deep disappointment at realisation that the expectations of her new life do not match the reality.

And I think in reading this part, you really get the sense of how Hortense must be feeling.

You know, that she's afraid, she's completely bewildered, that everything she thought she was going to is the complete opposite.

It's a real stark difference to her expectations.

I feel terribly sorry for Hortense at this moment.

And then, what did the bed and the chair reveal about Gilbert and Hortense? Well, Hortense says, "At least you'll have a chair to sleep on," so is suggesting that Gilbert sleeps on a chair, which does not sound comfortable at all.

But what this does do is it reminds us, the audience, that their marriage is one of convenience rather than being based on feelings and emotion.

So, Gilbert actually assumes that they will share a bed, but Hortense is quick to remind him that their marriage is almost like a business transaction.

Okay, so let's look at question five.

So, we get this phrase, "There are children," and this happens when Gilbert is explaining to Hortense what happens when he knocks on doors to ask about rooms for rent.

And it is a euphemism, so people are saying this because they don't want to say what they really want to say, which is this prejudice attitude towards Gilbert.

They don't want to reveal that, so they use these euphemisms because what they're actually suggesting is that Gilbert's race makes him a threat or a danger to their children, which is just really despicable when we think about it.

And this also highlights the continual racism that Gilbert endures daily, so it's a really telling of evidence about Gilbert's experience.

So, why doesn't Gilbert tell Hortense about the reality of life in England? Now, many of you picked up on this key word here, his pride.

Now, perhaps he doesn't warn Hortense about life in London because maybe he feels a sense of shame or embarrassment.

You know, he doesn't want to let Hortense know that all of these things that he said were going to happen haven't happened.

And this sense of pride really emerges, Gilbert doesn't want to kind of admit what is happening.

And as we see amongst some of the other characters, pride emerges as an important value amongst the migrant population.

Okay, we are onto the second part of our lesson and we're going to look at this theme of broken promises.

Okay, time for you to do some thinking yourselves.

So, this lesson is called Broken Promises, so what might this be referring to? So, think about what we have read so far in Act 2, Scene 1.

So, you're going to need to pause a video so you've got time to discuss your ideas, or you may just wish to think about your answer quietly to yourself.

Now, pause the video and discuss your ideas.

Off you go.

Well done, some really impressive, thoughtful ideas coming through there.

It was really lovely to hear.

Now, we have actually got some volunteers who are our pupils who are going to share their answers with us, so let's look at those answers now.

So, thank you Sam.

So, Sam has said here that, "Hortense says she feels like a fool when Gilbert breaks his promise to meet her at the dock." So, I think lots of you picked up on this broken promise.

But yeah, Sam quite rightly says that, "However, I feel like this speaks to much bigger things!" Yeah, although we get this broken promise with Gilbert not meeting Hortense, there are definitely some bigger broken promises happening there.

And Jacob here has quite rightly says, "Yeah, you are right Sam.

This could also refer to the promises of the Mother Country.

Both Gilbert and Hortense feel bitterly disappointed, but their pride means they do not want to show this." So, again, it could be argued that this, you know, the ideology of the Mother Country is a broken promise because all of these things that the Mother Country was supposed to stand for just don't exist.

And here, "I agree, Jacob." Thank you, Sophia.

So, Sophia agrees, "And despite the promise of a collective cultural identity, Edmundson shows the link between class and race, and this idea that migrants automatically fell to the bottom of the social hierarchy." That's a really great idea, Sophia.

So, yes, all of these promises that were made have actually been broken.

And when we think back to Levy's original purpose, she talks about her own family as first-generation migrants and their own experiences of these broken promises, so it's very much a present theme in "Small Island".

So, true or false time.

Despite being left at the dock, Hortense feels optimistic about her new life in London, true or false? Yeah, very much so, that's false.

Now, pick A or B to justify your answer now.

Yeah, absolutely.

So, when Hortense says she feels like a fool, this could also refer to her expectations of Gilbert's living situation.

I think she feels so deeply disappointed that she feels foolish when she sees the reality of the situation, like she always feels like she's been tricked in this migration to London, not just by Gilbert, but by the bigger ideas of the Mother Country and colonial ideologies.

Ah, Izzy says here, "In Act 2, Scene 1, Edmundson presents the deep betrayal and that Hortense and Gilbert feel." Now, what I would like you to do is to discuss what evidence can you find that agrees with Izzy's statement, so this idea around betrayal.

So, you may want to go back to your texts to pick up the evidence and discuss those ideas.

So, what evidence can you find that agrees with Izzy's statement? Pause the video now.

Wow, there was some very busy reading of texts there to find that evidence, so well done.

Let's share some of that evidence that agrees with this statement around deep betrayal.

So, yeah, we've come back to this idea about Hortense feeling like a fool.

And she says this when Gilbert doesn't meet her, but this could also refer to the betrayal she feels that the reality of her new situation, it is not what Gilbert or the Mother Country promised.

So, you can see how this idea of broken promises really links to this sense of betrayal.

And this deep betrayal is emphasised when Hortense repeats, "Live like an animal." So, she says this, I think it's two times in Act 2, Scene 1, which suggests she almost feels dehumanised, not only in the living conditions, but also this the society she has joined.

There's this idea that she doesn't feel like a valid human being in where she is and the society that she has joined.

It's a really powerful thing for Hortense to say.

And Gilbert's reaction is to get defensive and angry, and this really reveals how he too feels betrayed by the promises of migration, probably even more so in the fact that he is living in it and he has been for six months and he shouts to Hortense to, "Write your mummy to tell her how the Mother Country is so fine." And this reveals his own disappointment and realisation that the promises of the Mother Country will never be realised.

That despite his military service, he will not be granted additional status.

And again, there's this idea that they will write home to their families and say how great that everything is because of this sense of pride, they don't want to reveal that they feel betrayed or reveal the reality of these broken promises.

They would rather write home and say how wonderful the Mother Country is.

But this also might be bound up in ideas of patriotism too and this feeling of being connected to the Mother Country.

So, complete this quote, Hortense says, "You make me come here to live like (pauses)." An animal, that's right.

And she says this, I think it's twice in Act 2, Scene 1, showing its importance.

We have reached the second practise tasks, so well done, everyone, some really good work.

But we need to keep going because we're going to answer this question.

In what ways have the situation and characters changed between Act 1 and Act 2? So, there is a grid here that's going to help you answer the question.

I would like you to complete this grid with evidence from Act 2, Scene 1.

So, you will see we're focusing on setting an atmosphere, Hortense, and Gilbert.

And what I would like you to do is in that first column, I'd like you to find some quotes from Act 2 that relate to those things.

And then, I would like you to also offer a comparison to Act 1.

So, get those copies of the text ready and your pens or laptops or the way you work ready and pause the video to complete the task now.

Well done, there were some really excellent quotes coming through there, actually some quotes that even I hadn't considered, so that's some really great independent finding of evidence there, well done.

So, Lucas has very kindly offered us his completed grid, so let's see what he has written.

So, he has found some excellent quotes.

So, for setting an atmosphere, we've got this, "Grey, starkly realistic world," which is, yeah, a really key quote from Act 2, Scene 1.

Hortense's quote, "You make me come here to live like an animal." And Gilbert, "You should see the numbers of doors I knock on, the faces that cloud at the sight of me." A really powerful piece of dialogue from Gilbert there.

So, Lucas has found some excellent quotes.

Now, he's been given some feedback, so let's look at his comparisons.

So, the feedback is he needs to link to the wider themes and be more specific in his comparisons.

So, let's see what he said.

So, he says, "This is different to Act 1 because it's not nice and Hortense feels angry at Gilbert, which is different to Act 1, and this is different to Gilbert's expectations." So, what I would like you to do now, please, is I would like you to look at these comments, thinking about that feedback and decide how could you improve his comments to make them even better? So, pause the video.

You may want to discuss these ideas or just think quietly to yourself.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

So, let's compare our improvements.

So, for this first comparison, so here you can see it's become much more specific and linked to the theme.

So, this dismal atmosphere is a contrast to the hope and ambition of Act 1.

So, you can see how that's much more specific in comparison and also links to those wider themes.

Let's look at this second one.

So, Hortense feels angry at Gilbert which is different to Act 1 becomes Hortense's anger reflects the stark reality of her situation compared to the expectations and promises of the Mother Country in Act 1.

So, again, there's that specific evidence of the Mother Country and the link to themes in terms of expectations.

And then, finally, this is different to Gilbert's expectations becomes in Act 1, Gilbert believes the promise of a collective cultural identity in the Mother Country.

This is shattered.

That's a great word, isn't it? Shattered in Act 2 when he encounters racism and prejudice.

So, again, we can see it's much more specific, it's linking to that evidence and it's linking to those wider themes.

So, it's just a much more detailed comparison to what Lucas had before.

We have reached the end of the lesson, and thank you so much for your insightful and perceptive comments on the start of Act 2, Scene 1, which really is a contrast to that optimism of Act 1 and the drama too.

Let's just remind ourselves of everything we have looked at.

So, there is a stark contrast between Act 1 and the start of Act 2, which represents the realisation that the expectations of the Mother Country do not match the reality.

Edmundson shows the link between class and race, migrants automatically fell to the bottom of the social hierarchy.

Hope and betrayal remain important themes as the couple do not achieve their middle class ambitions.

Pride emerges as an important value amongst the migrant population.

Gilbert does not warn Hortense about life in London.

And then, finally, neither Hortense's pale skin nor Gilbert's time in the military gain them additional status.

So, again, thank you.

I've really enjoyed our lesson today, and I really hope to see you again soon in another lesson.

So, I will see you then.

Goodbye.