Hello and welcome to the lesson.

I'm Mrs. Butterworth, and I will be guiding you through the learning.

And today we are going to be looking at act one, scene two.

And as we read through that, we are introduced to two new characters.

So these are Queenie and Bernard, and we're gonna be thinking a lot about their relationship.

So should we get started? So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explore the relationship between Bernard and Queenie.

So before we start our lesson, there are a few key words that we need to just go through to help with our understanding of the lesson.

So these words are characterization, caricature, humorous, motif, and stoicism.

In a moment, the definitions will come on the screen.

I suggest you pause the video so you've got plenty of time to read these.

So here come the definitions.

So, the outline of our lesson looks like this.

So it's titled "A Marriage of Convenience." And the first part will be about reading act one, scene two.

And as I said, we'll be introduced to some new characters.

And in our second part of the lesson, we'll be exploring those characters, Bernard and Queenie.

So let's begin with our reading act one, scene two.

So like act one, scene one, scene two begins with some interesting descriptive stage directions.

So let's read them together first.

"Winter, 1941.

Pathe-style news footage of 'The Blitz Spirit'- proud Londoners staying cheerful and helping each other out in the face of Hitler's devastating bombing raids." So what I would like you to do is to discuss and make some predictions about the text and what's going to happen in scene two.

Use the following questions to help you.

So let's just look at these questions together.

So look at this date.

Why is this date significant? And how is it different to act one, scene one? What is the Blitz Spirit? You may not know, but try and use the text to make some intelligent speculations.

Where is the play now set? How does this compare to act one, scene one? What about the atmosphere? And finally, Edmundson uses the Pathe-style news footage as a motif throughout the play.

Why do you think she does this? So, you're going to need to pause the video so you can make those predictions using those stage directions.

Off you go.

Well done, everyone.

I really liked how some of you were a bit unsure, and you know, didn't know what things like the Blitz Spirit were, but you were using the text to make those really good speculations, to make those predictions based on evidence.

So that was fantastic to see.

So let's just share our answers together.

So, we get this Winter 1941.

So we know that World War II is now significantly underway.

And this date would also signify that it is during and after the Blitz, where many cities were bombed.

So it's very different to act one, scene one.

Now the Blitz Spirit describes the stoicism and determination many showed, and were encouraged to show, in the face of the air raids.

So we get this kind of stoic, determined attitude, that's associated with people in World War II, that kind of just keep going, you know, carry on kind of attitude, despite these horrendous bombings that were happening.

And the play is now set in London.

So what you'll start to notice as you read through the text is the setting of the play changes.

It starts in Jamaica, now we're in London, and as the scenes go on, it changes to where it goes.

And we know that in scene one there was that really dramatic hurricane, and now scene two is almost like the aftermath of this dramatic event.

And there's almost a slightly more positive atmosphere, but there's a definite sense of, you know, "this comes after the hurricane" or even after this kind of blitz, this blitz happening.

And then there's Pathe-style news footage.

Now I find this motif really interesting.

So in the play, not only do these images give the audience a sense of time, so when you see them, you'll realise just how specific they are to the time period.

So not only do we get that sense of time and when the play is set, but it also, this motif connects the different characters and settings.

So even though we meet, you know, Hortense and Michael and the other characters in Jamaica in scene one, and our different characters in scene two, this motif kind of connects these characters together.

And the atmosphere connects the two scenes.

So we have scene one, begins in a dramatic hurricane, and then this almost mirrors what's happening with the Blitz, and scene two presenting that aftermath and the devastation that happens with both of these events.

So true or false time.

Scene two is set in 1941, and this marks the aftermath of the Blitz.

True or false? Yes, that's true.

Now let's justify your answer.

Yeah, well done to everyone that noticed that the Blitz Spirit is all about that determination shown by many in the face of the air raids.

It may sound like a song, but it's definitely not what it's referring to in this case.

It's about that stoicism and the brave face that many people put on in World War II.

So in scene two, we meet the character of Queenie.

She says this, Queenie to audience.

"How did I end up here? It's not what I imagined for myself, but then again, I don't come from a place where you do much imagining." So what is the effect of this direct address? And how is this similar to our introduction to Hortense in scene one? And then, I'm just going to think about what this tells us about Queenie's childhood, and how does it compare to Hortense's? So it's interesting, isn't it, that Edmundson is using this direct address again, exactly like we saw in act one, scene one, and this begins to create a rapport with the audience.

And this is the same as when we meet Hortense.

And if we think about the wider themes of the text, there is this sense that both are claiming their own stories and historical narratives.

It's not up to other characters to tell their stories, they are directly telling the audience.

And very often, World War II narratives are often from a male perspective, and Edmundson uses this device again, to connect those characters over time periods and settings.

So there's a sense that, even though these characters may have never met, there is something that connects them, something that binds them together.

And then let's think about their different childhoods.

Well actually, there's some similarities here, because it suggests, there's this hint, isn't there, that they had difficult childhoods, and there's this sense of unfulfillment.

You know, Queenie says, "I don't do much imagining here." This idea that, you know, she's stuck in this life.

You don't dream.

And although they have very different lives, what the characterization does is it draws comparisons.

So again, it's really interesting that, although these characters are from different places, they have different life experiences, and they've never met, there is something that connects them, something that binds them together.

And Edmundson is really clever at doing this.

Okay, true or false time again.

"Queenie is the first character in Small Island to use direct address." True or false? Correct.

That's right.

It is definitely false.

So now justify your answer.

Yeah, well done.

It is both Hortense and Queenie are the characters that use direct address, and like we've been saying, Edmundson does this to connect the characters over multiple settings and time periods.

Right, let's carry on.

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

So you are going to read act one, scene two.

Now as you read, I would like you to answer the following questions that will help you to get a better understanding of our characters and what's happening.

So let's just read the questions together first.

So what do we learn about where Queenie grew up? What is the effect of the flashback? How is this similar to act one, scene one? Where does Queenie go to live, and what is it like? What reason does Queenie give for agreeing to marry Bernard? What is revealed when the house is being bombed? What does Bernard sign up for? And why do you think he does this? And who enters the house at the end of scene two? And why is this significant? So, grab those copies of Small Island in order for you to complete the reading, and we'll share our answers to these questions in a moment.

So pause the video so you can get this done.

Great reading, everyone! There's some really funny moments in that scene, aren't there? Especially the awkwardness between Queenie and Bernard.

It's almost like, quite cringey, but also very humorous as well.

So let's go through those questions together.

So what do we learn about where Queenie grew up? So we find out that she grew up on a farm as a butcher's daughter, and she had, she describes herself as this maid of all drudgery, which I think is a really excellent description.

And what she describes is a really hard, quite gruelling, working class upbringing.

And then we get this flashback.

So how is this similar to act one, scene one? So you remember that Hortense also has a flashback to tell her story, and it's the same with Queenie.

So Edmundson again, is using this flashback, to allow our characters to tell their stories.

So where does Queenie go to live, and what is it like? So Queenie goes to live with her Aunt Dorothy in the hopes of a better life.

And it really is such a stark contrast to her life on the farm.

We see her shopping on Oxford Street and eating cake, and she describes having this beautiful room of her own, and it almost like, pops with colour, and it seems much more luxurious, and it is such a difference to her upbringing on the farm.

And then, what reason does Queenie give for agreeing to marry Bernard? So she says, and again, this is quite funny, that it was a tragedy that brought things to a head.

So it's kind of very matter of fact about this engagement.

And it suggests that the engagement is more of a necessity, and that the death of her aunt finalised the agreement.

There isn't a sense that there's this kind of big romantic gesture.

It's kind of like, "Well, okay, let's do this." And then later on, when Bernard and Queenie are married and in the house, there's this, the house is being bombed, and a lot is revealed.

And we know that Bernard is absolutely terrified and brought to tears, and in the panic of everything, he actually tells Queenie he loves her.

And this is the first time this has ever been said.

And not only does this reflect the heightened emotion of the situation, but suggests that the marriage isn't just one of convenience for Bernard.

And then, what does Bernard sign up for and why? So this is really interesting.

So Bernard signs up for the RAF, and earlier in the scene, we see Queenie say this thing.

She sort of just blurts out, "There's thousands of people out there having much more of a war than you are." And she says it to hurt Bernard, and reveal the fact he's not participating in the war.

And at this time, there was a lot happening with pressure to enlist, and pressure for people to feel, like patriotic, by signing up to fight in the war.

So it was, this is quite a low blow from Queenie.

And this could be his motivation for signing up, and also his emotional reaction to the bombing.

There's this sense that he wants to prove himself.

And then who enters the house at the end of scene two, and why is this significant? It's Michael, believe it or not, and this is so significant, 'cause obviously we know that he is Hortense's cousin.

And again, we start to see these timelines and stories beginning to collide and become connected.

Okay, we're onto the second part of our lesson, and this part we're going to be exploring the relationship between Bernard and Queenie.

So let's look at the stage directions from the beginning of scene two.

So it describes, on the stage, this old fashioned, dowdy living room, of a large house in Earl's court.

What I would like you to do is discuss, how might Edmundson be using the house to reflect Bernard's characterization? Pause the video, so you've got time to discuss, or you may just want to think about your ideas to this question.

Off you go.

Well done.

I really like how lots of you really started to pick up on the characterization of Bernard, the sort of person he's like, the sort of person he is, the way he's described, and how this is reflected in this stage direction.

So yeah, lots of you picked up on this word, "old-fashioned", and this really reflects Bernard's attitudes and values.

He's very reluctant to change, and wary of anyone that is different to him.

And we see in their courtship that he has this very kind of old-fashioned attitude to dating, if you like, Queenie.

And he asked Queenie, you know, about these different people, "are they our sort of people?" So you can see these kind of old-fashioned attitudes and values.

And then we get this description of a dowdy living room.

And this really reflects almost the physical description of Bernard.

You know, his kind of drabness, in contrast to Queenie's warmth and vivaciousness.

They're two quite contrasting characters, and Bernard even admits to Queenie that he is perhaps not as lively as you'd like, and he's really presented as being overly formal and traditional, not just in the way he thinks, but also in the way he's presented, his physical description.

You know, this dowdiness.

Okay, so quick question for you.

Which adjective is used to describe Bernard's living room? Yeah, it's that great word, isn't it? Dowdy, that dowdy living room.

So as I said previously, in this scene, Edmundson uses a lot of humour.

So in a moment, I'm going to ask you to discuss how this humour develops a characterization of Bernard and Queenie, and what this tells us about the relationship.

But before you go off and do that, I just want to give you some quotes to work with.

So the first one is from Queenie.

"He's so furious that the vein in his temple that annoys me when he eats is pumping away like it's got a heart of its own." Second quote, "Rather inclement for the time of year." And then Queenie, "They say silence is golden, but this one was in danger of being burnt to a crisp." And then we get those stage directions where Bernard finally kisses Queenie, and he gives her a pecky sort of kiss.

Okay, so it's over to you to discuss, how does this develop the characterization of Bernard and Queenie, and what does it tell us about their relationship? Pause the video to give yourself time to discuss your ideas, or you may just want to think quietly on your own.

Off you go.

Great.

Okay, let's just share some of our ideas around those quotes.

So we get this first quote, where Queenie's really exaggerating the physical appearance of Bernard, and she's really using this exaggerated image to kind of mock it.

So we know that in this scene, Bernard's kind of huffing and puffing at Queenie's, what Queenie's up to, who she's hanging around with.

And it really is quite ridiculous.

But interestingly, this does sort of suggest a closeness and affection in their marriage.

So even though she is mocking him, there is this sense that she can get away with it because they are quite close.

But most importantly, it makes Bernard's anger seem ridiculous, which it really is.

So we get this image of this vein about to pop because he's just so angry about nothing in particular.

And then we get this quote where he says, "Rather inclement for the time of year," and I think this is really interesting.

So this is the first time he talks to Queenie, and he decides to talk about the weather.

So it's really kind of connected to this idea of, you know, a British, Britishness, you know, that the British only talk about the weather, and he's got this word "inclement." So even his choice of vocabulary is very stiff and very formal.

And his mannerisms and use of language creates a caricature of an English gentleman.

You know, very stuttery, very formal, very reserved.

And this is also emphasised in Dot's descriptions, and how she continually refers to him as a proper gentleman.

And that pecky sort of kiss.

So I find this really humorous, because of this, this description really exaggerates his formality and awkwardness.

He just, you know, gives Queenie a little peck.

And then Queenie's description of their silence.

So again, I find this really funny, this use of humour, because it exaggerates the awkwardness of their interactions.

It's really cringe-inducing, because it's all as a result of Bernard's gentlemanly repression.

We get this moment in the cinema where Queenie's looking around at all these passionate couples, and she just feels incredibly awkward around Bernard.

So it's a really funny way to present their relationship.

True or false time.

Bernard is a caricature of a repressed English gentleman.

Quite right, yep.

That's true.

Now justify your answer.

Yeah, great.

So Edmundson's humorous characterization really emphasises Bernard's formality and awkwardness.

Okay, so we have reached our second and final practise task.

So I have a statement here.

"Bernard and Queenie's marriage is simply one of convenience." What I would like you to do is I would like you to discuss how far you agree or disagree with this statement.

And then I would like you to use the discussion grid to formalise your ideas and develop your discussion by using specific examples from the play.

So the discussion grid looks like this.

So we've got these words here, more specifically, more precisely.

It's as if, or in particular, and this is how you can use that.

So I really want us to develop those ideas.

So Queenie agrees to marry Bernard as she sees it as a way to a better life.

More specifically, she uses her engagement to Bernard to ensure she does not have to return to the farm.

Her abrupt announcement of an engagement suggests that the marriage is one of convenience.

So you can see how I've used that phrase to develop my answer and use evidence to agree with that statement about their marriage being one of convenience.

Okay, so it's time to pause the video to discuss how far you agree or disagree with the statement.

You may choose to write down your answers instead.

Pause the video and complete the task.

Well done, everyone.

There were some really lively discussions happening there, and some agreements, disagreements, to that statement.

I would just like us to really think about how we can evaluate our own discussion and develop our discussions further.

So what we have here is we have Jun's discussion here, and what I want us to think about is what he does well and what could be improved.

So let's read the discussion.

"I disagree.

Queenie and Bernard's marriage may initially be one of convenience, but there are moments in scene two where this could be challenged." So what has he done well, and what could be improved? Now, Jun's discussion is actually, the start is very good.

He initiates with reference to the question.

So he says, "I disagree," and he uses that word, "convenience", from the question.

So he starts off really well, but what would be even better is if he used the phrases from the discussion grid to offer a specific example.

So to develop that, to offer a specific example from the text, to develop that discussion.

So maybe just think now, can you improve Jun's discussion? Great.

So let's look at how he could have improved that.

So he's used the phrase from the discussion grid now.

"In particular, Queenie's use of humour in description of Bernard's vein suggests a closeness and affection.

Bernard also admits to loving Queenie when the bombings are happening.

There is definitely love there." So you can see how Jun has used that advice and really developed that response using the discussion grid.

So it's definitely something to think about going forward in your own discussions.

Okay, well done everyone.

We have reached the end of the lesson.

Let's just remind ourselves of everything we have learned.

So we know that both Queenie and Hortense tell their story by directly addressing the audience.

We know that class is a key dimension here.

So Bernard offers Queenie the hope of a middle class life.

So Bernard is a caricature of a repressed English gentleman, who is fearful of all that is unfamiliar.

The setting of Bernard's cold, closed off Edwardian house, mirrors his personality and his offer opposite to Queenie's warmth.

And the playwright, or Edmundson, uses humour to show the lack of passion between the couple.

Thank you so much for your hard work today.

I look forward to seeing you again in another lesson.

So, see you then! Bye bye!.