Hello and welcome to the lesson.

Thank you for joining me.

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

Now, today's lesson is all about the end of "Small Island." So we are going to be finishing the play, the reading of the play, which I have to warn you, always makes me incredibly emotional.

It is such a poignant and affecting last scene.

So I cannot wait to read it with you all.

Okay, so shall we get started? So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explain the events of act two, scenes nine to 11 and evaluate the ending.

So let's look at those key words that are gonna help us through the lesson today.

These words are futility, nuanced, cyclical, and resolution.

Now, the words futility means that something feels pointless or lacking any worth.

So you may describe something as futile, so something that might never happen or just something that just, yeah, feels pointless and we get this lovely word nuanced.

Now, nuance means having subtle differences or distinctions that add depth or complexity to something.

So when I think of the word nuance or nuanced, I think of things like looking at the different shades of something.

So instead of just looking at something in black and white, you kind of have those different shades and nuance is all about that, those shades, those subtle differences, the depth, that add depth and complexity.

Then we have this word cyclical.

Now in, when we're looking at literature, very often cyclical is linked to the word structure and a cyclical structure is where the events at the end of a text mirror the start, so cyclical, you can almost link it to that idea of a circle and that's how I like to think of it.

So a cyclical structure is almost like a circle and then we get this word resolution.

So in terms of stories or texts, we think of a resolution is is kind of like the conclusion at the end of the text.

So more specifically, an ending that feels definite and finished or you might say that the resolution feels inconclusive or undecisive.

So our lesson today looks like this.

We're going to begin by reading act two, scenes nine to 11.

So we're going to read to the end of "Small Island," and then we're gonna think about evaluating the ending.

So let's start by reading act two, scenes nine to 11.

So before we grab our copies of "Small Island" and delve into our reading, I want us just to do a little bit of pre-reading.

So in scene 10, Edmundson uses this declarative sentence.

So Hortense says, "This is not what I was expecting in England." So why is this significant? And what were Gilbert and Hortense expecting? So really think about the significance that Hortense in scene 10, it's nearly the end of the play, she's saying, this is not what I was expecting in England.

So what were Gilbert and Hortense expecting? So you're gonna need to pause a video to give yourself plenty of time to discuss this, or you may just wish to sit quietly on your own and think about your answers.

I look forward to sharing with you in a moment.

Pause the video now.

Excellent.

There's some really excellent use of recall happening there.

So lots of you finding specific examples from what you have already read, which is fantastic.

So let's just share some of those now.

So Hortense, if we remember, she says that "England is my golden life," and this is very telling in terms of what Hortense was expecting.

You know, she uses this word golden and if we think about Golden, it has these connotations of like wealth, luxury, success.

So Hortense had these really big expectations for her new life in England and Gilbert, "England is where the future lies." Again, these grand declarations, these grand statements about the expectations of England.

Hortense says, "I will be a teacher, greeted with manners and respect." So again, a real specific expectation of what she expects to find in England.

Gilbert, "There's way more opportunities in England." So Gilbert equates moving to England with this idea of opportunities.

Hortense says, "I will have a smart front door and I will ring the bell." So Hortense uses these specific features to hint at this idea of this kind of perfect middle class life that she sees happening with their move to England and then Gilbert, "It looked to all the world like a fairy castle, fairytale castle" and we get this a lot from Gilbert.

He has this really idealised version of England.

So his expectations are kind of linked to this fairytale version, if you like, of England.

So really high expectations for their move to England.

So when Hortense says, "This is not what I was expecting in England," why is this so significant? So both believed in the promises and possibilities of the mother country.

So they both had this idea, you know, they were taught this in school that the mother country was this kind of magical place full of opportunities, promise, unity, all of that.

It was their home.

So however, Edmundson shows how as migrants, they automatically fell to the bottom of the social hierarchy, so despite all of these aspirations and these expectations, the reality was very, very different and we learned that Hortense's pale skin or Gilbert's time in the military do not gain them additional status.

So if you remember way, way back at the start of the play, Hortense believed that because she had pale skin, she would have, be respected in England and actually what they encounter is a hostile and racist society.

You know, Gilbert has even fought in the British army in World War II, and this still doesn't afford him any extra status and both have this really idealistic view of Britain and this idea of a middle class life.

However, know that post World War II, Britain was really bomb damaged.

It was going through economic regeneration.

So for lots of migrants, what they found when they came to England, to London and other cities wasn't quite what they were expecting.

So when Hortense says, "This is not what I was expecting in England," it's a really powerful statement.

It's a really powerful declaration, because it really hasn't lived up to her expectations at all.

So what I want us to think about as we read these final scenes, think about these hopes and expectations and how they have changed.

Okay, true or false time.

In scene 10, Hortense declares, "This is not what I was expecting in England." Is this true or false? Excellent.

Yeah, this is true.

So justify your answer, picking A or B and off you go.

Excellent, yes, Edmundson uses this declarative sentence to show Hortense's realisation that her expectations have not been met.

Let's keep going.

So I'd like you to make sure you have all grabbed your copies of "Small Island," and I'm going to get you to read act two, scenes nine to 11.

Now as you read, I would like you to answer the following questions.

So number one, why does Hortense's flinch with surprise when she hears the baby's name? What does Queenie ask? If she loves the baby, why does she ask this? Queenie says, "They'll send him up the back in the picture hall." What is she worried about? What experience is she referring to? Why does Gilbert tell, what, sorry, what does Gilbert tell Bernard and why is this speech so important? And how does Hortense and Gilbert's relationship change? So pause the video, I look forward to seeing your reactions and hearing your responses to the ending of "Small Island." As I said, it really gets me every single time I read it.

So looking forward to sharing that with you.

Okay, pause the video to read those scenes and to complete the questions, off you go.

Excellent reading everyone.

What did I say? How powerful is that ending? I love the way Edmundson uses that symbol of the baby floating in the water.

It is just so poignant and hopeful and sad, but also happy as well.

It's just such an incredible way to end the play and as I said, it always makes me emotional because it is just, it's just fantastic, isn't it? So let's get back to these questions.

So let's go through the answers to those questions.

So why does Hortense's flinch with surprised when she hears the baby's name? So she's instantly reminded of her cousin Michael, which is interesting, isn't it? Because that is dramatic irony because we, as the audience, we know that Queenie has actually named the baby after the person that Hortense is thinking about, but the characters aren't aware of this coincidence.

So when Hortense flinches, she's reminded of her cousin, and actually there is that connection between those characters.

What does Queenie ask? And if she loves the baby, why does she ask this? So Queenie actually asks Gilbert and Hortense to adopt the baby.

She realises that he will face significant prejudice and discrimination in the predominantly white society of post World War II, England.

It must be such a difficult decision for Queenie to come to in that instance and I think Edmundson is really clever at showing that emotion involved.

She understands that she cannot provide him with the acceptance and opportunities he deserves due to societal racism.

Queenie believes that he will, but have a better chance with the supportive and understanding community and I think that decision really highlights and shines a light on the racism and problems with discrimination at times in the society.

So it's a really poignant moment when Queenie asks Gilbert and Hortense to do this, And then Queenie says, "They'll send him up the back in the picture hall." So what is she worried about and what experience is she referring to? So quite rightly, people started referring to the cinema.

So well done everyone who remembered that, because she is thinking about that incident with Gilbert and there's, she's clearly traumatised by that because not only was it, you know, the death of Arthur, but she witnessed some horrific violent racism and she saw how Gilbert was treated and she does not want her son to endure the same.

So you can understand how that moment in act one has really stayed quite deeply with Queenie and what she witnessed.

What does Gilbert tell Bernard and why is this speech so important? So Gilbert's speech serves as a powerful rebuke to Bernard's racism and a rallying cry for justice, equality, and understanding in a society grappling with issues of race and identity.

Every time I read that speech, I want to applaud Gilbert because it is so powerful what he is saying and he highlights the shared struggles and the importance of working together.

It re, you can see why Hortense looks at Gilbert with such pride in that moment, because it is articulate, it's powerful, and it's just a brilliant speech, but then we get Bernard's blunt and abrupt response.

Now, when I first read this, I almost laughed, because it is such a ridiculous response from Gilbert, that one thing of like, "I can't understand what you're saying," but when I actually thought about it, it's a lot, it's actually quite sad because it really reveals his continued ignorance.

We think that Bernard has changed with his attitude towards the baby, but actually that underlying racism and ignorance is still there.

So although it is a moment of humour, there is something really poignant there too, and it must be such an intensely frustrating moment for both the characters and the audience and how does Hortense and Gilbert's relationship change? Well, Hortense's feelings for Gilbert, they totally transform into love and pride at the end of the play.

So after he addresses Bernard for his racist outburst, we see Hortense being described that she looks at him with pride and they even share like physically affectionate moments.

So we can see how their relationship has developed and what has changed there.

Okay, so we're going to move on to the second part of the lesson, which is all about evaluating the ending.

Okay, so we're going to read Edmundson's final stage directions, because they reveal such a poignant message.

So let's read them together.

So the lights start to fade.

There is a sense of water around the basket.

The basket is floating on the water and the characters watch it from the land.

The lights fade down until there is only a spotlight on this baby, made by all of us floating onto an uncertain world.

It's so powerful, isn't it? Like even if you don't get to watch the play or you don't see that final scene, Edmundson's description is still, Edmundson stage directions are still really able to provoke an emotional and thoughtful response.

So what I would like you to do is just to read through those stage directions again and discuss what images does Edmundson use and why? And what do you think is Edmundson's final message? So pause a video so you've got time to discuss these questions or you may wish to jot some ideas down or just think quietly to yourself.

Pause the video and off you go.

Great stuff.

Some really interesting perceptive ideas there.

I love how lots of you're picking up on the symbolism and the imagery used in these final stage directions, so let's just share some of those answers.

So yes, we get this imagery here of the water.

So the fact that the baby is floating in this basket was surrounded by water and this really mirrors that initial journey of the wind rush migrants and if we think about that idea of a cyclical structure, it's almost like the baby is mirroring what happened at the start with Gilbert and Hortense and what this really represents is the hopes and expectations as the characters all embark on new journeys.

So it's almost like that process of expectation and hope is starting all over again.

It goes in a cyclical motion, and I think that's a really beautiful image to present to the audience and also the powerful image of the characters watching.

So it says here and the characters watch it from the land.

So they are all watching the baby and this is a really powerful image and it links to that idea of the histories being intertwined, that all of these characters share those historical narratives and I like this idea that they are almost now watching the future and they are all part of its collective history, which is really important when we consider Levy's original purpose for writing novel and her original idea that the Caribbean, the history of the Caribbean is just as part of British history as anything else.

So the idea that the Caribbean and British histories are intertwined and then the baby is spotlighted as the final image of hope, which is such an important symbol and what I like is that Edmundson always almost puts the responsibility on the audience, so made by all of us and it asks these sorts of questions, how will we as the audience change its future? And it reveals this reality of uncertainty.

So the idea that it is made by all of us and it's floating onto an uncertain world, so it's like that we are all collectively responsible for the future of this baby.

Okay, so complete the stage directions.

There is only a spotlight on dot, dot, dot, A, B or C.

Absolutely, it's the baby and you know, as we've talked about quite a lot, the baby is incredibly symbolic.

It's that symbol of hope, it's the symbol of an uncertain future.

It's just such a powerful image.

So pupils were given this statement, "Small Island" is all about hope.

They were asked to discuss their opinions and also refer to the text.

So here is Laura's response.

Thank you, Laura.

She says, "I think 'Small Island' is all about hope.

Edmundson's ending suggests that everything is going to be all right." Now, I guess this is somewhat true.

We know that Edmundson does explore the theme of hope.

However this statement, this argument, it lacks nuance and balance and she does not refer to the text and does Edmundson actually suggest that everything is going to be all right or is there perhaps some uncertainty? So Laura needs to consider this when she goes to develop her response.

Now, Sam responded in this way.

Sam has said, although "Small Island" is about hope, Edmundson also refers to the uncertain world and the lack of a definite resolution reflects this.

Edmundson reveals that hope must be supported by the actions of all of us.

Now you can see Sam's response is much more balanced and it uses evidence from the text to support the argument.

So it does agree with this statement that it is about hope.

However, there's another side to this hope in the uncertainty and lack of a definite resolution.

Now let's see what Sophia said.

So Sophia responded in this way, "In presenting the theme of hope, Edmundson also reveals a sense of futility and loss." So we've got that key word futility there.

"The cyclical structure and Queenie's loss are reminders that despite the initial hope of Bernard's changed behaviour, societal attitudes cannot so easily be changed.

In the end, Edmundson puts our hope in the audience." Wow, thank you Sophia.

That's a really fantastic response, because what Sophia does here, Sophia actually explores other things in relation to hope, and she evaluates, evaluates that.

So yes, Edmundson deals with a theme of hope, but she's also considering themes of futility and loss and this actually gives the argument much more nuance.

It's looking at those shades of meaning because it's simple just to think that Edmundson is saying that everything is hopeful, everything is fine, and all of that kind of stuff.

We need to think about those other themes, those other ideas that go alongside that theme of hope.

So some excellent responses there from our pupils.

Thank you.

So look at these two arguments.

Which of these pupils offer a more balanced and nuanced argument? Shall we read these together first? So Gin says, "whilst exploring the theme of hope, Edmundson also reveals the reality of uncertainty.

This is emphasised in the indefinite resolution of the ending and the baby floating." And Andeep says, "'Small Island' is all about the theme of hope, and this is presented in the expectations and dreams of the characters." So which of these pupils offers a more balanced and nuanced argument? Gin or Andeep? Off you go.

Yes, excellent.

Well done to everyone that said "Gin." You can see that there is reference to the text and it's also alongside hope.

He's also talking about this idea of uncertainty.

So Gin is looking at other ideas alongside this main theme of hope and using evidence from the text.

So it's a really balanced and nuanced argument.

Well done, well done the both of you, thank you.

Okay, we are onto our second practise task.

So in a moment I'm gonna pass over to you to do our final task.

So let's keep going.

So I want you to create your own argument in response to the statement, "Small island" is all about hope.

So what do you think with regards to this statement? So like we have just looked at, I want you to use evidence from this text and make links to other themes to create a balanced argument.

Now I'm going to give you some sentence starters and key words to help you.

So here are your sentence starters and here are the key words.

So only a little bit more to go.

So let's keep pushing on and let's get this task completed to the best of our ability.

So pause the video and off you go.

Well done, that's great.

It is so fantastic hearing you formulate your own opinions and evaluate the ending.

It's such an important skill to have.

So being able to, yeah, put your own opinions across and create an argument is just fantastic.

Well done.

So Aisha's very kindly offered her work for us to look at.

So what she's done here, is she uses the checklist to assess her work.

So let's just read her response together.

So whilst exploring the theme of hope, Edmundson also reveals the uncertainty of the future.

Edmundson hints at the futility of hope, suggesting change can only happen through action.

So absolutely she has links to other themes.

So she talks about the uncertainty of future.

She's used keywords, so we've got futility there, which is one of our keywords and it's an balanced argument, isn't it? 'Cause alongside hope, she's also talking about futility.

So she is saying, "Yes, it is about hope, but it is also about something else too." So there's that balanced argument there.

So we can see from the checklist that she has met three of the criteria.

So from this Aisha's able to give herself a what went well, and then even better if, so, she says, I have created a balanced argument linking to other themes and using keywords, and she says that to be even, it would be even better if she used evidence from the text to support my argument.

So do exactly the same.

I would like you to also use the checklist to assess your own work and give yourself a what went well and an even better if, off you go.

Excellent.

Well done everyone.

We have reached the end of the lesson, and with that, the end of "Small Island," and I will keep saying it again and again, it truly is a fantastic play and I think that ending is just fantastic.

Excellent work on Edmundson's part.

So let's just remind ourself of everything that we have done.

Queenie asks Hortense and Gilbert to adopt her baby, revealing the impact of societal attitudes, Hortense's feelings for Gilbert transform into love and pride.

Hope is essential theme.

Edmundson reveals the uncertainty of the future in the lack of resolution and cyclical structure and offering a balanced argument, an exploration of different themes, adds nuance to your evaluative responses.

So again, thank you for all of your hard work and I can't wait to see you soon in another lesson.

Goodbye.