Hello, Mrs Butterworth here, and thank you for joining me for today's lesson.

Now, this lesson is based on "Small Island," and we will be tracking the journeys of our characters.

So looking at how they change, the kind of tumultuous journeys they go on.

And we'll also be considering how Edmundson uses dramatic techniques to create tension throughout the play, because there are indeed some very tense moments throughout.

So shall we get started? So in this lesson, you will track character development across the play and consider how tension is created.

So as ever, let's look at those key words that will help us understand the lesson today.

These words, attention, adversity, tumultuous, motif, and dramatic irony.

Okay, let's look at the definitions together.

So tension is a feeling of uncertainty or anticipation.

So you may have described feeling tense, and this is very much something that playwrights want us to feel, this idea of tension, that something is going to happen.

We then get this word adversity.

So adversity is to face difficulties, challenges, or hardship in life.

You may have heard people use adverse to describe things.

So he drove through adverse conditions.

And this links to the word adversity and this idea of challenge, difficulty.

We also get this word tumultuous, which is a lovely word, and this is a situation or feeling of confusion, disorder, and chaos.

So if we think about the journeys of our characters in "Small Island," they have these big emotional journeys.

There's lots of ups and downs, there's lots of confusion and chaos, and we could describe their journeys as being tumultuous.

We then get this idea of a motif, and this is an technical terminology here.

So this is a reoccurring theme, image or idea that contributes to the overall meaning of a text.

So in this lesson, we will look at how Edmundson uses a motif in her setting to create setting and link to the wider themes.

And then finally, dramatic irony.

Now, this is a dramatic technique that is used to create tension and anticipation.

So it's really about getting the audience to think or feel in a certain way.

And dramatic irony works when the audience knows something that the characters do not, leading to tension or humour as invents unfold.

So we will be looking at Edmundson's use of dramatic irony in "Small Island" today.

So the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to start by tracking characters, so exploring the characters from "Small Island" and their journeys.

And then we're going to look at this tension.

So creating tension, how Edmundson does this.

So let's start by exploring our character journeys.

So here are the key scenes for the character of Hortense.

So Act 1, Scene 1, we have that hurricane and we get Hortense's flashback to childhood.

She reveals she's in love with Michael, and she discovers the affair.

Then we don't see her again until Act 1, Scene 6, where she betrays Celia by telling Gilbert about her mother.

And if you remember in that scene, it ends with Celia hitting Hortense for what she has done.

Then Act 1, Scene 8, Hortense marries Gilbert to enable them to migrate.

So there's this idea, that it's almost like a business transaction that they marry each other in order to move to England.

And then Act 2, Scene 1, Hortense arrives in England, and she's horrified by the reality.

So we get that really heartbreaking scene where Hortense realises what she has come into.

And also Gilbert's situation, we learn about that too.

But for Hortense, it's just this real moment of realisation.

Act 2, Scene 4, Hortense and Gilbert argue.

So there's this really awful moment with the egg and chips where they, all this tension rises and they argue.

And then Hortense reveals that she's been a victim of racism.

And then Act 2, Scene 6, Hortense learns she cannot be a teacher.

So again, these expectations that she had are just slowly being worn away.

And then Act 2, Scene 7, Hortense helps Queenie deliver her baby, arguably one of the most dramatic scenes in the play.

And then finally, Hortense and Gilbert agree to adopt Queenie's baby.

So what I would like you to do is I would like you to come up with some adjectives to describe Hortense or how she's feeling in each scene.

So you'll need to pause the video to give yourself plenty of time to do this.

You may want to jot down a few ideas or just think quietly to yourself.

All of these are fine.

So pause the video and come up with those great adjectives.

Off you go.

Ooh, some really interesting words happening there.

I like how some of you grab dictionaries and thesaurus too, to really develop your word banks, excellent.

So let's just share some of those ideas.

So Act 1, Scene 1, we could say that she's devastated.

So with the revelation of Michael's affair, she's absolutely heartbroken and devastated.

And then Michael leaves as well, but she's also quite superior, isn't she, Hortense? So we learn in Act 1, Scene 1 that she thinks that she is above everyone else.

And even when Michael leaves, she takes this moral high ground and makes Michael feel bad.

So she's very much feels quite superior, she's very moral, but she's also devastated by what she finds out.

And Act 1, Scene 6, we get this kind of jealousy brewing, don't we? When Celia's talking about moving to Britain? And Hortense actually says, "I cannot be left behind." So she's almost quite jealous, but also concerned.

She's concerned for her future.

She's concerned about what is going to happen.

And then we get this marriage to Gilbert.

Now, actually, this is quite pragmatic and excited, almost two different and opposing words, but actually this is what I think is happening because there is this pragmatic decision on Hortense and Gilbert's part to marry in order to fulfil their dreams. But also there is probably a bit of excitement that this is going to happen.

So although it's a very pragmatic reasoned, you know, justified decision, there is perhaps some flutters of excitement there too at the new journey that they are embarking on.

And then obviously Hortense arrives in England, and perhaps she's feeling angry and regretful.

And then when they are arguing, Hortense may be feeling frustrated.

We know that there has been a lot of language and cultural barriers as well as her relations with Gilbert.

So she's probably feeling we could say frustrated, desperate, and those types of words.

And then that feeling where she realises that she cannot be a teacher.

And at that moment she must be completely disappointed.

We know that one of her expectations, one of her dreams, is to become a teacher where she believes she'll be respected and she finds out this cannot happen.

So she probably feels very disappointed, but equally quite alone and isolated in that.

And when she helps Queenie deliver her baby, I think she's quite shocked because Queenie has been hiding her pregnancy, but also shocked at the ethnicity of the baby as well, which she assumes will be white.

But actually she says, "Your baby is Black." And I think this is really shocking for her and also really confusing, particularly when we think about society at the time.

And then Hortense and Gilbert agree to adopt Queenie's baby.

I guess there's that feeling of uncertainty.

And actually this links to the wider themes of the play, the uncertainty of the future.

But also it says in the text that Hortense feels great pride at Gilbert, at his decisions, at their decisions.

So that uncertainty alongside pride are very key words there.

And it's interesting, isn't it, when we look at these words, how some of them almost seem like opposite words, but they are happening at the same time.

Okay, we are now going to just look at those adjectives we have come up with.

And I want us just to think about what they suggest about Hortense's journey.

So in a moment, I'm gonna get you to discuss this, but let's just read through those adjectives alone because I think it gives us a real sense of Hortense's journey throughout the play.

So we have got devastated, superior, jealous, concerned, pragmatic, excited, angry, regretful, frustrated, desperate, disappointed, alone, shocked, confused, uncertain, pride.

Wow, when you read them like that, it really gives you a sense of her journey.

So what I'd like you to do in a moment is pause the video to discuss, or you may wish to jot down a few ideas about what these adjectives suggest about her journey.

So pause the video so you've got time to think about your ideas, off you go.

Excellent, some really interesting perceptive comments happening there.

I like how some of you have started to make links between the words, between the adjectives and talk about what they tell us about Hortense.

That's a really great thing to do when we're studying a text.

So we have some pupil feedback here.

So let's just read this comment.

So "Hortense experiences a lot of emotional moments throughout the play." I really agree with this.

"She has a tumultuous journey." So oh, well done for using that key word there, tumultuous.

So it's a very up and down chaotic journey.

And "I think Edmundson does this to emphasise the challenges and adversity faced by Hortense, not only as a first generation migrant, but as a working class woman." That's a really great comment, and I love how you've linked that to Edmundson's purpose.

And it's absolutely right, these feelings and these emotions really demonstrate the reality of Hortense's experience.

And we have another comment here.

"I think it's interesting that the final adjective is pride." That is interesting, yes, because "This shows how much Hortense has changed.

So at the start, she believes she's superior and uses Gilbert for her own gain, but by the end, she is a lot more aware of her own circumstances and her connections to others." And I think that's a really key point, thank you, so much about Hortense is how much she changes throughout this play and how her relationships change throughout this play.

She really goes on this tumultuous emotional journey that ultimately ends up in this uncertain future, but this pride for Gilbert.

Okay, true or false time.

By the end of the play, Hortense views Gilbert with pride.

True or false? Absolutely she does, now justify your answer by picking A or B now.

Yes, great, this is because he stands up to Bernard with a powerful speech about fighting and equality.

And I love the speech that Gilbert gives.

It is just so articulate and so powerful, and it's why he's one of my favourite characters.

We are now onto your first practise task, and what I would like you to do, so exactly like we just looked at with Hortense, I would like you to complete your own grid, but this time for the character of Gilbert.

So you'll need to note down his key scenes where he appears, and then come up with some adjectives that describe how he is feeling or the situation in that scene.

I would then like you to use that information to answer these questions.

Can you describe his journey, so Gilbert's journey? And how does he change throughout the play? So think about everything we have just done on the character Hortense, how those pupils answered those questions on Hortense, and do exactly the same for the character of Gilbert.

Okay, are you ready? It's time to pause the video and get this task done.

Off you go.

Okay, so excellent work, everyone.

Thank you for completing those grids and attempting to answer those questions.

Now, what I would've thought I would do is I'd just, I know some of you had a bit of difficulty, so what we're going to do now is we're going to use Sofia and Jun just to check and improve our own work.

So Jun is having a bit of difficulty here.

So he says, "Sofia, I'm struggling to answer the questions." 'Cause that's a tricky part of the task, "Can you help?" And Sofia says, "Certainly, what adjectives do you have for the character of Gilbert?" So if you are struggling to answer those questions, look at those adjectives that you have put down for Gilbert.

So Jun has optimistic, disappointed, resilient, jovial, concerned, angry, and uncertain.

What a fantastic bank of words there, Jun, well done.

So he's given Sofia his words, his adjectives used to describe Gilbert's journey.

And Sofia says, "Like Hortense, Gilbert has a lot of emotions.

He really does, he goes through a lot, and perhaps this means we could describe his journey as similar to Hortense?" That's a really great suggestion Sofia, and Sofia's actually made a great point here about using the keywords, tumultuous and adversity.

So exactly like we did with Hortense, we could use those similar ideas and similar words to describe Gilbert's journey.

So, okay, so Jun comes up with this "Gilbert's experiences of adversity and the continued disappointment of the Mother Country means he has a tumultuous journey." That is a fantastic answer, Jun, well done.

Okay, but Sofia wants to develop that even further.

So Sofia says, "Great.

Now let's think about how he has changed." So we just did this with Hortense, didn't we? We thought about how she was described at the start to the end.

So what is Jun's final word? So his final word is uncertain.

And Sofia has this really good suggestion.

She says, "How is this different to the optimism and confidence that he has at the start, but most importantly, why does he feel this way?" And Jun comes up with another answer to these questions.

He says, "Unlike the confident and optimistic feelings Gilbert had at the start, he ends with feeling uncertainty.

This is perhaps as a result of the continued disappointment he has experienced." And actually all of the characters end on this uncertain moment at the end of the play.

And I think this is very much Edmundson talking about the uncertainty of a future, and the changes that need to be made.

Okay, so we are now onto the second part of our lesson.

We have tracked our characters and thought about their tumultuous journeys, and now we're gonna consider how Edmundson creates tension.

Now, throughout "Small Island," Edmundson uses dramatic irony.

So we talked about what dramatic irony means at the start of the lesson.

So dramatic irony is this idea that as the audience, we know something that the characters don't.

So an example of this is Michael's affair with Mrs. Ryder in Act 1, Scene 1.

So as an audience, we are given hints that something is happening between them.

For example, the stage directions describe "Michael and Mrs. Ryder move apart quickly." So even if we're not watching the play or viewing the play, those stage directions still give us the audience hints, don't they, about that relationship.

So what this means is when Hortense is describing her love for Michael, and when he arrives at the schoolhouse, the audience know that something is about to happen and this creates tension.

So when Hortense is saying things like, she's waiting for Michael to arrive, we actually know that it's going to go horribly wrong, and this really creates tension, we almost want to shout out to her and warn her, don't we? And this is dramatic irony, really working.

So I'd like you to discuss now, can you think of any other examples of dramatic irony throughout the play and how do they create tension? So pause the video, so you've got plenty of time to think of your answers, or you may wish to think quietly to yourself.

So are you ready? Let's answer those questions and discuss your answers now.

Okay, great, some really great examples happening there.

I think lots of you realise that there is a lot of dramatic irony in this play.

It's actually quite difficult to think of every single example.

So we have some pupil feedback here.

So "Edmundson definitely uses dramatic irony in the presentation of Michael and Queenie's relationship." Yes, this is true, and "It becomes particularly effective when Hortense learns that Queenie has called the baby Michael.

As an audience, we know the characters are intertwined, and yet they are still to learn of their connection." And I think this is a really key point about the dramatic irony in "Small Island" is a lot of these kind of coincidences between characters.

And we know that all of these characters link and how they connect, but the characters on stage unaware of this.

And this is very much dramatic irony.

So there are moments when we think they might learn of the connection, but they don't, which again creates tension.

So we have some pupil feedbacks, "Great example, Sam." Yeah, absolutely, thank you, Sam.

And "I think the character's interactions are a good example of dramatic irony.

The audience is aware of the connected narratives, but the characters aren't.

Like when Hortense mistakes Gilbert for Michael." Yes, and great, that's building onto what I was just saying about these moments when we think those connections could be revealed, they're not.

But yeah, when Hortense mistakes Gilbert for Michael, there's very much those connections happening and that dramatic irony.

And thank you, Sam, you have another idea? "I also think another example is when Gilbert and Hortense are planning to migrate." This is a really interesting point, thank you, Sam, "Because as an audience, we have the historical context to understand that their expectations won't be matched, which creates tension." Oh, lovely, Sam says, "I almost wanted to stand up and tell them not to go." That is so true.

And I'm sure in your understanding of Windrush and the experiences of people who migrated, we know what happened.

And there is a sense that, yeah, we wanna get up and stand up and say, "Hortense, Gilbert, don't go.

It's not what you think." And this is very much dramatic irony happening there.

Such a great idea there, Sam, thank you.

"And the response is exactly what dramatic irony is for." Yes, exactly, "The audience experience the emotional turmoil of the characters, which in turn is engaging and entertaining." Absolutely, this is such a good discussion on dramatic irony and how it works to create responses from audiences.

It wants us to feel that emotion, that tension because it wants to be engaging.

And yes, "There is definitely lots of tension.

I think Edmundson also uses dramatic irony to emphasise Levy's original intention in revealing the interconnectedness of historical narratives." That's a lovely point, and I love how you've connected it to Levy's original intention because absolutely that dramatic irony really emphasises that interconnectedness, that overlapping of historical narratives.

Okay, we have A, B or C here, and I would like you to select which of these is an example of dramatic irony, A, B, or C? Off you go.

Excellent, Hortense and Gilbert plan to migrate with the expectations of opportunities and the promises of the Mother Land because we as an audience know that their expectations won't be met, and we want to tell them this, but we can't because we're in the audience and this is very much dramatic irony.

Now, in Act 1, Edmundson uses the motif of the Pathé style images.

Now these Pathé style images are a really kind of iconic image of World War II and old fashioned news footage.

So she's picked those Pathé style images for a particular reason.

And I want us just to consider what the footage depicts in each scene.

So in Act 1, Scene 1, we get the footage, the footage describes Jamaica bracing itself for a strong hurricane.

In Act 1, Scene 2, there is news footage of The Blitz Spirit, proud Londoners, staying cheerful.

In Scene 3, Jamaican and other West Indians joining the British war effort, excited, willing, and proud.

Act 1, Scene 4, footage of celebrations in Kingston and then in Act 1, Scene 5, Britain's efforts to get back on its feet, rebuilding programmes, et cetera.

So what I would like you to do, similar to what we did with the characters actually is I'd like you to look at those examples and I'd like you to some up with some adjectives to describe the feeling or atmosphere in each scene.

So pause the video to come up with those adjectives and we'll share our answers in a moment.

Off you go.

Okay, great, some really interesting adjectives happening there.

So let's just share some of those now.

So we've got this idea of Act 1, Scene 1 is very foreboding and menacing.

I think whenever there's a strong hurricane or strong weather, we can pretty much sense that this foreboding, menacing atmosphere, something bad's going to happen.

Then it moves on to this kind of positive, confident, or stoic attitude.

The Blitz Spirit is proud and Londoners staying cheerful.

So there's a definite shift from Act 1, Scene 1 to Act 1, Scene 2.

And then those joining the war effort is this idea that optimistic and hopeful.

And if we think back to Gilbert, this is very much how he was feeling, he's optimistic and hopeful that his decision to join the RAF will be a really good one.

And then the footage of the celebrations in Kingston, when the war is over, we get this joy and elation.

So it's almost like when we start to track this, you can almost see this upward trajectory of feelings happening.

We sort of start with the foreboding and menacing right up to joy and elation.

However by Act 1, Scene 5 becomes a lot more this sense of endurance and resilience.

So again, there's a definite shift in the atmosphere in Act 1, Scene 5.

So let's look at the adjectives and the atmosphere created throughout Act 1.

So let's look at them through this line.

So we've got foreboding and menacing at the start, goes to positive and confident, optimistic and hopeful, joy, elation, and then resilience and endurance.

So what I would like you to discuss, please, and I've just talked about this a little bit a moment ago so you can use some of those ideas, is how does the motif create moments of tension? And how could this link to the idea of dramatic irony? So there's lots for you to think about there.

So you'll definitely need to pause the video so you've got lots of time to consider your answers to these questions, or you may wish to think quietly on your own.

So just a reminder of the question, how does the motif create moments of tension and how could this link to the idea of dramatic irony? Are you ready to pause the video? Off you go.

Okay, so shall we share some of our ideas? So yes, the start of the play suggests that something bad is going to happen and this instantly creates tension.

So it hooks us in as an audience because it's the sense of foreboding, something bad is happening.

So it really establishes the setting scene.

And then despite the relatively positive atmosphere throughout Act 1, by Scene 5, there is a shift towards a more sombre feeling.

There's this idea of resilience and endurance, which is very different to the joy and elation from the previous scene.

So what we could say is that the motif of the Pathé style images presents an atmosphere of pride and optimism.

And as an audience, we know that this isn't the reality and therefore tension is created in this use of dramatic irony.

So even in the setting, Edmundson is able to create this dramatic irony because yes, the Pathé style images are showing people celebrating or feeling joyful or optimistic or hopeful.

But we know from watching our characters that the reality isn't the case, it doesn't feel like these things, and that very much creates dramatic irony and creates tension.

And Edmundson perhaps also uses the motif to reveal the disparity between the representations and reality of World War II and Great Britain and the Mother Country.

And again, this creates tension as we know the characters' expectations and the hopeful atmosphere will not be matched.

Okay, which of these is not included in the Pathé style footage? So you were looking for one that is not included in the Pathé style footage.

Is it A, B, or C? Excellent, it is C.

That was quite a tricky question because obviously Act 1, Scene 1 does end with the Empire Windrush preparing to sail, but there is not the motif in that scene.

So that was a tricky question, but well done to everyone that noticed that it was C, the Empire Windrush preparing to sail was not used or presented as Pathé style footage.

Okay, so we have reached our second practise task.

So first we're going to look at Lucas's statement.

So Lucas made this statement.

He said, "'Small Island' is full of tension.

I was gripped and wanted to shout out and warn the characters." I know that feeling, I felt like that a lot too.

"The play is really good at mirroring the characters tumultuous journeys." So what I would like you to do is I would like you to annotate Lucas's statement with evidence that agrees.

So we have spent a lot of this lesson thinking about how Edmundson creates tension, the character's journeys as well as really important, the idea of dramatic irony, motif, all of those things link to this idea of how Edmundson creates tension.

So I would like you to make sure that you also include the key words in your annotation.

So the key words are tension, tumultuous, dramatic irony and motif.

So think back to everything we've looked at this lesson to make sure that you have got some really detailed and interesting annotations.

So draw on those fabulous discussions that we have already had.

Okay, ready to pause the video? Off you go.

Excellent, well done.

So let's just look at an example of an annotation.

So you may have something different, which is absolutely fine.

You may want to use this to add to your own annotations.

So the use of foot motif, start again.

The use of motif in the Pathé style footage creates tension in its use of dramatic irony.

Through the knowledge of historical context, the audience knows that the jubilant atmosphere cannot be sustained.

Some really lovely vocabulary being used there.

Now this is a good annotation because it has used those key words, motif, tension and dramatic irony.

And it has included a specific example, so that Pathé style footage.

So it's a really good example of a detailed and relevant annotation.

So well done.

Now what I would like you to do is I'd like you to check your own annotations and make sure they include specific examples as well as the key words.

You can use some of the ideas from the one we have just looked at.

Okay, go and check.

Okay, fantastic work everyone.

Well that was a very tumultuous journey through exploring characters and tension.

So very well done.

Hopefully you've got a really good idea of the idea of dramatic irony and motif and how they can be used to create tension.

Okay, so let's just remind ourselves of the lesson.

So the characters in "Small Island" have tumultuous journeys.

The characters are changed as a result of their experiences.

Edmundson creates through the use of dramatic irony, and Edmundson uses a motif in her settings to create tension.

So a very, very well done to you all and I cannot wait to see you all again soon in another lesson.

Thanks very much, bye.