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Year 9

'Small Island': reading Act 1 Scene 2

I can explore the relationship between Bernard and Queenie.

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New
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Year 9

'Small Island': reading Act 1 Scene 2

I can explore the relationship between Bernard and Queenie.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Both Queenie and Hortense tell their story by directly addressing the audience.
  2. Class is a key dimension here - Bernard offers Queenie the hope of a middle class life.
  3. Bernard is a caricature of a repressed English gentleman, who is fearful of all that is unfamiliar.
  4. The setting of Bernard's cold, closed-off Edwardian house mirrors his personality and is opposite to Queenie's warmth.
  5. The playwright uses humour to show the lack of passion between the couple.

Keywords

  • Characterisation - how a writer creates and constructs a fictional character

  • Motif - a dominant or recurring idea or theme in a text

  • Caricature - a description where characteristics are exaggerated to create a comic effect

  • Humorous - describes something that is funny

  • Stoicism - experiencing pain or hardship without complaining

Common misconception

That Queenie and Bernard's relationship is only a marriage of convenience.

How do Queenie and Bernard interact with each other? Can you find any clues where love or affection might be present?


To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: 'Small Island': reading Act 1 Scene 2, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Scene 2 has descriptions of the sexual relationship between Queenie and Bernard. Consider how you will manage the reading and discussion around this scene.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the play 'Small Island' written by Andrea Levy and adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of sexual content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In 'Small Island' why does Edmundson begin with a description of Jamaica "bracing itself" for a hurricane?
To emphasise the beauty of natural disasters.
Correct answer: To create a sense of foreboding and tension.
To showcase the resilience of the characters.
To highlight the historical context of the story.
Q2.
A literary trope is...
a tool used exclusively in plays.
Correct answer: a theme, image, character or plot element that is used across many texts.
a unique and individualised narrative element.
a specific event that triggers the climax of the story.
Q3.
In 'Small Island' who joins the RAF at the end of Act 1 Scene 1?
Correct answer: Michael
Mr Philip
Mr Ryder
Mrs Ryder
Hortense
Q4.
The Windrush scandal, in contemporary discussions, refers to...
a celebratory event marking the contributions of immigrants.
Correct answer: controversies surrounding the immigration status of some Windrush immigrants.
a successful political movement advocating for equal rights.
a literary work capturing the experiences of the Windrush generation.
Q5.
In 'Small Island', what dramatic device does Edmundson use that enables Hortense to tell her own story about her upbringing and life?
Correct Answer: Flashback, flashback, Flash Back, flash back
Q6.
In 'Small Island' Edmundson uses direct address. Which word is used to describe how Hortense speaks to the audience?
Enthusiastically
Commandingly
Abruptly
Authoritatively
Correct answer: Conspiratorially

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In 'Small Island', what does Bernard sign up for at the end of Act 1 Scene 2?
Correct Answer: RAF, Royal Air Force, the RAF, raf, the raf
Q2.
Which word describes the act of enduring hardship or pain without complaining?
Complacency
Correct answer: Stoicism
Tolerance
Indifference
Q3.
In 'Small Island', what is the significance of the house in Earl’s Court in Scene 2?
It reflects Queenie's luxurious lifestyle
Correct answer: It mirrors Bernard's cold and closed-off personality
It represents a vibrant and warm atmosphere
It has no significance in the play
Q4.
In 'Small Island' how does Edmundson use the 'Pathé-style news footage' throughout the play?
Correct answer: As a recurring motif connecting different characters and settings
As a source of humour
As a representation of tragedy
As a historical documentary
Q5.
In 'Small Island' Bernard could be considered a caricature of a repressed English gentleman. What does this mean?
A description that solely focuses on the character's physical appearance.
Correct answer: A description where characteristics are exaggerated to create a comic effect.
A description that only happens through actions and does not use dialogue.
A description where characteristics are emphasised with music.
Q6.
In 'Small Island' what dramatic techniques does Edmundson use to narrate Hortense and Queenie's stories?
Monologue
Correct answer: Flashback
Asides
Correct answer: Direct address
Foreshadowing