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Year 9

'Small Island': reading the end of Act 1 Scene 3

I can explain the events of the end of Act Scene 3 and explore the importance of the incident in the cinema.

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Year 9

'Small Island': reading the end of Act 1 Scene 3

I can explain the events of the end of Act Scene 3 and explore the importance of the incident in the cinema.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Pathos is created when Arthur is shot - he is an innocent victim of this incident.
  2. As a WW1 veteran, Arthur dies in a violent incident at home rather than enjoying the freedom and safety he fought for.
  3. Arthur is characterised as more open-minded than his son, showing that racism is not just a generational issue.
  4. Arthur's death shows that racism is deeply damaging to society as a whole.

Keywords

  • Pathos - a literary device that evokes feelings of pity or sorrow

  • Futility - total lack of purpose or feeling that something is pointless or useless

  • Jim Crow laws - laws in the United States from the 19th and 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation

  • Veteran - a former member of the armed forces

Common misconception

That segregation only happened in the United States.

This in the most part is true and Britain certainly didn't have any segregation laws. However, as we see in the play, some individuals and institutions still upheld these ideas of segregation.


To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: 'Small Island': reading the end of Act 1 Scene 3, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Scene 3 contains explicit racist language. It is important to consider how this scene is read and discussed. You may wish to skip the scene all together. You may also choose to skip Task A Q3 in light of this.
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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

  • Contains strong language
  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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.
Who is the character of Arthur in 'Small Island"?
Correct answer: Bernard's father
Hortense's Father
Michael's father
Gilbert's father
Elwood's father
Q2.
In 'Small Island' Act 1 Scene 2, Bernard explains that his father was in the 'Great War' and suffers from what?
Trench foot
Yellow-fever
Correct answer: Shell shock
Typhoid
Gangrene
Q3.
In 'Small Island' which three characters enlist in the RAF?
Correct answer: Michael
Elwood
Correct answer: Bernard
Mr. Philip
Correct answer: Gilbert
Q4.
In 'Small Island' what dramatic event is being described at the start of Act 1 Scene 3?
A chaotic, violent argument in a London street.
A wild, foreboding hurricane in a Jamaican town.
Correct answer: A vicious, chaotic fist fight in a cinema.
A loud, terrifying air raid over Earl's Court.
Q5.
Who is the character that expresses cynicism and challenges the idea of the 'mother country' in the play 'Small Island'?
Gilbert
Correct answer: Elwood
Sergeant Thwaites
Michael
Hortense
Q6.
How does Elwood's view of the war contribute to the broader themes of colonialism in 'Small Island'?
He supports the idea of collective identity.
Correct answer: He challenges the myth of a united colonial identity.
He encourages enlistment in the RAF.
He promotes the British Empire's ideologies.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does the use of the term 'pathos' refer to?
Lack of purpose or feeling of pointlessness.
Correct answer: The appeal to an audience's emotions of pity or sorrow.
A former member of the armed forces.
A sense of pride in your country.
Q2.
How does Gilbert perceive Arthur's gaze in Act 1 Scene 3 of 'Small Island'?
As a sign of camaraderie
With indifference
Correct answer: As fixated on the color of his skin
As a gesture of respect
Q3.
In 'Small Island' how is Arthur killed?
He accidentally gets hit by one of the G.I.s
Correct answer: A military policeman shoots him.
A G.I shoots him as he tries to run away.
Gilbert throws him to the floor to try and protect him.
Q4.
Complete this quote from 'Small Island'. Gilbert: "How come they know nothing about their own__________?"
Correct Answer: empire, Empire, empire., Empire.
Q5.
In 'Small Island', Gilbert breaks the fourth wall to the tell the audience about his experiences enlisting in the RAF. This is an example of what dramatic technique?
Correct Answer: Direct address, Direct address., Direct Address, direct address, direct address.
Q6.
In 'Small Island' Act 1 Scene 3, multiple characters are involved in the cinema incident. Which of these offers the most sophisticated and relevant inference?
This shows how most people are willing to get involved in a fight.
This portrays that lots of people have discriminatory attitudes.
Correct answer: This represents how racism is damaging to all in society.
This reveals the violence inherent in humans.