Lesson video

Hello and welcome.

My name is Mrs. Butterworth and I'd like to thank you for joining me for today's lesson.

Now this lesson is all about exploring the Windrush context in relation to "Small Island." So we will be looking at an essay by Andrea Levy called "Back to My Country." So you will need to make sure you have access to that and this essay can be found online.

So once you have gathered everything you need, we can begin the lesson, let's go.

In this lesson, you will understand the experiences of Caribbean people in Britain and how Levy shows their stories.

But before we delve into the lesson, let's look at some key words that you will see used throughout the lesson.

These words are empire, disparity, assimilate, colonial, and ancestry.

Now empire refers to a group of states or countries ruled over by one leader, e.

g.

a monarch.

So in terms of "Small Island" and its context, we'll be thinking about the British Empire.

Disparity is a lack of equality or devoid of similarities.

So if there is a disparity between two things, they are not the same.

Assimilate is to become part of a group, country, society, or culture.

So to assimilate is to change, for example, your behavior to fit in.

Colonial refers to colonialism where a country establishes control over another country.

So we will, in terms of the context here, be thinking about Britain as a colonial empire.

And ancestry refers to the origins of your family.

Now the outline of our lesson looks like this.

In the first learning cycle, we will be exploring Windrush experiences before moving on to focus on Caribbean experiences during World War II.

So first, let's make sure we understand what Windrush was.

Now the Windrush generation are those who arrived in Britain from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1973.

And the term Windrush actually comes from the name of the first ship.

It was called the Empire Windrush, which sailed from Jamaica to Essex in 1948.

And you may have seen images of the Windrush in your own studies.

And this voyage has become a symbol of the migration movement from the West Indies to Britain after World War II.

And the Windrush generation took up jobs in important sectors like the NHS and transport, which were affected by the post-war labor shortage.

So in 1948, the British Nationality Act gave people from the Commonwealth the right to live and work in Britain as British citizens.

So those on the Windrush were British citizens.

In her essay "Back to My Country," Andrea Levy describes her own parents' experiences from moving to Jamaica to Britain as part of the Windrush generation.

So once we begin to delve into this essay, you will start to notice similarities between Andrea Levy's parents experiences and those presented in "Small Island." She really draws on things that she's experienced.

So Andrea Levy's parents, they came from Jamaica to Britain in 1948.

Her dad came on the Empire Windrush and her mom on a banana producer's boat.

So in Jamaica, they were considered middle class with good jobs.

But by the time they got to Britain, they faced homelessness and poor housing.

Andrea Levy tells of how, at last, they got a council flat in Highbury, where Andrea Levy was born.

So you can see in this experience described by Andrea Levy and of her parents, you can see how their expectations of Britain were very different to what actually happened.

So, you know, they were considered middle class with good working jobs, but then they came to Britain where they thought it would be the same and they faced homelessness and poor housing and this was not what was promised.

Okay, so true or false? When Levy's parents arrived in Britain, they found many opportunities in excellent housing.

Is that answer true or false? Come up with your answer now, please.

Well done to everyone that notice the answer was false, but you now need to justify your answer by picking A or B.

So pause the video to do that now.

Okay, so well done to everyone that answered B.

Levy's parents, like many migrants, automatically fell to the bottom of the social hierarchy.

So it's over to you now.

I would like you to think about the word home and the connotations of the word home.

And so the things or ideas or words that you associate with the word home.

And I'd like you to discuss this, please.

So in a moment, you'll need to pause the video and discuss what are the connotations of the word home.

Pause the video now.

Okay, so let's just gather some of those ideas.

So you may have come up with some ideas like refuge as a place, buildings, or a country, or town or a house.

So you can think of home being all of those things: inclusive, comfort, welcoming, belonging, people.

So perhaps home refers to people, family, friends.

And finally community, so perhaps you came up with some similar ideas around the connotations of home; the feelings, ideas, and specific things that we associate with that word.

And it's interesting because the Mother Country was used to describe Britain and was used by many of Britain's colonial countries.

So the Mother Country, again, had these connotations of the word home.

And for many citizens of the British empire, Britain was their spiritual and emotional home.

And through education, for example, those citizens of the British Empire, you know, this was what was told to them, that Britain was their spiritual and emotional home.

Now consider these words in relation to the idea of the Mother Country and discuss: what might be the expectations of the Mother Country for a person migrating from the Caribbean to Britain? So think about those home, the words we've come up with for home.

And then I'd like you to discuss, please.

What might the expectations of the Mother Country be for a person migrating from the Caribbean to Britain? How might Britain be home for them? Pause the video to come up with your answers now.

Okay, so ideas of safety, a place to live, acceptance, opportunities, friendliness, collective identity, relationships, and unity.

So again, these idealized views of what home should be.

However, in her essay "Back to My Country," Andrea Levy shows the disparity between the dream of the Mother Country and her parents' real experience.

So if we think about what we the expectations of home are and the idea that the Mother Country is home, there was a disparity between the idea and the reality.

There was a stark difference.

So what Andrea Levy's parents found was that in England, they became poor and working class.

They believed they should assimilate by staying quiet and fitting in.

So in this essay, Andrea Levy describes this idea of cultural assimilation that they didn't want to appear different.

So they assimilated by being quiet, by fitting in, and just ensuring they did everything right in order to not be seen as different.

They worked to be respectable through church, cleaning, and keeping their children neat.

So again, in this essay, Andrea Levy really highlights the kind of extra work that her parents felt like they had to do in order to be viewed as respectable.

So the Mother Country refers to.

Can you pick A, B, or C to complete that sentence? Pause the video to come up with your answer now.

Okay, do we have an answer? Well done to everyone that said A, the Mother Country refers to a spiritual or emotional home.

And just as a recap, it's important to remember this idea of the Mother Country was something that was perpetuated through things like education in the Commonwealth countries.

So in the Commonwealth countries, Britain was seen as the Mother Country, this spiritual or emotional home.

So I would now like you to read part of Andrea Levy's essay "Back to My Own country." So do make sure you have access to this.

It can be found online.

And I'd like you please to read from paragraph five, which begins "but," to the end of paragraph nine, which ends with "ears." So you need to read that.

And once you have read that, I would like you to discuss, please, what do Andrea Levy's descriptions reveal about life for Windrush migrants in Britain? You may wish to use the following sentence starters to help with your discussion.

So here are your sentence starters: Andrea Levy shows that life in Britain was different from what her parents expected because.

So one per way her parents tried to fit in was.

And this suggests that Windrush migrants had to.

So you can use some specific examples from the essay in your discussions.

Just a reminder, if you are working on your own, you could write down your answer or even think quietly to yourself, okay? So when you are ready, you will need to pause the video.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

So pause the video and get going.

Well done, everyone, excellent reading and excellent discussing.

And I really liked how some of you were using specific examples or specific ideas from that essay to really elevate your discussions and answers.

So, well done.

So Andeep has shared his answer here.

So let's see what he has put down.

So he has said that Andrea Levy shows the disparity between her parents' expectations of the Mother Country and the reality as they became poor and working class in Britain.

To assimilate, they try to live respectably, attending church and keeping their children neat and well dressed.

This reveals that Windrush migrants faced social pressures and had to navigate a society that did not always welcome them.

And I think that's a really excellent point from Andeep there, these kind of added extra social pressures in society that were forced upon Windrush migrants.

So you may have come up with something different or some of your own ideas or some different from the essay.

So now is your opportunity to share those.

So I'd like you please to discuss, can you add anything to Andeep's answer? Pause the video to complete that.

Off you go.

Well done, everyone, excellent work so far.

And we have already reached the second part of our lesson.

So we've thought about the experiences of Windrush and we are now going to focus on Caribbean experiences during World War II, which becomes very relevant when we are studying "Small Island." So the first part of "Small Island" is set from 1939 to 1948 during World War II.

So let's look at some historical context in relation to that.

So around 10,000 people from Caribbean colonies left their families to join the British Army.

Remember this idea of the Mother Country and why these people felt compelled to fight for the British Army, why they felt like it was important.

They served on the frontline and behind the scenes and many were proud to fight as British subjects.

Now I think this is a really interesting point, that despite being an active part of the war and post-war efforts, the contributions and voices of Caribbean soldiers have been mostly absent from history.

And if we think about our own studies of World War II, what types of soldiers do we see in images and writing, okay? And I think that's a really important point about how these contributions have been missed from those presentations of the history.

So I'd now like you to read Andrea Levy's essay "Back to My Own Country." So you're going to read the very last paragraph from "but," to the end "narrative." And then when you finished reading that, I would like you to discuss the following questions: What does Levy say about the Caribbean being part of Britain's story? How does this connect to Caribbean soldiers in World War II? And why might their contributions have been overlooked in history? Okay, so lots to be getting on with there and lots to think about.

So you will definitely need to pause the video to give yourself time to do this.

So when you are ready, pause the video and off you go.

Okay, so thank you very much for your answers there.

Now it is time for a true or false question.

Part of "Small Island" takes place between 1939 and 1948 amidst World War II.

Is the answer true or false? Come up with your answer now, please.

Well done to everyone who said the answer was true, but I'd now like you to justify why that is true by picking A or B.

You'll need to pause the video to give yourself time to do this.

Has everyone got an answer? You'll need to pick one now.

Okay, it is A.

Arguably, Levy wants to foreground the voices absent from historical narratives.

Okay, so we're moving on to think about the title now.

And I want you to discuss why might Andrea Levy have chosen to call her novel "Small Island"? So what does the title "Small Island" make you think of or remind you of, or what might it refer to? So pause the video so you have time to discuss that question.

Pause the video now.

Okay, so let's feed back some answers and some ideas.

So the title refers to both Jamaica and Britain as islands.

And you can see those images there, we have Jamaica and Britain.

And yeah, so that title refers to both of those as islands.

Levy may want us to remember Caribbean and British history together.

It shows that their histories and stories are connected.

It's not called "Small Islands" is it? It's called "Small Island." And I think that's really interesting about connecting the two places and their histories.

And it perhaps refer to how people on the islands think, especially their lack of knowledge about British colonial history.

And there is this idea that, you know, small island refers to kind of a small mind or small insular thinking, which again is something that is explored throughout the play.

So I would like you, please, to choose the correct statement to complete the sentence.

So Andrea Levy called her novel "Small Island" because.

Could it be A, B, or C? Pause the video to come up with your answer now.

And the right answer is B.

Andrea Levy called her novel "Small Island" because it reveals the deep connection between Jamaica and Britain.

Okay, so for task B, we have this question: What was Levy's main purpose in writing "Small Island"? So we're thinking about what motivated or inspired Levy to write "Small Island." And we have some statements here from some pupils.

So Aisha has said that she thinks the main purpose for Levy writing "Small Island" is to present the experiences of the Windrush generation and the disparity between expectations and reality.

Sofia says to explore the power of colonial ideologies, like the concept of the Mother Country.

Jun says that he thinks it's to foreground the voices of marginalized people and those absent from historical narratives.

And Izzy says to reveal the connection between Jamaica and Britain's history.

So different ideas there, all very interesting.

And what I would like you to do, please, is I would like you to pick two students you agree with and annotate their statements, justifying your answers.

So you may wish to include some contextual information.

So some things that we have looked at in our contextual information today.

You may wish to use some examples from Levy's essay "Back to My Country." You may even wish to use some of the ideas and comments that we have come up with in our discussions.

So there are lots of things that you can annotate those statements with.

Okay, so I'm going to stop talking and hand over to you to complete this task.

So pause the video and get going.

Okay, thank you, everyone.

And now let's share some answers.

So we're going to annotate Jun's statement here.

So he says the reason the purpose for Levy writing "Small Island" was to foreground the voices of marginalized people and those absent from historical narratives.

So as we're reading the annotations, there may be some things that you'd like to add to your own answers.

So the first annotation is Levy states that Caribbean history needs to be part of the main narrative.

Levy explains that many people in Britain don't know much about the Caribbean history, which is why it's crucial to include these stories.

She emphasizes that the Caribbean's history, including the experiences of its people, is integral to understanding Britain's own story.

And the setting of World War II enables Levy to explore the experiences of soldiers from the Caribbean who fought for the British Army.

So I really like how these annotations have used examples from Andrea Levy's essay.

So there are points there that she makes in the essay and also draws on the contextual information that we have looked at in this lesson.

So I'd like you to spend a few moments looking at your own annotations.

Perhaps you could add some further quotations or ideas from Levy's essay or some contextual information to elevate your annotations even further.

So you'll need to pause the video to get that done.

Off you go.

And a very well done, everyone.

We have reached the end of the lesson.

So let's just remind ourselves of a few key pointers that we have explored today.

Levy describes her parents' experiences of migration and the disparity between expectations and reality.

We've learned that the term Mother Country is an incredibly powerful concept.

Levy wants to foreground the voices of those absent from history like the Caribbean soldiers who fought in World War II.

Levy has pride in her ancestry and believes that the Caribbean should be recognized as part of Britain's history.

And finally, the term "Small Island" refers not just to the geographical space, but also to the mindset of people living there.

Thank you so much for your hard work and I hope to see you all again soon in another lesson.

Until then, I'll say goodbye, bye-bye!.