Lesson video

Today we come to our final lesson on "Sweetness".

Today's lesson may leave you with some questions about racism and racial inequality.

You may find you want to learn more about the matters we're going to discuss today once the lesson is over.

If you have any questions about what we cover, ask your parents, carers, or teachers, and if they don't know the answer themselves, they may be able to help you find the answer from a different source.

Hello everyone.

My name is Mr. Pryke.

And welcome to this final lesson on the short story "Sweetness".

For today's lesson, all you'll need is a pen and paper, or something to write on and with.

And if you can try and move yourself away from any distractions.

When you're ready, we'll start the lesson.

We'll begin by reading the final part of the story.

Next, we'll look at time in "Sweetness" and think about what could happen after the story is set.

After that, we're going to consider the writer's purpose and ask ourselves why Tony Morrison has written the story.

What does she want us to learn from this story? What is she saying about the world we live in? What is she revealing about our world? What is she criticising, exploring, and challenging? These are all questions we'll be asking ourselves in today's lesson.

Finally, we'll end by thinking about our own opinions.

There's lots to get through today, so let's get going.

Let's start off by reminding ourselves of some of the key words from this unit for the final time.

I'm going to read you the definitions of three words.

I want you to select the correct term for the definitions.

Pause if you need to and press play when you're ready to find out the answer.

Question one, which word means the act of setting someone or something apart from others? Is it option one, discrimination? Option two, segregation? Option three, colorism? Or option four, constitution? Pause the video if you need to, make your choice and press play when you're ready to find out the answer.

Well done.

The answer is segregation.

Question two.

Which word means unjust or harmful treatment of other people based on a perceived difference? Is it option one, constitution? Option two, isolation? Option three, discrimination? Or option four, racism? Pause the video and make your choice.

Well done.

The answer is option three, discrimination, Question three.

Which word means prejudice or discrimination against individuals who are dark skinned, typically but not exclusively among people of the same ethnic or racial group? Is it option one, constitution? Option two, colorism? Option three, isolation? Or option four, racism? Pause the video and make your choice.

Well done.

The answer is colorism.

Let's continue reading the story then.

Remember, "Sweetness" is about a woman called Sweetness.

Sweetness is a light skinned black woman who gives birth to a dark skinned black baby.

Because of the colorism present in Sweetness's community, she finds it extremely difficult to love her child.

She has always been told that to have lighter skin is better.

Has internalised those thoughts and believes them herself.

Her baby embarrasses her.

She is worried that to be seen with a dark skinned black baby will invite to discrimination, even if she has self can pass as white.

Her baby, who she calls Lula Ann, causes the breakdown of Sweetness's marriage to her husband, Louis.

Because he is a light skinned black man, he cannot understand why his daughter is different and believe Sweetness has had an affair.

Sweetness tries to hide Lula Ann as much as she can, as she does not like to see other people's reaction to the fact that she has a dark skinned black child.

she tries to distance herself from her daughter telling Lula Ann she cannot call her mother, but instead must call her by the name Sweetness.

Sweetness admits she is strict on Lula Ann, but says it is necessary.

"Lula Ann" she says, "needs to learn how to behave and to keep her head down".

Sweetness is preparing her it seems for the discrimination she is likely to face throughout her life.

In fact, she talks about training Lula Ann to avoid white people and feels a sense of pride when she realises that her daughter is taking on board what she is saying.

As Lula Ann grows up however, she moves away to California and gets a good job.

Sweetness mentions how she has not seen her for a long time, maybe with a sense of regret and maybe with a sense of realisation that her actions have pushed her daughter away.

Let's read the final part of the story.

"If I sound irritable, ungrateful, part of it is because underneath is regret.

All the little things I didn't do or did wrong.

I was really upset, even repelled by her black skin when she was born and at first I thought of.

No.

I have to push those memories away fast.

No point.

I know I did the best for her under the circumstances.

When my husband ran out on us, Lula Ann was a burden.

A heavy one, but I bore it well.

Yes, I was tough on her.

You bet I was.

Still, some of my schooling must have rubbed off.

See how she's turned out? A rich career girl.

Can you beat it? Now she's pregnant.

Good movie Lula Ann.

If you think mothering is cooing, booties and diapers, you're in for a big shock.

Big.

Listen to me.

You are about to find out what it takes, how the world is, how it works, and how it changes when you are a parent.

Good luck, and God help the child." It's a powerful ending and one which leaves us with lots of questions.

Sweetness is talking directly to her daughter here, warning her that being a parent is not as easy as one may think.

Throughout this entire story, Sweetness has struggled with the role she plays in Lula Ann's life.

Let's look at this in closer detail by considering Morrison's use of time in "Sweetness".

"Sweetness" is a story that jumps through time.

At the beginning of the story, Lula Ann is a baby.

In the middle of the story.

we see her as a child.

And by the end, she is an adult living and working in California.

At the beginning, Lula Ann embarrasses Sweetness.

By the middle of the story, their relationship is a distant one, but Sweetness still feels a duty to protect her.

And by the end, Lula Ann is pregnant and Sweetness says, "Good move, Lula Ann.

If you think mothering is all cooing, booties and diapers, you're in for a big shock".

Notice how Sweetness is critical of Lula Ann throughout the entire story.

There is never a moment where she has anything good to say about her daughter, even though she says that she does love her.

The story begins with Sweetness, having a baby and ends with Lula Ann having a baby.

The end then is very similar to the beginning.

This is called a cyclical narrative.

A cyclical narrative is when the conditions at the end of a story are in some way, the same as they are at the beginning.

As I mentioned a moment ago, Sweetness has a child at the beginning and Lula Ann has a child at the end.

The conditions at the beginning and the end are very similar.

Indeed, even Sweetness believes that Lula Ann will be raising her baby in the same conditions that she herself had to raise Lula Ann.

The story ends with this striking line, "Good luck, and God help the child".

She's wishing Lula Ann's child luck because she thinks it will suffer the same discrimination as Lula Ann suffered.

As Sweetness has suffered.

With this in mind, then I would like us to consider the following question.

Do you think Lula Ann would treat her baby in the same way Sweetness treated her? Here.

I have three statements that answer that question.

Let me read them to you.

Statement one, Lula Ann we'll treat her baby in exactly the same way as Sweetness treated her.

She will be just as strict.

History will repeat itself and Lula Ann will push her baby away.

Statement two.

Because society is slowly beginning to change, Lula Ann will not be as strict with her child as Sweetness was with her, but will still struggle to mother and bond with her baby.

Statement three.

Lula Ann will make a deliberate decision to treat her child in a completely different way to how she was treated by Sweetness.

She will outwardly show her love for her child because Sweetness did not do this with her.

I would like you to pause the video here and choose the statement you agree with most.

Copy the statement down ready for the next part of the activity.

If you do not agree with any of the statements here and would like to write one yourself, feel free to do so.

Once you've finished writing your statement, press play to continue to the next part of the activity.

Well done.

I now want you to explain why you've chosen the statement you have.

Let me show you what I mean.

Let's pretend I chose the statement two.

Because society is slowly beginning to change Lula Ann will not be as strict with her child as Sweetness was with her, but will still struggle to mother and to bond with her baby.

I'm going to start a new sentence now.

That begins with, I have chosen this statement because.

And I'm going to explain why I chose that statement.

This might read as follows.

I have chosen this statement because although society's attitudes to black people is beginning to change.

It has not changed enough to allow Lula Ann and her baby to completely avoid discrimination.

If I was to expand on this answer, I might even add.

She might use what Sweetness has told her to teach her daughter about the world.

I would like you to explain why you have selected the statement you have.

On your screen is a simple sentence opener to use if you wish.

Remember, this is an opinion based question.

So there are no right or wrong answers here.

No one can know for certain what will happen once the story has finished.

So it's completely up to you what you say.

Try though to consider what has happened in this story so far, to help you with your explanation.

What has Sweetness said in the story that has helped you make your selection? Pause the video here to complete the task and then press play when you're ready to move on to the next activity.

Well done.

Let's move on to the next part of the lesson.

Now that we've read the story in full, it's time to consider the writer's purpose.

Why did Tony Morrison write the story? There are lots of reasons why writers write.

Usually, it's because they have something to say about the world they live in.

Writing a story, helps them to share their views of the world.

Writers may want to warn readers about a particular issue in our society.

They may disagree with something that is happening in the world and write a story to criticise it.

Sometimes writers will write in support of something or someone.

They may want to expose a secret.

Challenge a particular belief.

Champion a cause or celebrate a success.

There are so many reasons why writers writes that we cannot think of all of them here.

We can however, consider why Tony Morrison has written "Sweetness" using the analytical verbs you see on your screen.

Which of these is she doing through her story? What is she warning readers? What is she criticising? Supporting? Revealing? Or challenging about the world around us? You may have some of your own ideas already, but let me share some of mine.

In a moment, you're going to be answering the question.

Why has Tony Morrison written "Sweetness"? Using the sentence starter you can see on your screen.

Which reads, Toni Morrison may have written "Sweetness" to.

Notice how the sentence begins with, Toni Morrison may have written.

We need to include the word ,may, because in truth, we can't be sure.

We don't have writers next to us to explain why they wrote something and so we can only predict.

This is called tentative language.

We cannot be fully confident that we are right and so we have to use it.

Pay attention to this next part, because I'm going to show you what I want you to do.

Personally, when I read the story, I think Tony Morrison is revealing something.

More specifically, I think she is revealing how prejudice can destroy relationships.

After all, the prejudice Sweetness has suffered has encouraged the colorism she directs towards her own daughter.

Therefore I have copied and completed a sentence starter with.

Toni Morrison may have written "Sweetness" to reveal how prejudice can destroy relationships.

Here's another example.

Toni Morrison may have written "Sweetness" to reveal how racism and colorism exists in different communities.

This is a completely different answer to my first attempt, but I'm using the same analytical verb to reveal.

These shows there's not a right answer to this question.

This is completely your own opinion.

With that in mind, pause the video and copy it and complete the sentence.

Try and complete three sentences.

Each one using a different analytical verb.

You may use the same sentence starter for each sentence.

Remember, you need to explain what the writer is doing.

If she's warning us about something, what is she warning us about? If she's criticising something, what is she criticising? If she's supporting something, what is she supporting? Your job is to explain.

Remember, try and complete three sentences with a new verb for each.

If you're happy to get going, Pause the video here and complete your task.

If you need some extra support, keep the video playing.

Here.

I've chosen three verbs for you to use.

I want you to tell me what Toni Morrison might be revealing about racism and colorism.

What is she challenging in her story? For this one, think about what she's saying is wrong.

Finally.

What is she discussing? What are the big ideas she's exploring in her story? Pause the video here and have a go at filling in the gaps.

If you need some extra support, keep the video running.

Here, I've completed one of the sentences for you.

Tony Morrison may have written "Sweetness" to challenge issues of colorism and racism in society.

Now think about what she may be revealing in her story about colorism and racism.

And what is she saying about colorism and racism in the story.

What exactly is she discussing? If you're still stuck, keep the video running for one last piece of help.

If you're really struggling with this, please don't worry.

Here's an extended sentence starter.

And see if you can fill in the gap.

There's still an analytical verb in here to show, what is Toni Morrison showing readers in her story? What is she showing us about Sweetness and how she has had to live? Pause the video here and complete the sentence.

Well done.

Let's have a look at some example sentences.

Remember, there's no right answer to this task.

There are so many things Morrison is revealing, challenging and discussing, but here's what you could have had.

Tony Morrison may have written "Sweetness" to reveal that sometimes people think they are doing the right thing, even though they are not.

Tony Morrison may have written "Sweetness" to challenge issues of colorism and racism in society.

Tony Morrison may have written "Sweetness" to discuss how love is not a simple thing and can be quite complicated.

Well done if you managed to complete one, two, or all of those sentences.

And brilliant work, if you constructed your own sentences using different analytical verbs to the ones you can see here.

I asked for three.

So if you only completed one or two, why not try and see if you can complete some others, now that you've seen some further examples to help you.

When you're ready, we'll move on.

Now I want you to think of something that happens in the text to help you prove your ideas.

This does not need to be a quotation.

Instead, I just want you to make reference to a moment in the story.

Let me show you what I mean.

Here's an example of a sentence that I came up with using the analytical verbs.

Tony Morrison may have written "Sweetness" to discuss how love is not a simple thing and can be quite complicated.

I now want to show an example of love as being complicated in the story.

So I'm going to add a reference to the end of the sentence.

This is what I've come up with.

I'll read from the beginning.

Tony Morrison may have written "Sweetness' to discuss how love is not a simple thing and can be quite complicated.

For example, Sweetness finds it hard to bond with her daughter and refuses to let Lula Ann call her mother.

I've said love is complicated and I've used the example of Sweetness finding it hard to bond with her daughter, as an example of that complication.

Here's another example.

I said, Tony Morrison may have written "Sweetness" to reveal that sometimes people think they are doing the right thing, even though they are not.

The example from the text I've added is, Sweetness is quite strict with her daughter, Lula Anne.

But in being like this, she drives her daughter away.

Sweetness think she's doing the right thing when she's being strict to Lula Anna, but this pushes her daughter away.

And so we realised she's done the wrong thing.

Now it's your turn.

I want you to pick two of the sentences you have already come up with and add, for example, at the end of each sentence.

If you do not have enough room, you should write out your first sentence again.

Remember, you don't need to use a quotation here.

Don't forget.

You don't need to start a new line to this example that you're about to include.

You need to attach it to the end of a previous sentence.

Just like you can see I have done here on the screen.

If you're struggling to remember a moment from this story, go to the beginning and listen to my summary of the story again.

This appears after the multiple choice question quiz.

Pause the video here to expand on your two sentences and press play when you're ready.

So we've discussed what the writer's purpose may be, but now I want to hear your opinions.

I want you to decide whether you liked or disliked the story.

Choose the sentence starter that applies to you and copy and complete it.

Sentence starter.

One reads.

I like the story because.

Sentence started two reads.

I do not like the story because.

In your explanation as to why you did or didn't like the story, think about all of the things that have made up the story.

Are there any characters you liked or didn't like? What did you think of the plot? What about Morrison's big ideas of segregation, discrimination and colorism? What did they add to the story? Did you find the history behind the story particularly fascinating? Try and explain in as much detail as you can, why you liked or disliked the story.

After that, I want you to use the third sentence starter to explain in one sentence what you think Tony Morrison wants us to learn by reading the story? If there's one thing she wants us to take away from Sweetness's story and think about what would it be? Pause the video here to complete the task and press play when you're ready to resume.

That brings us to the end of this unit on "Sweetness".

You may still have lots of questions about what we have covered today.

That's absolutely fine if you do.

If you need to ask your parents, carers or teachers, some of your questions.

If they don't know the answer, they may be able to help you find sources that can provide you with answers to your questions.

Once again, well done for working so hard today.

I'm really impressed and pleased with all of your efforts.

All you need to do now is to ensure you complete the exit quiz when you click off the video.

Take care, and well done.