Lesson video

"Sweetness" by Toni Morrison.

This short story is both extremely powerful and very emotional.

It's a story about love, division, guilt and the bond between mother and daughter.

It's a story about race, a story which will challenge us and force us to consider the way we look at society from a different perspective.

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, write them down as they appear and ask your parents, carers or teachers.

If they don't know the answer themselves, they may be able to help you find the answer from a different source.

We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves on important matters like racial inequity.

Hello everyone, my name is Mr. Pryke and welcome to this first lesson on Toni Morrison's 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 begin.

We'll begin today by asking ourselves the question, what is segregation? We're also going to discuss and look at the history of racial discrimination.

This will help us understand how segregation is explored in the short story of "Sweetness." We'll end the lesson by looking at colorism.

If you aren't sure what any of these terms mean yet, don't worry.

The lesson will cover all of them to help us understand the big ideas explored in "Sweetness." Remember, you may want a parent or carer nearby as you complete this lesson to help answer any questions you may have.

To understand some of the ideas and themes behind Toni Morrison's "Sweetness," we need to understand the term segregation.

What exactly is segregation? The word segregation means the action or state of setting someone or something apart from others.

This is demonstrated by the diagram you can see on your screen.

One box has been set apart from the other boxes.

And so it has been segregated.

A synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same thing as another word or phrase in the same language.

Synonyms for segregation then are divide, isolate and set apart.

Use these synonyms to help you whilst we look at some examples of the word segregation in a sentence.

Segregation is a noun, meaning it's a thing.

Segregate then a verb, an action.

Let's look at the term, segregate in some sentences.

Sentence one, it is necessary to segregate some waste for recycling.

Sentence two.

After the two children began to fight their parents were forced to segregate them to ensure no one was hurt.

Sentence three.

In the hospital, those who were sick had to be segregated from those who were healthy.

In each sentence, we see an example of people or items being divided and separated.

Look how easily we could change the word segregate to keep or set apart.

For example, after the two children began to fight their parents were forced to keep them apart to ensure no one was hurt.

In the hospital, those who were sick had to be set apart from those who are healthy.

With this in mind then let's see if you can remember the definition of segregation.

Pause the video here and copy it and complete the definition of segregation.

When you're ready, press play to find out the answer.

Well done.

Segregation means, the action or state of setting someone or something apart from others.

Give yourself a tick for every word you remembered correctly.

Please don't worry if your definition is incorrect, but you may want to pause the video here to make any corrections before moving on.

A lot of our lesson today revolves around the word segregation.

So it's really important that you understand it before moving on.

Of course, the examples of segregation I showed you just a moment ago, would seem to be necessary.

It's important for example, that those who are sick are sometimes placed apart from those who are healthy.

And if two people are going to fight, then of course they would be divided.

However, historically segregation has been used as a form of discrimination.

Discrimination means unjust or harmful treatment of other people primarily because of their race, age, sexuality or gender, although this harmful treatment isn't just limited to these four things.

If you discriminate against someone, you treat them unjustly because you perceive them to be different to you, whatever that difference is.

Toni Morrison's short story "Sweetness," deals with ideas of racial discrimination.

If someone racially discriminates, it means they are treating someone unjustly or harmfully because of the colour of their skin.

Before we read the opening of "Sweetness," let's look briefly at the history of racial discrimination in America, the place where the story is set.

Before we begin it's to remember that although we're looking at examples of racial discrimination in America, this can happen and has happened all over the world.

Racial discrimination is not limited to just one place.

The reason we're looking specifically at America as an example is because the short story that we'll be reading in a moment is set there.

In the United States, there is a document known as the constitution.

This was written in the 17 hundreds, a long time ago.

It's a little like a set of laws and is the source of all government powers.

It also ensures there are some limitations on the government's power in order to protect the rights of US citizens.

When it was written, the constitution said that all men are created equal and that everyone is provided with unbreakable rights by God.

However, the constitution allowed people to be enslaved and this was not changed until the American Civil War.

Even after slavery was outlawed, black Americans were not given the same rights and opportunities as white Americans.

For example, some states started passing laws that segregated black and white people in public places.

Remember, to segregate means to keep apart.

This means that black children were not allowed to attend the same school as white children.

Black people were only allowed to use allocated park benches or sit in designated seats on public transport or use different water fountains.

Restaurants and diners too, would only allow black people to sit in certain areas if they were allowed in at all.

In some areas of America, black people were not allow to vote for who their next president would be.

And in other areas they could only vote if they were able to read or write.

These examples, show the extreme segregation and discrimination that took place.

These laws that enforced segregation were mostly overruled in the 1960s.

Although this does not mean the prejudice treatment of black Americans just ended.

In fact, racial prejudice still exists today.

With that in mind, I'd like you to complete this next activity.

Write down four things you have learned from the information we have just gone through.

Try and write in full sentences if you can.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to resume.

Brilliant.

Let's have a look at some of the answers.

There's lots you could have had here.

Here are just some of the answers that you may have put down.

Discrimination means unjust or harmful treatment of other people primarily because of their race, age, sexuality, or gender, but it's definitely not limited to just these things.

The US constitution, written in the 17 hundreds, is like a set of laws and is the source of all government powers.

The constitution allowed people to be enslaved.

Even after slavery was outlawed, black Americans were not given the same rights and opportunities as white Americans.

Some states passed laws that segregated black and white people in public places, such as in parks, on public transport and in restaurants.

Racial prejudice still exists today.

You may have some other answers too, which is absolutely fine.

However, these are the key elements I think we all need to remember.

If you feel as if you need to, watch the explanation of the history of segregation and discrimination in America again so that you can strengthen your knowledge of this topic.

When you're ready, move on to the next activity.

So we're going to discuss the effects of prejudice now.

Before we do that, I want to revise some knowledge of our key terms. I have some multiple choice questions for you to complete.

I'm going to read the question and present you with four options.

If you need to pause the video to select the correct option and then press play to hear the answer.

Question one.

What word means the act of setting someone or something apart from others? Is it discrimination, segregation, colorism or constitution? Pause the video if you need to to make your choice and press play when you're ready.

Well done.

It's option two, segregation.

The act of setting someone or something apart from others is segregation.

Question two.

What word means unjust or harmful treatment of other people based on a perceived difference? Is the answer constitution, isolation, discrimination or racism.

Pause the video here and make your choice.

Well done.

The unjust or harmful treatment of other people based on a perceived difference is known as discrimination.

Question three.

What word means a set of laws according to which a country is governed? Is the answer constitution, government, court or amendment? Pause the video here and make your choice.

Brilliant work.

The answer is constitution.

A constitution is a set of laws according to which a country is governed.

Brilliant work.

We've talked about discrimination and segregation.

These two things are born from prejudice.

Prejudice means to have a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.

In other words, judging someone before actually getting to know them.

In the story we're going to read today, the main character who is called Sweetness talks about how black people in her community experienced prejudice because of the colour of their skin.

They are judged for being black.

She says who they really are, their thoughts, their feelings, their characteristics do not matter because they've already been judged solely by the colour of their skin.

Prejudice that is deep rooted in a society can have many negative effects on a community of people who have that prejudice directed towards them.

Those who have been prejudiced against, are more likely to experience poverty because they may be denied the right to work.

They may be denied the right to adequate housing and the right to high standards of healthcare.

Experiencing prejudice and discrimination on a constant basis means that people might start believing what is being said about them.

They internalise what is said about them and believe it to be true.

This means they take on what is being said and will make the attitudes and behaviour directed towards them part of their own behaviour.

Let's look now at the personal effects of prejudice.

Pause the video here and answer these three questions.

What might someone who has experienced prejudice be thinking? What might someone who has experienced prejudice be feeling? And what might someone who's experienced prejudice be experiencing? Present your ideas as full sentences or as notes.

It's completely up to you.

If you need help, watch the part of the video where prejudice is explained again to help you understand what it is.

Press play when you're ready to resume.

Well done.

As someone who's not experienced prejudice to the extent that others have, I can't give you an answer to this question from my own perspective.

Let's look then at someone who has experienced the effects of prejudice in their life to find out what they might be thinking, feeling, imagining and experiencing.

Claudette Colvin is someone who has not only experienced prejudice, but challenged it too.

She was only 15 years old when she refused to move to the back of a bus and give up her seat for a white person.

The bus driver ordered Colvin to the back of the bus but Colvin observed that she had paid for her ticket and it was her right to sit there.

She was arrested.

On the day of her arrest, Colvin had been discussing the laws that enforced segregation.

In interviews, Colvin talks about how laws were so discriminatory that black people were not even allowed to try on clothes.

To buy shoes, Colvin was forced to draw a diagram of her foot on a brown paper bag and take it to the store.

Having discussed these laws, Colvin felt she had to take a stand against this segregation, and so refuse to move from her seat.

Colvin has talked about how her experiences made her feel scared, angry and upset.

However, Colvin has also spoken about how she felt defiant saying she was not going to walk off the bus voluntarily citing black leaders like Harriet Tubman, a woman who led more than 70 enslaved people to freedom, and Sojourner Truth, an enslaved woman who became a women's rights activist as her inspiration for challenging the prejudicial views being directed towards her.

Colvin says she felt trapped but she stood up for her rights, an act which would later be echoed by a woman called Rosa Parks, who also refused to give up her seat for a white person.

The emotions of anger, sadness, fear, defiance and a feeling of being trapped are important to consider because they appear in the story "Sweetness." Sweetness is the name of the character from whose perspective the story is told.

Let's think about the term perspective before we consider how segregation and discrimination are explored in "Sweetness." The word perspective means, a point of view.

To describe a point of view, writers will use first, second and third person.

When we speak in what is known as the first person, we're talking about ourselves, our experiences, feelings, opinions and thoughts.

Writers will use first person, so we hear the internal thoughts and feelings of a character.

We go on their journey with them and they're only allowed to experience what they experience.

A first person perspective is easy to identify from the writer's use of first person pronouns like I, me, my and we.

A second person perspective belongs to the person who is being addressed.

For example, a sentence could read, it wasn't long before you arrived back at the house.

Stories written in second person exist, but they are not as common as narratives written from a first or third person perspective.

Possibly, because it's very difficult to write a story which talks to the reader the entire way through.

A second person perspective is evident from the use of second person personal pronouns, like you, yours and yourself.

A third person perspective belongs to the person or people being talked about.

Lots of stories use a third person perspective.

This is where a narrator will describe what the characters do and say.

Although readers are not invited into a character's inner thoughts, the narrator will describe what is going on and what people are thinking and feeling.

For example, Matt felt drowsy and was looking forward to a long rest.

"Sweetness" then is an example of a story written in first person.

Remember, in this kind of narrative, a reader is inside a character's head watching a story unfold through that character's eyes.

This means that readers see events from the point of view of Sweetness and as such hear her thoughts and feelings.

We hear of her experiences of discrimination, and this is something she talks about at the very beginning of the story.

There are some moments however, where second person is used, as we'll see Sweetness is talking to someone in the story, whether that's us as a reader or someone else in the story.

Let's complete an activity.

Are these sentences in first or second or third person? Pause the video here to make your choice.

But let me read the sentences to you first.

Sentence one.

You spoke that day, like you were angry or upset although you would never admit to it.

Sentence two.

Daniel glanced along the line of people, his eyes darting back and forth, his nerves beginning to build.

Sentence three.

I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, panting like a dog.

Are these sentences written in first, second or third person? Pause the video here, make your choice, and then press play when you're ready to resume.

Well done.

Let's go through the answers.

Sentence one reads, you spoke that day like you were angry or upset although you would never admit to it.

This is a second person perspective because it belongs to the person who is being addressed.

Sentence two reads, Daniel glanced along the line of people, his eyes darting back and forth, his nerves beginning to build.

This is a third person perspective.

The narrator is describing what the characters are doing and saying.

Sentence three reads, I ran as fast as my legs would carry me panting like a dog.

This is a first person perspective.

We hear the experiences, the feelings, the opinions and the thoughts of the character themselves.

Give yourself a tick for everything you got correct.

Now that we know a little bit about the historical background and perspective of "Sweetness," let's look at the story itself.

"Sweetness" is the story of a light-skinned black woman who gives birth to a black child who has much darker skin than her.

The story chronicle Sweetness's feelings of fear and prejudice towards her daughter as she watches her grow.

You may be thinking these are strange things for a mother to feel towards her daughter, but all will become clear as we progress through the story.

We're not going to read the whole of the opening today.

Just the beginning where the narrator talks of the segregation she has self has heard about and experienced.

Readers come to know the narrator by the name of Sweetness.

Sweetness is African-American and before this extract begins, she talks about her mother and father, how they are light-skinned black people and therefore have not experienced the same level of discrimination as others like Claudette Colvin.

In this extract, Sweetness talks not only about discrimination, but colorism too.

And the fact that many black people in her community group themselves according to how light-skinned or dark-skinned they are.

As we will see in the story, Sweetness believes to be a light-skinned black person is better because that means a reduced likelihood of discrimination.

Let's read the story.

"Some of you probably think it's a bad thing to group ourselves according to skin colour, the lighter the better, in social clubs, neighbourhoods, churches, sororities, even coloured schools.

But how else can we hold on to a little dignity? How else can we avoid being spit on in a drugstore, elbowed at the bus stop, having to walk in the gutter to let whites have the whole sidewalk, being charged a nickel at the grocer's for a paper bag that's free to white shoppers? Let alone all the name calling.

I heard about all of that and much much more.

But because of my mother's skin colour, she wasn't stopped from trying on hats or using the ladies room in the department stores.

And my father could try on shoes in the front part of the shoe store, not in a back room.

Neither one of them would let themselves drink from a coloured only fountain, even if they were dying thirst." Pause the video here to complete your task.

I would like you to list the examples of discrimination that you've just heard in the extract.

Present your ideas as a mind map or bullet point list.

See if you could find a minimum of three examples.

Press play when you're ready to resume and we'll go through the answers.

Brilliant.

Let's think about the answers we could have had.

You may have picked up more than what you see on your screen here.

So if you have answers that I haven't mentioned, please don't worry.

Here are some of the examples of discrimination that you could have picked up on.

Sweetness notes how black people in her community have been spit on and elbowed at the bus stop.

She talks of how black people are forced to walk in the gutter so that white people have the entire sidewalk, another word for pavement.

Other examples of discrimination include being charged for things that are free for white people.

Black people are called names or not able to try on shoes at the front of the store and are not able to use toilets in the department store.

Sweetness, also notes how black people have designated water fountains.

They are not allowed to drink from the same fountains as white people.

There's one aspect of the extract I just read to you that may need further explanation.

Let's read this section again.

"Some of you probably think it's a bad thing to group ourselves according to skin colour, the lighter the better, in social clubs, neighbourhoods, churches, sororities, even coloured schools." In this extract, Sweetness speaks of how black people in her community group themselves according to skin colour.

Sweetness says, "The lighter the better." Using everything we've discussed today, pause the video and think about why this might be the case.

Why are black people in social clubs, neighbourhoods, churches and schools grouping themselves according to skin colour? And why does Sweetness say, "The lighter the better?" You don't need to write anything down here.

Just have a think about why this might be the case.

When you're ready, press play to resume the video.

What Sweetness is describing is something known as colorism.

Colorism is prejudice or discrimination against individuals who are dark-skinned, typically but not exclusively, among people of the same ethnic or racial group.

Colorism roots itself in the idea that if you are light-skinned, you have a higher social class.

This links back to social status amongst slaves, where how slaves and field slaves saw each other as different because they were treated differently to each other by their white owners.

Dark skin was seen as less beautiful and dangerously different.

Colorism is a by-product of racism, meaning it comes from it.

One way to think about colorism is to see it as a result of living in racist societies.

If you experience racism and prejudice all the time, you might start to repeat these ideas yourself.

This is called internalising racism.

This means you might start to believe racist ideas about yourself or people from your own racial background.

In some countries and cultures, colorism has also been associated with social class.

For example, if one was of a low class, they would complete manual labour, meaning physical work.

Farming is an example of manual labour.

Whites peasants, meaning those of a very low social class, became tanned as they worked outdoors.

The privileged or those of a high social class, had lighter complexions because they did not work outdoors.

Therefore, dark skin was linked with lower classes and light skin with the higher classes and the rich.

Colorism is still a problem today.

On TV, in films, in magazines and on the internet, lighter skinned people are more likely to be visible.

We've read today's extracts with discrimination in mind.

Now let's read it again with colorism in mind.

"Some of you probably think it's a bad thing to group ourselves according to skin colour, the lighter the better, in social clubs, neighbourhoods, churches, sororities even coloured schools.

But how else can we hold on to a little dignity?" Sweetness is saying that in social clubs, neighbourhoods, churches and black schools, black people group themselves according to whether they are light-skinned or dark-skinned.

Sweetness says, "The lighter the better," maybe because light-skinned black people are less likely to experience racial discrimination and prejudice than dark-skinned black people.

This tells us that Sweetness and others in her community are eager to pass as white.

Not only that, but light-skinned black people do not want to be seen with dark-skinned black people.

Notice how Sweetness challenges whoever she's talking to, whether it's us as the reader or someone else.

"Some of you probably think it's a bad thing to group ourselves according skin colour." Sweetness argues that grouping according to skin colour is a way to try and avoid being discriminated against.

"How else can we avoid being spit on in a drugstore, elbowed at the bus stop, having to walk in the gutter to let whites have the whole sidewalk, being charged a nickel at the grocer's for a paper bag that's free to white shoppers? Let alone all the name calling.

I heard about all of that and much much more." By avoiding being seen with dark-skinned black people, Sweetness is an example of how colorism affects her community.

She has lived with prejudice and discrimination for so long and being told that to be a black person is to be a lower class citizen.

She has come to believe it herself and voices these thoughts and feelings to other black people in her community, even though she is black herself.

The final part of today's extract reads.

"But because of my mother's skin colour she wasn't stopped from trying on hats or using the ladies room in the department stores.

And my father could try on shoes in the front part of the shoe store, not in a back room.

Neither one of them would let themselves drink from a coloured only fountain, even if they were dying of thirst." Here, we see Sweetness's mother passing as white.

This means she was so light-skinned, some people did not realise she was black.

She is a light-skinned black person and so does not experience the same discrimination as other black people.

This shows why colorism exists.

Sweetness is saying how light-skinned black people will do anything to avoid being discriminated against, even if that means ignoring and casting aside other black people in their community.

Here's your final task.

I would like you to answer the following question.

Why would it have been seen to be beneficial to have lighter skin in the time the story "Sweetness" is set? Use the following terms in your answer.

Segregation, discrimination, colorism, and internalised racism.

If something is beneficial, it means it will result in something good.

In other words I'm asking, what privileges might one receive by being a light-skinned black person as opposed to a dark-skinned black person in the time the story is set? If you need to, feel free to use the sentence starter you can see on your screen.

If you do not feel as if you can use all of the terms in your answer, don't worry, but try and use as many as possible.

If you need help, consider watching the video again from the what is colorism slide and take notes as you listen to help you answer this question.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to resume.

Let's have a look at some example answers.

Remember, if you have something different to what you see on your screen, please don't worry.

See if you can spot any similarities between the answer on your screen and your own answer.

And give yourself a tick if you spot any.

An acceptable answer might read, It would have been beneficial to have lighter skin in the time the story "Sweetness" is set, because we are told how dark-skinned black people are discriminated against.

People were spit on and were forced to pay money for things that were free for white people.

This is an acceptable answer because it shows clearly that the person who has written it understands what discrimination means and has also offered a few examples to prove this is the case.

A good answer might read, it would have been beneficial to have lighter skin in the time the story "Sweetness" is set because not only were dark-skinned black people discriminated against by white people, they were also looked down upon by light-skinned black people, something which is known as colorism.

As such, sweetness talks about how light-skinned black people segregate themselves from dark-skinned black people, hoping to pass as white and to avoid any unwanted attention.

This is a good answer because it uses more of the terms that I asked you to use.

The answer demonstrates that the person who has written it understands what discrimination, colorism and segregation are and also links these ideas back to the story.

Having completed today's lesson, you may still have lots of questions about what we have covered today.

That's absolutely fine and perfectly natural.

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

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

Well done for working so hard today.

I'm incredibly impressed with all of your efforts.

Next time, we'll continue reading the story and find out how issues of segregation, prejudice and colorism have affected Sweetness's love for her own daughter.

Don't forget to complete the exit quiz when you click off the video.

Take care and I look forward to seeing you next time.