Lesson video

Hello, hi, welcome.

Thank you for joining me today.

So, this lesson is all about Act 1 of "Small Island." We're going to look at it with the focus of Windrush, what this means, who it impacted, and just make sure that we fully understand the historical context and how this has inspired the themes of the play.

So, shall we get started? So, by the end of the lesson, you will have explored the context of Windrush experiences in relation to "Small Island." So, let's look at the keywords that we need for this lesson.

They are colonization, migrate, indoctrinate, and racism.

Now, colonization is when a country establishes control over another country or multiple countries.

So, an example of this would be Great Britain, which was a huge colonial power.

We get the word migrate, and this is the idea that you relocate from one country to another.

So, if we use "Small Island" as an example, Gilbert migrates from Jamaica to England.

And this word, indoctrinate, comes up today in the lesson.

And if you indoctrinate someone, it's you make them believe something or you can make them feel something or have beliefs about something.

And I guess a less formal synonym would be the word brainwash.

And then finally, racism.

Now, I'm sure you have heard this term before, and are aware of its seriousness.

Now this means discrimination and prejudice against people based on their race or ethnicity.

And "Small Island" is an important text at how it explores this theme.

So, the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to start by exploring Windrush history.

So, what this was, its promises, and expectations.

We're then going to move on to look at some Windrush stories and what the reality was.

So, let's start by looking at Windrush history.

So, the characters in "Small Island" are fictional, but in the context of the play, they're part of the Windrush generation.

So, the Windrush generations are those who arrived in Britain from the Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1973.

So, thinking about "Small Island," Gilbert and Hortense would be part of the Windrush generation.

And the actual term Windrush 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 remember at the end of Act 1, we actually see Gilbert boarding this ship as Hortense waves him off from the docks.

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

Now, Windrush was encouraged by the British governments.

The British government actively encouraged and invited those from Caribbean countries and other citizens of the Commonwealth to fill job vacancies and solve the labor shortage as a result of World War II.

So, the British government actively encouraged people to migrate to Britain.

So, here we have a World War II recruitment poster and the headline from a newspaper.

So, what I want us to think about, is how they give a specific impression of Britain and how they are persuasive.

So, although we're focusing on Windrush, the same thing occurs in the World War II recruitment posters.

And they're both really good examples at looking at how Britain presented itself and how it encouraged migration from those Caribbean countries.

So, look at these images and I'd like you to discuss, what impression do they give of Britain and its relationship to migrants? And what makes them persuasive? Pause a video to give yourself plenty of time to answer those questions.

Or you may just wish to think quietly to yourself.

Off you go.

Excellent discussions, everyone.

There was some really perceptive analysis of the images coming up there, things that I hadn't even thought about myself.

So, really well done.

So, I like that some of you were looking at the images as well as the text as well, excellent.

So, let's look at this first.

So, this image is quite powerful.

So, we get the image of soldiers, and you can see their different ethnicities.

And they're standing side by side, which kind of presents a united front, and the ideology of the Commonwealth that all of these people together under the banner of the British Commonwealth.

And it actually says the word boldly and in capital letters, together.

And again, there's this sense of collective identity, unity, and equality, that everyone is considered equal and unified under the symbol of the British Commonwealth.

Now, in this headline, "WELCOME HOME! Britain greets the sons of Empire," this word home is a really key concept, and especially when we're thinking about the play "Small Island," because it's got this suggestion of belonging and identity.

And it really links to this idea of the mother country, so many citizens of the, many citizens of the Commonwealth looked to Great Britain as home, as its mother country.

And again, the use of the words like sons, it implies family and closeness.

And again, there's this sense of unity.

And the words, welcome and greets, creates an overwhelming picture of positivity and openness.

You know, "Britain greets the sons of Empire." It sounds very open, very welcoming, and very positive.

And when we think about the intentions of the British government to encourage migration, this is a very persuasive, impactful way of doing that.

Okay, true or false.

Britain was presented as united and welcoming.

True, absolutely.

Now, let's look at justifying answers.

Well done, absolutely.

And it was presented as united and welcoming to encourage that migration.

And this was all to alleviate the labor shortage that had occurred as a result of World War II.

So, we're going to look at some nonfiction writing now.

So, Andrea Levy, she was the person that wrote the novel "Small Island," which the play is based on, wrote an essay.

And in this, she describes her parents' experiences and expectations of migration.

So, let's read it through together first.

"My dad had been a passenger on the Empire Windrush ship when it famously sailed into Tilbury in June, 1948, and according to many, changed the face of Britain forever.

My mom came to England on a Jamaica Banana Producer's boat.

It sailed into West India dock on Guy Fawkes Night in the same year, under a shower of fireworks that my mom believed were to welcome her." Now, it's interesting, isn't it? How Levy emphasizes the importance of Windrush, and its impact on Britain and its colonial legacy.

So, it uses the phrase here, "Changed the face of Britain forever." Now, Levy is really interested in British history and historical narratives, and here, she really shows the importance of Windrush in Britain's history.

And then we get this anecdote too about her mother and her sailing into West India dock.

And it's incredibly revealing.

And what this portrays, is that sense of expectation felt by many, this kind of welcome, this huge welcome that she expected to happen.

And the persuasive message from the government, was that migrants would be welcomed home and greeted back to their mother country.

So, you can see why these expectations were there.

We're going to look at another piece of nonfiction.

This time by the writer Winsome Pinnock.

And she wrote the play "Leave Taking," which deals with a lot of similar themes and issues that we see in "Small Island." And in her nonfiction, like Levy, she also describes her parents' experiences and expectations.

So, let's read it through together.

She describes, "They came to Britain on British empire passports in order to find more opportunities for work and advancement.

My parents' generation have been indoctrinated by a colonialist education that lionized all things British.

They celebrated Empire Day, the 24th of May, when their schools distributed British flags and lollipops." So, you can see here Pinnock has used that word there, indoctrinated, which is a really strong word.

And it shows her view that this education that her parents received was really centered on colonial history, on Britain's history, despite them being in school in Jamaica.

So, we also get this first part where they talk about the opportunities for work and advancement.

And many migrants pursued the aspirations of work and career advancements.

And this was presented by the government to persuade people to come.

So, we know that Gilbert, for example, in "Small Island," truly believes that the way he is gonna become a successful lawyer is to move to England.

You know, he says he's gonna go to an English university, which to him, holds such high status.

And again, Hortense sees migration as a way to achieve her ambitions of becoming a teacher.

So, what's interesting about this second part of Pinnock's writing, is how it explains how citizens from Jamaica arrived with a sense of their British identity.

So, we can see that through education, you know, that migrants already felt British.

And also through the fighting for the mother country in World Wars I and II, when 25,000 Caribbeans served with the British troops.

And again, I'm reminded of Gilbert in "Small Island," we know that he goes to fight in World War II, he joins the RAF.

So, he's got this real strong sense of British identity, which was really key in persuading migrants to migrate.

So, quick question for you, Andrea Levy wrote which novel? "Small Island," yes, of course.

Well done, everyone.

So, remember Edmundson wrote the adaptation, the play, but Andrea Levy wrote "Small Island," the original novel.

So, we are onto our first task.

What I would like you to do, is I would like you to complete this grid with the characters and evidence from Act 1.

So, we'll do one together first so you understand what this means.

So, you can see here we have some statements.

So, our first statement is, migrants were presented the idea of being part of a collective cultural identity.

So, which character from "Small Island" might this link to? So, which character can you think of that has this real sense of British cultural identity? Yeah, I thought of Celia too when she's talking about her new life in England.

So, the evidence I put here was that she says, "I will have a lace tablecloth and fine bone-china teacups." 'Cause it really suggests that Celia has this strong sense of her British identity and what it means to be British.

So, I'm gonna hand it over to you to fill in the last few boxes.

Pause the video to give yourself time to do this.

Off you go.

Well done, so let's just have a look at some ways you could have completed this task.

So, you may have something different, that's fine.

Or you can use this as an opportunity to complete the grid.

So, this second one, Britain persuaded people to migrate with the promise of jobs and career advancement.

So, the first answer I have here is Gilbert, and he actually says two or three times, "There's way more opportunities in England." And "England is where the future lies." So, Gilbert is really explicit with this idea that he thinks that, you know, England has the most opportunities, England is the place to be.

Many migrants believe they were going home to the mother country.

So, which character could we think of? Which character from "Small Island" does this make us think of? Hortense, yeah, absolutely.

And she says here, "England will give me a fine welcome." So, she's so sure about this idea of the mother country and her being part of it.

But perhaps you have some other ideas, so let's see some other potential answers that we could have gone for.

So, this first statement which we originally put Celia, migrants were presented the idea of being part of a collective, cultural identity.

So, actually I've put Hortense here because she says that, you know, once she moves to England, she will be a teacher and she will be greeted with manners and respect.

So, this idea that she will be part of this collective British identity.

And I've changed the quote here about migrants believe they were going home to the mother country because Hortense says, "England will be my golden life." So, this idea of going home, this idea of being part of this successful golden life.

Okay, so we are moving on to the second part of the lesson, and this is called Windrush stories: the reality.

We are going to look at another part of Levy's essay.

So, we looked at a part of it in learning cycle one, where she described her parents' expectations and what they hope to achieve through migration.

What we're going to read now is the reality, so what her parents actually faced.

So, let's read that together.

"But once here, they struggled to find good housing.

They had to live in one room for many years.

They had a period of being homeless and then living in half-way housing where my dad was not allowed to stay with his wife and his three children.

In England, the fabled Mother Country that they had learned so much about at school in Jamaica, my parents were poor and working class." So, what Levy describes here is actually the situation that many Windrush migrants faced.

So, despite the promises of work and a better life, the reality was a stark contrast.

And you'll see this represented as you move through this text of "Small Island." So, actually, her parents had moments of homelessness, they were separated as a family.

So, all of these promises just felt like broken promises when her parents arrived.

So, it's a really, they must have felt incredibly disappointed and sad at what was happening.

And again, Levy shows this link between class and race.

So, many migrants just automatically fell to the bottom of the social hierarchy.

So, Levy actually explains in this essay that she came from, her parents came from a very middle class, educated, well-to-do Jamaican family.

But as soon as they arrived in England, they were put to the bottom of the social hierarchy.

So, we can understand that there's this sense of disappointment expressed in the acknowledgement that the ideology of the mother country is a myth, that it is just not true.

And like Pinnock, in the previous piece of nonfiction that we looked at, Levy describes how powerful the education was in Jamaica about making people believe in this idea of a mother country.

So, Pinnock talked about her parents being indoctrinated by a colonial education.

And here, we see Levy, again, talking about what her parents land in school, that the mother country, Great Britain, was this place of, was this place of success and wealth and status for all.

Question time.

What did those in the Windrush generation find when they migrated to Britain post-World War II? A, B, or C? Well done to everyone who said B, hostility.

So, the expectation was that they would see prosperity and status, but actually, as we saw with Levy's description, many migrants were put to the bottom of the social hierarchy and had to deal with things like racism and discrimination.

So, there's this real hostile environment.

Like the narrative of "Small Island," Windrush history is made up of many voices and stories.

Let's read some now.

So, this is Joyce's experience.

"We were invited and encouraged to come and rebuild Britain.

When I arrived, I was shocked at the hostility.

As a nurse, I experienced racism every day and was shocked at how little people knew about their own empire." This is Charles' experience.

"I remember seeing posters saying that the empire needed me and it made me feel important, like I was part of something.

I left with dreams of becoming a lawyer, but when I arrived it was very different." Now, Levy is really interested in the importance of oral histories and stories.

So, those stories spoken by people or shared by people through spoken word.

And she used her parents and other people's experiences to create "Small Island." So, what I would like you to do, is I'd like you to rewrite, read the stories, and discuss, do these stories remind you of any moments in the play? Pause a video so you've got time to discuss your answers.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

There's so many different answers there, which is really great.

I think this could relate to quite a few different moments in the play.

So, let's just share some of those ideas.

So, lots of you picked up on this part, about scene three where Gilbert is asked, I think the full quote is, "What part of Africa are you from?" And he replies, and he's quite cross and he quite rightly so.

And he says, "How come they know nothing about their own empire?" And Joyce describes this experience as well.

And what this is also a reminder of, is the covert and over racism endured by many migrants.

So, the most shocking one is obviously the fight between Gilbert and the GIs in scene three and how he's treated.

And we see Joyce's story here where she's talks about the continual racism that she endured daily.

And then we get Charles' story.

Now, some of you said it reminded you of Hortense at the end of Act 1.

So, she makes a decision to marry as she views the Windrush as an opportunity for a golden life.

So, she links this idea of migration to her aspirations and her ambitions.

She also states, "I cannot be the fool who is left behind again," showing the importance of being part of something.

So, Charles described the idea that he would see these posters, and it made him felt special like he wanted to be part of something.

And Hortense feels this as well, she feels that there is some importance in migrating and moving.

And likewise Gilbert as well also has these aspirations of becoming a lawyer and sees his move to England as his way of achieving his dreams. So, both Edmundson and Levy aim to foreground the voices and stories that are often not heard or absent from historical narratives.

True or false? Andrea Levy used true stories and experiences to influence "Small Island." Well done, everyone that said that was true.

Now, develop your answer further.

That's right, everyone that said B, Levy wanted to foreground the voices and stories of those who are sometimes absent from historical narratives.

Well done, let's keep going.

So, we're onto the second and final practice task.

So, I'd like you to read these three statements and choose one student statement about "Small Island" and annotate it with evidence that agrees with it.

The evidence should be contextual, so the sorts of things that we have been looking at this lesson as well as from the script itself.

So, let's just read through those three statements together.

Levy and Edmundson used the many voices of Windrush history to explore the theme of expectation and reality.

"Small Island" reveals the power of the promises associated with migration.

Levy aims to show how the expectations of Windrush migrants were not met, many face disappointment and shock.

So, choose one of the statements and annotate it with evidence that agrees with it.

As ever, pause the video so you have time to do this.

Great, thank you for your hard work.

So, let's just have a look at some examples here.

So, we can see the evidence for this statement.

So, this student has clearly linked to the play.

So, let's read the statement.

Levy and Edmundson used the many voices of Windrush history to explore the theme of expectation and reality.

So, the first piece of evidence they have, is that Hortense and Gilbert both view England as a way to meet their aspirations.

And Hortense says that England is her golden life, and Gilbert says, "It is where the future lies." And they also refer to Celia from the play.

Celia's expectations reveal that she links migration with class and cultural identity saying she will have fine bone-china teacups.

But what would make this response even better, is if they could link to some contextual information.

So, I'm wondering what contextual information they could link to.

Well, the thing that I thought was some biographical context.

So, here, we're referring to Andrea Levy's nonfiction and her experiences.

So, Levy uses her parents' experience to show how migrants automatically felt to the bottom of the social hierarchy.

So, you can see how by adding some of that contextual information, it can just develop those ideas further.

So, we're at the end of the lesson, well done everybody.

So, it is really interesting to see how this history and how all of these ideas, how they develop throughout the place.

So, as you move on to read Act 2, really think about what Edmundson and Levy are doing with this.

So, we have learned that the Windrush generation are those who arrived from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1973.

The Windrush generation took up jobs in sectors affected by post-World War II labor shortages.

The mother country promise, not only jobs and opportunities, but unity, collective identity, and openness.

Like "Small Island," Windrush history is made up of many voices.

And Levy and Edmundson want to foreground the real experiences and stories of those absent from historical narratives.

Again, well done, everyone.

And thank you for joining me today.

I look forward to seeing you in the next lesson.

Goodbye.