Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 9 English Guides

Year 9 - English

'Small Island': reading Act 2, Scenes 2 to 4

'Small Island'

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore the playtext adaptation of Andrea Levy's novel 'Small Island'. They first explore the transition from novel to stage, before reading the playtext in full and exploring key scenes in detail. They then plan and write an essay on the theme of 'hope' in the text.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain and discuss the events of Act 2, Scenes 2 to 4.

Key Notes

  • Miss Todd, much like Bernard, represents the racist and outdated attitudes present in society.
  • Edmundson includes brutal dialogue, to show the racial slurs and abuse endured by Gilbert and Hortense.
  • Hortense and Gilbert see important characters from their lives which allows the audience to see their internal thoughts.
  • Edmundson explores the concept of home and belonging.
  • Edmundson foregrounds the emotional experiences of the Caribbean diaspora.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • facetious: using humour to comment or remark on a serious issue
  • mind's eye: what you see in your imagination
  • genteel: associated with a high social class and meant to show exaggerated politeness and respectability
  • depersonalise: to remove from a person the qualities that make them; to take away someone's identity
  • turmoil: a state of confusion or uncertainty

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The Windrush generation entered Britain illegally.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Miss Todd, much like Bernard, represents the racist and outdated attitudes present in society. Edmundson includes brutal dialogue, to show the racial slurs and abuse endured by Gilbert and Hortense.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'facetious'

using humour to comment or remark on a serious issue.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: The Windrush generation entered Britain illegally. Correction: Those coming from the British Commonwealth were considered citizens. Migrants like Hortense and Gilbert were actively encouraged to believe that Britain was their 'home'.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 9 English guide library.