Starter quiz
- Who is the character of Arthur in 'Small Island"?
- Bernard's father ✓
- Hortense's Father
- Michael's father
- Gilbert's father
- Elwood's father
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- In 'Small Island' Act 1 Scene 2, Bernard explains that his father was in the 'Great War' and suffers from what?
- Trench foot
- Yellow-fever
- Shell shock ✓
- Typhoid
- Gangrene
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- In 'Small Island' which three characters enlist in the RAF?
- Michael ✓
- Elwood
- Bernard ✓
- Mr. Philip
- Gilbert ✓
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- In 'Small Island' what dramatic event is being described at the start of Act 1 Scene 3?
- A chaotic, violent argument in a London street.
- A wild, foreboding hurricane in a Jamaican town.
- A vicious, chaotic fist fight in a cinema. ✓
- A loud, terrifying air raid over Earl's Court.
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- Who is the character that expresses cynicism and challenges the idea of the 'mother country' in the play 'Small Island'?
- Gilbert
- Elwood ✓
- Sergeant Thwaites
- Michael
- Hortense
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- How does Elwood's view of the war contribute to the broader themes of colonialism in 'Small Island'?
- He supports the idea of collective identity.
- He challenges the myth of a united colonial identity. ✓
- He encourages enlistment in the RAF.
- He promotes the British Empire's ideologies.
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Exit quiz
- What does the use of the term 'pathos' refer to?
- Lack of purpose or feeling of pointlessness.
- The appeal to an audience's emotions of pity or sorrow. ✓
- A former member of the armed forces.
- A sense of pride in your country.
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- How does Gilbert perceive Arthur's gaze in Act 1 Scene 3 of 'Small Island'?
- As a sign of camaraderie
- With indifference
- As fixated on the color of his skin ✓
- As a gesture of respect
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- In 'Small Island' how is Arthur killed?
- He accidentally gets hit by one of the G.I.s
- A military policeman shoots him. ✓
- A G.I shoots him as he tries to run away.
- Gilbert throws him to the floor to try and protect him.
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- Complete this quote from 'Small Island'. Gilbert: "How come they know nothing about their own__________?"
- 'empire' ✓
- In 'Small Island', Gilbert breaks the fourth wall to the tell the audience about his experiences enlisting in the RAF. This is an example of what dramatic technique?
- 'Direct address' ✓
- In 'Small Island' Act 1 Scene 3, multiple characters are involved in the cinema incident. Which of these offers the most sophisticated and relevant inference?
- This shows how most people are willing to get involved in a fight.
- This portrays that lots of people have discriminatory attitudes.
- This represents how racism is damaging to all in society. ✓
- This reveals the violence inherent in humans.
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Pathos is created when Arthur is shot - he is an innocent victim of this incident.
- As a WW1 veteran, Arthur dies in a violent incident at home rather than enjoying the freedom and safety he fought for.
- Arthur is characterised as more open-minded than his son, showing that racism is not just a generational issue.
- Arthur's death shows that racism is deeply damaging to society as a whole.
Common misconception
That segregation only happened in the United States.
This in the most part is true and Britain certainly didn't have any segregation laws. However, as we see in the play, some individuals and institutions still upheld these ideas of segregation.
Keywords
Pathos - a literary device that evokes feelings of pity or sorrow
Futility - total lack of purpose or feeling that something is pointless or useless
Jim crow laws - laws in the United States from the 19th and 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation
Veteran - a former member of the armed forces
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