Question

Explain how the setting of the extract contributes to the theme of the novel.

Answer 1

The extract is set in the auditorium of Greenslade School. The school itself is situated in the East End of London and the story is set in the 1940s. The infamous East End is a key aspect reflecting the theme of the novel. Though the extract focuses mainly on the student-teacher relationship, the novel, as a whole, also tackles the issues of racism and prejudice, as experienced by the narrator. In 1940s Britain, racism was quite common. A narrator is a black man who is considered to be an outsider in British society. He is denied a job, treated poorly, and endures discrimination in many ways owing to his black heritage. It is with this bitterness at being left out that Braithwaite enters his new role as a teacher. When he meets the students of Greenslade School, he is shocked by their disrespectful and impolite behaviour. But after studying the neighbourhood in which the students live, he begins to understand their actions. The East End of London has historically been known for overcrowding, crime and poverty, making it an unsuitable environment for growing children. The students’ behaviour is a result of their neighbourhood and most teachers give up on teaching them. Thus, the students are also outsiders to society, just like Braithwaite had been in the eyes of the British. With both being rejected by society, the students and Braithwaite, eventually learn from each other and become better individuals. In this way, the setting of Britain in the 1940s and Greenslade School in the East End of London are significant to the novel’s themes of racism, prejudice and student-teacher relationship.