1. How to earn AO4 marks. How the writers were influenced by what was happening in their own times. Essay questions (40 minute 20 marks) Of Mice and Men An Inspector Calls Silas Marner A Christmas Carol

2. Social, cultural, and historical contexts (AO4) 5 – 8 marks: make simple comments on textual background. 10-11 marks: show a limited awareness of social/cultural and historical contexts. ASK: what does the time/place explain about actions/characters/events in the text ? 12- 14 marks: begin to be aware how social/cultural and historical context is relevant to understanding the text ASK: what does the time/place explain about actions/characters/events in the text ? how they think ! 15-20 marks: begin to see how texts have been influential – relates to people – how they think !

3. Context Issues You Must Address Historical Events: Unemployment – caused by Wall Street Crash Unemployment/loss of homesteads – caused by the Dust Bowl Migrant Workers – moving around, affected them capacity to ‘settle down’, have families American Dream – idea from anecdotes of a few successful individuals, gave others hope.

4. ‘Of Mice and Men’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yg_ddv 7vZk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yg_ddv 7vZk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUKpo7LY 8T4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUKpo7LY 8T4 Capital letters for the Great Depression 1930s Capitals letters for the American Dream Capital letters for the Dust Bowl

5. Women – all texts Female characters – usually divided into two or three main groups – homely, ’nice’ wife, practical, hard-working, chaste – ‘tart’, unmarried, unmarriable ! Wears make-up, revealing clothes, not a virgin, independent – new woman, has her own dreams, is not looking for a husband – often confused with ‘tart’ image List female characters – group them across the texts: what do they have in common ?

6. Black People, Poor People texts shows lives of ‘under-class’ at that time! Black people – Crooks – fewer legal rights, living conditions, treatment, words:‘nigga’, segregation The Cratchits – workers rights, abused by employers, poverty effects on e.g. health Eva Smith – woman & poor – employment rights, viewed by police e.g. rape, prostitutes, unmarried mothers, charity, snobbery Marner – outside the church, townie, weaver, his fits – superstition; The Cass Family – moral expectations of the upper class – assumes Eppie better off with money than love.

7. Other texts on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb5vLnFv wdI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb5vLnFv wdI Youtube An Inspector Calls context https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlUbi1Mb EF0 – summary of Silas Marner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlUbi1Mb EF0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4hkTrA NR1Y – Christmas Carol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4hkTrA NR1Y

8. Exemplar sentences America in the 1930s has few legal rights in California at that time Steinbeck uses names to sum up or indicate something important about each character. Crooks’s name indicates/sums up not just his physical appearance - Crooks’s back is described as being ‘crooked’ - but also how many white people saw black people in America in the 1930s; ‘crooked’ also mean ‘criminal’ or dishonest as if Crooks is a law breaker. However, it is Crooks who has few legal rights in California at that time: notice the way Carlson just takes his gun without asking. Steinbeck could be ironically drawing attention to the ‘crooked deal’ Crooks receives/suffers by the way he is treated.