by

ANNA SEWELL

WRITER’S BIOGRAPHYBorn into a religious Quaker family.Mostly educated at home.First attended school only at 12.Slipped and severely injured both her ankles.Sadly, never truly recovered and became

lame.Moved around in crutches and horse-drawn

carriages.Contributed to her love for horses and the

humane treatment of horses.

Black Beauty was Anna Sewell’s only novel.

Written mostly when she was sick.Sold to the publishers for only 40 pounds.Broke publishing records and became the

6th bestseller of that time.Unfortunately, Anna died 5 months after

that of hepatitis.Black Beauty is now a children’s classic

though it was originally written for those who worked with horses.

Chapter 13 of Black Beauty sums up Anna’s hopes beautifully:

"There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to other animals as well as humans, it is all a sham."

BACKGROUNDSet during the Victorian era (1837-1901).The reformation of the social classes in

England.The different social classes are portrayed in

the novel.The improved economic status of the middle

class enabled them to afford horses.However, some do not learn how to take care

of horses, thereby leading to the abuse of horses.

Not only did horses provide a means of transportation but very often they were used as labour for a variety of purposes.

As brute labour, they were taken for granted, beaten and abused.

Anna Sewell attacked all these abusive practises in Black Beauty.

SYNOPSISBlack Beauty is a beautiful recount of

the story of a handsome stallion living in Victorian England.

Had a happy childhood in the countryside before being sold to various owners and goes through various hardship and mistreatment.

Survived a horrible stable fire and also a serious illness.

Became a horse for rent and a taxi puller in working class London.

Finally sold to a kind farmer.Retires in peace in the countryside.The novel highlights the issue of

cruelty to animals in Victorian England and remains a relevant issue till today.

The story is told poignantly and remains a heartwarming story till today.

PLACE SETTINGBasically, only two kinds of setting:*Town*Countryside

One which holds good memories

One which holds bad memories

TIME SETTINGSet during the Victorian era (1837-1901) – In England.

PEOPLE SETTINGThe improved economic status of the middle class (Victorian Europeans) enabled them to afford horses .

The reformation of the social classes in England.

The different social classes are portrayed in the novel.

ACTIVITY – FIND & IDENTIFY

AIMSStudents are able to identify the settings in the novel.

 MATERIALS

Paper, Blue Ball Pen STEPS

1. Students were divided into pairs and instruct them to discuss the settings found in the novel.2. Students write down 3 particular settings on the paper..Eg: (a) From:-Place, Time and People Settings

LET’S DISCUSS/EXPLORE

1. Teacher ask any volunteer to read the setting that they

have found in the novel, loudly.

2. Later, teacher discuss the settings with the students.

LET’S EXPLORE Ask students to surf the internet at home to find out “what are the challenges faced by the young people of today’s world…..”