Ethos Education

Respect

by

Assembly Objective:

  • Who do we turn to when we hit rock bottom? In our darkest moments, can faith in God provide help and a way out of trouble? This assembly invites students to consider the words of psalm 40 that speak of God as a rescuer. Students will reflect on the place of confession and forgiveness in dealing with problems, in this case alcoholism.

Film:

  • Respect (MGM, 2021, certificate 12). Click here to buy the DVD online.

Bible:

Supporting Values Education:

  • The values of Respect and Tolerance lead us to accept people as they are. The value of Individual Liberty affirms the right of each individual to make choices that may cause them, or others harm. As a result, we have free will to choose how we respond to the actions of others, but are also subject to the consequences of our actions and theirs. This assembly encourages pupils to consider how to find help and how to help people whose actions are endangering others.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Blindfold Mocktails (game)

In advance of the assembly, assemble two trays of ingredients including fruit juices, soft drinks, chopped fruit, glasses, paper umbrellas and straws. If you have access to cocktail shakers you could also provide these. Print off a recipe for a mocktail from the Drinkaware website or elsewhere online – https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/how-to-reduce-your-drinking/mocktails

Invite two pairs of volunteers to come to the front of the assembly. Blindfold one member of each team. They must then make a drink following instructions from their team-mate within a limited amount of time. Once time is up, taste both drinks (or find a volunteer who is willing to do so!) and award a small prize to the team whose drink is judged the tastiest.

Make the point that in today’s assembly you are going to be watching a clip about someone who had a problem with alcohol. The mocktail activity was fun to watch, but the blindfolds made it chaotic and messy. When it comes to drinking, for some people what begins as fun, or as a form of stress relief, can end up leading to out of control, risky behaviour.

Make students aware of some options available for anyone who feels upset or uncomfortable by today’s topic. This might be because of their own experience of drinking, or because of a family member or friend. Options might include speaking to a teacher or trusted adult, or providing links to Drinkaware (https://www.drinkaware.co.uk) or Al-Anon (https://www.al-anonuk.org.uk).

Or

Alcohol Quiz (quiz)

There is an excellent resource from the Alcohol Education Trust written specifically for use with under-15s. You can find this at:

https://alcoholeducationtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Alcohol-quiz.pdf

FILM CLIP

Play the clip from Respect (MGM, 2021, certificate 12)

  • Start time: 01:55:41
  • End time: 02:03:27
  • Clip length: 7 mins 46 seconds

Aretha Franklin (Jennifer Hudson) staggers on stage drunk and messes up the opening bars of the song Say A Little Prayer. Stumbling to the front of the stage, she loses consciousness and falls off. As the audience strains to see what is happening, her partner, Ken Cunningham, (Albert Jones) tells her he can’t do this any more. The scene then cuts to a distressed-looking Aretha waking up at home surrounded by empty bottles and glasses. She finishes off a few then kneels and tearfully prays “Please, please…”. Through a drunken haze she appears to see her late mother (Audra McDonald) sitting at a piano. Her mother comes over to her, strokes her head, gently removes the bottle from her hand and begins to sing Amazing Grace. Aretha then begins to pray the Lord’s Prayer. Later, Ken returns to the house to find Aretha clearing up the bottles. He joins her in clearing up. We then see Aretha walking down the aisle of a church and being met by musician, James Cleveland (Tituss Burgess), who sees that a change has taken place in her. She sits at the piano and asks the choir, “What y’all wanna sing?”.

TALK

Download the Respect Assembly PowerPoint for use with this talk.

Scripted Talk

  • [PowerPoint slide 1]
    • In today’s assembly we are going to think about the life of Aretha Franklin, the black American soul singer. Aretha Franklin had an extraordinary voice. She began singing as a child in church because her father was a preacher, and her mother was a very good musician. Sadly, Aretha’s mother died when she was only nine years old. Aretha became a highly successful singer, but began drinking heavily, and this caused problems within her family, and made her difficult to work with.
  • [PowerPoint slide 2]
    • Before we watch a clip from the film Respect, I’d like us to imagine what it might be like to be as famous and successful as Aretha was. Think about musicians, YouTubers or influencers you follow. Lots of people want to be successful and rich, but not many people know what it might be like to have that level of fame. People around them find it hard to challenge their behaviour and if they have lots of money, and there is no limit to what they can spend it on, they can end up in difficulty. Just because someone is famous or successful, it doesn’t mean that they don’t still feel sad or hurt by life.
  • [PowerPoint slide 3]
    • Let’s watch the clip from Respect. At the point where we join the story Aretha is at the height of her fame. She is known as the Queen of Soul, but her behaviour is becoming increasingly self-destructive. Watch the clip and pay attention to what happens next.
  • [PowerPoint slide 4]
    • Sometimes we talk about people “falling from grace”. That means they make a mistake or behave in a way that means people no longer have respect for them. They fall out of favour with their friends, family or fans. In the clip, Aretha Franklin literally had a fall. Because she was drunk, she fell off the stage. She also fell from grace. Did you notice how Aretha’s backing singers (her sisters) were looking at her? Did you see how the crowd responded when she mumbled her way through the song? Did you hear what her boyfriend, Ken, whispered to her? (“I can’t do this any more”). Aretha’s fall from grace was very public and very painful.
    • When she woke up the next morning, she was hungover and alone, surrounded by bottles and glasses. Did you notice what she did? She began to pray, and then she imagined that her mother was with her.
  • [PowerPoint slide 5]
    • Let’s stop for a moment and think about what it might feel like to have made such a mess of life. Aretha didn’t need anyone to tell her that she’d messed up. She also didn’t need anyone to tell her that she needed to sort out her life. What she needed was help.
    • If you’ve ever had a fall from grace then maybe you know what that feels like. Perhaps you’ve hurt someone you love and you wish you could take back the cruel words you’ve spoken. Perhaps you’ve caused harm to someone by behaving in a reckless way without thinking through the consequences of your actions. Perhaps you’ve let someone down.
  • [PowerPoint slide 6]
    • Aretha needed help, and when she hit rock bottom, two things happened. Firstly she imagined that her mother was with her, singing the old hymn Amazing Grace, and secondly she began to pray the Lord’s Prayer. Aretha remembered about God, and about how he is there for people who hit rock bottom.
  • [PowerPoint slide 7]
    • There are some words from the Bible that describe quite accurately what happened to Aretha. They are taken from the Psalms, a book of songs that were sung by God’s people in Old Testament times. Psalm 40 says:

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.

  • [PowerPoint slide 8]
    • When everything went wrong for Aretha Franklin she probably felt as though she had fallen down a slimy pit, and had no way of pulling herself back up. The psalm says that God can help people who feel like that, that he pulls us back out of the pit, and sets our feet on solid ground again. Not only that, but it also says that He gives us a new song to sing, and this is what happened to Aretha. After she prayed, she was able to put her life back together again. She went on to record an album of gospel music called Amazing Grace. The album sold over two million copies in America alone. Aretha Franklin won a Grammy for it, and it became the highest-selling live gospel music album of all time.
    • When Aretha Franklin died in 2018, she was known as one of the greatest singers of all time. People who make mistakes and mess up their lives can find help and hope. Hopefully nobody in this assembly has ever fallen off a stage in the middle of a performance, but probably all of us have experienced what it feels like to mess up, and as life goes on you realise that everyone makes mistakes, and all of us need help.
    • When you hit rock bottom, who will be there to help you? When you see someone else messing up their life, will you be the sort of friend who chooses to help them?

Headings and Bullets

Download the Respect Assembly PowerPoint for use with this talk.

  • [PowerPoint slide 1]
    • Aretha Franklin; Black American soul singer with an extraordinary voice.
    • Began singing as a child in church.
    • Sadly, Aretha’s mother died when she was only nine years old.
    • Aretha became very successful, but began drinking heavily, and this caused problems within her family, making her difficult to work with.
  • [PowerPoint slide 2]
    • Imagine being famous and successful. Think about musicians, YouTubers or influencers you follow.
    • Not many people know what it might be like to have that level of fame.
    • People around them find it hard to challenge their behaviour.
    • If they have lots of money, and there is no limit to what they can spend it on, they can end up in difficulty.
    • Just because someone is famous or successful, it doesn’t mean that they don’t still feel sad or hurt by life.
  • [PowerPoint slide 3]
    • Introduce the film clip. Aretha is at the height of her fame.
    • She is known as the Queen of Soul.
    • Her behaviour is becoming increasingly self-destructive. Watch the film clip.
  • [PowerPoint slide 4]
    • Falling from grace. Sometimes we talk about people “falling from grace”.
    • Behave in a way that means people no longer have respect for them.
    • They fall out of favour.
    • Aretha Franklin literally had a fall – because she was drunk, she fell off the stage.
    • She also fell from grace.
    • Reactions of her backing singers (her sisters), the crowd, her boyfriend.
    • Aretha’s fall from grace was very public and very painful.
    • Woke up the next morning hungover and alone, surrounded by bottles and glasses.
    • She began to pray, and then she imagined that her mother was with her.
  • [PowerPoint slide 5]
    • Making a mess of life. Aretha didn’t need anyone to tell her that she’d messed up.
    • Didn’t need anyone to tell her that she needed to sort out her life.
    • What she needed was help.
    • If you’ve ever had a fall from grace then maybe you know what that feels like.
    • Examples: Perhaps you’ve hurt someone you love and you wish you could take back the cruel words you’ve spoken.
    • Perhaps you’ve caused harm to someone by behaving in a reckless way without thinking through the consequences of your actions.
    • Perhaps you’ve let someone down.
  • [PowerPoint slide 6]
    • Two things happened when Aretha hit rock bottom.
    • Firstly she imagined that her mother was with her, singing the old hymn Amazing Grace.
    • Secondly she began to pray the Lord’s Prayer.
    • Aretha remembered about God, and about how he is there for people who hit rock bottom.
  • [PowerPoint slide 7]
    • Psalm 40 describes what happened to Aretha.
    • The Psalms are a book of songs that were sung by God’s people in Old Testament times.

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.

  • [PowerPoint slide 8]
    • The slimy pit. When everything went wrong for Aretha Franklin she probably felt as though she had fallen down a slimy pit, and had no way of pulling herself back up.
    • The psalm says that God can help people who feel like that, that he pulls us back out of the pit, and sets our feet on solid ground again.
    • Not only that, but it also says that he gives us a new song to sing.
    • That’s what happened to Aretha.
    • After she prayed, she was able to put her life back together again.
    • Went on to record an album of gospel music called Amazing Grace.
    • The album sold over two million copies in America alone.
    • Aretha Franklin won a Grammy for it, and it became the highest-selling live gospel music album of all time.
    • When Aretha Franklin died in 2018, she was known as one of the greatest singers of all time.
    • People who make mistakes and mess up their lives can find help and hope.
    • All of us have experienced what it feels like to mess up.
    • Everyone makes mistakes, and all of us need help.

Photo Copyright for Respect PowerPoint: Slide 1 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc / Slide 2 singer Pixabay.com woman with car Pixabay.com Charlize Theron Pixabay.com / Slide 3 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc / Slide 4 Pixabay.com / Slide 5 Pixabay.com / Slide 6 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc / Slide 7 Pixabay.com / Slide 8 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc / Slide 9 Pixabay.com / Slide 10 Pixabay.com 

RESPOND

Prayer

  • [PowerPoint slide 9]
    • When Aretha Franklin prayed, she used the words of The Lord’s Prayer, a prayer Jesus taught his followers. These are the words of the prayer. [If appropriate] Let’s say them together.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

Reflection

  • [PowerPoint slide 10]
    • Aretha Franklin needed to ask for help from God, and she found it. We can ask for help from God too, and there are also people who can help when we mess up.
    • As we finish, take a moment to think about who helps you when you mess up. Can you thank them for being supportive this week?
    • Now think about who you can help. How can you be a supportive friend to them this week?

YOU WILL NEED:

  1. A copy of Respect (MGM, 2021, certificate 12). Click here to buy the DVD online.
  2. Respect Assembly PowerPoint.
  3. Ingredients and utensils for making mocktails (including some towels for the floor and aprons or similar for the mixologists!) plus mocktail instructions from https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/how-to-reduce-your-drinking/mocktails for Opening Activity 1.
  4. PDF quiz from https://alcoholeducationtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Alcohol-quiz.pdf for Opening Activity 2.

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