Lesson video

Hello and welcome.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

I'm Mrs. Butterworth, and I am really looking forward to today's lesson because we are looking at a speech by Emmeline Pankhurst called "Freedom or Death." Just by the title alone, you can tell how powerful and evocative this speech is, so it's a really great one to read and explore.

And we're going to be doing this thinking about a writer's perspective and how we identify it.

Sounds great, doesn't it? Let's get started.

So in this lesson, you will identify a writer's perspective and how this is presented through language choices.

But let's look at those all important keywords that will pop up throughout the lesson and help with our understanding.

So these keywords are gist, archaic, militant, slogan, and autonomy.

Some interesting words there.

So gist, when we talk about the gist of a text, it's basically the idea or essence of the text.

So it's often brief or in a simplified form.

So today when we look at an extract, we're gonna think about how we get the gist of it.

We're also going to be looking at a text that is archaic, and this means something that's outdated or old fashioned, or it could just mean, yeah, something that's from the past, so archaic is old.

And Emmeline Pankhurst's "Freedom of Death" speech definitely uses archaic language.

We're also going to be using this word militant.

So as I said at the start, this speech is really powerful.

And Emmeline Pankhurst uses the word militant a lot, and this means to be forceful, determined, and extreme, sometimes even aggressive, and you'll see this in her speech and the way she presents it.

We're also gonna be thinking about the word slogan, and a slogan is a memorable phrase used by a person, group, or company to convey a message.

So very often, companies use slogans to advertise or to convey what their business is all about, if you like.

And autonomy.

So autonomy is a really important word 'cause autonomy is about having the freedom and independence to make your own decisions without being controlled by others.

So autonomy is a really important word when we're thinking about politics and people and having this autonomy.

Okay, so the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to start by reading the speech "Freedom or Death," and then we're going to move on and look at this speech in a bit more detail, exploring and discussing language choices.

So, let's start with that reading of the "Freedom or Death" speech.

So we have some interesting images here, and I'd like you to discuss and really have a look at these images.

What is happening in these images? What might their perspective be towards women's rights? And what does the slogan "deeds not words" suggest? So pause the video to give yourself time to look at those images and discuss those questions.

Okay, get ready to pause the video, and off you go.

Great, some really interesting perceptive things happening there.

Lots of you talking about the suffragette movement, the protest element of here, that women are fighting for a cause.

Obviously, lots of you identified the perspective they might feel quite strongly or passionately about women's rights and feel strongly about women's equality as well.

And the "deeds not words," lots of you picked up on the idea that this slogan is quite extreme, isn't it? Or it's quite really advocating for action, is it, "deeds not words." So it's like we're done talking, we want action.

So it's a really powerful, strong slogan.

So, as I said at the start of the lesson, this lesson explores a speech by Emmeline Pankhurst.

And I just want to remind us if we know already, or tell you if you don't know already, who she was.

So in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many women started to campaign for women's rights, particularly women's rights to vote.

So we saw that in the images there, those protests, those campaigns for these, what women were saying were basic rights, they should be allowed to vote and have a say in what happens in their country.

And Pankhurst, Emmeline Pankhurst, was a renowned member of the suffragettes.

And we've looked at this, that their motto was "Deeds Not Words," or their slogan was "Deeds Not Words." And their protests became more violent, okay? And this is sometimes not very well known about the suffragettes, that they were quite extreme in their actions.

So they would break windows, they would handcuff themselves to railings, and sometimes even go on hunger strikes as quite extreme methods, which is quite interesting when we think about the suffragettes and maybe the knowledge that we already have.

Okay, so, question time.

Suffragists and suffragettes protested for, you need to pick an answer, A, B, C, or D.

Okay, so let's see how much you remember.

That's right, it's B, women's right to vote.

Well done everyone that got that answer correct.

So we've thought a bit about the focus of our extract today, Emmeline Pankhurst and the suffragettes, but we also are focusing in this lesson on a writer's perspective.

So I just want us to think about what is a writer's perspective? Now, a writer's perspective is the writer's unique point of view and the beliefs, values, and experiences that shape the way they perceive and interpret the world.

So in a lot of non-fiction texts, we will see quite a clear perspective coming through.

So whether that's the writer's beliefs or values or their point of view and experiences, we can definitely start to identify this and see this in those texts.

And identifying a writer's perspective involves understanding the underlying motivations, assumptions, and attitudes that influence their writing.

So in today's speech, we are focusing on Emmeline Pankhurst.

So if we think about her motivations, we know that she was motivated to campaign for women's rights.

We know that she felt quite strongly about this.

We know that she lived in a time where gender equality was just not even considered and there was much disparity between men and women.

So we can rely on all this information to start identifying that writer's perspective.

You know, what has motivated them? What is their attitude towards the subject? Okay, so, what I would like you to do is I would like you to discuss the following questions using this information and your own contextual knowledge.

So like I just did a little bit in the last slide, you're going to have a go at doing that now.

So Emmeline Pankhurst's "Freedom or Death." So this speech was delivered in Hartford, Connecticut, on November the 13th, 1913.

So the questions are: What do the words freedom or death suggest about Pankhurst's attitude towards women's rights? And how does the title express the intentions of the suffragette movement? And finally, how might the date influence the attitudes and values expressed, okay? So there's a little bit of contextual information there, but we can get lots of great stuff from that.

So what I'd like you to do is I'd like you to discuss those questions using that information and any contextual knowledge that you already have, okay? Lots to do, so make sure you pause the video to give yourself plenty of time to discuss those questions.

You may wish to think quietly to yourself or even jot down a few ideas.

Okay, everyone ready to go? Fab, okay.

Pause the video and off you go.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful discussions.

It's really interesting, isn't it, that just from that small piece of information, we can start to make lots of predictions, we can start to really intelligently speculate about what's going to be in the text, as well as drawing some conclusions already about perspective, about attitudes.

So that small piece of information and your contextual knowledge are really important because there's so much to discuss already and we haven't even started to read the main body of the text, great.

So, lots of you picked up on the words freedom or death and how they are quite strong and extreme words.

And it also really reflects Pankhurst's very dedicated, motivated, and passionate attitude towards women's rights.

So we can get that just from those words, can't we? Freedom or death really helps us already to begin to understand what Pankhurst's attitude is.

And likewise, this really links to the intentions of the suffragette movement.

They want freedom, they want, as women, to be allowed to vote, the freedom to vote, the autonomy to make choices about their country and their futures.

So I think that title, "Freedom or Death," really expresses that intention as well, that this is what they want and this is how they're going to get it.

We've also got the date, 1913.

So again, we can start to think about the attitudes and values.

So if we think this is about women's rights to vote, we know that in 1913, there were very different societal expectations of women, very different attitudes towards gender equality, so we can expect to find those things being explored in a text from 1913.

So the attitudes and values are going to differ to what we would expect to see in a text from 2024, for example.

So we're going to start exploring the speech now.

And when reading archaic or longer text, they can sometimes feel difficult to understand, can't they? I know I've been there when I've got a really old text and it can sometimes just feel quite daunting, overwhelming, and almost as if it was written in a different language.

But I promise you, with a bit of practice, it gets much easier.

And something that you can do is you can try skimming and scanning.

So you can do a first quick read that is just to skim and scan the text.

And what this means is it's just where you glance through the text and look for clues.

So you might look for keywords or repeated words, and these can start to give you quite a good understanding of what the text is about.

So we're going to try that now.

So what I would like you to do, so in a moment, I'd like you to pause the video, and you're going to skim and scan the text.

And I want you to acknowledge which words catch your eye, okay? Which words catch your eye? You may want to jot these words down or just think about them, but it's important that you give this a try just to really see how skimming and scanning can help you begin to understand a text.

Okay, so has everyone got everything they need? Fab, okay.

So, get ready to pause the video and off you go.

Okay, see? It's a great method, isn't it? Because what it enables us to do is to get the gist of a text.

So remember, gist is kind of the main meaning, the main ideas in the text, maybe even a perspective too.

And by doing this and picking out those keywords, we can begin to draw conclusions about Pankhurst's perspective and what she is speaking about or writing about.

So I picked out and I noticed these words, so you may have something similar.

So I picked out soldier, battle, war, and dangerous person.

And actually, soldier, battle, and war are repeated words, so they're obviously very important.

Now, I want us to think, what do they suggest about Pankhurst's perspective? Well, if we think back to the title of the speech, "Freedom or Death," we know that she has a very motivated and strong perspective towards the fight towards gender equality.

And this idea of, like, soldier, battle, war is that you can see that she compares her fight for gender equality to that of a war; it's a battle.

So we can start to see how Pankhurst's perspective is very extreme, it's very confrontational, almost quite aggressive, maybe, because she's thinking about this as a fight.

This is a fight.

Her campaigning for that freedom is a fight.

So we can see just from those keywords there that we've got the gist of this text.

Okay, so true or false time.

When reading archaic texts, you must translate and understand every single word.

Is that true or false? Okay, so hopefully lots of you went for false.

Great, okay.

So now you need to justify that answer by picking A or B.

Great, yes, absolutely.

Skimming and scanning can help you to pick out the key ideas and images within a text.

So remember, this is a really good method, particularly with longer and archaic texts, to help get you started on understanding the text.

It's such a good thing to do.

Just give it a quick read, and already you'll find that you start to understand what the text is about, what the writer's perspective is.

So it's a really good method.

Okay, so now it is over to you and our first practice task.

So what I would like you to do is I would like you to read Emmeline Pankhurst's speech, "Freedom or Death." Now, this is found in the additional materials, so make sure you've got that available.

So you'll need to read through that.

And then what I would like you to do is once you've finished, I would like you to write a summary using the checklist and keywords to help you.

So you've got the checklist there, so who, when, what is the purpose? What is her main message? And what is her perspective? So if you use those to guide you, you should be able to write a really good summary on this extract.

And I want you to try and get these words in as well: persuade, equality, suffragette, determination, and radical.

So lots to include there.

So make sure you've got everything you need to do this task, okay? And you'll need to pause the video to give yourself time to read that full text and then complete the summary task.

Okay, pause the video, off you go.

Okay, thank you so much for your hard work on that task.

You already have so much knowledge about this extract, so that's fantastic, and lots of you using those keywords as well.

So I'm going to use Andeep's summary here.

Let's look at it.

So we'll read it through together.

So this is his summary: Emmeline Pankhurst, so we've got our who there, presented her "Freedom or Death" speech in 1913.

The speech aims to persuade and galvanize her audience to take action and demand gender equality.

Pankhurst's message is that the only way to achieve this is through radical means, likening the suffragette movement to warfare.

She has a determined perspective which is arguably motivated by her experiences as a woman at the start of the 20th century, where women had no political power and little autonomy.

Well, that is a fantastic summary, isn't it? Andeep has used the keywords, and he's also included a keyword from the start of the lesson, that autonomy as well.

So a really great paragraph.

So he has summarized the key points of the speech using that checklist, and he has used all of the keywords.

And what Andeep has done that's really clever is he's also developed his comment on perspective and he's considered Pankhurst's motivation and historical context.

So he says, "She has a determined perspective which is arguably motivated by her experience as a woman." So he's thought even further about the perspective and the historical context, which is just fantastic.

So, what I'd like you to do now is I'd like you to look at your own work, your own summary, and just think, can you also develop your comments on perspective? So is there anywhere in that summary, like Andeep, that you could develop your comment on perspective and maybe link to some context? Okay, pause the video so you can check through your work and develop your comment.

Off you go.

So, we are already at the second part of the lesson, so very well done, everyone, some fantastic work.

But let's keep going because now we are going deeper into the text and we're going to be exploring and discussing the language choices.

So, we know that Pankhurst uses powerful imagery and repetition to convey her perspective.

So in a moment, I'm going to show you some images, and I'd like you to discuss, please, which words or phrases match these images, and how are they linked? So here are the images.

So pause the video so you can discuss those images.

Which words or phrases from the text match these images, and how are they linked? I look forward to hearing your answers.

So pause the video, go.

Are we ready to share some answers? Great.

Okay, so we've got these images here.

So, one example here is that "I am here as a soldier." And I think this image is really good, isn't it, 'cause we've got this lone soldier in the wilderness, and it kind of matches maybe how Emmeline Pankhurst feels that she is a soldier fighting for a cause.

"Temporarily absent from the field at battle." This is another good example there where we've got, you know, men in the trenches, and we can see here Emmeline Pankhurst comparing her experiences to battle.

And she says, "What civil war is like when civil war is waged by women." So we've got this connection to war again too.

So what Pankhurst does here is she uses the language to build and develop the image of warfare throughout her speech.

You can see from these images and also the quotes, there's this link of warfare, of conflict, of battle, all of those sorts of ideas.

And what this is called is called an extended metaphor, where she's comparing her fight for gender equality, for the women's rights to vote, she's comparing to that, she's comparing that to a battle or a war and her intentions to a battle or war.

She's even comparing herself to a soldier, even.

And this is called an extended metaphor.

So I wonder, look back at the text, can you find an example of another extended metaphor? Maybe pause the video to give yourself time to see if you can find another one.

Okay, so, I'd like you now to pick one of the following answers, A, B, or C, in response to this question.

Which of these answers best explains Pankhurst's use of extended metaphor? Okay? So pick A, B, or C.

Oh, lots of you feeling very confident that you've got the right answer.

So let's see, shall we? It's B, absolutely.

It emphasizes the brutality and intensity of the suffragette's battle for gender equality.

So very good explanation.

Because if we think about it helps men to better understand how women feel, I guess in a way, it sort of does that, but that's not entirely the best way to explain that use of extended metaphor.

It's not detailed.

It doesn't link specifically to that image of battle and war.

So that answer B is the best explanation.

Okay, I'd now like you to discuss the following.

In a moment, I'm gonna show you some words, and I'd like you to discuss: what links these words, and do they share a theme? So we've got soldier, battle, militant, war.

Pause the video so you can discuss the questions.

Okay, great.

So lots of you linking back to those images that we looked at a moment ago because absolutely, like those images and that extended metaphor, these words can be linked by the theme of conflict and fighting.

So when words are linked thematically, they can be considered a semantic field.

So we notice here that these words all link together, so we can call this a semantic field.

So Pankhurst has purposely used this semantic field.

So I now would like you to discuss: why might Pankhurst choose the semantic field of conflict and violence to present her perspective? So think about everything that we've discussed and explored so far.

So why might she choose this semantic field of conflict and violence to present her perspective? Okay, pause the video so you can discuss your ideas or think quietly to yourself.

Off you go.

Okay, great.

So, did you get something similar? Let's see.

Pankhurst uses repetition to create a semantic field of conflict and violence.

This compares the women's rights movement and pursuit of gender equality to the brutality of the frontlines.

So it really matches the way that Pankhurst views her perspective on what it is she's doing and what it is she's trying to achieve and how she's going to do that.

It emphasizes Pankhurst's urgent and passionate perspective.

You know, she is fighting for this cause like you would in a war in any other conflict.

Okay, ready, A, B, C, or D.

Which of these words does not connect to Pankhurst's use of the semantic field of conflict and violence? So remember, semantic field means words that are linked together, okay? So which one does not link to that semantic field of conflict and violence? A, B, C, or D? Okay, are we ready for the answer? Feeling confident? It's D, citizenship.

So that doesn't link to that semantic field of conflict and violence.

Battle, soldier, war, absolutely, but citizenship doesn't quite fit within that theme, does it, that theme of conflict and violence.

Okay, so we are already at our second practice task and you have done brilliantly so far, but we just need a little bit more work to get through the lesson.

So, this is all about you discussing everything that we have looked at throughout the lesson.

So I'd like you to discuss: how does Pankhurst use language to present her perspective on gender equality? So that's your big question.

But then I would like you to use the discussion grid to formalize your ideas and to develop your responses.

So I want to identify a perspective, so you might start by Pankhurst's perspective is.

You might start by saying, Pankhurst presents the subject of women's rights as.

And then you're going to find examples, so more specifically, when she states, or more precisely in the use of.

It's as if she's comparing something to something.

I don't wanna give you all the ideas.

So you're gonna have developing ideas and adding emphasis.

And then there's some keywords there that I'd like you to try and get into your discussion.

So extended metaphor, semantic field, repetition, imagery.

So think about all of the ideas and all of the things that we've already said so far in this lesson to really help you formulate some rich and interesting discussion points.

Okay, so, lots for you to think about.

So get ready to pause the video so you've got time to discuss those ideas, and we'll feed back in a moment.

Off you go.

Excellent work, some really lively discussions there and some really sophisticated use of the vocabulary and ways of developing your responses, which is just fantastic.

So well done, everyone, for really taking everything that we've looked at so far and putting that into your discussions.

So I'm going to use Sam here as an example.

So Sam has presented this discussion point.

So we'll read it together in a moment, and I want us to think about what could be improved in this discussion, so let's read it.

"Pankhurst's perspective undoubtedly and intensely advocates for women's rights.

In particular, she suggests a militant and radical approach to ensure that gender equality is achieved." So what do we think? What could be improved about Sam's discussion? Just think to yourself for a moment.

Okay, so I've given this what went well and even better if, so let's see if you've got the same.

So the perspective is really clearly identified and beginning to develop ideas.

So I really like how Sam has started with "Pankhurst's perspective undoubtedly and intensely advocates for women's rights." That's great.

And then we've got "In particular," and Sam develops that comment.

However, what would be even better is if Sam used the keywords to identify and explore language choices.

So adding another layer to that discussion by identifying a language feature and commenting on it.

So Sam has another go.

So Sam here, as you can see, has developed the comment, developed the discussion point, commenting on a language feature.

So, "Pankhurst uses an extended metaphor," so we've got that keyword there, "in the developed imagery of warfare, presenting the movement as a battle.

This emphasizes Pankhurst's determined and radical perspective." So we've got lots of keywords in there.

We've identified a language method, and Sam has commented further on that.

And you can just see how it's led to a much richer, much more interesting discussion point around Pankhurst's speech.

So now I want to consider your own discussions and how they could be improved.

So pause your video to give yourself time to think about this.

You may want to jot down some ideas.

So how could you improve your own discussions? We have made it to the end of the lesson, and I hope you've enjoyed looking at Emmeline Pankhurst's "Freedom or Death" speech.

What an inspiring woman, and I just think this speech is so evocative and rousing.

I think if I was living in 1913, I would definitely have to have supported her because she's so persuasive.

Okay, so let's read through everything we've looked at this lesson.

So we know that a writer's perspective refers to their unique point of view, beliefs, values, and experiences.

Identifying a writer's perspective involves understanding the underlying motivations, assumptions, and attitudes that influence their writing.

So we've looked at that a lot, haven't we, and how we can bring that to our analysis of texts.

Looking for patterns in a text can help develop an understanding of the writer's perspective, which we did with our skimming and scanning.

And semantic fields and extended metaphors can be used by writers to present and develop their perspective.

Again, a very well done, very well done, everyone.

I can't wait to do this all again.

So do join me for another lesson very, very soon.

I can't wait, and I'll see you then.