Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton, and I'm going to guide you through your learning journey today.

So today's lesson called How Simon Armitage writes about human connection in "All Right?" and "Give." So we're going to listen to Armitage talk about the inspiration behind the poems, the process of writing them, and then think about how we can respond creatively.

So if you're ready, grab your pen, laptop, whatever you're using for this lesson, and let's get started.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to respond how Armitage writes about human connection in "Give" and "All Right?" So we have four words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

They're identified in bold throughout the learning material, and I'll try to point out you as well so you can see them being used in context.

So our first keyword is commission, which means a formal request to do a special piece of work.

Armitage's "All Right?" was commissioned, so requested, by an organisation to go with their campaign.

Our second keyword is campaign, which means an organised course of action to achieve a goal.

So when we say that "All Right?" was written for a campaign, we mean it was written to help achieve a goal.

Our third keyword is narrative, which means a story or description of a series of events.

We're going to be thinking about "All Right?" as a narrative and thinking about how we can use our own narratives to create a poem.

Our final keyword is manipulate, which means to handle something skillfully, like the way a sculptor manipulates clay.

So when we're thinking about turning our narrative into a poem, we're going to be thinking about how we can manipulate the language.

So, I'll just give you a moment to write down those keywords and their definitions.

So pause the video, write them down now.

Fantastic.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So we have two learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to be listening to Armitage talk about the process of writing "All Right?" and thinking about how we respond to the poem.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to listen to Armitage talk about the poem "Give" and think about how we can respond creatively.

So, what I'd like us to start off by doing is watching Armitage introduce the poem "All Right?" Now, we're going to watch the video through twice to make sure you can take in all of the information.

On this first viewing, I'd like you to answer following questions.

So question one, what does Armitage think about commission requests? Question two, what changed his mind? And question three, why was "All Right?" written? So, let's watch Armitage introduce "All Right?" now.

<v ->Sometimes I get commissioned to write poems</v> by an agency or an organisation.

They'll want a poem him for a particular reason.

And my first thought is always, "Oh, I can't do this.

You know, I can only write about what I want to write about." But then I listen to them talking and I get interested in their subject and their vocabulary, you know, their language, which is usually from a different part of the dictionary to mine.

And suddenly an idea pops into my head, and before I know what I'm doing, I've agreed to write the poem and I'm writing it.

So this poem was written as part of a campaign to persuade people to be sympathetic and to watch out for other people who might be considering doing harm to themselves, particularly on the railway lines.

So this has been a big problem in the north of England where I live, especially with young men taking their own lives by jumping out in front of trains.

Incredibly traumatic situation, and for the driver of the train as well.

I think I'm right in saying that suicide is still the biggest cause of death amongst young men in this country.

So this was part of a campaign to try and encourage anybody who noticed something that might feel untoward or recognise somebody who might look as if they're in trouble of some kind, just to go over and gently to say to them, you know, "Are you okay?" Or, as we say in this part of the world, "You all right?" Nothing more than that, but nothing less.

And I guess the point of the poem is the right word in the right ear at the right time can make a huge world of difference.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> I really hope enjoyed the video.

Now, Armitage says, when he receives commission requests, he initially thinks he can't do it 'cause he thinks he can only write about what he wants to write about rather than what someone's asked him to.

However, he says he then gets interested in the subject, the language, and the vocabulary, and that changes his mind.

He says that "All Right?" was written as part of a campaign to persuade people to watch out for other people who might be considering doing harm to themselves.

So, now we're going to watch Armitage introduce "All Right?" again.

This time I'd like you to think about what Armitage says the point of the poem is.

So, let's watch Armitage introduce "All Right?" again.

<v ->Sometimes I get commissioned to write poems</v> by an agency or an organisation.

They'll want a poem him for a particular reason.

And my first thought is always, "Oh, I can't do this.

You know, I can only write about what I want to write about." But then I listen to them talking and I get interested in their subject and their vocabulary, you know, their language, which is usually from a different part of the dictionary to mine.

And suddenly an idea pops into my head, and before I know what I'm doing, I've agreed to write the poem and I'm writing it.

So this poem was written as part of a campaign to persuade people to be sympathetic and to watch out for other people who might be considering doing harm to themselves, particularly on the railway lines.

So this has been a big problem in the north of England where I live, especially with young men taking their own lives by jumping out in front of trains.

Incredibly traumatic situation, and for the driver of the train as well.

I think I'm right in saying that suicide is still the biggest cause of death amongst young men in this country.

So this was part of a campaign to try and encourage anybody who noticed something that might feel untoward or recognise somebody who might look as if they're in trouble of some kind, just to go over and gently to say to them, you know, "Are you okay?" Or, as we say in this part of the world, "You all right?" Nothing more than that, but nothing less.

And I guess the point of the poem is the right word in the right ear at the right time can make a huge world of difference.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> Now, Armitage says the point of the poem is that the right word in the right ear at the right time can make a world of difference to someone.

So, now for a quick check for understanding.

So what I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false? Armitage was commissioned to write "All Right?" Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Now, the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like you to tell me why it's true.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

You might have said, Armitage was commissioned by a campaign that aimed to encourage people to watch out for other people who might be thinking about doing harm to themselves, particularly on the railways.

So very well done if you got those right.

Now, Armitage's "All Right?" is accompanied by an animated film.

So what I'd like us to do is watch Armitage talk about how this influenced the way he approached writing the poem.

Now, we're gonna watch this through twice.

So as you're watching this first time, I'd like you to answer following question.

So what does Armitage say he's often trying to do when writing poetry? So, let's watch Armitage talk about how the animated film influenced the way he approached the poem.

<v ->I think sometimes in a poem,</v> I'm trying to do everything.

I'm trying to write the music, you know, the score.

I'm trying to write the dialogue, I'm trying to write the story, I'm trying to write the film, I'm trying to do the visuals.

I'm trying to do the whole thing.

That's not always the case.

So for example, with a poem like "All Right?," I knew in the back of my mind that somebody would be making a film to go with that, so I didn't really have to create a complete scene or a complete backdrop.

I could be quite vague about that or it could be metaphorical, because I knew that would be supplied by other means.

I think by and large, I'm always trying to reassure people in a poem of where they are and what's happening.

Less so in that case.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> I really hope you enjoyed the video.

Now, Armitage says when he is writing poetry, he's trying to write the music, the score, the dialogue, the story, the film, and do the visuals.

So he's trying to do everything.

So now what I'd like you to think about is how does that impact the way you think about poetry? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think it really helps to see just how much thought and attention goes into writing a poem, that everything, every piece of language is a conscious choice.

So, now we're going to watch the video again.

This time I'd like you to answer the following questions.

So question one, how did knowing there was an accompanying film influence his writing? And question two, what is he trying to reassure people of in a poem? So let's watch Armitage talk about how the animated film influenced the way he approached the poem again.

<v ->I think sometimes in a poem,</v> I'm trying to do everything.

I'm trying to write the music, you know, the score.

I'm trying to write the dialogue, I'm trying to write the story, I'm trying to write the film, I'm trying to do the visuals.

I'm trying to do the whole thing.

That's not always the case.

So for example, with a poem like "All Right?," I knew in the back of my mind that somebody would be making a film to go with that, so I didn't really have to create a complete scene or a complete backdrop.

I could be quite vague about that or it could be metaphorical, because I knew that would be supplied by other means.

I think by and large, I'm always trying to reassure people in a poem of where they are and what's happening.

Less so in that case.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> Now, Armitage says that knowing there's an accompanying film meant he didn't have to create a complete scene or a backdrop for the poem.

He also says he's trying to reassure people of where they are and what's happening when he's writing a poem.

So, now what I'd like us to do is what Armitage read "All Right?" While you're watching, I'd like you to think about what images come to your mind when you're listening to the poem.

So let's watch Armitage read "All Right?" now.

<v ->"It was all winter,</v> no clouds, no leaves, the sky was all sky.

It was all frost and all the best stars were mirror ball bright.

Then I noticed this guy on the bridge, this one solitary guy with a 10 yard, 20 yard, 50 yard stare in his eye, looking onto the tracks, looking straight down the line.

I've never been one for meddling, I don't like to pry, but I wandered across and heard myself saying, 'All right?' A train went past, so whatever he said in reply got atomised.

Then he spun on his heels and veered off into the night, and I slept all the better for not just passing him by.

Come spring, come shine, the station buttered with warm light, I saw him again on the edge of platform 999.

But he nodded and smiled and silently mouthed, 'All right,' and he jumped on a train and rode away into his life." <v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> I really hope you enjoyed the video.

Now, I think "All Right?" is such a visual poem.

It really creates an image of this narrative as you're listening to it.

So now for quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that Armitage suggests that having an accompanying animated film did not change the way he approached writing the poem? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Now, the correct answer is false.

Now I'd like to tell me why it's false.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

You might have said, Armitage says that having an accompanying animated film meant he didn't have to think about creating a complete scene or backdrop and he could be more vague and metaphorical.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

Now to the first task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is listen to Armitage read "All Right?" again, and then make some notes on how you'd create an animated film to accompany the poem.

And you might think about what the setting would be.

Is it day or night? What sort of colours would you use, bright, dark, muted? What sort of images would you use? So, let's watch Armitage read "All Right?" again.

<v ->"It was all winter,</v> no clouds, no leaves, the sky was all sky.

It was all frost and all the best stars were mirror ball bright.

Then I noticed this guy on the bridge, this one solitary guy with a 10 yard, 20 yard, 50 yard stare in his eye, looking onto the tracks, looking straight down the line.

I've never been one for meddling, I don't like to pry, but I wandered across and heard myself saying, 'All right?' A train went past, so whatever he said in reply got atomised.

Then he spun on his heels and veered off into the night, and I slept all the better for not just passing him by.

Come spring, come shine, the station buttered with warm light, I saw him again on the edge of platform 999.

But he nodded and smiled and silently mouthed, 'All right,' and he jumped on a train and rode away into his life." <v ->Brilliant.

</v> Now let's pause the video and make your notes on how you'd create an animated film to accompany the poem.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great work there.

What I'd like you to do is share your ideas with a peer and reflect on the following questions.

So did you have similar or different ideas about what the setting, images, or colours would be for the animated film? How do you think it would influence how people respond to the poem if different choices were made about the setting, images, or colours? So pause the video, reflect on the questions now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now moving on to the second learning cycle, we're going to listen to Armitage talk about his poem "Give." Amazing work, everyone.

We're now on the second learning cycle.

We're going to listen to Armitage talk about his poem "Give," then think about how we can respond creatively to make our own narrative poem.

So, what I'd like us to start off by doing is watching Armitage introduce "Give." While you're watching, I'd like you to answer the following questions.

So question one, what does Armitage say the poem is about? And question two, what memory of walking through Manchester does Armitage share? So let's what's Armitage introduce "Give" now.

<v ->This is a poem called "Give"</v> and it's about begging and homelessness.

And actually I was walking through Manchester once and I saw that somebody who was sleeping rough on the street had written this poem on the pavement in front of him, so I gave him some money.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> I really hope you enjoyed the video.

Now, Armitage says the poem is about begging and homelessness, and that he remembers walking through Manchester and seeing a homeless person had written the poem "Give" onto the pavement in front of him.

So, now what I'd like you to do is read Armitage's "Give." There's a copy of the poem in the additional materials.

So pause the video, read the poem now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now what I'd like you to do is just think about what your initial response to the poem is.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now what I'd like you to do is take the poem and highlight five words that stand out to you and explain why they stand out to you.

So pause the video, highlight your words now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think that's a really useful exercise.

It helps us start thinking about the choices the poet's made and what affect those choices have on us as the reader.

So now what I'd like us to do is watch Armitage read "Give." So let's watch him read the poem now.

<v ->"Of all the public places, dear, to make a scene,</v> I've chosen here.

Of all the doorways in the world to choose to sleep, I've chosen yours.

I'm on the street, under the stars.

For coppers I can dance or sing.

For silver, swallow swords, eat fire.

For gold, escape from locks and chains.

It's not as if I'm holding out for frankincense or myrrh, just change.

You give me tea.

That's big of you.

I'm on my knees.

I beg of you." <v Dr.

Clayton>Welcome back, everyone.

</v> I really hope you enjoyed the video.

Now, what I'd like you to do is watch Armitage's outro to "Give" and answer the following question.

So what type of poem does Armitage say that "Give" is? So, let's watch Armitage read the outro now.

<v ->"Now I come to look at that poem again,</v> it's actually a love poem, or a not being loved poem.

Poems are very rarely about what they say they're about." <v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> Now, Armitage says that "Give" is a love poem, or a poem about not being loved.

So what I'd like you to think about is how does that impact the way you respond to "Give"? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, personally, I think it really adds to this idea that the speaker is seeking a human connection in the poem.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that Armitage suggests just that "Give" is about love? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Now, the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like you to tell me why it's true.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

You might have said, specifically, he says it's a poem about not being loved.

So very well done if you got those right.

Now, in Armitage's "All Right?," he takes the campaign idea and he turns into a narrative poem with the repeated phrase "All right?" We've going to imagine we've been commissioned by a campaign to write a narrative poem that encourages people to talk to homeless people and form a human connection with them.

Now, Armitage's "All Right?" has never been published or written down.

It just exists as part of the animated film.

Now, in the additional materials, there's a copy of the poem written in prose, and what I'd like you to do is read the prose version of Armitage's "All Right?" now.

So pause the video, read the prose version.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now what I'd like you to do is annotate where you think the line breaks should go to turn it into a poetic structure rather than prose.

So pause the video, annotate the prose version now.

Welcome back, everyone, some great ideas there.

Now what I'd like you to think about is why did you put the line breaks in those places? What effect were you trying to achieve? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think that's a really useful way of thinking about the structure of a poem and how its structure is a conscious decision by the poet.

It's designed to create meaning.

So, now let's think about how we could turn our narrative into a poem.

So our narrative might be, "I was walking through town when I spotted someone huddled under a sleeping bag and a couple of blankets.

I could see their hands were shivering and their gaze was unfocused, as if the world was just passing them by.

I thought about just dropping some money on their lap and getting on with my day, but instead, I crouched down next to them and simply said 'Hello.

' They turned to look at me with slight bewilderment in their eyes.

They were silent for a moment and then replied 'Hello.

'" Now, in order to think about how we could turn our narrative into a poem, we might think about how we can manipulate the language and the structure.

So for example, we might think about where we put the line breaks in, how we might add repetition to emphasise certain ideas, how we might tweak the language to emphasise certain images to the reader.

So, now for a quick check for understanding.

So what I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false? We can turn a narrative story into a poem.

Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

The correct answer is true.

Now I'd like you to tell me why it's true.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

You might have said, we can manipulate the language and structure of a narrative and turn it into a poem.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

And now the final task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is take our initial narrative and manipulate it into a poem.

And you might think about, where could you add line breaks to split the narrative up into a different form? Where do you think you could add repetition to emphasise certain ideas? And where do you think you could tweak the language to emphasise certain images? Now, remember, our initial narrative is, "I was walking through town when I spotted someone huddled under a sleeping bag and a couple of blankets.

I could see their hands were shivering and their gaze was unfocused, as if the world was just passing them by.

I thought about just dropping some money in their lap and getting on with day, but instead I crouched down next to them and simply said 'Hello.

' They turned to look at me with slight bewilderment in their eyes.

They were silent for a moment, then replied 'Hello.

'" So pause the video and turn the narrative into a poem now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great work there.

What I'd like you to do is reflect on the changes you made to the initial narrative.

So what inspired you to make those changes? How do you think the changes might impact the reader? Are there any more changes you'd like to make to the poem? So pause the video, reflect on your changes now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now here's the poem that one of our Oak pupils Izzy created.

"I was walking through town when I spotted someone huddled under their home with a few pieces of fabric.

I could see their hands were shivering, shivering, shivering, and their gaze was unfocused, as if the world was just passing them by, passing them by, passing them by.

I thought about just dropping some money in their lap and getting on with my day, but instead I crouched down next to them and simply said 'Hello.

' They turned to me with slight bewilderment in their eyes.

They were silent for a moment and then replied 'Hello.

'" So what I'd like you to think about is what do you think of Izzy's poem? How does it compare to your poem? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, here are Izzy's reflections on her changes.

So she says she wanted to change sleeping bag to home to emphasise that's all they have.

She wanted to change blankets to fabric to take away ideas of comfort.

She wanted to repeat shivering to mimic the act of shivering.

She wanted to repeat passing them by to represent how people typically just carry on walking.

And she wanted to single out hello at the end to show how simple forming a connection can be.

Now, it's likely that everyone created entirely different versions of the narrative, and I think that really helps to see how creating a poem is a conscious decision.

There's meaning behind those decisions.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Armitage was commission to write "All Right?" for a campaign that aimed to encourage people to watch out for others.

Armitage suggests that having an accompanying film meant he didn't have to create the whole backdrop for the poem.

Armitage says "Give" is a poem but not being loved.

One option for how to create a poem is to take a narrative and manipulate it into a poem.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.