Lesson video

Hello everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

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

So today's lesson is called, "Simon Armitage and the Power of Poetry." Now, Simon Armitage is the current UK poet laureate.

We're going to be listening to him talk through how he became interested in poetry, what he thinks defines poetry, but also what he thinks poetry brings to society.

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

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explore what a poem is and think about it as an art form.

So we have four words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

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

So our first keyword is "poet laureate", and the British poet laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom.

Now Simon Armitage is the current UK poet laureate.

He began his tenure in 2019.

He'll end his tenure in 2029.

So our second keyword is "furtive", which means "done or acting secretly or quietly to avoid being noticed." Our third keyword is "alternative", which means something's different from something else, especially from what is usual.

And our final keyword is "refuge", which means a place that gives protection or shelter from danger, trouble, or unhappiness.

Now these three are all words that Armitage uses to describe poetry.

We're going to be thinking about how that might impact the way we see poetry.

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

So pause the video, write them down now.

Fantastic.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So we have three learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to listen to Simon Armitage introduce himself and talk about how he became interested in poetry.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to listen to Armitage talk about what he thinks makes poetry a distinct art form.

So how's it different to prose, and how's it different to song lyrics? For our third learning cycle, we're going to listen to Armitage talk about what he thinks is valuable about poetry, what it brings to society.

So what I'd like you to start off by thinking about is just your initial ideas about poetry, before we listen to Armitage talk about it.

So what I'd like you to do is think about what words come to mind when you think about poetry.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now potentially, some of you may have thought that poetry is complex.

It often isn't obvious.

And personally, that's what I love about poetry.

I love thinking about it as a puzzle that I can unpick and unearth little details from.

You also might have thought about it as old-fashioned.

In our modern society, we don't typically read poetry on a day-to-day basis, as we do fiction.

You also might have thought about it as beautiful.

Often, when we have a momentous occasion or event, you'll hear poetry being read, because it plays with language in a way that create beautiful images and ideas.

You also might have thought you find it incomprehensible.

It's a very different way of presenting information and ideas, than we might be used to reading and seeing.

So as I said, today we're going to be exploring poetry with Simon Armitage.

Now Armitage is the poet laureate.

Now poet laureate is one of our keywords.

It's an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom.

So Simon Armitage is the current UK poet laureate.

He began his tenure in 2019.

He'll end his tenure in 2029.

He's a professor of poetry at the University of Leeds.

He's received numerous awards for his poetry.

Some of you may be aware of his poems, "Remains", "Mother Any Distance", or "Manhunt".

Now I love Armitage's poetry, and some of my favourites are "Poundland" and "Out of the Blue".

So what I'd like you to do is watch Armitage introduce himself.

So we're gonna watch this video through a couple of times, so you can take the information in.

So this first viewing, as you're watching, I'd like you to answer the following questions.

So number one, how does Armitage describe how he was at school? And number two, how old was Armitage when he discovered he liked poetry? So, watch Armitage introduce himself now.

<v ->I'm Simon Armitage.

</v> I'm the poet laureate.

I became a poet, I was going to say by accident, although some people have told me recently that even as far back as when I was about 18, I told them that I wanted to become the poet laureate, so maybe it was always an ambition.

It was always in the back of my mind.

But it really came out of reading.

And I was a very sleepy kid at school, at the back of the class, not taking any notice.

And then, I'd be about 15, I think, and our English teacher brought in some poems, and I just thought, "This is the stuff for me." Didn't realise that you could recreate the world using these little packages of language.

And they lit me up.

And I liked the idea that it was a bit secretive, a bit furtive.

I felt that poetry was alternative.

There was something other about it.

And at that time of my life, I think I was quite a secretive individual.

So it meant that I could have this very rich, vivid inner life, without really having to be accountable to other people.

And I found a kind of refuge, a private place to go in poetry that I couldn't find anywhere else.

I don't know if I wanted to write it at that time, but I knew that I wanted to read it.

And maybe what I'm saying is, I thought it was very cool.

It felt very cool.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

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

Let's talk through what you might have said.

So Armitage describes himself as being someone who was sleepy and uninterested in school.

He was around 15 when he first discovered he liked poetry.

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

And this time, I'd like you to write down which individual words Armitage uses to describe poetry.

So watch Armitage introduce himself again.

<v ->I'm Simon Armitage.

</v> I'm the poet laureate.

I became a poet, I was going to say by accident, although some people have told me recently that even as far back as when I was about 18, I told them that I wanted to become the poet laureate.

So maybe it was always an ambition.

It was always in the back of my mind.

But it really came out of reading.

And I was a very sleepy kid at school, at the back of the class, not taking any notice.

And then I'd be about 15, I think, and our English teacher brought in some poems. And I just thought, "This is the stuff for me." Didn't realise that you could recreate the world using these little packages of language, and they lit me up.

And I liked the idea that it was a bit secretive, a bit furtive.

I felt that poetry was alternative.

There was something other about it.

And at that time of my life, I think I was quite a secretive individual.

So it meant that I could have this very rich, vivid inner life, without really having to be accountable to other people.

And I found a kind of refuge, a private place to go in poetry that I couldn't find anywhere else.

I don't know if I wanted to write it at that time, but I knew that I wanted to read it.

And maybe what I'm saying is, I thought it was very cool.

It felt very cool.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> Now Armitage describes poetry as secretive, furtive, and alternative.

Now, furtive and alternative are two of our keywords.

Furtive means done or acting secretly, and quietly, to avoid being noticed.

And alternative means something that's different from something else, especially from what's usual.

So Armitage suggests he was drawn to poetry because it was secretive and furtive.

It allows you to write about yourself and the world in a way that other people don't immediately understand.

So what I'd like you to think about is why might writing about your feelings and the world in a secretive way be appealing to someone? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, I think there's something appealing about being able to express ourselves in a way that not everyone can immediately understand.

It's a way of maybe processing how we feel about something, before we're ready to share how we feel with others.

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? Armitage suggests he sees poetry as a safe space.

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.

And you might have said, "Armitage describes poetry as a refuge, a space to explore the world without having to completely explain yourself to others." So very well done if you got those right.

So now I'd like you to watch Armitage talk about which poems first sparked his interest in poetry.

Again, we're going to watch the video through twice.

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

So which poet does Armitage say first sparked his interest? Which specific poems did Armitage mention? And what was that specific poem about? So, watch Armitage talk about which poems first sparked his interest in poetry.

<v ->So those Ted Hughes poems,</v> it felt like I was witnessing some kind of act of primitive magic when I was reading them in class.

I mean, I've said this many times, but, you know, there are just 26 letters in the English alphabet, and all they are usually is black marks, black shapes against a white background.

But if you put them in the right order, you can make incredible things happen in other people's heads, in complete silence as well.

And I remember reading one of Ted Hughes' poems, it's called "Bayonet Charge".

It's a poem set in the First World War.

Hughes was sort of fixated by the First World War.

His father had fought in that conflict, in Gallipoli.

And Hughes wrote about it on many occasions.

And this poem describes a soldier coming out of a trench and going over the top and running into, you know, what he sometimes described as "no man's land" with all the flack and the barbed wire and the bullets and the gas.

And there's a line in the poem, which is something like, "In what cold clockwork of the stars and nations was he the hand pointing that second?" And I, you know, even now I couldn't give you an accurate paraphrase of what that line means, what it's actually saying, but I think it's saying something about consciousness, just sort of being aware of your mind thinking, and being a human being, and what that means.

And that soldier is feeling that very intensely at that moment, and as I read that line, I remember sort of sharing that sense of, "Oh, I'm alive, and I'm thinking about it.

This is what consciousness is.

I'm going to read more about that." <v ->Welcome back, everyone.

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

Now, Armitage says it was Ted Hughes' poetry that first sparked his interest.

He specifically mentions "Bayonet Charge", which is a really powerful poem about World War I.

It describes a soldier coming out of a trench and entering no man's land.

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

And this time, I'd like you to think about what Armitage says about what reading Hughes' "Bayonet Charge" made him think of.

So, watch Armitage talk about which poems first sparked his interest in poetry again.

<v ->So those Ted Hughes poems,</v> it felt like I was witnessing some kind of act of primitive magic when I was reading them in class.

I mean, I've said this many times, but, you know, there are just 26 letters in the English alphabet, and all they are usually is black marks, black shapes against a white background.

But if you put them in the right order, you can make incredible things happen in other people's heads, in complete silence as well.

And I remember reading one of Ted Hughes' poems, it's called "Bayonet Charge".

It's a poem set in the First World War.

Hughes was sort of fixated by the First World War.

His father had fought in that conflict, in Gallipoli.

And Hughes wrote about it on many occasions.

And this poem describes a soldier coming out of a trench and going over the top and running into, you know, what he sometimes described as "no man's land" with all the flack and the barbed wire and the bullets and the gas.

And there's a line in the poem, which is something like, "In what cold clockwork of the stars and nations was he the hand pointing that second?" And I, you know, even now I couldn't give you an accurate paraphrase of what that line means, what it's actually saying, but I think it's saying something about consciousness, just sort of being aware of your mind thinking, and being a human being, and what that means.

And that soldier is feeling that very intensely at that moment, and as I read that line, I remember sort of sharing that sense of, "Oh, I'm alive, and I'm thinking about it.

This is what consciousness is.

I'm going to read more about that." <v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> Now Armitage is saying something really complex here.

He talks about how there are references to stars and clockwork in "Bayonet Charge", and how it makes him think about consciousness and what it means to be a human being.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

Now in the video, Armitage describes reading Hughes' poetry for the first time as primitive, A, logic, B, magic, or C, images.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Now the correct answer is B, magic.

So very well done if you got that right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're onto the first task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is write a summary of what Armitage says he finds appealing about poetry.

You can use the following words to guide you.

Secretive, furtive, alternative, and refuge.

So pause the video, write your summary now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great work there.

What I'd like you to do is think about Laura's summary, and how well it aligns with your summary.

So Laura said, "Armitage suggests he finds poetry appealing 'cause it offers a way of writing about your emotions and your outlook on the world in a secretive way.

It offers a way of keeping your thoughts hidden.

He suggests it makes a refuge, because you don't have to explain yourself and your feelings to other people." So pause the video, think about how well Laura's summary aligns with your summary.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now moving on to the second learning cycle.

We're going to think about what Armitage says about the nature of a poem.

What makes a poem different to prose or song lyrics? Amazing work, everyone.

We're now onto the second learning cycle.

We're going to listen to Armitage talk about what makes a poem, and how a poem is different to other art forms. So what I'd like you to start off by doing is just gathering some initial ideas about what makes a poem different to a piece of fiction.

So what do you think the difference between a poem and a book of fiction is? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

And you might have talked about ideas of plot, characters, and dialogue.

Do you think you associate them more with books of fiction than poems? You might have thought about whether you think there's a difference in the way poems and books use language.

You might have thought about whether you think there's a difference, the way poems and books use structure.

So what I'd like you to do is watch Armitage talk about what makes a piece of writing a poem.

As you're watching, I'd like to answer following questions.

So what does Armitage say is the difference between a poem and a fictional book? What does Armitage suggest that poetry is more similar to than a fictional book? So, watch Armitage talk about what makes a piece of writing a poem now.

<v ->The difference between poetry and prose</v> is something that people have been arguing about for centuries, and I'm not gonna solve it in, you know, a minute and a half talking to a camera.

In my view, poetry is ritualised language.

It's ceremonialized language.

It's got a lot in common with prayer and with song, and with chanting.

It has music written into it.

It's not song lyrics.

There's something different.

They come with music, but it has a relation and an affiliation with song and with organised language.

Another way of describing this might be to say, fiction, a novel, if you buy two different editions of that book, maybe a UK edition and an American edition, the words will probably be in different places on the page, because the page size will be different, and so prose sort of expands to fit the gap available.

It's kind of poured in from the top, and it, you know, it fills the page up.

But poetry is different.

Poetry stakes out a position on the page.

It does something with shape and with form.

So when I remember a poem, I can see where the words were on the page, in geographical formation.

And the shape of a poem is telling you something about its meaning and about its content.

So I've sometimes said that poetry has more in common with sculpture and with photography and with painting than it does with prose, because we're making form and shape on the poem.

It's just that we're doing it with language, not paint or stone or whatever.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

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

And you might have said, "Armitage says, the difference between a poem and a fictional book is that a book changes its shape to fit a page, while a poem does not, and that poetry is more similar to sculpture, photography, or painting." So Armitage says, poetry has more in common with sculpture, photography, and painting, than prose.

So what I'd like you to think about is what do you think poetry might have in common with sculpture, photography, and painting.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now for me, I think there's something about the idea of poetry being a craft and crafted, that means there's something in common with sculpture, photography, and painting.

But also this idea, they're all designed to provoke a response in the reader or viewer.

People want others to have an emotional reaction to their work.

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? Armitage shares that a poem moulds itself to fit the page.

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

The correct answer is false.

Now I'd like you 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 suggests, a poem stakes a claim to the page.

There is meaning in its shape and its form." So very well done if you got those right.

So what I'd like you to do now is watch Armitage talk about the difference between poetry and song lyrics.

As you're watching, I'd like you to think about what Armitage says about two key differences between song lyrics and poetry.

So, watch Armitage talk about the difference between poetry and song lyrics now.

<v ->I've gone out on a limb sometimes</v> and been quite stern saying that song lyrics are not poetry.

And that's not because I want to disparage song lyrics or to say that it's some kind of secondary art form.

It's just for the simple reason that song lyrics come with this other stuff.

They come with this stuff called music, which is very, very powerful.

And so a song lyric is only a component part of something much bigger.

You know, a piece of music comes with notes and instrumentation and arrangement and you know, cowboy boots and a backbeat and a vocal delivery and attitude.

In poetry, all that has to be encoded on the page.

All the musicality, all the composition.

It all needs to be there just in silence, in the words.

And that essentially, for me, is the difference.

So if you take a song that you really like and you think it's got a really brilliant lyric and you extract the words, and you write them down, and you give them to somebody who doesn't know the song, they'll probably read them and think, "Well if this is a poem, it's a pretty poor one," because it doesn't utilise the techniques of poetry.

It utilises the techniques of songwriting, and that needs music to go with it.

So it's not, you know, I'm not gonna die on the hill with this argument, but, I'm right.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

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

Now I think Armitage's core idea here is that song lyrics are one part of a whole production.

You have the vocals, the backing track, the music.

But poetry has to stand alone, and give the reader everything from just the language.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which of the following is Armitage saying about the difference between song lyrics and poetry? Is it A, song lyrics are a component part of a bigger whole? B, the musicality of poetry comes from the language? Or C, poems have no rhythm to them? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now the correct answers are A, song lyrics are a component part of a bigger whole.

And B, the musicality of poetry comes from the language.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now onto the second task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is complete the following tasks.

So number one, what I'd like you to do is look at this image of a poem and the image of a page from a book.

How are they different? Then I'd like you to think about the lyrics to one of your favourite songs.

Do you agree with Armitage's ideas about the difference between a poem and song lyrics? So pause the video, complete the tasks now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great work there.

What I'd like you to do is reflect on the tasks.

So how did looking at a poem and a page from a fictional book help you to understand what Armitage was saying about the difference between prose and poetry? How did thinking about song lyrics without the music help you to understand what Armitage was saying about the difference between song lyrics and a poem? Pause the video, reflect on the tasks now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now moving on to the third learning cycle.

We're going to think about what Armitage says about the value of poetry.

Fantastic work, everyone.

Now onto the third learning cycle, we're going to think about what Armitage says about why we might read and write poetry.

So what I'd like to start off by doing is just gathering your own thoughts about poetry by thinking about the following questions.

Why do you think people read poetry? What is poetry's value in life and society? Why do you think people might write poetry? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

They all might have had completely different ideas and responses, and that's completely fine, 'cause the value of art and literature is very subjective.

We're now gonna spend the rest of the learning cycle listening to Armitage talk about why we might read and write poetry.

So what I'd like you to do is watch Armitage discuss the value of poetry in wider society.

While you're watching, I'd like you to answer the following questions.

So question one, what did Armitage think of poetry when he first started writing it? Question two, what does Armitage say that having control over language gives you? And question three, where does Armitage say we can find poetry in everyday life? So, watch Armitage talk about the value of poetry in wider society.

<v ->You might be forgiven for thinking that</v> poetry is quite an obscure or even old-fashioned subject.

I think I thought that when I started writing.

But I've come to realise that poetry exists at pretty much every level of language.

If you are in control of language, then you've just got a much better chance of being in control of your life, in telling people how you feel, explaining to people what you want.

And if you listen closely to people on the news every day, they use poetry all the time.

It's there.

It's at a very sort of granular level.

It's there in our conversations and our communications and our dialogue.

So I was listening to the radio this morning, and somebody was talking about politicians laying the groundwork for further discussions.

That's a metaphor, that you know, that's pure poetry.

I heard somebody talking about how America had to be a backstop to a political conundrum.

Backstop is a metaphor.

Poetry is there all the time in our lives.

It might not be presented as a poem, but it's a huge part of what we do.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

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

Now Armitage says, he first thought of poetry as old-fashioned and obscure, and obscure means something not easily understood.

He says that having control over language gives you control over your life, 'cause you express what it is you want.

And he says, we can find poetry everywhere, because we use poetic language such as metaphors in language all of the time.

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? Armitage suggests we can see poetry everywhere in life.

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, "Armitage suggests we use metaphors and poetry in our language all of the time." So very well done if you got those right.

So what I'd like you to do is watch Armitage talking about how poetry helps to process the world around us.

While you're watching, I'd like you to answer the following questions.

So question one, what type of reaction does Armitage suggest we get from news reports? And question two, how does Armitage suggest that poetry is different to this type of reaction? So, watch Armitage talking about how poetry helps to process the world around us.

<v ->I think what poetry offers,</v> either to a reader or to a writer, is just a more considered view of the world.

Quite often on news reports, in newspapers, through politicians, what we get is knee-jerk reactions, immediate reactions, because that's what news insists on.

It has to be saying something all the time, right at the point of things occurring.

And one of the great privileges or responsibilities of poetry is not to say the first thing that comes into your head, but to wait, and to think about it, and to be contemplative, and to say something more carefully, using careful language.

And I think that's helpful in a world which is going past us at a million miles an hour, just to put the brakes on a little bit, to slow down, and to have a more thoughtful relationship with the world and what's going on around us.

And in some ways, poetry slows us down.

It's a sort of drag anchor on thinking, because to read it, you have to concentrate a little bit, 'cause it's often quite intense.

You can't just skip across it.

And it's the same when you're writing it.

You have to think about it, you have to revise it, you have to redraft.

And in doing that, I believe you reach deeper, more profound, more meaningful conclusions about the world.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

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

Now Armitage suggests, we get a knee-jerk reaction from news reports, because they have to respond quickly and in the moment.

He says that poetry is different, 'cause of a more thoughtful and considered response.

Now, Armitage suggests the benefit of poetry is it forces us to slow down and think and write about the world more carefully.

So what I'd like you to think about is do you agree we need to slow down? Why or why not? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now there's no right answer to that question.

It's completely your own personal opinion.

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? Armitage suggests that poetry offers a more thoughtful view of the world.

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

Now the correct answer is true.

Now 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 suggests poetry doesn't offer a knee-jerk reaction to something.

It has a responsibility to say things carefully." So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now onto the final task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is write a summary of what Armitage suggests is the value of poetry in society.

And you might think about what Armitage says in relation to poetry and control over your life.

What Armitage says in relation to poetry, offering a more thoughtful view of the world.

So pause the video, write your summary now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great work there.

What I'd like you to do is think about Alex's summary, and whether or not you agree.

So Alex said, "I think Armitage is saying that poetry is valuable to people 'cause it allows them to gain better control over their language, and it in turn helps to have better control over their lives, 'cause they can express their wants and needs more effectively.

Moreover, I think Armitage suggests that poetry is valuable to society 'cause it forces us to slow down and concentrate, and this helps to have a more thoughtful perspective on what's happening in the world." So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Alex.

Welcome back, everyone.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson.

It's given you some great takeaway ideas about what poetry is, and why we might read and write poetry.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Armitage is the UK poet laureate.

Armitage suggests there's something secretive about poetry.

It can create a refuge.

Armitage suggests that poetry has more similarities with sculpture, photography, or painting, than prose.

Armitage suggests poetry is different to song lyrics, because poetry needs to bring musicality through language.

Armitage suggests poetry is a more thoughtful way of approaching the world.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye!.