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's called, Simon Armitage talks about, "I Am Very Bothered," and "My Father Thought It." So these are two of Armitage's poems from his poetry collection, "Book of Matches." We're going to listen to him talk about the inspiration and the message behind the poems. So let's think about how we respond to the poems. 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 listen and respond to Simon Armitage's "I Am Very Bothered," and "My Father Thought It." So we have three words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

They've been identified in bold throughout the learning material.

And I'll try to point out to you as well so you can see them being used in context.

So our first keyword is bothered, which means feeling or showing agitation, worry, or annoyance.

So the title, "I Am Very Bothered," might give us the idea the speaker is worried or annoyed by something.

Our second keyword is flashback, which is where you suddenly experience a powerful memory from a past experience.

Armitage says, "I Am Very Bothered," is a flashback to his own school days and his experiences there.

Our final keyword is process, which means to think about a difficult or sad situation so that you can gradually accept it.

We're going to be thinking about how writing poetry might be a way of processing situations.

So I'll just skip out 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 listen to Armitage talk about, "I Am Very Bothered," as well as thinking about how we respond to the poem.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to listen to Armitage talk about "My Father Thought It," as well as think about how we respond to the poem.

So what I'd like you to do is start the lesson by reading Armitage's "I Am Very Bothered," so you can develop a first impression of the poem, before we listen to Armitage talk about it.

Now, you'll find a copy of the poem in the additional materials.

So pause the video, read the poem now.

Welcome back, everyone.

I really hope you enjoyed the poem.

So what I'd like you to now is think about what your initial reaction to the poem is.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, to think about your response to the poem, what I'd like you to do is highlight five words in the poem that stand out to you and explain why those five words stand out to you.

So pause the video, highlight your words now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think that's a really useful exercise, because it's likely everyone will have different words that stand out to them.

So it shows the idea of poetry being subjective.

It also helps you think about the choice the poet has made and why they might have chosen those particular words to have an effect on the reader.

So now what I'd like you to do is watch Armitage introduce, "I Am Very Bothered." Now, you're going to watch this video twice through so you can take in the information.

During this first watch, I'd like to answer following questions.

So question one, what does Armitage say the poem's a flashback to? And question two, what do people often ask Armitage about this poem? So watch Armitage introduce, "I Am Very Bothered," now.

<v ->This poem is taken from a sequence</v> of poems called, "Book of Matches." And I'm remembering having my ear pierced when I was 19, and getting back to the village where I lived, this village where I'm sitting now in West Yorkshire up in the hills.

And my grandma was the first person to spot this earring and she said, "Ooh, you look like a pirate," which wasn't really the effect that I was going for.

And then my mom saw it and she said, "Yay dad will kill ya." And my dad saw it and there was this long silence and he said, "Simon, what does this mean?" And I didn't really know the answer.

And I suppose this poem written so many years later, it was a late attempt at a reply.

In the poem I talk about how I went to a jewellers to get my ear pierced.

And this was just in the period after punk rock.

You weren't really supposed to go to a jewellers to pierce your ears.

You're supposed to do it yourself with a safety pin and then just wear the safety pin to show that you were grown up.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

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

Now, you might have said, Armitage says the poem is a flashback to a memory from school, and that people often ask him whether he actually did what the speaker does in the poem.

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

This time I'd like you to think about what Armitage says the main idea behind writing "I Am Very Bothered," was.

So watch Armitage introduce, "I Am Very Bothered," again.

<v ->This poem is taken from a sequence</v> of poems called, "Book of Matches." And I'm remembering having my ear pierced when I was 19, and getting back to the village where I lived, this village where I'm sitting now in West Yorkshire up in the hills, and my grandma was the first person to spot this earring and she said, "Ooh, you look like a pirate," which wasn't really the effect that I was going for.

And then my mom saw it and she said, "Ya dad will kill ya." And my dad saw it and there was this long silence and he said, "Simon, what does this mean?" And I didn't really know the answer.

And I suppose this poem written so many years later, it was a late attempt at a reply.

In the poem, I talk about how I went to a jewellers to get my ear pierced.

And this was just in the period after punk rock.

You weren't really supposed to go to a jewellers to pierce your ears.

You're supposed to do it yourself with a safety pin and then just wear the safety pin to show that you were grown up.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> Now, Armitage says, the poem explores the idea, we end up hurting people who don't love us in the way we want them to.

And then we end up hurting them, because we want to avoid being embarrassed.

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 says, the incident in, "I Am Very Bothered," is completely made up.

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 the incident is a flashback to his own school days where heating up scissors on Bunsen burners was a whole school joke.

So very well done if you got those right.

So now what I'd like you to do is watch Armitage read, "I Am Very Bothered." And what I'd like you to do is answer the following question, What does Armitage say at the end of the reading? So watch Armitage read, "I Am Very Bothered," now.

<v ->I Am Very Bothered when I think</v> of the bad things I have done in my life.

Not least that time in the chemistry lab when I held a pair of scissors by the blades and played the handles in the naked lilac flame of the bunsen burner, then called your name and handed them over.

Oh, the unrivalled stench of branded skin as you slipped your thumb and middle finger in, and couldn't shake off the two burning rings, "Marked," the doctor said, "for eternity." Don't believe me, please, if I say that was just my butter fingered way at 13 of asking you if you would marry me.

She didn't.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> Now, Armitage ends his reading by saying, "She didn't." And what I'd like you to think about is what the impact of Armitage saying, "She didn't," after reading the poem is.

What does this suggest about the events of the poem? Pause the video, take a few minutes to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone, some great ideas there.

Now, potentially, we might see it as Armitage almost admitting that he himself did carry out the events in the poem.

So now we've listened to Armitage read, "I Am Very Bothered." What I would like you to do is have a go at reading the poem aloud yourself.

Now, you'll find a copy of the poem in the additional materials for you to read from.

And what I'd like you to think about after you've read it, is how it feels to say the poem aloud.

Which word do you think felt the best to say aloud? So pause the video, read the poem aloud now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I always think you should read a poem aloud, 'cause you get a real sense of the rhythm and the mood of a poem by saying it.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So what did Simon Armitage say at the end of reading, "I Am Very Bothered?" Was it A, "She did," B, "She didn't," or C, "She doesn't." Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now the correct answer is B, "She didn't." So very well done if you got that right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're done with the first task of the lesson.

Now, Armitage says, "I Am Very Bothered," was inspired by his past and his school days.

And what I'd like you to think about is why do you think someone might want to write about their past, particularly a moment in their past they are bothered by? I'd like you to write a short answer to explain your ideas.

So pause the video, write your answer now.

Welcome back.

everyone, some great work there.

What I'd like you to think about now, is Izzy's answer and whether or not you agree.

So Izzy said, "I think maybe someone would want to write about an incident in their past, because it allows them the opportunity to process it, a way of trying to understand why they acted the way they did.

Perhaps recognising something about themselves through the act of writing about it." So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Izzy.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think writing would be a powerful way of processing emotions or ideas, because of there's something about the way in which committing that idea or emotion into language and onto something physical like paper, that helps to address those ideas, all those emotions.

Amazing work everyone.

We're now at the second learning cycle.

We're going to listen to Armitage talk about his poem, "My Father Thought It," and think about how we respond to the poem.

So as we did earlier, I'd like you to start by reading Armitage's, "My Father Thought It." There's a copy of the poem in the additional materials.

So pause the video, read the poem now.

Welcome back, everyone, I really hope you enjoyed the poem.

So what I'd like you to do now is just think about what your initial reaction to the poem is.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, as before, I'd like you to highlight five words in the poem that stand out to you.

And then explain why they stand out to you.

So pause the video, highlight your words now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, we're going to listen to Armitage talk about his inspiration for the poem.

So now what I'd like us to do is listen to Armitage introduce, "My Father Thought It." And while you're watching, I'd like you to answer following questions.

So question one, what does Armitage say the poem is based on? Question two, how did Armitage's different family members react? And question three, what does Armitage suggest the purpose of wearing a safety pin was? So watch Armitage introduce, "My Father Thought It," now.

<v ->This poem is taken from a sequence</v> of poems called, "Book of Matches." And I'm remembering having my ear pierced when I was 19, and getting back to the village where I lived, this village where I'm sitting now in West Yorkshire up in the hills.

And my grandma was the first person to spot this earring.

And she said, "Ooh, you look like a pirate," which wasn't really the effect that I was going for.

And then my mom saw it and she said, "Ya dad will kill ya." And my dad saw it and there was this long silence and he said, "Simon, what does this mean?" And I didn't really know the answer.

And I suppose this poem written so many years later, it was a late attempt at a reply.

In the poem I talk about how I went to a jewellers to get my ear pierced.

And this was just in the period after punk rock.

You weren't really supposed to go to a jewellers to pierce your ears.

You're supposed to do it yourself with a safety pin and then just wear the safety pin to show that you were grownup.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

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

So Armitage says the poem was based on him getting his ear pierced at 19.

He said his grandmother said he looked like a pirate.

His mother said his father would kill him.

And his father asked him what it meant.

And finally he said the purpose of wearing the safety pin was to show you're a grownup.

Now, Armitage suggests he didn't know how to respond to his father in the moment, and that this poem is an attempt at a reply.

And what I'd like you to think about is why do you think it might be easier sometimes to respond to people in writing rather than in person? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone, some great ideas there.

Now, potentially, you might have thought that responding in writing gives you a chance to formulate your ideas and really think about what you want to say to someone or that potentially, it also creates some distance between you and the person, so you don't see their reaction to your words.

So what I'd like you to do now is watch Armitage read, "My Father Thought It." So watch him read the poem now.

<v ->My Father Thought it bloody queer the day I rolled home</v> with a ring of silver in my ear, half hidden by a mop of hair.

You've lost your head, if that's how easily you're lead, you should have had it through your nose instead.

And even then, I hadn't had the nerve to numb the lobe with ice, then drive a needle through the skin, then wear a safety pin.

It took a jeweler's gun to pierce the flesh, and then a friend to thread a sleeper in, and where it slept, the hole became a sore, became a wound and wept.

At 29, it came as no surprise to hear my own voice breaking like a tear released like water cried from way back in the spiral of the ear.

If I were you, I'd take it out and leave it out next year.

Which I did.

<v ->Welcome back, everyone.

</v> Now what I'd like you to think about is which word stays in your mind after listening to the poem? Is it one of the same words you picked out when reading the poem? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now I think the words of a poem can often have a very different impact if you hear them read aloud rather than read them yourself on a page.

So when you're responding to a poem, it's always a good idea to try and listen to a reading of the poem as well as reading it yourself.

So what I'd like you to think about now is how do you think Armitage felt when you wrote the poem? Regretful? Angry? Amused? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now what I'd like you to do is read Armitage's "My Father Thought It Aloud," and try to convey that emotion while you're reading it.

So pause the video, read the poem aloud now.

welcome back, everyone.

Now, as I said earlier, I always think it's a good idea if you try and read the poem aloud.

'Cause you really get a sense of the rhythm and the mood of 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? Armitage's "My Father Thought It," was based on a real life event for him.

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

Now the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like 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 the poem is based on Armitage getting his ear pierced and his father's reaction to the ear piercing.

So very well done if you've got those right.

Amazing work everyone.

We are the final task of the lesson Now both "I Am Very Bothered," and "My father Thought It," are from Armitage's "Book Of Matches." Armitage says, The inspiration for this book was a party game where people had to talk about who they were and the time it took for a match to burn down.

Armitage's says he was drawn with the idea of what people would say about themselves under pressure.

So what I'd like you to do is think of a strong memory from your life so far, then write it down in 30 seconds.

So pause the video, write your memory now.

Welcome back, everyone, there was some great work there.

What I'd like you to do is reflect on your writing using the following questions.

So how did it feel to only have 30 seconds to write your memory? Do you think your writing reflects the memory and how you feel about it? How do you think this exercise might help you understand Armitage's "I Am Very Bothered," and "My Father Thought It." So pause the video, reflect on your writing now.

Welcome back, everyone.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson.

And listening to Armitage talk about his poetry.

You all did amazingly well today everyone here's a summary of what we covered.

Armitage suggests that "I Am Very Bothered," was based on real events that happen during his school years.

Armitage says, "I Am Very Bothered," Is a way of exploring the idea that we hurt people who don't love us in the way we want them to.

Armitage's "My Father Thought It," is based on Armitage piercing his ear and his father's reaction to the piercing.

Armitage suggests the poem could be seen as a late reply to his father's reaction.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

I hope see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.