Lesson video

Hello, it's Mrs. Butterworth here, and I cannot wait to get started on today's English lesson.

So thank you so much for joining me.

Now in this lesson we'll be delving deeper into the poem "Blackberry Picking" by Seamus Heaney, analysing both the choices of language and structure.

So lots to do, shall we get started? So in this lesson, you will be able to analyse Heaney's use of language and structure in his poem "Blackberry Picking".

Let's have a look at some key words that will help with our understanding of this lesson.

Those words are simile, imagery, evocative, allusion, and sensory.

Now, simile, you may have come across this word before, is a comparison using like or as to show similarities between two things.

Now, imagery, and this is very important for this poem, because it is so rich in imagery, is that descriptive language that creates vivid mental pictures.

Now, evocative is to bring strong images, memories, or feelings to mind.

We'll be using that word a lot to describe Heaney's poem today, so look out for that.

An allusion is a brief reference to a person, place, events, or text, relying on the reader's knowledge to add meaning.

So we are going to be looking at how Heaney uses an allusion in his poem.

And then sensory, this is language that appeals to the five senses.

So anything to do with sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, which this poem is full of.

So the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to begin by analysing the language and then move on to analysing the structure in "Blackberry Picking".

So let's start with the language.

Now, let's just remind ourselves of those key ideas in the poem.

So I'd like you to discuss, please, how might the following words link to "Blackberry Picking"? And those words are August, wine, neo-romanticism, and rot.

Okay, so pause the video to give yourself time to discuss that question.

If you are working alone, you may wish to think quietly to yourself or even jot down some ideas.

Either way, you're gonna have to pause that video and get going.

Okay, thank you.

Should we share some ideas? You may have something different, which is absolutely fine.

It's all about just reminding ourselves of the key ideas in the poem.

So for August, you may have discussed how it begins, those first lines, it establishes the poem in August and links to those hazy summer days.

And August, the summer, represents youth's freedom and fleeting joy.

Now wine is actually a simile in the poem where the poet compares blackberry to wine that has thickened.

It's a really vivid use of imagery and it emphasises the abundance and fullness of summer.

Neo-romanticism.

Now you may know that Heaney is considered a neo-romantic, and also this poem aligns with some of those conventions.

So things like sublime nature, nostalgia, personal experience, and emotion.

And rot, thinking about the second part of the poem, that imagery of decay and representing that transience of time.

So we know that by the end of the poem we get this description of fermented, rot, and sour, which really contrasts the start of the poem.

Okay, so which answer best summarises "Blackberry Picking"? Pause the video to come up with your answer, off you go.

So a very well done to everyone that selected A.

This summarises the poem as a nostalgic reflection on childhood joy, the passage of time, and inevitable disappointment.

Now, Heaney uses sensory language, which is both evocative and emotive.

So remember, sensory language is everything to do with our five senses, okay? So what I would like you to do, please, is I would like you to make sure that you have a copy of the poem ready.

And I would like you to read the poem "Blackberry Picking".

So pause the video to give yourself time to do that reading.

Off you go.

Okay, so now you have read that poem.

I would like you, please, to identify examples where Heaney references, taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell? So go back through that poem and see if you can identify that use of sensory language where Heaney references, taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell.

So again, pause the video to get that done.

Okay, so now you have some really good examples of sensory language.

I'd like you to discuss, please, how does Heaney use sensory language to evoke both the joy and disappointment of childhood? So pause the video to discuss that question.

If you're working on your own, you may wish to think quietly to yourself or even jot down some ideas, but you'll need to pause the video to get it done.

Off you go.

Okay, so let's gather up some examples of sensory language you may have identified and discussion ideas around how that is evocative or how Heaney is using that? So you may have identified to do with taste words like sweet, thickened, and sour.

Touch, things like sticky, pricks, and bleached.

Sight, glossy, purple, rat-gray, inked.

Sound, there's that word tinkling, isn't there, in the poem? And then smell, things like stinking and sour.

Once you put it all together like this, you can really see that sensory language, can't you, and how evocative and effective it is.

So you may have discussed the following that Heaney's sensory language immerses reader, absolutely, and it makes them feel the joy and anticipation of "Blackberry Picking".

You can really sense it, the sweet and sticky.

You can almost feel that yourself, can't you? And the contrast between excitement and decay really creates those emotions and emphasises those emotions of nostalgia, loss, and disallusionment.

When I was reading those words aloud, I really noticed that stark contrast between words like glossy, and sweet, and purple to that smell of stinking and sour.

And the evocative imagery across the five senses really reinforces those themes of fleeting pleasure and the passage of time, and it really evokes a strong sense of nostalgia.

Okay, true or false, Heaney's evocative use of the five senses heightens the reader's experience of nostalgia? Is that statement true or false? Pause the video to come up with your answer now.

Okay, so hopefully you have decided true or false, because the answer is true.

So well done everyone that got true.

But you now need to explain why that statement is true.

So pause the video to give me your answer.

Okay, I'm gonna share an answer.

Hopefully you have something similar.

So hopefully you have something, like, "This as true, because Heaney's vivid sensory imagery immerses readers in the joy of 'Blackberry Picking' and the disappointment of decay, evoking nostalgia." Now the other thing I want us to think about is Heaney's use of figurative language, and he effectively uses both metaphor and simile.

So let's look at an example first.

So if you find line six from the beginning "like" to the end of "it".

So find that line for me.

Now, what you may have noticed is that it's a simile, and what that simile does is it compares the juice of the first berry to wine that has thickened, which really emphasises its richness and intensity.

It's almost like they're drunk on the pleasure of the experience.

You can almost picture that, can't you? This berry being compared to wine, it's so pleasure inducing, it's almost like they are drunk.

And then there's also a further comparison to blood.

So it's the blood of summer, and this really suggests life and vitality, and it's almost like they are drinking from summer itself, like the life of summer.

And this really mirrors the energy and hunger of youth, and I think Heaney is really effective in how he does that.

So I would like you to now have a go at doing that with two other examples.

So find your poem, and I'd like you, please, to focus on line three, from "a" to the end "clot".

And line 15 from "like" to "eyes", okay? So find those lines and those quotations, and I'd like you to discuss what type of figurative language is Heaney using, and how does it emphasise the themes of youth, nostalgia, and loss? I'm looking forward to what you come up with.

So pause the video and get discussing, or thinking quietly to yourself, or writing down your answers.

Off you go.

Okay, really fantastic work.

We have answers here from our Oak pupils Izzy and Alex.

So let's see how they answered.

So Izzy has said, "It's almost as if Heaney is capturing the richness of youth, yet the word clot hints at decay, emphasising the impermanence of youthful energy and the loss that follows." I think that's a really interesting point from Izzy, because although there's definitely a celebration of the pleasure of blackberry picking, there are these hints of decay and all of those sorts of things happening as well.

So I think that's a really perceptive point from Izzy.

And Alex has said, "It's almost as if Heaney is suggesting the watchfulness of childhood memories." So that simile of eyes, it's almost like it's watching that memory.

"And it symbolises how youthful joy is ultimately overtaken by nostalgia and the inevitable loss of innocence." So some really fantastic answers there.

So I'd like you to discuss, please, to what extent do you agree with these answers and why? Pause the video to give yourself time to talk about those.

Off you go.

Okay, so I would like you, please, to answer the following question.

Heaney uses a simile to describe the children as almost drunk on the experience.

What does he compare the blackberries to? Okay, so you'll need to pick A, B, C, or D by pausing the video now.

Okay, well down to everyone that said wine.

That specific explanation about the children being almost drunk on the experience links to that simile wine.

But those words, eyes, blood, and clot still appear in the poem.

Now at the start of the lesson we introduce this key word allusion.

So let's just remind ourselves of what that is.

So an allusion is a brief reference to a person, place, event, or text, relying on the reader's knowledge to add meaning.

Now in "Blackberry Picking", there is an allusion to Bluebeard on line 16, okay? And it's a really interesting reference, one that you may understand and one that you may not, but we're going to explore it in depth now.

Now, who was Bluebeard? Now Bluebeard is a folklore figure, and he's known for his violent nature.

So the story goes that he kills and hides the bodies of his wives.

So there is lots of secrecy.

He hides the bodies of his wives behind this door.

So there's lots of kind of secrecy and violence in the story.

And the story symbolises danger and guilt.

So it's a really interesting allusion for Heaney to include.

So I'd like you to have a think about it now, how might this emphasise the feelings of the children? So how might that allusion to Bluebeard emphasise the feelings of the children, and how might it link the themes of youth, nostalgia, and loss? Okay, so pause the video to discuss, think about, or write down your ideas.

Off you go.

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions and ideas there.

There really is a lot to think about, isn't there, from that allusion? It seems so simple at first, but there's lots we can say about it.

So you may have discussed some of the following.

So you may have discussed that the allusion to Bluebeard enhances the children's sense of adventure and the thrill of their experience.

So it almost links back to the idea that this is so exciting that it almost feels dangerous and adventurous, much like the story of Bluebeard.

It emphasises the pleasure of picking blackberries, presenting it as almost sinful.

So it is as if they're indulging in something forbidden, which again, almost makes it more pleasurable, doesn't it, this pleasure of picking that's almost forbidden.

And the reference to violence, I think, is interesting, and I think this perhaps mirrors the wild, almost reckless excitement of the children's hunt for berries.

So I think it almost kind of represents that childhood abandonment of excitement.

Like, there's no sense of being constrained, it's just unbridled joy and pleasure seeking.

And also this allusion could evoke brutality and contrast with their innocence, and again, foreshadows this inevitable loss of joy and youth.

So this foreshadowing that something bad is going to happen.

And again, if we think about this Bluebeard figure, it's this idea that, you know, it starts off seemingly okay, but then we find out that something is bad, that there is a secret, a dark secret, much like the dark secret of growing old, experience the loss of youth.

So true or false, the allusion to Bluebeard links to innocence and purity? Is that statement true or false? Come up with your answer now by pausing the video, please.

Okay, well done, everyone, that said that is false.

But you now need to explain why the statement is false.

So pause the video and explain your answer now.

Okay, so here is an answer.

Hopefully you have something similar.

So actually the allusion to Bluebird evokes brutality and contrasts with the children's innocence, foreshadowing the inevitable loss of joy and youth.

Okay, so your first practise task, and we have thought about a lot and analysed a lot of language features.

So we've got lots to say about this really rich and evocative poem.

So what I would like you to do is I would like you to use everything we have discussed, and I'd like you to write an analytical paragraph to answer the question, wow does Heaney use language to evoke feelings of nostalgia and loss in "Blackberry Picking"? So you should include a topic sentence to explain the focus of the paragraph.

Identify key language techniques.

Use at least two quotations from the poem as evidence.

And refer Heaney's intentions.

So just as a reminder, you may want to talk about the sensory language that Heaney uses and that vivid imagery.

You may wish to talk about his inclusion of figurative language, so similarly, a metaphor.

You may also wish to explore the allusion to Bluebeard.

So there is lots here that you can be writing about.

Okay, so make sure you have what you need to complete this task, and pause the video and get writing.

Great, thank you so much, everyone, for your hard work.

I really enjoy seeing how there were lots of different ways to respond to that question.

So that's really fantastic, because we're not always going to pick the same things to focus on.

So that's really great.

So we're actually going to look at Jacob's answer now.

So we're going to read this through and just look at it with reference to the checklist, but let's read it through to together first.

"Heaney uses vivid sensory language to evoke both nostalgia and loss.

The poem's rich imagery captures the joy of childhood as seen in the description of blackberries as 'sweet' and 'thickened', emphasising their pleasure.

However, Heaney contrasts this with decay, using words like 'rot' and 'sour' to highlight the fleeting nature of happiness.

The allusion to 'Bluebeard' adds danger, suggesting that the children's excitement is excessive, foreshadowing their disappointment.

Through this contrast, Heaney explores how youthful joy is intense, but inevitably gives way to disillusionment." So let's just use the checklist to check through Jacob's work.

So he has included that topic sentence there.

Sorry, he's identified the techniques, which we can see there in purple.

So those techniques are sensory language, imagery, and allusion.

He's used those quotations, so he's used at least two if not more.

And finally, he has linked to the writer's intentions.

So we can see this here by, "Heaney contrasts this with decay", "Through this contrast, Heaney explores." So he's really explicitly talked about the writer's intentions.

So a really good response from Jacob.

So now it's over to you.

So I would like you please to use the checklist to check your own work through.

So if you notice that anything is missing, this is a really good opportunity to add it in now.

So pause the video to get checking your work.

Off you go.

And once you have checked it, you can now set yourself a target, so you can give yourself a what went well and an even better if.

So, pause the video and do that now.

So we have analysed the language in "Blackberry Picking" and now we are going to move on to analyse the structure in "Blackberry Picking".

So here is a visual representation of the stanzas in "Blackberry Picking".

So we've got stanza one there and we've also got stanza two.

So we can see how this represents the length and shape of those stanzas.

So I'd like you to discuss, please, what do you notice about the length of each stanza and how might the length of each stanza reflect the content and themes? So I would like you to pause the video to give yourself time to answer those questions.

Off you go.

So another true or false question for you.

So here is the statement.

Heaney uses enjambment to create a sense of finality and closure.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video to come up with your answer now, please.

So well done to everyone that identified that statement is false, but please pause the video to explain why that statement is false? Off you go.

So here is an answer here.

Hopefully you have something similar or have thought about something similar.

So, enjambment typically extends a thought or sentence across multiple lines.

So it usually or can create a sense of continuity rather than finality.

So that's a good thing to think about when you're exploring enjambment in other texts.

So in "Blackberry Picking" it reflects the lingering hope for permanence and the experience of memory.

Okay, final practise task.

So just a little bit more work to do before the end.

I know you've got this.

So I'd like you please to answer the following question, how does Heaney use structural features to explore themes of youth, nostalgia, and loss? So we have explored these structural features in detail, so you've done the hard work, 'cause we've discussed it and thought about it, you've just got to write it up.

So you should in your answer, identify specific structural features, analyse the effect of the feature, and explain how Heaney uses the feature to emphasise his themes.

Okay, so when you are ready, pause the video and get answering this question.

Off you go.

Thank you so much for your hard work on that task.

Now I'd just like you to do one final thing for me.

I would like you, please, to self-assess your work and tick where you have done the following, identified specific structural features, analysed the effect of the feature, explained how Heaney uses the feature to emphasise his themes.

So as you are reading through, if there's anything you'd like to change, add, or make different, now is the time to do that.

So pause the video just to complete this final task.

Off you go.

So we have now reached the end of the lesson and we have explored so much in "Blackberry Picking".

So, well done.

Hopefully you are feeling much more confident in how to analyse the language and structure in that poem.

So let's just run through the key things that we have looked at in this lesson.

So arguably, Heaney's sensory language is evocative and emotive.

Heaney uses both metaphor and simile to emphasise childhood joy's intensity and the loss of innocence.

There's that interesting allusion to Bluebeard, which may highlight indulgence's danger and guilt, reflecting lost innocence.

Heaney contrasts stanzas to show the shift from youthful joy to adult's harsh reality.

And arguably, Heaney uses caesura to mark the speaker's realisations and enjambment to reflect the flow of childhood.

So again, a very well done, and I really do hope you will join me again for another English lesson soon.

I'll see you then, bye-bye.