Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Ms. Watson and I'm really looking forward to guiding you through your learning today.

We're going to be looking at three romantic poems and we're going to be comparing their views, methods, and tones.

They're all lovely poems and I'm really looking forward to this lesson.

Just a reminder, you need a copy of your Eduqas Poetry Anthology, so make sure you have that and then we'll get started.

So the outcome of today's lesson is that you will be able to compare how romantic poets use language, form, and structure to express their different views.

As ever, we will begin with the keywords.

They are interaction, primarily, sublime, vitality, and the beloved.

Let's look at what they mean.

Interaction: This refers to talking or taking part in activities with others.

Another word for primarily is mainly, now sublime has a very specific meaning in romanticism.

It is the feeling of being in awe and overwhelmed by the wonder of creation.

Vitality means excitement, energy, and enthusiasm.

And the beloved is a literary term used to described the loved and often idealised human being, being addressed or described by a poet.

Now, if you would like a little bit of time to familiarise yourself with the key words, pause the video now and then join us when you're ready.

So let's look at an outline of today's lesson.

We're going to start by looking at interactions with nature.

Then we are going to look at the speaker of the poem and the beloved, and we are going to finish the lesson by comparing tone.

So let's start with nature.

Now what we're going to do is have a little bit of a discussion.

And this is the question, in what ways do human beings interact with the natural world? Now this is what the Oak pupils said.

Laura said, "We enjoy it.

Examples of this are walking in woods and swimming in the sea and playing in the snow and admiring sunsets and sunrises." And Izzy said, "We also work the natural world.

Turning land into farms for growing food and working with the natural world keeps us alive.

It is absolutely essential that we work with a natural life, the natural world in order to stay alive." So they were really interesting points.

Now, was there anything you would add or anything that you said differently? Let's move on.

Now, I'm going to put up some quotations from "To Autumn" by John Keats and "The Prelude" by William Wordsworth.

And as I do that, I want you to think about which ones refer to enjoying nature and which refer to working with nature.

So we are going to start with "To Autumn." So here are the quotes, blessed with fruit, fill all fruit, swell the gourd, hedge crickets sing, the red-breast whistles, half reap'd furrow, gleaner and full-grown lambs.

And from "The Prelude," twilight blaz'd, stars were sparkling clear, orange sky of evening, time of rapture, woodland pleasures, and not a voice was idle, through the darkness we flew.

So you can pause the video while you have a think about that, which ones refer to enjoyment and which ones to working.

Okay, so let's have a look at what you might have said here.

You might have said that in "To Autumn," bless with fruit, fill all fruit, swell the gourd is about working.

It's all about growing fruit and vegetables and the singing hedge crickets, and the whistling red breasts is about enjoying the musicality of nature and the furrow and the gleaner and the full grown lambs, that's all from the semantic field of farming.

So that's about working the land.

And in "The Prelude" you might have said, they are enjoying the stars and the skies and the orange sky, and they're enjoying the time of rapture and the pleasures, and they are enjoying themselves because they're not a voice was idle.

They're calling out to each other and they're flying through the darkness on their skates.

So let's move on.

Now let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following statements are true? A" "To autumn" is primarily about how beautiful nature is.

B: The speaker of "The Prelude" is remembering childhood pleasures.

C: "The Prelude" is more about the enjoyment of the countryside and less about working with nature.

D: The poem, "The Prelude", is primarily about the beauty of nature.

So what do you think of those statements are correct? Have a think.

Did you say B and C? That's right.

The speaker of "The Prelude" is remembering the joy of ice skating as a child.

And "The Prelude" is more about enjoyment and less about working with nature.

Okay, very good, well done, good thinking.

Let's move on.

Now I want us to look at the connotations of the words used by Keats in "To Autumn." So there are the three quotations, and I have picked out the words I want you to focus on in purple.

So bless, fill, swell, sing, whistles, furrow, gleaner, and lambs.

And for each of them I want you to think about what are the connotations, what are all the associations we have with those words that are in purple, have a think and then we'll share some ideas.

So did you say something like this, that these words, bless, fill and swell, they all suggest the abundance and generosity of the land.

So this is the harvest and it is just like brimming with goodness.

And on the second one, they all relate to sound, the verbs there, sing and whistles.

So what we have here is that nature is full of music.

And here furrow and gleaner and lambs, they all refer to farming practises or to farm animals.

Now let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following quotations suggest happiness and which refer to farming? Here they are, A, hedge crickets sing.

B, half-reap'd furrow, C, the red-breast whistles, and D, swell the gourd, which ones refer to happiness and which to farming? Have a think and then I'll reveal the answer.

So did you say happiness, farming, happiness and farming? Well done if you've got those right, let's move on.

Now it's over to you.

I am going to put up some the quotations from "The Prelude." Here they are.

Twilight blaz'd, stars were sparkling, clear orange sky of evening.

And you can see that once again, I have highlighted, oh sorry, I have made purple some of those words and I want you to consider their connotations.

And here are the other two quotations, time of rapture, woodland pleasures, I wheel'd about, through the darkness we flew.

I really just want you to focus on the words that are there in purple.

Now pause the video and have a think.

And you can have a discussion too about what associations do you have with the words in purple? Off you go.

Well done; really interesting discussion and I know you've got some really interesting ideas.

Now, you might have said something like this, that the connotations of blaz'd and orange and sparkling, they're all words to do with colour and brightness, and they suggest the absolute glory of nature.

And that rapture and pleasures conjure up a sense of an almost sublime joy.

He's not just happy, he is in a state of a rapture.

And wheel'd about and flew, now, these words, they're both verbs and they suggest energy and vitality.

Really good thinking there.

Fantastic.

Let's move on.

So we've looked at interactions with nature and now we are going to look at a different pairing and think about the nature of the speaker and the beloved.

So before we look at the speaker and the beloved, I want us to recap the poetic forms of odes and sonnets.

So what do you remember about an ode where you might say something like this? That an ode is a lyrical poem, that means it's a musical poem that praises a person or thing.

It has a formal structure, it often has an elevated tone.

It sounds quite grand and its common themes are love, beauty, nature and time.

And a sonnet well, that's also has a formal structure.

It has 14 lines in a regular rhyme scheme, and it is written in iambic pentameter.

And typically it is about romantic love and feelings.

Now both Barrett Browning in "Sonnet 43" and Keats in "To Autumn" are using traditional formal poetic structures.

And they are both also employing the traditional poetic convention of a speaker addressing or describing a beloved person.

So I would like you to discuss this question.

How do they do that? How do Barrett Browning and Keats employ the poetic convention of the speaker and the beloved being in "Sonnet 43" and "To Autumn?" You can pause the video while you have that discussion.

I'm really looking forward to hearing what your ideas are.

Off you go.

Well done for remembering so much about the poems. This is what the Oak pupils said.

Laura said that Barrett Browning's poem was addressed to her husband.

She lists and describes the many ways she loves him.

It is a traditional but very imaginative love poem.

And Keats personifies autumn and presents her as beautiful and bountiful.

He appreciates the way she works with humans to produce the harvest.

Is there anything you would add to that? Have a think.

Now let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following statements are true.

A: Both poems are written in the first person and are about feelings for the beloved.

B: Both poems describe and celebrate the beloved.

C: Both poems use personification of the beloved.

D: Both poems are filled with feelings of love and admiration.

Which one is correct? Have a think.

Did you say D? That's correct.

Now A is interesting because although Keats is clearly writing with full of love and admiration for the beloved character of Autumn, it's not actually written in the first person.

It's written to her.

So he says thy and you.

And we're going to see why that although Barrett Browning is passionately in love with her husband, she doesn't actually describe him in this poem.

Well done.

Let's move on.

Now I'd like you to have another discussion and if you are working on your own, that's fine.

Just jot down your ideas.

And this is the question I want you to discuss.

What is the relationship between speaker and the beloved in "Sonnet 43" and "To Autumn"? I'm gonna give you some things to think about.

Barrett Browning uses the word love eight times in a 14-line poem.

She uses the word thee nine times.

She uses nouns like depth, breadth, height, passion, breath, smiles, and tears.

And I'd like you to really at this point to focus on the difference between nouns like depth, breadth and height and breath, smiles and tears.

Now Keats says, autumn is the close bosom friend of the maturing sun, and he describes her as sitting careless on a granary floor, sound asleep on a furrow, and watching the last oozing of a cyder-press.

Now into your discussion, I would like you to use these comparative phrases like more, less, and on the other hand.

Okay, so pause the video and off you go.

Welcome back.

What a fantastic discussion.

Now you might have said something like this.

Barrett Browning's passion for her beloved is conveyed through the repetition of the words love and thee.

The poem is centred on her own thoughts and the real beloved is not mentioned.

Really good point.

And in contrast, Keats takes a more observational role.

He paints a series of pictures of autumn, asleep, sitting careless, and watching.

There are very, very vivid and vibrant pictures of autumn in Keats's poem and in "Sonnet 43" the overall impression is of an expansive breadth, depth, height, and physical breath, smiles, tears, love.

Very good, I like the way that you saw that the first collection of nouns were about volume and measurement and but then she focuses on the body on breathing and smiling and crying.

And Keats on the other hand, depicts autumn as useful, as well as lovable.

She's conspiring with the sun to create the harvest.

And that sounds almost playful, the word conspiring, whereas Barrett Browning's love is highly serious.

Some really good thinking there.

Well done.

Let's move on.

So now we are moving on to the last part of our lesson.

We are going to be comparing tone.

Now, tone in literature refers to a combination of mood, emotions and atmosphere.

And it's created by the writer's use of carefully chosen vocabulary, which is then inferred by the reader.

Now "The Prelude" is written in a tone of exhilaration and nostalgia, whereas the tone of "Sonnet 43" is full of passionate optimism.

Now I would like you to discuss what do you know about the poets, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and William Wordsworth that might help you understand why they would speak in those tones, why they might employ those tones.

And in your discussion, I'd like you to consider romanticism and its focus on nature and childhood innocence and the story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's elopement.

Now you can pause the video while you have that discussion.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

Now this is what the Oak pupils said.

Laura said that the romantic poets often idealise childhood and that you can see that in Wordsworth's memory of the children's skating.

And his poem also conveys the romantic love of nature.

And Izzy has remembered the story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, how she was rejected by her family after she eloped with her husband.

And this may have contributed to the overwhelming sense that he was all she had.

Do you have anything to add? Do your ideas align with what the Oak pupils said? Have a think.

Now what we are going to do is we are going to identify how the tone changes in from the beginning to the end of both poems, "Sonnet 43" and "The Prelude." So this is the first line of "Sonnet 43." "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." And the poem ends with this lines.

"And if God choose, I shall but love the better after death." So how would you categorise, how would you infer the tone of those first and last lines? Have a think.

Yes you might have said that she begins in a questioning way and she ends with certainty.

And in "The Prelude" the first line is, and in the frosty season when the sun was set and visible and it ends with, "And in the west, the orange sky of evening died away." What shift in tone do you see between the beginning and the end there? Have a think.

That's right.

There is this bright, fresh start at the beginning of the poem and then you have this hint of melancholy at the end with the idea of the evening dying away.

Really good.

Now I want you to compare the different tones of the two poems. So have another think about that.

So you might have said something like this, that in "Sonnet 43," the tone is immediate and urgent and filled with hope for the future.

And in "The Prelude" the tone is excited, but it's set in the past and there is a strong feeling of nostalgia for a childhood memory.

Really good thinking.

Well done.

Let's move on.

So now we are going to have a check for understanding.

The tone of both poems is the same throughout.

Is that true or false? It is false, but why is it false? Is it because of A, the tone of "The Prelude" becomes more nostalgic 'cause the poet recalls the past whereas the tone of "Sonnet 43" becomes more confident? Or is it B, the tone of "The Prelude" ends on a note of exhilaration, whereas the tone of "Sonnet 43" moves from uncertain to questioning.

What do you think? The first one is correct.

Very good.

Let's move on.

So now you are going to gather all your ideas together and create a single paragraph outline to answer this question.

Compare how Wordsworth and Barrett Browning used tone in "The Prelude" and "Sonnet 43" to convey meaning and emotion.

Now remember a single paragraph outline.

You need to clearly identify the tones used.

You need to find quotations from both poems and note down analysis of quotations, you need to note down relevant context and you need to write the topic sentence and the concluding sentence out in full.

Now you'll need to pause the video while you do that, so do that now, off you go.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you create.

So welcome back.

What great focus.

Now I'm going to put up what you might have written and you can compare your single paragraph outline with that.

So you might have written a topic sentence like this, that in "The Prelude" and "Sonnet 43", both Wordsworth and Barrett Browning evoke tone in order to create powerful emotions.

Wordsworth's tone is both excited and nostalgic.

Whereas Barrett Browning's tone develops from uncertainty to optimism.

That would be a great topic sentence that makes a comparison, addresses the question and identifies the tone.

And for supporting detail, you might talk about the sun and say that it's bright and hopeful and there are happy memories in "The Prelude," the idealisation of childhood innocence.

And then with that last quote where the orange sky of evening dying away, some sense of lost that relates to the nostalgia and that questioning, how do I love thee? This is how Barrett Browning's poem begins.

And then she's sure that she will love him better after death.

And there's some interesting context here that Barrett Browning's life choices involved the interrogation of all her values.

And your concluding sentence might be, although both poets were writing in the romantic tradition, Barrett Browning is more focused on her personal feelings informed by optimism and faith in the future.

Whereas Wordsworth's poems though filled with joy ends on a note of of ending and melancholy.

So compare your single paragraph outline with that.

You can pause the video while you do some reflecting and if you need to make some changes, now's the time.

Pause the video, join us when you are ready, off you go.

Now, before we say goodbye, I would like to summarise what you have been learning today.

So here we go in "To Autumn" and "The Prelude." Keats and Wordsworth depict human beings interacting with nature.

Keats poem celebrates autumn's beauty, whereas Wordsworth recalls happy childhood memories of ice skating.

Both Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Keats wrote formal poetry to express their love for a beloved.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning addressed her sonnet to her husband, and Keats addressed his ode to the season of autumn.

The dominant tone of "Sonnet 43" is intense passion, whereas Wordsworth's poem is filled with nostalgia.

So I'd just like to thank you for your focus today.

I wish you a brilliant rest of the day and I look forward to seeing you soon in another lesson.

Bye for now.