Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton, and I meant to guide you through learning journey today.

So today's lesson is called "Analysing ideas of belonging in Wordsworth's 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.

'" So we're going to be thinking about how we might interpret the methods that Wordsworth uses as creating ideas of belonging, but also referencing ideas of Romantic sublime.

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 analyse how Wordsworth presents ideas of nature and belonging in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." So we have five words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

They've been identified in bold throughout the learner material, and I tried to pull 'em out to as well, so you can see them being used in context.

So our first keyword is belonging, which means a feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group or in a particular place.

And our second keyword is contentment, which means happiness and satisfaction, often because you have everything you need.

We're going to be thinking about how the regular rhyme, assonance of personification might create these ideas of belonging and contentment, and "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." Our third keyword is Romanticism, which in 18th and 19th-century artistic and literary movement that celebrated nature, emotion, and individuality.

Now, Wordsworth were leading Romantic poet.

So we're going to be think about how "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" meets Romantic conventions.

Our fourth keyword is sublime.

And the Romantic sublime idea, we should feel awe towards nature, a mixture of both fear and respect.

So we're gonna be thinking about how Wordsworth creates this idea of fear and respect in relation to nature in the poem.

Our final keyword is sentient, which means the ability to experience feelings and sensations.

We're going to be thinking about how we might see the personification as conveying sentience onto nature and how we might interpret that.

So I'll just keep 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 thinking about how the regular rhyme, the use of assonance and the personification of nature might create ideas of belonging and contentment.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to be thinking about how the irregularity of the rhythm and the supposed sentence of nature, might create ideas of the Romantic sublime.

So arguably, Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" associates being in nature with a sense of belonging.

Now, belonging means a feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group or in a particular place.

Now, throughout "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," there is a sense of regularity.

So the regular rhyme scheme throughout the poem, and each stanza has six lines.

So what I'd like you to think about, it's how much this regularity relate to ideas contentment.

Now, contentment's one of our keywords, means happiness and satisfaction, often because you have everything you need.

So how might regularity relate to ideas of happiness and satisfaction? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

You might have said, the regularity might represent ideas of emotions staying the same, and that could create ideas of consistency and safety.

So now, for quick check for understanding.

So how might we interpret the regularity in Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud?" Is a, it might reflect the unpredictability of nature, b, it could reflect how the speaker feels safe in nature, or c, it may reflect how the speaker feels in control of nature? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, we don't typically associate regularity with unpredictability because regularity means we know what's going to happen.

We might associate with control, but we don't get a sense of control from any of the other images in the poem.

So the correct answer is b.

It could reflect how the speaker feels safe in nature.

So very well done if you got that right.

So now, let's think about some of the sounds in the poem.

I love looking at sounds 'cause I really think it helps you determine the mood of a poem.

So what I'd like you to do is read the following line aloud, "Beside the lake, beneath the trees." And what I'd like you to think about is what do you notice about the sounds in the line? So pause the video, read the line now.

Welcome back, everyone.

You might have noticed there's a repeated long e sound within the line, "Beside the lake, beneath the trees." Now, the repetition of vowel sounds is called assonance.

So what I'd like you to think about is how might the repetition of vowel sounds contribute to ideas of contentment and belonging? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, one of our Oak people's Izzy said, "I think the repetition of the sound not only adds to ideas of consistency within the poem, but I also think the long e sounds specifically creates a very relaxing feeling." So what I'd like you to think about is do you agree with Izzy? Why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think there's a general consensus.

The reading the line aloud create a very gentle sound and as to these ideas of happiness and peace.

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.

Is it true or false? The vowel sounds create a sense of consistency.

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

Now, the correct answer is true.

Now, you 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 assonance, the repeated vowel sounds, create a sense of consistency to the language of the poem.

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

Now, Wordsworth personifies nature throughout "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." Personification is where you give human feelings and actions to objects or ideas.

So for example, "Fluttering and dancing in the breeze." Here, the daffodils are dancing, which is a human action.

So what I'd like you to think about is how do you think the personification of nature might add to ideas of belonging? Pause a video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, one of our Oak people's Lucas said, "I think the personification of nature creates the impression we're all connected to nature.

We share emotional and physical qualities with it.

I think this contributes to a sense of belonging 'cause not only does Wordsworth attribute happy characteristics such as dancing to the daffodils, but it also creates sense a community and implies the speaker can find emotional fulfilment in nature." So what I'd like you to think about is do you agree with Lucas? Why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think personification is a way of creating an emotional connection with something and showing that we can understand it and it can understand us in the same way the speaker understands nature and nature understands the speaker.

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? The personification of nature may contribute to ideas of belonging.

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

Now, the correct answer is true.

Now, like 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, arguably, the personification of nature suggests we are connected to nature.

We share physical and emotional attributes with it.

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

Amazing work, everyone! One of the first task of the lesson.

Now, arguably, Wordsworth use is the following methods in order to create ideas of belonging.

So regularity in the structure, assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds, and personification, giving human emotions and characteristics to nature.

And what I'd like you to do is think about which one of those do you think is the most effective in showing a sense of belonging.

Why? Pause the video, take a few minutes to discuss.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great discussions there.

Now, what I'd like you to do is think about Aisha and Jacob's ideas.

Whose ideas align most closely with your ideas? So Aisha said, "I think the regularity of the rhyme is the most effective as it creates sense of safety and consistency that I think is essential to belonging." And Jacob said, "I think the personifications is the most effective.

So I think it shows how connected we are to nature." So pause the video, think about whose ideas align most closely with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, there's no right to answer to this question, but I do think it's a useful exercise because you can start to think about how writer is using methods to create an effect on the reader.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We're now with the second learning cycle.

We're going to think about how we might connect the poem to ideas of the Romantic sublime.

Now, though Wordsworth arguably connects nature with a sense of belonging, we can also potentially see ideas of the sublime as well.

So the Romantic sublime is the idea that we're in awe of nature, we both respect it and we fear it.

So let's return the personification of nature.

So what I'd like you to think about is as well as creating an emotional connection between humanity and nature, how might we also interpret the personification as creating ideas of the sublime? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, one of our Oak people's Sam said, "I think the connection between nature and humanity that personification brings create sense of respect that forms part of Romantic sublime.

Moreover, I think personification implies that nature is sentient and I think that might add to a sense of fear 'cause it conveys awareness and purpose onto nature and natural phenomena." So what I'd like you to do is think about whether or not you agree with Sam.

Why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, for me, I think the idea of sentience connects to a days of fear and respect, 'cause just nature could, if it wanted to unleash its power onto us and cause destruction.

And I think this has been particularly powerful in the 18th and 19th centuries 'cause they're a lot more vulnerable to nature's power than we are today.

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.

Is it true or false? That arguably, the personification does not relate to the concept of the Romantic sublime.

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, arguably, personification creates both a sense of respect and a sense of fear towards nature.

So very well done if you got those right.

Now, within "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," Wordsworth compares the daffodils to stars, "Continuous as the stars that shine." No might interpret this as Wordsworth suggesting the daffodils bring light and comfort to the speaker.

But what I'd like you to think about is how could we also see this act of using a simile as creating ideas of the sublime? Think about the idea of a simile comparing something to something else to help the reader understand an image or an idea.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

One of our Oak people's Alex said, "For me, I think using comparative imagery such as metaphors and similes is a way of making an idea clear to the reader.

In doing so, it implies something unfamiliar and incomprehensible about the original image.

Thus, using as simile could imply there's something unfamiliar and incomprehensible about nature." So what I'd like you to do is think about whether or not you agree with Alex.

Why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

They also might have thought about how the comparison to start specifically could also link to the sublime, as idea of space is something we might feel an awe of 'cause it's so far removed from our everyday reality.

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.

Is it true or false? The using a simile to describe nature might link to ideas of the Romantic sublime.

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, potentially, we might suggest that using a simile implies there's something unfamiliar and incomprehensible about nature.

So very well done if you got those right.

So now, let's think about the rhythm of the poem.

Now, know the rhythm can feel intimidating sometimes, but I like to think of it as the beat that runs throughout the poem.

Now, the regularity or the irregularity of this beat might help create meaning.

So the majority of the lines in Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" have a regular rhythm of iambic tetrameter, so eight syllables per line.

However, there are moments where Wordsworth adds an extra syllable to a line.

For example, "Fluttering and dancing in the breeze" has nine syllables, and "Continuous as the stars that shine" also has nine syllables.

Now, as I said, it might be helpful to think of the rhythm of the poem as the beat that runs through it or as a speaking voice.

So what I'd like you to think about is how might moments of irregularity in the rhythm connect to ideas of the sublime? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

You might have said, it creates a sense of a voice stuttering, which could represent the idea of being overwhelmed by nature and being in awe of nature.

So now, for a quick check for understanding.

So how might the irregularity of the rhythm connect to ideas of the Romantic sublime? Is a, the speaker feels calm and content, b, the speaker feels sense of freedom in nature, or c, the speaker may feel overwhelmed in nature? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, we typically associate ideas of irregularity with calmness and contentment.

We might associate ideas of freedom with irregularity, but that doesn't connect to the Romantic sublime.

So the correct answer is c.

The speaker may feel overwhelmed in nature because the Romantic sublime is all about ideas of respect and fear.

Fantastic work, everyone.

Now, the final task of the lesson.

Now, arguably, we might see these two ideas, in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," the speaker feels joy and happiness in nature.

There are also moments where the speaker seems in awe of nature.

And what I'd like you to think about is how might we connect these two ideas together? I'd like to write a short answer to explain your ideas.

Now, you might think about how we might connect ideas of nature, belonging, and the Romantic celebration of emotion.

So pause the video, write your answer now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great work there.

Now what I'd like you to do is think about Sofia's ideas and whether or not you agree.

So Sofia said, "Part of the Romantic conventions is a celebration of emotion, so perhaps we might interpret these ideas of the speaker being both happy in nature and at times in awe of nature as suggesting that, for the Romantics, a sense of belonging is created by feeling heightened emotions rather than simply feeling safe or contented." So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Sofia.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think there's such an important idea to recognise.

The idea that ideas of belonging contentment might look different depending on your philosophical, ethical, or religious outlook on life.

Amazing work today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

The regularity of the rhyme may link to ideas of contentment in nature.

Alternatively, the irregularity in the rhythm may suggest a sense of being overwhelmed by nature.

The personification may create a sense of emotional connection between humanity and nature.

Alternatively, the personification may also link to ideas of the Romantic sublime through the sentience of nature.

Using a simile to describe nature may create the impression of nature as something unfamiliar and incomprehensible.

I really hope you enjoy the lesson, everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye!.