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 "Analysing Ideas of Dehumanisation and Apathy in Ghose's 'Decomposition.

'" We're going to be thinking about some of the language that Ghose uses, as well as the structure of decomposition, and how those migrate ideas of dehumanisation and apathy towards homelessness.

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

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to analyse how Ghose presents ideas of dehumanisation and apathy in "Decomposition." 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 can see them being used in context.

So first, dehumanisation, which means regarding, representing, or treating a person or group as less than human.

We're going to be thinking about how Ghose uses language to create the idea of dehumanisation throughout the poem.

Our second key word is apathy, which means behaviour that shows no interest or energy and shows that someone is unwilling to take action.

We're going to be thinking about how Ghose uses language and structure to create those ideas of apathy in society towards homelessness.

Our third key is flippant, which means not showing a serious or respectful attitude.

We're going to be thinking about how Ghose uses flippant language and how that contributes to ideas of dehumanisation.

Our final keyword is decomposition, which means the state or process of rotting or decay.

We're going to be thinking about how Ghose's language creates these ideas of decomposition and how the old man is breaking down and decaying.

So I'll just give you a 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 Ghose's use of flippant language and the language used around the old man's body creates the idea that homeless people are dehumanised by society.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to be thinking about how Ghose uses rhythm and enjambment in order to create ideas of apathy in society towards homelessness.

So arguably, we might interpret Ghose's "Decomposition" as representing the dehumanisation of homeless people.

Now, dehumanisation means to regard, represent, or treat a person or group as less than human.

So we might interpret Ghose's "Decomposition" as suggesting that homeless people are seen and treated as less than human by others in society.

So let's start by thinking about some of the language that Ghose use in relation to the old man.

I'd like to start by thinking about the phrase "thrown aside." I'd like to think about what the significance of the flippant language might be in relation to the old man.

Now, flippant is one of our keywords, means not showing a serious or respectful attitude.

So what does language that shows disrespectful attitude suggest? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now one of our Oak pupils Sam said, "It could represent how little care and respect people have for homeless people.

They're literally being thrown aside by society." So what I'd like you to think about is, do you agree with Sam? Why or why not? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I heard a lot of you agreeing with Sam's ideas.

To me, thrown aside means you're throwing something away.

You're disposing of it.

So we have this idea that the old man is seen as disposable by society.

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, that Ghose's use of language implies society doesn't treat homeless people with respect? 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 use of 'thrown aside' is an example of flippant language that implies society treats homeless people without care or respect." So very well done if you've got those right.

So now let's think about how the old man is described.

Within the poem, the speaker suggests that the old man's arms and legs are comparable to cracks in the pavement.

So what I'd like you to think about is how is this comparison significant in relation to ideas of dehumanisation of the old man? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might have said.

So you might have thought about the fact the pavement is an object, and that implies the old man himself is also an object.

You also might have thought about what the function of pavement is in society.

It's something people walk over, and that perhaps represents how downtrodden homeless people are.

Now, as well as comparing the old man to cracks in the pavement, Ghose also uses the following comparisons.

The old man's shadow is compared to a blanket.

His pose is compared to someone using a pillow.

And what I'd like you to think about is what might the significance of these comparisons be? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, one of our Oak pupils Izzy said, "Maybe Ghose is highlighting that the old man does not have these items. He's denied basic human comforts because of his homelessness." So what I'd take 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 always keep in mind the choices that the poet makes are conscious choices to convey an emotion or an idea to us as the reader.

Now, I think Ghose used these comparisons for a reason to emphasise that the old man does not have a blanket or a pillow.

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 that arguably, Ghose's "Decomposition" suggests that the old man is treated as an equal human being in society? 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, the comparative imagery suggests the old man is dehumanised by society." So very well done if you got those right.

Now, rather than telling us about the old man's face, we instead hear of his arms, legs, and head.

So what I'd like you to think about is how might the description of the old man's separate body parts relate to ideas of decomposition? Remember that decomposition is one of our keywords.

It means a state or process of rotting, decay, or the idea of being broken down into small parts.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, you might have thought about how the poem has broken the old man down into individual body parts and how it could suggest the old man has been broken down by his situation.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which the following is the most effective interpretation of the description of the old man's separate body parts? Is it A, it could represent how the old man's been broken down by his situation? Or B, it could represent how the old man is seen as a human being by society? So pause the video, think a few moments to think about it.

Now, the correct answer is A.

It could represent how the old man's been broken down by his situation.

Now I'd like to tell me why it's A.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

You might have said, "Ghose's title 'Decomposition' can mean the action of breaking down or breaking something to smaller parts." So very well done if you've got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

And now the first task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is create a topic sentence and a concluding sentence to complete a single paragraph outline.

So at the moment, we have the supporting details of thrown aside.

Now that's flippant language and implies the old man isn't treated with care.

Cracks.

This metaphorically compares the old man to the pavement.

It dehumanises him and could suggest he's downtrodden.

Blanket and pillow.

Now these comparisons could demonstrate what the old man does not have.

He doesn't have basic human comforts.

Arms, legs, head.

Now, this could be decomposition.

It could represent how the old man's been broken down by his situation.

Now remember, a topic sentence explains the main focus of the paragraph, and a concluding sentence summarises the paragraph and thinks about the writer's intentions.

So pause the video, create a topic sentence and your concluding sentence now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Fantastic work there.

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

Do you agree? Why or why not? So Sofia's topic sentence was: Arguably, Ghose's 'Decomposition' represents the dehumanisation of homeless people.

And her concluding sentence was: Thus, we might interpret Ghose's "Decomposition" as revealing how homeless people are not treated with respect or care by society.

So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Sofia.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now we're going to move on to our second learning cycle, where we're going to think about ideas of apathy in society towards homelessness.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now into our second learning cycle, where we're going to think about how Ghose's use rhythm, enjambment, and language to create ideas of apathy.

Now, arguably, we might interpret Ghose's "Decomposition" as representing the apathy that society feels towards homelessness.

Now, apathy means behaviour that shows no interest or energy and shows someone's unwilling to take action.

So arguably, Ghose suggests that society is unwilling to take action to solve homelessness.

So let's start by thinking about the rhythm.

Now, I love looking at the rhythm of a poem because for me it's the heartbeat that runs through a poem.

You can tell so much about the mood of that poem by looking at the heartbeat and how it's beating.

So Ghose's "Decomposition" uses iambic pentameter.

This means there's 10 syllables per line.

Now, the syllables are arranged into five metrical feet called iambs.

Each iamb consists of a pair of syllables.

So we have unstressed syllable, which means it's not emphasised.

Then a stressed syllable, meaning it's emphasised.

So let's look at an example.

I have a picture I took in Bombay.

So the X represents an unstressed syllable and the slash represents a stressed syllable.

Now, using iambic pentameter means there's regular rhythm to Ghose's "Decomposition." And what I'd like you to think about is what might the significance of this regularity be in relation to homelessness? Think about the idea that regularity means the heartbeat of the poem stays the same throughout.

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

Well, welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, one of our Oak pupils Laura said, "Perhaps it represents how homelessness is a regular part of society.

The unchanging nature of the rhythm could be symbolic of how nothing is changing in society." So what I'd like you to think about is do you agree with Laura? Why or why not? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I would encourage you to always try to read a poem aloud or in your head when you're trying to understand and analyse the ideas in it.

Does the rhythm or the heartbeat of the poem stay the same, or does it change? That will help you connect the structure of the poem to the meaning of the poem.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which the following might Ghose's use of iambic pentameter represent in "Decomposition"? Is it A, it could the unpredictability of life and how circumstance can easily change? B, it could represent homelessness as a regular feature of society? Or C, it could represent how the old man's made peace with his situation in life? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, typically, we associate unpredictability with an irregular rhythm because there's no pattern to it and therefore it's unpredictable.

Now, while we might interpret regularity as suggesting peacefulness and calmness, the overwhelming image of the old man is one of sorrow.

So the correct answer is B, it could represent how homelessness is a regular feature of society.

So very well done if you got that right.

So now let's think about another structural element of the poem.

Now, Ghose utilises enjambment throughout "Decomposition." Enjambments are running over of a sentence or phrase from one poetic line to the next.

Now, we might represent enjambment like this, with the arrow showing how the lines continue over onto the next.

So what I'd like you to think about is what do you think the significance of the enjambment might be in relation to ideas of apathy? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, I'm gonna share some of the ideas from Oak pupils.

I'd like to think about whether or not you agree.

So Lucas said, "Perhaps it represents how the crowd continue to walk past the old man and carry on with their day rather than stopping and offering to help." And Andeep said, "Or perhaps it represents the continual problem of homelessness in society and how there's a lack of interest in solving the problem." So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Lucas and Andeep.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think it's important to note here, you could use both of those interpretations in your analysis of the poem.

It's always a good idea to think about alternative interpretations of a method and how they both link your overall argument.

In this case, both Lucas and Andeep's ideas link the idea of apathy in society and therefore that strengthens the argument we can see apathy in society towards homelessness.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which of the following is the most relevant interpretation of the enjambment in "Decomposition?" Is it A, we might see the enjambment as representing how people continually walk past the old man? Or B, we might see the enjambment as representing the constant attention the old man gets? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

The correct answer is A.

We might see the enjambment as representing how people continually walk past the old man.

Now, I'd like you to tell me why it's A.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

You might have said, "Arguably, Ghose's 'Decomposition' suggests that society is apathetic towards homeless people.

So very well done if you got those right.

So now let's take a moment to think about the final word of the poem.

I always think it's a really useful word to look at because the final impression of the poem is the lasting impression the poet wants to leave with us.

So the final word of Ghose's "Decomposition" is "solitude".

So what I'd like you to think about is what do you think the significance of this might be in terms of society's apathy towards homelessness? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, one of our Oak pupils Jacob said, "I think maybe it signifies how alone the old man is in society.

Now, this might relate to ideas of apathy because it represents how no one's helping the old man or looking out him." So what I'd like you to think about is do you agree with Jacob? Why or why not? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think there's something incredibly poignant about this final moment of loneliness because perhaps it's there to inspire us, try to make a human connection with others and try to make someone's life a little bit better.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So 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 final word of Ghose's "Decomposition" suggests that society is beginning to help the old man.

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, "The final word is 'solitude' and that could signify how alone the old man is in society." So very well done if you've got this right.

Fantastic work, everyone.

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

So what I'd like you to do is think about which method do you think is the most effective in presenting society's apathy towards homelessness? Why? You might consider: the use of en enjambment, the use of iambic pentameter, and the use of "solitude" as the final word.

So 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 Andeep's ideas.

Whose ideas align most closely with your ideas? So Aisha said, "I think the enjambment is the most effective.

I think the way it could represent how people continually walk past the old man is really powerful." And Andeep said, "I think 'solitude' is the most effective because it's the final word of the poem.

It really demonstrates how alone the old man is in society." So pause the video.

Think about whose ideas align most closely with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, there's no right answer to this question, but I always think it's useful to think about which method you respond to the most.

Then you can start really thinking about why that method speaks to you and that will help you guide your analysis of a poem.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

The use of iambic pentameter may represent how homelessness is a regular occurrence in society.

The enjambment may represent how society and people continue without stopping to help.

The metaphorical imagery of decomposition could represent the dehumanisation of the beggar.

The final word "solitude" could represent how alone old man is in society.

The flippant use of language such as thrown aside arguably shows how dehumanised the beggar is.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

Hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.