Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton and I'm going to guide you through your learning journey today.

Today's lesson is called "Understanding ideas of belonging in McKay's 'I Shall Return.

' " So we're going to read through the poem and think about how we respond to it in terms of belonging, but then we're also going to think about the context and how that might enhance our understanding of the poem.

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 explain how McKay presents ideas of belonging and heritage in "I Shall Return." So we have five 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 our first keyword is belonging, which means a feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group or a particular place.

We're going to be thinking about how we can see these ideas of happiness and comfort in how the speaker describes their home.

Our second keyword is heritage, which means the history, traditions, practises of a particular country or society that continue to be important.

We're going to be thinking about what McKay suggests to us about the speaker's heritage and how that relates to ideas of home.

Our third keyword is loiter, which means to stand or wait around without an apparent purpose.

This is one of the words from the poem.

We're going to be thinking about what the use of this specific word suggests about the speaker's home.

Our fourth keyword is native, which means associated with a place or circumstance of a person's birth.

We're going to be thinking about how the speaker talks about their native life and how it relates to ideas of belonging.

And our final keyword is idealise, which means to think of or represent someone or something as perfect.

We're going to be thinking about how we might see the speaker as idealising their home.

So, I'll just give you a few moments 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 read and respond to the poem and think about how McKay presents ideas of belonging.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to think about the context of McKay's life and work.

We're going to be thinking about how that might enhance our understanding of the poem.

So, let's start by thinking about the title of the poem.

I think this is a really important activity because the title is our first impression of the poem.

It helps introduce us to the main themes and ideas of the poem.

So the title of the poem is "I Shall Return." And what I'd like you to do is think about what predictions you can make about the poem from the title.

So pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now one of our Oak pupils, Aisha, said, "I think it suggests the speaker is talking about their desire to come back to a specific place.

The use of 'shall' suggests certainty.

So perhaps this indicates something really important or necessary about this particular place." So, what I'd like you to think about is whether or not you agree with Aisha.

Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now for me, I think "shall" is the most important word of the title.

I think it really conveys the speaker's intention and their desire to return to their home because we interpret the title so differently if the title were "I Might Return" or "I Should Return," for example.

So, now let's read through the poem together.

I'm going to read it through for you and you can listen along with me.

Or if you prefer, you can read it through by yourself.

If you're reading it through by yourself, you can find a copy of the poem in the additional materials or on the "Eduqas 2025 Anthology." So, pause the video.

Either listen along with me or read it through yourself.

So, let's read through Claude McKay's "I Shall Return." "I shall return again, I shall return To laugh and love and watch with wonder-eyes.

At golden noon the forest fires burn, Wafting their blue-black smoke to sapphire skies.

I shall return to loiter by the streams That bathe the brown blades of the bending grasses, And realise once more my thousand dreams Of water rushing down the mountain passes.

I shall return to hear the fiddle and fife Of village dances, dear delicious tunes That stir the hidden depths of native life, Stray melodies of dim remembered runes.

I shall return, I shall return again, To ease my mind of long, long years of pain." Welcome back, everyone.

I really hope you enjoyed the poem.

Now, what I'd like you to do is highlight five words that particularly stand out to you and explain why they stand out to you.

So pause the video.

Highlight your words now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now remember that everyone will have different words that stand out to them because we all respond to language differently based on our experiences or our backgrounds.

Now I think this is a really important exercise because it offers you a way into the poem.

You can start by thinking about what those words mean to you and that will help you build your understanding.

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? We might interpret McKay's "I Shall Return" as displaying a longing for the past.

So pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Now the correct answer is true.

Now 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 speaker displays a longing to return the place where they were happy.

So very well done if you got those right.

So, now let's start to think about the specific language and what it might reveal about how the speaker feels about their home.

So the speaker says he'll look on this place with "wonder-eyes." And what I'd like you to do is think what the connotations of "wonder" are.

What might the significance 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, Laura, said, "The word 'wonder' suggests ideas of amazement and admiration to me.

I think it suggests the speaker feels as if this place is somewhere remarkably beautiful and special." 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 think this idea of wonder really creates ideas of awe, as if the speaker feels if it's the most important place to them in the world.

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 speaker implies this place is somewhere beautiful and remarkable.

Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Now the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like you 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 image of looking at it with "wonder-eyes" conveys the ideas of admiration and amazement.

So very well done if you got those right.

So, now let's think about some more of the language and what it might suggest.

So what I'd like you to think about are the following quotations.

So we have "golden noon" and "sapphire skies," "loiter by the streams." Now loiter is one of our keywords.

It means to stand or wait around with no apparent purpose.

We have "hear the fiddle and fife Of village dances." And what I'd like you to do is think about what these quotations suggest about the speaker's home.

So pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Let's talk through you might have said.

Now, gold is a precious metal and sapphires are precious stones, which might mean we associate them with the idea of something valuable and precious.

Now as I said, loiter is one of our keywords.

It's to stand or wait around with no apparent purpose.

And that might suggest ideas of having freedom from responsibility and obligations.

Means you don't have to be anywhere specific.

You can spend your time exactly how you want to.

You also might have thought that fiddle and dances give the sense of music, movement and joy.

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? The speaker implies this place will bring them a sense of purpose and obligation.

Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Now the correct answer is false.

Now 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 idea of being able to loiter implies a sense of being carefree, not having to be anywhere or do anything specific.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now on to the first task of the lesson.

Now arguably, as well as ideas of belonging, McKay's "I Shall Return" also implies the speaker does not feel a sense of belonging in their current life.

So they don't feel happy and comfortable in their current situation in life.

And what I'd like you to do is answer the following questions.

So question one.

The final line suggests that returning will "ease" the speaker's mind of "long, long years of pain." What does this imply about where the speaker currently is? Question two.

The speaker suggests that "native" life has been "hidden" in "depths." What does this suggest about ideas of heritage and their current location? So pause the video.

Answer the questions now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great work there.

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

So the first question was, the final line suggests that returning will "ease" the speaker's mind of "long, long years of pain." What does this imply about where the speaker currently is? And Sofia said, "Firstly, I think it implies the speaker is deeply unhappy where they currently are.

The idea of 'long, long years of pain' suggests they've suffered for some time.

Secondly, the idea their pain will be 'eased' when they return home implies they cannot find release or relief from pain where they currently are." So, pause the video.

Think about whether or not you agree with Sofia.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now I think that repetition of "long" is really important here because I think it's not only emphasising how long they've been away from their home, but also how long they've been in pain for.

So question two.

The speaker suggests that "native" life has been "hidden" in "depths." What does this suggest about ideas of heritage and their current location? And Sofia said, "Native suggests ideas of heritage.

For it to be 'hidden' could suggest the speaker has felt it necessary to conceal their heritage and not display it prominently." So pause the video.

Think about whether or not you agree with Sofia.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now I think the word "hidden" is so important here because it suggests they feel as if they have to be secretive for some reason.

Whether they think that other people would not approve, or whether sharing it makes them feel uncomfortable.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now on to the second learning cycle.

We're going to think about the context and how it might relate to our understanding of the poem.

So, let's start by thinking about the context of who Claude McKay is.

So he was born in Jamaica in 1889.

Aged 17, he left to work as a constable in the Jamaican capital, Kingston.

However, McKay experienced and encountered extensive racism in Kingston.

After returning home, McKay then travelled to America where he continued to encounter racism.

It was these experiences of racism and social inequality that inspired McKay to write both prose and poetry.

So McKay is well known for both his prose and his poetry.

If you liked "I Shall Return," I'd really recommend you read "If We Must Die," a really powerful poem about ideas of prejudice and oppression.

So, now let's think about the context of McKay's work.

So McKay was influenced by Romantic poets.

Now, Romanticism was an artistic and literary movement in the 18th and 19th centuries.

It was characterised by a celebration of emotion and individuality, a celebration of nature, the past, and of the imagination.

McKay was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

Now, the Harlem Renaissance was a moment of Black cultural expression in the 1920s that inspired new ways of artists and laid critical groundwork for the civil rights movement and the Black Arts Movement.

His work ranged from celebrating peasant life in Jamaica to protesting racial and economic inequalities.

His work often portrayed Black life in Jamaica and America.

So, now for a quick check for understanding.

So which of the following statements is true? Is it A? McKay often protested racial inequalities in his work.

B, McKay's work was inspired by Victorian writers.

Or C, McKay's work was inspired by the Romantics.

So pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now the correct answers are A, McKay often protested racial inequalities in his work.

And C, McKay's work was inspired by the Romantics.

So very well done if you got this right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now on to the final task of the lesson.

Now, a statement about "I Shall Return" might be, in keeping with his other work, McKay also presents an idealised view of rural peasant life in "I Shall Return." Now "idealise" is one of our keywords.

It means to represent something as perfect.

And what I'd like you to do is think about to what extent do you agree with this statement? I'd like you to write a short answer using evidence from the text to support your ideas.

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 Jacob's ideas and whether or not you agree.

So Jacob said, "I agree with the statement because I think we can see how nature and a simple life are being idealised in 'I Shall Return.

' The idea of the music of 'village dances' suggests a sense of joy and happiness being associated with village life.

There's no sense of sadness or negative emotions, which creates ideas of perfection.

Arguably, the image of the speaker 'loitering' creates an idealised view of a place where people can be carefree and free from responsibility or pressure, which enhances the feelings of pleasure associated with it.

Furthermore, the image of the streams 'bathing' the grass creates an idealised image of harmony in nature." So, pause the video.

Think about whether or not you agree with Jacob.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now I think there's a real sense of the beauty of simplicity of life that comes through "I Shall Return." The speaker really associates the idea of joy and happiness with that simplicity of life that revolves around nature and village life.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Arguably, the speaker associates their home with beauty, joy, and a sense of being carefree.

Conversely, the speaker presents their current situation as bringing them pain.

Potentially, we might also suggest the speaker feels as if they must hide their heritage in their current situation.

McKay arguably suggests that returning home will relieve the speaker of this pain.

We might suggest we can see an idealised view of rural peasant life in "I Shall Return." I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.