Hello there.

Welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Mr. Barnsey, and it is great to see you today.

We're gonna be continuing looking at the AQA World and Lives Poetry Anthology.

You should have already read the poem "Pot" by Shamshad Khan before today's lesson.

'Cause in today's lesson we are gonna be analysing some of the language, form, and structure in more detail.

Okay, time for us to get started.

Okay, so let's have a look at the outcome of today's lesson.

So by the end of the lesson, you are gonna be able to explain how Khan uses language and structure to express her viewpoint.

Let's look at some of the keywords that we are gonna need to be able to, we're gonna be able to use these ourselves so we can express what Khan might be trying to say.

These words are migrant, displacement, colonialism, repatriation, and diaspora.

Let's have a look at what each of these words mean 'cause some of these might be completely new to us.

So a migrant is a person who moves from one place to another.

So they might move from one country to another country.

Displacement is the feeling of being out of place, okay? Maybe the feeling that you don't belong, that you're not in the place that you should be.

Colonialism is the process of one country taking over another and exploiting it economically, taking its resources.

So you might be able to think about many moments in history where we've seen colonialism in action.

One country moving across the world, taking the resources and taking power in other countries.

So repatriation is the return of someone or potentially something to their own country.

And diaspora is a population that is scattered across regions, which are separate from its geographical place of origin.

Okay, some tricky words today, but look out for them when they appear in today's lesson.

And by the end of the lesson, hopefully we'll all be able to use them confidently in our own analysis.

Alright, so we are gonna be analysing the poem "Pot" A beautiful poem, this poem, and there are gonna be three learning cycles in this lesson.

First we're gonna analyse the language, then we're gonna analyse the structure, and then we are gonna look at some very specific colonial interpretations.

So thinking about colonisation and how that might have impacted our knowledge, and how our knowledge of colonisation might impact our understanding of this poem.

But let's start by analysing some language, shall we? So today we're gonna be analysing Shamshad Khan's "Pot." We're gonna be focusing on analysing this question.

How does Khan present themes of identity and cultural repatriation in "Pot?" So remember, repatriation is returning to the place where it came from.

So we really want to think about the ideas around identity, what makes you who you are, but also this idea that cultures have been taken, moved around the world, and the thought about them being returned to where they came from.

And you might already be able to make some connections from your initial readings of "Pot" about how and what Khan might be saying about these ideas.

So I want us to start by rereading the poem.

We're gonna do that together, and I want you to think about which words you can link to identity, okay? So make sure you've got your copy of the anthology.

It's the copy I showed you at the beginning of the video.

Do pause the video now and just give yourself a moment to make sure you have it and it's open on the correct page.

Pause the video, get yourself sorted, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

We should now be all ready to read.

So I'm gonna read the poem to you, but I am going to turn the camera off because I want all eyes on your copy of the poem.

You can be listening to me, but I want you to be following along with your own eyes.

Okay, let's read the poem again.

"Pot" So big they said you shouldn't really be moved, so fragile you might break.

You could be from anywhere, pot.

Styles of travel, just like terracotta.

You could almost be an English pot, but I know you are not.

I know half of the story, pot, of where you came from or how you got here, but I need you to tell me the rest, pot.

Tell me.

Did they say you were bought, pot, a looters deal, done the whole lot, sold to the gentleman in the grey hat, or did they say you were lost, pot? Finders are keepers, you know, pot.

Or did they say they didn't notice you, pot? Must have slipped onto the white sailing yacht bound for England.

Someone somewhere will have missed you, pot, gone out looking for you, pot, because someone somewhere made you.

Fingernails, pressed, snake patterned you, pot, washed you, pot, used you, pot, loved you, pot.

If I could shatter this glass, I would take you back myself, pot.

You think they wouldn't recognise you, pot? Say diaspora.

You left now, you're not really one of us.

Pot, I've been back to where my family's from.

They were happy to see me.

I laughed a lot, and said I was more Asian than the Asians, pot.

I was, pot.

Imagine the hot sun on your back.

Field flies settle on your skin.

Warm grain poured inside.

Empty, pot.

Growl if you hear me.

Pot? Pot? Dedicated to an Nigerian pot currently incarcerated in the Manchester Museum without charge or access to legal representation.

Okay, well done for following along.

So excellently there, right? Why don't just pause the video for a moment and think about which words really stood out in the poem to you that really linked the idea of identity.

Alright, pause the video, have another think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, let's have a look at some of these words you might have picked out.

So we hear, so words like English, travelled, somewhere, where my family's from, come from.

What links these words together then? What might Khan be saying about identity do you think? Alright, time for a discussion.

So if you've got a partner, brilliant.

Why don't you discuss these ideas with them? But don't worry if you're working by yourself.

You can just think through this question independently.

Right, pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Some fantastic discussions there.

Let's have a look at some of the things you might have said.

Well, all of these words seem really rooted in the idea of location and place.

So maybe Khan is saying that actually our identity is very strongly tied to where we come from.

Have a think about that.

How does that apply to you? When you think about what makes you who you are, how important is location or place to your personal identity? Why don't you just pause the video for a second and reflect on that.

Yes, I was thinking through that, and I thought, yeah, actually I'm not saying it would be everything about my identity, but it certainly is an important part of what makes me who I am.

Okay, let's consider the identity of the pot itself.

What do you notice about the way that the pot is presented? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Really well done.

I heard lots of words like human-like.

Some of you might even said something like personification, or it felt like it was being personified, but it wasn't quite personification.

Right, let's have a look at what you might have said then.

So the speaker anthropomorphize the pot by attributing sentience.

That's a human characteristic to an inanimate object.

Alright, so that phrase that to anthropomorphize, easy for me to say, by attributing sentience.

This is all about basically attributing human-like characteristics.

So the pot doesn't actually do anything.

It doesn't wave or smile like we might associate with personification, but there is still this human-like quality to it.

And that's because the speaker is almost attributing that to the pot.

They're imprinting that on the pot.

So actually what's a better term for us to use is anthropomorphize, okay? If you want to pause for a minute and write that word down 'cause that might not be a word you've used before.

So let's pause a minute, write that word down, just make a note of that so you can use that later in today's lesson.

Alright, let's move on then.

Let's think about then, why do you think then Khan anthropomorphizes the pot? Alright, why does the speaker want to attribute human characteristics to the pot? Why do you think that's the case? Pause the video, if you've got a partner, discussed with them.

Otherwise think through independently and press play when you're ready to continue.

Alright, lots of lovely ideas there.

I really liked when people said something similar to this.

By attributing human characteristics with the pot, Khan creates an emotional connection between the reader and the pot.

Rather than simply seeing an inanimate object in a display, we now see a living being who has been taken from their home and fuels our feelings of anger and frustration at those keeping the pot captive.

I know when I read this poem I felt really connected, really quite emotional, and I was like, at first I was like how do I feel so connected to a pot? But it was these human characteristics, this anthropomorphism that I think really created this effect.

We also know that the pot is described as being empty.

So before we think about the sentience, the human characteristics of the pot, let's just think about when we describe a pot as empty, what does that actually mean? Pause, have a quick think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Yeah, you might have said something similar to this.

Actually, literally the pot has nothing inside it.

So when it's on display in the museum in Manchester, there is nothing.

It's an empty pot.

However, if we want to think about this idea of anthropomorphism of the pot, what would describing a human being as being empty suggest? So if we said a human was empty, what might we think about them? What might be saying about them, and how might we link that to the pot and its identity? A more challenging question here.

So do give yourself a few moments to discuss either with a partner or just to think through this independently.

Pause the video and press play when you're ready to go on.

Some really, really interesting and sensitive discussions there.

I really liked it when people were saying something similar to what we can see on the screen now.

Describing a human as empty implies that they are in some way unfulfilled, incomplete perhaps, or sad.

So perhaps Khan is suggesting that the pop now feels lost and unfulfilled because it's far away from its home.

It's far away from its culture.

It's far away from the reason why it was created.

Lovely ideas if you said something similar to that.

Let's look at this extract from the poem.

You think they wouldn't recognise you, pot.

Say diaspora.

You left now.

You are not really one of us.

What does the speaker think the pot is worried about, and how might that link to identity? Remember diaspora is a population that's been scattered across the earth, across the world, separated from it, moved away from its cultural country of origin.

What do you think the speaker's worry, thinks the pot might be worried about, and how does that link to identity? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Some really great ideas there.

Well done if you said something similar to this.

The pot is worried that it will not be accepted by the people of its home country since it's been somewhere else.

And this links to the idea of identity because it suggests that people worry that their identity will be altered if they change their geographical location.

And this might be something that you can personally think about if you are someone who has migrated or your family has migrated from one country to another, and how your identity might have changed or adapted because of that.

And there might be concerns like, have I lost my cultural identity? Have I forgotten elements of my cultural identity, or will I not be accepted if I return? So we can see this, Khan is really using the pot or the story of the pot to explore some very real worries that people might have about their own personal identity.

Alright, let's check how we're getting on then shall we.

True or false, the speaker suggests that the pot is worried about going home.

Is that true or false? Pause, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Yes, that is of course true.

Let's justify our response then.

It's worried that people will think it doesn't belong there anymore, or it's worried that people will think it has no use anymore.

Pause, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Yes, that is A, well done.

Alright, over to you now for our first task.

The speaker says, I was pot in the poem.

What do you think this metaphor means? I would like you to write a short response.

Things I want you to consider.

How is the idea of identity really important in this poem? What do you think the pot's fears about returning home might be? And remember that the pot has been taken away from its country of origin.

So how might that interpret? How might that change your interpretations? Alright, pause the video, give this a go, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Really well done on that task.

Great to see you bringing your own personal interpretations.

We're now gonna reflect on our work by comparing the writing we've done to this of the oak pupil.

So let's have a look at what Laura said.

Laura said, "I think I am Pot could be a metaphor for anyone with a migrant heritage who has travelled from their country of origin.

The links between identity and place as well as the specific term diaspora in relation to the pot, linked to the potential fears of losing one's cultural identity if you travel away from your home and your family." Really nice response from Laura.

Why don't you pause, think about whether you agree with Laura, why or why not, and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, it is time for us to now move on to analysing the structure.

So at its core, poetry is all about emotional responses.

So to help us consider this, we might think of the structure of the poem as being a little bit like a heartbeat.

So we might represent a really regular structure as this.

So I want you to think, if your heartbeat looks like this, what sort of emotions might you be feeling? Pause video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So you might have said a regular heartbeat might make you think of something that's really calm.

It might make you think of something very peaceful, something very steady, or having complete control of your emotions.

We could represent therefore an irregular structure like this.

So if your heartbeat looked like that, what sort of emotions might you be feeling? Pause, think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

So you might have said things like stress or worry, potentially excitement, anger, but certainly some kind of lack of control.

Now, which visual do you think better represents the structure of pot? The first one, the steady structure, the regular structure, the steady heartbeat, or the irregular structure.

What might that signify then? Once you've decided which visual better represents the structure of pot, what do you think that signifies about the speaker's emotion? Pause the video, discuss with your partner, or think through this question independently.

Press play when you are ready to continue.

Great ideas.

I really liked when people saying similar things to this.

The irregular visual probably best represents pot.

It might suggest that the speaker feels anger at some point at the pot's treatment, but as well it really sense, I got this real sense of an overarching like lack of control.

Okay, the speaker nor pot can control their circumstances.

They can't return the pot to its country of origin.

Well done if you said something similar.

All right, let's check how we're getting on then.

Which of the following might we associate with irregular structure? Is it A, peace, B, order, or C, anger? Pause the video, think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Yes, well done if you said C, anger.

So we know that pot juxtaposes the irregularity of the structure.

So that heartbeat that's all really up and down with anaphora.

Now anaphora is a technique, it's the repetition of words or phrases in the first part of successive clauses.

So if you see the same word and/or phrase starting different kind of sentences, lines in poetry, then that we could say that is anaphora.

So where do you see anaphora in this poem? Pause, have a look at your copy, and press play when you're ready, when you think you found it.

Well done if you spotted the or/did they say.

So I want you to think about how we can link the repetition of the or/did they say with the emotional feelings of frustration and anger that the irregularity of the structure suggests.

So we are gonna pair the anaphora and the irregular structure together and think about what is that telling us? Pause, have a think, discuss, or think through this independently, and then press play when you think you might have a response.

Yeah, brilliant if you said something similar to this.

Perhaps the anaphora suggests that the repeated, or represents the repeated excuses and reasons given by the museum to explain the pot's presence in their collection.

This might connect to the anger of the speaker since they are tired of hearing the same excuses.

The pot's too big, the pot's too fragile.

We can't send the pot back.

Yeah, they're sick and tired of the excuses.

Alright, true or false? The speaker uses anaphora for the phrases or/did they say.

Is that true or false? Pause, think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Yes, well done if you said that was true.

Now let's justify that.

This arguably represents the frustration of speaker or it represents the acceptance of the speaker.

Pause, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Yes, it definitely represents the frustration of the speaker there.

Okay, second task in today's lesson.

Kahn's pot is also an example of free verse.

This means it is an open form of poetry.

It has no specific patterns.

Pot in particular is notable for its fragmented interpretation of free verse.

If you look at it, look how the stanzas are all separated.

There's sometimes two or three lines in the stanza.

Sometimes one individually.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason, free verse.

I want you to discuss in part of this second task how we might link Khan's use of free verse to the identity of "Pot." Okay, it's over to you now.

So do pause your video, have a discussion, or have a think through, and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

Some really nice discussions there.

I always find speaking about structure a little bit more challenging.

So it was really pleasing to see you leaning in and say, look, this is a structural device that Khan has used, and this is my interpretation.

This is potentially what Khan's intentions were.

Let's now compare our own discussions to that of Sophia.

And you are gonna think about, do you find Sophia's ideas convincing, why or why not? So Sophia said, "I think we might link Khan's use of free verse to the pot's identity because to me the fragmented, chaotic nature of the poem structure could link to the sense of displacement and dislocation that the pots might be feeling at being separated from its country of origin.

What do you think? Pause the video, have a think.

Do you agree with Sophia's idea? Was yours similar, were they different, why, why not? Pause the video, and then press play when you are ready to continue? Okay, it is time for us to move on to the final section of today's lesson where we're gonna be thinking of colonial interpretations and thinking how our understanding of colonialism might impact how we interpret it and Khan's intentions.

So as well as connecting pot to the ideas surrounding migrant identity and how our identities are linked to a sense of place.

So we have thought about pot, what it represents, ideas around being a migrant, or ideas around how identity links to our location, our sense of place, where we were born, where we're from, where we grew up, we can also consider the colonial interpretations of pot and how we can link it to ideas of cultural repatriation.

So returning things to where they came from.

So which words in the poem to you really suggest a link to ideas of colonialism.

Pause the video.

You can work in pairs if you have a partner for this, or you can work independently.

Look back at the poem and think which word or words in the poem stand out, and really think, okay, these might link to the idea of colonialism, like one country going into the other, taking control, taking power.

Alright, over to you.

Do a bit of detective work and see if you can find any links.

Pause the video, press play when you're ready to continue.

I saw lots of interesting words being picked out there.

Here are some that I thought that really came to my attention.

So half of the story and the white sailing yacht.

These were the two phrases that really kind of jumped out to me.

And let's have a look in a little bit more detail how we might link these to colonial ideas.

So let's look at our first quotation, half of the story.

Why do you think the speakers really emphasised the word half? What does the speaker not know? How does this feed into colonial ideas? Why don't you pause and have a think, and then press play when you're ready to continue? Some really excellent discussions there.

I was really impressed with people who said something similar to this.

This could feed into colonial ideas because parts of the power imbalance meant that history of the colonisers was privileged over that of Indigenous people.

We don't know the story of the pot.

And this therefore implies the museum has considered it's important, or hasn't considered important, sorry.

And I think that's really interesting.

When we look throughout history, it's often been that people in power who have written the history books, and it's their version of history that we often see and learn about.

And that often means that those who have been colonised, the often indigenous people to the land, their histories haven't been celebrated, or studied, or have been part of education in the same way.

So I think it's really interesting what Khan is potentially saying here.

That actually the museum itself doesn't seem to be too interested in the history of the pot.

And it only seems to be telling us half the story of how it got there and what its original, you know, when it was created, and by who, and for what.

And only half of that story is being shared.

But we can make that link to a much wider situation that happens globally, which is that education around indigenous people is often overshadowed potentially by those of the colonisers.

A really, really interesting potential interpretation of Khan's work there.

Let's look at this second quotation, white sailing yacht.

How might the colour white link to colonial ideas? Pause and have a think.

Yeah, this is a really tricky one, and we have to be really sensitive here.

So typically colonial narratives are written from white perspectives.

That is not to say that all colonisation has been done by white people.

That is not the case, okay? We see colonisation across the world from different races.

However, kind of typically and historically we see that a lot of colonial narratives have been written from a white perspective.

And actually in this specific example, we know this pot has been removed from its country of origin and brought to the United Kingdom, brought to Manchester.

So in this example, we know it, well, or we can, we don't know the history of the pot, but if the pot, and, you know, we have to be tentative here, if the pot has been brought to this country through colonialism rather than any of the other ways that artefacts end up in the UK, then there is a link here between white narratives or white perspectives of colonialism and how the pot has ended up in this museum.

So I really do think this is potentially Khan's attempt to create a link between the pot and colonial acquisition.

It's always important when we are looking at these kind of interpretations that we are tentative.

We are not saying these are the definite interpretations.

We are saying this is a possible one interpretation that that could be.

Okay, time for a check for understanding.

Khan arguably links the pot to colonial narratives.

Is that true or false? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Yes, that is true.

Notice the use of that word, arguably.

That's me being tentative there.

We're not saying that this is definitely the case, but we're saying this is one interpretation that we could have.

Okay, let's justify that.

Is it A, it is implied that the pot's history and narrative is important, B, it's implied that the pot's history and narrative is unimportant? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Yes, I think it's really important that the pot's history and narrative is really important.

We want to know where, you know, the pot has come from and why it was created.

It's argued though in the poem that actually that is ignored, okay? And the ignoring of that, we can link to colonialism.

But actually what we're saying here is, or what Khan's saying is that actually the history and the narrative of the pot is incredibly important and shouldn't be ignored.

Okay, over to our final task of the lesson then.

Considering our analysis of language, of structure, and of the colonial implications in the poem, how do you think Khan feels about the concept of cultural repatriation for artefacts, returning artefacts to their country of origin? What do you think Khan feels about that? I would like you to write a short answer and consider the following.

How the identity of the pot is presented, how the structure of the poem feeds into the tone, and the implications of colonial activity on artefacts.

Okay, it's time for you now to pause the video, give this a go.

Use everything that we've learned in today's lesson to write a really detailed paragraph.

I know you can do this.

We've had some fantastic discussions.

All right, pause the video, over to you, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Okay, really, really well done there.

It is great to see you writing so confidently about this poem.

Alright, we're gonna do one last moment of reflection, checking our own work against that of the oak pupil.

So we're gonna read some of Laura's work, and I want you to think about how we can help to make Laura's work a little bit more convincing.

It's really good, but I want to make it even better.

So Laura said, "I think Khan would feel strongly that artefacts should be returned to their own country.

The language around the pot suggests that we as the reader form an emotional connection to the pot, and therefore feels sympathy that it's being taken from its home.

Furthermore, the structure emphasises this since it creates a sense of danger and displacement running through the poem.

Sorry, it creates a sense of anger and displacement running through the poem." Okay, pause the video, think about what feedback you might give Laura.

Okay, Sam said Laura could add in some of the language Khan uses and explain its effect.

So Laura does that.

Let's see if she improves her work.

"I think Khan would feel strongly that artefacts should be returned to their own country.

By anthropomorphizing the pot and implying that it feels empty and devoid of life and purpose in the museum, we as the reader form an emotional connection to the pot.

and therefore feel sympathy that is being taken from its home.

Furthermore, the structure emphasises this since it creates a sense of anger and displacement running through the poem." Okay, what a fantastic lesson.

We've had some really interesting nuanced, sensitive discussion about the poem "Pot." On the screen you can see a summary of everything we've covered.

Do pause the video and read through each of these carefully, making sure you feel really confident about all of these points and ideas before you move on to your next lesson.

Okay, thank you so much for joining me.

It's been an absolute pleasure learning alongside you today.

I hope to see you in one of my lessons in future.

Alright, have a great day.

Thank you for joining me and see you all soon.

Bye-Bye.