Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

Thank you so much for joining me in our lesson today on comparing romantic poets' attitudes to nature.

I'm Miss Sutherland, and I look forward to teaching you today.

In today's lesson, we are going to work on drawing interesting comparisons between two romantic poems. The poems we'll be focusing on today mainly will be "Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude." Here are our key terms today.

The first one is transcendental.

Transcendental means being beyond ordinary human experience, thoughts, or belief.

So in "Extract from The Prelude," Wordsworth presents nature as transcendental.

Omnipotence.

Omnipotence means having unlimited or very great power.

Quite often, God is described as omnipotence, and Wordsworth presents nature as this omnipotent figure in his poem, suggesting Wordsworth sees nature as almost like a godly presence.

And lastly, existential.

Existential means relating to human existence or being alive.

Again, in "Extract from The Prelude," young Wordsworth experiences an as existential epiphany, where he begins to question who he is and has doubts about his own identity when he comes face-to-face with the supreme power of nature.

I'll give you a moment to jot those keywords down.

Pause the video and take a note.

So let's look at our learning cycles then.

In the first learning cycle, we'll be looking at comparing two romantic poems, and we'll be looking at which poems are best suited for comparison depending on the question you are asked.

In the second learning cycle, we'll look at planning a comparative response using "Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude." So let's begin with comparing two romantic poems. "Ozymandias," "London," and "Extract from The Prelude" are all romantic poems. So the work of Shelley, Blake, and Wordsworth thus adhere to similar conventions.

Across the poems, we might see the aura of nature, the critique of progress, the rejection of powerful institutions, a fascination with the past, an emphasis on emotion.

So what that means is essentially we could compare any of those poems with each other.

However, when comparing poems from the anthology, you'll only work with two at a time.

You only ever be asked to compare two anthology poems at a time.

So if you receive the question, compare how poets present ideas about nature in "Ozymandias" and one other poem, which other poem would you choose? So what would you compare "Ozymandias" with when discussing nature? Pause the video and discuss that with your partner now.

Although "Ozymandias," "London," and "Extract from The Prelude" are all romantic poems, they differ in the extent to which they discuss nature.

The reference to the sands in "Ozymandias" is similar to the reference to the mountain in "Extract from The Prelude." The lesson that mankind learns in both perms is also similar.

Thus, it may make sense to compare "Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude" if you were asked about nature.

"London" does not necessarily have the same presence of physical nature or the environment in it.

So you might struggle to create meaningful and a lengthy comparison if you chose to compare "Ozymandias" and "London" based on nature.

So to summarise, "Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude" are probably good ones to choose if you're comparing the power of nature.

Now, how would your ideas differ if you were asked to compare the presentation of human power in two romantic poems, which ones would you choose? Pause the video and discuss now.

All three romantic poems clearly discuss human power.

Shelley focuses on this through the Egyptian Pharaoh, Blake focuses on human power through institutions, and Wordsworth focuses on human power through his own boyish arrogance.

Since they all focus on human power, the best way to decide which to compare is to look at nuances in the type of power they convey.

So discuss now which poems look at the oppressive nature of institutional power and which poems look at human pride.

Pause the video and discuss that now.

"Ozymandias" and "London" look at the oppressive nature of human power.

"Ozymandias" looks at the oppression led by Ramesses II.

"London" looks at the oppression caused by the church, the monarchy, and the government.

"Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude" explore human pride.

"Ozymandias" looks at the arrogance of Ramesses II, and "Extract from The Prelude" looks at the pride of young Wordsworth.

So we may choose to write about "Ozymandias" and "London" together if we are looking at the oppressive nature of human power.

But if the question was slightly more nuanced and asked us about human pride, we might want to compare "Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude." So the top tip here, then the main takeaway is that the poems you choose to compare should both be linked to the focus of the question and the nuances of the question.

So let's go back to our two romantic poems, "Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude" because of course, we're comparing romantic poets' attitudes to nature in this poem, in this lesson, so we'll be looking at these two poems. Discuss with your partner what "Ozymandias" and "Extract for The Prelude" have in common.

I want you to try and articulate yourself in your discussion by using the words below for precision and sophistication.

Here are the words.

You've got nature, naivety, romantic, power, ephemeral, and pride.

Pause the video and discuss that now.

Some really great discussions there.

Here's what you may have said.

"Ozymandias" an "Extract from The Prelude" are both romantic poems which explore man's naive belief that he has vast power.

In both poems, the transience of human power is revealed through the dominance of nature.

Both poets seem to mock the pride and arrogance of man as the figures in both poems are humbled by the force of nature.

That's a great summary, which includes a lot of those key vocabulary terms that we just looked at.

Let's check your understanding of what we've just discussed.

How many poems from the anthology will you be asked to compare at the time? Pause the video and have a think.

You'll only ever be asked to compare two poems from the anthology at the time.

This makes your task a bit more manageable because you can narrow down on two poems, and you don't have to look at any more than that.

Which two poems explore human power via pride? Pause the video and discuss that.

Pause the video and have a think now.

"Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude." Explore human power via the concept of pride.

Remember "Ozymandias" looks at the arrogance of Ramesses II, and "Extract from The Prelude" looks at the arrogance of young Wordsworth.

Which two romantic poems explore oppression via powerful institutions? Pause the video and have a think now.

"Ozymandias" and "London" explore oppression via powerful institutions.

So "Ozymandias" looks at oppression through the monarchy or this idea of phonic Egypt, and "London" looks at oppression through the powerful institutions such as the monarchy, religion, and the government.

Well done on answering that question.

Which two poems explore the omnipotence of physical nature? Remember, we said omnipotence means extremely powerful, having supreme power.

Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said "Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude" explore the omnipotence of physical nature.

"Ozymandias" explores the omnipotence of physical nature through the description of the sands overpowering Ozymandias's statue.

And "Extract from The Prelude" explores the omnipotence of physical nature through the way in which the huge mountain peak humbles Wordsworth.

I now want you to write a comparative introduction to answer the question, compare how poets present ideas about nature in "Ozymandias" and one other poem from the anthology.

Remember to follow the structure of an introduction.

First, start off with a sentence about both poems or both poets, and your first sentence should explore an overarching similarity between the poems. The second sentence or the second part of your introduction should narrow down on the similarities in both poems. So discuss that similarity in more fine details now.

And the third part of the introduction will be your specific thesis, and this is where you must explore the nuance differences within that similarity.

So that's where you could discuss that despite both poems showing the force of nature, they show it in slightly different ways perhaps.

So pause the video and write your introduction now.

Let's look at an example to help you self-assess your work.

"Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude" are both romantic poems which explore the power of nature over mankind.

Both poets seem to mock the pride of man as the figures in both poems are humbled by the force of nature.

Whilst "Ozymandias" mocks the arrogance of a tyrannous leader whose statute succumbs to the vast desert sands, Wordsworth reflects on his own childish pride which shatters when met with the sublime.

Let's break down the introduction so you are more confident in self-assessing yours.

Does your topic said.

Does your introduction begin with an overarching similarity about both poems? Does your introduction then narrow down on the similarities in both poems? And lastly, does your introduction end with a thesis that explores the nuanced differences between the poems? Reread your introduction now and self-assess.

Pause the video and off you go.

Great effort there, everyone.

Let's go to our second learning cycle now where we'll plan a comparative response.

Now, we've written an introduction, which compares "Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude" and their presentation of nature's power, but we also need evidence to back those ideas up.

And a part of providing evidence in a comparative response is linking quotes together.

So I want you to discuss now which quotes or methods from "Ozymandias" and "Extract from The Prelude" can be linked together.

Here are quotes for "Ozymandias," and here are quotes from "Extract from The Prelude." Pause the video and discuss that with your partner now.

Let's go through some ideas about which quotes link together and exactly how.

So the quote from "Ozymandias," "Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!" could link with the quote from "Extract from The Prelude," "Proud of his skill, to reach a chosen point with an unswerving line," because those two quotes are both exploring mankind's arrogance.

We see "Ozymandias" telling people that they should be intimidated because of how amazing and profound his work is, and we see young Wordsworth slightly overconfident about his rowing ability.

Let's explore the subtle differences now then.

In "Ozymandias," the quote explores tyrannical hubris.

So it's a really extreme type of arrogance and it's an an arrogance expected of leaders in high positions.

Whereas the pride in "Extract from The Prelude" is more of a childish, naive arrogance.

He has an inflated belief about his self-image because he's inexperienced perhaps.

Let's move on to the second quotes now.

"Boundless and bare the lone and level sands stretch far away," from "Ozymandias" could link with, "But huge and mighty forms, that do not live like living men," from the "Extract from The Prelude." These link because they both explore the vast power of nature.

The quote from "Ozymandias" explores how the sands outlive and overpower the statue, and the quote from "Extract from The Prelude" shows how Wordsworth was really overwhelmed by the transcendental quality of nature.

The subtle difference here is that Shelley explores the everlasting power of nature, whilst Wordsworth explores the transcendental power of nature.

Let's look at the final quotes you could have linked together.

"Round the decay of that colossal wreck," from "Ozymandias" could link with, "They hung a darkness, call it solitude or blank assertion." Those quotes link because they both explore the humbling effect of nature on man.

In "Ozymandias," the statue succumbs to the desert, and in "Extract from The Prelude," Wordsworth is really troubled by his experience of the sublime.

The subtle differences here is that whilst Shelley explores the collapse of institutional power, Wordsworth explores mankind's existential crisis.

So they are both humbled by nature, but in different ways.

Well done on that task.

This is gonna be really helpful when you come to plan your comparative response.

Let's check your understanding of what we've just talked about.

Whilst "Ozymandias" explores the everlasting power of nature, "Extract from The Prelude" explores.

Pause the video and think about that now.

Whilst "Ozymandias" explores the everlasting power of nature, "Extract from The Prelude" explores nature's transcendental quality.

So remember, that's clear because "Ozymandias" explores how the sands outlive the statue, whereas "Extract from The Prelude" explores how Wordsworth can't comprehend the power of nature because it does not live like living men.

Whilst nature evokes an existential epiphany in "Extract from The Prelude," in "Ozymandias," nature.

Pause the video and complete that sentence.

Whilst nature evokes an existential epiphany in "Extract from The Prelude," in "Ozymandias," nature shatters man's attempts to immortalise his power.

So this comparative statement here is exploring how the poems are a bit different in the way they explore, in the way they show nature humbling man.

So young Wordsworth is humbled by the existential epiphany about nature's supreme power, whereas Ozymandias is humbled by the desert sands and how they shatter his statue and his attempts to immortalise his power.

I now want you to create a multiple paragraph outline for the question, compare how poets present ideas about nature in "Ozymandias" and one other poem from the anthology.

Your thesis statement is written for you.

You need to provide three topic sentences, supporting details for each, closing sentences for each, and a conclusion for the whole essay as part of your plan.

Pause the video and create your multiple paragraph outline now.

Let's go through an example of what a good plan might look like.

So for a topic sentence, both poets focus on nature's dominance over man.

However, in "Ozymandias," Shelley explores the everlasting power of nature.

Whereas Wordsworth focuses more on the transcendental quality of nature.

Supporting evidence for that would be, "boundless and bare the lone and level sand stretch far away." We could zoom into the adjectives here that show how nature is timeless and how the alliteration here also provokes awe.

"But huge and mighty forms that do not live like living men." We could talk here about how nature is presented as a godly figure.

And we could also use the quote, "towered up between me and the stars," to show how Wordsworth personifies nature to show its omnipotence.

All those quotes either support the idea of the everlasting power of nature in "Ozymandias," or the transcendental quality of nature in "Extract from The Prelude." For our closing sentence, we may have, Shelley's poem can be read as a critique of a tourist leader and powerful institutions, whereas Wordsworth's poem is an autobiographical account of his childish naivety and his formative moments, hence, the presentation of nature serves different purposes.

So that is an example of a student's single paragraph outline and it's really well-put together.

It's got a lot of really interesting quotes and it unpicks language choices very well.

But the student forgot that a comparison of form and structure can also help to support topic sentences.

Discuss now which ideas about form and structure could the student use to support their topic sentence.

Pause the video and discuss that now.

Let's take a look at some aspects of form and structure, which could help the students support their topic sentence.

These three pieces of supporting evidence refer to language.

Let's look at structure and form.

"Ozymandias" merges different sonnet forms to show the ephemeral nature of manmade power, and "Extract from The Prelude" uses the epic form to symbolise the legendary status of nature and use enjambment too to show the overwhelming response to nature's brilliance.

So there's an example of how form and structure could also support this idea of nature being dominant over man.

Here's what we've learned in today's lesson.

The poems that you choose to compare should be linked to the focus and nuances of the question you are asked.

Focus your introduction and topic sentences on connections and contrast between ideas, not devices.

Reference poetic devices and draw attention to them, not only literary devices.

You can also use poetic devices and ideas about form and structure to help support your topic sentences.

I've really enjoyed today's lesson with you.

I hope you've learned a lot about how we can begin to compare two poems from the anthology.

Thanks for joining me, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.