Hello everyone, my name's Ms. Keller, and I'm so glad you could join me for today's lesson.

In this session, we will be reading and exploring Carol Ann Duffy's poem, "Before You Were Mine." For this lesson, you will need a copy of your AQA "Love and Relationships" Poetry Anthology.

Okay, so by the end of today's lesson, we'll be able to explain how Duffy presents the life-changing responsibilities of parenthood.

So let's have a look at today's key words.

We have mundane, feminist, semi-autobiographical, alluring, and relic.

So what do these words mean? Well, if something is mundane, it's ordinary, lacking excitement or interest.

A feminist is someone who advocates for the social, political, and economic rights of women.

Semi-autobiographical means partially based on the author's own life experiences, events, or perspectives.

Alluring is when something is attractive in a mysterious or tempting way, is captivating and seductive.

And finally, a relic is an object surviving from a past era, often with historical, cultural, or sentimental significance.

So how is today's lesson going to look? In order to understand this poem, we are going to start off by exploring the text itself.

And then when we've done that, we're going to dig deeper into how the speaker presents her mother.

So I'd like to start off with a discussion.

So I'm going to show you some information about some of Carol Ann Duffy's other poems. And what I'd like you to discuss in small groups, or if you're working on your own, that's okay, you can just make some notes on your paper or in your exercise book.

But I'd like you to think about what we can infer about Duffy and her writing from our knowledge of these two other poems. So firstly we have Duffy's poem, "Elvis's Twin Sister," which reflects on Elvis Presley's fictional, forgotten sister's mundane life, contrasting with his fame, and highlighting society's disregard for ordinary individuals.

And secondly, we have Duffy's poem, "Anne Hathaway," which celebrates Shakespeare's wife, portraying their intimate bond, and her influence on his work through sensuous imagery.

Notably referencing their shared bed as a symbol of their enduring love and creative partnership.

So take a few minutes to discuss this then, thinking about what these poems indicate about Duffy's writing.

So pause the video for as long as you need to, and when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play and we will continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Some really fascinating discussions taking place there, with people already starting to draw some links and find threads across Duffy's different works, and thinking about what characterises Duffy's writing style.

So I'd like to just pick up on some important links between these two poems then.

So let's have a look at what some of our Oak pupils said during their discussion.

So Aisha says, "Duffy's poems focus on exploring the inner thoughts of forgotten women who live in the shadow of famous male icons like Shakespeare and Elvis." And Lucas says, "Duffy celebrates women in these poems." "She considers what it must be like to live a mundane life and gives a voice to women we have heard about, but never heard from." And I really like that idea in Lucas's response there.

That is, giving a voice to women we perhaps know about or we know of, such as Shakespeare's wife or Elvis's sister, we've never heard their thoughts.

So what links these two opinions then? Well, Duffy was known for writing feminist poetry.

So feminist is one of those key words in today's lesson, and it means advocating for gender equality in terms of political issues, societal issues, economic issues.

So we know that Duffy advocated for gender equality in this way, and we can link it to this idea that she wants to give a voice to these women in history that perhaps go unnoticed.

And in that regard then, that second point, a lot of her writing also considers alternative voices.

So in a lot of Duffy's poetry, she tries to step into the shoes of someone else and imagine what they might think, or what they might feel, about certain issue or a certain period in time.

So these are two really important aspects of Duffy's writing style that is important for us to remember when we explore "Before You Were Mine." So let's start by having a look at the title then.

What predictions can you make about what you think the poem will be about? So pause the video, where you have a discussion, or make some notes, and then click play when you are ready to discuss it.

Okay, welcome back.

Some really interesting ideas there.

I was particularly impressed with the way that people were zooming in onto those individual words.

So let's just pick up on a few of the great ideas that I overheard in your discussions.

So starting off then with that word, before.

So we have this idea of it linking to time, and how this refers to something that came before.

So we can infer it might be a memory of the past, or an alternative view, because we know that Duffy often uses her writing to give an alternative voice to other people.

We've also got this second person pronoun then, you, which strongly suggests that this poem will be directly addressing someone else.

And last of all then, that possessive pronoun, mine.

We've got this idea of belonging, and even more that another person perhaps belongs to our speaker, which links to themes of belonging and objectification.

So it's worth thinking about that as we move forward, that fact the speaker thinks this person belongs to them.

So now, I would like you to grab your copy of your poetry anthology and open it to "Before You Were Mine." So take some time to give the poem a really good read.

And as you're reading, or once you've finished, I'd like you to take some time to discuss the following questions, or make some notes on your paper.

So I'd like you to think specifically about, who is the speaker talking to? So who is this you from the title? Where is the poem set? And what happens in the poem? So pause the video for as long as you need to, to give the poem a good read and have time for your discussion, and then when you're ready to feedback some responses, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

What did you think of the poem? I particularly like this poem because it has lots of images that I can imagine really vividly in my mind.

So let's just take some time to discuss the following questions then.

So, who was the speaker talking to? Who was this you character from the title? Well, the speaker is talking to their mother when she was a younger woman.

And where is the poem set? Well, the poem is set in various locations in Scotland.

And we know that because there are actually a couple of these locations that are actually mentioned in the text.

We have a reference to Scotland in the last stanza of the poem, as well as Portobello, which is an area in Edinburgh.

Last of all then, what happens in the poem? Well, the speaker reflects on their mother's life and what it was like before they were born.

And with regards to the setting of the poem, in interviews, Duffy has actually confirmed that this poem is semi-autobiographical.

And Duffy herself grew up in Scotland, and used photographs of her mother as inspiration for the different scenes in the poem.

So I'd like to pause and check our understanding of the poem and the wider context so far.

So, true or false? This poem is autobiographical.

So pause the video here where you have a think, and then click play when you'd like me to reveal the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to those of you who said false.

So now, it's time to justify your answer.

So have a look at these two explanations, and decide which one you think is the best reason for your answer above.

Pause the video where you have a good read, and when you think you've made your mind up, click play and I'll reveal the answer.

Welcome back, and well done to those of you who said B.

This poem is semi-autobiographical, as although Duffy writes a lot about her mother, she also writes about her own childhood.

And that prefix, semi, there is very important.

The poem isn't just autobiographical, because Duffy's descriptions of her mother's youth are inherently biographical.

She was not born at this point, so she cannot be writing about her own life.

So now it's time for our first practise task of today's lesson.

And what I would like you to do is to track the structure of the images or the scenes that Duffy creates in each stanza.

And I'd like you to think carefully about which emotions or themes are suggested in each of these scenes.

So the first one has been done for you to give you an idea how to structure your response.

So let's have a look.

Stanza one, in this scene, Duffy describes her mother and her friends, Maggie and Jean, laughing on the street corner.

So we're really focusing on that explicit meaning.

What image can we picture in our minds? And the possible emotions or themes that we could have inferred from this stanza could be joy, friendship, and freedom because these three women are stood out on the street corner, laughing and enjoying each other's company.

They seem unburdened by worries, anxieties, or responsibilities.

So take as much time as you need to think really carefully about those remaining three stanzas.

What scene or image is being described? And what emotions or themes can we pick up on in those descriptions? Pause the video now while you give this a really good go, and then click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so here is how you could have completed this grid.

For stanza two then, we could have said that this scene reflects on nights out at a ballroom, and her mother walking home late and getting into trouble.

And her emotions or key themes here, perhaps this stanza draws on ideas of femininity, romance, fun, and rebellion.

Because we've got this idea of the mother as this beautiful creature at the ballroom, who is garnering lots of attention from other people.

We've also got this idea of potential romances that might have been formed while she was out dancing.

And last of all, this idea of rebellion, because she knows she is walking home late and this might mean that she gets in trouble with her own mother, but she is willing to chance it.

Stanza three then, we could have said, hear the scene shifts forward in time.

The speaker remembers her mother like a ghost as she walks at night.

And key themes or emotions in this stanza then, we could have picked up on the idea of nostalgia, that there is this sentimental looking back to what the speaker's mother used to be like.

We've also got this idea of the past versus the present.

So the mother is now a ghost, almost haunting the speaker as time has now moved on.

And then obviously the idea of remembrance.

Our speaker is looking back on how times have changed since her mother was a young woman.

And stands four then, you could have said, here, the speaker focuses on childhood memories and a longing to meet the woman her mother was.

And emotions or key themes then, we have got that idea, again, of nostalgia, that fond sentimental looking back at the past.

But also we've got this idea of admiration and longing, our speaker yearns to meet the woman her mother once was.

So before we move on, I'd like you to take a look at what you've written in that right hand column for emotions and themes, and circle just three which you think are most central to the poem.

Pause the video while you do that, and then click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so we are halfway through the lesson, so, well done for all your efforts so far.

And I hope you're proud of what you have achieved.

So now, we have explored the poem and we're getting to grips with the messages and the ideas that Duffy is putting forward, I'd like to think about how the speaker presents her mother.

So let's start off with another discussion.

What words or ideas are stereotypically associated with mothers? So pause the video while you discuss this, or you make a few notes on your paper or in your exercise book.

And when you're ready to feedback your responses, click play and we'll carry on.

Okay, really fascinating discussions taking place there.

And I was impressed with the different words that people were coming up with, drawing on these different stereotypes that we associate with mothers.

So let's just pick up on a few responses that I overheard.

So you had this idea that mothers are caring, they care for their young.

They're nurturing, perhaps feeding, comforting, putting to sleep, these different roles that mothers play, especially when they have very young children.

Maternal, we have this idea that there are certain aspects of somebody's character that we particularly associate with being maternal, being motherly.

And one of those is this need to protect their young, mothers that protect their children.

We also had a lot of people saying that mothers were loving, and in particular that mothers are patient as well.

Mothers are quite strong, both physically, in order to carry their children around with them, but also emotionally, since it can be quite challenging to have young children.

And finally, a word that was coming through quite strongly was compassionate.

Compassionate is a word that means caring for others, specifically showing love and care to other people.

So I'd like to throw it back over to you again then.

What do all these words have in common? Pause the video where you have a think and discuss it with the people around you, and click play when you are ready to feedback.

Okay, so really interesting discussions taking place there, with people being very creative in the ways that they were trying to link these words.

So, well done if you picked up on the idea that all of these words focus on the mother's relationship with their child.

They're caring because they're caring for the child, they are nurturing the child, they love the child.

Every one of these stereotypical descriptions involves the mother's relationship with, or the mother's responsibility to their child.

And that leaves us with a really important question, and one that I think Duffy is trying to pick up on in this poem, who are mothers outside of their children? So let's have a look at how Duffy presents the mother in this poem.

And remember, we've got this idea that we know that Duffy is writing about her own mother.

So in this case, the speaker's mother is representative of Duffy's mother.

So let's start with that word before then.

Now, this poem is set 10 years before Duffy's own birth, and she explores the woman that her mother used to be before she had children.

And then if we contrast that with this word mine, this possessive pronoun, we can see Duffy reflecting on this idea of how children view their parents.

And thinking back to those stereotypical words that we just came up with, perhaps how children view their parents as solely there to care for them and to nurture them.

And I think we're probably all guilty of having done this at least once or twice in our life.

But then looking at our parents or our grandparents, or our caregivers, and forgetting that they're people too, outside of this nurturing role that they have in our lives.

So let's have a look at how Duffy's mother is presented across the poem.

So in stanza one then, we get this impression that the mother is young and fun and free, because this scene describes a specific moment captured like a photograph.

And we get this really clear image from these three verbs across lines three and four.

We see these women bent over, holding onto their bodies as they're shrieking with laughter.

That's a very clear and visceral image.

And then we've got this word Marilyn on line five, which arguably links to Marilyn Monroe, a glamorous 1950s icon.

And Duffy uses the word Marilyn when she's describing how her mother's dress is flapping around her body in the wind.

And if we look at that picture there, Duffy's drawing on this very famous image of Marilyn Monroe.

So this link to Marilyn Monroe, this glamorous icon, emphasises her mother's femininity and useful beauty.

So we're getting this idea of this young, beautiful woman who is full of joy, full of laughter, and free from perhaps the burdens or the responsibility of adult life or motherhood.

So stanza two then, the mother is described as beautiful, alluring, and a bit rebellious.

So in this stanza, we see the mother free to enjoy herself without the responsibility of children.

So she goes out dancing to a ballroom, and her beauty captures the attention of many others.

And on line seven, we have that description of how there were many eyes looking at her.

And also on line seven, we've got this reference to tomorrows, to potential happy endings, or romances that might come as a result of meeting somebody at a particular dance in this ballroom.

So we've got this excitement.

We don't necessarily know at this point the direction that the mother's life will take.

Her life is full of potential.

And then in line 10, we've got a reference to hiding.

So this idea that her mother will give her a hiding, she'll punish her for being late home, but our beautiful and slightly rebellious young mother is willing to take that risk.

And then onto stanza three then, and this is where we see bit of a shift forward in time.

And our speaker starts to reflect on how the mother sacrificed all of this freedom for her daughter.

So this stanza begins with this description of how the daughter is possessive, on line 11.

And we're picking up on the idea from the title there that the daughter views the mother as hers.

She's already starting to view her mother through this lens of somebody who exists to care and look after her.

And then on line 12, we've got the description of the mother's dancing shoes as relics, which suggests that her glamorous nights out are perhaps a thing of the past.

They are relics from history now, she doesn't do that anymore, she doesn't live that life.

And then on line 13, this idea seems to continue when the mother herself is described as a ghost, which suggests to us that this glamorous, fun, rebellious version of her mother is gone forever.

It could also suggest that her mother is now dead, and that's another potential interpretation that we could have there.

And onto stanza four then, where we've shifted forward even further in time to the speaker's own childhood.

And now, only glimpses remain of the woman her mother used to be.

So on line 16 then, we've got a reference to "Cha cha cha." So, the woman's social engagements are now very different.

There are still echoes, she does still dance as she used to as a young woman, but this time, her dancing is very different.

She isn't at a ballroom, she is walking home from church, and she's teaching her daughter how to do these dances from her youth.

And then on line 18, we've got the speaker's description of her mother as a young woman, and she describes her as bold.

And from this, we can infer that perhaps the mother isn't as outgoing as she wants was, since the speaker longs to meet this bold version of her mother from the past.

And then on line 19, we've got a reference to the word glamorous.

So we've got this idea that her mother's life now is quite mundane, it's perhaps a bit more what we would expect from a stereotypical mother.

And our speaker reflects on this glamorous life that she used to lead.

So now we've had a look at all the stanzas in detail, I would like to hand back to you for a discussion.

So which of the four stanzas is your favourite? And why? So thinking really carefully about your personal interpretations of the poem here.

So pause the video while you discuss this, or make some notes.

And then when you're ready to move on, click play and we'll carry on.

Okay, welcome back, some really interesting personal interpretations there, backed up by some very compelling reasons.

So let's just have a look at what some of our Oak students said about the poem.

So Sam says, "I like the first stanza because it depicts the mother's beauty and her joyful and carefree attitude." Did any of you also choose stanza one? I particularly do like those joyful images at the beginning of the poem.

And then Alex said, "I like the last stanza because it implies the woman the mother was still exists somewhere inside her." And did any of you choose the last stanza? I do agree with Alex, I particularly like the links or the echoes that Duffy draws between the images that she gives us in the first two stanzas, and how some of these things still exist in a very different way now the woman has a child.

So let's pause here and check our understanding.

So which statement describes how the mother is presented in stanza two? So read the four statements carefully, and decide which one you think best describes the presentation of the mother in standard two.

And click play when you'd like me to reveal the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to those of you who said D.

In this stanza, the mother is beautiful, alluring, and rebellious because we get this idea of her as a glamorous figure at the dances who attracted a lot of attention.

There were many eyes watching her.

And the idea that she was rebellious, because she was willing to risk that hiding from her own mother for being home late.

So now, it is time for the final practise task of today's lesson.

And what I'd like you to do is to complete this single paragraph outline, comparing how Duffy presents her mother as a young woman and then after Duffy's own birth.

So we're comparing that early version of the mother to the later one.

So for your single paragraph outline then, you will need a topic sentence where you introduce your argument.

So I've just put a sentence starter here to get you going, but you don't have to use it if you have a slightly different idea.

And then in the middle box, you have got space for your supporting detail.

So here we need up to four examples from the poem with notes about analysis of methods, or zooming in on key words, or some key inferences about the subtle meanings.

And then in that bottom box, we have space for a concluding sentence.

So this is when you summarise everything that you've covered above.

And make some links to the writer's intentions, perhaps drawing on some contextual knowledge that you happen to know about Duffy or her writing or her influences.

So take as much time as you need to give this a really good go.

Read through your copy of the poem again, and think carefully about our discussions surrounding how the mother has been presented.

So pause the video while you have a go at this task.

And when you think you are ready to feedback your responses, click play and we'll carry on.

Okay, welcome back.

Fantastic effort from everybody there.

This isn't an easy thing to do, but single paragraph outlines are such a useful tool when it comes to planning analysis writing.

So it's really good practise to have a go at a task like this.

So let's have a look then at what you could have written.

So for your topic sentence, you could have said something like, as a young woman, Duffy suggests that her mother is fun, confident, and carefree.

Whereas later in life, Duffy contrasts this, suggesting her mundane life has caused her to lose her confidence and sense of rebellion.

So you've got that really clear comparison there between the mother before and the mother after.

And in particular, a great use of that word contrast to show the relationship.

They are almost opposites, these two versions of Duffy's mother.

So for supporting detail then, we could have had the word shriek from stanza one, because this verb conveys the intense joy of the mother and her friends and their lack of self-consciousness.

They're not worried about people looking at them, about being too loud, they are free of these self-conscious worries.

We could have also chosen the word hiding from stanza two because we've got that euphemism for a beating, which suggests that the mother has this fun, rebellious streak, she is not worried about the rules, and she's not worried about getting in trouble.

Stanza three then, so we're thinking here about depictions of the mother later on in her life.

So we've got this noun, relics, from stanza three, which if you remember is describing her dancing shoes and suggesting that her dancing days are a thing of the past.

And last of all then, we've got that adjective bold from the final stanza.

And here, we're getting the daughter's perspective on the woman that her mother was.

And we're getting this idea that she yearns to meet this confident, outgoing woman that her mother used to be.

And for our concluding sentence then, we could have said something like, Duffy's presentation of her mother draws on themes of youth and motherhood, and explores how women lose their individual identity when they become mothers.

Duffy's poetry is known for its feminist ideas and giving a voice to forgotten women, so it's likely she is trying to draw attention to how her own mother sacrificed the fun and excitement of her youth to raise children.

So take a moment then to check your plan, your single paragraph outline, thinking first about whether your topic sentence is clear and detailed.

So are you outlining your argument very clearly? Then have a look at your concluding statement and think about, have you considered the writer's intentions? Have you thought about why Duffy might have chosen to present her mother in this way? Pause here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so we have made it to the end of today's lesson.

So well done for all the effort that you've put in, and I hope you have enjoyed getting to know this poem.

So let's just summarise what we've covered in the session today.

The speaker is initially looking at a photo and reminiscing about their mother's life before she had children.

The mother's life seemed glamorous, rebellious, and full of promise before the speaker was born.

The speaker feels her birth made her mother's life more mundane due to the responsibilities of parenthood.

Duffy is a feminist writer who often criticises conventional and restrictive roles for women.

And this poem is semi-autobiographical, based on photographs of Duffy's mother as a young woman.

So thanks for joining me today, and I hope to see you again soon, have a great day.