Hello, everybody.

How are you today? I hope you're really feeling great.

My name is Ms. Afzal.

I'm feeling pretty great because we are about to explore a really fantastic poem.

This is by the poet Valerie Bloom, and the poem is called ""I Opened the Door."" It's quite an interesting one, as you'll find out, so we're gonna get into it.

But for now, I'd like you to pause the video while you go off and find your copy of the poem.

So you could be bringing back the whole anthology.

It comes from an anthology, "Stars with Flaming Tails." Or you might just bring back the poem.

Either way, pause the video here, and off you go to find your poem.

Great, you're back.

You've got your poem.

What else have you got? Have you got lots of ideas, creativity, enthusiasm? I really hope so.

Let's get into exploring this poem.

The outcome for today's lesson is, I can make comparisons between an after poem and its original influence.

Here are our keywords for today's lesson.

Let's go through them one at a time.

My turn, your turn.

After poem.

Inspiration.

Compare.

Contrast.

That was great.

I loved hearing those words.

Let's find out more about what each of these keywords means.

An after poem is a type of poem that is written in response to or inspired by another poem, often continuing its themes, ideas, or imagery.

Inspiration is the creative spark or source of ideas that motivates a poet to write.

Compare involves identifying similarities between two or more things, ideas, concepts, or texts.

Contrast involves identifying differences between two or more things, ideas, concepts, or texts.

These are our key words.

Let's be on the lookout for them.

Let's listen out for them.

Let's think carefully about them.

They will be coming up in our lesson today.

So a little more about our lesson, exploring connections to "I Opened the Door." Well, it has two parts to it, exploring after poems and comparing and contrasting poems. Let's begin with exploring after poems. "I Opened the Door" is a poem written by Valerie Bloom.

Valerie was born in 1956 in Clarendon, a parish in Jamaica, and we can see the beautiful island of Jamaica on the map there.

Valerie moved to the UK in the 1970s.

Valerie's poetry is known for its musicality, rhythm, and vivid imagery.

She frequently uses Caribbean dialects, humour, and storytelling techniques to explore themes of identity, family, culture, and everyday life.

Her collection, "Starts with Flaming Tails," contains poems written about friends, family, the wider world, and animals.

It also explores a range of different forms. We're going to begin by reading the poem "I Opened the Door." Read the poem silently in your head, then read out loud.

You might like to alternate each line with your partner.

So pause the video here while you have a go at reading the poem "I Opened the Door" in your head and then out loud.

<v ->"I Opened the Door, after William Blake."</v> "I opened the door of my heart, and my enemy walked inside.

He did not see the trap I'd set.

He walked straight in and died.

I opened the door of my heart where my enemy met his end and welcomed the one who walked out.

Not my enemy, but my friend." <v ->Okay, I hope you enjoyed reading that poem,</v> first reading of the poem, and now I've got some questions for you.

What were your initial impressions of the poem? So your first thoughts and feelings about it.

Were there any questions you had about it? So pause the video and share with someone nearby.

What were your first impressions of this poem, and do you have any questions about it? Good to be back with you.

I wonder what are these first impressions you have formed about the poem "I Opened the Door"? Let's hear from Jacob.

"I'm intrigued by the words beneath the title.

I wonder what the connection to William Blake is?" Well, don't worry, we are getting into that, Jacob.

And here's Izzy.

"I liked the imagery of the door to the speaker's heart.

This made me think about how people sometimes take time to feel comfortable around others." Yeah, a really good point there, Izzy.

Thanks for sharing that.

And I hope you enjoyed sharing your initial impressions and any questions you had about the poem.

"I Opened the Door" is a fixed-verse poem.

It contains eight lines, with rhymes in the second and fourth lines and again in the sixth and eighth lines.

The narrative of the poem tells the story of the speaker metaphorically opening up a door to their heart as they invite someone who has hurt them into their innermost self.

The speaker's enemy walks in, not realising that a trap has been set.

The enemy perishes.

When the speaker opens the door again, the person that walks out is no longer an enemy but a friend.

Check for understanding.

Sequence the following events from "I Opened the Door" into chronological order.

The person that walks out of the door is a friend.

Their enemy walks through the door, not realising the trap.

Someone opens the door to their heart.

Pause the video while you place these events in chronological order, the order in which they occurred in the poem.

Okay, so did you get the first event is someone opens the door to their heart? Next, their enemy walks through the door, not realising the trap.

And finally, the person that walks out of the door is a friend.

Well done if you placed the events in this sequence.

Poetry can have multiple meanings and interpretations.

Each person's response can be different and unique to them.

I'd like you now to refer to the poem "I Opened the Door" and answer this question.

What message do you think the story of the poem conveys to the reader? There's always a message in there somewhere, so what do you think this message is? So refer to the poem and then answer the question, what message do you think the story of the poem conveys to the reader? Share your answer with someone nearby, and pause the video here.

Okay, I wonder what message you think the poem conveys.

Let's see what Jun thinks.

"I think the poem tells the story of someone who is forgiving someone else.

By opening up their heart, welcoming them, they're no longer angry, and the person becomes a friend instead." Thanks for sharing what you think the message is, Jun, a really powerful message of forgiveness.

Look, he referred to that opening of the heart, forgiveness can be so powerful.

"I Opened the Door" is inspired by another poem.

Inspired is one of our keywords.

So inspiration means the creative spark or the source of ideas that motivates the person to write.

Valerie Bloom shows this by including the word after under the title.

An after poem, also known as a response poem, is a piece of writing that directly responds to or is inspired by another poem.

After poems allow poets to express their own ideas and feelings while engaging with someone else's work.

It's a way for them to add their voice to the conversation of poetry.

There's something quite lovely about how a poem can be created at one time, and then it goes on and it inspires someone else who creates something else.

And then it can just keep having a new life, and this conversation can be created.

Check for understanding, true or false? After poems are not inspired by other poems. Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Poetry can have multiple meanings and interpretations.

An after poem is also called a response poem.

It is written in relation to another poem.

Pause the video while you decide which of these statements justifies your earlier answer.

Both statements are true.

Yeah, poetry can have multiple meanings and interpretations.

But it's the second statement that an after poem is also a response poem.

It's written in relation to another poem, that is the one that justifies your earlier answer more directly.

Well done if you selected this justification.

Interpreting after poems involves comparing and contrasting them with the original poems. So we've got some more keyword here.

So comparing is when we're identifying similarities between, in this case, poems and themes.

And contrasting is when we're identifying differences between them.

We can look for similarities and differences in themes, tone, imagery, and language to understand how the after poem responds to the original.

The poem that inspired "I Opened the Door" is called "A Poison Tree," which is written by William Blake.

A copy of the poem "A Poison Tree" is included in the additional materials.

William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, from 1757 to 1827.

He was a visionary artist known for his unique blend of poetry and art.

So he was a visionary.

He was someone that was really thinking about the future and looking into the future, predicting the future, and really using his imagination.

Blake's poetry often explores themes of innocence and experience, human nature, and spirituality.

So human nature is the way humans are, the traits we have, like the ways that we can behave.

And we can see some images here on our screen.

So there's one is a painting of William Blake, and he looks quite visionary there, doesn't he? Looks like he's looking into the future, he's looking into possibilities.

And then we also have an image created by William Blake, which also seems quite visionary, the light and going through the doorway.

"A Poison Tree" is a fixed-verse poem, which consists of four verses, also known as stanzas.

The poem follows an AABB rhyme scheme.

"A Poison Tree" was first published in 1794.

It contained some words that are old-fashioned.

Before we explore the poem together, let's look at some words we will encounter.

Wrath is intense anger or rage.

Foe, an enemy or opponent.

Wiles, tricks or cunning strategies used to deceive or manipulate someone.

Let's read and discuss the poem "A Poison Tree." "I was angry with my friend, I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe, I told it not, my wrath did grow." So let's have a think about this.

So the first couple of lines.

So when the speaker gets angry with their friend, they talk about it, and their anger fades away.

However, when the speaker gets angry with their enemy, they keep it to themselves, and their anger gets worse.

Let's look at the next stanza.

"And I watered it in fears, night and morning with my tears.

And I sunned it with smiles and with soft, deceitful wiles." So let's explore this some more, the first couple of lines.

The speaker feeds their anger with their fears and sadness, and they pretend to be happy, sunned it with smiles, and they used deceitful tricks to hide their true feelings.

Third stanza.

"And it grew both day and night, till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine, and he knew that it was mine." So the anger continues to grow until it forms a physical object, an apple.

The speaker's enemy notices the apple and realises they have angered the speaker.

And now onto the final verse.

"And into my garden stole, when the night had veiled the pole.

In the morning, glad I see, my foe outstretched beneath the tree." Whoo, what an ending.

Let's find out about this.

So the speaker's enemy sneaks into their garden under cover of night, and the consequences of the speaker's anger result in the death of their foe.

Wow, that's a shocker.

I wonder if you'd seen that coming.

I hadn't.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following is true about the poem "A Poison Tree"? When the speaker gets angry with their enemy, they forgive them.

When the speaker gets angry with their enemy, the anger intensifies.

The speaker's anger forms a physical object, an apple.

The speaker's anger remains the same.

So pause the video while you decide which of these statements is true.

Well done if you selected statements B and C.

So indeed, when the speaker gets angry with their enemy, the anger intensifies, and it actually forms a physical object, an apple.

Well done if you selected these statements.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to read both poems aloud.

"I Opened the Door," this can be found on page 29 of "Stars with Flaming Tails" by Valerie Bloom.

And "A Poison Tree," which is available in the additional resources.

Remember to use the following tips when reading aloud.

Expressive voice, vary your volume, emphasis on keywords to show meaning, and facial expressions and gestures.

So pause the video here while you have a go at reading both poems aloud.

Enjoy this task.

All right, it's great to be back with you.

How did you get on? So let's just pause and check that you're using the reading aloud tips.

Did you use an expressive voice? Did you vary your volume? Did you emphasise any keywords for meaning? Did you use facial expressions and gestures? And did you enjoy it? I hope so.

We'll now explore how the two poems connect to one another.

Comparing and contrasting poems. Let's get into it.

After poems can be connected to each other in different ways, we can compare and contrast the following.

The subject of the poems, themes presented, the atmosphere created, the language used, the poet's use of imagery, the structure and form of the poems. There are many more aspects and ways in which poems can be connected.

These are just some examples.

Similarities are things that are alike or the same in two or more ways.

Differences are things that are not the same.

Turn to the person next to you and see if you can think of a couple of similarities between you.

What are some ways in which you are alike, and can you think of a couple of differences between you? Things that are not the same.

So pause the video while you do this.

Okay, good to be back with you.

Hope you found some interesting similarities and differences.

By comparing, we can find out how things are alike, which helps us see patterns and connections.

When we contrast, we notice differences.

And this helps us see unique details or aspects that makes each thing special.

Let's compare and contrast Valerie Bloom's poem "I Opened the Door" with its original inspiration, "A Poison Tree" by William Blake.

So we're gonna use this table to help us.

So we've got the aspect that we're comparing, and then similarities and differences.

So let's begin with the subject of the poems. Hmm, okay, so let's pause here, and I'd like you to turn someone nearby, and share with them what are some of the similarities and the differences between the subject matter of these two poems? Okay, I wonder what you came up with.

Let me share with you some similarities.

So both poems are written from the perspective of the speaker and how they deal with an enemy or foe.

Differences, "A Poison Tree" has a negative resolution.

"I Opened the Door" ends more positively.

I wonder if you picked up on these similarities and differences, or maybe something else.

Next aspect, the atmosphere created.

So you know what to do.

Pause the video here, turn to someone nearby, and share with them what are some similarities between the atmosphere that's created in these poems and what are some differences? Okay, let's have a look at some similarities and differences.

So similarities, both poems discuss anger towards someone else, and there is suspense.

What about differences in the atmosphere? "I Opened the Door" has an atmosphere of hopefulness.

"A Poison Tree" is darker and more ominous.

These are just some examples, and you may have further ideas to add.

Thanks for sharing your ideas with each other.

And now I'll explain one similarity between the poems in a full sentence.

And I'll begin like this.

"A similarity that I noticed between the poems was." A similarity that I noticed between the poems was that both poems dealt with themes of emotions, particularly anger and forgiveness.

Do you know what's coming up? Yes, it's your turn.

Now, I would like you to explain one difference between the poems in a full sentence.

So again, you can begin like this.

"A difference that I noticed between the poems was." So pause the video here and explain one difference between the poems in a full sentence.

Okay, thanks for sharing your sentence.

Let's have a read of one.

"A difference that I noticed between the poems was that they both used different types of language.

The language in 'A Poison Tree' reflected the time in which it was written." Yeah, really great point.

Some words that we don't particularly use these days in that poem.

And now it's time for your task.

I'd like you to compare and contrast the two poems, describing the similarities and differences.

Include information on the following, each poem's title, poet's name, and the date it was written, similarities between the poems, and differences between the poems. You may include aspects such as the subject of the poems, themes presented, atmosphere created, the language used, the poet's use of imagery, and the structure and form of the poems. So pause the video here while you have a go at comparing and contrasting the two poems. Okay, it's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? Let's hear from Andeep.

"I noticed that both poems used imagery to represent emotions.

In 'A Poison Tree,' I think the tree symbolises anger, while in 'I Opened the Door,' the door might symbolise the speaker's willingness to forgive." Yeah, I really like how you've explored the imagery in these poems, Andeep.

Thank you.

And here is Alex.

"I discovered that the poems' structures were different.

The story in 'I Opened the Door' leads to a positive outcome.

'A Poison Tree' ends in destruction." Yes, very starkly different and powerfully different endings to those two poems. Thanks for picking up on that, Alex.

And I hope you enjoyed comparing and contrasting these poems. In our lesson exploring connections to "I Opened the Door," we've covered the following.

"I Opened the Door" is inspired by another poem.

Valerie Bloom shows this by including the word after under the title.

An after poem, also known as a response poem, is a piece of writing that directly responds to or is inspired by another poem.

The poem that inspired "I Opened the Door" is called "A Poison Tree," which is written by William Blake.

Both poems are fixed verse and contain rhyming words.

We can compare and contrast poems based on many different aspects, which can include the subject, themes, atmosphere, language, imagery, structure, and form.

Thank you, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

I really enjoyed hearing about your comparisons and the contrasts that you found between these two poems. And I look forward to seeing you at the next lesson.

Bye for now.