Hello everyone, my name's Miss.

Keller, and welcome to today's lesson.

In this session, we are going to be looking at Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem, "Sonnet 29 - I Think of Thee." And we're going to be analysing how the poet uses language, form, and structure.

Okay, so by the end of today's lesson, we will be able to explore how Barrett Browning uses imagery to present passion within a relationship.

So let's explore today's key words.

We have declaratives, imperatives, rejuvenating, natural imagery, and euphemism.

So we have lots of writer's methods there.

So let's have a look at what these words mean.

Declaratives.

So these are statements expressing facts or opinions.

And these can be whole sentences or they can be just phrases.

But the function of these phrases or sentences is that they are statements or descriptions.

Imperatives, however, are also parts of a sentence or a whole sentence type, but they are commands or requests that begin with a verb, giving direct instructions.

So an example of an imperative sentence might be, "Sit down," or "Read your book," because sit and read, the verbs, are the first words in those sentences.

The third word then, rejuvenating, means restoring energy, vitality, or youthfulness.

It's refreshing or invigorating.

Natural imagery is descriptions that use elements from nature, like landscapes, weather, or living things.

And lastly, a euphemism is when somebody substitutes a mild or indirect expression for something that is considered rude or taboo.

So a good example of a euphemism is when we say that somebody has moved on instead of saying that they have died because moved on or passed on implies a much nicer image, that they've simply moved on to a different place rather than saying that they've died, which gives us that impression that they've left us for good.

So how is today's lesson going to look? Well in order to analyse "Sonnet 29," we are going to start by looking at how Barrett Browning uses natural imagery.

And then when we've done that, we are going to look at her use of explicit and implicit language.

Don't worry if you don't know what explicit and implicit mean at this point, because we are going to come onto that later.

So let's get started.

I would like to begin by having a look at this picture where we can see ivy, which is a type of vine wrapped around a woodland tree.

And what I would like you to do to start off with is to discuss in pairs or small groups, or if you're working on your own, that's okay.

Make a few notes on your paper or in your exercise book.

But I would like you to be thinking specifically about what makes vines different from trees and what words might you use to describe each? So pause the video here while you take some time to discuss this or make notes, and then click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Some really fantastic discussions taking place there, and I was impressed by the descriptive words that people were coming up with.

So let's start with trees.

And I'd like to just pick up on some of the great responses that I overheard from those discussions.

So we had a lot of people describing trees as sturdy and grounded and picking up on the idea that their roots anchor them into the earth.

And also in that regard then that they're strong, they're immovable, and that they're wise and old, many trees come from ancient times, they're much older than we are.

They're enormous, lots of trees are very large.

They have a vast network of branches.

They provide shelter and most importantly, they sustain life.

So then moving on to vines.

We had lots of different descriptions such as they are thin, they're invasive, which is a word here that means that they spread, they invade into places that perhaps they're not welcome.

In this particular picture, and in general, they cover up trees and other plants, they swarm and spread over the top and cover them up.

And in that regard, they can be seen as quite strangling because it isn't good for the plants that exist underneath because these vines are blocking out the light, and they're strangling them.

And in that regard, they are wild and sprawling, they don't just grow straight up or straight along, they spread out in lots of different directions.

And they leach off other things.

So these vines in this picture are relying on that tree, they're relying on that tree for support.

And they spread very, very quickly.

So now we've had a discussion then about the different aspects of trees and vines that are important.

What I would like you to do is to go back to your copy of "Sonnet 29," and I would like you to find any key quotations that draw on these connotations we identified associated with trees and vines.

And in particular, I would like you to think about what ideas and feelings are being expressed through this use of the tree and the vine imagery, because it's obviously very important to Barrett Browning as it is woven throughout this whole poem.

So pause here while you have another look at your poems, and perhaps annotate or underline some key quotations.

And then when you're ready to feed back your responses, click play, and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Some fantastic discussions taking place there again.

So what I'd like to do is pick up on some of these key quotations that I overheard people talking about.

And I would like to explore Barrett Browning's use of language, and in particular, natural imagery, to unpick some of these deeper meanings in the text.

So let's start with some key quotes related to trees.

So we have, "O my palm tree," "strong tree," "boughs," and "trunk." And then this line from the end of the poem, "Breathe within thy shadow a new air." So let's go through these key quotations one at a time and explore the language in a bit more detail.

So that first one then.

We've got the idea that although Barrett Browning compares her lover to a tree, she chooses specifically a palm tree, which is interesting because palm trees have a link to the Bible.

In the Bible, palm trees were often used as a symbol of triumph and success.

So it's very interesting to consider that Barrett Browning has chosen this type of tree to represent her lover, and it enables us to think about perhaps how she views her lover, that she's chosen this particular tree associated with these positive feelings.

And then we've got this idea then that her lover is presented as strong.

He's a big, powerful presence.

And we've also got the use here of "boughs" and "trunk" to refer to body parts, perhaps arm and torso.

And then this last quote, "Breathe within thy shadow a new air," this idea that when she stood next to her lover, she's taking a breath of fresh air, which suggests that he is a rejuvenating presence for her.

When he's there, she feels re-energized.

So moving over then to the vine.

So we've got this idea that her thoughts are thin and winding, they "twine" and "bud", they are "wild", they're "straggling", they're spreading out, they're invasive, and they're strangling this tree, the thing that she has compared her lover to, they are strangling this real-life version of her lover.

And actually, they eventually hide the wood, we can't see this real life version of him underneath those fantasy thoughts.

And then we've got this idea of the, "Bands of greenery which insphere thee." So bands, the vines are actually circling around the tree, around the trunk.

So let's just summarise then how Barrett Browning uses these extended metaphors.

So we've got the description of the tree, which symbolises the speaker's partner and gives us this impression that she views him as a strong, rejuvenating presence who allows her to take a deep breath and to see the world clearly and perhaps that she longs for him to return, because he helps her to feel grounded and stable.

Whereas the descriptions of vines symbolise the speaker's thoughts, and in particular, how these thoughts spiral wildly out of control when her lover isn't there and how they strangle and hide this real impression of her lover.

And in particular, when we think about vines and trees, we've got this description of them as thin and straggly compared to this strong, powerful lover.

We've got these contrasting descriptions there, this idea that the thoughts are thin, they're nothing compared to the real thing.

So Barrett Browning expresses the speaker's multifaceted view of her lover and the effect that he has on her through the use of these extended metaphors.

So I'd like to just pause here and check our understanding of this natural imagery.

So true or false, Barrett Browning's use of natural imagery emphasises the speaker's multifaceted view of her lover? So think carefully then about whether you think this is true or false.

Pause the video, and then when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play, and we'll carry on.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to those of you that said it was true.

So now it's time to justify this answer.

So have a look at these two explanations, decide which one you think is most convincing, and then when you've decided, click play, and I'll reveal the correct answer.

Okay, so well done to those of you who said B.

By comparing them to trees and vines, she enables the reader to interpret a range of aspects of his physical appearance, personality, and her feelings for him.

So it's really important to remember there that these descriptions of her lover like a tree do not just relate to his physical appearance.

Okay, so now it's time to practise the knowledge that we've acquired so far.

So what I'd like you to do is decide whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

Number one, the speaker of the poem prefers her thoughts of her lover to the real thing.

Number two, the speaker's thoughts of her lover spread quickly, obscuring what he's really like.

Number three, the speaker views her lover as a strong and overbearing presence.

Number four, the speaker views her lover as a rejuvenating presence in her life.

So I'd like you to think really carefully about these statements and decide whether you agree or disagree, but most importantly, I would like you to write an explanation justifying your decision and using supporting evidence from the poem.

So pause the video for as long as you need to to give this a really good go.

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

Okay, welcome back.

I was really pleased to see that so many of you were giving this a really good go, and it's a really useful skill to have when you're analysing poetry, because the first step to a detailed and thorough analysis is forming these initial interpretations of the poem.

So it's really important and useful that you're able to do that.

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

Number one then, the statement was the speaker of the poem prefers her thoughts of her lover to the real thing.

And you could have said, I disagree with this statement because the speaker describes her thoughts as "straggling green", which presents them as wild and untidy.

She also encourages her lover to "let" them "drop heavily down," encouraging him to clear away the fantasies when he returns.

Number two then.

The speaker's thoughts of her lover spread quickly, obscuring what he is really like.

You could have said I agree with this statement because the poet describes how the vines symbolising her thoughts of her lover have "broad leaves" that obscure everything until "soon there's nought to see." This suggests that her thoughts are invasive and cover up what he is really like.

And I particularly like this response to number two, because we're using some of that vocabulary that we were using to describe the vines.

Her thoughts were invasive just like that ivy was around that tree.

Number three then.

The speaker views her lover as a strong and overbearing presence.

And you could have said I disagree with this statement because although the speaker describes her lover as a powerful presence, comparing him to a strong tree, she does not imply he's overbearing, since his return fills her with a "deep joy." So we definitely do have this idea that he's a strong presence, we can definitely read that into the text, but it's that word overbearing that isn't quite a valid response here.

The joy that the speaker feels upon his return suggests that she doesn't have these negative thoughts towards him.

And number four then, the speaker user lover as a rejuvenating presence in her life, remember that key word rejuvenating means to reenergize.

So you could have said, I agree with this statement since at the end of the poem, Barrett Browning describes how the speaker "Can breathe a new air, when stood in the "shadow" of her lover.

This suggests he's a safe shelter for her to take a deep breath, feeling calm and restored now he has returned to her.

So take a moment to compare your own answers with the answers written here.

And if you need to, redraft some of your responses to add in anything you've missed.

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

We've made it to the halfway point of the lesson.

So well done for everything you've achieved so far and keep up the good work.

In the second part of the session, we are going to be exploring Barrett Browning's use of explicit and implicit language.

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

The words explicit and implicit are antonyms, which mean that they have opposite meanings.

So I'd like you to take a moment to think about what they mean.

So you can discuss this in pairs or make a few notes on your paper if you're working on your own.

But pause the video for as long as you need to and then click play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

So lots of people were picking up obviously on this idea that they were opposites.

And in particular, I overheard somebody talking about this idea that ex is a prefix that usually means outside of, for example, an ex-lover is someone who's now outside of relationship with you.

Exterior means that something is on the outside.

So let's see then if our knowledge of that prefix links to what the word actually means.

So explicit means that the meaning of something is detailed and clear.

There is no room for doubt, and we have got that link there to outside because the meaning of something is almost worn on the outside.

It's obvious for us to see from the outside.

And another meaning of the word explicit is that it could also refer to graphic sexual language or imagery or swear words.

So now we know what explicit means, let's have a look at implicit, and remember that these words do have opposite meanings.

So implicit means that the meaning is suggested or implied, but it isn't directly expressed.

So where this explicit meaning was obvious to us, an implicit meaning isn't as obvious, it's hinted at or suggested, but it isn't directly told to us.

So in "Sonic 29," Barrett Browning uses both explicit and implicit meanings.

So we've got some meanings that are more obvious to us and some that perhaps we may need to read between the lines in order to interpret.

So how does she do this? Well, there are two main methods that she uses, declaratives, imperatives and exclamations and euphemistic language.

So let's explore these methods in a bit more detail, starting with declaratives, imperatives and exclamations.

So the use of declarative, imperative and exclamatory sentences to express explicit meanings gives the speaker of the poem a determined, willful voice.

So let's start by having a look at the declarative sentences.

"I will not have my thoughts instead of thee." "I do not think of the - I am too near thee." So both of these examples avoid the use of tentative language, which suggests that she's sure of herself and her thoughts.

This speaker's voice is strong and determined and willful.

And our imperative then we have, "Renew thy presence" and "Let these bands." So remember that these imperative sentences begin with that verb there, "renew" and "let," and these commands could show strength and freedom to express herself to her lover.

So remember, that the society that Barrett Brownie was writing in was quite patriarchal, meaning that men were often thought of as the dominant gender.

But here, we are getting an example of a strong and powerful female voice in our speaker.

And this shift to dominance occurs from the volta in line nine onwards.

So we really are seeing this shift.

Up until this point, we are getting quite a view of our speaker as perhaps desperate and overwhelmed by the intense feelings of her absent lover.

But from line nine onwards, the thoughts of her lover's return seem to give her strength.

And last of all then, exclamatory sentences.

So we have, "I think of thee" and "Who art dearer, better." And if we have a look at these two sentences, we can see that they're exclamatory because they use that exclamation mark.

So exclamatory sentences are really nice ones to spot in a text because they're quite easy to spot from a distance because you are looking at this punctuation.

So here the use of exclamation marks with these question words creates that defiant tone, "Who are dearer, better." It's almost as if the speaker is challenging the reader or the listener to who is dearer or better than my lover? Almost challenging, daring them to think of somebody better because the speaker is absolutely sure that they won't be able to because she thinks her lover is the most amazing person ever.

So the use of these exclamatory phrases and sentences creates an exasperated tone which could actually symbolise that these thoughts of her lover are overwhelming and emotionally intense.

It gives the poem a very dramatic and emotional feel.

So let's just pause here and check our understanding of this first method.

So which sentence type used by Barrett Browning is missing from this list? So we have declarative and exclamatory, and it's up to you to think of which is missing.

So pause the video while you have a think and then click play when you're ready for me to reveal the answer.

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

So now let's move on to this second method, euphemistic language.

So what is euphemistic language? So we've got euphemism, which is one of those key words from today's lesson, which if we remember means substituting a milder or more indirect phrase for something that may be considered taboo or controversial if we were to phrase it explicitly.

So common topics that people might use euphemisms for as we discussed earlier are death, and also sex and sexual relationships as this is not necessarily a topic that people would discuss in public, and that is exactly why Barrett Browning uses euphemistic language.

So here she implicitly hints towards a sexual side to the speaker's relationship with her lover.

And obviously we know from the wider context of the poem that sex was a topic that was considered taboo to discuss explicitly in the 1800s.

So if we have a look at these key quotations then, "Rustle thy boughs" and "Set thy trunk all bare." So the word "boughs" and "trunk," which is described here as bare, could refer to her lover's body.

So perhaps his arms and chest or torso.

And this adjective here, "bare," suggests the image of a naked body.

There's a bare trunk, perhaps a bare chest.

So we are getting a hint towards the fact that the two people in this poem have that intimate relationship.

So again, let's pause and check our understanding of euphemistic language.

So what is the most likely reason that Barrett Browning could have used euphemistic language? Pause the video while you have a look at the four options and when you think you've decided, click play and I'll reveal the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back and congratulations if you said B, sex was a taboo subject in the 1800s.

Okay, so now we've made it to the final task of today's lesson.

And what I would like you to do is to plan and write one paragraph answering the following question, how does Barrett Browning present the speaker's feelings for her lover? I would like you to plan your response using a single paragraph outline.

And here is a reminder of how to use that single paragraph outline.

So each paragraph needs to contain a topic sentence where you directly answer the question and give your brief initial reasons.

At least four pieces of supporting detail, so you can copy up key quotations and make notes on the language analysis.

And then a concluding sentence at the end where you summarise everything you've covered in this paragraph, remembering to link back to that question focus.

So once you've planned your answers using the single paragraph outline, I've also put a vocabulary bank there to help you write it up.

So these are lots of great words that we've been using in today's lesson.

So challenge yourself to see how many of the words from this vocabulary bank you can include in your response.

So pause the video for as long as you need to to give this a really good go.

And then when you've finished, click play and we will go through responses together.

Okay, welcome back.

So I hope you had a chance to think really carefully about Barrett Browning's use of language in this poem, and you are able to use your single paragraph outline to your answer and then write it up.

So here is an example answer.

As we read this answer, I would like you to think about what went well and even better if.

So Barrett Browning suggests that the speaker's thoughts of her lover are emotionally overwhelming and often obscure what he's really like.

In the poem, the speaker compares the thoughts of him to "wild vines," implying they're invasive, spreading until there's "Nought to see." This indicates that these thoughts cover up everything else and are quite quickly overwhelming.

The poet also emphasises how emotionally overwhelming it is to think about her absent lover when she professes that she "Will not have her thoughts instead of thee," "Who art dearer, better." This creates a forceful tone, suggesting she's certain that her thoughts are mere substitutes that distract from her lover who is truly amazing in real life.

Her intensity here suggests that she feels overwhelmed by the thoughts.

So what did we think was good about this answer and how do we think it could be improved? Well, the feedback that I would give this answer, I thought that the clear structure and the effective use of evidence was fantastic.

So we had multiple quotations from the poem in there, and the paragraph was using that single paragraph outline structure to ensure that everything flowed in a logical order.

However, for an even better if, I would suggest that this paragraph could use more identification of writer's methods.

So for example, we could have picked up on the idea that "wild vines," it was an adjective, wild, that perhaps gave us that impression that the vines were invasive.

And likewise, again with that second quotation "Will not have her thoughts instead of thee, who art dearer, better." This paragraph missed out on the opportunity there to suggest that it was the use of that exclamatory, the exclamation mark, that created that forceful tone and gave us that impression of the emotional intensity.

So now what I'd like you to do is to read through your answer and give yourself a what went well and even better if.

And you can use the following questions to guide your self assessment.

So did you begin with Barrett Browning's ideas? Did you choose appropriate quotations? Did you explore the language and the imagery in detail? And lastly, did you remember to link back to that question in your concluding sentence? So pause the video here while you review your own answer.

Give yourself that what went well and set that all important even better if, that target for next time.

And then click play when you're ready to continue.

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

So well done.

I'm really impressed with the effort that everybody has put in today, and I hope that you are feeling more confident when it comes to analysing "Sonnet 29." So let's just summarise what we've covered in today's lesson.

Barrett Browning uses an extended metaphor of vines to convey how separation in a relationship can be corruptive.

She uses natural imagery to reveal how reunification can be rejuvenating in a relationship.

She uses declaratives to convey her urgency to be reunified with her lover, and she uses exclamatory sentences to suggest the speaker finds the intensity of her thoughts emotionally overwhelming.

And finally, she uses euphemistic language to convey her sexual and physical desire.

So I'd just like to say thank you very much for joining me today, and I hope you've enjoyed this lesson and I really hope to see you again soon.

Have a great day.