Hello, Ms. Keller here.

Welcome to today's lesson where we are going to be focusing on identifying how poets reflect desire in natural settings.

So by the end of this lesson then, we'll be able to identify the similarities and differences between "Sonnet 29," "Love's Philosophy" and "Letters from Yorkshire." So let's have a look at today's keywords.

We have desire, ambiguous, yearning, intellectual and unfulfilled.

So what do these words mean? Well, desire is an intense longing or craving for something or someone.

Ambiguous is when something is unclear or open to interpretation because it has more than one possible meaning.

Yearning is a deep longing, often associated with emotional desire.

Intellectual is when something is characterised by rational thinking and knowledge.

And finally, unfulfilled is when desires, goals or expectations are not met, lacking satisfaction.

And if you have a look there, you can see that unfulfilled and yearning have that-all important link to desire, which is going to be a really important word in today's lesson.

So how is the lesson going to look? Well, we are going to start by recapping the three poems and then we are going to compare them.

So in this session, we are going to be working with all three poems. So I'd like to start off by recapping what happens in each one.

So which poem is each Oak student describing? So have a read through of what they say, discuss it in pairs with the people around you, or if you're working on your own, don't worry, make some notes on your paper or in your exercise book, pause your video while you make your mind up and then click play when you're ready to feed back.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's have a look at which of these poems we think they are describing.

Let's start with Sam.

So Sam says, "This poem focuses on love as an abstract concept.

Or does it? It explores the power of love using natural imagery but there is a subtle message underneath.

The speaker directly addresses someone, convincing them to be romantic with him." So well done if you identified that Sam is describing "Love's Philosophy" and we've got that important link there between the word philosophy and how this poem focuses on love as an abstract concept.

So over to Lucas who says, "This poem focuses on a long distance relationship.

It is ambiguous.

The speaker could have feelings for her friend, or the relationship could be platonic and she yearns to live out in nature like he does." So well done if you identified that Lucas was describing "Letters from Yorkshire," and we've got this all-important idea at the end there that perhaps she yearns to live out in nature like he does, which should have helped to remind you.

So that leaves us with only one poem, "Sonnet 29: I think of thee!" So over to you.

How would you summarise this poem? Pause the video while you come up with your summary and then when you're ready to continue, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's have a look at how Izzy summarised this poem.

So she says, "This poem focuses on the speaker's intense feelings for her lover.

When he's away from her, her fantasy thoughts of him grow like wild vines, eventually obscuring what he's really like.

She demands he should return to her as she desires the real thing over a fantasy." So well done if you picked up on any of those ideas as well.

So let's pause here and check our understanding with a few quick fire questions.

So which poems do the following statements apply to? The first one, this poem depicts a positive view of a committed relationship.

Pause here while you make your mind up and click play when you'd like me to reveal the correct answer.

Okay, well done to those of you who said B, and actually, it has been said that this poem is autobiographical based on Browning's courtship with her husband.

Number two then, the relationship between the characters in the poem is ambiguous.

So pause here and click play when you'd like me to reveal the answer.

Okay, well done to those of you who said C.

And actually, there is an argument that "Letters from Yorkshire" depicts an ambiguous relationship since the couple in the poem could be an ex-couple, friends or simply acquaintances.

So we actually have no idea about the nature of this relationship as Dooley doesn't make it very clear to us.

Finally then, this poem uses natural imagery.

So pause once more and click play when you'd like me to reveal the answer.

Okay, bit of a trick question here because actually, all three poems use natural imagery.

"Letters from Yorkshire" uses a natural setting, whereas "Love's Philosophy" and "Sonnet 29" both use natural imagery as an extended metaphor.

So now I'd like to look at the idea of desire in a bit more detail.

So over to you.

What is desire and how many types of desire can you name? Pause the video while you have a discussion or make some notes and click play when you're ready to feedback some responses.

Okay, welcome back.

So I'd like to return to that definition of desire from our keywords at the beginning.

So desire is an intense longing or craving for something, driving motivation or action in order to seek pleasure.

And that bit's really important because this longing actually motivates the person to do something, and that's what's important about desire.

And I'd like to just draw your attention to that bit there, driving motivational action 'cause that's the key thing we need to remember about desire is that it actually motivates us to pursue a goal.

When we get to that point, we have two options.

Either we secure the object of our desire and we gain pleasure, which actually reinforces the initial desire.

We want it more now we have it.

Or on the flip side, we do not secure the object of our desire and we feel a sense of loss, which we then grieve for.

And actually, across these three poems, we see both of those taking place.

Now let's have a think about the different types of desire that there are.

So we have a physical or sexual desire, which we may describe as hunger or a thirst, it's like a physical want for something.

We also have emotional desire, which is often referred to as a longing or a yearning.

We have intellectual desire which often manifests as a curiosity, a need to know the answer to something.

We have material desire, so the desire for objects or money or things.

So that's often characterised as a want or a greed.

And we have spiritual desire, which is often described as a cleansing or an enlightening, this desire to be spiritually awakened in some way.

So let's pause here again for another check for understanding.

So true or false? Desire only refers to romantic love.

Pause the video while you make your mind up and then click play when you'd like me to reveal the answer.

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

So now it's time to justify our answer then.

Have a look at these explanations and decide which you think is the best justification.

Press pause while you have a read and click play when you'd like me to reveal the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back and congratulations to those of you who said A, desire simply means an intense longing or craving that motivates you to a goal and it actually can refer to lots of different types of desire.

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

And I'd like you to use your knowledge of the three poems to complete this grid, making notes on how each of the poems convey desire.

So I'd like you to list the types of desire, relevant supporting evidence.

And then finally, I'd like you to comment on whether you think in each poem the desire is satisfied at the end.

So do the speakers achieve the goal that their desire sets out for them? And how do you know this? So pause the video here while you give this a really good go.

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

Okay, so here's what you could have written.

So "Sonnet 29" then.

The types of desire, we see emotional desire, as well as physical and sexual desire and evidence.

So we have this "I think of thee," this idea that it's emotional.

He's playing on her mind and also, "Set thy trunk all bare," which arguably could be a euphemistic reference to her partner's naked torso.

So we've got that link to physical and sexual desire.

And is the desire satisfied? Well, yes, it is because by the end of this poem, the speaker reflects on how she feels when her lover returns.

So they have been reunited at the end.

"Love's Philosophy" then.

We see physical and sexual desire, intellectual desire, and spiritual desire.

And we've got lots of references here to physical desire.

So kiss, clasp and "what are all these kissings worth?" And that's where this last bit is where this intellectual and spiritual desire comes in because it's actually the fact that the speaker's feelings of love are unrequited that causes him to question, well, what's the point in love then? What's the point in all this natural symmetry if it isn't working for me? And finally then, no, the desire is not satisfied.

The speaker ends with a rhetorical question, which suggests that their love is still unrequited.

And finally, "Letters from Yorkshire." So we have emotional desire, intellectual desire, and spiritual desire.

So we've got this idea, first of all, on line nine when our speaker questions whether the man from Yorkshire's life is real because he gets to engage with nature.

So we've got this idea of an intellectual philosophical questioning of the moral value of a particular lifestyle.

And then there on line 15, a description of them both as souls, which suggests an emotional connection between them, but also perhaps a spiritual connection as well.

And also in this poem, the speaker's desire is not satisfied at the end.

The speaker ends with an image of them apart with the many miles that exist in between.

So based on that, have a look at your responses and have a little think, which poem do you feel most confident with and which do you think needs bit more revision? Okay, so now it's time for us to start comparing these poems and we're going to begin by comparing "Love's Philosophy" with "Letters from Yorkshire." So Lucas and Sam are analysing these poems separately.

So as we go through their different ideas, let's see if we can spot any similarities and differences.

So let's start with this big question.

Do both poems focus on desire? So Lucas says, "Yes, although in "Love's Philosophy" this is subtly woven under the poem's more explicit meaning." And Sam says, "Yes, although in "Letters from Yorkshire," the exact focus of the desire is unclear." So how does each poet use language to present desire? Well, Lucas says that in "Love's Philosophy," "The speaker mostly focuses on love as an abstract concept, yet the speaker's own desire for another is conveyed in Shelley's use of rhetorical questions." Whereas Sam says about "Letters from Yorkshire, "The use of rhetorical questions suggest the relationship is ambiguous.

The speaker could have unrequited desires or she could desire to be close to nature." So now we've got these two different ideas about the poems. Do we have any similarities or differences between them here? Well, yes, we have quite a lot.

So we've got the idea then in these initial responses that both of them do focus on desire.

However, they do this in different ways.

And also, we've got that link there in that both of these poems use rhetorical questions.

So Izzy's going to use Lucas' and Sam's ideas to compare both poems. So let's see how she puts all of these similarities and differences together.

She says, "Desire is a key idea in both poems. In "Letters from Yorkshire," the speaker's desire is obvious but the focus of it is ambiguous.

Whereas in "Love's Philosophy," desire is implicit and woven subtly throughout." So she's combined those key ideas.

And if she was to continue perhaps with this paragraph, she might then also talk about that similarity in that both poets use rhetorical questions.

So now let's have a look at another big question.

Which types of desire can we identify in each poem? So let's see both Lucas and Sam's initial ideas.

So Lucas says, "In "Love's Philosophy," I can identify physical and sexual desire, intellectual and spiritual desire." Whereas Sam says, "In "Letters from Yorkshire," I can identify emotional, intellectual, and spiritual desire." So again then, how does each poet use language to convey each type of desire? Well, Lucas says, "Shelley's use of sensual verbs implies a sexual desire for the listener.

And the use of natural and religious imagery highlights the beauty of natural symmetry." Whereas Sam says, "In "Letters from Yorkshire," they're familiar with each other." So the speaker and her friend, "And the speaker treasures their friendship, yet her desire is arguably focused on his lifestyle since this is how she primarily compares them." So again, looking at these ideas, what is the relationship between the two poems here? Well, we have lots of similarities and differences.

So in these types of desire, we can see that intellectual and spiritual desire appear in both poems, whereas we've got that difference there in that "Love's Philosophy" is focusing a bit more on physical and sexual desire, whereas "Letters from Yorkshire" is focusing more on emotional desire.

And then we've also got some differences in the way that the poets use language because in "Letters from Yorkshire," we get this idea of desire mainly through how the poet is comparing the lifestyles of the two different people.

Whereas in "Love's Philosophy," we are picking up on this idea through Shelley's use of sensual verbs, but also natural and religious imagery.

So once again, Izzy's going to use these ideas to form her next comparison.

So she says, "Both speakers have different types of desire.

"Love's Philosophy" longs for a sexual relationship, whereas in "Letters from Yorkshire," the speaker treasures her companionship.

They do both convey a spiritual desire since both yearn for enlightenment or awakening." So can you find any examples there of comparative conjunctions that Izzy's using to show this relationship between the two poems? We have quite a few, we have both, different types, whereas and often the relationship between two poems is best explored using both similarities and differences because this allows us to write a nuanced analysis to explore the subtleties of that relationship.

Finally then, our last big question.

Is the speaker's desire fulfilled by the end of the poem? So Lucas says, "No, the speaker's feelings are unrequited in "Love's Philosophy." and Sam also says, "No.

The speaker's final image in "Letters from Yorkshire" is just as lonely as before." So how does each poet use language to convey this? In "Love's Philosophy," "Shelley's use of rhetorical questions implies the speaker hasn't fulfilled their desire and as a result, questions their philosophy on love altogether." Whereas in "Letters from Yorkshire," "The speaker is far away from her friend's other life.

The negative connotations of the distance described as icy emphasises this contrast between them." And again then, what is the relationship between the two poems here? So we have lots of similarities and differences then.

We've got this initial similarity that both of the poems have this unfulfilled desire in that the feelings are perhaps unrequited or that the speaker feels just as lonely at the end as they did at the beginning.

However, we do have a difference in the way that the poets use language.

So Shelley uses rhetorical questions to indicate that this desire is unfulfilled.

Whereas in "Letters from Yorkshire," we have negative connotations and we have contrast.

So once more then, Izzy is going to use these ideas to form her comparison.

So she says, "Both poems leave their speakers with unfulfilled desires.

Shelley ends with a rhetorical question, considering why the speaker's feelings are unrequited and Dooley ends by emphasising the distance between the two friends." So does her response show similarities and differences? In fact, here Izzy's use of both and and indicates that she's only exploring the similarities between the two poems. So let's pause here and check our understanding then.

True or false? Both "Love's Philosophy" and "Letters from Yorkshire" convey sexual desire.

So pause the video while you make your mind up and when you'd like me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

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

Now it's time to justify this response then.

So have a read through of these two possible explanations and decide which one you think is best.

When you think you've made your mind up, click play and I'll reveal the correct answer.

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

In "Love's Philosophy," the speaker implies he has a sexual desire towards the listener through his use of sensual verbs, such as kiss and clasp.

So now it's time to move on to our second task of today's lesson.

And what I'd like you to do is to find some supporting detail from each of the poems that supports these similarities and differences that we have identified together.

So on the left-hand side then, we've got these three comparisons that our Oak students helped us to identify.

So desire is a central theme in both poems, both convey spiritual desire but also focus on other types of desire.

And in both poems, the speakers' desires remain unfulfilled by the end.

So pause the video while you have a read through of both poems and choose your supporting detail.

And when you complete this grid, click play and we'll go through some responses.

Welcome back.

So here is an example of some of the supporting detail that you could have chosen.

So let's focus on that first comparison then.

Desire is a central theme of both poems. For "Love's Philosophy," you could have chosen these verbs, kiss and clasp because we could argue that they link to sexual desire and also, these rhetorical questions, "Why not I with thine" which indicates the yearning that the speaker has for this other person.

And then in "Letters from Yorkshire," we've got this idea that Dooley keeps repeating, the second person pronoun, you or your, which suggests that the speaker's mind is very, very much focused on that other person, which links to that idea of desire.

So then this middle comparison then.

Both convey spiritual desire but also focus on other types of desire.

So for "Love's Philosophy," we could have picked up on this wonderful metaphor, "the moonbeams kiss the sea" because it is combining sensual verbs that relate to desire with natural imagery.

So it's elevating those descriptions of desire.

They're beyond simply physical desire.

And then in "Letters from Yorkshire," we've got that rhetorical question where our speaker considers the moral value of both of their lives and whether or not the man from Yorkshire's life is real because he gets to directly engage with nature.

Finally then, in both poems, the speakers' desires remain unfulfilled by the end.

So in "Love's Philosophy," we could have chosen that final line, "What are all these kissings worth if thou kiss not me?" 'Cause it indicates his frustration here that even by the end of the poem and all his overblown descriptions, persuasive descriptions of natural imagery and why this person should perhaps fall in love with him, they still haven't, they still won't kiss him.

And then in "Letters from Yorkshire," we've got that word icy in that final line, which emphasises the bleak distance between them.

That's a final image that Dooley chooses to leave us with.

So just take a moment to check your supporting detail.

Are your quotations precise and accurate? So have you copied them out correctly word for word? And do they actually support those statements there on the left? So pause the video while you check your supporting detail and then when you're ready to move on, click play.

Okay, so we've made it to the final part of today's lesson and now it's time for us to compare "Sonnet 29" and "Love's Philosophy." So there are many similarities between these poems, so let's just unpick some of them in more detail.

So both poems directly address another person.

In "Sonnet 29," our first line, and even in the title is "I think of thee!" Straightaway we've got this reference to somebody else.

And in "Love's Philosophy," we've got these rhetorical questions.

"Why not I with thine?" So in both cases, these words mean you.

In "Sonnet 29," we know that the speaker is addressing their lover directly, speaking to them, whereas in "Love's Philosophy," we've got this idea that the speaker is subtly weaving this shallow physical and sexual desire into their philosophical and spiritual descriptions.

And these rhetorical questions actually break up those overblown descriptions of the natural world.

Both poems also use natural imagery to depict sexual and physical desire.

So we've got that link there between the types of desire that they include and how the poets use methods to do that.

So in "Sonnet 29," we have got the request for the speaker's lover to "set thy trunk all bare." And we know that the speaker uses this extended metaphor of a tree to represent their lover.

And then in "Love's Philosophy," we've got these verbs clasp and kiss.

So in "Sonnet 29" then, we've got this euphemism, "Set by trunk all bare." Barrett Browning is using that extended metaphor there to subtly perhaps imply a sexual desire because this idea of a trunk all bare could refer to the tree in the extended metaphor, but also could refer to her lover's naked torso.

And then in "Love's Philosophy," we've got this idea that these sensual verbs, clasp and kiss, are like direct references to sexual behaviour.

And although Shelley is using them to describe elements of nature, we're still invoking that image of those types of behaviour.

Finally then, both poems use dramatic descriptions to emphasise intense desire.

So both of our poets have a very dramatic way of writing.

So in "Sonnet 29," we have this idea of "my thoughts do twine," whereas in "Love's Philosophy," we have "Moonbeams kiss the sea." So in both cases, our poets are using an extended metaphor.

And in "Sonnet 29," this extended metaphor of how the thoughts are like vines suggests that our speaker's thoughts are obsessive and very, very intense.

Whereas in "Love's Philosophy," the use of these natural metaphors emphasises the magical qualities of love and unity and help our speaker to persuade this listener that they need to take part in this natural symmetry as well by falling in love with our speaker.

Okay, so it's time to check our understanding.

I would like you to complete this sentence.

Both poems use natural imagery to depict which two types of desire? So you need to select two correct answers here.

So have a look at the options, pause the video for as long as you need to, and when you'd like me to reveal the answer, click play.

Welcome back and well done to those of you who correctly identified that the poems use natural imagery to depict physical and sexual desire and more specifically, "Sonnet 29" uses euphemistic language and "Love's Philosophy" uses sensual verbs.

So actually, although they both depict these types of desire, it's important to remember that they both use language differently in order to do that.

Okay, so now it's time for the final task of today's lesson.

And what I'd like you to do is to identify the differences between these poems and find some supporting evidence.

So I've got those similarities there that we were discussing on the left-hand side as a reminder.

And then we've got space for you to add two differences and your supporting evidence.

So let's just have a look at the sentence stems we've got.

So difference one, "Sonnet 29" acknowledges that love can be corruptive whereas.

So it's up to you to think about how love is presented in "Love's Philosophy." And then difference two, in "Love's Philosophy," the speaker is frustrated when his desires are unfulfilled.

However.

so it's up to you to think about what happens at the end of "Sonnet 29" and whether or not that desire is fulfilled.

And again, finding some evidence to support both of these interpretations.

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

And then when you've completed the grid and you'd like to go through some responses, click play and we'll carry on.

Okay, welcome back.

So here's what you could have written.

Difference one then.

"Sonnet 29" acknowledges that love can be corruptive, whereas "Love's Philosophy" conveys tranquillity and a moral good associated with togetherness.

So let's have a look at what supporting detail you could have chosen.

So for "Sonnet 29," you may have chosen a quotation.

"The straggling green which hides the wood" because this suggests that desire obscures reality and that love for our speaker is corruptive because it corrupts her view of what a lover is really like.

And then in "Love's Philosophy," "Nothing in the world is single by a law divine." So we're getting this idea that our speaker is very pro-unity, but also that we've got this word divine, which suggests that we've got this idea that it's a spiritual belief perhaps, that it's the right thing to do.

The way the world works is morally good.

Difference two then.

In "Love's Philosophy," the speaker is frustrated when his desires are unfulfilled.

However, the speaker of "Sonnet 29" is elated as her desires are fulfilled.

So "Sonnet 29" then at the end, "I do not think of thee, I am too near." This idea then that when our speaker's lover returns, it fulfils her desire and she's filled with joy and she no longer needs these intrusive fantasy thoughts of him.

And "Love's Philosophy" then.

"What are all these kissings worth?" So we get this idea in the second stanza, our speaker is pointing forward.

All these ways in which different elements of nature kiss or they clasp is identifying these examples perhaps of desire in the natural world.

However, the idea that his feelings for this person are unrequited actually causes him to question love itself.

Well, what's it all worth then if it doesn't mean love for me? So take a moment to check your work then.

Is your supporting evidence judiciously chosen? So have your quotations that you've chosen really supported those differences that you've outlined.

So pause the video while you review your choices and make any changes if you need to.

Press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so we've made it to the end of today's lesson, so well done for all your hard work.

Let's just summarise what we've covered in this session.

All three poems use natural imagery to depict an idealistic view of love and desire.

All three poems convey an element of distance in the speaker's relationship.

Both Shelley and Barrett Browning convey sexual desire within romantic relationships through natural imagery.

Dooley is the only poet to depict an ambiguous and seemingly platonic relationship.

And finally, both Shelley and Dooley indicate that their speaker's desire remains unfulfilled by the ends of their poems. So I hope you're pleased with the effort that you've put in today and that you feel a bit more confident when it comes to comparing these three poems. Thanks again for joining me and I hope to see you again soon.