Hello everyone.

My name's Ms. Keller, and welcome to today's lesson.

I'm so glad you could join me.

In this session, we are going to be analysing Benjamin Zephaniah's poem "No Problem." So grab your copy of the text and let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, we'll be able to explain how Zephaniah uses language, form, and structure to express his viewpoint.

So let's explore today's keywords.

So just take a moment and pause the video and familiarise yourself with these five definitions because these keywords will feature quite heavily in today's lesson, so it's really important that you have a good understanding of what they mean.

And I would like to draw your attention to two words in particular, and they other words conceptual and discrimination.

So that first word conceptual means relating to abstract ideas rather than tangible objects.

And discrimination is unfair treatment based on differences of protected characteristics, such as race, gender, or age.

And as we go on to analyse "No Problem" today, we're going to potentially be looking at using these words together in conjunction, because arguably the poem "No Problem" considers the idea of discrimination in a conceptual way.

It does include some tangible descriptions, real life descriptions, perhaps, of the discrimination that the speaker faced.

But it also begins to think about the concept of racism as a concept.

So how is today's lesson going to look? Well, in the first half we are going to explore depictions of cultural identity and pride, and then in the second half, we're going to explore depictions of prejudice.

So I'd like to start by thinking about cultural identity.

So it's been argued that Zephaniah's writing shows the pride he has for his cultural identity.

So I'd like to stop at this point for the first discussion of today's lesson, and I'd like you to be thinking about whether or not you know of any wider contextual information that supports this argument.

So do we know anything perhaps about Zephaniah's life, his writing or his influences that could support this idea? So pause the video here and take a few moments to discuss this with the people around you.

And if you're working on your own, that's okay, just make some notes in your exercise book or on your paper, and when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

And can I just say a massive well done, because I was really impressed to see so many of you engaging with that discussion? And there was such a wide range of ideas that people were offering up in their group discussions there, so it was also really impressive to see how respectfully you were engaging with other people's opinions, so well done for that.

So let's just explore some of the great ideas that I overheard.

So first of all, then Zephaniah specialises in oral performance poetry, meaning that his natural dialect is a fundamental part of the experience of his poetry.

So he writes poems knowing that they will be read aloud.

So perhaps he's trying to carry a sense of his self or his voice into this experience of hearing his poetry.

And also his work often focuses on themes and ideas associated with racism or racial bias.

So we could argue that the conflict in his poetry is interpersonal, so it's directed towards others who are racist rather than internal.

So from that, we can infer that Zephaniah isn't conflicted at all about his cultural identity, and perhaps it's something that he's proud of.

The only thing that he feels a sense of conflict about is how other people perceive that cultural identity.

So let's explore this idea in relation to the poem.

And when we analyse any literary text, it's really important to think about the writer's use of language, form, and structure because all three of these elements can shape our understanding of a text.

So over to you again then, how does Zephaniah convey a sense of cultural pride in this poem? So take some time to grab your copy of the text if you haven't already, and give the poem a really good read through, familiarising yourself with that language, form and structure, and then you can begin to select your examples and analyse them.

So drawing out perhaps any methods or any patterns that you can see in the text.

And most importantly, linking what you've identified to these important key meanings, key ideas or messages.

So pause the video here while you take some time to analyse the poem, and when you're ready to go through it together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Some really, really interesting pieces of evidence that I overheard people identifying there, so fantastic job.

So let's just explore some key examples.

Starting off first of all then with the form of the poem.

So the form of the poem is a dub poem, one of today's key words, and dub poem is a type of poem that traditionally is performed with reggae music.

And this form of performance poetry originates from Jamaica, drawing on Zephaniah's cultural roots.

So we could argue perhaps that Zephaniah's choice of using this form perhaps suggests a sense of pride in this Jamaican cultural identity.

So the second example then, we've got these words "dem," "dan," "me," and "de." So what do all these words have in common? Well, they are all spelt phonetically.

So "dem" stands for them, "dan," than, "me," my, and "de," the.

And so why does Zephaniah use phonetic spellings? Well, arguably to represent his Jamaican dialect or Patois.

This suggests that he's proud of his culture and heritage since his ideas are delivered through the voice accent of somebody who is Caribbean.

So we have this idea that by choosing to spell the words of his poem exactly as he would say them almost to transcribe them.

What we've got here is not necessarily just the words written on the page, but maybe a slice or an experience of what it might have been like to hear Zephaniah deliver this dub poem aloud.

And finally then we've got this repeated refrain.

So throughout the poem we see this line quite a few times, "I am not de problem," and obviously we've got that all important link there between the refrain and the title of the poem, "No Problem." So why is this significant then? Well, throughout the poem, Zephaniah uses a refrain echoing the title.

He repeatedly asserts that he isn't the problem, which suggests he's proud of who he is, and instead resents others' attitudes towards him.

So he's drawing on that idea that we were discussing earlier, that this poem focuses more on interpersonal conflict.

It doesn't seem very much like Zephaniah is conflicted when it comes to how he perceives his cultural identity, and we can argue in fact that he seems quite proud of his cultural identity, and in fact that the conflict in this poem is Zephaniah's conflict with others, the interpersonal conflict who perhaps hold these racist views.

So let's just stop here and check our understanding so far.

So true or false, Zephaniah uses form to illustrate the pride he has for his Caribbean heritage? So pauses the video while you take a moment to think, and when you are ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play and we'll continue.

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

So now it's time to justify your answer.

So take a look at these two possible explanations and decide which one you think best supports that statement at the top.

So pause the video again while you take some time to think, and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play and we'll continue.

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

"No Problem" is a dub poem, a form originating from Jamaica.

This implies that Zephaniah is proud of his cultural heritage.

So now it's time for the first practise task of today's lesson, and what I would like you to do is to use the sentence stems to comment on Zephaniah's depiction of cultural pride, so drawing together all those ideas that we've been discussing in the first half of the lesson.

And if you notice these three sentence stems, you can see that they all begin in the same way.

"In 'No Problem,' Zephaniah suggests he's proud of his heritage," and then it's that word at the end that changes each time, and that word is known as a conjunction, because it allows us to join two of our ideas together, so perhaps the statement and a reason, a statement and a counterargument.

So if you notice each three of these words mean that the end of that sentence is going to go in a slightly different direction because "because" might encourage us to leave a reason, for example, whereas "but" might cause us to suggest a contrasted or opposing piece of information.

So take some time to think really carefully about how you're going to use each of these sentence stems. And more importantly, make sure that you are supporting your ideas with evidence from the poem.

So pause the video here and take as much time as you need to give this a really good go.

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

Okay, welcome back.

So let's have a look at some of our Oak pupils' responses to these sentence stems. So we're thinking first of all about that "because" sentence.

So Izzy says, "In 'No Problem,' Zephaniah suggests he is proud of his heritage because he writes phonetically, so readers can hear his Jamaican patois." And Jacob says, "In 'No Problem,' Zephaniah suggests he's proud of his heritage because he uses the form of a dub poem, a traditional poetic form performed to reggae music." So my question to you is this, what is effective about these responses? So if we were going to give Izzy and Jacob a what went well, what might we say? So pause the video while you take a moment to discuss this with the people around you, or make some notes, and when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Lots of really interesting suggestions there for what was effective about this response.

Well done if you are picking up on the idea that both responses show a good understanding of the poem's key ideas.

It's clear that Izzy and Jacob know this poem quite well and they understand the key messages and the key ideas in the poem.

And both of them analyse Zephaniah's use of methods, so Izzy begins to draw out this idea that Zephaniah uses phonetic spelling, and Jacob decides to discuss the form of the poem, that Zephaniah has chosen to use a dub poem.

So we're really getting this idea of they have quite a good overall understanding, but they can also zoom in on these details and make some inferences from them.

So as they continued then onto their "but" sentences.

So Izzy says, "In 'No Problem,' Zephaniah suggests he's proud of his heritage, but feels worn down by the cumulative effects of racism he has experienced in his life." And that word cumulative links to this idea of accumulating, which means that something grows bigger over time, or there's more of it over time.

So we could argue here that Zephaniah is suggesting perhaps that he feels as though he's been worn down by the buildup of the different experiences of racism that he's had to endure in his life, and the impact of that perhaps is becoming quite tiring or overwhelming the older he gets.

And Jacob says, "In 'No Problem,' Zephaniah suggests he is proud of his heritage, but he focuses mostly on racism in this poem and the impact it has on the people who suffer it." So over to you again then.

So last time we did a what went well, and this time we are going to do an even better if.

So, how could Jacob and Izzy improve these responses? So let's make sure when we are thinking about what they could do to improve that we are focusing on solutions, we're being constructive.

So I'm not necessarily asking you to tell me what's wrong with their response.

I'm asking you to suggest what they could do next time in order to make it better.

So pause the video here while you have a think and take some time to discuss it, and when you're ready to continue, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

It was so great to hear so many of you being really constructive in the advice that you were suggesting.

So that was really good practise, particularly when it comes to peer reviewing responses perhaps from other people in your class or your friends.

It's always a really good idea to make sure we're being constructive.

So what could we have said about Izzy and Jacob's response? Well, both responses could arguably have been improved by using supporting evidence from the poem, and in fact, they could have even used the same piece of evidence.

They could have discussed that word "affect" on line 17.

So one more set of responses then, and so this was their "so" sentences.

So Izzy said, "In 'No Problem,' Zephaniah suggests he is proud of his heritage, so we could read this poem as a warning to others to consider the impact of their unconscious." And Jacob says, "In 'No Problem,' Zephaniah suggests he is proud of his heritage, so we could interpret the stereotypes in the last line as a playful reference to problematic racist attitudes." So my final discussion question for you then, who do you think has the best response here and why? So pause the video while you take some time to discuss it and then click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

Some really interesting responses there.

I could hear lots of people debating 'cause we didn't necessarily all have the same opinion, which is always interesting for me as a teacher because it means that you'll have to justify your responses.

It encourages us to think of those compelling reasons to support our ideas.

So I think both of these responses were quite valid and accurate interpretations of the text.

I may possibly be inclined to suggest that Jacob's response was slightly more detailed because he actually did make a reference to the text.

So he did think about the key ideas that Zephaniah was part of his heritage, and that he draws on this idea of problematic racist attitudes.

But we've got that all important bit there where he does a bit of analysis.

So he discusses this idea that there are stereotypes in the last line and that they're used as a playful reference.

Whereas although Izzy has a really good interpretation that's accurate and relevant, when she says we could read this poem as a warning to others, she could perhaps have referred to specifically what it was about the poem that gave her that idea.

Okay, so we have made it to the halfway point of today's lesson, and I hope you are really pleased with everything that you have achieved so far.

So now we have explored depictions of cultural identity and pride, it's time for us to think about depictions of prejudice.

So in particular, I'd like to look at Zephaniah's depiction of prejudice and of racial bias.

So Zephaniah's writing is known for highlighting the prevalence of racist attitudes in the UK, and he depicts examples from his own life and uses humour and wordplay to explore racism and discrimination in an abstract conceptual way.

And we've got that word conceptual there that we were discussing at the beginning of the lesson.

So we do get concrete examples perhaps from Zephaniah's own life or based on Zephaniah's own life, but then we also get this conceptual exploration of racism and discrimination.

So it's important to remember that we've always got those two different approaches to exploring prejudice and racial bias in this poem.

Okay, so over to you for another discussion then.

So what do you think Zephaniah's attitudes towards racial bias and prejudice are in this poem? And how does he convey this idea? So pause the video while you take some time to think about it and discuss it with the people around you, or make some notes and when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

I heard lots of really interesting ideas there.

So let's just summarise some of the fantastic responses that I overheard.

So these are some things you might have said in your discussions.

So first of all, arguably Zephaniah is frustrated by the attitudes of others.

We can pick up on this perhaps sense of frustration that he feels about this interpersonal conflict.

He is specific about all forms of racial prejudice, from stereotyping and unconscious bias, to casual racism and other forms of racist behaviour.

So he acknowledges that racism comes in many forms and he seems equally frustrated by all different types of racism.

And we could argue that this poem demonstrates the impact of all forms of discrimination and exposes how subtly it can exist in society.

So let's explore these ideas in relation to the text.

So as we did before, it's really important to think about language, form, and structure because all three elements shape our interpretation of the text.

So over to you again then, can you find any references to racial bias or discrimination in the poem? So take some time to have another look over the text and see if you can identify some evidence to support the ideas we've been discussing, and then click play when you're ready for us to discuss it together.

Welcome back.

I could hear lots of people picking up on different examples from the text.

So let's just explore some of these responses that I overheard.

So starting off then with this repeated refrain.

So this is a really, really good quote for us to use in our analysis because we've already managed to interpret it in two different ways, because we were using it earlier when we were interpreting cultural identity and pride.

So let's see what this alternative interpretation of this line suggests.

So we could argue that throughout the poem, Zephaniah repeatedly asserts that racism and discrimination are the problem, and not the people who have to suffer them.

So we've got this idea that Zephaniah saying "I am not the problem" was something earlier that helped to assert his cultural pride.

But here the reverse of that thinking, well, if he isn't the problem, then what is the problem also brings this idea of discrimination and racism to the forefront of the reader's mind, because they are the problem, not the speaker.

So the second idea then.

I want to start with the analysis this time.

So Zephaniah uses stereotypical images to playfully mock the prejudicial views of others in society.

So what I would like you to do is to have a look through the text and see if you can find evidence to support this idea.

So we're looking in particular for Zephaniah using stereotypical images.

So pause the video here while you have a look through the text and have a think, and when you think you have found some relevant evidence, click play and we'll discuss it together.

Okay, welcome back.

So well done if you picked up on this idea that towards the end of the text in that final line of the poem, Zephaniah says, "Sum of me best friends are white." So what does it mean by this? Let's perhaps unpick this idea a little bit further.

So can we think about the effect of these stereotypes? What meanings do they convey? So pause the video here while you have a think and take some time to discuss it with the people around you, and when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's explore this idea in a bit more detail then.

So arguably here, Zephaniah plays on the problematic idea "I can't be racist, I have Black friends." So this idea perhaps that has often been parroted maybe by people with racist views, that they couldn't possibly be racist because they have Black friends.

They couldn't possibly act in a discriminatory way towards Black people because they have Black friends.

So Zephaniah chooses to end this poem on a sarcastic playful tone, shifting away from the serious tone in stanza two.

And this could show his resilience, since he could still joke about racism despite how it has affected him.

So where perhaps he could have chosen to have ended on a really serious message, he has almost brought it back round to this playful way maybe in which he started, but is still making a serious point.

So Zephaniah refers to the UK as his something, ending with an imperative command demanding the UK does better to ensure that Black people are not made out to be the problem, instead of racism.

So can you find some supporting evidence for this analysis? So take another look through the poem and see if you can find somewhere that may be ends with an imperative command.

You've got that clue there in the analysis, but also a piece of evidence that could potentially fit into that gap.

So pause the video here while you see if you can find that evidence, and when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back, and well done if you picked up on this idea that Zephaniah refers to the UK as his mother country, and he says "Mother country, get it right." So we've got that imperative command there demanding that the UK does better to ensure that Black people are not made out to be the problem.

Okay, so let's have a little look at the sounds in the poem.

So on line two, line 12 and line 15, we've got some repeated sounds.

So on line two, we've got the repetition of b sounds, on line 12, we've got the repetition of d sounds, and line 15, we've got the repetition of p sounds.

So my question to you is this, how does Zephaniah use sounds to convey his attitudes towards racial bias and discrimination? It's quite a tricky one there because you're gonna really have to drill down into parts of the words.

So pause the video here while you have a think and take some time to discuss it, and when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

I definitely heard some people identifying the correct method there that linked to these sounds.

It was one of today's keywords from the lesson.

Zephaniah uses alliteration of plosive sounds.

So plosive sounds are sounds like b, d and p that all use the same technique in your mouth to make the noise.

So they all relate to this idea that you have to hold breath behind your lips and then release it, so b, in order to make those sounds.

So he uses the alliteration of plosive sounds to emphasise the speaker's emotions as he discusses racism and discrimination.

So I'd like you to think a bit further about these plosive sounds.

What do they have in common? And what emotions do they convey? So pause the video here while you have a think, and take some time to discuss it, and click play when you're ready to feed back together.

Okay, welcome back.

So well done if you are picking up on this idea that these sounds are all abrupt, staccato sounds.

The staccato there is a musical term that means a short, sharp note, b, d, p.

They all start and end very quickly, which draw attention to the words that they are used on.

They also give the poem a punchy rhythm, perhaps emphasising the anger and frustration of the speaker.

So the short staccato sounds are really linking to those emotions of anger and frustration there.

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

So what is Zephaniah are referring to when he says mother country? So take a moment to have a look at the options below, and decide which one you think is correct.

And when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to those of you who said B, the UK.

In fact, before Jamaica achieved independence from the UK in 1962, many Jamaicans referred to the UK as their mother country.

So now it's time for the second and final practise task of today's lesson, and we're going to be focusing this time on those depictions of prejudice.

So what I would like you to do is write a paragraph answering the following question, what do you think Zephaniah's message to his reader is in "No Problem?" And your answer should consider the following, Zephaniah's attitudes towards racial bias and discrimination, how he conveys these attitudes, the specific meanings and effects of Zephaniah's use of language, form and structure, and wider contextual knowledge linked to the poem.

So take as much time as you need to give this a really good go, and when you've completed your paragraph and you're ready to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

And can I just say you should be really, really pleased with the amount of effort that you've put into that? Writing a paragraph about what we think a writer's intended message is is not an easy thing to do, because it really requires us to think carefully about our personal interpretations of the text, but also how these interpretations are shaped by what we know about the context of the poem.

So well done if you are managing to bring both of those ideas into your response.

And here's how you could have responded.

"Arguably, Zephaniah's poem explores the impact of racism on the people who have to suffer it.

He challenges the idea of victim blaming, repeatedly asserting that Black people are not the problem, and uses imperative phrasing to show that he believes the UK aren't getting it right when it comes to attitudes towards racism.

Despite his playful, humorous tone, his message is a serious one.

Victims are often resilient, rising above playground taunts and racist stunts, but it will eventually affect them later in life.

Zephaniah himself experienced racist abuse while at school, and so it's likely this poem draws on his own feelings about racism and discrimination." So now it's time to review your response.

So I'd like to ask yourself the following questions, have you considered Zephaniah's attitudes towards racial bias and discrimination? Have you considered how he conveys these attitudes? Have you considered the specific meanings and effects of Zephaniah's use of language, form and structure? And have you considered the wider contextual knowledge linked to the poem? So do take a moment to review your response and ask yourself those all important questions, and then when you've done that, I would like you to take a moment to discuss your response with the people around you, thinking really carefully about your evidence.

So is your use of evidence accurate, relevant, and judiciously chosen? And what I mean by that, so, is it accurate? Have you copied it down exactly as it appears on your copy of the text? Is it relevant to the point that you're making? So is this the best piece of evidence that supports your idea? And is it judiciously chosen? Did you just choose the first relevant quote or did you choose the best relevant quote? And have you used the right part of that quote, perhaps, to demonstrate the point that you need to make? So just take some time to share your piece of evidence with the people around you, or to review it on your own and make some notes.

But thinking really carefully, is it accurate, is it relevant, and is it judiciously chosen? So pause the video while you do that and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so we've made it to the finish line of today's lesson, and a massive, massive well done for all your hard work today.

I really hope that you're pleased with everything you've achieved.

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

The poem is a dub poem, a form of performance poetry of Jamaican origin.

Dialect is used throughout to illustrate Zephaniah's pride in his identity.

The repetition of the refrain "I am not de problem" highlights how racism is the problem in society.

The alliteration of plosive sounds could illustrate Zephaniah's anger.

And arguably Zephaniah uses stereotypes to mock the prejudicial views of some in society.

So thank you very much for joining me in today's lesson, and I hope that you've enjoyed it as much as I have.

Have a fantastic day everyone, and I hope to see you all again soon.