Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Ms. Watson and I'm delighted that you have decided to join me today.

We are going to be analysing the poem, "Peckham Rye Lane." Really diving into the language, form and structure used by the poet to convey their ideas.

You will need a copy of the Edexcel Belonging Anthology.

So when you have that and you are ready, we'll make a start.

So by the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how Blakemore uses language, form, and structure to present their viewpoint.

As ever, we will begin with the keywords.

There are five keywords today.

All really useful for unlocking your learning.

The first one is metaphorical, which is when something is used symbolically to represent something else.

Half-rhyme.

It's a really interesting type of rhyme, which is formed by words with similar but not identical sounds.

The word multicultural relates to or contains several cultural or ethnic groups within a society.

And juxtaposition, is the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

And the word inclusion, that is the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure.

If you would like a little bit more time to familiarise yourself with the keywords, just pause the video and do that, and rejoin the lesson when you are ready.

So there are three learning cycles.

We are going start by analysing the language used in the poem.

Then we are going to analyse the form of the poem, and we are gonna finish by analysing the structure of the poem.

So let's start.

Now you could argue the Blakemore's, "Peckham Rye Lane," presents Peckham as a multicultural space.

However, some of the language and imagery produce an arguably hostile and uncomfortable atmosphere.

And we are going to explore juxtaposing ideas throughout this learning cycle and consider why they might exist together.

So I would like you to start by discussing which words in the poem have connotations of discomfort.

Pause the video while you have that discussion.

And if you are working by yourself, pause the video and make a few notes.

Welcome back.

You might have said this, the word perspiration, the word crammed, and the word weapons.

And I want you to discuss some more about these words.

What is it about these words that create ideas of discomfort? Pause the video and either make notes or have that discussion.

Off you go.

Very thoughtful discussion.

Well done.

Now, I'm going to share with you some things that you might have said.

You might have noticed that the word perspiration, which means sweat, could suggest that people are nervous, and worried, and too hot.

And that if you are crammed into a space, you often feel physically uncomfortable.

Too many people can feel quite claustrophobic.

And the word weapons is very much associated with violence and fear.

So let's take it a step further and think about what the words and their connotations may implying about Peckham.

Pause the video and have that discussion.

I'd like to share with you what Izzy said.

She said that, "To me it suggests that people could feel worried or uncomfortable there." Which I think is a very credible inference from those words and their connotations.

Let's move on and think about some of the metaphorical language within the poem.

And how it also creates this juxtaposition of inclusivity and discomfort.

Now, Peckham itself is described as an awful meat.

That's an extraordinary image I think.

And I'd like you to discuss how we might interpret that image.

Pause the video, have the discussion.

Try to think of as many ideas as you can.

So welcome back.

Let me share with you what Izzy said.

She thought that the image of meat might suggest that there's something distasteful or rotten about Peckham.

It could suggest other things as well.

I would just like you to see Izzy's, and use it as a way of measuring your own ideas.

Let's move on.

I'm gonna ask you to unpack this image of Peckham as awful meat and consider how it could link to multiculturalism.

We're looking really closely at just this one word.

Now, typically meat doesn't refer to the whole animal.

It refers to smaller parts of it that have been prepared for human consumption.

So it's something, and in its essence, meat is something that has been separated from the whole.

So have a discussion about that idea.

How might we now consider the idea that something that has been separated from the whole is awful and distasteful? So pause the video and have a discussion about that.

Or pause the video and make a few notes about that.

And once again, I'd like to share with you Izzy's ideas.

She says that, "Perhaps Blakemore is suggesting that there is something distasteful about being a smaller part separate from a larger whole.

Therefore, suggesting our existence is better as part of a larger whole as with multiculturalism." And I think it's worth remembering that we are reading a collection of poems with the title "Belonging." Very good idea there.

Did you think something similar or different? Let's move on.

And now we're gonna look at this one word bristle.

The people in Peckham are compared to a bristle on a brush.

What might the connotations of that be? Pause a video and have a think.

Have a discussion.

Or just make a few notes.

And Laura said that she thought a bristle suggests something hard and uncompromising, perhaps even rough.

But what if we added in a new idea? The idea that the individual bristles all exist together in the same place.

What might that suggest about the people of Peckham? Have a think.

Have a discussion.

Make a few notes.

Off you go.

And this is what Laura said.

She said, "Perhaps it suggests they can all coexist together despite their potential rough and uncompromising nature." Really interesting development of ideas there.

Now, let's have a check understanding.

Potentially we might read the bristle metaphor as advocating for multiculturalism.

True or false? Have a think, make your choice.

I think you would say that is true.

We could read it like that.

What is it about the metaphor that allows us to read it like that? Have a think.

Well, you might have said something like this, that bristles all exist together in the same space to create a cohesive whole unit.

Well done if you said that.

Let's move on.

So throughout Blakemore's "Peckham Rye Lane," there are images and words that seemingly present Peckham as a multicultural space.

However, there are also words that create the idea of discomfort.

And I want you to think about why Blakemore placed those two juxtaposing ideas together.

And in your answer, you might consider that there are some people who find the idea of multiculturalism uncomfortable, and that despite the discomfort, the poem ends on the imagery of light and the word comfort.

So pause the video while you write your sentences.

Off you go.

Welcome back.

What excellent focus.

I'd like to share Laura's sentences with you.

And I'd ask you to think about how well and to what extent her ideas align with yours.

So here's Laura's ideas.

"I believe that Blakemore has used juxtaposing images of inclusion and discomfort to show that society perhaps isn't fully committed to the idea of multiculturalism yet since there are still those who find it an uncomfortable prospect.

However, by ending on the word comfort, it seems to be that Blakemore is offering a hopeful vision of the future where people will be able to co-exist harmoniously together.

The metaphor of the bristle on a brush seems particularly apt since it suggests that people can coexist in the same space and fulfil the same purpose even though there are elements of discomfort." If there are any ideas you would like to borrow from Laura's, do that now.

You can pause the video while you do that and then rejoin me for the next part of the lesson.

So you've done some really interesting thinking and analysis on the language of "Peckham Rye Lane," and now we are going to look at analysing the form.

Now, one of the reasons it's important to consider the form of a poem is because it gives us a hint about the writer's intentions because poetic forms are often linked to themes.

I'm gonna share with you some examples of poetic forms. Now, a dramatic monologue, that is the poem in the form of a speech or a narrative by an imagined person.

Free verse, that refers to poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular rhythm.

An elegy, that is a poem of serious reflection.

Typically a lament for the dead.

An ode is a lyric poem that praises an event or individual.

Have a quick discussion.

What poetic form is "Peckham Rye Lane" written in? Pause the video while you do that.

Yes, it's free verse.

It doesn't rhyme or have a regular rhythm.

Let's look in a little bit more detail of free verse.

Now, we might represent free verse as something like this.

Imagine that each of those bars is a line of poetry.

What connotations does this visual representation suggest to you? Have a look.

Pause the video and have a discussion.

Or if you're working by yourself, just pause the video and make a few notes.

Okay, so did you say something like this? That it might suggest chaos because there's no order to those lines.

Or freedom because they're not trapped in all lines being of the same length, and there's a lightness to them.

And a non-conformity.

They're not all the same.

Those will all be really good ideas that you might have said about the way free verse looks.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Is it true or false to say, that Blakemore's "Peckham Rye Lane" has a regular form? Have a think.

Make your choice.

It's false.

Why is it false that it has a regular form? Well, you might have said something like this.

The Blakemore's "Peckham Rye Lane is written in free verse, which means it has no regular rhyme or rhythm.

Very well done.

Let's move on.

So to summarise.

A free verse poetic form means there are no particular rules to follow about structure.

So I want you to think about this, is how might the choice of this poetic form complement, that means go alongside, support, the ideas of multiculturalism that run through the poem.

I'd like you to write a couple of sentences explaining your ideas.

And you might consider that multiculturalism means people are free to follow their own values and practises while existing as part of a larger whole.

So when you are ready, pause the video and write your sentences.

Welcome back.

Excellent focus there.

Now Sam and Izzy both did that task.

And I'm going to read both fair responses to you.

And I want you to think about whose ideas align more closely with yours.

So Sam wrote, "I think multiculturalism implies that people are free to live how they wish to live without having to change themselves.

And I think the free verse nature of the poem reflects that since there are no rules or restrictions to free verse." And Izzy wrote, "I think that multiculturalism creates a sense of non-conformity since it implies that you don't have to be like other people and I think free verse suggests a sense of non-conformity since it doesn't follow any rules." So, whose ideas do you most agree with? Are there any ideas from there that you would like to borrow and add to yours? Or are there any that you really disagree with? When you are ready, we'll move on to the next part of the lesson.

So very well done for your focus so far.

Now, we are going to analyse the structure of the poem.

Now we've considered the idea that "Peckham Rye Lane" is a free verse poem.

Therefore, there is no overarching pattern to the rhyme or rhythm.

However, there are some pairs of words within the poem that create a rhyme or half-rhyme.

And I would like you to discuss which words can you see that either rhyme or create a half-rhyme.

Another way of thinking about half-rhyme might be to call it near rhymes.

It almost rhymes.

So pause the video where you have a discussion or pause the video and make a few notes.

And you might have picked out this, that perspiration and desperation rhyme.

And Primark and pink are a half-rhyme.

You have the P and the K at the beginning and end.

And also Blake and radiate.

They are an example of assonance where you have the same vowel sounds in the middle of the word.

Well done.

Let's move on.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following pairs of words create a half rhyme? A, B, or C.

I want you to say those words to yourself.

And see if you can hear the half-rhyme.

It's Primark and pink.

You've got the P at the beginning of both and the K at the end.

Well done.

Let's move on.

So throughout "Peckham Rye Lane," AK Blakemore uses rhymes, half-rhymes, and a lack of rhyme.

And I want you to discuss how might the use of these different rhyme patterns link to ideas of multiculturalism and belonging? And in your discussion, you might consider, that the different rhymes all exist within the same whole.

That is the same poem.

And that traditionally poems would choose a specific rhyme scheme to follow or not follow one at all.

So pause the video for that discussion or pause the video and make a few notes.

Off you go.

Welcome back.

That was a really thoughtful, insightful discussion.

I'd like to share Laura and Izzy's discussion with you, and I'd like to invite you to consider how well it aligns with your discussions.

So Laura said, "I think the idea of different rhyming patterns existing within the same whole suggests people can coexist and that multiculturalism enhances a space." And Izzy said, "I also think that perhaps because traditionally poetic forms choose a specific rhyme scheme, and "Peckham Rye Lane" doesn't, perhaps it shows that society is becoming less rigid in its boundaries." If there are any ideas from there you would like to borrow, do that now.

Pause the video while you make some extra notes and then please rejoin me for the end of the lesson.

So before we say goodbye, I would like to summarise what you have been learning today.

You have been learning that the metaphor of a hairbrush suggests community together all in one place.

And the juxtaposition of inclusive and uncomfortable images and words could suggest multiculturalism isn't fully accepted yet.

And the free verse nature of the poem could link to the idea that people are free to be who they want to be.

And the use of rhymes, half-rhymes and no rhyme could link to ideas of multiculturalism.

Thank you again for joining me for this lesson.

It's been a pleasure teaching you.

I wish you a fantastic rest of the day and look forward to seeing you again in another lesson about the poetry of Belonging.

Bye for now.