Analysing the poem, "The Farmer's Bride".

Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Mr. Young and I'm so glad that you could join me on another lesson in this poetry sequence.

So today's lesson is going to be all about analysing "The Farmer's Bride".

So let's get started.

So today's lesson has a very clear learning outcome.

So by the end of today's lesson, everybody should be able to do the following, which is: I can write about the dysfunctional relationship in "The Farmer's Bride".

And just as in any lesson, we have some really important words, our keywords.

So I do always encourage you just to pause the video and jot these down, particularly if they are new to you.

Let's take a look at what they are.

Dysfunctional: not operating properly or broken.

We'd say the relationship in "The Farmer's Bride" is quite dysfunctional, isn't it? To other, as a verb, is to treat someone as alien to oneself or one's group.

Infantalise: to treat someone as a child or in a way that denies their maturity.

We potentially see this from the farmer to the bride in the poem.

A semantic field: a group of words related in some way, they can be related by meaning or in a more abstract way.

And finally, submission: the act of allowing someone or something to have power over you.

So keep your eyes peeled for these words as we move through today's lesson.

So two very clear learning cycles in our learning today.

The first learning cycle is all about analysing "The Farmer's Bride".

So we're gonna look once again at that fantastic poem and really kind of unpick some of the really key things that we need to be focusing on as students of English.

And then I'm gonna hand the reins over to you in learning cycle two, and you're gonna produce a really nice piece of writing about the poem.

So let's get started.

So quick recap for me then please.

How do the farmer and the bride feel towards each other in the poem? So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion in your class, or jot down some ideas if you're working independently.

And then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, my goodness.

What a fantastic start to the learning today.

Let's keep that up as we move throughout today's lesson.

So I'm hearing some really fantastic things in the classroom and lots of people really kind of picking up on that kind of toxic nature of the relationship between the two.

So some things we could have said: well, the farmer, he feels isolated and distant from his wife, doesn't he? That comes across time and time again in the poem.

We could also say he infantilises his wife and he others her as well, part of this kind of sustained negative treatment that she receives.

And finally he continues to fantasise about his wife despite the distance between them.

So despite how isolated they are, he seems to kind of retain these kind of warm, affectionate feelings for her, however misguided they may be.

So let's look at the bride.

What does the bride potentially feel towards the farmer? Well, we could have said she's fearful of her husband and she runs away.

That opens in that first stanza, doesn't it? The wife running away.

So she clearly fears her husband in some way.

She's also forced into submission in the end, isn't she? She's locked away in the cottage and she kind of doesn't really come out very much and she's absolutely kind of forced into submission by the negative treatment of the farmer.

And finally, she becomes withdrawn and emotionally distant from the farmer, which I guess is not surprising, is it? Given the treatment that she's received so far.

So well done for your fantastic recap on this poem, now let's move forward and analyse it in a bit more detail.

So what I would like you to do is to read your copy of the poem again, which you can find in your anthology.

And there I would like you to think about where can you find examples of devices that support any of the ideas below.

So ideas around the bride feeling fear, the husband infantalising her, all of those things we spoke about in our last task.

I would also like you to take a look at the discussion question on the board now as well.

So think about are there any devices that you see several times throughout the poem? So as you read through this kind of fantastic poem once more, what devices does Mew use time and time again? So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, fantastic work on that.

Well done for reacquainting yourself with the poem and well done for spotting all of those different language devices, there's lots and lots there isn't there? It's really, really rich in these devices.

I'm gonna explore some of them in a bit more detail now.

So the first one that really jumps out to me is the use of simile in the poem, and I saw lots of you identifying it as well.

So throughout the poem, Mew often uses simile to describe the bride.

So can you identify any examples of simile in the poem? So you might want to create a little mind map in your book and identify any examples that Mew uses.

So pause the video and then push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, well done.

There are lots and lots and lots aren't there? So these are the ones that really stuck out to me.

So we've got "like a mouse", we've got "flying like a hare", we've got "shy as a leveret", we've got "as a young larch tree" and "like a frightened little fay." A fay is like a fairy in this context.

So my next question for you is what effect does this repeated use of simile have throughout the poem? So we'd absolutely say this is a repeated device used by Mew, but what is its effect? Why does she present the bride in this way? So once again, hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, fantastic work on that task.

And once again, I'm hearing some really fantastic suggestions flying across the classroom, really focusing on the kind of bride's vulnerability, but also her kind of sense of helplessness as well.

So we could have potentially embraced the task a bit like this.

We could say by likening the bride to various natural elements and creatures, Mew imbues her character with a sense of fragility, otherworldliness and wildness.

These comparisons not only emphasise her powerlessness, but also underscore her alienation from the farmer and his world.

The similes evoke imagery that transcends the mundane and ordinary, painting the bride as a mysterious, elusive and ultimately helpless figure.

So a really fantastic student response there, kind of linking that, use that method to a really clear idea running throughout the poem, which is the kind of bride's helplessness at the the treatment of the farmer.

So well done if you picked up on anything similar in your own discussion.

Okay, quick check for understanding time for me then please.

So using natural imagery to describe the bride highlights her.

fragility, powerlessness, power, or youth.

Which words could we put there? And I'll give you a clue.

There are more than one correct answer.

So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, excellent work to everybody who identified A and B as the correct answers.

We would absolutely be focusing on her fragility and powerlessness.

Things that are really exemplified by Mew's use of simile.

Great job if you picked up on that.

So throughout the poem, Mew also uses lots of natural imagery.

So what I would like you to do then is just take a look at that poem again and think about all of the examples of natural imagery that we can find in the poem.

So pause the video, complete the task, and then push play when you'd like to see a few examples.

Okay, once again, fantastic work on that.

And there are lots and lots of examples, aren't there? Running throughout this poem.

I think as we said in previous lessons, this is a really kind of rural country poem and the kind of use of natural imagery really, really reflects that.

So some examples we could have said are as follows: We could have spoken about harvest time, sheep, hare, seven acre field, mouse, birds, rabbits, beasts in stall, wild violets, leveret, larch tree, berries redden up, and the soft young down.

And this is not an exhaustive list.

There are some other examples as well.

And we can see all of the examples of kind of country life there, really running through the poem in the description of the animals, the description of the setting itself.

So what we could say here is a semantic field has been used, and a semantic field is a group of words related in some way.

So we would say that Mew has used a semantic field of nature throughout "The Farmer's Bride".

So again, we've identified the method, but now let's think, as students of English, what the effect of this method is? So my question for you is as follows: Why do you think Mew chose to use a semantic field of nature in "The Farmer's Bride"? So once again, hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, fantastic work on that task and it is lovely to see you linking your kind of identification of method with your explanation and your analysis of that method as well, a really, really important skill in English.

So we could have said something like the following: The natural semantic field compares the bride to a series of vulnerable animals, which highlights how the farmer infantilises and others his wife, portraying her simultaneously as strange and powerless.

The natural imagery also effectively highlights the growing distance between them.

This semantic field alienates the bride from the farmer's world and situates her more in an isolated, natural context.

So a really, really good example there, kind of showing how that use of natural imagery really just kind of makes that distance seem even greater between the farmer and the bride.

And well done if you picked up on anything similar in your own discussions.

So a quick check for understanding again then.

The poem contains a semantic field of natural imagery.

Is that true or false? Hit that pause button and then push play when you like to see which is correct.

Okay, well done to everybody who identified it as true.

It's absolutely true, isn't it? But let's just make that a little bit more difficult.

What could we say to justify that answer? Is it A: the semantic field highlights how the farmer infantilises his wife? Or is it B: the semantic field highlights how the farmer fantasises about his wife? Which one could we say is correct to justify that statement? So hit that pause button and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, excellent work if you identified it as A.

It's all about the farmer infantilising his wife with this natural imagery.

He kind of often compares her to an animal of some kind, which absolutely infantilises her.

So what we have here then is both Alex and Andeep have looked at this stanza to see how it shows the bride's powerlessness and that stanza is as follows: "We chased her, flying like a hare "Before our lanterns.

To Church-Town "All in a shiver and a scare "We caught her, fetched her home at last "And turned the key upon her, fast." So they said the following things: Alex said, "For me, the simile really helps highlight her powerlessness.

Comparing her to a hare really highlights how she's been hunted by these men.

An idea that is only strengthened by the verb 'caught' later on." And Andeep says the following: "I think it is really the use of the collective pronoun 'we' that highlights her powerlessness here.

The use of 'we' implies a group effort suggesting that the entire community is involved in the pursuit and capture of the bride.

She is entirely alone." Some really fantastic comments there from both Alex and Andeep.

So my question for you then, is there anything else in this stanza that highlights the bride's powerlessness? What else could we say that highlights her powerlessness? So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, once again, fantastic work on this task and well done for picking up on all of those additional things we could say in this stanza that help show the bride's powerlessness.

Okay then, we have reached our first practise task of today's lesson, and it is your time to shine, your time to show all of those fantastic things that you've learned so far in today's lesson.

So your task is as follows: So throughout the poem, Mew uses lots of natural imagery to describe both the bride and the relationship between her and the farmer.

So my task for you is as follows: So why might Mew have done this and what does it tell us about their relationship? I would like you to write a short answer, and in particular you might consider the following, what the language says about the relationship and what the language might suggest about wider attitudes of the time.

Super excited to see how you get on with this one.

So do pause the video, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to see a little bit of feedback.

Okay, fantastic work on that.

It is really great, isn't it? When we get to bring all of these different strands together and produce a really fantastic piece of work.

So we've got an example paragraph here from Sofia.

And Sofia has said the following: "In 'The Farmer's Bride', Mew utilises natural imagery extensively to depict both the bride and the farmer, shedding light on their relationship dynamics.

The farmer, characterised by his occupation, predominantly communicates through the language of animals and nature.

Even in describing his bride, he uses terms typically reserved for animals such as "down" for her hair, underscoring his struggle to relate to her on a human level." So what I'd like you to do is take a look at Sofia's paragraph, and it's a really, really strong paragraph, isn't it? And I would like you to give it a what went well and an even better if.

So hit that pause button and complete the task and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, excellent work on that peer review, looking at other people's work and kind of evaluating it.

Saying what they've done well and what we could potentially improve next time is a great skill in English.

So some things we could have said are as follows: So what went well? Well, Sofia has considered the effects of language and how we might interpret the natural imagery in relation to the relationship.

I think she does that really, really well in the answer, doesn't she? But we could also say Sofia hasn't considered a contextual point about wider prevailing social ideas of the time.

She hasn't really kind of mentioned any contextual points, which could make this a little bit stronger.

So we could rewrite it in the following way: We could add this little sentence to the paragraph here, which says, "this choice of imagery suggests a limitation in his emotional expression, perhaps indicative of societal norms of masculinity at the time." So really elevating Sofia's answer with that.

Just kind of little nod to a contextual point.

So well done if you picked up on anything similar in your own discussions.

Okay then, we have reached the second learning cycle in today's lesson.

We are working incredibly hard today.

So let's keep that going to the end of the lesson.

So this learning cycle is all about writing about "The Farmer's Bride".

So Aisha wants to write an answer to the question, how does Mew portray the relationship in "The Farmer's Bride" as dysfunctional? And I think we've kind of really spoken in detail, haven't we? About just how dysfunctional that relationship is.

So Aisha's got a really fantastic idea and she says, "In particular, I want to focus on the final stanza and talk about how this shows the relationship is dysfunctional.

I want to explore the husband's continued excitement for his wife, for example, the exclamations, despite his persistently negative treatment of her." So a really, really nice comment there from Aisha.

Really, really good use of contrast across the poem.

So my question for you is, what would be a good strategy for Aisha to structure this point? How should she structure this point? So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion, or jot down some ideas if you're working independently.

And then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, once again, fantastic start to learning cycle two, some really, really exciting, really interesting conversations taking place, which is lovely to hear, and lots of people are speaking about kind of how to plan that response, how to kind of add supporting detail to that.

And we're gonna explore that in a little bit more detail in a minute.

So a good way for Aisha to structure her paragraph would be by using a single paragraph outline, and it looks a little bit like this.

So we have our topic sentence, which is an outline of the paragraph's focus with a key link to question vocabulary.

So in this context, a link to the dysfunctionality of the relationship.

Then we've got our supporting detail, which is the key language form, structure or contextual details that support the topic sentence.

And finally we've got our concluding sentence, which is a summary of the argument with a focus on the writer's purpose.

And we're gonna have a go at using one of these in a minute.

But before we do that, a quick check for understanding for me then, please.

What part of a single paragraph outline comes first? Hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to see the correct answer.

Okay, great job to everybody who said topic sentence.

Is of course the topic sentence, which really kind of sets out the overarching idea for our paragraph ahead.

So Aisha has created the following single paragraph outline to answer the question, and it looks a little bit like this.

So we've got that topic sentence now, which is Mew portrays the relationship as dysfunctional through the husband's contradictory emotions and treatment of his wife.

And then Aisha's got some really, really interesting supporting detail that really supports that point.

A couple of really key pieces of evidence actually.

So the first thing is "up in the attic", so we can show her physical distance away from the husband and it really kinda symbolises that isolation.

We've also got this, "Oh! My God!" and "soft young down" with the husband's excitement here, suggesting an almost animalistic passion and desire for her despite this isolation.

And finally, there's this contrast which we mentioned previously, which is that despite the husband's apparent admiration for his wife's physical attributes, his actions such as confining her to the attic, indicate a disregard for her emotional wellbeing and autonomy.

It's a really, really interesting comment there using contrast.

And then we can bring that all together with our concluding sentence by saying: Mew highlights the dysfunctionality of the relationship by juxtaposing the husband's continued excitement for his wife with his persistently negative treatment of her, ultimately underscoring the underlying tensions and complexities within their marriage.

So a really good plan there that really goes to the heart of that question.

Remember that question is all about dysfunction and the dysfunction of the relationship.

So what are we gonna do with that plan? Well, we are going to use it to write an answer.

So I would like you to write an answer to the question, how does Mew portray the relationship in "The Farmer's Bride" as dysfunctional? So I would like you to write a paragraph using Aisha's single paragraph outline and then continue the essay using your own ideas.

You may wish to include the following things: So ideas about how the bride feels fear towards her husband, how the husband infantilises and others his wife, how the bride is forced into submission, how the bride becomes increasingly emotionally distant, and how the husband continues to fantasise about his wife despite this isolation.

So super excited to see how you approach this.

Really, really excited to see the end product, a really nice essay about "The Farmer's Bride".

So do push pause, and then push play when you'd like to proceed to a little bit of feedback.

Okay, fantastic work on that task.

It's really nice to see you bringing this all together and having a really first class piece of written work in front of you.

So here's how we could have approached this task: So we could have said something like, In the final stanza of "The Farmer's Bride", Mew portrays the relationship between the farmer and his bride as dysfunctional, through the husband's contradictory emotions and treatment of his wife, despite the husband's exclamations of, "Oh! My God!" and his focus on the physical attributes of his wife's "soft young down" and brown eyes and hair, suggesting a lingering passion or desire for her.

The wife's placement up in the attic symbolises her separation from the rest of the household, emphasising her loneliness and alienation within the marriage.

So a really, really nice paragraph there, but let's kind of unpick why it is so effective.

So a quick discussion question for you.

Where does the answer above use supporting detail? So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, great job to everybody who identified all of those things that come after that topic sentence.

So the exclamations of, "Oh! My God," the brown eyes and the phrase, the contrast up in the attic, are all examples of supporting details.

So great job if you identified that.

So the answer continues: This stark contrast between the husband's inner feelings and outward actions highlights the dysfunctionality of the relationship.

While the husband may harbour some level of excitement or admiration for his wife, his actions, such as confining her to the attic, indicate a disregard for her emotional wellbeing and autonomy.

Through the final stanza, Mew underscores the underlying tensions and complexities within their marriage, ultimately presenting it as dysfunctional.

So really nice conclusion to that paragraph.

So a quick discussion question for me then, please.

Highlight in your own work where you have used supporting detail and identified its effects.

So a little bit of self-assessment just to bring this lesson to a close.

So pause the video, complete the self-assessment task on your own work.

And then do push play when you would like to bring today's lesson to a close.

Okay, we have reached the end of today's lesson.

A big well done to all of you for all of your fantastic work that you have shown throughout today's learning.

So let's just recap all of those things that we have covered in today's lesson.

So firstly, Mew uses a simile to convey the fear the wife feels towards her husband.

Mew uses a semantic field of natural imagery to reveal how the husband infantilises and others his wife.

Mew uses a collective pronoun to show how the wife is forced into submission.

Mew uses natural imagery to convey the wife's growing emotional distance.

And finally, Mew uses exclamation in the resolution to suggest the husband continues to fantasise about his wife.

It has been an absolute pleasure to teach you today, and I really look forward to teaching you on another lesson in this poetry sequence.

So thank you very much and goodbye.