Identifying how poets present unconventional relationships.

Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Mr. Young, and it is great to see you again on another lesson in this Love and Relationships Poetry sequence.

So, today's lesson is going to be all about exploring unconventional relationships in some of the poems in the anthology.

So, shall we get started? So, today's lesson has a very clear learning outcome.

So, let's take a look at what it is.

So, by the end of today's lesson, everybody should be able to identify similarities and differences between "Singh Song", "The Farmer's Bride" and "Porphyria's Lover".

And just as in any lesson, we have some very 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, because we're gonna be using them quite a bit.

Let's take a look at what they are.

Dysfunctional, not operating properly or normally.

So we would say some of the relationships in the poems in the anthologies can be described as dysfunctional.

To defy, to openly resist or challenge.

Unconventional, not conforming to usual standards.

And finally, thesis, a central argument or statement put forward in writing.

So we're all gonna have a go at writing our own thesis towards the latter part of this lesson.

So today's lesson has two very clear learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is gonna be a bit of a recap and kind of recapping all of our fantastic knowledge of some of the poems and in particular the poems that present relationships.

And then I'm gonna hand the reins over to you in learning cycle two, and you are going to write a fantastic response, a really first-class piece of writing in response to some of the poems in the anthology.

So, let's get started.

So, in today's lesson, we are going to compare the poem "Singh Song", "The Farmer's Bride" and "Porphyria's Lover".

And why are we comparing those then? So why have I picked these three above and beyond all of the others? So I'm gonna ask you that question then.

Why do you think these poems make for a good comparison? So pause the video, have a quick discussion, or jot down some ideas if you're working independently.

And then do push play when you'd like to see some feedback.

Okay.

My goodness, what a fantastic start to this lesson.

So let's keep that up as we move throughout today's learning.

Let's keep that enthusiasm going.

So I have some really fantastic ideas about why these poems could be compared.

So some things that really stuck out to me are as follows.

So we could have said potentially that they're all about relationships.

They all convey a relationship of some kind.

Some are very bad.

Some are very good.

We could also say they allow for nuanced comparison.

And what we mean by that is exploring a small difference in a wider similarity.

So they're really, really good for presenting that.

And I heard some people say that's really well done.

And finally, they all present love and relationships in different contrasting ways, and we're gonna pick up on that as we move through this lesson.

So they don't all present relationships as kind of lovey-dovey, really happy, or conversely as all very negative and unhappy.

There is a variety within them, and that makes for a really interesting comparison.

So let's recap our knowledge of all three poems. So the Oak pupils said the following things.

There are a variety of statements there.

So, Lucas has said, "The poems have six stanzas." Izzy says, "The poem's open with lots of natural imagery." Sophia says, "The poem is a dramatic monologue." Sam says, "The poem is full of loving puns." Laura says, "The poem depicts a dysfunctional relationship ending in murder." And finally, Alex says, "The poem has a speaker who literally hunts his wife after she escapes." So you may have picked up already that they are not all talking about the same poem.

So my question for you then is, which poem is each student describing? So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, fantastic effort on that task.

It's absolutely fantastic as a teacher to see you having such a rich knowledge of these poems and being able to apply it in this way.

So let's take a look at what we could have said.

Well, firstly, Laura and Izzy are clearly describing "Porphyria's Lover".

So they talk about this kind of dysfunctional relationship that ends in murder and there is lots of natural imagery in that poem, isn't there? That kind of very violent storm at the beginning of the poem.

Great job if you picked up on that.

Again, we could also speak about Alex and Lucas describing "The Farmer's Bride".

So the poem has six stanzas and it is also about the farmer who kind of literally hunts his wife as she escapes.

That doesn't happen in any of the other poems, does it? And again, Sam is describing "Singh Song".

So Sam has said, "The poem is full of loving puns." And that comes across time and time again when we read that, doesn't it? And finally, Sophia could be describing any of the poems. All three of these poems are dramatic monologues.

So that means they are written as extended speeches from an individual character.

Fantastic work if you picked up on any of those comparisons in your own work.

So quick discussion then.

What similarities are there in the relationships in these three poems? What similarities are there? So I think we could definitely say that they're very different, but they absolutely all share some similarities.

What are they? Hit that pause button, have a quick discussion or jot down some ideas, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay.

Really fantastic work on that task.

And you are absolutely correct.

There are lots of different ways that we could say they have some similarities.

For example, we could say that both Nagra and Browning describe female characters who are sexually liberated and defy societal expectations.

Both of their female characters are really, really presented in this way.

I absolutely agree with that.

Again, we could also say both Mew, the writer of "The Farmer's Bride", and Browning used natural imagery to represent the speaker's emotions.

So particularly in "Porphyria's Lover", that kind of violent storm is really mirroring the kind of violent confrontation that comes later on with the murder.

We can also speak about the idea that both Mew and Browning depict dramatic monologues where speakers have dangerously misogynistic mindsets.

So both of the narrators in those poems seem to have a very degrading, very negative view of women.

And again, Mew and Browning present dysfunctional relationships where the husband is controlling and abusive.

So in "Porphyria's Lover", it kind of results in murder, but in "The Farmer's Bride", it kind of ends in her kind of isolation, her self-isolation, away from the farmer himself.

So would say both of those relationships are dysfunctional and certainly controlling and abusive.

Really great job if you picked up on anything similar in your own discussions.

So I spoke before about the idea of having a nuanced comparison.

So what we mean by that is we want to explore some differences in a broader similarity.

So we have some broad similarities, but now are there any poems in the anthology or the ones we are looking at that are unique in how they present relationships? Are there any that are unique? So once again, hit that pause button.

Have a quick discussion or jot down some ideas.

Push play when you'd like to see some feedback.

Okay, fantastic work on that task.

It's a lot more challenging, isn't it, to kind of draw out these unique qualities that the poems had, but I had some really fantastic suggestions across the class.

So the first thing that really stuck out to me are as follows.

We could say that Nagra is the only poet who shows a genuinely romantic relationship.

So in his poem "Singh Song", the couple do seem to be very, very madly in love.

And that is not the case in the other two poems, is it? We could also speak about the idea that although Mew and Browning both present dysfunctional relationships, it is only Browning who depicts murder.

We could definitely say "Porphyria's Lover", the relationship depicted in that relationship is significantly more dysfunctional than the one in "The Farmer's Bride".

Great job if you picked up on anything similar in your own discussions.

So check for understanding for time for me then please.

"Singh Song", "The Farmer's Bride" and "Porphyria's Lover" all present broadly similar relationships.

Is that true or is that false? Hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, very well done to everybody who identified it as false.

They are not broadly similar, are they? But justify that for me.

How can we justify that then please? Is it A, the relationship in "Singh Song" is loving, but this is not the case in the other two? Or is it that the relationship in "Porphyria's Lover" is loving, but this is not the case in the other two? So which one could be used to justify that statement? So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, superb work to everybody who identified A as the correct answer.

So the relationship in "Singh Song" is loving.

The couple seem to be very, very in love, don't they? We do not see that in "Porphyria's Lover".

In fact, he actually murders her at the end.

So we can't in any way say that that is a loving relationship.

Great job if you picked up on that in your own work.

Okay, then we have reached our first practise task of today's lesson.

I'm super excited to see how you approach this one and apply what we have learned so far into a fantastic piece of work.

So I would like you to complete the following sentence stems showing the similarities and differences between how the relationships are presented in the poems. And those sentence stems are as follows.

So number one, both "The Farmer's Bride" and "Porphyria's Lover".

Number two, "Singh Song" presents, whereas "Porphyria's Lover" presents.

Although "Porphyria's Lover", "The Farmer's Bride".

Neither "The Farmer's Bride" nor "Porphyria's Lover".

And finally, "Porphyria's Lover" focuses on.

Similarly, "The Farmer's Bride".

So you can tweak the wording slightly to better suit your meaning, but make sure you use all of the comparative words in purple.

So this task is really getting you to kind of think about these poems in terms of similarity and difference and produce some really, really interesting comparisons.

So once again, super excited to see how you get on with this.

Hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to see some feedback.

Okay, well done on that task.

It's great to see you comparing these poems with some really, really insightful comparisons that will really feed in nicely into the work that you're gonna do in learning cycle two.

So here is how you could have completed each of these sentences.

So number one, both "The Farmer's Bride" and "Porphyria's Lover" explore dysfunctional relationships.

Two, "Singh Song" presents an early relationship that is full of love, whereas "Porphyria's Lover" presents an abusive relationship resulting in murder.

Although "Porphyria's Lover" uses natural imagery to portray the emotional state of the narrator, "The Farmer's Bride" uses it to depict the vulnerable and tormented status of the bride herself.

Neither "The Farmer's Bride" nor "Porphyria's Lover" present relationships positively, but focus on the actions of misogynistic and abusive men.

And finally, five, "Porphyria's Lover" focuses on obsessive and possessive love leading to murder.

Similarly, "The Farmer's Bride" explores unrequited love and controlling love leading to emotional distance.

So once again, these are not the exact correct answers.

This is just a way you could have interpreted the task.

You may have come up with some different ideas in your own work.

So review your responses, underline where you've used comparative vocabulary in each of your sentences, and then do push play when you would like to move into learning cycle two.

Okay, we have reached learning cycle two.

And my goodness, we are working incredibly hard today, which is what I love to see.

So what we are gonna do now is really focus on using all of that knowledge that we have acquired in learning cycle one into producing a really excellent comparative response.

So, let's get going.

So, writing an effective introduction.

So the introduction outlines your comparative response and it sets out your overall argument that each of your analytical paragraphs will explore in more detail.

So here's an example of an introduction.

This is what we mean.

Both "Porphyria's Lover" and "The Farmer's Bride" explored disempowered and abusive relationships from the perspective of the male partner.

Though they are dysfunctional in different ways.

It's a really nice introduction there.

So a great way to build an introduction is to identify a nuanced or subtle difference between the two poems and then expanding on it and exploring your original similarity.

And that's what we're gonna work on in this learning cycle.

So the previous example was a great starting point, but it lacked detail.

So it was a good opening introduction, but it lacked a lot of detail.

So we can add detail by doing the following things.

We can introduce and summarise the key ideas in each text and we can link to the writer's intentions or wider context.

What were they trying to achieve with their writing.

So let's have a look, Again, both "Porphyria's Lover" and "The Farmer's Bride" explored disempowered and abusive relationships from the perspective of the male partner, though they are dysfunctional in different ways.

So my first task for you then on in learning cycle two is what extra detail could we add to our introduction here? How could we make this even stronger than it already is? So pause the video, have a quick discussion, or jot down some ideas and then push play when you'd like to see how you could have approached this task.

Okay, fantastic work on that task.

And I'm hearing lots of different suggestions, people talking about the context of the poems, the writer's life or potentially drawing out a bit more on the writer's intentions themselves.

So we could have approached the task in the following way.

We could say both "Porphyria's Lover" and "The Farmer's Bride" explore disempowered and abusive relationships from the perspective of the male partner, though they are dysfunctional in different ways.

And let's see how we've added detail.

"Porphyria's Lover" is a compelling dramatic monologue depicting a psychotic murder brought about by the narrator's obsessive love, whereas "The Farmer's Bride" depicts a dysfunctional relationship brought about by the narrator's emotional distance.

Browning wanted to explore the timeless nature of abusive and damaging relationships, whereas Mew's poem, written at a time of support for female suffrage, is much more focused on challenging society's understanding of the treatment of women in relationships.

So a really, really first rate introduction here.

We've gone from a very good introduction to a great introduction.

So we'll notice there that we've got a quick summary of the poems. We've got a bit more detail about "Porphyria's Lover", a bit more detail about "The Farmer's Bride".

And we've also got those kind of excellent contextual points as well, linking Mew's ideas to the emerging women's rights movement at the time she was writing, for example, is a really, really good example of something that we should do.

So thinking about that paragraph again, we would say that the last sentence of this introduction is particularly effective.

Let's take a look at it again.

It says Browning wanted to explore the timeless nature of abusive and damaging relationships, whereas Mew's poem, written at a time of support for female suffrage, is much more focused on challenging society's understanding of the treatment of women in relationships.

So my question for you is then, why do you think that is? Why is that such an effective last sentence to this introduction? Hit that pause button.

Have a discussion.

Jot down some ideas.

Push play when you'd like to see a little bit of feedback.

Okay, some really interesting conversations taking place there.

And yeah, absolutely, I agree with you.

It is because it evaluates the poems with comparative adjectives and adverbs.

So it kind of articulates what one does more or less than the other, which is a really, really interesting thing to do when comparing our poems. We would now consider this a thesis statement.

So the work that we have done on that introduction, we've taken a general idea.

We've added all of these different things.

And now, we would consider this to be a thesis statement, an overarching idea that we can use to support our essay.

So analysing and evaluating.

A great way to compare the two texts when identifying similarities is to evaluate them against each other.

So making a value judgement about the quality of something.

For example, it is longer, better, or more dysfunctional in this case 'cause we are looking specifically at dysfunctional relationships.

So discuss.

Add detail to this similarity using your evaluation skills.

The similarity is as follows.

Both poems evoke sympathy for the female partners of the narrators.

However, blank does this more effectively than blank because blank whereas blank.

So a little sentence frame there to help you pick out those differences between them.

So I would like you to add detail to this similarity using your own evaluation skills.

So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you would like to see how you could have approached it.

Okay, fantastic work on that task.

The key skill of evaluation is one of the most key skills in English and it's great to see you exercising it so effectively.

So let's take a look at how we could have approached this task.

And remember, this is not the absolute correct answer.

This is just one way that you could have approached the task.

So we could say both poems evoke sympathy for the female partners of the narrators.

However, Mew does this more effectively than Browning because "The Farmer's Bride" deploys a semantic field of hunter/prey whereas "Porphyria's Lover" continues to describe Porphyria's intense beauty even in death.

So a really interesting nuanced difference within a wider similarity, and great job if you picked up anything similar or (indistinct) anything different in your own work.

So quick check for understanding for me then please.

Evaluating means, is it A, comparing two things, identifying the similarities and differences? Is it B, analysing something to identify issues or problems? Is it C, describing something in detail, focusing on subtle aspects? Or is it D, making a value judgement about the quality of something? Hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to see which one of these is correct.

Okay, well done to everybody who identified D.

Making a value judgement about the quality of something.

So evaluating is not just comparing a similarity or a difference.

It is actually adding your own opinion, your own value, judgement about its quality, whether one is better or worse or more dysfunctional than the other.

That is the key skill of evaluation.

Great job if you picked up on that.

Okay, we have reached our final practise task of today's lesson, so let's make it count.

So I would like you to use your evaluation skills to add extra detail to each of these similarities between "Singh Song", "The Farmer's Bride" and "Porphyria's Lover".

So let's take a look at what they are.

The first one, both "Porphyria's Lover" and "Singh Song" explore the intense devotion of the speaker to their romantic partner.

Blank does this more than blank because, and whereas.

Number two, both "The Farmer's Bride" and "Porphyria's Lover" reflect on the nature of dysfunctional and abusive relationships.

But blank is more blank than blank because.

So again, real good opportunity to fill in the blanks on that one.

And finally, number three, both "Porphyria's Lover" and "The Farmer's Bride" use natural imagery to describe the relationships.

Blank is more.

And then crucially, I would like you to write a similarity of your own and evaluate it.

So complete the sentence stems for the first three, but then use your own knowledge of these poems to create your own similarity.

So I'm really excited to see how you bring everything together into a really nice piece of written work to close today's lesson.

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

Okay, fantastic effort on the task today.

It's great to see you bringing it all together and to really developing your knowledge, and particularly, you know, something quite kind of challenging, which is the dysfunctional nature of the relationships and producing really, really first-class work and it's so really, really well done.

So here's how you could have evaluated one of these similarities.

So we could say both "Porphyria's Lover" and "Singh Song" explore the intense devotion of the speaker to their romantic partner.

Nagra does this more vividly than Browning because he reflects the devotion of the early stages of a relationship effectively.

For example, his use of anaphora to depict his wife's great qualities.

Whereas Browning focuses mostly on the speaker's one-sided feelings of obsession that are not grounded in any realistic or conventional feelings of love.

So you can see here we have evaluated the two poems and we have made our own value judgement about how intense devotion is explored differently.

So what I would like you to do then is to think about creating a what-went-well and an even-better-if for your own piece of work.

So we've got some examples here.

So for the one above, we would say there is a clear evaluation of a key difference, but an even better if we would suggest that we could develop this point further by making a point about the different context in which they were written.

So our final task for today's lesson is a quick review task to review that fantastic piece of writing that we've just done.

So I would like you to do a quick bit of self review guided by the questions on the board.

So firstly, did you use comparative adjectives to show the relationship between both texts? Did you avoid feature-spotting by leading your response with a comparison of key ideas in the texts? Did you make relevant links to wider context and the writer's intentions? And did you produce a balanced response covering both problems equally? So set yourself for what went well and an even better if for next time.

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

We have learned an awful lot today, haven't we? So let's just recap our key learning points.

So firstly, Mew and Browning describe dysfunctional relationships whilst Nagra describes an unconventional yet loving relationship.

Both Nagra and Browning describe female characters who are sexually liberated and defy societal expectations.

Mew and Browning depict dramatic monologues where speakers have dangerously misogynistic mindsets.

Mew and Browning both use natural imagery to represent the speaker's emotions.

And finally, Nagra is the only poet who describes a genuinely romantic relationship.

So it's been a great pleasure to teach you today in this lesson, and I really look forward to teaching you on another lesson in this poetry sequence.

So thank you very much and goodbye.