Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today for this lesson on considering Chandler's use of similes in "Trouble is my Business".

My name's Dr.

Clayton and I'm gonna be guiding you through your learning journey today.

Now, Raymond Chandler is one of the greatest crime writers and as well as creating some fantastic stories, he's also known for creating interesting and unexpected similes.

So today we're going to look at just a couple of his examples and think about why they're effective.

Now, you will need to access to the opening paragraph of Chandler's "Trouble is my Business" for this lesson, so make sure you have that at hand.

So if you're ready, grab your pen, laptop, whatever you use for this lesson and let's get started.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explain and analyse Chandler's use of similes.

So we have four words today that have been chosen as our keywords.

They've been chosen to not only help you unlock the learning, but also to give you some vocabulary in your discussions and your written work.

They're identified in bold throughout the learning material and I'll to point them out to you as well so you can see them being used in context.

So our first keyword's emphatic and this means expressing something forcibly and clearly.

We're going to think about how effective similes might express the message clearly to the reader.

Our second keyword is suet, which is the hard white fat on the kidneys and loins of cattle, sheep and other animals.

Now, this might seem like an unusual keyword, but it's one of the images that Chandler uses and I want to make sure we're clear on what it is so we can understand and analyse the image.

Our third keyword is tomb, which is a large vault, typically an underground one, for burying the dead.

Now again, this is one of the comparative images that Chandler uses, so I just wanna make sure we're clear on what it is.

Our final keyword is evocative, which means bringing strong images, memories or feelings to mind.

We're going to consider how effective similes create these strong emotions in the reader.

So I'll just give you a moment to write down those keywords and their definitions.

So pause the video and write them down now.

Fantastic, let's get started with the lesson.

So we have three learning cycles in our lessons today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to take a few minutes to remind ourselves what a simile is and think about how we respond to similes.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to read the opening paragraph of Chandler's "Trouble is my Business" and look at the examples of similes that Chandler uses, and get some initial ideas about what they might tell us about the character.

For our third learning cycle, we're going to analyse Chandler's use of similes and see what we can infer about the character from the comparative imagery that Chandler uses.

So let's begin by just reminding ourselves what a simile is and why a writer might choose to use similes in their work.

So a simile is a figure of speech that involves comparing two unlike things using the words like or as.

What I'd like you begin by thinking about is why a writer might choose to use a simile? What is their purpose? Now, if you're working through this with someone else, you might talk about your ideas together.

If you're going through this by yourself, you might just think about your ideas.

So pause the video and consider why writers might use similes.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see people thinking back to similes they've read recently and thinking about why they might've been used.

Now, I'm just going to share the ideas of a couple of our Oak pupils with you.

So Laura said, "Perhaps to make the image or concept more emphatic for the reader." Now remember, empathic is one of our keywords.

It means to express something forcibly or clearly.

So perhaps similes are designed to make an idea or concept clear to the reader.

And Alex said, "Perhaps to make the image or concept more evocative for the reader." Now, evocative is another of our keywords and it means to bring strong images, memories or feelings to mind.

So perhaps similes are designed to create strong emotions in the reader.

Now, let's consider an example of a simile and think about what it suggests to us as a reader.

So quite a common simile is it's as hot as hell.

What I'd like you to begin by doing is thinking about what the connotations of hell are.

So what ideas or feelings does the word hell give you? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, you might've said guilt, sin and fire, because biblically, we think of hell as somewhere you're sent when you've done bad deeds and typically, we might also imagine hell to be akin to the inside of a volcano.

So we have that imagery of fire and heat.

Now, I'd like for you to consider what the simile hot as hell suggests to us about the situation a character might be in.

How might it be both emphatic and evocative? So how might it create a clear and powerful image? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, as our Oak pupil Alex says, "Perhaps it's evocative, because it makes you think of fires of hell and the heat from the flame, but it's also emphatic, because it's just a very uncomfortable situation, because of the negative connotations of hell." So the image gives you both a visual idea of how hot somewhere is, but it also gives you a sense of what emotions might be attached to it as well.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is think about what we said about similes so far and tell me which Oak pupil's explanation of why hot as hell is an effective simile is the most relevant.

So Laura says, "Hell suggests somewhere fiery as well as immoral, therefore, hot as hell depicts a situation that is both physically and emotionally uncomfortable." And Alex says, "Hot and hell both begin with H, therefore, it creates alliteration that is memorable to the reader and rolls off their tongue when they say it." So think back to what we said the purpose of a simile is and pause the video, take a few moments to consider which explanation is the most relevant.

Now, Alex is correct when he says the repeated H sound creates alliteration, however, the idea that it rolls of the tongue doesn't quite connect to the purpose of a simile, whereas, Laura's idea that hell's just somewhere fiery as well as immoral and therefore hot as hell depicts situations both physically and emotionally uncomfortable does link to the purpose of a simile, which is to make a clear and powerful image for the reader.

So very well done if you got that right.

Amazing work so far, everyone.

We're going to finish this learning cycle by taking a moment to look at some of the similes used by William Shakespeare and evaluating which you think is the most effective in terms of creating an emphatic and evocative image.

This is a really useful exercise, because it helps you to develop an idea of what works for a simile and perhaps what doesn't work so well.

So the similes are, cold as a snowball, carved like an apple tart, as constant as the Northern Star, crest-fallen as a dried pear and boundless as the sea.

So what I'd like you do, is consider which of these similes do you think is the most evocative.

So which creates a strong, powerful image? And which do you think the most emphatic? So which creates a clear image? And I'd like you to write a couple of sentences to explain your reasoning.

So pause the video, complete the task now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think cold as a snowball is perhaps my favourite, because it's such a common simile that it seems odd for such a great writer to use it, but perhaps he made it common and popular.

Now, I'd you to consider Alex's ideas and think about how well they align with your ideas.

So did you think something similar or different to Alex? And he said, "I think crest-fallen as a dried pear is the most evocative, because it really suggest the image of a withered, dry pear, which evokes the idea of someone being disappointed as I can really imagine them folding into themselves like a dried pear.

For the most emphatic, I think it would be boundless as the sea, because I think it creates a clear idea of expansion and freedom." So pause the video, consider how well Alex's ideas align with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

I think it's always useful to compare what other people think about creative writing, especially when it comes to consider what makes the most powerful, emotional reaction, because I think it helps to understand other people more, but also think about how we can perhaps apply those ideas to our own writing, because ultimately, we're writing to create a reaction in other people.

So we want to think about how other people react to images and ideas.

Amazing work so far, everyone.

We're now on to the second learning cycle where we're going to read the opening paragraph from Chandler's "Trouble is my Business" and think about the similes that he's used.

Now, as I said, you'll need access to the opening paragraph of Chandler's "Trouble is my Business" for this exercise.

So what I'd like you to do is read the opening paragraph, which begin with Anna and ends with man.

So pause the video, read the paragraph now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, let's just take a moment to make sure we've identified the similes that Chandler uses.

So I'd like you to answer the following questions.

So what simile does Chandler use to describe Anna Halsey's cheeks? And what simile does Chandler use to describe the desk that Anna Halsey is sitting behind? Pause the video, answer the questions now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, you might've said he compares her face to suet, which is one of our keywords, is the hard, white fat on the kidney and loins of cattle, sheep and other animals.

And he compares her deck to Napoleon's tomb.

And tomb is another one of our keywords, which means a large vault, typically an underground one, for burying the dead.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do, is tell me which of the following images best represents Anna Halsey's desk? So pause the video, make your selection now.

Now, the desk was described as Napoleon's tomb, which gives us quite a dark, foreboding image.

So the correct answer is C.

So very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work so far, everyone.

We're now on to the second task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is think about what impression the two similes create in your mind about the character Anna Halsey.

So we're thinking about our first impressions.

Now, you might consider the connotations of tomb and by connotations I mean the ideas or feelings that word gives you, the connotations of suet.

So suet is a saturated fat like butter, but it has a hard, crumble texture.

What might that suggest? And the potential connection between tomb and suet.

What similarities might you see between those two images? Now, if you're working through this with someone else, you might talk about your ideas together.

If working through this by yourself, you might just think about your ideas.

So pause the video, consider what impression of Anna Halsey the two similes give you.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see people thinking about how they've never heard these similes before and they're quite unexpected, which is part of the reason I chose them.

Hopefully, it might spark some inspiration on how we can move away common similes.

Now, I'd like you to consider Laura's ideas.

How similar are they to your ideas? So Laura said, "For me, the image of a tomb conjured ideas of coldness and hardness, which seem complementary to the fact that suet has a hard, crumbly texture.

They both suggest to me that Anna Halsey has a hard, brittle nature." So pause the video, consider how well Laura's ideas align with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

I think there's a general consensus that people think the similes create a negative impression, because the notion of death and animal fat don't seem to suggest happiness and positivity.

Now, hold on to those ideas, because we're going to analyse the similes in the next learning cycle.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We're not on to our final learning cycle where we're going to analyse Chandler's use of similes and what they might suggest to us about the character of Anna Halsey.

So what we're going to do in this learning cycle is focus on each image individually, consider what the nuances are of why Chandler might've chosen this particular image and what it might reveal about the character of Anna Halsey.

So let's begin with Chandler's depiction of Anna Halsey and how she looks.

So her appearance is compared to suet.

Remember that suet is the hard, white fat on the kidneys and loins of cattle, sheep and other animals and has a hard, crumbly texture.

What I'd like you to start off by thinking about is how we might interpret this image.

What might it tell us about Anna Halsey if she's being compared to something that's animal fat with a hard texture? As ever, if you're working through this with someone else, you might talk about your ideas with them.

If going through this by yourself, you might just think about your ideas.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great discussions there.

Now, suet has a hard texture and arguably quite unpleasant connotations, this is animal fat, which as our Oak pupil Alex says that it might suggest that Anna Halsey has a hard exterior and maybe doesn't make a good first impression.

Now, let's consider the fact that while it has a hard texture, it's melted in order to be used in baking.

So how might that extent our analysis? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone, some great discussions there.

Now, as we said earlier, the use of suet suggest a hard exterior, but maybe the idea of suet melting could imply she could be warm and soft as well.

So perhaps by using the simile, Chandler's trying to give us the impression that tough our first impression of her might be negative, that she gives off a sense of coldness, she can now actually change and be softer as well.

Now, as I said earlier, suet is quite an unexpected simile.

Typically, we might hear of people's skin being compared to butter, so as soft as butter.

Now, suet and butter are both saturated fat.

So what I'd like you to think about here, is how might our impression of Anna Halsey be different if Chandler had chosen butter instead? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now as Laura says, even though they both are saturated fat, butter creates a more positive image of something smooth and creamy and therefore, we might've heard a positive first impression of Anna Halsey.

So by not choosing butter, Chandler may be suggesting he wants people to consider her to be cold and hard at first.

So maybe he wants her to seem intimidating.

Now, let's think of what the significance of this choice might be.

What might the use of a less common comparison reveal about her character? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, as Laura says, "Suet is less expected and therefore maybe implies there's something unexpected about Anna Halsey?" So this fits with our ideas that perhaps she appears to exude this coldness and hardness, but actually there's a different side to her as well, something unexpected.

This is one way you might use similes to develop our ideas of a character.

If you're using a common simile, then that just tells us something generic about them.

If you're using an uncommon simile, are you suggesting they're unique in some way? Now, let's just take a moment to focus on this idea of something unexpected.

Chandler specifically compares Anna Halsey's appearance to suet.

So what I'd like you think about now is why might this be significant? What does it suggest about this idea of hardness associated with suet if we're implying to her appearance? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see people noting that what you compare something to is very important here.

Only Anna Halsey's face is compared to something hard and therefore as Alex says, "Perhaps it suggest that her appearance is hard and tough, but that she's actually different on the inside." Now, I think this fits well with what we've just discussed, this idea that perhaps the appearances can be deceiving and though she appears to be cold, there's actually a softer side to her as well.

Now, let's move on to considering the comparison of Anna Halsey's desk to Napoleon's tomb.

What I'd like you to begin by doing is considering the connotations of tomb.

So what ideas or feelings does that image give you? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, a tomb is where the dead are buried and therefore it might have connotations of coldness, a deathly feeling, a sense of being inhospitable and sadness.

Now, what I'd like you to do, is think about how those connotations might connect to Anna Halsey.

The tomb is used to describe her desk.

What might Chandler be suggesting about her and her work? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, as Alex says, "Perhaps she's cold and unapproachable, someone unfriendly? She doesn't let emotions come into business." This is something else you might consider when looking at similes.

What is the meaning of the object that's being compared? In this case, Anna's desk is being compared and therefore it gives us an image of who she is as a businesswoman.

Now let's consider the specific addition of Napoleon to the description of Halsey's desk.

Now, Napoleon's tomb is a monument that was finished in 1861 and used to house Napoleon's remains once they were repatriated to France.

Now, a tomb is generally underground.

Napoleon's tomb however is above ground.

What do think the significance of this is? How might we interpret it? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, you might've said, "Perhaps it again refers to the coldness of Halsey being surface level only? She only appears cold on the outside." So we're connecting the two similes together and we're thinking about what it might reveal about her.

Now, another nuance to consider is that Halsey's desk is described as black, but Napoleon's tomb is brown.

How might we interpret that? Why might Chandler have chosen this image? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, you might've thought, perhaps it enhances the idea there's something deceptive about Halsey's appearance.

It's always really useful to look out for these sort of discrepancies within writing and I think it really reminds us that writing is a conscious construction and everything's building towards creating a specific idea for the reader.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do, is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So this is a true or false.

The comparison to suet means that Anna Halsey has a soft appearance.

Pause the video, make your selection now.

The correct answer is false.

Now I'd like you to tell me why it's false.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, you might've said, "Though the comparative word is soft, suet has a hard, crumbly texture, which therefore implies that Halsey has a hard exterior." So very well done if you got that right.

Amazing work so far, everyone.

We're now on to the final of the lesson.

What I'd like you to do, is take everything we've talked about in this learning cycle and write an analytical paragraph to answer the question, "How does Chandler use figurative language to present the appearance and character of Anna Halsey?" Now, you might consider the texture of suet.

So remember it's hard and crumbly.

That suet applies to her appearance rather than her character, the connotations of tomb to describe her desk, and the potential implications of Napoleon's tomb being above ground rather than underground.

So pause the video, write your paragraph now.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see people looking back at their notes to help them with their answer.

Now we're going to finish the lesson with a reflective exercise.

It's always useful to read back over your work and consider whether you've pushed your analysis as far as possible.

So I'd like you to read through your analytical paragraph and reflect on the following questions.

So did you consider that the use of suet rather than butter might suggest there's something unexpected about Anna Halsey? Did you consider that the notion applying only to her appearance might suggest that she only seems hard and tough on the outside? And did you consider that the potential connotations of tomb and how that might imply she's cold when it comes to business? Did you consider that the references specifically to Napoleon's tomb might enhance the idea that Halsey's coldness is only surface level since Napoleon's tomb is above ground? So pause the video and read back through your work now.

Welcome back, everyone.

As I said, it's always useful to read back through your work and check if you included everything you wanted to in order to make your ideas as convincing as possible to the reader.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Writers may use similes in order to create emphatic, evocative images for the reader, so create powerful, clear images for the reader.

Chandler compares Anna Halsey's appearance to suet and her desk to Napoleon's tomb.

Arguable, the comparison of her appearance to suet may imply she has a hard exterior, because suet itself has a hard texture, the fact it's only linked to appearance may suggest she only appears cold and hard on the outside.

Furthermore, the comparison of her desk to Napoleon's tomb may imply she's cold in business, because of the cold, deathly connotations that tomb gives us, however, the specific comparison to Napoleon's tomb may again suggest she's only cold on the surface.

Now, if you felt that you've enjoyed the opening of Chandler's "Trouble is my Business", you may want to read the rest of the story or perhaps if you though you liked the sound of the language, you might like to read what's arguably Chandler's most famous book, which is called, "The Big Sleep".

And I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone and hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.