Hello there, my name's Mr. Barnsley.

Welcome to today's lesson, fantastic to see you.

Thank you so much for joining me.

So today we're gonna continue our study of the Eduqas Poetry Anthology by diving deeper into Seamus Heaney's poem, "Death of a Naturalist." Now you're gonna want to make sure you've already read this poem.

Make sure you understand the literal meaning, the overall story of the poem, as well as having started to think about what this poem might be a metaphor for.

So if you've done that and if you've got your copy of the anthology at the ready, then I think it's time for us to begin.

Okay, let's have a look at today's outcome then, shall we? By the end of today's lesson tune, you are gonna be able to analyse how Heaney presents the power of nature in his poem.

And there are three key words we're gonna look out for, imagery, vulgar and multisensory.

So vulgar, the middle one, is an adjective that describes something that's rude, offensive, or indecent.

So we're gonna see if we can use that adjective to help develop our analysis further.

Both imagery and multisensory are gonna be things that we're looking out for.

In fact, let's put these words together.

Multisensory is when something appeals to more than one sense at the same time.

So if we have imagery that is multisensory, then we know we're gonna be looking for language, figurative language, creative language that creates vivid pictures in the poem, but also creates vivid images that appeal to more than one sense.

So let's keep an eye out to see how these words are used in today's lesson.

So there are two learning cycles today.

In the first one we're looking at multisensory description, and in the second one we're gonna look at the power of nature.

So let's start by looking at multisensory description then.

So Heaney was a creator of multisensory experiences for his readers.

Remember, that means that he creates poems that appeal to all of the senses or more than one sense.

Let's look at how he does this in his poem then starting with his description of the flax-dam.

Now I want you to reread lines one to 10, and I want you to make a list of what the dam looks like, sounds like, smells like, feels like using words and phrases from the poem.

Now, this doesn't have to be a literal list, although if you do have a bit of paper, you might want to write some ideas down.

But if you've got a partner, you could make this a verbal list and work through this in pairs.

Okay, pause the video, over to you.

Let's look again at the beginning of that poem and think about how Heaney is creating a multisensory description of that flax-Dam.

Pause the video, give this a go and press play when you are ready to continue.

Great work there, really good to see you looking so closely at text.

All right, let's share some of the ideas that we might have said.

So for the dam's appearance, you might have mentioned that it was green with huge clumps of earth and a clotted surface.

For the smell, well, the smell wasn't specifically described, but we could make some inferences about it.

We know the flax-dam would smell rotten because it's described as festering with a stench that's so strong that is attracting bluebottles.

And these are flies that we know are attracted to smells and usually smells that aren't very pleasant.

Now the dam's sound, Heaney describes the gargling sound of the bubbles and flies buzzing.

He describes the sound of the bluebottles as being like gauze.

Now, gauze is a thin mesh like fabric woven together like this, the image you can see on the screen.

So over to you now, how does the construction of the fibres in the gauze represent the movement of the buzzing bluebottles do you think? If you've got a partner, you can talk through this together, but if you're working by yourself, just pause the video and think about this independently.

All right, pause the video, have a think about this and press play when you're ready to move on.

Some really nice discussions there.

Well done for really zooming in on that keyword, gauze, to think about the different interpretations and different inferences you could make.

I want to shine a light on some of the fantastic ideas that I heard then.

So Lucas said, "Heaney is perhaps suggesting that there are so many bluebottles all flying in opposite directions, that they're almost weaving together and weaving together to create this sound." Sam noticed that the word gauze is almost onomatopoeic.

"The Z sound imitates the buzzing sound of circling flies." So over to you to discuss then, why do you think Heaney creates such a grotesque description of the flax-dam? What might he be trying to show us or tell us about in the beginning of the poem? Pause the video, have a think about this and press play when you think you have some ideas.

Welcome back, I heard some great ideas and well done to anyone who said something similar to what we can see on screen.

Perhaps Heaney was trying to show us nature's capability to be dangerous.

Perhaps he was foreshadowing the ending of the poem where nature seems to be more of a threatening entity.

Well done if you said something similar to that, but of course you might have had different inferences and that's okay as long as you can justify those using ideas from the text.

All right, let's check to see how we're getting on then, shall we? True or false, Heaney combines words that appeal to different senses together to create vivid imagery, is that true or false? Pause the video, have a think and press play when you think you have an answer.

Well done if you said true.

Now let's justify that, shall we? So A, Heaney does this arguably to show the speaker's disgust with nature in the beginning of the poem, he's appalled and revolted by the array of wildlife at the flax-dam, or is it B, Heaney does this arguably to show the speaker's enthusiasm for nature and the depth of his exploration at the flax-dam.

This portray portrays the speaker as a young naturalist.

Pause the video, have a think and press play when you think you have an answer.

Congratulations if you said B.

I think we've got to remember at the beginning of the poem we've got a very enthusiastic speaker.

He doesn't seem to be repulsed and revolted by this what is quite a revolting multisensory description of the flax-dam.

Instead we see his desire to explore as his real enthusiasm for nature.

It's only later in the poem that his disgust with nature is revealed.

Okay, over to you for our first task in today's lesson.

I want you to reread lines 10 to 15 of "Death of a Naturalist." So do make sure you have your copy of the anthology with you.

The first thing you're gonna do for me is highlight the vivid imagery that the poet creates.

Remember, we're looking for multisensory imagery.

So not just describing what things look like, but using descriptions that appeal to the other senses as well.

And once you've identified some of that vivid imagery, I would like you to answer the following questions about the imagery that has been used.

Firstly, why do you think the poet writes such vivid description of the frogspawn, and what do you think he's trying to convey about the speaker? Okay, you are going to need your copy of the anthology in front of you.

You're gonna need a pen.

You might even need a highlighter pen if you really want, or a different coloured pen to highlight or underline that vivid imagery.

All right, over to you now, pause the video, give this a go and press play when you are ready to move on.

Welcome back, it was great to see you being so judicious with your highlighting.

The best highlighting I saw was when people really questioned to themselves, is this vivid, is this creating a really clear image in the reader's mind, is it really appealing to one of your senses? Not just highlighting any interesting word that they saw on the page.

Well done if that was you.

All right, let's shine a spotlight then on some of the ideas that you might have explored.

So you might have said something about the poet creating a grotesque but really captivating description of the frogspawn's texture, describing it as clotted, slobber.

And both of these words create a really repulsive imagery in the reader's mind, but show this kind of like childlike fascination and enthusiasm of the young speaker.

We know that children are often really fascinated by strange textures.

So perhaps Heaney is trying to show the speaker's youth and enthusiasm for the strange texture of frogspawn.

And he really seems to marvel and take great pleasure in how slimy and congealed it is, showing his awe and excitement for nature.

So let's pause for a minute and think, do you think the poet has successfully emulated the voice of a child in this poem? Why or why not? Pause the video, have a quick think and press play when you are ready to continue.

Yeah, great discussions there and really well done to anyone who was starting to reflect on their time as a young child, maybe when they were about six or seven.

I'm sure I could hear many of you reminiscing of, you know, the times that you might used to enjoy playing with dirt when you were outside in the garden, in the park.

You know, not all young children, but we do associate this idea of exploration and getting a bit dirty and messy with young children.

And we could argue that Heaney definitely reflects that in the imagery in this part of the poem.

Well done if you had any inferences or ideas that are similar to what you can see on screen.

But of course this is a reminder that in English there are many, many different interpretations and ideas that you may have.

And it's absolutely fine if yours are different to those on screen as long as you are using the text to justify them.

All right, let's move on to our second learning cycle.

And now let's start thinking about what Heaney is saying about the power of nature.

So what do you know about Seamus Heaney, the poet? Where do you think his love of nature came from? Pause the video, have a bit of a discussion or think through this independently and press play when you think you have some ideas.

Welcome back, I heard some great ideas there, some of you really thinking about the contextual information that you might have already covered on this poem.

So I heard people talking about how he was born in County Derry, Northern Ireland in 1939 and he enjoyed a rural upbringing.

This meant he grew up in the countryside.

He was surrounded by this beautiful, beautiful Irish countryside.

But at the same time he was very aware of the political and social concerns at the time.

As a very young child, he grew up during World War I, but he spent all of his youth and his adulthood and most of his adulthood growing up around the troubles and the unrest in Northern Ireland.

So in the beginning of the poem, the speaker is fascinated with nature.

We know he finds it enchanting, he's so enthusiastic about it.

Do you think the speaker treats nature with respect, however, in that first stanza, why or why not? Why don't you pause the video and have a little bit of a think about that? Okay, does the speaker treat nature with respect? Pause the video, have a think, have a discuss if you've got a partner and press play when you're ready to move on.

Hmm, some really interesting ideas there.

We're gonna dig into this idea about respect for nature a little bit more detail now.

Firstly, I want you to reread lines 22 to 33, the second stanza of the poem.

Why don't you pause the video and quickly do that before we move on with our discussion? All right, over to you.

Great reading, let's move on.

Now, how would you describe the speaker's feelings towards nature in the second stanza? So we've got this kind of idea in the back of our mind, thinking about whether the poet has been respectful at the beginning of the poem, what are we thinking in the second stanza? All right, over to you, if you've got a partner you can discuss with them, otherwise you can just think through this independently.

How would you describe the speaker's feelings towards nature in the second stanza? Pause the video, have a think and press play when you want to move on.

Welcome back, you might have said something along the lines of the speaker seems disgusted by and quite frightened of nature.

I want you now to highlight any words or phrases from that second stanza that convey the speaker's disgusted and fear.

All right, so pause the video, make sure you've got your anthology at the ready and a different colour pen or a highlighter so you can highlight any words or phrases.

Remember to be judicious here.

Think and really judge carefully whether these are the best words or phrases you could highlight.

All right, pause the video, over to you and press play when you're ready to move on.

Welcome back, great to see you judging so carefully whether that was the best word or just an interesting word.

Okay, let's look at some suggestions of things that you may have highlighted then.

So you might have looked at plop, kings, pulsed, fart.

Now what I want you to think about now is how do each of these words show the speaker's disgust or fear of nature? So pause the video and if you've got a partner, I would like you to verbally complete this table.

So do this through via discussion.

If you're working by yourself, you can either make a few notes or just think to yourself about what would you write in this table? All right, how do each of these words show the speaker's disgust or fear of nature? Pause the video, have a think and press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back, so you may have said something like what we're about to show on screen, but remember, don't worry if you've got slightly different interpretations as long as you could justify them.

So for plop you may have said, well, this is an onomatopoeic sound, and it creates horrible imagery of the appearance, but also of the sound of the frogs.

The connotations of plot feel quite unpleasant.

Now, kings really shows the power of nature.

The frogs rule their natural habitat.

The young speaker has become an intruder to them.

This is their territory and they would fight to protect it.

Now the verb pulse or the pulsing necks of the frogs that are used as an adjunctive there, again creates this really grotesque imagery of swollen frogs.

The rhythmic pulsing of their necks is quite disturbing to the speaker.

And finally, the noise of the frogs' croaks has become an offensive sound to the speaker.

He's appalled by its vulgarity and ugliness.

Now what I want you to think about, how the poet conveys the power of nature in those final few lines.

So look at the ending of the poem, look at those final few lines and think about how does the poet convey the power of nature in it? All right, pause the video, have a think and press play when you have a response that you are ready to share.

Welcome back, I heard some great ideas there.

I wonder if you said something similar to Lucas.

Lucas said, "The poet uses a semantic field of weaponry." So the words chosen, all linked together by this theme of weapons.

And it does this, "To portray the frogs as being like an army.

Words like obscene, poised, grenades, threats and vengeance all contribute by to creating the impression that the frogs are an enemy to the speaker.

This shows the power of nature because it alludes to nature's capability to destroy man.

It reinforces man's insignificance versus nature." So why do you think nature is seemingly intimidating the speaker? Why do you think the poet wants to show the power of nature? Pause the video and have a think about this.

You might want to go back to those discussions you had about whether you felt the speaker was being respectful towards nature.

Why don't you pause the video, have a think and press play when you are ready to share some ideas? Welcome back, some really great discussions there.

And for those of you who are working pairs, it was great to see you listening, building on and even sometimes challenging each other's views.

Let's have a look at what two of our Oak people said.

Well, Andeep said, "Earlier, we were asked whether we thought the speaker had behaved respectfully to nature.

And I don't think that putting frogspawn in a jar and taking it home is actually being respectful.

Perhaps nature wants to teach the speaker a lesson, that he cannot just take what he wants from nature.

Perhaps nature intimidated the speaker to show him that his human power is actually inferior to nature's greater power." An interesting idea, but Sofia added, "Well, I guess that really depends on whether you think nature actually did turn on the speaker or whether you think he just imagined that it did." So what do you think about the ideas the pupils have raised? Do you agree with Andeep's interpretation or are you more inclined to agree with Sofia? And actually a lot of this is in the speaker's mind and his own worries and fears, and therefore the power of nature is actually a metaphor to represent his own internal worries or fears.

What do you think? Pause the video, have a discussion or just think through this independently and press play when you are ready to move on.

All right, let's do a quick check for understanding before we move on.

Which of the following words show the speaker's disgust with nature and which of them show his fear of nature? So let's try and group these quotations by putting them under the correct column title.

All right, pause the video, give this a go and press play when you are ready to reveal the answers.

Well done if you said plop, farted, grossed-bellied, all are great words for showing the speaker's disgust, whereas clutch, grenades and vengeance all could link to the speaker's fear, kind of some of them, those words really linked to that semantic field of weapons and war.

All right, over to you now for our final task in today's lesson.

You are gonna write a response to the following question.

How does Heaney present nature in "Death of a Naturalist"? Things I want you to make sure that you do, make sure that you state clearly how you think nature is presented by using adjectives to describe the presentation of nature, is it powerful, is it vulnerable, et cetera? Make sure you use quotations from the poem to justify your ideas.

Make sure you explore the poet's use of language, form, structure in your response and make sure you include any relevant context that support and develop your ideas.

All right, we've really thought about this poem in detail so I know you can do this.

Pause the video, give this your best shot and press play when you are ready to move on.

All right, welcome back.

Really great effort there and a special well done to anyone who checked their spelling, punctuation and grammar before they put their pen down.

That is fantastic to see.

All right, let's have a think about some of the ideas that you might have explored in your analysis.

So you might have mentioned how nature could be presented as powerful and defensive.

It takes back control of the flax-dam from the speaker who took jampotfulls of frogspawn from there earlier, the frogs are presented like an army through the semantic field that Heaney uses.

You might have looked at words like obscene, vengeance and grenades.

You may have mentioned that nature could be presented as being frightful.

The speaker is disgusted by the appearance and the sounds of the adult frogs.

They're describes being unpleasant or like unpleasantly bodily functions, plop and farted.

You might have talked about the context of Heaney growing up observing how mankind used nature.

The flax-dams themselves are a man's creation, perhaps he disapproves of human interference in natural landscapes.

I'd like you to choose one of these ideas that you like and see if you can add it to develop your answer further.

So pause the video, return to your answer and see if you can improve it using one of these ideas on the screen.

All right, pause the video, over to you and press play when you are done.

Okay, absolute fantastic work today.

Well done for all of your hard work on analysing Heaney's poem.

On the screen you can see a summary of the key learning that we've covered today.

Let's quickly go through that together so you feel really confident before you move on to your next lesson.

So we know that throughout the poem, Heaney uses multisensory descriptions to create vivid imagery.

Heaney plays with language to create a grow test description of the flax-dam, perhaps to foreshadow its capability to be threatening later in the poem.

Heaney uses onomatopoeia in the poem to convey the speaker's enthusiasm for, and then later fear of, nature.

Heaney presents the power of nature by portraying the frogs as an army through the use of a semantic field.

And Heaney perhaps aimed to illustrate man's insignificance versus nature and discourage us from interfering in natural processes.

Okay, thank you so much for joining me today.

I do hope to see you in one of our lessons in the future.

Have a great day, goodbye.