Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you all here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton.

And I'm here to guide you through your learning journey today.

Scrub your pen, laptop, whatever you're using for this lesson, and let's get started.

Welcome to the lesson, everyone.

The lesson's called "Identifying and Using Pathetic Fallacy." Now, I think pathetic fallacy is a really useful technique to understand, but I also think we tend to conflate it with being when the weather reflects the mood.

And actually, there's a little bit more to it than just the weather, and we are going to explore that today.

So, by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to not only confidently understand pathetic fallacy and how writers use it for effect, but also use it yourself in a description of an image.

So, we have four words today we're going to focus on as our keywords.

There'll be in a font in bold throughout the learning material, and I'll try to point 'em out to you as well, so you can see them being used in context.

Our first keyword is mood.

And this means the emotional response the story creates within the reader.

Now, our writer can influence the mood of a story through the language and structural choices.

Our second keyword is represent.

And that means to serve as a sign or symbol of something.

We always want to look for a deeper meaning in literature.

So, we wanna think about why the writer has chosen a specific word or an image, and what that might be representing and saying on a deeper level.

Our third keyword is literary device.

And this is a tool used by writers to hint at larger themes, ideas, and the meaning of the story or a piece of writing.

Literary device include techniques such as personification or similes, and they are just some of the ways that writers influence the reader's perception of a text.

A fun keyword is descriptive, and that means describing something in an interesting and detailed way.

This is essential to our lesson as pathetic fallacy's one of the ways that writers can create those details in their writing.

So, I'll just give you a few moments to write down those words and their definitions.

So, pause the video and write them down now.

Amazing.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So, three learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're gonna define pathetic fallacy and look at the origins of the term.

And then, we're going to consider why it might be effective in affecting the emotional response of the reader.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to explore an example of pathetic fallacy in L.

Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz" and see that how Baum is using pathetic fallacy in order to affect the reader and their perception of a scene or a place.

For our final learning cycle, we're gonna take everything from the first two learning cycles and put it into practise by creating a piece of descriptive writing that uses pathetic fallacy.

So, let's begin by defining pathetic fallacy.

Often we might hear pathetic fallacy as being described when the weather reflects the mood.

And actually, pathetic fallacy is a bit more than that because pathetic fallacy is a literary device in which emotions are given to non-human objects and things.

So, given the weather, emotion is part of pathetic fallacy, but pathetic fallacy is where any object or setting is given emotion, not just the weather.

It's a form of personification that differs from personification because personification's where non-human objects or things are given human characteristics, and that might include mannerisms. While pathetic fallacy is specifically about giving human emotions.

Now, let's look at the etymology of the term pathetic fallacy.

It's really useful to look at the etymology of words because it'll help you understand new words you might come across.

It'll also help you better understand the meaning of a word.

So, the word pathetic comes from the Greek pathos, and that means emotion.

We might think of pathetic as inspiring pity, but actually comes from a more generalised idea of creating an emotional response to someone.

The word fallacy comes from the Latin fallere, and that means to deceive.

So essentially, the phrase means deceiving the emotional response of the reader.

Now, the term "pathetic fallacy" comes from John Ruskin, who is an English writer and philosopher in the Victorian era.

What I'd like to think about is why do you think he might have called it that? So, think about the meaning of both words and how that might connect the idea of human emotions to non-human objects or things.

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

Amazing.

Some great discussions there.

You might have said that he may have called it that because non-human objects or things don't feel emotions, so you're creating something that isn't real for effect.

The writer is giving emotions to objects in the scene in order to create that emotional reaction in the reader.

Now, for a quick check for understanding, just to make sure we've understood the definition.

So, pathetic fallacy is when human are given to non-human objects and things.

So, your options are A, characteristics, B, mannerisms, or C, emotions.

So, pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is emotions.

Pathetic fallacy is when human emotions are given to non-human objects and things.

So, very well done if you got that right.

Now, let's look an example of pathetic fallacy in literature.

So, this example is taken from Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" and it reads, "The night was very dark.

A damp mist rose from the river, the marshy ground about; and it spread itself over the dreary fields.

It was piercing cold, too; all was gloomy and black." Now, what I'd like you to do is zoom in on the specific instance of pathetic fallacy in the example and think about what mood it creates.

So, what emotional response did it create in the reader? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing.

It was great to see people using a dictionary to look up some of the words they don't know the meaning of, to help 'em understand the emotion behind it.

You might have said it creates a mood of sadness and bleakness through the darkness and the words "dreary" and "gloomy".

Let's just spend a little bit more on time unpacking it though.

So, it actually opens with the phrase, "The night was very dark." Now, this automatically creates tension because we can't see things in the dark, so it puts us on edge because we don't know who or what might be there in the shadows.

We then have the image of a damp mist.

Now, damp means wet.

We generally associate that with ideas of sadness, not only because of tears, but also because to put a damper on something means to make it more subdued and less exciting.

We then have the description of the fields as being dreary.

Now, dreary means something depressingly dull or repetitive.

So, attributing that feeling of being bored and happy with the fields.

Finally, we end in the idea of the scene being gloomy and black.

Now, gloomy means feeling depressed or despondent.

So again, we have those feelings of sadness running through the description.

And that's enhanced by the final word black, because to be in a black mood means to be particularly down or despondent.

Now, for a quick check for understanding.

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

So, is it true or false that Dickens creates a sad and despondent mood through his use of pathetic fallacy? So, pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is true.

Now, I'd like you to justify that answer.

So, does he create a sad and despondent mood? Because A, the fields are described as "dreary" or B, the fields are described as depressing?" So, pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is A.

Dickens creates a sad and despondent mood through his use of pathetic fallacy when the fields are described as dreary.

So, very well done if you got that right.

You're doing really well, everyone.

Now our first task or lesson, we're going to take all the information we've got so far and think about why pathetic fallacy is an effective literary device for descriptive writing.

Now, those are two of our keywords, so let's just remind ourselves the definition before we get started with the task.

So a literary device is a tool used by writers to hint at larger themes, ideas, and meanings in the story or piece of writing.

And descriptive writing is describing something in an interesting and detailed way.

So, why might giving human emotions to objects in a setting help you to not only hint at the meaning in a story, but also help you give a detailed description of a scene? And you might consider.

Why giving human emotions to objects might make them easier to visualise? So, if I say dreary fields for example.

Why might that be easier to visualise than if I just said fields? You also might think about why emotions specifically might be more useful, the more general characteristics or mannerisms. So pause the video, take a few minutes to discuss.

Amazing.

It was great to see people looking back the extract from Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" to help them consider why pathetic fallacy is effective.

You might have said that pathetic fallacy is an effective descriptive device because it allows to connect emotionally to a scene, and that helps us to visualise the scene better because we understand how we would feel if we were in the scene.

Using emotion specifically allows the reader to understand the character's inner thoughts in the scene.

And that helps the reader to feel as if they're in the character's shoes and really immerse themselves in that scene.

Fantastic work so far, everyone.

We're now into a second learning cycle.

But we're going to consider how understanding pathetic fallacy can help us understand the effect the writer is trying to create.

So to do that, we're going to going to examine an extract from L.

Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz." So, now we're going to read an extract from L.

Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz." Now, even if you haven't read the story, I imagine most of you'll be familiar with the basic plot line.

Essentially, Dorothy's house is caught in a cyclone and she and her dog Toto are transported to the land of Oz.

In order to get home, Dorothy and her companions have to follow the yellow brick road to get to the Emerald City to ask Oz the wizard to help them.

So in this extract, we're looking at the very beginning of the story, when Dorothy's house is caught in a cyclone.

We're going to consider how pathetic fallacy is used within the text for effect.

"It was very dark, and the wind howled horribly around her, but Dorothy found she was riding quite easily.

After the first few whirls around, and one other time when the house tipped badly, she felt as if she was being rock gently, like a baby in a cradle." Now, I'd like you to first identify where you can see pathetic fallacy in the extract.

So, where can you see non-human things or objects being given human emotions? And then, think about what emotions does that suggest.

So, look carefully at the word choices and think about what emotional response they suggest to you.

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

Amazing.

Now, you might have zoomed in on the phrase "very dark", "the wind howled horribly around her", and "whirls", as examples of pathetic fallacy.

And about that you might have said that howling means a long cry or wailing sound.

And generally, we associate someone howling with expressing deep anger, pain or sadness.

And that combination of the darkness with the howling of the wind, suggests something traumatic and unexpected is about to happen.

Now, let's continue with the extract.

You might have noticed I have two brackets with ellipsis within them at the start of this piece of the text.

Now, that just means I've taken out some of the text in between the first and the second part of the extract.

So it reads, "Hour after hour passed away, and slowly Dorothy got over her fright; but she felt quite lonely, and the wind shrieked so loudly all about her that she nearly became deaf.

At first she had wondered if she would be dashed to pieces when the house fell again; but as the hours passed and nothing terrible happened, she stopped worrying and resolved to wait calmly to see what the future would bring." Now, I'd like you to zoom in on the phrase.

the wind shrieked so loudly, and think about what emotion do you associate with shrieking, and what effect does that have on the reader? So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Amazing discussions there.

Now, a shriek is a loud high cry that we normally associate with the expression of a powerful emotion, and that causes tension in the reader.

It suggests something life-changing and unexpected is about to happen to Dorothy.

Now, for a quick check for understanding.

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

So, is it true or false that Baum ascribes human emotions to the wind in the opening of "The Wizard of Oz"? So pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is true.

He does ascribe human emotions to the wind.

Now, I'd like you to justify that answer.

So, does he ascribe human emotions to the wind by A, describing the wind as howling a shrieking, or B, describing the wind as dreary and gloomy? So, pause the video and make a selection now.

The correct answer is A.

The wind describes howling and shrieking.

So, very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work so far, everyone.

We're now at the second task of the lesson.

Now, we're going to combine our ideas about pathetic fallacy with the extract we've just talked through.

So, the extract taken from the opening of "The Wizard of Oz" before Dorothy is transported to Oz.

The pathetic fallacy shows the wind as whirling, howling, and shrieking.

And what I'd like to think about is what do you think the pathetic fallacy represents? Now, represents is one of our keywords, means to serve as a sign or symbol of something.

So, what do you think the wind might be symbolising to us as the reader? And I'd like you to write a short answer to the question.

Now, in your writing you might consider what sort of movement does the description of the wind suggest, and what emotion does the wind represent? So, pause the video and think about what that pathetic fallacy represents.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see people reading back through the extract to remind themselves the context of the pathetic fallacy within the writing.

So, now I'd like you to peer assess your answer.

So, swap your answer with the person next to you.

Now, peer assessing is a really useful tool because it allows us to immediately get feedback on whether our thought processes and the way we express them makes sense to the reader.

One of the absolutely essential skills in English is the ability to communicate clearly.

But if the reader can't understand your idea, it won't count for anything no matter how brilliant the idea.

So, when you've passed your answer to someone else, I'd like you to read through it and ask yourself whether you're convinced by that answer.

Why or why not? Now, just as being able to communicate your idea is a key skill, being able to communicate feedback to people is also a really useful skill.

So, here are some of the phrases you might use in your feedback.

You might say, "I'm not sure I understand why you've said.

Could you explain it in a different way?" Or, "I found it particularly effective when you said.

." Now, effective feedback's all about making someone understand what they've done well, but also understand how it might be improved.

So, make sure everything you say is constructive and geared towards building someone up and helping them to improve their answer for next time.

So, pause the video and peer assess your answer now.

Fantastic work, everyone.

It was great to see people being so respectful about everyone's work and really trying to help each other see what's good about the work and how we might improve it for next time.

Amazing work so far, everyone.

We're now in the third learning cycle where we're going to put all of our thoughts about pathetic fallacy, and the examples we've looked at into practise.

And you are going to have a go at creating your own description using pathetic fallacy.

So, we're going to be using this image of a rainbow as our inspiration for the description.

Now I think the most useful way to approach an image is create an initial mind map of ideas around the emotions or feelings you associate with it.

And then you can start building your techniques from there.

So, I'd like to create a mind map around the image.

What emotions and ideas do you associate with it? So, pause the video and create your mind map now.

Amazing work there, everyone.

Now, you might have said hope.

A rainbow appears when there's both sunshine and rain in the sky.

So, you might associate a rainbow with hope 'cause it shows as that even when things are dreary and gloomy outside, there's still light and there's still warmth.

You also might said good fortune.

Folk tales talk about there being gold at the end of a rainbow.

So, you might associate rainbows with that idea of finding that pot of gold and the good fortune that would come with that.

You might have said beauty.

Rainbows are made up of a spectrum of colours.

And because they appear when it's raining, then that contrast of the grey drabness of rain with the bright multicoloured rainbow makes it seem very beautiful.

You also might've said love.

Now, the rainbow has become a symbol for LGBTQIA+.

So, you might think of it as representing that all embracing idea of love and friendship.

So, before you start thinking about creating your own example, let's consider the steps you might follow to create pathetic fallacy.

So, step number one.

Choose a non-human thing or object in the scene.

And our example might be a cloud.

Number two, consider the emotion you want to express.

We might say relaxation.

Then, describe the non-human object or thing as having this emotion either through their movement or their manner.

So, you might say, "The cloud closed its eyes and took a deep, full breath." Because we associate eyes being closed with being relaxed, it suggests you're not worried about surroundings, you're taking a moment for yourself.

The idea of taking a deep breath is relaxing because it allows oxygen to fully circulate in our bodies and the tension in our shoulders and neck to release.

Now, for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like to do is add in the missing information from the steps to create pathetic fallacy.

So, step one, choose a in the scene.

Step two, consider the emotion you want to express.

And step three, describe the non-human object or thing as having this emotion either in their.

So, pause the video and complete the steps now.

Amazing.

They might have said that step one is choose a non-human thing or object in the scene.

Step two is consider the emotion you want to express.

And step three is describe the non-human object or thing as having this emotion, either in their movement or their manner.

So, very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now at the final task of the lesson.

So, what I'd like to do is take everything we've talked about throughout the lesson and create a description of the image of the rainbow using pathetic fallacy to represent the mood of the image.

And we have several of our key words there.

So, let's just take a moment to remind ourselves of their definitions.

So, description is where you describe something in an interesting and detailed way.

To represent is to serve as a sign or symbol of something.

And the mood is the emotional response created in the reader.

So when you're writing a description, think about what the rainbow represents to you, whether it's hope, beauty, love, or good fortune.

And think about how you can create that emotional response in the reader through your use of pathetic fallacy.

Now, when you're creating a pathetic fallacy, remember to follow these three steps.

So step one, choose a non-human thing or object in the scene.

Step two, consider the emotion you want to express.

And step three, describe the non-human object or thing as having this emotion either in their movement or their manner.

So, pause the video and create your description now.

Welcome back, everyone.

It was great to see people looking back at the example of pathetic fallacy from "Oliver Twist" and "The Wizard of Oz" for inspiration.

Now, for the final part of the lesson.

I'd like you to reflect on your description.

Now, this is such a useful exercise to do because it allow us to take a moment and consider what we've just created, and think about perhaps which aspects we might want to store for future use.

And also, just which aspects we're particularly proud of, because we should always be proud of the work we've created from our own imaginations.

Now, in your reflections, you should consider which sentence are you most proud of and why is that? Do you think your use of pathetic fallacy is effective in showing the mood? And do you think someone could visualise the image based on your description? So, pause the video and reflect on your description now.

Fantastic, everyone.

It was great to see people sharing examples of what they're proud of 'cause it's great to be inspired by other people, and perhaps find different approaches to writing.

You all did incredibly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Pathetic fallacy is a literary technique in which emotions are ascribed to non-human objects and things.

Pathetic fallacy helps to show the mood of a piece of writing.

And pathetic fallacy helps the reader visualise the scene, and it also reflects the character's emotion.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

Goodbye.