Hello and welcome to today's English lesson.

Thank you for joining me.

I'm Mrs. Butterworth, and I will be guiding you through the learning.

And I am excited for today's lesson because we get to read from the book "The Twisted Tree".

So you'll need to make sure that you have access to a copy.

And specifically in this lesson, we will be exploring how the writer uses the setting to create that ominous and foreboding atmosphere.

Sounds good? Great.

Let's get started.

So in this lesson you will identify and use pathetic fallacy to describe a setting and create a specific atmosphere.

But before we start the lesson, let's look at some keywords that will be useful to our understanding.

You may notice them popping up throughout the lesson.

These words are: setting, atmosphere, jostle, cadence, and Nordic.

Now, setting and atmosphere are going to be our focus for the lesson.

Now setting refers to the time and place in which the events of a piece of writing take place.

So we'll look at today, the setting of "The Twisted Tree" and how the writer creates that.

And then we have the atmosphere, which is the tone or mood created by a writer.

So you may have picked up already that "The Twisted Tree" has a very foreboding atmosphere.

Then we have this word, jostle.

Now, jostle is a word that you may see as you are reading the text, and this means to force through a crowd by pushing.

And the word cadence.

So the way, cadence describes the way a voice gets higher and lower when a person speaks.

So again, you may see that word as you're reading through the pages today.

And then we have this word, Nordic.

Now, Nordic means belonging to or relating to Scandinavia, Finland, or Iceland.

But what you'll notice as we look at today's lesson is that Nordic has also come to be linked to a genre.

So the idea of a Nordic thriller is something that we will explore in more detail today.

So the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to begin by reading pages 12 to 28 of the novel.

And then we're going to continue the lesson by looking at pathetic fallacy.

So let's start with reading pages 12 to 28.

But before we do our reading, I want us to discuss.

We've got some images here, and I want you to discuss how do these images link to "The Twisted Tree" so far? So pause the video so you've got time to discuss these ideas.

Or you may just wish to sit there and think quietly by yourself.

Okay? Pause the video, and off you go.

Wow, excellent! So we already have lots of knowledge about "The Twisted Tree", and I could hear that in those discussions.

So lots of you looked at the image of the clothes and picked up that this potentially is linked to, or could be linked to Martha's superpower, how when she touches a piece of clothing belonging to someone, she learns a lot about their past, who they are.

Lots of you picked up on the sunglasses and how Martha chooses to wear sunglasses most of the day because of her missing an eye and she has a scar on her face and she feels a lot more comfortable wearing those sunglasses because she doesn't want to attract attention and she prefers to hide it.

So they become something that she refers to quite a lot.

Now, this image could be a bit more ambiguous, couldn't it? So there's lots we could say.

It could refer directly to this idea of a twisted tree, but we could also talk about the setting, it's quite bleak.

There's a kind of ominous, dark feeling to this image, which may link to some of the ideas in "The Twisted Tree".

So that image has a lot that you could say about it and a lot that you could link to "The Twisted Tree", doesn't it? And then finally, this might be a bit of a tricky one.

We have our Norse god here, we have Odin.

Some of you may have remembered that this is, in the dedication, the writer dedicates her book to the god Odin, who is the god of war, of death, of wisdom, of magic and sacrifice.

So he is the god of lots of things and very important to Norse mythology, which will become even more important as the novel progresses.

Now, what I would like you to do is using those fabulous discussions of the images, I would like you to use all that information and write down three sentences that summarise the first two chapters of "The Twisted Tree".

So you are writing three sentences that summarise the first two chapters of "The Twisted Tree".

Pause the video when you are ready to get those sentences done.

Off you go.

Okay, true or false? Martha has supernatural powers.

Is that true or false? I'm hoping lots of you said true.

Fab.

And then I'd like you to justify your answer by picking A or B, please.

Okay, are we ready for the answer? And the answer is: A, of course.

She can tell things about a person by touching their clothes.

Okay, so now we're going to do some reading.

So what I would like you to do is make sure you've got your copy of "The Twisted Tree", and you'll need to find page 12, which is where you're going to start.

And you're going to read "The Twisted Tree" from the beginning of page 12 to the end of page 28.

And then once you have read that, I would like you to answer the following questions, please.

How does Martha feel in this chapter? How did you feel reading the chapter? How does the writer describe the tree? And the chapter ends on a cliffhanger.

What is the effect of this and what shocking news does Martha learn? Okay, pause the video and we'll feed back some answers in a moment.

What an exciting way to end a chapter.

What a cliffhanger.

It really leaves you on the edge of your seat, doesn't it? And you just want to know what happens next.

And I think that's what makes this book so intriguing and exciting, is it just constantly leaves you on your edge of your seat and you just want to know what's going to happen next.

So what we're going to do now is we're gonna feed back some answers to the questions.

So some suggested answers.

You may have something slightly different, which is fine.

You may want to take this opportunity to add to your own answers.

So that first question is how does Martha feel in this chapter? So some things that you may have considered are the following: that Martha actually goes through a range of emotions.

Her partial blindness makes her feel vulnerable and anxious.

And she really describes this, doesn't she? As she's retelling her experiences? But there is also a sense of relief when she reaches the island.

But this is soon replaced by fear and uneasiness, and we really get a sense of that, don't we? Through her descriptions.

And the chapter ends with her feeling shocked and the reader too, I'm sure.

So how did you feel reading the chapter? So this is all about your own personal responses, but what I've put down here is you may have felt a growing sense of tension and suspense.

I definitely felt that.

You may have empathised with Martha's growing sense of fear.

And you may have felt shock at the revelation at the end of the chapter.

Now, how does the writer describe the tree? So you may have picked up on the words that the writer uses, which are "twisted" and "gnarled".

And this really emphasises its ominous and ancient presence, doesn't it? You can really start to picture this twisted tree, and it really adds to the eerie atmosphere, this twisted and gnarled tree.

The tree symbolises past trauma for Martha, and we see that when she sees the tree, she recalls her accident involving it.

And then finally, the writer uses the word "black", this kind of black branches.

And again, this adds to the unsettling feeling of the place, and it reflects this theme of hidden dangers and secrets in the story and this real sense of foreboding.

And the chapter ends on a cliffhanger.

What is the effect of this? And what shocking news does Martha learn? So we discover, first of all, Martha discovers a strange boy in her grandmother's house, which is shocking on its own, but then she learns that her grandmother has died, with the funeral having taken place the previous week.

So that's a big piece of news for our protagonist, isn't it? And the shocking news leaves Martha and the reader in a state of disbelief.

And what it does is it dramatically shifts the direction of the story, doesn't it? It kind of takes it in a different direction.

And it also adds a layer of mystery and emotional complexity to her journey.

And finally, the cliffhanger heightens suspense and emotional intensity.

And this conforms to the thriller and mystery genres.

Okay, so we have read pages 12 to 28, and now we're moving on to the second part of the lesson, which is all to do with setting, and most specifically, this idea of pathetic fallacy.

So "The Twisted Tree" can be described as a Nordic thriller, okay? And what this means is it refers to the specific setting, so in this case Norway, but it also refers to the specific atmosphere and mood.

So a Nordic thriller is associated with specific moods, atmospheres, and setting.

So I'd like you to discuss now, how would you describe, obviously reading "The Twisted Tree" already, so you have some knowledge about a Nordic thriller.

So how would you describe the setting, atmosphere and mood of a Nordic thriller? So use your knowledge of the text so far, but also use these images to help you come up with some ideas, okay? So you'll need to pause the video to discuss these questions or just think quietly to yourself.

Okay? Pause the video and off you go.

Thank you so much for those discussions.

Lots of you are thinking about your reading so far of "The Twisted Tree" and using the images to help you come up with some suggestions, which is great.

And lots of you kind of noticed the big, expansive landscape there with the mountains, and it feels quite bleak, quite lonely and isolated, which are all things that we would expect to find in an Nordic thriller.

There's the extreme weather with the snow and the cold, which again adds to that atmosphere, doesn't it? Of like this isolation, this bleakness, and this sense of foreboding, this sense of darkness, it's ominous.

All of these things linked to this idea of a Nordic thriller.

Okay, so a question for you: Which of the following would not be considered conventional for a Nordic thriller? So you're looking for the one that would not be considered conventional for a Nordic thriller.

Is it A, B, C, or D? Yes, of course, everyone.

That's right, it's sunny beaches, because with our Nordic thriller, we would expect these dark and isolated settings, the extreme weather, so that might be cold, might be fog, snow, all of those things.

And that tension and suspense, which we've already experienced in that first part of "The Twisted Tree".

So the writer Burge creates a spooky and foreboding atmosphere throughout this chapter.

And one way she does this is in the description of her setting, okay? More specifically, the use of pathetic fallacy.

So what is pathetic fallacy? So I'd like you to discuss this.

Some of you may know the answer to this, some of you may not, so you may be able to guess.

So discuss: what is pathetic fallacy? And what kinds of weather might we expect in a Nordic thriller or horror? So thinking back to that discussion we just had with those images, what kind of weather might we expect in a Nordic thriller or horror? Okay, so there's two questions to consider there.

So pause the video to give yourself time to discuss, or you may wish to sit quietly and think by yourself.

Pause the video, and off you go.

Okay, let's just share some of those ideas and make sure we really understand what pathetic fallacy is.

So "pathetic fallacy," thank you, Andeep, "is when the weather reflects the mood." So usually the mood of the main character.

Okay? So wherever we see the weather kind of reflecting what's happening with the main character, we can make the assumption that it's pathetic fallacy.

And Jun says here, "In a Nordic thriller or horror, we might expect to see extreme cold or icy conditions, snow storms, fog, mist, and prolonged darkness," which again adds to this intensity and bleakness of the Nordic thriller.

So arguably, these are all uncomfortable and extreme weathers, which would add to the overall feeling and atmosphere.

And from what we've read so far in "The Twisted Tree", we can see how that works, can't we? So what I would like you to do now is I would like you to look back through the chapter, and I would like you to see if you can find any examples of pathetic fallacy and how they reflect Martha's mood.

So you may wish to pause the video just so you can look back through those pages and find those examples of pathetic fallacy.

Great, off you go.

Okay, great, lots of you picking up that there are lots of incidences of pathetic fallacy, like the weather is really important in reflecting Martha's situation, the setting, and the overall atmosphere in the novel.

So well done everyone, for picking out so many.

Let's just share some ideas together.

So you might have considered the following ideas: So the first is this sense of darkness and isolation.

So the deserted ferry terminal and dark night sky mirror Martha's loneliness and unease, although she describes the ferry terminal as being really bright, she describes it as being really deserted and how it feels differently with her partial blindness.

And the darkness and isolation really enhances the sense of foreboding as she begins her journey.

There's a lot of descriptions of the wind as well, and this chilling atmosphere, and the cold when she arrives at the island, she describes it really hitting her.

And this really adds to the eerie, almost hostile environment.

And the biting cold reflects Martha's fear in this unfamiliar situation.

And there's this raging wind and desperation.

So this loud wind really reflects Martha's panic as she accepts a lift from Olav.

She really goes on an emotional journey where she trusts this man, but then she starts to panic.

And again, it really adds to this sense of desperation in what is quite a hostile environment.

Okay, so true or false? Pathetic fallacy is when the weather reflects the appearance of the main character.

Hmm, is that true or false? Yes, that one's false.

It's almost right, but not quite.

So justify your answer by picking A or B.

Yes that's right.

That's much better.

So pathetic fallacy is when the weather reflects the mood of the main character.

So that first false statement was almost right but it focused on the appearance, whereas we know that pathetic fallacy is all about mood.

Okay, so let's look at an example of pathetic fallacy: So here's the example.

Let's read it together.

"The storm clouds swirled ominously overhead, casting a menacing shadow across the land.

Lightning crackled in the distance, its jagged fingers reaching out across the darkened sky, while thunder rumbled like a warning of impending doom." So I'd like you to discuss, please.

We've read that together.

What atmosphere is created here? And what types of language have been used to describe the descriptions? So I really want you to unpick how this pathetic fallacy has been created.

So what atmosphere does it create and what types of language have been used to create the descriptions? Okay? So pause the video so you've got time to discuss those, or just sit quietly and think to yourself.

Off you go.

Okay, excellent.

Let's just feed back and share some potential answers.

So you may have had slightly different discussions, that's fine.

But these may help you to think about what you have already discussed.

So you may have said: it has a foreboding and ominous atmosphere.

You may have also used words like bleak and dark and spooky and eerie.

And there is a real sense of fear and uncertainty created by this weather.

And you may have considered the following language features: So you can see here, I've highlighted them in green.

So the writer here uses really interesting verbs.

We've got "swirled", "crackled", "rumbled", and it really describes the movement, sounds and images created by the weather.

So this is something to consider in your own writing, is how you can really pick the best verbs to describe the movement, sound and image of the weather to reflect that mood.

And also the best use of adverbs and adjectives to just develop the descriptions further.

So we've got, they're not just clouds, they're storm clouds, which again, we can consider why the writer has done this.

It's a lot more ominous, isn't it? If there's a storm cloud instead of just clouds.

And it even says "swirled ominously".

And this menacing shadow.

So that adjective there really adds to the atmosphere that's created.

And then finally, this pathetic fallacy also uses personification.

So you see here, it describes the lightning as "its jagged fingers reaching out across the darkened sky," which again sounds really threatening and foreboding, doesn't it? That use of personification.

And you'll notice in "The Twisted Tree", the writer does this as well, uses that personification to add another layer to the pathetic fallacy to really create a specific atmosphere, feeling and mood.

Okay, so we need to imagine now.

So I want you to imagine that Olav wasn't there to pick Martha up, and she has to walk through the forest to reach Mormor's cabin.

So first of all, you want to think about how might she feel? Because we want our weather to reflect that.

So how's Martha gonna feel that she has to walk through the forest on her own to Mormor's cabin? And then what I would like you to do is I would like you to write a short paragraph of about five sentences using pathetic fallacy to describe the setting and reflect Martha's mood and emotions.

So let's just read that task again.

You are going to write a short paragraph of five sentences, you must use pathetic fallacy to really describe the setting and reflect Martha's mood and emotions.

Okay? So get what you need to complete this task and be ready to pause the video.

And off you go.

Thank you, and well done.

Some really interesting and creative uses of pathetic fallacy to reflect Martha's mood there as she moves through the forest.

Okay, so I'm going to show you in a moment, an example of how you could have completed the task.

So again, you may have something different, you may have something even better, but it's worth looking at another response just to kind of see how we could do this.

So let's read it through together.

"As Martha ventured alone through the dense forest towards Mormor's cabin, the oppressive canopy overhead seemed to press down on her, suffocating her with its weight.

The fading light struggled to penetrate the thick foliage, casting elongated shadows that danced ominously around her.

The rustle of leaves and the hushed whispers of the wind seemed to conspire against her, amplifying her sense of isolation and vulnerability.

The ancient trees loomed overhead, their gnarled branches reaching out to ensnare her in their grasp.

With each step, Martha felt the weight of the forest closing in around her, enveloping her in a suffocating embrace of dark and uncertainty." Okay, so I would just like you to take a few moments to discuss how has this pupil used, successfully used pathetic fallacy? Okay? So just discuss that short response.

How has this pupil successfully used pathetic fallacy? If you want to, you can just read through quietly and think to yourself, okay, but pause the video to give yourself time to think about that.

Okay, great.

So lots of you picking out the interesting word types.

So the verbs, adverbs and adjectives, and also the use of personification, okay, which has been really good.

But some of you have said that, actually, maybe there isn't enough pathetic fallacy in here.

So maybe she could even, this person could go even further with their pathetic fallacy and really use the weather to its full advantage to reflect Martha's mood.

But it's still a very good descriptive paragraph, isn't it? Okay, so now I want you to consider your own work.

I want you to check, have you used pathetic fallacy? And then I'd like you to write just one sentence to explain your choices.

So pause the video to give yourself time to complete this reflection task.

Off you go.

Okay, so this is the end of the lesson.

So very well done for all of your hard work today.

And hasn't it been an emotional rollercoaster of all those different feelings? Martha really does take us on a journey.

So let's just read everything that we have learned this lesson.

We know that Mormor's cabin is very isolated and the surrounding forest is dark.

A strange boy is living in the cabin and tells Martha that Mormor is dead.

The setting makes the reader feel uneasy and scared for Martha.

"The Twisted Tree" can be described as a Nordic thriller.

And pathetic fallacy can be used to create a specific atmosphere and reflect the feelings of the main character.

So great work, everyone.

Let's do this all again soon in another lesson, and I'll see you then.

Bye-bye.