Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's English lesson.

Well, we are going to spend the whole lesson exploring Percy Shelley's romantic poem, "The Masque of Anarchy", a response to the events of the Peterloo Massacre.

But before we begin, please make sure that you've got all you need to in order to engage with today's lesson.

So that's something to write with and something to write on.

Don't worry, if you don't have that, please pause the video and go and grab it.

I'd also like you to make sure that you have all distractions out of the way, so you can fully engage with the content of today's lesson.

Okay, let's get started.

So let's consider our agenda for today's lesson.

We're going to start with a short review of "The Peterloo Massacre".

Then we're going to move on to look at the key vocabulary today it is the word reform.

Then we're going to start exploring the poem, "The Masque of Anarchy" through its form and title.

Then we're going to look deeper at its narrative.

The story that it tells, before considering finally Shelley's purpose in "The Masque of Anarchy".

So as you can see, we've a lot to get through this lesson, so we best get started.

On the screen, you will see three sentences.

However, each of these sentences expresses an incorrect idea in relation to The Peterloo Massacre, let's read through them.

Number one, the massacre reflected the mistreatment of the upper classes.

Number two, the purpose of the protest was to take away the working classes, right to vote.

And number three, the massacre took place in Liverpool.

I would like you to copy out these sentences and correct the incorrect information.

Please pause the video here and complete this task and resume when you're finished.

Great, now you've had some time to complete the task, let's review your answers.

Number one, the massacre reflected the mistreatment of the working classes, not the upper classes.

Number two, the purpose of the protest was to give the working class as the right to vote, not to take it away as they never had the right to vote in the first place and finally, the massacre took place in Manchester, not Liverpool.

Well done if you've got those correct, if you didn't, you can pause the video here and make any necessary edits to your work today.

Today our key word is reform.

Reform means to make a change in order to improve a situation.

Let's read that together, reform means to make a change in order to improve a situation.

Let's have a look at how we can use the word reform in a series of sentences.

The laws of this country need to be reformed.

The educational reform included a reduction of the school day.

The Peterloo protestors demanded government reform.

Hopefully you can see in each of these sentences, the word reform is closely linked to the idea of making change in order to improve, in order to better a situation, whatever that may be.

These people want that situation to be reformed.

Please pause the video here and fill in the definition of the word reformed, once you're done resume the video.

Great, let's check our answer.

Reform means to make a change in order to improve a situation.

I would now like you to pause the video and make your own sentence using the word reform.

This can be based on a real life event, think about the fight for women's rights for instance, or you can make up your own example of reform.

Where in society would you like to see reform? What would you like to change and improve in your society today? When you're done, please resume the video.

So as promised, we are going to focus today on Percy Shelley's poem, "The Masque of Anarchy".

But before we look at the narrative of the poem, we're going to look at its form, how it is built and also its title, so let's get started.

Forming poetry simply means the physical structure of the poem, it's building blocks.

It might include looking at the number of lines, the length of the lines, the rhythm that is used.

It's how the poet has built their poem.

And poetry fits into many different forms, but today we're going to look specifically at the ballad form.

The ballad form in poetry was often sold on the streets as a cheap form of literature.

This meant that it was able to get to the masses.

The ballad form was often set to popular tunes when we set some thing to a tune it makes it easier to remember and so if there is a message to get across, this could be a really good form of poetry to use.

The ballad form often focuses on scandals or tragedies that have occurred.

And finally, you guessed it, "The Masque of Anarchy" is written in the ballad form.

So let's just take a moment to review those again, the ballad form was often sold on the streets as a cheap form of literature.

So it meant that it was able to reach the masses, it was often set to a popular tune, which made it easier to remember, which would be a great form of poetry to use if you wanted your message to get across.

It often focused on scandals or tragedies in terms of its narrative and "The Masque of Anarchy" was written in the ballad form.

So I would like you to pause the video here and using the images on your screen.

I want you to write three facts that you've learned about the ballad form of poetry.

Remember the images are there to help you, so please pause the video now and write me three facts about the ballad form of poetry.

When you're done, please resume the video.

Great, let's check what you got.

Number one on the left, ballads were often sold on the streets as a cheap form of literature.

That meant that they were able to reach the masses.

Number two in the centre, they will often set to popular tunes, so this made them easy to remember.

So that would have been a really good way to get a message across if you were a poet.

And finally, they often focused on scandals or on tragic events that have happened.

So after these three key facts, I wonder, which you think is the most important moving forward to help us to understand the narrative of "The Masque of Anarchy" which one do you think? One, two or three? After three, I want you to tell me one, two, three.

Let's see, this is the most important for us moving forward in terms of exploring "The Masque of Anarchy".

We want to see how it focuses on a scandal or a tragic event that has occurred.

So let's move on to look at the poems title, "The Masque of Anarchy".

Could this poem be reflective of a type of theatrical performance.

Now that doesn't necessarily mean a piece of theatre that happens on a stage, but it could be people playing roles and deceiving people, tricking people, fakery and deception.

If you deceive someone, you are tricking them.

Now, "The Masque of Anarchy", look at the spelling of masque on your screen.

Originally, this masque was spelled M-A-S-K, exactly how we would spell the word mask, when we're talking about a mask that we might wear on our face in order to cover up our true self and deceive the people around us.

So perhaps this poem is going to explore to some degree fakery or deception, trickery of people or society.

Anarchy means the chaos and confusion due to a lack of authority or control.

So perhaps there's going to be a form of anarchy in the poem.

It can also refer to a group of people who reject to hierarchy, so hierarchy is a social order.

They reject this idea, but to quite an extreme degree, which can cause chaos and confusion and a lack of control.

So here's some ideas to consider before we start looking at the poem, "The Masque of Anarchy", could it refer in some way to a type of theatrical performance, not necessarily on a stage, but a performance that is perhaps deceiving a member of society or members of society, could it allude to a fakery or deception or trickery of people? Could it link with a form of chaos and confusion or people who are rejecting a hierarchy? Analysing or exploring the poems title is always a really good way in to understanding the poem.

It can often get your brain thinking and exactly the way it needs to before you've even read the first line of the poem.

Well, I would like you to do is pause the video here and complete the following task.

I want you to answer the question, what does the poem's title suggest about its meaning? You can use the ideas that we have discussed on the previous slide to help you.

I have listed these below, so you might want to consider the idea of a mask and deception.

So fakery and trickery and theatrical performance, putting on a show, are you being your true self? And then lack of authority and chaos.

You could start your answer, the poet is title suggests it could be about and then move on from there.

So pause the video here to complete this task and resume when you're done.

We're not going to consider what Shelley believed in and how that can help us access the poem.

So number one, this is a symbol for violence, did Shelley believe in violence, or was he against violence? I wouldn't say hate your idea after three, one, two, three.

Let's see, he was of course against all forms of violence, which contrasted the political landscape at his time of writing.

Here we've got our symbol for oppression.

Did Shelley believe in oppression? Or was he against oppression? I want to hear your answer after three, one, two, three.

He was of course against oppression and finally here's our symbol for revolution, was Shelley for or against revolution for change? after three, one, two, three.

Excellent, hopefully you got that one correct.

He was of course, for revolution and change in society, especially helping our members of the working classes who suffered inequalities and injustices.

So now we're going to move forward and look at "The Masque of Anarchy" narrative.

So I want us to consider, first of all, how did Shelley come to understand and know about the events that happened on the day of the Peterloo Massacre? But Shelley was residing in Italy at the time.

And here he received a letter that detailed the accounts that occurred and he was absolutely appalled by what he heard, because he of course hated violence and oppression.

He was therefore prompted to write a poem as a response to the Peterloo Massacre.

And you'll find that this is the case with many writers, they are inspired by events that happened at that time of writing.

In this case, Shelley was inspired and appalled by the events that happened on the day of the Peterloo Massacre.

So the poem, "The Masque of Anarchy" is a very long one and it runs at 91 stances long.

And so I'm sure you can appreciate that we're not going to read the whole poem, although it is of course available to you, if you would like to have a go at reading the whole poem after this lesson.

I have split the poem into three key sections, which we will explore individually.

The first key section is stanzas one to 21.

And in this section of the poem, Shelley details, a procession, so a group of people walking through the streets.

Now this group of people include unjust and unfair forms of authority at the time Shelley was writing, they're members of the government who are wearing masks of deception and these include murder, fraud and hypocrisy.

Now fraud and hypocrisy linked to the ideas of fakery and deception.

And Shelley suggests that these members of authority are all disguised, those in power are all disguised.

They represent murder and fakery and deception, all reasons that the authorities should not be trusted and we can see that as Shelley details that these authorities go through the streets, butchering innocent members of society, but society are to begin with fooled by the disguises that are worn by the authorities.

And we can see here how Shelley introduces them.

He calls them the destructions as he states and many more destructions played in this ghastly masquerade or disguised even to the eyes like Bishops, lawyers, peers, and spies.

So you can see here that Shelley is very explicitly suggesting that we should not trust those in authority.

And finally, in this first section of the poem, he introduces us to anarchy and he states, last came anarchy he rode on a white horse splashed with blood, he was pale even to the lips like death in the apocalypse.

And he wore a kingly crown and in his grasp a sceptre shone on his brow, this mark I saw, I am God and King and law.

And so here he is highlighting and emphasising how the destructions, especially anarchy are going through and scaring society.

They are an intimidating and they superior presence and they cast fear in the hearts of society.

And we can see how highly they regard themselves in that final line as anarchy states, that anarchy is God and King and law.

Now, as we move on to the second section stanzas 22 to 36, there was a conflict that happens.

And this conflict happens through Shelley's use of hope.

Hope can be linked to those working and middle class members of society who peacefully protested at the Peterloo Massacre.

Hope is crying in despair, there is hope for change in society, but hope seems to have given up at this stage and hope does, as Shelley suggests in this stanza, she laid down in the street right before the horse's feet expecting with a patient I murder, fraud and anarchy.

And so even hope seems to have given up.

However, at this point, a mysterious shape of hope.

This mist appears and anarchy is slain.

Anarchy is no more.

And this gives the opportunity for freedom in society.

As society begins to be read of those oppressive authorities that exist over them.

And so in the final section lines, sorry stanzas 37 through to 91, Shelley presents his reader, a speech of freedom inspired by the working and middle class, his quest for political reform during the events that occurred at the Peterloo Massacre.

Now he does suggest that there is a way to go, it's not suddenly a perfect ideal world that everyone lives in.

And he does this by splitting this final section into two parts.

The first part is a focus on the slavery and the oppression that has existed.

And he States, this is slavery savage men or wild beasts within a den, would endure not as ye do, but such ills, they never knew.

So in this section of the poem, he begins by highlighting the slavery and the oppression that has been endured under the oppressive or authorities.

But then he finishes the poem with a focus on a speech of freedom and a hope of liberty that the working classes have never known.

And he states, rise like lions after slumber in unvanquishable number, shake your chains to earth like dew, which in sleep had fallen on you.

Ye are many, they are few.

And so in this speech for freedom, he hopes that one day, those that are metaphorically, voiceless and trapped will be, as you can see in this symbol free from the chains of those oppressive authorities, they will have freedom and liberty that they have never known.

So you can see that this poem in its 91 stanzas takes the reader on quite a journey, a journey of change, the journey of freedom against the powerful oppressors of the time.

And hopefully you can see how Shelley was inspired by the events of the Peterloo Massacre.

He suggests that the authorities were violently butchering innocent members of society, and that we need to stand up to them, in a quest for political reform for freedom.

So, we're going to finish today's lesson by considering Shelley's purpose, the message behind his poem.

Why did he write it? And we're going to do that by finishing these three sentence starters to criticise, to celebrate and to educate.

So we can imagine we've started our sentence with Shelley, wrote "The Masque of Anarchy" to criticise.

I want you to consider what Shelley might have wished to criticise in his poem and note down some ideas.

I then want you to consider what he wanted to celebrate in his poem and write down some ideas.

And then finally what he wishes to educate people on in his poem and write down some ideas.

So pause the video here and have a go at writing some ideas under Shelley's purpose, what did he want to criticise? What might he have wanted to celebrate? And what may he wanted to educate society on? Pause the video here and complete that task and resume the video when you are done.

Okay.

Let's take a moment to talk through these ideas.

In his poem, "The Masque of Anarchy", Shelley may have wished to criticise the mistreatment and oppression suffered by the working classes.

In his poem, "The Masque of Anarchy", Shelley may have wished to celebrate the quest for freedom through political reform, through change to make a better situation and finally, through his poem, "The Masque of Anarchy", Shelley may have wished to educate his readers and society about the injustices and inequalities suffered by those members of the working classes who had limited rights, whose voices were not listened to.

So here is your final task for today's lesson, using those ideas that we have explored in the previous slide, I want you to answer, why did Shelley write "The Masque of Anarchy"? You can complete this task in one beautiful sentence.

You may wish to begin Shelley, a romantic poet, wrote "The Masque of Anarchy" to.

And remember, you've got three different ideas to criticise, to celebrate, to educate.

You can finish this sentence with whichever of those that you wish.

So please pause the video here, complete this task and resume the video when you're done.

Okay.

Now you've had some time to complete that task, let's look at a possible option.

An acceptable answer to this question would read, he wrote it to criticise the mistreatment of the working classes.

So you can see here, this person has chosen to criticise.

They have made the correct point that he wanted to criticise the mistreatment of the working classes.

However, this person has used as he.

And so we don't know who the he refers to.

They could have also gone into further detail.

Let's look at how person that's written, the good answer has gone into further detail.

Shelley, a romantic poet wrote "The Mask Anarchy" as a response to the violent Peterloo Massacre.

In the poem, he criticises the oppression of the working classes while celebrating their quest for political reform.

Excellent.

This person has introduced Shelley as the poet they've used in the positive to note that he was a romantic poet and they've used the title of the poem.

They have said it is a response, therefore it is inspired by the Peterloo Massacre.

Then they've used, semi-colon to link that next idea, in the poem, he criticises the oppression of the working classes while celebrating their quest for political reform.

So this person has got into real detail here.

They told the reader what he is criticising, they've also linked in the idea that he was not just criticising, but he was also celebrating a quest, a journey for political reform.

You are welcome to pause the video here and make any edits to your own work.

Thank you for all of your hard work and engagement during today's lesson.

It is a difficult poem to understand, so you've done really, really well for sticking with it.

We're going to move forward in our next lessons by exploring the third section of the poem in more detail, Shelley's description of oppression and also his description of freedom.

So I suggest you take your notes from today's lesson and choose two or three key ideas that you need in order to move forward.

Thank you very much and please don't forget to complete the end of lesson quiz.

See you next time.