Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to today's English lesson, where we're going to be finishing our study of Mary Robinson's, "The Birth-day" by considering her use of themes.

But before we begin, please make sure that you have something to write with and something to write on.

If you don't have that, then please pause the video and go grab it.

I'd also like you say to make sure that all distractions are out of the way.

So please make sure that you're fully focusing in today's lesson content.

If you're ready, let's get going.

As always we're going to begin today's lesson with a quick look at our agenda.

We are going to start with a romantic poetry theme review.

Specifically in relation to Mary Robinson's "The Birth-Day." Then we are going to look at how we can use structure in order to explore key themes.

I'm then going to introduce you to some key vocabulary.

That's of mock.

Before we consider the use of turning points in poetry and how to write about turning points in our analytical writing.

So let's get started.

Here are the symbols for the key themes that we can find in romantic poetry.

I would need to consider which of the key themes can be found in "The Birth-day." You can pause the video here as you write them down.

But please make sure you resume the video so you can continue.

Right.

Let's check what we've got.

Which of the following key themes are explored in The Birth-day?.

Well first of all, it's a key theme of revolution.

Mary Robinson exposes, criticises elements of society in order to provoke a change.

Secondly, we have the key theme of children, youth, and innocence.

Mary Robinson uses images of children to really highlight the oppression that the working classes are suffering.

And finally I've already said it, oppression.

Mistreatment of the working classes.

In this occasion, in the hands of the upper classes.

The ignorant upper classes.

Let's move on.

Today we're going to consider how the of class creates social divides in society.

And this in turn, leads to oppression.

Leads to mistreatment of the working classes.

And that control in the hands of the upper classes.

In this case, the ignorant upper classes.

We can see very clearly in Robinson's poem, that there are clear social divides in society.

We have the upper classes as represented by the Countess, and then we have the lower working classes as represented by the personified misery that surrounds the Countess as she celebrates her birthday.

Very interestingly, Robinson physically suggests and echoes the social divides that exist in 18th century society through high use of stanza structure.

If we think about society being divided at this point, we've got the upper classes and we've got the lower working classes.

She echoes this in her stanza structure.

Let's have a look at this example here.

We've got the stanza of elites, "Here, amidst jewels, feathers, flowers, the senseless Duchess sits demure, Heedless of all the anxious hours, The sons of modest worth endure." So what she has done in her stanza structure, is she has split it up.

On the top two lines of the stanza, she details the ignorant upper classes.

More specifically the Countess.

Often in her splendour and luxuries as she glares at the working classes around her.

Then, on the bottom two rows of the stanza, Robinson details plight of the working classes.

Here, she's suggesting that they enjoy their life.

It's something that they just have to put up with.

There's no element of celebration there for them, at all.

And this two-parts stanza structure is something that she employs throughout the whole of the poem.

Often the first two lines of the stanza, will talk about the upper classes and focusing on the role of the ignorant Countess.

Then, she will contrast that in the final two lines of the stanza with the role of the working classes and how their line is a very stark contrast to the moneyed upper classes to the role of the Countess.

Using this discussion of stanza structure, I would like you to complete the following task.

I would like you to answer this question.

How does Robinson use stanza structure to present social divides? You might begin your answer: "Robinson uses a two-part stanza structure to echo.

." And then you're going to go on to explore what she echoes in society.

And how she does that with the language that she uses.

Think about the language in the first two lines of the stanza in contrast to the language in the last two lines of the stanza.

I'd like you to complete this task once you've paused the video.

But please make sure you resume so we can continue with today's lesson.

Let's look at an example of a good answer to this question.

How does Robinson use stanza structure to present social divides? As always, we're going to start with our acceptable answer.

It reads, "It shows that there is a divide between rich and poor.

The rich are at the top and the poor are at the bottom." Great.

That's fine.

But let's look at our good answer.

In a little bit more detail.

Robinson uses a two-parts stanza structure to physically echo the social divides in the 18th century: the first two lines comment on the luxurious lifestyle afforded the upper class countess, while the remaining lines create images of extreme poverty and oppression to criticise the social divides.

You could see that that is a lot more detailed.

They begin by suggesting that the two-parts stanza, echoes the divide in society.

And then they go into more detail.

What does Robinson detail on the first two lines, the countess and the upper classes, what does she detail on the bottom two lines? The working classes and their misery oppression and poverty.

You're more than welcome to pause the video here and use the good answer to make edits to your own work.

Please resume the video when you're done.

Our key vocabulary today is the word mock.

This may be a phrase that some of you are familiar with.

If you're mocking someone, it means to tease or laugh at something in an unkind way.

Let's read that together, "To tease or laugh at something in an unkind way." Let's look at how we can use the word mock in a sentence.

He was always being mocked by his siblings.

She mocks the way her colleague speaks.

They mocked their tyrannical boss.

Now, the word mock may seem like quite an unkind word.

We're teasing or laughing at something in an unkind way.

However, the third sentence here, "They mocked their tyrannical boss," suggests another way that we can use the word.

Or why we might mock people in life.

We might mock people to expose them, to draw attention to them.

If their boss is being tyrannical, the best way to deal with that is probably to mock him.

In order to expose it and to bring attention to it.

To hope that that might change.

Let's test your knowledge of the key word mock.

Please pause the video here and fill in the missing gaps in this definition.

Let's check your answer.

To tease or laugh at something in an unkind way.

Now, we're going to look at how to use the word correctly in a sentence.

You're going to read three sentences, and you're going to tell me which of them uses the word mock correctly.

Number one, they mocked at her when she fell.

Two, he hated being mocked by his parents.

And three, she mocked her sister for showing fear.

Pause the video here and write down the sentences that you think use the word mock correctly.

Resume the video when you're finished.

Great.

Let's check our answers.

use mock correctly.

So mock has been used correctly in the bottom two sentences.

He hated being mocked by his parents and she mocked her sister for showing fear.

Here people are being teased and laughed at, in a bit of an unkind way.

Okay, let's look at the incorrect use of the word mock.

They mocked at her when she fell.

So this person has understood that when we mock someone we might tease or laugh at them.

And so they've used the word mock in substitute for the word laughed.

This sentence should probably read, "They laughed at her when she fell, she felt mocked," perhaps.

I would like you to complete this task by writing a sentence that uses the phrase mock accurately.

Please pause the video to complete this and resume when you're done.

I suggested in our agenda, we're going to look at use of structural techniques in poetry.

We've already looked at how Robinson uses a two-part stanza to echo physically that social divide that occurred in the 18th century.

Now we're going to look at what a turning point is and how she uses this in her writing.

The turning point of a poem is where there is a change in tone or thought.

Let's read that together.

The turning point of a poem is where there is a change in tone or thought.

So for instance, the first part of the poem might be really happy.

And then might change in tone to be rather sad.

Or our speaker might be considering one thing specifically, and then their thought may change dramatically.

That is going to be the turning point in the poem.

Where there is a change in tone or thought.

Those are just two examples of a turning point.

But there are many examples throughout literature.

And we're going to look at Mary Robinson's use of a turning point in "The Birth-day." I want you to consider where you think the turning point is in Robinson's "The Birth-day"? Pause the video here and consider the stanzas.

What are they focused on? And what tone is used? Is there a change that you've noticed in the poem? Write down your ideas and make sure you resume the video when you're done.

Great, now you've had some time to think about the turning point in the poem "The Birth-day." Did you consider the final stanza of the poem? Here, the thought and the tone changes dramatically as Robinson suggests that everyone will be equal in death.

Regardless of their social position when they are alive.

Here, she mocks the upper classes.

She laughs at them, suggesting that they have no idea that one day they will be equal to the working classes that surround them.

The working classes they're ignorant to.

So our turning point in the poem, "The Birth-day" is indeed the final stanza.

And I want to draw your attention to the final two lines specifically.

They read, "The tomb shall close by glittering day, the beggar prove thy equal there." So here, the use of "tomb" is suggesting death.

And Robinson says that the tomb, shall close by glittering day.

It will stop the glittering day.

Well, glittering day here is suggesting the life of the upper classes.

It's glittering because they're afforded all the wealth and all the luxury.

But she saying that the tomb we'll finish this.

Death will finish this.

And death comes to all.

So there's no way for the upper classes to escape this end.

Then, she makes her message even more hard, when she says, "The beggar prove thy equal there." Equal there is suggesting that everyone is going to be equal in death.

Regardless of their social standing.

And so hopefully you can see here how the tone changes.

From observing and some criticising the misery that the working classes have to suffer, she changes from that critical tone to a more mocking tone.

Well, doesn't matter cause in death, everyone will be equal and it will come to everyone regardless of their social standing, even the Countess.

This is the turning point in "The Birth-day." So when we're writing about a turning point in poetry we can use the word however.

I have suggested an outline for how you can write about a turning point in poetry using the phrase however.

Let's talk through it, before I talk you through an example.

First, we need to make a comment on the poem before the turning point.

What tone and feeling is set up? So in order to discuss the turning point, we need to say what it's like before we get there.

Then, using a however sentence, we can indicate the turning point in the poem.

So we've said this is the situation before the turning point, however it changes, and then we make a comment on the poem after the turning point.

How has it changed? So number one, you make a comment about the poem before the turning point.

Number two, we use a "However" sentence.

So a sentence that begins with however, to indicate that there has been a turning point.

And then number three, we comment on the effect of the turning point.

How has the poem changed? Has it changed in thought, feeling, emotion, tone? What is the use of this turning point? Let me show you this in practise.

So number one, we need to make a comment on the poem before the turning point.

What tone and feeling is set up? So let's see how we've done this.

Robinson explores the role of class and social divides in 18th century society by highlighting the ignorance of the upper classes throughout her poem.

She uses a two-part stanza structure to physically echo the divide between rich and poor.

I see.

So this person is going to talk about the stanza structure that occurs before the turning point.

How Robinson uses it to echo the differences in class.

They then go on to explore that in further detail.

The first two lines comment on the luxurious lifestyle afforded the upper-class countess, while the remaining lines create images of extreme poverty and oppression to criticise the social divides.

Great.

So this person is suggesting before the turning point, the tone is one that is critical as the poet criticises the social designs.

Now they need to tell me where the turning point comes, using a sentence that begins with however.

They write, "However, the final stanza acts as a turning point in the poem, as the criticisms of the upper classes turn to mockery." Great.

This person has used a "However" sentence to say that the criticism is now turning to mockery.

They've suggested that there is a change in the tone of the poem.

Now, number three, they need to explore this change in more detail.

Here, Robinson mocks the ignorant upper classes by suggesting through the personified use of reason that their "glittering day" will come to an end in death.

There will be no more social divide and everyone will be "equal there." Great.

So number one, this person has made a comment on the poem before turning point.

And they have suggested that the poet is criticising the role of social divides.

Then they use a "However" sentence to tell their reader that there was a turning point.

They've been specific here.

And they've said that the turning point comes in the final stanza and it changes from criticism to mockery.

Then number three, this person comments on the poem after the turning point.

They analyse how the poem has changed.

And they say, that the poet is now mocking the ignorant upper classes.

And they use quotations to explore this.

Great.

one, two, three.

Before the turning point, however, when is the turning point and then number three, after the turning point.

That's our structure to use the phrase, however, to talk about turning point in a poem.

So, you probably guessed it.

It's now over to you.

I want you to write your own paragraph that explores the turning point in "The Birth-day." We've already given you some ideas on the previous slides.

And remember the turning point comes in the final stanza, where the poet moves from being critical to being mocking of the upper classes.

You can use this plan on your screen here.

Remember, firstly, you need to talk about the poem before the turning point.

What is the tone or the thought that is being introduced? Then you need to use a "However" sentence to tell me where the turning point is and how things change.

And number three, you need to explore the poem after the turning point in more detail.

I've given you some ideas to get you started for each stage of your paragraph.

This slide is also available as a downloadable results and worksheet if you wish to have that at your disposal.

So please post a video here and complete this task.

Thank you for all of your hard work during our study of Robinson's "The Birth-day." I hope you enjoyed looking at this poem with me.

Please don't forget to complete the end of lesson quiz and I'll see you next time.

Bye.