Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

I'm so glad you've decided to learn with me today.

We're in the unit, Myths, Legends and Stories that Inspire.

Today we're going to look at "The Lady of Shalott," a fantastic poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

We're going to use that as inspiration for our own writing after looking at some of the key symbols in this poem and the other ways that Alfred Lord Tennyson creates an atmosphere in his work.

I'm gonna be your support and guide as we work through today's lesson together.

I cannot wait to hear all of your fantastic ideas.

Let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, you're gonna be able to have created a powerful atmosphere in your creative writing through language choices and symbolism.

Now, you might be very used to thinking about your language choices in your writing, but maybe symbolism is a term that you haven't quite come across before, or you've analysed it but you haven't used it in your writing.

By the end of today's lesson, you are going to be able to use it in your own writing.

There are some key words which are gonna help us unlock our learning today, and they're gonna be referenced throughout today's lesson.

They are on the board now.

If you'd like to pause the video, spend a bit more time with them, maybe make a few notes, then please do so.

I'm just gonna draw attention to two of the words.

So the first one is symbolism.

Now that is one of our aims for today to use symbolism in our writing.

And it's when writers use something to represent intangible ideas.

Intangible ideas are something that you can't touch.

Something tangible is something that you can touch, like a table or your head, for example, but something intangible you cannot touch.

So for example, a rose could be used as a symbol for love.

A rose you can touch, but love you cannot touch.

So, a rose could be a symbol for love and that's quite a common symbol in literature.

The second word that I'm gonna draw your attention to is the word sombre.

That is how you pronounce that word, sombre, and it means serious or sad.

So as I say, if you'd like to pause the video and spend a bit more time with our keywords, please do.

But otherwise they will be referenced throughout today's lesson.

Our lesson outline for today, we're going to start off by thinking, "How does Tennyson create atmosphere in Part 4?" And then we are going to look at creating our own atmospheric writing.

So we're going to look at "The Lady of Shalott." We know it's divided into four parts.

We're gonna focus today just on Part 4, and we're gonna think, well, "How does Tennyson create atmosphere?" And then we're gonna apply that to our own writing.

So let's start off with, "How does Tennyson create atmosphere in Part 4? So symbolism is when writers use something tangible, something you can touch to represent intangible ideas.

Intangible is the opposite.

Something you cannot touch.

For example, in one of Shakespeare's tragedies, "Macbeth," the main character, Macbeth, feels extremely guilty after killing his king.

You can't touch guilt, it's intangible.

So Shakespeare has to think about a way to represent guilt on stage.

Shakespeare chooses blood to symbolise this character's guilt.

Blood is tangible, you can see it and you can touch it.

When Macbeth asks, if an ocean of water will clean this blood, sorry, will "wash this blood clean from my hand," Shakespeare is symbolising MacBeth's overwhelming feelings of guilt.

It is much more subtle than Shakespeare having him say, "I feel guilty, let me tell you about it." So this is an example of symbolism in one of Shakespeare's plays, one of his famous tragedies.

You might have seen it or heard about it.

And now you know that a key symbol in that play is blood symbolising Macbeth, the main character's guilt.

So in "The Lady of Shalott," Tennyson uses many symbols.

These symbols tell us something about the Lady of Shalott.

So they're there for us to interpret them.

They also create a distinctive atmosphere, and we're gonna think about that today 'cause it is our objective to use symbolism in our own writing to create atmosphere.

Today we're gonna focus on the symbolism and atmosphere created in Part 4 of the poem.

So the final part of the poem.

So I'd like us to reread the first stanza of Part 4.

Here the Lady of Shalott prepares to sail to Camelot, knowing she will die before she arrives.

And it says, "In the stormy east-wind straining The pale yellow woods were waning The broad stream in his banks complaining Heavily the low sky raining Over tower'd Camelot.

Outside the isle a shallow boat Beneath a willow lay afloat Below the carven stern she wrote "The Lady of Shalott." Now in Britain, the willow tree symbolises grief, death and abandoned partners.

So we can see that the Lady of Shalott, her boat is underneath a willow tree.

And as I say, in Britain, the willow tree symbolises grief, death and abandoned partners.

So I'd like you to discuss, "Why do you think Tennyson uses the symbol of the willow tree at this point in the poem?" Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back, well done for getting to grips with this symbol so early on.

So we know that in Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott," the Lady of Shalott dies.

So here we have this willow tree helping us understand that grief and death by preparing us for it and certainly symbolising the ideas of sadness that we will feel as the Lady of Shalott sails to Camelot, a journey during which we know she will pass away.

This idea of abandoned partners- Now, the Lady of Shalott has not been abandoned by Sir Lancelot, the male character in the poem who she sees out of the window.

But there is an idea that the Lady of Shalott is isolated, not connected, does not have a partner.

And so her idea of isolation is maybe pointed to here as well with this willow tree.

Now, I'd like you to discuss, it's not just this symbolism of the willow tree that create a sombre atmosphere in this stanza.

So the sombre atmosphere is created through this willow tree, which symbolises grief and death.

But there are lots of other things that Tennyson is doing, techniques that he's employing in order to create a sombre atmosphere in this poem.

So I'd like you to pause the video and discuss what else does Tennyson- "How else does Tennyson create a sombre atmosphere in this stanza?" Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Welcome back, a really lovely discussion there, showing off not just your knowledge of the poem and how Tennyson is creating this sombre atmosphere, but also some wonderful poetic techniques.

So some people drew attention to the pathetic fallacy in this stanza, the fact that we have a low sky and it is raining, so the weather is really, really bad, reflecting the sombre atmosphere.

What is actually happening in the poem, pathetic fallacy, one of our key words today.

So we've got the low sky raining, so we know that this is reflecting the sombre atmosphere in the stanza.

We've also got some rhyming words, which all seem to create this sombre atmosphere.

So rhyme often connects words in a stanza, in a piece of poetry.

And so looking at those connections can be a really, really useful way in.

So we've got the wind is straining, the pale yellow woods were waning, the banks are complaining, it's raining.

So all of these words creating this sombre atmosphere.

And then we've got tower'd Camelot and the reference after tower'd Camelot, a place where lots of people are altogether, a happy place, is then contrasted to the isle with the shallow boat where the Lady of Shalott is of course very isolated and preparing for her death.

So lots and lots of things we've got here.

The pathetic fallacy, the rhyme, the contrast in order to create this sombre atmosphere in stanza four.

Now let's have a look at the second stanza of Part 4.

And here Tennyson describes the Lady of Shalott and he says, "A cloudwhite crown of pearl she dight," she was wearing, "All raimented in snowy white." She was wearing snowy white.

"That loosely flew her zone in sight Clasp'd with one blinding diamond bright Her wide eyes fix'd on Camelot Though the squally east-wind keenly Blew, with folded arms serenely By the water stood the queenly Lady of Shalott." Now she's wearing a crown white pearl on her head.

And pearls symbolise purity and perfection because of their colour and shape, and they can also symbolise beauty and wisdom.

So I'd like you to discuss, "Why do you think Tennyson uses a symbol of the pearl at this point in the poem?" Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back again, really showing off your fantastic knowledge of what it means to use a symbol, something tangible in a poem, to represent intangible ideas.

So here we've got this crown of pearl.

It is representing something about the Lady of Shalott's character.

Tennyson seems to want us to think of her as completely pure, and yet she is going to her death.

And the idea that she is very beautiful, also conveyed in this stanza.

Now we've got not just the symbolism of the pearl white crown, but we've got two other symbols in this stanza.

So we've got her white dress, so she's wearing a white dress, "all raimented in snowy white," and we've also got her diamond brooch.

We know that the dress is clasped together "with one blinding diamond bright." Now I'd like you to discuss what could these items symbolise? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back, so a bit harder this time, you having to think, "Well, what could this symbolise? What could these two items symbolise?" So lots of people connecting the white dress to the fact that she's wearing a crown of pearls and the idea that this is meant to represent her purity, her innocence as she goes towards her death.

So increasing the sadness of this moment.

And the diamond broach perhaps symbolising how valuable she is.

So she's wearing this diamond.

A diamond is obviously worth a lot of money, but actually what it does is it convinces us of the worth, the valuableness, of the Lady of Shalott herself.

So you can see how in these first two stanzas of Part 4, we've got lots of symbols working together, lots of things that we can touch, that have a physical presence, and they are being used to represent big ideas about grief, about innocence, and about value.

Now let's read the fourth stanza of Part 4.

And here Tennyson compares the Lady of Shalott to a dying sailor and a swan.

And he writes, "As when two sailors while they roam By creeks and outfalls far from home Rising and dropping with the foam From dying swans wild warblings come" Warblings meaning a song.

"Blowing shorewood, so to Camelot Still as the boathead wound along The willowy hills and fields among They heard her chanting her deathsong The Lady of Shalott." Now I'd like you to discuss, "Why do you think Tennyson compares the Lady of Shalott to a sailor far from home?" So that's the beginning of the stanza, and then to a dying swan that is warbling, that is singing? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back, really nice exploration of the stanza and again the use of these comparisons.

So the methods that Tennyson is using to convey his ideas in his poem.

Let's start off with the sailor.

So we know of course, that the Lady of Shalott is in a boat and in this boat on her way to Camelot, she will pass away.

And so maybe the comparison to a sailor is the idea that lots of sailors die at sea.

We've also got sailors who are far from home, "sailors while they roam." So while they're far away from where they live, and we know the Lady of Shalott has left the tower where she was living.

So she herself is far from home, sailing to Camelot.

Camelot is not her home, her home is Shalott.

And then this idea of the dying swan.

So some people remembered the key word that we had at the beginning of the lesson, a swan song, which is sort of an idiom, which represents a final movement, a final experience before a person dies away.

And this comes from the idea that swans sing a song before they die.

So we've got the Lady of Shalott, we know that she is about to die and so, and we also know that she is singing.

So this comparison with a swan seems very apt, seems very appropriate at this moment.

So two comparisons here to help us understand the Lady of Shalott.

And again, just like those symbols, to increase the sadness that we might feel for this particular character in Part 4 of the poem.

A check for understanding, before we really apply ourselves to be thinking about all these symbols and methods that Tennyson is using to convey atmosphere in Part 4 of the poem.

Which of these statements is correct? Is it A, The diamond brooch could symbolise how rich the Lady of Shalott is.

B, The reference to a swan could symbolise how the Lady of Shalott is like a bird.

Or C, The willow tree could symbolise that the Lady of Shalott is about to die.

Pause the video and select your response now.

Well done if you selected C, absolutely the willow tree could symbolise that the Lady of Shalott is about to die.

So willow tree is tangible.

It is something that you can touch and it's representing these intangible ideas about grief and death.

Ideas that you cannot touch.

So our practise task.

The first thing I would like you to do is reread Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott," and you'll find this in the additional materials.

And the second thing I'd like you to do is populate the spider diagram with ideas to answer the question.

And you can see one example has been done for you.

So the question is, "How does Tennyson create a sombre and dramatic atmosphere in Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott?" So sombre meaning sad, quite depressing, quite bleak.

And so, "How does Tennyson create a sombre and dramatic atmosphere in Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott?" All the ideas that we've been discussing during this learning cycle are really gonna help you.

We've got one example.

So Part 4 opens with a vivid description of terrible weather, "stormy east-wind straining" and "low sky raining." And the pathetic fallacy emphasises the tragic nature of the death.

So here the student who's already put this idea down onto this spider diagram has used that key phrase there, the key word, pathetic fallacy.

So when the weather and the mood reflect each other.

So I'd like you to pause the video and complete these two tasks.

Enjoy the rereading of Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott." Always nice to return to a poem and see new ideas.

And then you're going to use the ideas that you've got from your reading and the ideas that we've discussed to populate that spider diagram.

So pause the video and complete these two tasks now.

Welcome back, so lovely to hear people rereading Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott." It's got such a fantastic rhyme and rhythm, it's always a pleasure to hear it being read.

And some beautiful spider diagrams in front of me with lots and lots of different ideas which answer this question.

Let's do some feedback.

So Alex has added two quotations to his spider diagram, but he hasn't explained them.

So Alex selected the "cloudwhite crown of pearl." So that was one of his quotations, a good quotation, but he does need to explain it.

And the second quotation he's got is, "A longdrawn carol, mournful, holy She chanted loudly, chanted lowly." So I'd like you to discuss, "What could Alex say about these quotations and how they create a sombre and dramatic atmosphere?" You might be able to look at your spider diagram.

These might be quotations that you selected.

If not, you'll be able to think about them now.

Pause the video and discuss this question.

"What could Alex say about these quotations about how they create a sombre and dramatic atmosphere?" Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back, well done for helping Alex out so carefully.

Here are some ideas that you might have had.

So for the "cloudwhite crown of pearl," the description of the Lady of Shalott with a "cloudwhite crown of pearl" suggesting her purity.

But despite this innocence, we know that she will die, which is very sad.

So connecting to this word sombre.

And then the second quotation, "A longdrawn carol, mournful, holy she chanted loudly, chanted lowly." It's as if the Lady of Shalott is singing a sombre tune at her own funeral.

So we've got something we can see.

So the description of what the Lady of Shalott is wearing, but also this soundscape as well.

All right, we've thought about how Tennyson creates atmosphere in Part 4 of his poem.

We're now gonna apply these techniques to our own writing.

We're gonna do some atmospheric writing ourselves.

So you're going to develop your own atmospheric writing, using Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott" as stimulus.

And you're gonna write two paragraphs capturing when the Lady of Shalott gets into the shallow boat, and the Lady of Shalott's journey towards Camelot.

So Laura looks at her spider diagram from Learning Cycle 1 and she says, "I'm gonna borrow some of the phrases Tennyson uses to describe the wind, like "stormy," "squally" and "keenly blue." So that's what she wants to borrow in her atmospheric writing.

"I'm gonna develop the description of the Lady of Shalott's "cloudwhite crown of pearl." I'll have it glint and glimmer in the rain." So she really likes that idea and she wants to develop it a bit further.

And finally, "I'm gonna add a bit of dialogue when the Lady of Shalott sees Camelot through the rain." So she's got three ideas there about how she's going to rely on Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott" and she's gonna develop some ideas, add some ideas and borrow some ideas.

Now I'd like you to look at your spider diagram and discuss, "What will you borrow, develop and add to describe the Lady of Shalott's final journey to Camelot?" Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back, some really lovely ideas there.

Some people say, "I'm gonna borrow the idea of the swan song." "I want to develop the description of what the Lady of Shalott is wearing." "I'm going to add further description of the weather.

He says it's raining, but I want to develop that much, much further to really push this idea of the pathetic fallacy." Some people saying, "I really want to rely on the symbol of the willow tree, an idea I haven't heard before and I want to see what I can do with that in my own writing." So lots of exciting ideas for this atmospheric writing.

Now here's the first sentence of Laura's atmospheric writing.

She wrote, "The squally wind was sharp against her cheek as she moved soundlessly towards the shallow boat beneath the drooping willow tree." And we can see that Laura has some key vocabulary from Tennyson, so "squally" and "shallow boat." And she's also got a key symbol from Tennyson because she has referenced the willow tree.

So really nice opening of Laura's atmospheric writing.

I'd like you to write your own first sentence, ensuring that it meets the checklist.

So using some key vocabulary from Tennyson and using a key symbol from Tennyson.

Pause the video and complete this task now.

Welcome back, some fantastically powerful first sentences.

Let's have a look and make sure they meet this checklist.

So I'd like you to read your sentence aloud.

It's such a great way to complete some really good editing.

Reading your work aloud often alerts you to things that you want to change in a way that just reading it in your head doesn't.

So when you can try and read your work aloud.

Now I'd like you to discuss after you've read your sentence, "How did you meet the checklist?" And, "What is your next step?" Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back, so lovely to hear some of those fantastically atmospheric sentences coming through and just saying, "Here I've met the checklist because I've included a symbol or this is the word that I have borrowed from Tennyson." And really all of you saying, "Well, my next step is to continue this paragraph to make sure that I'm talking about the Lady of Shalott as she gets into the shallow boat.

And then my next paragraph is going to be on her journey towards Camelot." So we are now going to write two paragraphs capturing, in the first one, "When the Lady of Shalott gets into the shallow boat." You've already started that.

You've got your first sentence, And in the second paragraph, "The Lady of Shalott's journey to towards Camelot." Now you can refer to Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott" as you write.

You should also of course rely on your spider diagram from Learning Cycle 1.

If you wish, you can use Laura's opening sentence, which is on the board.

I cannot wait to hear all of this fantastic atmospheric writing, not only because you've got those first sentences, but because of the richness of the discussion we had in Learning Cycle 1.

I know you understand what methods Tennyson has used to create atmosphere and therefore, methods that you can rely on too.

Pause the video, give this task the time that it deserves, and I will see you back here shortly.

Pause the video and complete the task now.

Welcome back, such a pleasure to see fantastic atmospheric writing in front of me.

All gave that the time that it deserves, really applying all your knowledge of the skills and methods that Tennyson used, to your own work.

Let's do some feedback.

So Laura reads her work aloud and reflects.

"I borrowed phrases Tennyson uses to describe the wind, like "stormy," "squally" and "keenly blue." I developed the description of the Lady of Shalott's crown, the tiny pearls glistened in the rain, tear shaped droplets cascading from them into the water." Lovely description there.

"And then I added some dialogue, having the Lady of Shalott murmur, "Oh, Camelot, I shall never see inside your walls." So all the things that Laura planned to do, she did manage to do in her writing, and we've got some fantastic examples there.

I'd like you to discuss.

Read your work aloud, again, as I said before, this is a really good way to capture all the great things that you've done in your work, but also to hear any of the things that you wish to change.

And I'd like you to discuss what did you borrow, develop and add when you described the Lady of Shalott's final journey to Camelot.

Pause the video and complete this discussion task now.

Welcome back, just as it was so lovely to hear you rereading Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott" in Learning Cycle 1, it was great to hear you now reading your own work and hearing all those ideas, the symbolism, the pathetic fallacy, some really beautiful word choice coming through.

And you should be really proud of the atmospheric writing that you have done today.

In summary, symbolism is when writers use something tangible to represent an intangible idea.

Tennyson's use of symbols is one way he creates a sombre atmosphere, particularly in Part 4 of "The Lady of Shalott." Key symbols in "The Lady of Shalott" include a willow tree to symbolise grief and a pearl to symbolise perfection.

Tennyson also relies on pathetic fallacy to create a sombre and dramatic atmosphere in Part 4 of the poem.

You can employ pathetic fallacy and symbolism in your own writing to create a distinctive atmosphere.

It has been such a pleasure to look at Part 4 of the poem with you today and of course to hear your fantastic atmospheric writing.

And I look forward to seeing you next time.