Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

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

Today we're in the unit single poet study, Maya Angelou.

Today we are going to be looking at Maya Angelou's use of figurative language across two poems. So first things first, we need to get a copy of these two poems. We're gonna look at "Equality." It was published in 1990 by Penguin Random House.

And we're also gonna look at "Phenomenal Woman," which was published in 1978, also by Penguin Random House.

I'd like you to pause the video and go and get a copy of both of these poems, "Phenomenal Woman" and "Equality." Pause the video and I'll see you back here shortly.

Welcome back.

Now we have a copy of those two poems. We are ready to get started with this lesson.

I cannot wait to look at Maya Angelou's use of figurative language across both of these poems and hear some of your ideas about what you think the effect of this figurative language is.

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

Let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, you are going to be able to explore and evaluate Angelou's use of figurative language across two poems. So we're gonna get to grips with what this phrase means, figurative language, and then we're gonna look at it in two of Angelou's poems. Now, comparison can often be a really, really useful way in order to explore a text because rather than just looking at one text and saying, "I'm trying to understand what's important to it, or how a particular idea is expressed," it can be good to compare it to another text and say, "Ah, I can see that the language here is more powerful." Or, "I can see that the idea is less significant in this poem than it is in the other poem," or whatever text it is that you're studying.

So comparison, for me, is often a really helpful way for me to understand texts more deeply, and we're going to do that in today's lesson.

So getting to grips with figurative language itself, and then looking at figurative language across two of Angelou's poems. There are some keywords which are gonna help us unlock our learning today.

They're gonna help us achieve our objective.

I am going to go through two of them.

So literal, the first one, which means factual or exact.

So, "I walked across the road quickly," would be a literal statement.

It's factual, it's exact.

It's explaining how I walked across the road.

Figurative language.

Figurative language you find often in poetry.

It's non-literal words and phrases which develop a writer's meaning so rather than saying, "I walked across the road quickly," I might say, "I flew across the road." Now that verb flew, I didn't actually fly.

It is not literal, but it expresses the idea that I moved very, very quickly, so quickly that my feet almost didn't touch the ground.

So that's an example of figurative language, non-literal words and phrases.

Now we're gonna focus on this idea of figurative language, how poets do it and why they might do it and so we're going to explore this in much more depth in our first Learning Cycle and in our second Learning Cycle too, where we look at figurative language across two poems. Now, if you'd like to pause the video, spend a little bit more time with these keywords, make any notes, then please do.

But otherwise, they're going to come up in today's lesson and we will keep discussing them and understanding them further.

Our lesson outline for today.

First of all, we're gonna look at figurative language in "Equality," so that will be the first poem that we look at of Maya Angelou's.

And we'll get to grips with this phrase, figurative language, and then in the second Learning Cycle, we will compare figurative language across two poems. And we're gonna look at "Equality" and "Phenomenal Woman." Let's start off with figurative language in "Equality." So pupils reread "Equality" and discuss what they think it is about.

Jacob says, "This poem is about the oppression the Black community has faced, particularly women." So oppression meaning unfair, unjust treatment of an individual or a group.

And we can certainly see that the speaker definitely explores the oppression, the negative stereotyping and discrimination that the Black community has faced and particularly women.

Aisha says, "This poem is about the determination of those who are oppressed not to be silenced." So Aisha also using that keyword, the idea of being treated unfairly, that oppression.

But she's saying it's "about the determination of those who've been oppressed not to be silenced." So the speaker is resilient, she's assertive, and she's saying she's demanding equality and making other demands of her oppressors too.

Alex says, "This poem is about the tactics some people use to maintain an unequal society." So there Alex, exploring more ideas about the fact that the speaker says those who have oppressed her are not seeing her properly, are not listening to her properly, are choosing, are willfully choosing to ignore what she is like, and that maintains the oppression of her race and of her gender.

Now I'd like you to reread "Equality," and I'd like you to discuss, which idea do you agree with most and why? So reread the poem, enjoy rereading the poem.

It's always nice to return a poem.

You always see new things as well as recognising ideas that are familiar to you.

And then discuss, which idea do you agree with most and why? Pause the video.

Complete these two tasks now.

Welcome back.

Lovely to hear people rereading "Equality." It's such a powerful poem.

Lots of people choosing to read it aloud, to really hear the beauty, the rhythm, the rhyme in this poem, the powerful, assertive speaker's voice.

And then a real split about which idea people agreed with most and why.

All of these ideas are present within the poem.

That's why I love this poem so much.

It's so rich.

There are so many different things that are going on, but we also have that simplicity of the message that Angelou is saying.

She demands equality, and why does she want that equality? It's because that equality will equate to freedom, something that each person deserves.

Now, like many of Angelou's poems, "Equality" relies on figurative language so it's not just "Equality" that uses figurative language.

Actually, if you read any of Angelou's poems, you'll see that figurative language features very heavily.

Now, figurative language is not literal.

So it's not factual and it's not exact.

It's often not realistic.

So an example of figurative language would be exaggeration.

That would be one example of it not being realistic.

And it develops a complicated idea.

That's why poets rely on it.

Poems are often short, and they pack a punch in each of their words so each word develops this complicated idea.

So let's have a look at an example 'cause it will help us understand this phrase, figurative language, in a bit more detail.

So for example, the speaker in "Equality" is not actually marching in stanza four.

So she's not literally marching as she says in this poem.

It's not a realistic representation of what she is doing, but it develops this complicated idea because we start to consider what it means to march and what the figurative language suggests.

What it suggests here is that the speaker maybe feels like a soldier fighting a battle against oppression because marching is a verb that we normally relate to soldiers.

Now, battles have casualties.

So the fight for "Equality" isn't easy or without pain.

So by Angelou selecting this verb, which is an example of figurative language, it's not literal, it's not what the speaker is actually doing, actually, all of these complex ideas come up.

So one word manages to convey all of these really complex ideas.

So you can see why poets really like to rely on figurative language because it really develops these complicated ideas.

And that's why poems are often so rich, why we return to them over and over again and see all of these different ideas.

Let's look at another example.

So in stanza four, the speaker says she feels like a shadow.

Now, the speaker is not literally a shadow.

The figurative language means we consider what it might mean to be a shadow and what Angelou is trying to express.

So I'd like you to discuss, what does this suggest about the speaker? The fact that she says she feels like a shadow.

Consider how she feels and how others treat her.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

A really beautiful discussion showing you're really getting to grips with this idea of a figurative language, and a really good exploration of, what does it mean to be a shadow? So what is this suggesting about the speaker? Now, you might have had, "The speaker feels like she's not considered a real person, just an outline." A shadow is not a person.

It is the outline of a person.

Those who oppress her.

So that keyword, again, those who treat her unfairly don't see her true character.

They just see a dull shape.

Now, this is a real theme throughout this poem, the idea that the speaker is not being seen properly, but instead those who oppress her are just saying generalisations about what she is like and using those to continue this unequal treatment.

And then finally, the speaker doesn't have rights or equal status to a person, just like a shadow.

So a shadow does not have rights within a society.

And she's saying, "Well, therefore that's what I feel like and therefore I don't feel I have the rights that I deserve in this society." So again, just one word, but really this figurative language develops a very, very complicated idea.

Now check for understanding before we move on to thinking, "I want to explore a bit more of the figurative language in Equality' myself." So which of these descriptions of the speaker in "Equality" are figurative? We've got A, the speaker references the past and history in stanza four.

B, the speaker beats drums to signal her demand for equality, stanza one.

C, the speaker is accused of flying between different partners, stanza three.

D, the speaker feels like she's a shadow in the eyes of those who oppress her, stanza three.

Pause the video and select which of these descriptions of the speaker in "Equality" are figurative.

Pause the video and complete the check now.

Well done if you selected B, C, and D.

So we've got three examples here of figurative language.

The speaker's not literally beating a drum.

She is not literally flying between different partners, and she is not literally a shadow.

But all of these words really help us to understand how the speaker is feeling or how the speaker is being treated.

So you can see we've got three examples here that "Equality" really, really relies on figurative language to convey some of its main messages.

So here is one example of figurative language from "Equality." Maybe one of the most important examples because it comes up a number of times.

The idea that the speaker beats drums demanding "Equality." Now I would like you to bullet point two to three ideas about what the figurative language suggests about the speaker.

And then you can see that we've got another column which is blank.

I'd like you to select one further example of figurative language and bullet point two to three ideas about what the figurative language suggests.

So give this task the time that it deserves.

Really show off your knowledge of figurative language and why a poet might choose to rely on figurative language here in this case.

We're gonna really focus on Angelou's use of figurative language on "Equality." I'm really looking forward all of your different ideas about how Angelou conveys what Angelou conveys through this figurative language.

Pause the video and complete this task now.

Welcome back.

Really, really nice to see people so focused and thinking hard about figurative language and thinking, "Well, if the speaker is not literally beating drums, what is being suggested?" And then selecting your own example.

Let's do a bit of feedback.

So here is Jacob's table.

Now, he's got that first description of the speaker beating drums in stanza two, demanding equality, and he's got one idea.

He says, "The beat of a drum keeps time in a song and the other instruments have to listen to it, just as we have to listen to the speaker." So a really nice idea there about the idea of these drums. And then he selected, "The speaker says she stands boldly in front of her oppressors." So the speaker is determined to face those who try to limit her freedoms. So really, really nice ideas there about this figurative language, but I think you could help Jacob get a little bit further.

So I'd like you to discuss one additional idea to help Jacob develop his exploration of each piece of figurative language.

So he does have one really good idea for each, but let's see if we can add another.

Pause the video and discuss how you could support Jacob develop his exploration of figurative language now.

Welcome back.

Such a careful discussion there and really supportive of Jacob.

Agree that he's got these great ideas, but how could we push them further? Let's start off with the drums. So lots of people said, "I actually connect drums to the idea of war," just like that verb marching that we looked at earlier in this Learning Cycle.

So the idea that the speaker is going forward, is sort of warlike in some ways, beating a drum to warn her oppressors that she is coming and beating it to say, "We are in a battle, that actually the fight for equality is just that.

It has to be a fight because you have denied me these freedoms, and I'm not going to just let you do this.

I'm going to react against some of this oppression." So the idea of drums, I think, definitely brings the idea or could connect to the idea of war.

And then this idea of the speaker says she boldly stands in front of her oppressors as the speaker is determined to face those.

And I really like this idea.

I mean, I feel like I can almost see the speaker in this poem, particularly when I say the poem aloud, that she is unafraid, she is not scared, and she's facing them.

She's facing those who try and oppress her.

So we get this idea that no, she's not hiding away.

She will not be treated like a shadow.

And even though those who oppress her determine not to see her properly, she's looking at them straight in the eye and prepared to face them and to demand the equality that she deserves.

So some really, really nice ideas to help Jacob develop his table.

Okay, we have looked at figurative language in "Equality." A lovely exploration there.

We're gonna push ourselves a little bit now.

We're gonna compare figurative language across two poems. So Angelou uses figurative language in many of her poems. For example, "Phenomenal Woman," published in 1978 for the first time, also sees a speaker describe herself using figurative language.

Now Jacob rereads the poem.

So he rereads "Phenomenal Woman" and finds an example of figurative language.

So, "The speaker says, her feet are filled with 'joy' in stanza two." Absolutely.

This an example of figurative language.

This is not literal.

Her feet are not literally filled with joy.

It is figurative so we start to think, "Oh, well, what is this saying about this speaker?" Now, the first thing I'd like you to do is reread "Phenomenal Woman" and discuss what other examples of figurative language can you find.

So really enjoy the rereading of "Phenomenal Woman," It's such an inspiring, uplifting poem.

I absolutely love reading it.

If you can read it aloud, then I would really suggest doing that, and then discuss what other examples of figurative language can you find.

So all the ideas about figurative language that we looked at in Learning Cycle one are really gonna help you with this task.

Pause the video and complete these two tasks now.

Welcome back.

Lovely to hear you reading "Phenomenal Woman." That rhythm, that rhyme, that beat really comes through, all the beautiful language that Angelou uses, and well done for being able to identify lots and lots of the figurative language that is used to describe the speaker.

Like Jacob, you might have had, "Her eyes are filled with 'fire.

'" This is in stanza two.

This is an example of figurative language, not literal.

Your eyes cannot actually be filled with fire.

So what is this suggesting about the speaker? Her teeth "flash" in stanza two.

So again, the use of that verb.

So Angelou, really a master of using these choice verbs that really express something about the speaker.

Her smile is like the "Sun," stanza four.

So similarly, is an example of figurative language.

So what does this express about the speaker because her smile is not actually the Sun? And finally, men "swarm" around her in the stanza two.

So again, as I talked about that Angelou is a really, really, she always picks verbs really, really carefully.

So this idea of swarm, which we often connect with the idea of insects, particularly bees, and what does this suggest not only about the men who swarm around her, but also about the speaker herself? So couple of examples there of the figurative language that you might have found when you reread "Phenomenal Woman." Now Jacob wants to compare Angelou's use of figurative language in "Equality" and "Phenomenal Woman." Comparing one text to another can often help us evaluate them more clearly.

And using evaluative words like more or less in your response can be really helpful.

Now, when I was first learning to compare texts, whether that be poems or novels or plays, I really found these words, more or less, which are quite simple words in some ways, incredibly helpful, and rather than thinking of something much, much more complicated, I just thought, "I'm just gonna think, 'Which one is more this particular thing? Which one is less this particular thing?'" And it can really help you sort out your thinking.

Now we're gonna look at some examples from Jacob and go through some examples together so that you can see how these words can be particularly helpful to you.

So Jacob starts by comparing these two examples.

So in "Phenomenal Woman," we've got, "The speaker says her smile is like the Sun." That's in stanza two.

And in "Equality," "The speaker says she stands boldly before her oppressors" in stanza three.

And Jacob says, "In 'Phenomenal Woman,' Angelou's description of the speaker seems more positive because the Sun is connected to light and warmth.

By contrast, the speaker in 'Equality' seems more determined.

Angelou uses the figurative language to express the speaker's strength and fearlessness." So you can see that Jacob is reliant both those times on the word more, so it's more positive, and absolutely he's then explored the figurative language a bit as Sun is connected to light and warmth, and then in "Equality," more determined.

So you can see how those words really, really helped him to explore the ideas in both of these poems. You might disagree with Jacob's interpretation.

That is absolutely fine.

You might think, "Actually, I think that I would want to explore the idea of the power of the Sun, and actually I would say that that is more powerful than this idea of a person standing boldly." But the point is about using these words more or less in order to help you explore and compare and come up with your own interpretation.

So let's do a check.

We are going to think about these two examples, one from From "Phenomenal Woman" where the speaker says her teeth "flash." This is stanza two.

And one from "Equality," the speaker says she's treated like a "shadow," stanza three.

Now Jacob wants to compare these two examples.

So I'd like you to discuss what more or less statements could you make about these two examples? And I've got some sentence starters on the board to help you.

So in "Phenomenal Woman," Angelou's description of the speaker seems more, less because.

By contrast, the speaker in "Equality" seems more, less.

And then Angelou uses figurative language to express.

So just as Jacob explored those two previous examples, so the idea of the Sun and the idea of standing boldly before someone, you're gonna do the same thing with these two examples that Jacob's picked out, the idea of the teeth flashing and then the idea that the speaker is treated like a shadow.

And just relying on this word more or less in order to guide you through this comparison.

Pause the video and complete this check, completing this discussion task now.

Welcome back.

A really lovely discussion there.

You are evaluating the figurative language across these two poems simply by using these words, more or less.

So you might have had, so you might have had, you might have explored lots of different ideas, but you might have had Angelou's description of the speaker seems more positive in "Phenomenal Woman" because a flash is a bright burst of light.

By contrast, the speaker in "Equality" seems more negative.

Angelou uses figurative language to express that she's not seen properly or clearly.

So exploring this idea of the shadow that we looked at in Learning Cycle one.

So you can see here that this pupil has used this word more in order to think about the idea of being more positive and then the idea in "Equality" being more negative.

You could also have said the idea the speaker in "Equality" seems less positive and then explored the figurative language in that way.

Now, you might have different interpretations of the figurative language.

That is absolutely fine.

The point is that you're using these words more or less to aid you with your comparison.

So our final practise task for today.

I'd like you to write two more or less statements comparing these examples of figurative language.

So from "Phenomenal Woman," we've got the speaker's feet.

They're described as being filled with joy.

And "Equality," we've got the idea that the speaker marches forward for equality.

So we've got these sentence starters that we've been relying on throughout this Learning Cycle in order to help us.

So in "Phenomenal Woman," Angelou's description of the speaker seems more, less because.

By contrast, the speaker in "Equality" seems more, less.

Angelou uses figurative language to express.

Now, you might want to change a few of the words or the phrasing here.

That's absolutely fine.

The focus is to use these words more or less in order to compare the figurative language across both of these poems. Pause the video, give this task the time that it deserves to really show off not just your knowledge of figurative language, but your ability to compare as well.

I will see you back here shortly.

Pause the video and complete this written task now.

Welcome back.

Well done for giving that task the time that it deserves.

It was lovely to see that all the discussions we've had from the very beginning of this lesson come into fruition when you were doing this writing task.

So not just being able to compare, but actually to do a bit of exploration of the figurative language and think, "Why has Angelou not used literal language here?" But what do the individual words and phrases, what complicated idea do they develop? Let's do a little bit of feedback.

So Jacob uses his more or less statements from across the Learning Cycle to consider which example of figurative language he finds the most powerful.

So again, this is an example of evaluation, and Jacob's personal response where he thinks, "We've had lots of discussions about different examples of figurative language.

Now which one do I find the most powerful?" He says, "For me, the most powerful example of figurative language is the description of the speaker 'marching' in 'Equality.

' Through this one verb, Angelou manages to convey the power and purpose of the speaker, as well as the danger that those who fight for equality face." So he's got this personal response.

He is saying, "For me, this is the most powerful example." It's not the right answer.

It is his interpretation.

It is his connection to this particular piece of figurative language.

And we've got this little exploration there as well where Jacob is saying, "Well, the reason to me 'marching' is so powerful is because it conveys power, purpose, and danger." Now I'd like you to discuss, which example of figurative language do you find the most powerful and why? It could be from "Phenomenal Woman." It could be from "Equality." Some sentence starters there to guide your discussion.

So for me, the most powerful example of figurative language is, and then you are going to tell me what Angelou is managing to convey through this example.

And you're gonna try and come up with more than one idea because we know figurative language explores a complicated idea so give that piece that you selected, the piece of figurative language you've selected, give it a bit of time so that you can explore the multiple ideas that are in that piece of figurative language.

So pause the video and discuss this question.

Which example of figurative language do you find most powerful and why? Pause the video now.

Welcome back.

Such a lovely discussion.

Always great to hear that personal response to those connections to the poem.

Some people selecting from "Phenomenal Woman" and looking at some of the really positive figurative language that the speaker uses to convey their assertive feelings, their confidence, their self-esteem.

And then others looking at some of the more warlike imagery from "Equality" and some of the frustration and power expressed through that speaker.

In summary, figurative language sees writers use non-literal words and phrases to develop complex ideas about something or someone.

Maya Angelou uses figurative language in "Equality" to develop complex ideas about the speaker and society.

Angelou uses figurative language in many of her poems. When comparing poems, using words like more or less can be helpful.

It has been such a pleasure to look at "Equality" and "Phenomenal Woman" with you today, and I look forward to seeing you next time.