Hello, everyone.

My name is Dr.

Clayton, and I'm really excited to help guide you through your learning today.

Welcome to the ninth lesson in a World at War: Poetry unit.

Today, we're going to be analysing how Naidu utilises adjectives, similes, and structure in her poem, "The Gift of India" in order to present her feelings about Indian soldiers fighting for the British Empire in World War I.

The key words that we'll be using in our learning today are, alien, hollow, fragility, inevitable, and doom.

If you can, try to use these words in your discussions and written work today.

We have three learning cycles in our lesson today.

For the first learning cycle, we're going to be exploring how Naidu uses evocative adjectives in order to present the human suffering of the soldiers and to consider at what cost victory came.

Secondly, we're going to look at Naidu's use of similes to present the soldiers.

We're going to zoom in on each of the similes in detail and consider what the connotations of them are in relation to the soldiers, and the reader's interpretation of them.

Finally, the structural devices that we're going to look at in our third learning cycle are rhyming couplets and the positioning of certain words within the poem in order to affect the reader's interpretation of the Indian soldiers fighting for the British Empire.

We're going to start by considering why writers might use adjectives in their texts.

Remember that a text is a construct, so there's a conscious choice behind every word.

Writers use adjectives because they want to evoke particular connotations, and by that, I mean emotions or feelings, to the reader.

Through the "The Gift of India," Naidu uses evocative adjectives to make the reader feel a particular way about the idea of Indian soldiers fighting for Britain.

Keep in mind as we're looking through these adjectives that Naidu protested against the British rule of India, as this will help contextualise the emotions for you.

I've chosen three quotations for us to look at today that are particularly evocative adjectives.

The first quote that we're going to look at is, "On the blood-brown meadows of Flanders and France." I'd like you to discuss the following questions in order to explore the connotations of the use of blood-brown to describe the meadows.

Firstly, what are the connotations of blood, so what feelings or emotions do we generally associate with blood? Secondly, why do you think Naidu uses the word blood? What might she be trying to suggest about these meadows by describing their colour as blood? And finally, why might the meadows specifically be blood-brown? Think about the colour of blood.

What's the difference between fresh blood and old blood? Why might that be important? Pause the video, and take a few minutes to consider your ideas.

Amazing work, everyone.

I particularly liked the ideas I heard about how the use of blood might be a conscious choice from Naidu that links back to her protests against the rule of the British Empire.

In terms of the connotations of blood, we generally associate the word blood with pain or injury.

Secondly, you might have said that Naidu uses the word blood in order to emphasise the amount of death and suffering.

She wants the reader to understand that the soldiers suffered pain and injuries while fighting for Britain.

Finally, you might have considered that brown blood is older blood, so she could be suggesting that more and more soldiers keep dying and adding their blood to the fields.

Our second quote is, "Gathered like pearls in their alien graves." Now I'd like you to focus in on the description of the soldiers' graves as alien and consider the following two questions.

Firstly, what are the connotations of alien? What does it mean to describe something as alien? Secondly, why do you think Naidu describes the graves as alien? What might she be trying to say about where the soldiers' bodies lie, and potentially, how were they treated while fighting for Britain? Pause the video, and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

I particularly liked the ideas around how alien is a particularly loaded adjective because it implies that something isn't human.

In terms of the connotations of alien, you might have said that if something is called alien, it generally suggests or denotes something strange, different, or something that doesn't belong.

Potentially, Naidu may be suggesting the soldiers' bodies do not belong there, they're in an unfamiliar place and should be buried at home.

This might be a particularly distressing image for those whose loved ones' bodies were never found.

Furthermore, Naidu might be suggesting that perhaps there's a sense that the soldiers themselves were seen as alien, and therefore different.

Our third and final quote for this learning cycle is, "Of the torn red banners of victory?" We're going to zoom in on the adjectives red and torn to describe the victory banners.

Firstly, what are the connotations of torn? What does it mean if something is torn? Secondly, what are the connotations of red? Now, red can have a couple of different connotations, so remember to think about it in the context of this as a poem about war.

Finally, why might Naidu be describing the victory banner as torn and red? What might she be trying to say about the nature of victory of the British empire? Pause the video, and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

I particularly liked the discussions around how we would normally expect victory banners to be described in positive, glorious terms, and therefore, Naidu is implying that the victory was not glorious.

For the connotations of torn, you might have considered that if something is torn, then it's ripped and considered ruined.

Now, while red can have connotations of passion and love, in the context of a war poem, it's more likely to have connotations of pain or blood.

Finally, you might have considered that Naidu is suggesting that the victory of the allies was ruined by the amount of pain and suffering that it's been bought with; it's a hollow victory because it came at too high a cost.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is match the adjective with the most appropriate connotation.

Pause the video, and take a few minutes to select your answers.

The correct answers are that blood generally denotes pain or injury, alien suggests something that doesn't belong, and torn implies something ripped or ruined, so very well done if you selected those answers.

You're all doing really well, everyone.

We're now onto our first task of the lesson.

What I'd like you to do is take our discussions around the adjectives and formalise them by completing the table to show our analysis of the adjective.

So how might we analyse the use of blood-brown to describe the meadows? How might we analyse the use of alien to describe the Indian soldiers' graves? And finally, how might we describe the use of torn and red to describe the victory banner? Pause the video, and take a few minutes to formalise your responses.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said that by describing the meadows as blood-brown, Naidu is emphasising that the fields of battle are now soaked with both new and old blood, which shows the amount of pain and suffering that the soldiers are enduring.

Secondly, the use of alien may be suggesting that the soldiers' bodies do not belong where they currently lie, they're in an unfamiliar place, far from home.

Finally, you might have said that the use of torn and red to describe the victory banner potentially suggests that victory is hollow because of how many soldiers' lives have been sacrificed to achieve it.

You're all doing really well, everyone.

We're now onto our second learning cycle of the day, where we're going to zoom in on Naidu's use of similes and consider the connotations of each of them in relation to the Indian soldiers.

Firstly, let's just clarify what we mean by a simile.

A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind.

Similes are generally understood to make a description more evocative or vivid, but beyond the actual word choices, you might consider the idea that if there are a lot of similes within a text, then the writer might be suggesting there is something unfamiliar about the subject matter, since the writer feels it necessary to add in a lot of comparisons to help the reader understand the text.

As with our analysis of the objectives, I've chosen three quotations that we're going to zoom in on and consider the connotations of.

The first is, "Gathered like pearls in their alien graves." Here, Naidu is saying that the soldiers are like pearls, so the first question I'd like you to consider is what are the connotations of pearl? What do we generally think of when we hear the word pearl? Secondly, why might Naidu describe the soldiers as pearls? What is she trying to make the reader associate with the soldiers through the comparison? And finally, what does being gathered suggest about the soldiers? Think about where pearls come from and how this might relate to the Indian soldiers.

Pause the video, and take a few minutes to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

I particularly liked the discussions around how we generally think of pearls as part of jewellery, and therefore, we might consider that pearls are thought of as valuable.

You might also have said that pearls are considered symbolic of wisdom and purity.

Secondly, you might have said that Naidu chose to compare the soldiers to pearls to show that the soldiers are not only precious, but also to perhaps imply their moral value through the associations of wisdom and purity.

Finally, pearls are gathered from oysters in the ocean.

Therefore, we might say they've been taken from their natural environment to be sold, which potentially evokes how the Indian soldiers have been taken from their natural environment, their home in India, to fight in a war that benefits the British Empire.

The second quotation that we're going to look at is, "Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands." Firstly, I'd like you to think about the connotations of shells.

What might we associate with them? Remember that this is a poem about war when you're thinking about the connotations Secondly, why might Naidu describe the soldiers as shells? What might she be saying about them? And finally, what does being scattered suggest about the soldiers' bodies? Think about how you might feel about something if you scatter it around.

Pause the video, and take a few minutes to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

I particularly liked how people were saying you might associate a shell with the seaside, but that evokes happy memories that potentially aren't likely connotations for a war poem.

You might instead have considered that shells are easily broken, and therefore, they might connotate fragility.

You might also have considered the phrase, a shell of who they used to be, suggesting that someone is now a shadow of their former self, and therefore, we might also associate a shell with emptiness.

Naidu may have described the soldiers as shells in order to emphasise the fragility of the soldiers.

It may evoke to the reader just how the war may have damaged their bodies.

The reader may also consider that the comparison to shells implies the soldiers are now empty husks because of how emotionally and mentally damaging the war has been.

Finally, if you scatter things, it suggests that you don't care about them.

Therefore, the idea of the soldiers' bodies being scattered may suggest they've been treated carelessly, since when we scatter something, we tend to mean it's been broken up and strewn about randomly.

It may also emphasise how the soldiers' bodies and are lost to their loved ones.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now onto our final quotation of this learning cycle, "They are strewn like blossoms mown down by chance." Zooming in on the comparison of the soldiers to blossoms, our first question is what are the connotations of blossoms? What does that word make you think of? Secondly, why might Naidu describe the soldiers as blossoms? And finally, what does the word strewn suggest about the soldiers' bodies? Pause the video, and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

I heard some great ideas there.

I particularly liked the ideas around the connection between all three similes since they're all natural objects, and potentially, how Naidu might be using this to signify the purity and innocence of the soldiers.

Thinking about the word blossoms, specifically, you might have said the word blossoms suggests flowers, but particularly new flowers, and therefore are also associated with ideas of youth.

Then you might have considered the idea that Naidu might have been emphasising just how young the soldiers were, and therefore, create sympathy between the reader and the soldiers.

Finally, strewn means to spread things out untidily, which may reinforce the idea of the soldiers' bodies being treated carelessly that we already thought from the word scattered.

Conceptually, it may also imply there is no order and peace to the soldiers' souls in their final resting place, since it is untidy and disordered, rather than peaceful.

Now it's time for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is match the simile with the most valid analysis.

When I say valid, what I mean is the most appropriate, given that the poem is a poem about war.

So the similes you have are like pearls, like shells, and like blossoms, and the analyses you have to pick from are, could indicate the soldiers' youth, could indicate the fragility of the soldiers, and could indicate the value of the soldiers.

Pause the video, and make your selection now.

Amazing work, everyone.

The answers are, the like pearls could indicate the value of the soldiers, like shells could indicate the fragility of the soldiers, and like blossoms could indicate the soldiers' youth, so very well done if you selected those answers.

You're all doing really well, everyone.

We're now onto our second task of the lesson.

What I'd like you to do is take the ideas that we've had in discussions around Naidu's use of similes and formalise them into a response to the question, why do you think Nadu chose to use these similes in "The Gift of India"? You might use the following questions to help you in your response.

Firstly, what do the comparisons, so pearls, shells, and blossoms, suggest about the soldiers? Secondly, you wouldn't expect to find a pearl, a shell, or a blossom on a battlefield, so what might Naidu be suggesting about the soldiers by choosing these comparative images? Pause the video, and take a few minutes to formalise your response.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said that the specific comparisons that Naidu chose, pearl, shell, and blossom, not only suggest the beauty and value of the soldiers, but it also emphasises their fragility to remind the reader of the devastating nature of war.

You might also have said that since we wouldn't expect to find a pearl, a shell, or a blossom on the battlefield, Naidu may be suggesting that the soldiers do not belong on the battlefield and are out of their natural environments.

You're all doing amazingly well.

We're now onto our final learning cycle, where we're going to think about rhyming couplets and Naidu's choice of word placement.

A rhyming couplet is a pair of lines that rhyme.

"The Gift of India" is written in rhyming couplets, as every pair of lines rhyme.

I often find that students find it hard to know what to say about rhyme schemes, so here is one analogy for you.

A rhyming couplet is like you are drawing cards from a deck and every pair of cards are the same.

How might that make you feel if you know what card is going to come next? Pause the video, and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, I heard some great ideas there.

You might have thought that the act of knowing what card will come next might make the drawing of cards seem predictable.

Thinking about the poem, how might we apply this feeling of predictability to "The Gift of India"? What might Naidu be saying is predictable? Pause the video, and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, I heard some great ideas there.

I particularly liked the ideas about how it might reference the predictability of war in general, and how we might say that conflict between countries is predictable.

Thinking about the predictability of the rhyme in "The Gift of India," Naidu might be suggesting the death of the soldiers at war is inevitable.

They were always going to end up fighting and dying for Britain.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

Which two things might Naidu be suggesting were inevitable through the rhyme scheme? So A, the deaths of the soldiers, B, that Britain would win the war, C, that the soldiers would fight for Britain, or D, that the soldiers would be forgotten.

Pause the video, and make your selection.

The correct answers are A, the deaths of the soldiers, and C, that the soldiers would fight for Britain, so very well done if you selected those two.

We're now moving on to our second structural device.

The choice of words to appear at certain moments in a poem is a powerful structural device designed to create certain responses from the reader.

This is particularly useful to think about when you're analysing unseen poetry as you can think about what the first word of a poem is and what the final word of a poem is.

How does the writer want to introduce the text to you, and what is the lasting impression they want to leave you with? For "The Gift of India," the final word of the first stanza is doom.

Why might Naidu have chosen to use this word here? Remember that doom means death, destruction, or some other terrible fate.

Pause the video, and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing, I heard some wonderful ideas there.

You might have said that to end the first stanza on doom could suggest that the deaths of the soldiers was inevitable; moreover, to place the idea of death and destruction in the mind of the reader so soon after introducing the soldiers could allude to the fact that many of the soldiers were young and would die relatively early after their introduction to the world.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

Is it true or false that the placement of the word doom gives the impression of inevitable death? Pause the video, and make your selection.

The correct answer is True.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer by suggesting which of the following statements is true for "The Gift of India." Is it A, the placement of doom implies the deaths of the soldiers was inevitable, or B, the placement of doom suggests that war itself is inevitable? Pause the video, and make your selection.

The correct answer is A, the placement of doom implies the deaths of the soldiers was inevitable, so very well done if you selected that answer.

You're doing amazingly well, everyone.

We're now onto our final task of the lesson.

What I'd like you to do is take the discussions we've just had around the placement of doom and consider the placement of the word sons.

So why do you think Naidu chose to end the poem on the word sons? You might consider the following two questions to help you with your response.

Firstly, what final thoughts or emotions does the word sons leave the reader with? Secondly, do you think your impression of the poem would be different if Naidu had ended the poem on the word soldiers, instead? Pause the video, and take a few minutes to form your response.

Really well done, everyone.

You might have said that to end on the word sons leaves the reader thinking about the humanity of the soldiers.

Their final impression is that these men were someone's son rather than simply soldiers serving a purpose.

Secondly, you might have said that if the poem ended on soldiers instead of sons, then the reader would be more likely to think about war in more general terms rather than thinking about the deaths of individual soldiers and what those deaths meant to their loved ones.

You all did amazingly well today.

Here's a summary of what we covered today.

We considered that the use of adjectives in the poem suggest that victory was hollow because of how much pain and suffering it caused.

We discussed how the use of simile suggests not only the value of the soldiers but also that they weren't meant to be on the battlefield.

And finally, we talked about how the structure of the poem suggests the inevitable nature of the soldiers' deaths.

I really enjoyed analysing the poem with you today, and I hope to see you for our next lesson on writing a comparative essay.

Goodbye, everyone.