New
New
Year 11
AQA
Understanding connections in Antrobus' 'With Birds You're Never Lonely'
I can understand how Antrobus presents the contrast between the natural and urban world in ‘With Birds You’re Never Lonely’.
New
New
Year 11
AQA
Understanding connections in Antrobus' 'With Birds You're Never Lonely'
I can understand how Antrobus presents the contrast between the natural and urban world in ‘With Birds You’re Never Lonely’.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The title implies that Antrobus’ intention is to encourage the reader to forge a connection with nature.
- Arguably, the modern, urban world is presented as isolating.
- In contrast, we might see nature as being full of life and connections.
- Antrobus is a d/Deaf poet and the use of sound implies that silence can be enriching in certain circumstances.
- Antrobus often explores themes of communication, connection, and cultural inheritance.
Keywords
Aural - relating to the ear or the sense of hearing
Forge - to make or produce something, often with great difficulty
Profound - (of a state, quality, or emotion) very great or intense
Maori - a member of the indigenous people of New Zealand
Homogenous - of the same or a similar kind in nature
Common misconception
That silence is a negative thing.
Silence can also be peaceful, enriching and calming.
You might talk about how Maori culture values human connections with nature.
Teacher tip
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the AQA World and Lives anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which of the following colours do we associate with boredom and the mundane?
red
yellow
black
Q2.
Imagining and describing trees that can talk is an example of...
Q3.
Catching someone’s eye suggests __________ with them.
a deep connection
an absence of a connection
Q4.
Which of the five senses does ‘aural’ refer to?
sight
taste
smell
touch
Q5.
Using words that imitate the natural sound associated with their meaning is called ...
Q6.
What might ‘stumbling’ represent?
feeling confident
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
The opposite of lonely is ...
desolate
isolated
Q2.
In 'With Birds You're Never Lonely', words such as “slam” and “blaring” suggest the __________ noise of the modern world.
pleasing
gentle
Q3.
The Maori woman in 'With Birds You're Never Lonely' learned her natural knowledge from ...
a book
her mother
Q4.
Profound means something ...
mournful and sad
brief or fleeting
Q5.
In 'With Birds You're Never Lonely', the speaker’s experience in the forest makes them __________ humanity’s relationship with nature.
angry because of
Q6.
Why might representing the opening stanzas of the poem 'With Birds You're Never Lonely' as a black and white picture be appropriate?
It suggests an older time.
Additional material
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