Intro Quiz: Sonnet 29 (Part 2)

Video: Sonnet 29 (Part 2)

﻿Hi, Miss Walker here. Welcome to the second lesson on 'Sonnet 29: 'I think of thee!' In the first lesson on the poem, we explored how the speaker is trying to escape the thoughts that are consuming her mind about her lover and she says that she'd rather have him in physical presence or in proximity, than she would have him in her thoughts. In today's lesson, we're going to be looking at how Barrett Browning has used language, form and structure to explore these ideas about love in further detail. Before we get started, obviously you'll need a pen and paper or something to write on and write with, and as always please make sure that your working area is free of any distractions before we get started. Thank you. Today's key question is "How does Barrett Browning "explore ideas about love in 'Sonnet 29'?" We'll start the lesson off by looking at the key vocabulary and terminology we'll need. In part two, we'll explore the central themes and in part three, go on to look at how Barrett Browning has used language to explore ideas about love in the poem. In part four, we'll do the same, but for form and structure. In part five, we'll take all of our learning from previously in the lesson and apply it to a writing task in response to today's key question. And in part six, we'll finish the lesson with a short review quiz. Today's new vocabulary is fervour. Fervour is a noun and the definition of it is "A very intense feeling of warmth, heat, and passion." Synonyms for it are passion, intensity and sincerity, and the etymology is that it comes from the Latin ferventem, which means boiling, hot or glowing. The feeling can be described as fervent, which is the adjective and let's have a look at it, how it's been used in the examples. So in example one, "The English teachers "spoke with fervour about the play." So they speak passionately about this play. In example two, "In the poem Sonnet 29, "the speaker describes her fervent desire "for her lover to be close to her." So this boiling hot feeling of passion to have him near her side. Let's apply the key vocabulary. "Which example best describes fervent behaviour?" A: "I took the bins out because "it was my turn to do the chores.", B: "I'll never forget how beautiful she was; "she set my heart and my mind on fire." and C: " I would really like to go down to town with you, "what do you think?" Please resume the video once you've decided which example best describes fervent behaviour. Well done, it was B: "I'll never forget how beautiful "she was; she set my heart and mind on fire." So the clue there is in the fire and the heat that this girl has brought to the person. We'll be taking these words from lesson five in the unit and they are enamoured and extended metaphor. If you aren't familiar with either of these, you may wish to note their definitions now. Now we know that the central theme we're exploring is love, but we're going to look at what specific aspects of love have been explored in the poem. So we're identifying how the speaker's love is presented. We'll explore the fervour created by love in the text. We'll explore the all consuming nature of love, the eternal nature of love, and the physicality of love, which means it relates to the body and not the mind. Here's a brief bit of information about each of those aspects of love. So fervour is the "more passionate representation of love, "rather than a romantic one." All-consuming "Her lover takes over her thoughts. "When you're in love, "It can be hard to think about anything else." Your mind is just completely filled and consumed with the ideas of that person. Eternal "The extended metaphor of the tree can imply "that their love is as strong and as everlasting as nature." And physicality "The poem presents her desire "to be physically near him. "So her thoughts are not enough about him." Quick check. "What are the central ideas about love in the poem?" Pause the video, look at the grid, and identify the four central ideas. Well done. The eternal nature of love, the physicality, the fervour and the all-consuming aspects of love as well. We're now moving on to how she has used language in the poem to explore ideas about love. "The quotations below demonstrate how Barrett Browning "explores the ideas of love." One, "Because in this deep joy to see and hear thee", Two, "Put out broad leaves, and soon there's nought to see." Three, "My thoughts do twine and bud" and four, "I will not have my thoughts instead of thee" So all these quotations relate to how love has been presented. Let's look at them in closer detail. Lines 12 to 13. "This quotation demonstrates "the speaker's fervour and passion." Question one, " What does the phrase "deep joy" tell us "about the speaker's love?" Two, "Having thoughts about him is not enough. "She wants to see him, hear him, and breathe him. "What does this suggest about the nature of her love?" Pause the video to answer the questions. "The phrase informs the reader "that this speaker feels great happiness. "The "deep joy" is experienced physically, in her breath, "her sight, her hearing. "The adjective "deep" implies that her love "goes down to her core. "It reflects why her love for him is so consuming." Two, "Her love is presented as passionate and sincere. "It appears less romantic and less like a fairytale "idea of love, in which love is perfect all of the time. "She declares that his presence "will provide her with "new air", "which implies that she may find it metaphorically "harder to breathe without him." Lines three to four. "This quotation represents "the all-consuming nature of love." Question one, "The "broad leaves" "are a metaphor for her thoughts. "She explains that her thoughts are hiding the "wood". "What does the wood represent?" Two, "What might we understand "about the speaker's feelings from this quotation?" Three, ""Straggling" means to grow wildly "and out of control. "Why might Barrett Browning have used this adjective "here to describe her love?" Pause the video to answer the questions. Question one response, "The wood represents her lover "who is listening to the poem." Question two, "We can infer that her love for him "has taken over her mind and that the only way to shatter "the thoughts about him are to be physically with him." "The adjective "straggling" illustrates how her thoughts about him have grown out of control", or they've gone wild. "Her mind has been completely consumed "and taken over by this man. "He is the only thing that exists in her mind. "everything else has been blocked out." By these straggling wild vines. Lines one to two. "This quotation represents the eternal "nature of their love. "Barrett Browning has used natural imagery "to portray the relationship between the two." She uses the phrases "twine", "bud", "wild vines" and "tree". Here are the questions. One, "People associate nature "with eternal strength and power, "as nature will never cease to exist. What does this suggest about their love?" Two, "How does this quotation demonstrate "the speaker's fervour for her lover?" Pause the video to respond to the questions. The natural imagery "suggests that the speaker views "their love so strongly that she's equating it "to the powerful imagery of nature, "which has connotations of beauty and eternity. "The "buds" also remind us of new life, "which implies that her love "brings new life and hope to her. "The "twines" wrapping around the tree "illustrate how entwined", so wrapped around and tangled "and close the couple are "that it would be difficult to break them apart." Two, "She implies that their true love "will last forever like nature. "This is a bold statement that demonstrates "the intensity of her feelings. "Like nature, her love is wild and grows uncontrollably. "Her statement is passionate, and yet innocent "at the same time because she is suggesting "that their love will last forever just as nature will." Finally, lines six to eight. This group of lines "presents the physicality of love. "The speaker explains that she would prefer to have him "in person rather than in her thoughts." Here's the question. "She commands him to "instantly/ Renew thy presence". "What does the adverb "instantly" suggest "about the nature of her love?" Pause the video to answer the question. So instantly "renew thy presence" "is a forceful instruction. "She is telling him to be with her immediately. ""Instantly" implies that she is desperate "for his physical presence, "she can no longer cope without his proximity." So his closeness, his presence. "This reinforces the idea that this is not a poem about romance. "Instead, it is this deep, passionate" longing, "and explicit recognition that she needs him physically "as her thoughts and ideas are just not enough." In this section, we'll be exploring how Barrett Browning has used form and structure to explore ideas about love in the poem. The poetic term, volta, refers to a turn in thought, ideas, or image in a poem. So it's a shift in ideas effectively. "The volta in this sonnet is marked "by the speakers changing imagery. "It takes place in line five. "In lines one to four, she uses the extended metaphor "of the trees and the vine to describe "her thoughts about her lover." However, "From line five, her thoughts change "into her desire to be with him "rather than only think of him." So the volta is the changing imagery from the tree and the vines to her now saying that she needs to be with him, she can't only just think of him. In the grey box, I provided the example there from the poem and line five is the one that has been emboldened. Quick check, which line does the volta take place? Line three, line 13, line eight, line five? You decide. And in three, two, one. Here is the answer. The volta takes place in line five. We're still staying on the use of volta. ""Be it understood" is a forceful statement, "which has changed the tone of the poem "from thoughtful and reflective to commanding. "This reflects a rising passion in the speaker's feelings. "The phrase leaves no room for discussion: "she will have him physically rather than in thought. "This emphasises the physical aspect of love." Quick check. "Why does Barrett Browning use a volta?" Is it "To show how much she loves him." Or "To illustrate her thoughts towards him." Three, "to mark the rising passion "and desire in her feelings." And finally, "to emphasise how strong "and everlasting their love is." Pause the video to decide which response it is Well done. The volta marks "the rising passion and desire in her feelings." Moving on to analysing form. "Sonnets are made up of 14 lines, "which are typically split into the first eight lines", which is called the octave of the poem, "and the final six lines", which is referred to as the sestet. "The volta is most frequently found "at the end of the octave", so the first eight lines. "However, in 'Sonnet 29' the volta happens in line five, "so it happens earlier than usual." Why is this? "The early volta represents the passionate burst of thoughts "overspilling as she shares them with her listener. "She cannot contain them anymore. "She needs his physicality "instantly" "and cannot wait any longer. "This reinforces the representation of her love "is fervent and intense." Quick check. "Why does Barrett Browning use a volta in line five "rather than the end of the octave?" Is it "To emphasise how confused her thoughts have become." Or "To illustrate her thoughts towards him." Or "To demonstrate her intense desire for him." Or "To illustrate the passionate outpouring of love "that she can no longer contain." Pause the video to decide. Well done, it's the final one, "To illustrate the passionate outpouring of love "that she can no longer contain." Wow, so that was a lot of information of love and now you're going to take it and apply it to a writing task in response to today's key question. The key question is "How does Barrett Browning "explore ideas about love in 'Sonnet 29'?" You're going to write a short response to the question above. You're going to spend at least 15 minutes writing it and in it, you will include evidence from the poem, so quotations. You may wish to mention, but remember you are not limited to, these examples: the extended metaphor of the tree and the wild vines, her desire for his physical presence, or the early use of the volta. Words that you do need to include are fervour, enamoured and love. Remember to spend 15 minutes completing this task. Once the time is up or once you've finished your paragraph, return to the video to compare your response to the model answers. Well done. Here's the first response that you could compare your answer to. "In the poem, Barrett Browning presents love as eternal "because she uses imagery of nature "to present the speaker's feelings about love. "This is illustrated in the quotation ""my thoughts do twine and bud/ About thee". "By comparing their love to nature, "she suggests that it could last forever. "This emphasises how strong and intense "her fervour is for him." So in this response, there's a quotation, "my thoughts do twine and bud /About thee" and I've used two of the three key words, love and fervour, so I've left out enamoured. Let's have a look at the developed response. "In the poem 'Sonnet 29', Barrett Browning presents "an enamoured speaker's physical desire and fervour "for her partner. "Her mind is consumed by thoughts of him, "and she is overcome with passion for him "such as the "wild vines" that wrap around the tree. "The volta in line five marks her declaration "of passion towards him, "and she states at thoughts of him are insufficient: ""I will not have my thoughts instead of thee". "She must have his physicality as well. "Furthermore, the premature use of volta "demonstrates her overspilling passion for him. "She is too impatient to wait until later on. "The poem is evidence of the physical closeness "and proximity that can be found in love and relationships." Pause the video now to decide which response you are going to compare your own answer to. Thank you for your focus this lesson. Can you now please go and complete the short review quiz and I'll see you back here shortly. That was the second lesson on Sonnet 29: 'I think of thee!' done. The next poem in the unit is called 'Porphyria's Lover', which explores ideas about possession, which can sometimes be found in relationships. I'll see you then.

Exit Quiz: Sonnet 29 (Part 2)

Completed: Sonnet 29 (Part 2)

In this lesson, we will explore how Barrett Browning has used language, form and structure to explore ideas about love in Sonnet 29, 'I think of thee!'

English

Sonnet 29 (Part 2)

Introductory Quiz

Video

Final Quiz

Lesson Complete