Crash Course
Shakespeare's Sonnets: Crash Course Literature 304
This week, we're learning about sonnets, and English Literature's best-known purveyor of those fourteen-line paeans, William Shakespeare. We'll look at a few of Willy Shakes's biggest hits, including Sonnet 18, "Shall I compare thee to a...
Curated Video
Romantic Characteristics
New ReviewThis video discusses elements used in Romantic poetry.
Curated Video
Sonnets
New ReviewA video titled "Sonnets" detailing four popular types of sonnets in literature.
Curated Video
Haiku and Free Verse
New ReviewA video titled "Haiku and Free Verse" depicting the difference in each style of poetry.
Curated Video
Odes
New ReviewThis video, entitled "Odes," explains the format and purpose of an ode.
Curated Video
How to Write a Poem in Iambic Pentameter
The most common meter in poetry, iambic pentameter is famously associated with William Shakespeare. Here's how you can rhyme like a modern-day bard.
Curated Video
How to Write a Sonnet
For those special occasions, say it with a sonnet -- a 14-line poem in iambic pentameter. You don't have to be Shakespeare, either, just follow these tips.
Curated Video
Exploring regional pride in the poem ‘Anthem of the North’
Pupil outcome: I can explore how Lemn Sissay presents pride for his region in ‘Anthem of the North’ and use this to inspire my own writing. Key learning points: - An anthem is an upbeat song that has importance for a particular group of...
Curated Video
Analysing the presentation of patriotism in Rupert Brooke’s ‘The Soldier’
Pupil outcome: I can analyse how Brooke presents the relationship between the soldier and their country. Key learning points: - The main themes of the poem are patriotism and nationhood - Whilst the speaker fears death, he believes that...
Curated Video
Exploring how the prologue sets up the theme of fate in 'Romeo and Juliet'
Pupil outcome: I can explain how the prologue sets up the theme of fate in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Key learning points: - In Elizabethan England, most people believed that their lives were controlled by fate. - Romeo and Juliet’s fate is...
Curated Video
Analysing the poem ‘Walking Away’ by Cecil Day-Lewis
Pupil outcome: I can explore how Day-Lewis uses language and structure to show the complexities of a father-son relationship. Key learning points: - Day-Lewis uses a simile to show the overwhelming pain he feels initially at the...
Wonderscape
The Power of Line in Poetry
The final essential element of poetry is line, which structures a poem’s verses and stanzas. Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise demonstrates the power of line through rhyme schemes, rhetorical questions, and similes, all of which enhance the...
Curated Video
Sonnet 147 – William Shakespeare
"Sonnet 147" presents one of William Shakespeare's sonnets.
Curated Video
Amoretti
Amoretti presents a sonnet by Edmund Spenser, who wrote a variation of the form of the Shakespearean sonnet.
Curated Video
When I Consider How My Light is Spent
"When I Consider How My Light is Spent" presents a sonnet by the poet John Milton.
Curated Video
Limerick Poetry
Limerick Poetry reviews the elements of a limerick and explains how to compose one.
Oxford Comma
Love and Memory: What Lips My Lips Have Kissed
A summary, reading, and analysis of Edna St. Vincent Millay's "What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why." The title alone could have its own video, so please don't take this as an exhaustive study. But, if you're confused by the...
Schooling Online
Perfecting Poetry: Rosemary Dobson - Amy Caroline
Discover Dobson’s poignant reflection on her grandmother, Amy Caroline. Dobson offers a lively and quirky description of Amy Caroline. She always had time for others and loved caring for the birds and flowers. But life hasn’t always been...
Oxford Comma
Omen of Death. Reading, Summary, and Analysis of The Owl by Edward Thomas
In English literature, an owl usually indicates that death and tragedy are close at hand. As the world descended into The Great War, a freshly enlisted Edward Thomas drew upon this literary tradition to create "The Owl." In this video...
Oxford Comma
High School Favorite: Not Waving But Drowning
As my school's senior English teacher I feel a personal, self inflicted pressure to convince my students that poetry has relevance and value in their lives. I want them to see that by reading and writing poetry they can share a part of...
Oxford Comma
Love Poem or Insulting: My Misstress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun
Scholars debate what exactly Shakespeare meant when he wrote these famous words in his mysterious sonnets. For some, including my wife, it's the greatest love poem of all time. For others, it's one big burn. We'll try to answer that...
Schooling Online
English Essentials - Perfecting Poetry - Purpose, Form and Structure (Stage 6, Years/Grades 11-12)
Why do poets play with poetic form? How does it help them convey their ideas?
Join us as we delve into a range of poetic forms and stanzaic structures. Find out why some poets stick to traditional poetic structures, while others mix it...
Amor Sciendi
"One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop Explained
A close reading of Elizabeth Bishop's classic poem "One Art"
Advocate of Wordz
SONNETS - Poetry Defined
Let's demystify and define one of poetry's most popular forms, The Sonnet!. From its origins to structure and evolution, this may become your favorite style if it isn't already.