Today‟s Title: Abstract Nouns
and Sonnet 43
Today‟s Date: Day 3, Wednesday
30th January
Starter:
Lifting Literacy:
LLL
You know all about nouns...But here‟s a quick recap:
Used as the name of a person, place
or thing. When I say “thing”, I
include all objects that we can see,
hear, taste, touch or smell.
London is on the banks of the river
Thames.
The rose smells sweet.
His courage won him honour.
Abstract Nouns:
There are quite a number of different kinds of nouns
but today we will be learning about Abstract Nouns.
Used as the name of a quality, action Quality: goodness, kindness,
or state.
whiteness, darkness, hardness,
brightness, honesty, wisdom,
bravery etc.
Action: Laughter, theft, movement,
judgement, hatred etc.
State: Childhood, boyhood, youth,
Starter:
Lifting Literacy:
LLL
Activity 1 : Pick out the abstract nouns in the following sentences:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Always speak the truth.
We all love honesty.
The soldiers were rewarded for their bravery.
Wisdom is better than strength.
Activity 2 : using the abstract nouns that you have already noted
down and the abstract nouns above, as well as your own
existing knowledge about abstract nouns, complete the
following sentences:
A) Love is...
B) Love is not...
Your Learning Objectives:
 You will be revising your knowledge of abstract
nouns.
 You will be exploring and analysing a sonnet by the
Victorian poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, using
WRITER.
 You will also update your annotations in your
anthology.
 You will be completing an independent PETER
paragraph.
 You will peer-assess each other‟s work, and settle on
your own personal targets for the next 8 poems in this
cluster.
Introducing Today‟s Topic: Sonnet 43
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and Ideal Grace. Elizabeth Barrett Browning
1806 - 1861
I love thee to the level of everyday‟s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight –
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right, I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise;
I love thee with the passion, put to use
In my old griefs,... and with my childhood‟s faith:
I love thee with the love I seemed to lose
With my lost Saints, - I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
p.58
Liz and Rob!
• Historical Background: What you need to know...
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning came from an affluent
family in County Durham.
• She was an established and famous poet in her own
right.
• She was also one half of a poetic power couple
through her marriage to the equally famous and
equally established Victorian poet, Robert Browning.
• She was deeply influenced by her husband, and she
in turn, she also influenced him.
• She was also deeply influenced by her faith,
Christianity.
Developing Your Knowledge of Today‟s Topic
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!- Rhetorical
question to
Repetition
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height engage the
To
recipient
emphasise
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight (Rob!)
The depth
For the ends of Being and Ideal Grace.
of her love
Each
repetition
I love thee to the level of everyday‟s
Declarative
is
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight –
sentences –
followed
directly
by a
I
love
thee
freely,
as
men
strive
for
Right,
addresses
different
the reader
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise;
idea. This
to make
shows
I love thee with the passion, put to use
the poem
how her
seem more In my old griefs,... and with my childhood‟s faith: love has
personal
many
I love thee with the love I seemed to lose
aspects
With my lost Saints, - I love thee with the breath, and is all
encompa-Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose, ssing.
I shall but love thee better after death.
Reflective
Learner
Putting on our Thinking Hats...
SMSC
• “ with my childhood‟s faith: I love thee with the love
I seemed to lose/With all my lost Saints” – She
loves him with the passion and intense emotion that
religion gave her as a child.
• “Right [...] Praise” – she links her love to ideals of
virtuous conduct. She thinks her love is morally
right.
• Over to you: What do you make of the religious
ideas in this poem?
• Discuss with your partner and reflect
on the religious ideas that Sonnet 43 offers.
Reflective
Learner
Putting on our Thinking Hats...
SMSC
• “
No
Hands
Up !
Share your thoughts with the rest of the group. How
Do Barret Browning‟s religious ideas about love make
you feel? How does this relate to the other poems
you have studied?
Developing Your Knowledge of Today‟s Topic
Take a blank double, page spread, divide into
six boxes. Label each box with
W/R/I/T/E/R. With the help of the poem,
our class discussion and the person sitting
next to you, fill out your observations about
the poem in the relevant boxes. Complete ‘W’,
‘R’ and ‘I” first and the rest as an extension.
•Love poem
•Expresses intense love for
husband-to-be – Robert
Browning
•She loves him so deeply
that she sees their love as
spiritual and sacred
•She counts all of the
different ways in which she
loves him
•Her love is so great that
she believes she will love
him even after death
•Deep and lasting love –
the poet uses the strength
of spiritual love to
emphasise how strongly
she feels about her
husband.
•Unselfish love – she asks
for nothing in return.
•Virtue – the poem makes
her love seem morally and
spiritually right.
•Form – Sonnet form is
traditionally used for love
poetry
•Petrarchan form – octave
followed by sestet
•Repetition – using the
same words repeatedly at
the start of phrases is
called an anaphora. This is
a rhetorical device that is
used in Bible. It makes her
poem seem like a prayer.
The octave present the theme
of the poem, here it‟s
comparing the poet‟s love and
religious ideas. The sestet
develops this theme by making
comparisons between the
intensity of her feelings for her
lover and the kinds of love she
felt as a child. As the sestet
develops it shows she loves
him with the emotions of an
entire life – from childhood.
Through the loss of innocence
through to, and past, death.
Sun
Candlelight
Men
Saints
Smiles
Tears
1. What title might you
give this sonnet?
2. How realistic do you
think this expression of
love is?
3. How does the poet
uses religious themes
to symbolise the
relationship?
4. How would you
describe the character
of the narrator?
Developing Your Knowledge of Today‟s Topic
You will now write a PETER on the religious ideas in Sonnet 43.
Use the following question to guide your thinking:
What does Elizabeth Barrett Browning suggest about love when she
uses religious ideas?
You can use the following sentence starters to guide you:
(P:) Elizabeth Barrett Browning uses religious ideas in her poem to suggest
that love is...
(E: ) For example, she writes “...”
(T:) Religious ideas are highlighted through the use of the words, “...”
(E:) This suggests that she feels...This could link to her Victorian background
Independent
because...
Enquirer
(R: ) I feel...
Plenary:
So, what have we learnt today?
• Swap your books with the person sitting
next to you.
• Read through your partner‟s work and
leave a „what went well‟ and „even better if‟
comment.
How will your partner develop their
What has your partner achieved well?
analysis and their confidence in their
exploration of poetry?
Plenary:
So, what have we learnt today?
SELF MANAGEMENT SKILLS
• The importance of setting yourself challenging targets
• The importance of creating a positive learning environment
and making sacrifices where necessary
• How to manage your emotions to maintain positive working
relationships
Read through the „Even Better If‟ comment and set yourself a
personal target. How will you develop your analysis and
your confidence in your exploration of poetry?