Lesson plan : Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind

Purpose

The aim of this lesson plan is to make the students understand the poem and to make them aware of the concept, nuance and the meaning underlying it... Pain caused by a friend is more pitiful than the biting of the winter’s wind.

Objective

Students should be able to comprehend and write comprehensively about the meaning of the poem. Point out the gist of the poem. Learn the language and new words.

Resource Materials

William Shakespeare’s As you like it

Teaching Methodology

Anticipatory set

What is your idea of friendship?
Have you been ever betrayed by a friend?
How did you feel? Would you feel sad if your friends turned against you?
What was your reaction?
Did you try to reunite again with your friend?
How friends cheat? Give examples?
What is your opinion about such friends?
Have you cheated a friend?
What would you be as a friend?

Enemies are better than cheating friends. At least they don’t stab behind your back! Do you agree?
Friend’s betray more than enemies. Do you agree?
It is friends who become enemies. Isn’t it?

Elements of the poem

Setting- pastoral
Forest of Arden

Tone- neutral

Literary devices

Personification is representation of a thing as if it were a person. In this poem the wind is addressed as if it is a person. So wind is personified as a living person which it is obviously not.


Lyric is a poem meant to be sung originally with a musical instrument called lyre. Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind is a lyrical poem.

Refrain is a line or a set of lines that are repeated in every stanza like a chorus. The last four lines of this lyrical poem form a refrain.
Brief Account of the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon, in the country of Warwick. His father John
Shakespeare was a prosperous businessman. He got his education in a good grammar school.
His father’s business failed due to neglect so he couldn’t attend the university.
At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathway and had 3 children. He was said to arrive in London in 1592. He became an important member of a renowned theatre company called Lord Chamberlains men later changed to King’s men. From 1509 the group performed his plays at the globe theatre and later in 1608 took over the Black friar’s monastery. Shakespeare by his publications of Venus and Adonis and Rape of Lucrece had earned considerable fame in 1594. The theatre’s which were considered low class entertainment before 1595, began to be attended by them and the qualities of plays improved. After acquiring a lot of property in Stratford, he retired to his house in New Place.
The Tempest was his last play written around 1611.
On 23rd April, 1616, Shakespeare was buried in Stratford church the same church he was christened!
His tombstone is inscribed with the following epitaph;

Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare
To dig the dust enclosed heare
Blessed by y man y spares hes stones
And curst be he y moves my bones

His plays and sonnets have become world famous.
Some of his works are

Plays
Comedies
As you like it
The tempest
Twelfth night
Tragedies
Othello
Macbeth
Julius Caesar
Romeo and Juliet

Poems
Shakespeare's Sonnets
Venus and Adonis
The Rape of Lucrece
The Passionate Pilgrim[e]
The Phoenix and the Turtle
A Lover's Complaint


A brief note on As you like it

This poem is taken from William Shakespeare’s As you like it act 2 scene 7
The lines are sung by Amiens (an attending lord and musician)when duke senior asks him to sing
Duke senior also known as Duke Ferdinand who loses his dukedom to his younger brother, Duke Fredrick by force. He retires along with his loyal courtiers to the forest of Arden during his exile. He is presented as Robin Hood, he doesn’t even grieve the loss of his dukedom.
As You Like It follows its heroine (Duke senior’s daughter)Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia and Touchstone the court jester, to find safety and eventually love in the Forest of Arden.

Direct Instruction

Vocab checkpoint

Unkind -Cruel
Tooth- biting cold of winter
Rude- rough, coarse
High-ho- An expression of joy
The green holly- An evergreen bush or tree which is a symbol of the everlasting friendliness of nature.
Feigning- Pretending, deceiving
Bite so nigh- Bite sharply or deeply (to the bone)
Nigh- near
Waters warp- Referring to the wind curling and ruffling the sea. Water turns to ice.
As benefits forgot- as the attitude of those who, after receiving favours, prove thankless.
As friend remember’d not- as is a man’s ungrateful behaviour in forgetting a friend.


Blow, blow, winter wind.
You aren’t as harsh
As men’s ingratitude.Your teeth aren’t as sharp,
As you are invisible,
Even though your breath is an assault.
Heigh-ho! Sing, heigh-ho! Sing to the green holly.
Most friendship is false, most love simply foolishness.
Then heigh-ho, to the holly.
This life is really jolly.
Freeze, freeze, you bitter sky,
Your bite isn’t as painful
As when good deeds are forgotten.
Even though you can freeze water
Your sting is not as sharp
As the friend who is forgotten.
Heigh-ho! Sing, heigh-ho! Sing to the green holly.
Most friendship is false, most love simply foolishness.
Then heigh-ho, to the holly.
This life is really jolly.










Synopsis

The poem entitled ‘Blow! Blow! Thou Winter Wind’ is a song sung by the character named Amiens in the drama written by William Shakespeare. Amiens is one of the lords who have by their own choice come with Duke Senior, who had been banished by his brother. Amiens sings this song commenting upon the ways of the world, and human ingratitude which is more biting than the piercing cold winter wind.
The poet in the very beginning addresses the winter wind and says that it can blow as much hard as it likes because it is not so harsh and rude like man’s nature of being ungrateful. The attack of the winter wind is not so sharp because it is not visible although it is bitingly cold.
The poet asks the frosty sky to freeze because it won’t cause him deep pain as caused by his friends who forget his favours instead of being thankful. The poet says that although the waters are frozen they don’t cause sharp pain like one caused by his friend, who doesn’t even bother to remember him. Thus, the frozen faces of the world are more painful than the frozen waters.
We should always be singing throughout the year like ‘holly’ (an evergreen plant). The poet here says that the friendship is only a pretence and loving is nothing but absurdity and foolery. He again tells that life is very wonderful and should be fully enjoyed. It is like a song and should be sung.
The poet here projects a harsh reality through his song. The celebrated poet Shakespeare is known for his wise words. He is his same self here. His statements are weighty, pithy and precisely correct.

Themes

Man’s inhumanity to man.

Man is so ungrateful and selfish that he does not care for those who were his close friends. He doesn’t remember them once his purpose is served.


Harsh winter
The harshness of the winter’s wind is not as bitter as man’s ingratitude to man.

Closure

The main idea of the poem is that man’s ingratitude to man is more painful than the harshness of the winter. Pain caused by a friend is more pitiful than the biting of the winter’s wind. The men of the world are so insane that even brothers don’t recognize each other in their hate. Friends steep so low to reach high. People use each other for their own advantage and when their purpose is over they act like strangers to one another. Mankind is so intoxicated with anger that there is no humanity left.

Guided practice

Checks for understanding

Questions

1. Who is the speaker is addressing to?
2. Why is friendship false?
3. Why is love foolish?
4. Why does the speaker ask the sky to freeze?
5. Why is the winter’s wind tooth not so sharp?
6. Which is more unkind- the winter wind or man’s ingratitude?


Independent practice

Assessment and follow up

Writing exercises

1. Enemies are better than cheating friends. At least they don’t stab behind your back! Do you agree?
2. Friend’s betray more than enemies. Write an essay.
3. Friends turn foes. Elaborate.
4. Write about your own experience with an unfaithful friend.
5. What is your idea of friendship? What would you be as a friend? Would you feel sad if your friends turned against you?



Other interesting activities

Read the unabridged play As you like it. Enact it.
Write your own review of the play and poem
Compare cheating friends to some elements of nature or anything you can imagine. Write a short note or a poem about it.

Reflection

Interest-Did the story engage the student’s curiosity, interest and attention, why and why not?
Participation-Did the children participate eagerly and actively in the activities given to them? What factors encouraged or discouraged them?
How did the children respond to the mime and acting? Did they feel for the character’s they portrayed?
Collaboration-Did the children collaborate and work well together?
Enjoyment-did the children enjoy the story and related activities?