The English Network: Recent Episodes
theenglishnetwork
We are three secondary English teachers based in Manchester. We created this podcast to help pupils to independently revise for their GCSEs, and to expand and deepen their knowledge, so they are empowered to aim for the highest grades. Enjoy, English nerds!
The second episode of our An Inspector Calls series looks at objectification theory.
Use the definitions here to help your understanding:
- instrumentality: the treatment of a person as a tool for the objectifier's purposes;
- denial of autonomy: the treatment of a person as lacking in autonomy and self-determination;
- inertness: the treatment of a person as lacking in agency, and perhaps also in activity;
- fungibility: the treatment of a person as interchangeable with other objects;
- violability: the treatment of a person as lacking in boundary-integrity;
- ownership: the treatment of a person as something that is owned by another (can be bought or sold);
- denial of subjectivity: the treatment of a person as something whose experiences and feelings (if any) need not be taken into account.
In the first episode of our new series on JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls, we take a look at the playwright, his politics, and the ideas that informed his iconic (and somewhat contrived) attack on capitalism and the British class system.
This episode explores the meaning and representations of kingship in Macbeth. We discuss Duncan's naive ineptitude, Macbeth's selfish tyranny, and Malcolm's balanced pragmatism.
This episode explores the numerous interpretations applicable to Lady Macbeth. We discuss her influence on Macbeth, her subversion of Jacobean conventions, and her fateful dalliance with those dark forces that surround the play.
This episode considers Macbeth's credentials as an Aristotelean tragic hero. Listen along for discussion of character development, fatal flaws, free will, violence, relationships, psychology, philosophy, and more!
In the first in a new series of revision companion episodes for Macbeth, we discuss the social, political, and historical context of the play. We consider this knowledge to be a vital first step in truly understanding the play; it forms a solid foundation upon which you can build personal and conceptualised responses. Enjoy!
Our final poetry episode explores Imtiaz Dharker's Tissue. This episode includes discussion of motif, metaphor, politics, philosophy, economics, and the utility of establishing a critical voice.
This episode of the podcast explores John Agard's blistering assault against cultural assimilation in Checking out My History.
This episode of the podcast considers the tragic tale of sacrifice and slaughter as immortalised by Alfred Lord Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade. We discuss the mysterious historical context surrounding the event, explore the ambiguous position of the poet, and delve into his striking imagery and rhythmic expression.
This episode of the podcast explores the power of memory, identity, and culture in Beatrice Garland's Kamikaze. We discuss the unique mixture of culture and politics surrounding this brutal period in human history, whilst delineating how such influences impact the experience of the individual, and the ambiguity of identity.
Join us as we delve into Seamus Heaney's Storm on the Island. In a novel turn, Ted provides the contextual information as we interpret the poem as an allegory for the troubled history of Ireland, and the strange (often destructive) power held by ideas of nationality, identity, and religion.
Our new year podcast explores Exposure, Wilfred Owen's first-hand account of trench warfare during the First World War. It certainly won't cure your January blues, but it will add depth to your understanding of this bleak and powerful poem.
This episode of the podcast analyses the power of place and identity as expressed through Carol Rumens' The Emigree. This is a complex and nuanced poem which can entertain numerous interpretations- listen along for ours!
In the seventh episode of the podcast, we discuss Carol Ann Duffy's War Photographer. This poem explores the morally ambiguous role of the media (and those who consume it) in reporting conflict, as well as delving into the psyche of those who occupy that strange grey area between peaceful nations and violent war-zones.
This episode of the podcast delves into Remains, Simon Armitage's viscerally violent exploration of war, and its effects on those who experience it. This poem is rich with vivid descriptions of the brutal reality (and tragic consequences) of conflict.
In an Armistice Sunday special, we take a look at Jane Weir's poignantly dramatic monologue, Poppies. A tragic lament for a lost child, this poem provides a unique and harrowing perspective on conflict, memory, and grief. Listen along to challenge and deepen your understanding of one of the anthology's more popular poems.
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The fourth episode of the English Network Podcast explores Ted Hughes' conflict poem Bayonet Charge. Expect the usual technical analysis, as well as a dissection of a range of themes relating to war, fate, propaganda, and crises of an existential nature. Enjoy, English nerds!
In this episode of the English Network Podcast, we explore Robert Browning's frightfully dramatic monologue, My Last Duchess. Listen along for insight and analysis of our maniacal speaker's myriad psychological pathologies (the Duke, not Ted). Enjoy, English nerds.
This week we delve into Worsdworth's magnum opus, The Prelude. Press play for the usual insight, analysis, and Ted's prosaic sci-fi references. Enjoy listening, English nerds.
In our very exciting, first ever English Network podcast, we will be exploring two poems from the AQA Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology, 'London' and 'Ozymandias'. The podcast will provide you with some great additional insight and questions to consider to really deepen your understandings of the poem, so relax and enjoy- it's an English nerd's heaven. (Please note this refers to the subject, not nationality. Nerds of all flags are welcome to our podcast!)