Skellig Lesson 20: Pathetic Fallacy - Worksheet

In Lesson 20 of the Skellig unit, students delve into the literary device known as pathetic fallacy, where weather and the environment are used to reflect emotions and moods in storytelling. The worksheet provided for this lesson prompts students to analyse various movie clips and identify the effect created by the use of weather in those scenes. They are required to complete a table that lists different clips, including scenes from 'Click', 'Lord of the Rings' (both a battle scene and the ending), and 'Titanic'. For each movie clip, students must observe the weather conditions and articulate the emotional impact or narrative significance that these conditions contribute to the scene.

By engaging with this worksheet, students will enhance their understanding of how pathetic fallacy is employed in film to convey deeper meaning and evoke specific responses from the audience. They will learn how to critically assess the role of weather in visual storytelling and its effectiveness in mirroring or enhancing the characters' inner feelings or the overall atmosphere of the scene. The worksheet is designed to encourage students to think about the interplay between setting and narrative, an important aspect of both literary and film analysis. This lesson forms part of the broader study of English literature and film, aimed at developing students' analytical skills and appreciation of different narrative techniques.