Literature Poetry Revision

1
Literature PoetryRevision
2
Half Caste

• What is the main tone of the poem?
• The poet is angry but uses an unconventional
  style with humour to present his anger.
• How do we know this?
• He is very ironic with the listener and accuses
  the listener of narrow-mindedness. yu must come
  backwid de whole of yu mind
• Tell me two methods he uses that help highlight
  his anger.
• Assonance helps orally emphasise the anger in
  his voice. E.g. half-caste til dem overcast.
  Ah rass is an Afro-Caribbean term of disgust.
• Comment on the type of English the poet uses.
• The first three lines are standard English
  perhaps this is to make sure that he is listened
  to, as he feels that his own accent and dialect
  may make people judge him. The rest of the poem
  is in Afro-Caribbean dialect which helps him to
  reinforce his pride in his own identity and
  cultural background. It is also perfect for a
  performance poem.

3
Half Caste continued

• What is the effect of the repetition of yu and
  Explain yuself?
• It gives the poem an accusatory feel, so the
  reader feels spoken to directly.
• What three examples does the poet use to show how
  ridiculous the term half-caste is?
• If its okay to call me half-caste, then As
  Picasso mixed colours in his paintings, then they
  should be called Half-Caste canvases the mix of
  grey sky and white/blue sky in England should
  also be called half-cast and as Tchaikovsky mixed
  white notes and black notes, his symphonies
  should be called half caste. He is being
  ironic.
• Comment on the poets use of punctuation.
• He uses punctuation very sparingly and uses /
  instead of a comma or full stop. Forward slash
  is often used to separate two different things
  and this perhaps helps to emphasise the two
  separate parts of his cultural identity. The
  lack of punctuation also makes the poem sound
  more like a rant- which emphasises his anger.
• How does the poet structure the poem?
• In the first half of the poem, he shows how
  ridiculous the term half caste is by asking the
  listener to explain what he/she means. In the
  second half of the poem, he extends the irony by
  describing himself as only having half a body and
  then tells the listener to go away and think
  about what he has said.

4
Exam Practice Questions

• Explain how Agard uses language and form to put
  forward his views about injustice in Half-Caste
• Now compare this with how injustice is explored
  in The Class Game.
• OR
• 3. Now compare this with one other poem of your
  choice that presents views about injustice.

5
Parades End

• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is one of tension and anxiety
• What is the main theme?
• The poem shows cultural conflict. The Indian
  family experience racial abuse from their locals
  in Yorkshire.
• How does the poet show the speakers fear?
• my brothers eyes scanning the men suggests
  he is fearful of what they might do. Bolted two
  metal bars, caged alarm and shutters, show
  how the family have to take severe security
  measures to protect themselves and their property.

6
Parades End continued

• 4. What is the significance of the re-sprayed
  car?
• The car used to be brown and has been re-sprayed
  due to an earlier racist acid attack. The colour
  champagne-gold suggests wealth and may cause
  jealousy amongst the community. At the end of
  the poem, another acid attack has taken place,
  changing the car from gold to the brown of our
  former colour. This suggests that they will
  never escape this abuse as they cannot change
  their skin colour or cultural identity and
  therefore, will always be judged by those who are
  racist.

7
Parades End continued

• 5. How and why does the poet create contrasts in
  the poem?
• The contrast between the colours brown and gold
  suggests a contrast between wealth and poverty.
  Are the locals jealous that the Indian family
  have their own business and therefore make decent
  money?
• This is further shown with reference to swilling
  kidneys, which suggests cheap cuts of meat and
  the fact that many people are on the dole. The
  Yorkshire lady describes the family as driving
  flash caahs! which could also show jealously.

8
Exam Practice Questions

• Explain how Nagra presents conflict in Parades
  End.
• Now compare this to how conflict is presented in
  Belfast Confetti.
• OR
• Now compare this to how one other poet presents
  conflict.

9
Belfast Confetti

• What is the main theme of the poem?
• The panic and fear that result from a terrorist
  attack.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The theme of the poem is one of fear and
  confusion.
• What is the effect of starting the poem with the
  word suddenly?
• It highlights the unexpectedness of the attack.
  Like the persona, we are thrown into the chaos
  without any warning.

10
Belfast Confetti continued

• 4. Explain how the poet uses punctuation as a
  metaphor.
• Belfast confetti was a name given to the
  home-made bombs that were made of metal shrapnel.
  As the shrapnel flies through the air, the poet
  describes it as looking like punctuation marks on
  the skyline. At the same time though, this helps
  to emphasise the chaos It was raining
  exclamation marks could describe what the
  shrapnel looks like but could also reflect the
  cries and screams, which if written down, would
  most likely be followed by an exclamation mark.
• What is the effect of the ellipsis on line 3?
• It suggests that the firing is on-going and also
  suggests that the persona cannot escape from it.

11
jBelfast Confetti continued

• 6. What is the effect of the caesura in the poem?
• It highlights how he cannot escape. The
  punctuation marks acts like a dead-end, as the
  persona seeks an escape route. Why cant I
  escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea
  Street. Dead end again.
• How does the poet show his panic and confusion at
  the end of the poem?
• The rapid use of questions reflects his
  confusion, showing that he does not know what to
  do. What is //My name? Where am I coming from?
  Where am I going?
• How does the poet show that he feels that this
  type of terrorist attack is like being at war?
• References to battles from the Crimean War
  Balaclava, Raglan and references to weapons of
  war Saracen, Makrolen face-shields. This
  helps to highlight the sense of a battle.

12
Exam Practice Questions

• Explain how Carson presents ideas of fear and
  chaos in Belfast confetti.
• Now compare this to how the poet presents fear in
  Our Sharpeville
• OR
• Now compare this to another poem that explores
  feelings of fear and or chaos.

13
Our Sharpeville

• What is the theme of the poem?
• The fear and deceit that was experienced by white
  South African children in the aftermath of the
  Sharpeville Massacre.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• Secrecy and fear
• How does the poet emphasise the childishness of
  the persona?
• hopscotch, I ran to the gate to watch them
  pass shows child-like curiosity because she
  knows she is not meant to.

14
Our Sharpeville continued

• What is the effect of the alliteration in
  foreign and familiar?
• It shows the conflict between the fact that
  seeing them is an everyday occurrence but at the
  same time threatening because they are foreign.
  (i.e. black)
• Explain the metaphor used in stanza one?
• building hot arteries the mines that the men
  build are described as arteries because they help
  to provide the life-blood to the town (i.e. fuel)

15
Our Sharpeville continued

• How does the poet use language to suggests
  childish excitement in stanza two?
• Her language reminds us of bible stories Great
  caravan, olive trees, a deep jade pool etc.
  She links the silver stars in the sky to the
  stars she used to be given in bible classes. Her
  language is full of colour imagery, which makes
  her imaginings seem exotic and exciting.
• How is the colour imagery continued in the next
  stanza?
• a pool of blood that already had a living name.
  The persona is brought back to reality as she
  remembers why she is supposed to fear the men
  The pool of blood represents the loss of lives at
  Sharpeville.

16
Our Sharpeville continued

• What does the poet mean when she says these were
  not heroes in my town, // but maulers of
  children?
• In her story book imaginings, the men would be
  the heroes of the story but she remembers that
  she has been taught that the men are dangerous to
  children. She is told this as a way of scaring
  her into keeping away from the black people.
• How does the poet emphasise that The Sharpeville
  massacre is not talked about?
• had to remain nameless, this fearful thing
• How does the poet use language to reflect secrecy
  and concealment in the last stanza?
• curtains drawn tightly, locked yard, closed
  rooms

17
Our Sharpeville continued

• What do you think the girl feels about this
  situation and what evidence can you provide to
  support this?
• She feels shame that she is curious about the
  blacks as her family have made her feel this way.
  She knows that she has been lied to my
  grandmother lie which suggests that she is
  beginning to question the fear of the white
  community. However, at the same time, she is
  worried that the lies might be true.

18
Exam Practice Questions

• Explore how de Kok depicts fear and conflict
  through the eyes of a child in the poem Our
  Sharpeville.
• Now compare this to how conflict and fear are
  explored in Exposure.
• OR
• Now compare this to how conflict and fear are
  explored in another poem.

19
Exposure

• What is the theme of the poem?
• War and the effects of war on the soldiers.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is pessimistic, one of hopelessness and
  despair.
• Why does the poet start with the word our?
• He shows that this is an event that affected
  many.

20
Exposure continued

• Find an example of images in stanza one and
  explain their effect.
• iced east winds that knive us personifies the
  wind as being like a killer.
• Find two more examples of images in stanza two.
• mad gusts tugging on the wire, // like twitching
  agonies of men simile personifies the wind
  making it sound more dangerous.
• like a dull rumour of some other war suggests
  the noise of the guns has become so constant they
  are barely conscious of it.

21
Exposure continued

• What emotion is conveyed most strongly in stanza
  three? Give examples.
• Words that suggest sadness poignant,
  misery, melancholy
• Words that suggests hopelessness We only know
  war lasts, But nothing happens
• How is nature personified in stanza three?
• Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army //
  attacks once more in ranks on ranks of shivering
  grey - the poet presents nature as a military
  force. The words melancholy and shivering
  grey suggest that the weather is no happier to
  be fighting than the men themselves.

22
Exposure continued

• Comment on the effect created in line 16.
• Use of alliteration and hard consonant sounds
  (consonance) sounds like the bullets themselves.
• How and why does Owen personify the snow?
• flowing flakes that flock, pause and renew and
  Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling
  for our faces. Owen makes the snow sound like a
  deadly enemy. The alliteration reflects its
  deadly silence and softness.

23
Exposure continued

• Where and why does Owen refer to the past in the
  poem?
• In stanzas five and six, the soldiers dream of
  being back home before the war started. Slowly
  our ghosts drag home shows how hard it is to
  summon up these memories that they seem so far
  away from. on us the doors are closed suggests
  that they will never be able to return. Does
  this mean that people at home have forgotten
  about them? Or dont appreciate what theyre
  doing?

24
Exposure continued

• How does Own finish the poem on a negative and
  pessimistic note?
• For love of God seems dying the men cannot
  believe that God could let them suffer like this.
• All their eyes are ice could suggest soldiers
  who are now dead or soldiers whose expressions
  are now fixed in pain and hopelessness.
• What is the effect of the repetition of But
  nothing happens?
• It helps to reinforce the hopelessness and
  pointlessness of what the men are going through.
• The repetition also reflects the monotony of the
  mens experiences.

25
Exam Practice Questions

• Explain how Wilfred Owen presents the horror of
  war in Exposure.
• Now compare this to how the horror of war is
  explored in August 6, 1945.
• OR
• Now compare this to another poem that explores
  the horror of war.

26
Catrin

• What is the theme of the poem?
• The conflict that can arise between mother and
  daughter.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• Pain in the first half and admiration and
  frustration in the second half.
• How does the poet suggest that birth can be like
  a conflict?
• Both mother and child fight for the child to be
  born. The mothers pain and effort make the baby
  seem like an adversary that she must be free of,
  while the baby, tied by the umbilical cord
  struggles to emerge.

27
Catrin continued

• Why does the poet repeat I can remember?
• To show that she is thinking back to an earlier
  time in their relationship.
• How does the poet describe the hospital room?
• hot white room suggests it is uncomfortable
• Environmental blank, disinfected suggests it
  is sterile and lacks soul.

28
Catrin continued.

• What is the Red rope of love?
• This represents the umbilical cord
• Why do you think they both fought over it?
• The umbilical cord has held mother and child
  together since conception. If the struggle is
  like a tug of war and they were fighting over the
  rope, this suggests that the mother wants the
  baby to be born, while the other (the baby) wants
  to stay where it is. This implies that the
  mother has to fight extremely hard to give birth
  while the baby resists it.

29
Catrin continued

• What does the poet mean in lines 11-14?
• This could be a metaphor to show the words she
  screams while in labour, filling the room.
• What does the poet mean by wild tender circles
  // Of our struggle?
• Perhaps circles suggests the shape of the birth
  canal through which the baby emerges. In shape
  they contrast with squareness of the room. Wild
  suggests to us that the struggle is intense and
  painful, almost out of control, yet paradoxically
  it is tender at the same time. Tender might
  refer to the type of physical sensation the
  speaker feels, or it could refer to the sort of
  love between the mother and baby.

30
Catrin continued

• Comment on the effect of line 16.
• The caesura, Separate. reinforces the
  separation between mother and child. The word
  shouted is a metaphor to show that they both
  want their own way (they are not really
  shouting).
• What does the poet mean when she says Still I am
  fighting you off?
• This could refer to the every day conflicts that
  arise between mother and daughter.

31
Catrin continued

• How does the poets language in stanza two show
  her admiration of her daughter?
• straight, strong, long // Brown hair, rosy,
  //Defiant glare The alliteration and rhyme ion
  these lines, help to highlight her admiration.
• Comment on the line From the hearts pool that
  old rope
• the hearts pool could suggest the depths of
  the mothers feelings for her daughter. that
  old rope is a metaphor for the umbilical cord.
  The daughter is still struggling to break away
  from her mother in her quest for independence.

32
Exam Practice Questions

• Explore how a conflict between two people is
  shown in Catrin.
• Now compare this to how conflict is shown between
  two people in Cousin Kate
• OR
• Now compare this to how conflict is shown between
  people in another poem of your choice.

33
Your Dad Did What?

• What is the theme of the poem?
• Conflict that arises through misunderstandings.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is of frustration as the teacher does
  not understand and jumps to the wrong
  conclusions.
• Why does the poet use question marks as the
  teacher marks the pupils work?
• They show the teachers growing confusion and
  frustration.

34
Your Dad Did What continued

• Why does the poet give so little information
  about the pupil?
• This implies that the teacher does not really
  take much notice of the children as an
  individuals they are just essays to her.
• Find evidence from the poem to show that it is
  written from the point of view of the teacher.
• you make them write about the holiday
• You find the E you gave him

35
Your dad Did What continued

• What is the attitude of the teacher towards the
  pupils? Find evidence to support your answer.
• The teacher seems rather bored by the pupils,
  referring to reams of what this girl did, what
  that lad did, which suggests that she is not
  interested in what they write. She seems more
  interested in how they write than in what they
  write. She often refers to them as they which
  is very impersonal.
• Explain the twist at the end of the poem.
• The poet puns on the letter E, the teacher
  gives the child an E grade for the work, and it
  is the missing letter e that makes the childs
  experience clear to the reader. This explains
  what has happened to the child. We feel sympathy
  that his father has died yet he still has to
  write about his holiday. It is unclear whether
  the teacher finally realises what the child
  means.

36
Your Dad Did What continued

• 8. Why does the poet include the childs words
  in italics?
• It gives the child a voice. The reader can
  understand the confusion the teacher has in first
  reading the work. When we understand what it
  means we sympathise with the child.
• What is the effect of the regular rhyme scheme?
• This gives the poem a child-like quality but
  contrasts with the sadness of the topic.

37
Exam Practice Questions

• Explain how Hannah explores the relationship
  between teacher and pupil in Your dad did
  What?.
• Now compare this to how the relationship between
  mother and daughter is shown in Catrin.
• OR
• Now compare this to how the relationship between
  adults and children is shown in another poem of
  your choice.

38
The Class Game

• What is the main theme of the poem?
• The narrator is angry at people who judge her
  because of her class and the way she speaks. The
  poem is a humorous look at class stereotyping.
  The narrator is proud of her class.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is angry but positive at the end

39
The Class Game continued

• How does the speaker feel about her class?
  Evidence?
• Proud of her identity and class proud of the
  class that I come from
• Find evidence that she is not very well off.
• me second hand clothes/ live in a corpy
• Find evidence to show that she feels people judge
  her.
• wince when you hear
• What do the words Well mate! suggest about the
  speakers character?
• She is strong minded wont be put down.
• How does she show that the working class work
  hard?
• hands are stained with toil
• What do these words suggest about her attitude
  towards the higher classes? crook me little
  finger when I drink me tea?
• She thinks the higher classes are pretentious.

40
The Class Game continued

• What is the effect of the rhyme in the poem?
• Gives the poem an upbeat feel to help show that
  the narrator will not be down-trodden. It also
  highlights the questions showing that she is
  standing up for herself.
• Where is slang used and what is its effect?
• bog, belly
• Reflects the way the narrator speaks she is
  proud of how she speaks.
• Where is dialect used and what is the effect?
• A cleaner is me mother
• A docker is me brother
• Again, this adds to the poets pride in her
  identity and Liverpool roots.
• The poem is full of contrasts. Find some
  examples? What is the effect?
• stained and soft lily white
• Reinforces the difference between the speaker and
  the person she is speaking to. Reinforces class
  division.

41
Exam Practice Questions

• Explore how effectively Casey has used vocabulary
  and poetic devices to portray differences in
  social class and her attitudes towards them. Use
  examples from the poem to support your answer.
• Now compare this to how the poet presents the
  difference between the two characters in
  Hitcher
• OR
• 3. Now compare this to how differences are shown
  in a poem of your choice.

42
Cousin Kate

• What are the main ideas of the poem?
• The narrator of the poem explains how betrayed
  she has been by her cousin who has married a man
  who she was in a relationship with. The narrator
  would have been considered a fallen woman in
  the time the poem was set, as she has slept with
  a man outside of marriage and had a child as a
  result. The narrator compares herself as a
  fallen woman to her cousin who now has status
  in her marriage.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is one of anger and betrayal
• There are many conflicts and contrasts in the
  poem. How many can you find?
• palace-home and mean estate
• good and pure and an unclean thing
• contented and woe
• me an outcast thing and you good and pure
• The Poem is a Ballad. What is a ballad?
• A narrative in verse form they tell a story and
  have a song-like quality.

43
Cousin Kate continued

• Find an example of a simile in stanza two. What
  is the effect?
• He wore me like a golden knot,
• He changed me like a glove
• He thought she made him look good on his arm but
  he quickly changed her for someone new like one
  changes fashion accessories.
• What is the effect of the repetition of sentence
  structure in stanza one?
• It helps to stress her regret.
• Why does the poet make reference to a dove and
  what words does this contrast with?
• It is a symbol of purity. An unclean thing
• What do the following lines mean?
• He lifted you from mean estate
• To sit with him on high.
• He raised your status from rich to poor

44
Cousin Kate continued

• How does the poet show the speakers contrasting
  feelings about her son?
• my shame, my pride,
• What do the following lines mean?
• Your sire would give broad lands for one
• To wear his coronet.
• Your father would give anything for you to have a
  son

45
Examination Practice Questions

• Explain how Rossetti creates sympathy for the
  narrator in Cousin Kate.
• Now compare this to how the poet creates sympathy
  for the pupil in Your Dad did What?
• OR
• Now compare it to how the poet creates sympathy
  in a poem of your choice.

46
The Drum

• What are the main ideas of the poem?
• The poem is about how men are persuaded to go to
  war by the recruitment methods which suggest that
  war is glorious. The drum accompanied the men as
  they marched off to war and was associated with
  this sense of glory. The poet shows how this
  idea of glory is false and that the reality of
  war is horrid. Therefore, he hates the sound of
  the drum because it reminds him of the lies that
  are told to soldiers before they go to war.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is one of anger.
• What contrast is shown between the first stanza
  and the second stanza?

47
The Drum Continued.

• What contrast is shown between the first stanza
  and the second stanza?
• The first stanza shows the false associations
  that people had with the drum sound. It made
  people think of going to war as being glamorous.
• The second stanza shows the reality of what,
  which was not glamorous at all.
• What is the effect of the regular rhythm and
  rhyme?
• It reflects the steady beat of the drum. The
  up-beat feel reflects how young men were
  encouraged to go to war by being promised glory,
  honour and status.
• In the second stanza, the regular rhyme and
  rhythm helps to reflect how constant and
  continual the real suffering of war was.

48
The Drum Continued

• Which words in line one shows that he does not
  like the sound of the drum?
• hate and discordant
• What evidence is provided to show that young men
  are fooled into going to war?
• thoughtless youth, lures, tawdry lace,
  glistening arms, Ambition
• What is the effect of the alliteration in fight,
  and fall, in foreign lands.?
• Alliteration highlights how quickly they will die

49
The Drum Continued

• What is the effect of repeating the first two
  lines in stanza two?
• It helps to reflect the constant beat of the
  drum.
• Can you spot a lexical field in stanza two?
• Words conveying the horror of war burning,
  ruined, mangled, dying groans, widows
  tears, orphans moans, Miserys
• What is the effect of starting several lines with
  And?
• Repetition of And suggests that the list of
  horrors goes on and on.

50
Examination Practice Questions

• Explore how Scott uses negative language to
  convey his attitude towards war.
• Compare this to how the poet of Invasion
  conveys attitudes towards war.
• OR
• Compare this to how the poet of another poem from
  the anthology conveys attitudes towards war.

51
Invasion

• What contextual information do you know about the
  subject matter of the poem?
• Iraq invaded Kurdistan and persecuted its people,
  killing thousands of Kurds between 1987 and 1989.
  The poem is from the point of view of the Kurds,
  waiting for an approaching invasion.
• What are the main ideas of the poem?
• The speaker is a Kurd awaiting an Iraqi invasion
  of his homeland. He shows the anticipation and
  fear as they wait and the difference between the
  invading army and their poor defence.

52
Invasion Continued.

• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is of fear and hopelessness.
• How does the poet emphasise the difference
  between them and us in the first stanza.
• Regular use of personal pronouns they, their,
  theyll etc. but only one we does this
  suggest that there are many more of them?
• What is the effect of the caesura in line one?
• It helps to add to the sense of threat as if it
  is something that they cannot stop.

53
Invasion Continued.

• How does the poet make the Iraqi soldiers appear
  sinister in stanza one?
• theyll appear through the mist
• Why does the poet describe the Iraqis as wearing
  death-bringing uniforms?
• It helps to suggest that they are deadly once
  they put on the uniform, they become killers.
• How does the poet show that the Iraqi soldiers
  are well-equipped to win?
• guns and tanks pointing forward they have all
  the right weaponry and are in an aggressive
  position.

54
Invasion continued

• How does the poet create a contrast between the
  Kurds and the Iraqi soldiers in Stanza two?
• rusty guns and boiling blood they are poorly
  equipped.
• How does the poets choice of verbs in stanza
  four help to show the horror of war?
• cover, mix and creep emphasise the sheer
  quantity of blood lost.

55
Invasion Continued

• How does the poets use of language suggest the
  hopelessness of the situation?
• We will lose this war, simple statement
  suggests that there is no other ending possible.
• Keep your head down and stay in // doors
  imperative verbs suggest that the speaker feels
  strongly that there is no point in fighting back.
• Weve lost this war before we have begun
  ending the poem in this way is very bleak and
  sums up the poets view.

56
Examination Practice

• How does the poet show attitudes towards conflict
  in Invasion?
• Now compare this to how the poet shows attitudes
  towards conflict in Conscientious Objector
• OR
• Now compare this to how another poet shows
  attitudes towards conflict.

57
Hitcher

• What are the main ideas in the poem?
• The narrator is not happy with his life and picks
  up a hitchhiker who appears to have all the
  freedom that he desires. The narrator commits an
  unprovoked violent attack on the hitchhiker and
  shows no remorse for his actions.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is very casual and laid back.
• What details do we get about the speaker in
  stanza one?
• He does not appear to like his job as he appears
  to take a lot of sick days. He does not own his
  own car, so perhaps does not earn much. He is
  tired and under the weather, suggesting a
  general unhappiness with life.

58
Hitcher Continued.

• Which three words in stanza one emphasise the
  speakers dissatisfaction with life and how does
  the poet emphasise these?
• tired, fired, hired the use of rhyme
  helps them to stand out.
• How does the poet emphasise the contrast between
  the speaker and the hitchhiker?
• He was following.good earth for a bed this
  creates an idyllic image of someone who has no
  responsibilities.
• Why does the poet include the words The truth he
  said, was blowin in the wind
• This is rather a hippy idea and is also the
  name of a Bob Dylan song about carefree living.

59
Hitcher Continued.

• What does the phrase I let him have it?
• He inflicted violence on the hitchhiker.
• Where is language used to show violence?
• once / with the head, then six times with the
  krooklok / in the face
• How does the poet show that the speaker is
  unfeeling?
• didnt even swerve suggest he is more
  affected by his driving skills. Stitch that, I
  remember thinking, / you can walk from here.
• How does the poet draw a link between the two
  characters?
• we were the same age, give or take a week
  suggests that the speaker realises that is life
  could have turned out like this.

60
Hitcher Continued

• What do his references to the weather suggest
  about the speaker?
• The outlook for the day was moderate to fair
  suggest that the act of violence has made the
  speaker feel better and set him up for the day.
• What is the effect of the enjambment in the poem?
• It suggest the laid back attitude of the speaker
  as though he is telling us a personal anecdote
  that he is proud of.

61
Examination Practice

• Explore how Armitage presents conflict between
  two people in Hitcher.
• Now compare this to how the poet presents the
  conflict between two people in Cousin Kate.
• OR
• Now compare this to how another poet presents the
  conflict between two people.

62
O What is that Sound?

• What are the main ideas of the poem?
• The poem is a ballad, telling the story of a
  married couple who observe the movements of an
  army as they approach their home. The wife asks
  questions as she feels uneasy and wants to know
  what the army is doing. The husband tries to
  reassure her that they are no threat but then at
  the last minute, runs off, leaving his wife to
  face an angry army. The reader assumes that the
  husband was a traitor to the army and now he is a
  traitor to his wife.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is one of unease.

63
O What is That Sound continued

• Who are the speakers in the poem and how do we
  know this?
• A husband and wife dear, were the vows you
  swore deceiving deceiving?, I promised to love
  you dear
• What clues are there that the poem is set in the
  past?
• drumming, scarlet soldiers, horses
• What do we learn about the soldiers in the poem?
• The soldiers are very disciplined and serious
  they seem to mean business. They sound
  increasingly threatening as the poem goes on
  usual manoeuvres, running, boots are heavy,
  eyes are burning

64
O What is That Sound continued

• What different methods does the poet use to
  create tension?
• Use of dialogue
• This draws the reader into the conversation.
• Use of the different senses
• O what is that sound that so thrills the ear?
• These make the reader feel as if they can see,
  hear and fully experience the situation.
• Repetition of words and phrases
• O what
• This adds to the sense of fear, as the soldiers
  are getting ever nearer. It also adds to the
  steady rhythm we can almost hear the soldiers
  marching towards us.

65
O What is that Sound continued

• Methods to create tension continued
• Violent words
• splintered the door - Suggests the violence and
  brutality of the men. Suggests they will deal
  violently with the narrator.
• Use of Questions
• O what is that light I see flashing so clear? -
  This reinforces the uncertainty and fear the
  narrator feels.

66
O What is that Sound continued

• What is the effect of the regular rhyme and
  rhythm?
• It reflects the idea of soldiers marching. The
  repetition in the poem adds to this.
• What evidence is there that the soldiers are
  armed and organised?
• with all that gear, usual manoeuvres
• What do the following lines suggest about the
  speaker? No, I promised to love you, dear,But I
  must be leaving.
• He seems happy to betray her love and try to
  escape

67
Examination Practice

• Explore how Auden builds tension, explores
  repercussions and expresses emotions connected
  with war.
• Now compare this to how war is presented in
  Conscientious Objector.
• OR
• Now compare this to how another poet presents
  ideas about war.

68
Conscientious Objector

• What are the main ideas of the poem?
• The narrator describes Death as a person who she
  will not help in any way. She is anti-war and a
  pacifist who sees the only winner of war to be
  Death. She makes many promises of things that
  she will not do to help lead people to their
  deaths.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is one of defiance.
• Why is the opening line on its own?
• It sums up the poets thoughts about fighting.
  She cannot avoid her own eventual death but she
  will not speed up anyone elses.

69
Conscientious Objector continued.

• What does the word shall actually mean?
• It means definitely will
• The poet personifies Death? How does she do
  this? Find three examples.
• I hear him
• He is in haste
• he has business in Cuba
• Though he flick my shoulders with his whip
• Etc

70
Conscientious Objector continued

• The narrator makes death appear sinister and
  frightening. Find evidence to prove this.
• he cinches the girth
• flick my shoulders with his whip
• his hoof on my breast
• How does the poet show that there are many wars
  going on around the world?
• He uses repetition of business making reference
  to Cuba (alludes to the American conflict with
  Spain, during which Cuba fought for its
  independence.) and the Balkans (alludes to
  World War 1.)

71
Conscientious Objector continued.

• What other activities does the poet appear to
  criticise in the poem?
• Corruption in business Not on his pay-roll
  and actions against minority groups, such as
  racism I will not tell him where the / black
  boy hides in the swamp.
• What is the effect of the caesura in the poem?
• Look at the semi-colons, it helps to add a sense
  of urgency.
• What might the poet be referring to with the
  words,
• though he promises me much?
• This hints at the recruitment methods used to get
  people to join up

72
Examination Practice.

• Explore how the poet presents attitudes towards
  war in the poem.
• Now compare this to how the poet explores
  attitudes towards war in The Drum.
• OR
• Now compare this to how another poet explores
  attitudes towards war.

73
August 6, 1945

• What are the main ideas of the poem?
• The narrator describes the pilot, Paul Tibetts as
  he flew the Enola Gay over Hiroshima and dropped
  an atomic bomb. The poem is very visual using
  much imagery to convey the horror of what he saw
  beneath him and to describe the nuclear mushroom
  cloud. We are told that the pilot will be left
  with nightmares.
• What is the tone of the poem?
• The tone is one of horror and loss.

74
August 6, 1945 continued.

• What images are there in the poem and what is
  their effect?
• bees drizzle over / hot white rhododendrons
• This could suggest the beautiful, calm nature in
  the countryside before the explosion. white
  suggests innocence but hot suggests the
  intensity of the explosion. The reader will be
  sorry at such devastation.
• went up like an apricot ice
• Reflects the shape of the cloud and the innocent
  and pleasant associations we have with ice-cream
  contrast with the horror and deadliness of the
  bomb.

75
August 6, 1945

• Images continued.
• saw Marilyns skirts / fly over her head for
  ever
• A metaphor of the iconic white dress of Marilyn
  Monroe to describe the mushroom cloud. The words
  for ever, suggest that the repercussions of the
  bomb will last for ever.
• a scarlet girl / with her whole stripped skin
• This ghastly image reflects the horror inflicted
  on the body her burnt skin has peeled from her
  body. Choosing to describe a girl, the poet
  emphasises the innocence of those who died.
• people are becoming / as lizards
• The burning and peeling of skin have left the
  people more like reptiles who shed their skin
  habitually.

76
Examination Practice

• Explain how fell uses imagery, vocabulary and
  form to convey the horror of a nuclear attack.
• Now compare this to how the poet conveys the
  horror of war in Exposure.
• OR
• Now compare this to how another poet uses
  vocabulary and form to present something shocking.

77
August 6, 1945 continued

• What do you think the poet means in the last
  stanza of the poem?
• Clearly the poet believes that the pilot would
  have nightmares over what he has been part of and
  seen. The ladybirds could reflect the red and
  black of the charred bodies that he can see below
  him. It could also refer to a childrens rhyme
• What else could the ladybirds be a reference to?
• Ladybird, ladybird fly away
• Home, your house is on fire,
• Your children are gone
• This could reflect what the people of Hiroshima
  faced after the devastating effects on their
  homes and families.