Those Bastards in their Mansions

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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Simon Armitage

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Those Bastards in their Mansions
Starter Activity Prediction
View Point
What type of poem Do you think this will be from
the title? Consider
Tone
Style
Ideas, feelings attitudes
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Those Bastards in their Mansions
What questions arise from this poem?
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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Read through the poem and highlight any words
  that you do not understand.
• What is the age and gender of the speaker within
  the Poem?
• How do you come to this conclusion?

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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Copy and complete this chart to show what
  evidence you can find to show the speakers
  attitude

Evidence of the Speakers attitude
The lords and ladies in their palaces and castles He calls them bastards and enjoys hearing them shriek He despises them for keeping the gift of fire for themselves. .
The people in the streets and houses
himself
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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Prometheus
• Prometheus was a Greek hero and a Titan, (a race
  between Gods and Men.)
• Prometheus stole fire from the Gods to give to
  men so that they could be the most powerful
  animals on earth. As a punishment he was chained
  to a rock to have his liver pecked out each day
  by an eagle. Each night his liver was restored so
  that the punishment could be repeated the next
  day.
• Prometheus is often seen as a hero and a symbol
  of people who rise up and fight against tyranny
  and cruelty.

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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Consider these 4 questions in relation to the
  myth of Prometheus.
• Why might the lords and ladies see the speaker
  as a Prometheus figure?
• Why might the ordinary people view him as a
  Prometheus figure?
• Why does the speaker not want to be viewed as
  this type of figure?
• What advantage does he think he has over
  Prometheus?

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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Read the following question and its response

How does Armitage make the reader feel sympathy
for the ordinary people in the poem?
First, Armitage contrasts the ordinary streets
and houses with the palaces and castles.
Secondly, He writes that the ordinary people do
not have heat and light to show what a
miserable existence they have. Lastly, he states
that they are in cuffs And shackles, in other
words they are prisoners Or even slaves.

• With a partner identify how this question has
  been answered.
• What are the strengths of the response?
• Could it be improved?

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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• You have 10 minutes in your group to answer your
  set question.
• Be prepared to read out your written response!

GROUP 1 What does Armitage make the reader feel
towards the lords and ladies? How does he do
this?
GROUP 2 Does Armitage make the reader feel as if
the speaker is a romantic freedom fighter on the
side of the common people using A gun as he has
no alternative or a terrorist trying to destroy
society By killing in a ruthless but cowardly
way? Could there be an alternative reading of the
speaker and if so what?
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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Within the 1st stanza Armitage uses a lot of d,
  t and s sounds, for example in the 1st line
• Those bastards in their mansions
• Highlight or identify where else this has
  occurred within the 1st stanza.
• Why has Armitage used so many of these sounds and
  what is the over all effect?

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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Puns are used within the poem.
• What 2 meanings might the words lifted (line 5)
  and grilled (line 12,) have?
• Re read the poem. Summarize the meaning of the
  1st 3 stanzas. You may only use up to 10 words
  per stanza!
• Why do you think the last stanza is a single
  line?

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Those Bastards in their Mansions
Group 3 A celebration of Freedom fighters
Group 1 An attack on terrorists?
Why might some people think this poem is
Group 2 A clever twist on a Greek myth
Group 4 A study of a ruthless killer.
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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• What Duffy Poem Would you
• Compare Those Bastards in
• Their Mansions
• With?

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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Those Bastards in their Mansions and Havisham
  are both dramatic monologues.
• Do they have anything else in common?

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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• Consider
• What or who do they hate?
• What is their reason for hatred?
• What do they do because of this hatred?
• What words do they use to express their hatred?
• What do they plan to do next?

Those Bastards
HAVISHAM
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Those Bastards in their Mansions

• The word shriek is used in both Those Bastards
  in their Mansions and Before you were Mine.
• What does this word tell us about the speakers
  thoughts and feelings in both poems?
• Copy and complete the following sentences

In Those Bastards in their Mansions the
terrorist claims the lords and ladies are
shrieking because.
The word shriek has a harsh and unpleasant
sound and the effect on the reader is.
However in, Before you were Mine, Duffys
mother and her friends shriek because