HOW TO REVISE ENGLISH LITERATURE EXAMS: MAY · PDF fileHow to Revise Literature ... How to Revise for ‘An Inspector alls ... social inequality in Britain and the need for nuclear

HOW TO REVISE ENGLISH LITERATURE

EXAMS: MAY 2013

The Exams You Will Sit:

May 20th

This exam is split into two parts. Section A: Modern prose or drama is based on the play ‘An

Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestly. Follow the table of contents to the correct page and question

choices. You will have the choice of two questions, only write a response to one of these questions.

Section B: Exploring cultures is based on the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck. This

question is split into two parts; you must answer both parts. Part a is based on an extract from the

novella and will ask you to analyse Steinbeck’s use of language and structural devices in regards to a

theme or character. Part b will ask you to link the extract to the rest of the novella and the relevant

context it explores.

30 marks per question are awarded for the content of your response, 4 marks per question are

awarded for Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation.

May 23rd

This exam is split into two sections. Section A: Poetry cluster from the Anthology is based on the

poems you have studied in the Anthology on Conflict. Follow the table of contents to the correct

page and question choices. You will have the choice of two questions, only write a response to one

of these questions. You will need to compare two poems that you have studied, analysing language,

form and structure of the poems, the writers’ intentions and the effect on the reader.

Section B: Responding to an unseen poem is a previously unstudied poem. You will have 30 minutes

to read, understand and analyse the poem. Your essay will be much shorter than the one for Section

A. This poem could be about anything. You must analyse language, form and structure of the poem,

the writer’s intentions and the effect on the reader.

How to Revise Literature ADVICE FOR THE EXAMINATION

• Highlight the key points of the question- this will help you stay focused on the question. • Use the language of the question and refer to the question at the beginning and end of your paragraph. • Plan your answer. You have an hour so you will have time to prepare a good plan. • Use the PEEA paragraph structure. • Remember to be specific. Do not start narrating the story, the examiner knows the story. Do not make generalising statements. You must be really specific. Say exactly how or why something happens. • Use appropriate formal vocabulary. • Remember to pay attention to the bullet points (if any are there) and make these the focus of your answer. • Analyse the character’s use of language closely. How does this reflect the time period, story, and the social and historical context? • Do not spend several paragraphs on one point. Make the point, then move on. Squeeze as many points in as possible. • Remember if you choose a very narrow or prescriptive question which is asking you about a specific point, answer the specific point but then take it wider and think about how this relates to other features of the text or incidents. • Always relate points to other issues in the text. This shows you have a wide understanding of the text and you will get more marks. • For Of Mice and Men: Think about how everything reflects the context of the time. Whatever point you are making, consider whether you can say anything about the context of the time. This will automatically get you more marks. Remember historical and social contexts. • Back every point in with close analysis of the language. Do not just use a quote to back up your point but use it to examine the choice of language. What does it imply to you and what is the effect on the audience? • Remember inverted commas around the titles of texts. • Every point you make needs to be backed up by evidence. • There is a difference between the style of writing used in coursework essays and the style of writing used in the exam. You need to improve the pace of your writing. Do not spend a long time justifying points. Make a point, back it up, analyse language, effect on audience, move on. • It’s really important that you ensure you have read your text at least twice. • Make sure you know key themes, quotes and characters • Use the internet resources listed on the back to help you revise.

How to Revise for ‘An Inspector Calls’

Reread the play – focussing on themes and characters

Review language, structural and dramatic devices

Review the context of the text

Practice answering questions, which you can find further on in this booklet

CONTEXT To understand the context of the play, it's helpful to know a little about J B Priestley's life and his political views during the early 20th century - a time of great global change. He wrote An Inspector Calls after the Second World War and like much of his work contains controversial, politically charged messages. Keen to pioneer a new 'morality' in politics, Priestley’s chief concerns involved social inequality in Britain and the need for nuclear disarmament. The characters we see as the curtain rises are not the same as those at the plays conclusion. The events of the evening change everyone, as well as their expectations of the future. Inspector Goole is instrumental in disturbing the harmony; a purposeful, mysterious character who forces the characters to confront each other's social responsibility, snobbery and guilt. But is the inspector as genuine as he seems? All these changes take place because of the visit of Inspector Goole. But who is Inspector Goole? And who is the girl whose suicide he is apparently investigating? Priestley deliberately set his play in 1912 because the date represented an era when all was very different from the time he was writing. In 1912, rigid class and gender boundaries seemed to ensure that nothing would change. Yet by 1945, most of those class and gender divisions had been breached. Priestley wanted to make the most of these changes. Through this play, he encourages people to seize the opportunity the end of the war had given them to build a better, more caring society. Political views During the 1930's Priestley became very concerned about the consequences of social inequality in Britain, and in 1942 Priestley and others set up a new political party, the Common Wealth Party, which argued for public ownership of land, greater democracy, and a new 'morality' in politics. The party merged with the Labour Party in 1945, but Priestley was influential in developing the idea of the Welfare State which began to be put into place at the end of the war. He believed that further world wars could only be avoided through cooperation and mutual respect between countries, and so became active in the early movement for a United Nations. And as the nuclear arms race between West and East began in the 1950s, he helped to found CND, hoping that Britain would set an example to the world by a moral act of nuclear disarmament. Arthur Birling

He is described at the start as a "heavy-looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties but rather provincial in his speech."

He has worked his way up in the world and is proud of his achievements. He boasts about having been Mayor and tries (and fails) to impress the Inspector with his local standing and his influential friends.

However, he is aware of people who are his social superiors, which is why he shows off about the port to Gerald, "it's exactly the same port your father gets." He is proud that he is likely to be knighted, as that would move him even higher in social circles.

He claims the party "is one of the happiest nights of my life." This is not only because Sheila will be happy, but because a merger with Crofts Limited will be good for his business.

He is optimistic for the future and confident that there will not be a war. As the audience knows there will be a war, we begin to doubt Mr Birling's judgement. (If he is wrong about the war, what else will he be wrong about?)

He is extremely selfish:

He wants to protect himself and his family. He believes that socialist ideas that stress the importance of the community are "nonsense" and that "a man has to make his own way."

He wants to protect Birling and Co. He cannot see that he did anything wrong when he fired Eva Smith - he was just looking after his business interests.

He wants to protect his reputation. As the Inspector's investigations continue, his selfishness gets the better of him: he is worried about how the press will view the story in Act II, and accuses Sheila of disloyalty at the start of Act III. He wants to hide the fact that Eric stole money: "I've got to cover this up as soon as I can."

At the end of the play, he knows he has lost the chance of his knighthood, his reputation in Brumley and the chance of Birling and Co. merging with their rivals. Yet he hasn't learnt the lesson of the play: he is unable to admit his responsibility for his part in Eva's death.

Mrs Sybil Birling

She is described at the start as "about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband's social superior."

She is a snob, very aware of the differences between social classes. She is irritated when Mr Birling makes the social gaffe of praising the cook in front of Gerald and later is very dismissive of Eva, saying "Girls of that class."

She has the least respect for the Inspector of all the characters. She tries - unsuccessfully - to intimidate him and force him to leave, then lies to him when she claims that she does not recognise the photograph that he shows her.

She sees Sheila and Eric still as "children" and speaks patronisingly to them.

She tries to deny things that she doesn't want to believe: Eric's drinking, Gerald's affair with Eva, and the fact that a working class girl would refuse money even if it was stolen, claiming "She was giving herself ridiculous airs."

She admits she was "prejudiced" against the girl who applied to her committee for help and saw it as her "duty" to refuse to help her. Her narrow sense of morality dictates that the father of a child should be responsible for its welfare, regardless of circumstances.

At the end of the play, she has had to come to terms that her son is a heavy drinker who got a girl pregnant and stole money to support her, her daughter will not marry a good social 'catch' and that her own reputation within the town will be sullied. Yet, like her husband, she refuses to believe that she did anything wrong and doesn't accept responsibility for her part in Eva's death.

Sheila Birling

She is described at the start as "a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited."

Even though she seems very playful at the opening, we know that she has had suspicions about Gerald when she mentions "last summer, when you never came near me." Does this suggest that she is not as naive and shallow as she first appears?

Although she has probably never in her life before considered the conditions of the workers, she shows her compassion immediately she hears of her father's treatment of Eva Smith: "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people." Already, she is starting to change.

She is horrified by her own part in Eva's story. She feels full of guilt for her jealous actions and blames herself as "really responsible."

She is very perceptive: she realises that Gerald knew Daisy Renton from his reaction, the moment the Inspector mentioned her name. At the end of Act II, she is the first to realise Eric's part in the story. Significantly, she is the first to wonder who the Inspector really is, saying to him,

'wonderingly', "I don't understand about you." She warns the others "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves" (Act II) and, near the end, is the first to consider whether the Inspector may not be real.

She is curious. She genuinely wants to know about Gerald's part in the story. It's interesting that she is not angry with him when she hears about the affair: she says that she respects his honesty. She is becoming more mature.

She is angry with her parents in Act 3 for trying to "pretend that nothing much has happened." Sheila says "It frightens me the way you talk:" she cannot understand how they cannot have learnt from the evening in the same way that she has. She is seeing her parents in a new, unfavourable light.

At the end of the play, Sheila is much wiser. She can now judge her parents and Gerald from a new perspective, but the greatest change has been in herself: her social conscience has been awakened and she is aware of her responsibilities. The Sheila who had a girl dismissed from her job for a trivial reason has vanished forever.

Eric Birling

He is described at the start as "in his early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive."

Eric seems embarrassed and awkward right from the start. The first mention of him in the script is "Eric suddenly guffaws," and then he is unable to explain his laughter, as if he is nervous about something. (It is not until the final act that we realise this must be because of his having stolen some money.) There is another awkward moment when Gerald, Birling and Eric are chatting about women's love of clothes before the Inspector arrives. Do you feel that there is tension in Eric's relationship with his father?

It soon becomes clear to us (although it takes his parents longer) that he is a hardened drinker. Gerald admits, "I have gathered that he does drink pretty hard."

When he hears how his father sacked Eva Smith, he supports the worker's cause, like Sheila. "Why shouldn't they try for higher wages?"

He feels guilt and frustration with himself over his relationship with the girl. He cries, "Oh - my God! – how stupid it all is!" as he tells his story. He is horrified that his thoughtless actions had such consequences.

He had some innate sense of responsibility, though, because although he got a woman pregnant, he was concerned enough to give her money. He was obviously less worried about stealing (or 'borrowing' from his father's office) than he was about the girl's future. So, was Eric, initially, the most socially aware member of the Birling family?

He is appalled by his parents' inability to admit their own responsibility. He tells them forcefully, "I'm ashamed of you." When Birling tries to threaten him in Act III, Eric is aggressive in return: "I don't give a damn now." Do you think Eric has ever stood up to his father in this way before?

At the end of the play, like Sheila, he is fully aware of his social responsibility. He is not interested in his parents' efforts to cover everything up: as far as he is concerned, the important thing is that a girl is dead. "We did her in all right."

Gerald Croft

He is described as "an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred man-about-town."

He is an aristocrat - the son of Lord and Lady Croft. We realise that they are not over-impressed by Gerald's engagement to Sheila because they declined the invitation to the dinner.

He is not as willing as Sheila to admit his part in the girl's death to the Inspector and initially pretends that he never knew her. Is he a bit like Mr Birling, wanting to protect his own interests?

He did have some genuine feeling for Daisy Renton, however: he is very moved when he hears of her death. He tells Inspector Goole that he arranged for her to live in his friend's flat "because I

was sorry for her;" she became his mistress because "She was young and pretty and warm-hearted - and intensely grateful."

Despite this, in Act 3 he tries to come up with as much evidence as possible to prove that the Inspector is a fake - because that would get him off the hook. It is Gerald who confirms that the local force has no officer by the name of Goole, he who realises it may not have been the same girl and he who finds out from the infirmary that there has not been a suicide case in months. He seems to throw his energies into "protecting" himself rather than "changing" himself (unlike Sheila).

At the end of the play, he has not changed. He has not gained a new sense of social responsibility, which is why Sheila (who has) is unsure whether to take back the engagement ring.

Inspector Goole

He is described on his entrance as creating "an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit. He speaks carefully, weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking. "

He works very systematically; he likes to deal with "one person and one line of enquiry at a time." His method is to confront a suspect with a piece of information and then make them talk - or, as Sheila puts it, "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves."

He is a figure of authority. He deals with each member of the family very firmly and several times we see him "massively taking charge as disputes erupt between them." He is not impressed when he hears about Mr Birling's influential friends and he cuts through Mrs Birling's obstructiveness.

He seems to know and understand an extraordinary amount:

He knows the history of Eva Smith and the Birlings' involvement in it, even though she died only hours ago. Sheila tells Gerald, "Of course he knows."

He knows things are going to happen - He says "I'm waiting...To do my duty" just before Eric's return, as if he expected Eric to reappear at exactly that moment

He is obviously in a great hurry towards the end of the play: he stresses "I haven't much time." Does he know that the real inspector is shortly going to arrive?

His final speech is like a sermon or a politician's. He leaves the family with the message "We are responsible for each other" and warns them of the "fire and blood and anguish" that will result if they do not pay attention to what he has taught them.

He controls the pace and tension by dealing with one line of enquiry at a time. Slowly the story of Eva's life is unravelled, like in a 'whodunnit'.

He is in command at the end of Act I and the start of Act 2, and the end of Act 2 and the start of Act 3. He is a brooding, inescapable presence, very much in control.

All this mystery suggests that the Inspector is not a 'real' person. So, what is he? a ghost (Goole reminds us of 'ghoul'), the voice of Priestley, the voice of God, the voice of all our consciences? Do you have any other suggestions?

Eva Smith

Of course, we never see Eva Smith on stage in the play: we only have the evidence that the Inspector and the Birlings give us.

The Inspector, Sheila Gerald and Eric all say that she was "pretty." Gerald describes her as "very pretty - soft brown hair and big dark eyes."

Her parents were dead.

She came from outside Brumley: Mr Birling speaks of her being "countrybred."

She was working class.

The Inspector says that she had kept a sort of diary, which helped him piece together the last two years of her life.

However, in Act 3 we begin to wonder whether Eva ever really existed. - Gerald says, "We've no proof it was the same photograph and therefore no proof it was the same girl." - Birling adds, "There wasn't the slightest proof that this Daisy Renton really was Eva Smith." Yet the final phone call, announcing that a police inspector is shortly to arrive at the Birlings' house to investigate the suicide of a young girl, makes us realise that maybe Eva Smith did exist after all. What do you think?

Think about Eva's name. Eva is similar to Eve, the first woman created by God in the Bible. Smith is the most common English surname. So, Eva Smith could represent every woman of her class.

STAGE DIRECTIONS In the course of ‘An Inspector Calls’, the Birling family and Gerald Croft change from a state of great self-satisfaction to a state of extreme self-doubt. The play is in 'real time' - in other words, the story lasts exactly as long as the play is on the stage. So, what happens in a comparatively short time to create such a dramatic contrast? How is the drama maintained and the audience involved? Setting and Subtle Hints The setting and lighting are very important. Priestley describes the scene in detail at the opening of Act 1, so that the audience has the immediate impression of a "heavily comfortable house." The setting is constant (all action happens in the same place). Priestley says that the lighting should be "pink and intimate" before the Inspector arrives - a rose-tinted glow - when it becomes "brighter and harder." The lighting reflects the mood of the play. The dining room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer. It has good solid furniture of the period. At the moment they have all had a good dinner, are celebrating a special occasion, and are pleased with themselves. There are subtle hints that not is all as it seems. For example, early on we wonder whether the happy atmosphere is slightly forced. Sheila wonders where Gerald was last summer, Eric is nervous about something, Lord and Lady Croft did not attend the engagement dinner. This arouses interest in the audience – we want to find out what is going on! Dramatic Irony and Tone There is dramatic irony. For instance, the audience knows how wrong Mr Birling is when he makes confident predictions about there not being a war and is excited about the sailing of The Titanic: famously, the ship sank on her maiden voyage. This puts the audience at an advantage over the characters and makes us more involved. Tension and Timing There are numerous changes in tone. For instance, Mr Birling's confidence is soon replaced - first by self-justification as he tries to explain his part in Eva's death, and then by anxiety. Timing of entrances and exits is crucial. For example, the Inspector arrives immediately after Birling has told Gerald about his impending knighthood and about how "a man has to look after himself and his own." The Ending The ending leaves the audience on a cliff-hanger. In Act 3 the Birlings believed themselves to be off the hook when it is discovered that the Inspector wasn't real and that no girl had died in the infirmary. This releases some of the tension - but the final telephone call, announcing that a real inspector is on his way to ask questions about the suicide of a young girl, suddenly restores the tension very dramatically. It is an unexpected final twist.

THEMES In An Inspector Calls, the central theme is responsibility. Priestley is interested in our personal responsibility for our own actions and our collective responsibility to society. The play explores the effect of class, age and sex on people's attitudes to responsibility, and shows how prejudice can prevent people from acting responsibly. In addition, the play also considers the following themes of morality and lies and deceit. RESPONSIBILITY Everyone in society is linked... The words responsible and responsibility are used by most characters in the play at some point. Each member of the family has a different attitude to responsibility. Make sure that you know how each of them felt about their responsibility in the case of Eva Smith. The Inspector wanted each member of the family to share the responsibility of Eva's death: he tells them, "each of you helped to kill her." However, his final speech is aimed not only at the characters on stage, but at the audience too: One Eva Smith has gone - but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. The Inspector is talking about a collective responsibility, everyone is society is linked, in the same way that the characters are linked to Eva Smith. Everyone is a part of "one body",the Inspector sees society as more important than individual interests. The views he is propounding are like those of Priestley who was a socialist. Remember at the time the ethos was based on the individualism ethos of laissez faire ( leave alone), Priestly wanted the characters to consider a social conscience and to embrace a collective responsibility. He adds a clear warning about what could happen if, like some members of the family, we ignore our responsibility: And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, when they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. What would Priestley have wanted his audience to think of when the Inspector warns the Birlings of the "fire and blood and anguish"? Probably he is thinking partly about the world war they had just lived through - the result of governments blindly pursuing 'national interest' at all costs. No doubt he was thinking too about the Russian revolution in which poor workers and peasants took over the state and exacted a bloody revenge against the aristocrats who had treated them so badly. CLASS Apart from Edna the maid, the cast of the play does not include any lower class characters. We see only the rich, upwardly mobile Birlings and the upper class Gerald Croft. Yet we learn a lot about the lower class as we hear of each stage in Eva's life and we see the attitude the Birlings had for them.

The Palace Variety Theatre was a music hall. It was not seen as quite 'respectable' entertainment - probably not somewhere where Sheila would have gone. The stalls bar of the Palace Variety Theatre, where Eva Smith met both Gerald and Eric, was the bar for the lower classes and a favourite haunt of prostitutes. We could ask what Gerald and Eric were there in the first place! Alderman Meggarty, a local dignitary, also went there a lot. Priestley is trying to show that the upper classes are unaware that the easy lives they lead rest upon hard work of the lower classes.

GENDER Because Eva was a woman - in the days before women were valued by society and had not yet been awarded the right to vote - she was in an even worse position than a lower class man. Even upper class women had few choices. For most, the best they could hope for was to impress a rich man and marry well - which could explain why Sheila spent so long in Milwards. For working class women, a job was crucial. There was no social security at that time, so without a job they had no money. There were very few options open to women in that situation: many saw no

alternative but to turn to prostitution. Look at these quotations, showing the attitude to women of some characters:

Mr Birling is dismissive of the several hundred women in his factory: "We were paying the usual rates and if they didn't like those rates, they could go and work somewhere else."

Gerald saw Eva as "young and fresh and charming" - in other words, someone vulnerable he could amuse himself by helping.

Mrs Birling couldn't believe that "a girl of that sort would ever refuse money." Her charitable committee was a sham: a small amount of money was given to a small amount of women, hardly scratching the surface of the problem.

Why did Priestley decide to hinge his play on the death of a young working class woman rather than the death of a young working class man?

AGE The older generation and the younger generation take the Inspector's message in different ways. While Sheila and Eric accept their part in Eva's death and feel huge guilt about it, their parents are unable to admit that they did anything wrong. The Old (Mr and Mrs Birling) The Young (Sheila and Eric):

The old are set in their ways.

They are utterly confident that they are right and they see the young as foolish.

The young are open to new ideas. This is first seen early in Act 1 when both Eric and Sheila express sympathy for the strikers - an idea which horrifies Birling, who can only think of production costs and ignores the human side of the issue.

The old will do anything to protect themselves: Mrs Birling lies to the Inspector when he first shows her the photograph; Mr Birling wants to cover up a potential scandal.

The young are honest and admit their faults. Eric refuses to try to cover his part up, saying, "the fact remains that I did what I did."

They have never been forced to examine their consciences before and find they cannot do it now - as the saying goes, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks.'

Sheila and Eric see the human side of Eva's story and are very troubled by their part in it. They do examine their consciences.

Mr and Mrs Birling have much to fear from the visit of the 'real' inspector because they know they will lose everything.

Sheila and Eric have nothing to fear from the visit of the 'real' inspector because they have already admitted what they have done wrong, and will change.

Gerald Croft is caught in the middle, being neither very young nor old. In the end he sides with the older generation, perhaps because his aristocratic roots influence him to want to keep the status quo and protect his own interests. Ultimately, we can be optimistic that the young - those who will shape future society - are able to take on board the Inspector's message. An Inspector Calls: EXAM QUESTION PRACTICE – practice responding in 45 minutes

1. How does Priestley show that tension is at the heart of the Birling family? 2. Priestley criticises the selfishness of people like the Birlings. What methods does he use to

present this selfishness? 3. Arthur Birling says, ‘If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody

we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn’t it?’ How does Priestley present ideas about responsibility in An Inspector Calls?

4. How do you respond to Gerald in An Inspector Calls? How does Priestley make you respond as you do by the ways he writes?

5. An Inspector Calls has been called ‘a play of contrasts’. Write about how Priestley presents some of the contrasts in the play.

6. How does Priestley present the change in Sheila during the course of the play An Inspector Calls? How do you think this change reflects some of Priestley’s ideas?

7. In Act 2 of An Inspector Calls, Sheila says to her mother, Mrs Birling, “But we really must stop these silly pretences”. How does Priestley show, in his presentation of Mrs Birling, that she often pretends to be something she is not?

8. How important do you think social class is in An Inspector Calls and how does Priestley present ideas about social class?

9. What do you think is the importance of Inspector Goole and how does Priestley present him?

10. Remind yourself of the stage directions below from the start of Act 1. In the rest of the play, how does Priestley present and develop some of the ideas shown here?

‘The dining-room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer. It has good solid furniture of the period. The general effect is substantial and heavily comfortable, but not cosy and homelike. (If a realistic set is used, then it should be swung back, as it was in the production at the New Theatre. By doing this, you can have the dining-table centre downstage during Act One, when it is needed there, and then, swinging back, can reveal the fireplace for Act Two, and then for Act Three can show a small table with telephone on it, downstage of fireplace; and by this time the dining-table and its chairs have moved well upstage. Producers who wish to avoid this tricky business, which involves two re-settings of the scene and some very accurate adjustments of the extra flats necessary, would be well advised to dispense with an ordinary realistic set, if only because the dining-table becomes a nuisance. The lighting should be pink and intimate until the INSPECTOR arrives, and then is should be brighter and harder.) At rise of curtain, the four BIRLINGS and GERALD are seated at the table, with ARTHUR BIRLING at one end, his wife at the other, ERIC downstage, and SHEILA and GERALD seated upstage. EDNA, the parlour maid, is just clearing the table, which has no cloth, of dessert plates and champagne glasses, etc., and then replacing them with decanter of port, cigar box and cigarettes. Port glasses are already on the table. All five are in evening dress of the period, the men in tails and white ties, not dinner-jackets. ARTHUR BIRLING is a heavy-looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties with fairly easy manners but rather provincial in his speech. His wife is about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband’s social superior. SHEILA is a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited. GERALD CROFT is an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred young man-about-town. ERIC is in his early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive. At the moment they have all had a good dinner, are celebrating a special occasion, and are pleased with themselves.’

Marking Criteria:

How to Revise ‘Of Mice and Men’

Reread the novella – focussing on themes and characters

Review language, structural and dramatic devices

Review the context of the text and try to link it into characters and themes

Practice answering questions, which you can find further on in this booklet

CONTEXT John Steinbeck John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. Although his family was wealthy, he was interested in the lives of the farm labourers and spent time working with them. He used his experiences as material for his writing. He wrote a number of novels about poor people who worked on the land and dreamed of a better life, including The Grapes of Wrath, which is the heartrending story of a family's struggle to escape the dust bowl of the West to reach California. Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962, six years before his death in 1968 The Depression On October 29 1929, millions of dollars were wiped out in an event that became known as the Wall Street Crash. It led to the Depression in America which crippled the country from 1930 - 1936. People lost their life savings when firms and banks went bust, and 12 - 15 million men and women - one third of America's population - were unemployed. There was then no dole to fall back on, so food was short and the unemployed in cities couldn't pay their rent. Some ended up in settlements called 'Hoovervilles' (after the US president of the time, Herbert C Hoover), in shanties made from old packing cases and corrugated iron. Migrant farmers Added to the man-made financial problems were natural ones. A series of droughts in southern mid-western states like Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas led to failed harvests and dried-up land. Farmers were forced to move off their land: they couldn't repay the bank-loans which had helped buy the farms and had to sell what they owned to pay their debts. Many economic migrants headed west to 'Golden' California, thinking there would be land going spare, but the Californians turned many back, fearing they would be over-run. The refuges had nowhere to go back to, so they set up home in huge camps in the California valleys - living in shacks of cardboard and old metal - and sought work as casual farmhands. Ranch hands Against this background, ranch hands like George and Lennie were lucky to have work. Ranch hands were grateful for at least a bunk-house to live in and to have food provided, even though the pay was low. THE PLOT The story begins when George and Lennie prepare to arrive at a ranch to work - and ends in tragedy just four days later. The story is told in the third person, so we are provided with a clear, unbiased view of all the characters. Chapter 1 George and Lennie camp in the brush by a pool, the night before starting new jobs as ranch hands. George finds Lennie stroking a dead mouse in his pocket. He complains that caring for Lennie prevents him from living a freer life. We find out that Lennie's innocent petting of a girl's dress led to them losing their last jobs in Weed. However, when they talk about their dream of getting a piece of land together, we know they really depend on each other.

Chapter 2 When they arrive at the ranch in the morning, George and Lennie are shown around by old Candy. They meet their boss and, later, his son, Curley - George is suspicious of Curley's manner and warns Lennie to stay away from him. They see Curley's pretty and apparently flirtatious wife and meet some of their fellow workers, Slim and Carlson. Chapter 3 Later that evening, George tells Slim about why he and Lennie travel together and more about what happened in Weed. The men talk about Candy's ancient dog, which is tired and ill. Carlson shoots it, as an act of kindness. George tells Candy about their dream of getting a piece of land and Candy eagerly offers to join them - he has capital, so they could make it happen almost immediately. Curley provokes Lennie into a fight, which ends up with Lennie severely injuring Curley's hand. Chapter 4 The following night, most men on the ranch go into town. Crooks is alone in his room when Lennie joins him. They talk about land - Crooks is sceptical, not believing that George and Lennie are going to do what so many other men he's known have failed to do, and get land of their own. Yet when Candy happens to come in as well, Crooks is convinced and asks to be in on it too. Curley's wife arrives. She threatens Crooks and an argument develops. Crooks realises he can never really be part of George, Lennie and Candy's plan. Chapter 5 Next afternoon, Lennie accidentally kills the puppy that Slim had given him by petting it too much. He's sad. Curley's wife finds him and starts talking very openly about her feelings. She invites Lennie to stroke her soft hair, but he does it so strongly she panics and he ends up killing her too. He runs away to hide, as George had told him. Candy finds the body and tells George. They tell the other men - Curley wants revenge. Chapter 6 Lennie hides in the brush by the pool. He dreams of his Aunt Clara and the rabbits he will tend when he and George get their land. George finds Lennie and talks reassuringly to him about the little place they will have together – then shoots him with Carlson's gun. When the other men find George, they assume he shot Lennie in self-defence. Only Slim understands what George did and why. CHARACTERS Not many people had real friends in the American West in the 1930s - it was a case of every man for himself. That is one of the reasons why the story of George and Lennie's unusual friendship is so poignant. They have each other. No one else in the novel is so lucky. George Milton • He is a small man, but has brains and a quick wit. • He has been a good friend to Lennie, ever since he promised Lennie's Aunt Clara that he would care for him. He looks after all Lennie's affairs, such as carrying his work card, and tries to steer him out of potential trouble. • He needs Lennie as a friend, not only because Lennie's strength helps to get them both jobs, but so as not to be lonely. His threats to leave Lennie are not really serious. He is genuinely proud of Lennie. • He shares a dream with Lennie to own a piece of land and is prepared to work hard to build up the money needed to buy it.

• "...with us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack 'jus because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us." • He is honest with people he trusts. For example, he tells Slim that he used to play tricks on Lennie when they were young, but now feels guilty about it as Lennie nearly drowned. Lennie Small • He is a big man, in contrast to his name. • He has limited intelligence, so he relies on George to look after him. He copies George in everything George does and trusts George completely. • "Behind him (George) walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely." • He shares a dream with George to own a piece of land. Lennie's special job would be to tend the rabbits • He likes to pet soft things, like puppies and dead mice. We know this got him into trouble in Weed when he tried to feel a girl's soft red dress: she thought he was going to attack her. • He can be forgetful - George continually has to remind him about important things. • He is very gentle and kind, and would never harm anyone or anything deliberately. • He is extremely strong: he can work as well as two men at bucking barley. • He is often described as a child or an animal - he drinks from the pool like a horse and his huge hands are described as paws. Slim • Slim is the jerkline skinner (lead mule-team driver) at the ranch. He is excellent at his job. • He is the natural leader at the ranch. Everyone respects his views and looks up to him. • He has a quiet dignity: he doesn't need to assert himself to have authority. • "there was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talked stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love." • He understands the relationship between George and Lennie. He helps George at the end and reassures George that he did the right thing. Curley • Curley is the boss's son, so he doesn't need to work like the ordinary ranch hands, and he has time to kill. • He's little - so he hates big guys. • He is a prize-fighter and looks for opportunities for a fight. • "He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious." • He is newly- married and is very possessive of his wife - but he still visits brothels. • There is a rumour that he wears a glove filled with Vaseline to keep his hand soft for his wife. Curley's wife • She is newly married to Curley. • We never know her name - she is merely Curley's 'property' with no individual identity. • She is young, pretty, wears attractive clothes and curls her hair. • She seems flirtatious and is always hanging around the bunk-house. • She is lonely - there are no other women to talk to and Curley is not really interested in her. • "What kinda harm am I doin' to you? Seems like they ain't none of them cares how I gotta live. I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself."

• She doesn't like Curley - she tells Lennie that she only married him when she didn't receive a letter she'd been promised to get into Hollywood. • She is naive. Crooks • Crooks is the black stable hand or buck. • He is the only permanent employee at the ranch, since he injured his back in an accident. His back gives him constant pain. • He is the only black man around and is made to be isolated by his colour – he can't go into the bunk-house or socialise with the men. • He is always called the 'nigger' by the men, which shows how racism is taken for granted. The men don't mean to insult Crooks every time they call him this, but they never think to use his name • All this has made him proud and aloof. • He is lonely • "S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go into the bunk house and play rummy 'cause you were black...A guy needs somebody-to be near him....I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick." • The only time he mixes with the ranch hands socially is when they pitch horseshoes - and then he beats everyone! • He has his own room near the stables and has a few possessions. He has books, which show he is intelligent and an old copy of the California Civil Code, which suggests he is concerned about his rights. • He has seen many men come and go, all dreaming of buying a piece of land, but is now cynical, as no one has ever achieved it Candy • Candy is the oldest ranch hand. He lost his right hand in an accident at work. • He is the 'swamper' - the man who cleans the bunkhouse. He knows he will be thrown out and put 'on the county' when he is too old to work. • Because of this, he accepts what goes on and doesn't challenge anything: he can't afford to lose his job. • He has a very old dog, which he has had from a pup. It is his only friend and companion. • "The old man came slowly into the room. He had his broom in his hand. And at his heels there walked a drag-footed sheep dog, gray of muzzle, and with pale, blind old eyes." • Carlson insists on shooting the dog because he claims it is too old and ill to be of any use. Candy is devastated. • He is lonely and isolated, but makes friends with George and Lennie and offers his compensation money to help them all to buy a ranch together and achieve their dream. • When he finds Curley's wife dead, he is furious, as he knows instantly that Lennie was involved and that they have lost their chance of achieving their dream. THEMES A theme is an idea that runs through a text. A text may have one theme or many. Understanding the themes makes the text more than 'just' a text – it becomes something more significant, because we're encouraged to think more deeply about the text, to work out what lies beneath its surface. Of Mice and Men The title of the book comes from a poem by the 18th century Scottish poet Robbie Burns. It is about a mouse which carefully builds a winter nest in a wheat field, only for it to be destroyed by a ploughman. It is written in Scots dialect:

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promised joy! (The best laid schemes of mice and men Often go wrong And leave us nothing but grief and pain, Instead of promised joy!) The mouse had dreamed of a safe, warm winter and is now faced with the harsh reality of cold, loneliness and possible death. There is a parallel here with George and Lennie's joyful fantasy of a farm of their own, and its all-too predictable destruction at the end of the story. Perhaps the is also meant to suggest to us how unpredictable our lives are, and how vulnerable to tragedy. Loneliness and Dreams The two main themes in 'Of Mice and Men' - foreshadowed by the reference to Burns' mouse - are loneliness and dreams. They interlock: people who are lonely have most need of dreams to help them through. Isolation and Loneliness GEORGE AND LENNIE

Different from the other ranch hands, “we got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us” because they have each other.

George enjoys the dream of the two friends owning land together as much as Lennie “An’ if a fren’ come along….we’d say “Why don’t you spen’ the night?”

George tells Slim, “I seen the guys that go around the ranches alone. That ain’t no good”, revealing that he benefits by avoiding their loneliness. He says that he and Lennie ”got kinda used to each other” and “it’s nicer to go around with a guy you know.”

George tells Slim how he once used Lennie for fun but he learned his lesson after an incident in the river and “I ain’t done nothing like that no more.” He protects and defends Lennie, for example not allowing Slim to call him “cuckoo”, proudly telling the Boss that “he can put up more grain alone than most pairs can” and not allowing Curley to beat him up.

Lennie, despite being slow and easily confused, is sure of this friendship, answering Crooks’s threat that George might abandon him, “George wouldn’t do nothing like that.”

Lennie is also protective of George “Ain’t nobody goin’ to talk no hurt to George.”

When he kills Lennie, George makes sure that he dies happy, Lennie’s last words being, “Le’s get that place now” as George pulls the trigger behind his head.

CURLEY’S WIFE

In the first meeting, Steinbeck stresses how incongruous her clothes and appearance are, with her ”full, rouged lips”, “heavily made up” eyes, “red fingernails” and “red mules on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers.” She is immediately isolated, partly by being the only female here and also by being the sort of woman who would not easily fit in on a hard-working ranch. Steinbeck makes her seem more friendless and

Remote by never giving her a name.

This is the first of several visits to the bunkhouse, always claiming that she is looking for Curley but clearly she is looking for company.

The men know that, as Curley’s wife, she is too dangerous to befriend and so they are never chatty, and just want her to leave. George has to teach this to Lennie, telling him to “leave her be.”

On Saturday night, she wanders in to the barn where there is a gathering of those excluded from going into town. Though she knows Curley has gone to the cat-house, she asks if he is here; clearly, she is lonely.

She announces her isolation to these men, “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?”

She lashes out viciously because they do not want her to talk to them, calling them “a bunch of bindle stiffs” and claiming that she is only here because “They ain’t nobody else.”

In the barn with Lennie she pleads, “I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” She is, perhaps, more friendless than anyone else.

As she realises that she can talk to Lennie, she confides that she only married Curley to get away from home. The dream world that she lives in, the belief that she could have been a film star only isolates her further; her real world is lonely and miserable whilst her dream is unattainable.

CANDY

His dog is his company and his equivalent of a friend, “I had ‘im since he was a pup.”

The other men, all loners and migrant workers, cannot understand the idea of friendship and simply want the dog shot because it is no longer useful and is a nuisance in the bunkhouse.

They do not recognise, nor sympathise with, Candy’s affection for the dog as he pleads with them to let the subject drop, ”I’m so used to him” and “he was the best damn sheepdog I ever seen.”

He offers his money to George and Lennie to buy the property because “I ain’t got no relatives nor nothing.”

He knows that his future is more loneliness and then death, ”They’ll can me purty soon…I won’t have no place to go to.”

When Crooks sneers at the idea of owning their own place, his answer shows the comfort he gains from his new friends and the end to loneliness, “we gonna do it…Me and Lennie and George.”

The importance of friendship and the self-esteem it now gives to him is also shown in the way that he answers back to Curley’s wife when she insults him and Crooks and Lennie, “We got fren’s, that’s what we got.”

Seeing the collapse of his dream, he takes out his anger on Curley’s wife’s corpse, “You wasn’t no good….I could of hoed the garden and washed dishes for them guys” but now there is only his lonely old aged existence on the ranch.

CROOKS

He is segregated in the barn, demonstrating racial discrimination of the 1930s.

Candy tells a story from Christmas when “they let the nigger come in that night.”

Excluded from the companionship that exists in the bunkhouse – no cards or chat. When he comes to speak to Slim about a mule’s foot, he does not enter - “the stable buck put in his head.”

At the beginning of Section 4, we see where and how he lives, his possessions including books as he reads instead of having company.

”Crooks was a proud, aloof man” because he has no choice but to endure this prejudice and isolation. Consequently, he bitterly guards his enforced privacy, saying to Lennie, ”This here’s my room…I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room.”

He is regretting the way that he taunted Lennie, “A guy needs somebody – to be near him” and “a guy gets too lonely “ and “A guy sets alone out here at night.”

THE RANCH AND THE ITINERANT WORKERS

The ranch is isolated as suggested by Lennie and George’s long walk to reach there and by the town’s name Soledad, the Spanish for “loneliness.”

This remoteness is further emphasised by the fact that the Steinbeck’s location never changes; the reader hears of, but never sees, the men going “into town” and of Curley’s going to a doctor when his hand is smashed.

The Boss is suspicious of George because he is unaccustomed to the idea of friendship among the men- “I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.”

The workers are all nomadic and solitary, like the man used George’s bed before him, “he just quit, the way a guy will….just wanted to move.”

When telling the details of the dream to Lennie, George describes ranch workers as “the loneliest guys in the world” with “no family” and “nothing to look ahead to.”

Slim talks to George of the rarity of guys travelling together and being friends “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”

The men on the ranch are all passing through except Candy and Crooks who are forced to stay because of their disabilities. No-one seems to have a family and they all go to town to pay for the temporary company of women.

PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS

1. Read the following passage and then answer part (a) and part (b): Both men glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off. A girl was standing there looking in. She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fi ngernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers. ‘I’m lookin’ for Curley,’ she said. Her voice had a nasal, brittle quality. George looked away from her and then back. ‘He was in here a minute ago, but he went.’ ‘Oh!’ She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. ‘You’re the new fellas that just come, ain’t ya?’ ‘Yeah.’ Lennie’s eyes moved down over her body, and though she did not seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled a little. She looked at her fingernails. ‘Sometimes Curley’s in here,’ she explained. George said brusquely, ‘Well he ain’t now.’ ‘If he ain’t, I guess I better look some place else,’ she said playfully. Lennie watched her, fascinated. George said, ‘If I see him, I’ll pass the word you was looking for him.’ She smiled archly and twitched her body. ‘Nobody can’t blame a person for lookin’,’ she said. There were footsteps behind her, going by. She turned her head. ‘Hi, Slim,’ she said. Slim’s voice came through the door, ‘Hi, good-lookin’.’ ‘I’m tryin’ to fi nd Curley, Slim.’ ‘Well, you ain’t tryin’ very hard. I seen him goin’ in your house.’ She was suddenly apprehensive. ‘Bye, boys,’ she called into the bunk house, and she hurried away. George looked around at Lennie. ‘Jesus, what a tramp,’ he said. ‘So that’s what Curley picks for a wife.’ Part (a) In this passage, what methods does Steinbeck use to present Curley’s wife and the attitudes of others to her? Refer closely to the passage in your answer. and then Part (b) How does Steinbeck present attitudes to women in the society in which the novel is set?

2. Read the passage and then answer part (a) and part (b). The old man was reassured. He had drawn a derogatory statement from George. He felt safe now, and he spoke more confidently. ‘Wait’ll you see Curley’s wife.’ George cut the cards again and put out a solitaire lay, slowly and deliberately. ‘Purty?’ he asked casually. ‘Yeah. Purty ... but ––’ George studied his cards. ‘But what?’ ‘Well – she got the eye.’ ‘Yeah? Married two weeks and got the eye? Maybe that’s why Curley’s pants is full of ants.’ ‘I seen her give Slim the eye. Slim’s a jerkline skinner. Hell of a nice fella. Slim don’t need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain team. I seen her give Slim the eye. Curley never seen it. An’ I seen her give Carlson the eye.’ George pretended a lack of interest. ‘Looks like we was gonna have fun.’ The swamper stood up from his box. ‘Know what I think?’ George did not answer. ‘Well, I think Curley’s married ... a tart.’ ‘He ain’t the first,’ said George. ‘There’s plenty done that.’ The old man moved toward the door, and his ancient dog lifted his head and peered about, and then got painfully to his feet to follow. ‘I gotta be settin’ out the wash basins for the guys. The teams’ll be in before long. You guys gonna buck barley?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘You won’t tell Curley nothing I said?’ ‘Hell no.’ ‘Well, you look her over, mister. You see if she ain’t a tart.’ He stepped out the door into the brilliant sunshine. Part (a) (a) What methods does Steinbeck use in this passage to present Candy? and then Part (b) (b) How do you think Steinbeck uses the character of Candy in the novel as a whole to convey important ideas about society at that time?

3. Read the following passage and then answer Part (a) and Part (b).

Crooks possessed several pairs of shoes, a pair of rubber boots, a big alarm clock and a single-barreled shotgun. And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905. There were battered magazines and a few dirty books on a special shelf over his bunk. A pair of large gold-rimmed spectacles hung from a nail on the wall above his bed. This room was swept and fairly neat, for Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people kept theirs. His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, and his eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity. His lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face. It was Saturday night. Through the open door that led into the barn came the sound of moving horses, of feet stirring, of teeth champing on hay, of the rattle of halter chains. In the stable buck’s room a small electric globe threw a meager yellow light. Crooks sat on his bunk. His shirt was out of his jeans in back. In one hand he held a bottle of liniment, and with the other he rubbed his spine. Now and then he poured a few drops of the liniment into his pink-palmed hand and reached up under his shirt to rub again. He flexed his muscles against his back and shivered. Noiselessly Lennie appeared in the open doorway and stood there looking in, his big shoulders nearly filling the opening. For a moment Crooks did not see him, but on raising his eyes he stiffened and a scowl came on his face. His hand came out from under his shirt. Lennie smiled helplessly in an attempt to make friends. Crooks said sharply, ‘You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.’ Part (a) In this passage, how does Steinbeck present Crooks? Refer closely to the passage in your answer. and then Part (b) In the rest of the novel how does Steinbeck use Crooks to present attitudes to black people at the time the novel is set?

Marking Criteria:

How to Revise for Conflict Poetry

Reread the poems in the Conflict Section of the Anthology

Reread all of the poems in the Conflict Anthology

Make links between each poem based on theme – there is a table further on for you to fill in

Consider the influence of context on the writers – where they are from, when/where the

poems were set, what happened to them/their family, etc

Review poetic techniques – see below

Practice writing responses to questions in 45 minutes

Metaphor: when you say something is something else

Simile: when you say something is like or as something else

Personification: when an inanimate object is given human qualities or traits

Alliteration: the use of the same sound at the beginning of two or more words

Sibilance: the use of the ‘s’ sound at the beginning of two or more words

Anaphora: the use of the same word or phrase at the beginning of two or more consecutive lines in a

poem

Oxymoron: when two opposite words are used next to each other (e.g. walking-dead, friendly bomb)

Juxtaposition: two opposite images within a text

Adjective: a descriptive word

Emotive language: vocabulary used to create a specific emotional response

Imagery: language used to create a sense of a particular thing

Stanza: a verse

Rhyming couplet: when two lines consecutively end with the same sound

Alternate rhyming couplet: when two lines, separated by one in the middle, end with the same

sound

Rhythm: the pace of a poem or line, created through a set pace or syllable count

Onomatopoeia: sounds words which are spelt as they sound (e.g. bang, moo, kapow)

Use the table below to help you organise your poems by theme.

Try to think of other themes for the bottom rows.

Theme Poems which use this theme Which would you compare and why?

Memories

Patriotism

Violence

Death

Nature

Family

Suffering

Pain

Practice Questions

1. Compare how poets use language to present strong feelings in ‘Poppies’ (page 41) and one other poem from Conflict.

2. Compare how poets show attitudes to war in ‘Futility’ (page 42) and one other poem from Conflict.

3. Compare the ways poets show how conflict and war affect feelings about a place in ‘At the Border, 1979’ (page 39) and in one other poem from Conflict.

4. Compare the methods poets use to present their points of view in ‘next to of course god america i’ (page 48) and in one other poem from Conflict.

5. Compare how poets present the effects of conflict in ‘Belfast Confetti’ (page 40) and one other poem from Conflict.

6. Compare how poets present the experience of soldiers in ‘Bayonet Charge’ (page 44) and one other poem from Conflict. (36 marks)

7. Compare how poets present the effects of war in ‘Mametz Wood’ (page 36) and in one other poem from Conflict. (36 marks)

8. Compare how poets present bravery in ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ (page 43) and in one other poem from Conflict. (36 marks)

Marking Criteria for Poetry Section A:

Planning a Poetry Response – The Timeline Approach

One very logical way to plan a poetry response is to use the Timeline approach which allows you to think about precisely

where in the essay each point of comparison will be made, with specific reference to key details you will use and

explanations you will give. It is an effective visual way that you can check that you have included everything necessary in

your answer. You simply use the timeline to sequence the structure of your essay in the same way would use a timeline to

record a sequence of events in history.

Example:

CCoommppaarree tthhee wwaayyss tthhaatt ppooeettss pprreesseenntt ddeeaatthh iinn MMiidd--TTeerrmm BBrreeaakk bbyy SSeeaammuuss HHeeaanneeyy,, TThhee AAfffflliiccttiioonn ooff MMaarrggaarreett

bbyy WWiilllliiaamm WWoorrddsswwoorrtthh aanndd ttwwoo ootthheerr ppooeemmss..

Cohesive prose is writing that holds together logically. That is, text that has a clear sense of structure and progression and

shows the reader through the use of discourse markers the direction that it is taking. It is important that your essays are

cohesive – the effects of writing cohesively are two fold: firstly, it will ensure that your written argument can be followed in

a logical fashion and secondly, it will demonstrate that you understand the importance of carefully constructed prose.

Discourse Markers

Creating cohesive prose can be easily achieved by using discourse markers, in the tables below are a range of discourse

markers that have a range of purposes in written text. It is absolutely imperative that you use discourse markers in a poetry

response because it is another way of indicating to the examiner that you are writing in a comparative way.

Transitions that indicate you want to add information to what you are saying

Besides Furthermore

In addition Indeed

Introduction

‘Death’ – processes of death, each poem shows

different aspect.

Poems – Mid-Term Break, Affliction, Field

Mouse, Sonne.

Body Paragraph 1

Heaney – grieving, confusion over ‘how’ to feel

Jonson – despondent, loss of self (ie. ref ‘father’)

Cf. rigidity of language in SH with much more

elaborate rhythm/structure Jonson.

Rigidity SH reflects persona’s confusion Vs.

Elaborateness of Jonson much more of a

lamentation on death.

Body Paragraph 2

Clarke – a tension between distance & immediacy

of death – ‘radio’ & ‘field bleeding’.

Wordsworth is distant because its hypothetical –

death isn’t assured but still personal.

The internalised imagery of hell in W’Worth cf.

with the more understated imagery of the

immediacy of death.

Conclusion

Death presented in contrasting ways – some

internal others external – key difference…

But, also they form an interesting dialogue with

one another about the process of death…death,

grief, regret…

Also an interesting debate about how we value

death, and in turn, life.

In fact Moreover

Firstly, secondly…

Transitions that indicate a cause or reason

As a result Consequently

For that reason Therefore/thus

Since Because of

Transitions that indicate a purpose or reason why

For fear that In the hope that

In order to With this in mind

Transitions that indicate you are giving an example

For example For instance

In particular Particularly

Specifically To demonstrate

To illustrate This exemplifies

Transitions that indicate a result or an effect

Accordingly Finally

Consequently Hence

Therefore Thus

Transitions that show you are comparing or contrasting

Although However

In comparison In contrast

How to Revise the Unseen Poem

Read a range of poems from different time periods and set on different themes

You can use BBC Bitesize for you to look at other Anthology poems or check other websites

such as www.poemhunter.com or www.online-literature.com

Practice reading and writing for short periods of time – you only have 30 minutes to respond

to this question. 10 minutes should be spent reading and planning, 20 minutes should be

spend writing

Review poetic techniques

Answer practice questions

Past Unseen Poems and Questions:

1. Read the poem below and answer the question that follows. How to Leave the World that Worships Should Let faxes butter-curl on dusty shelves. Let junkmail build its castles in the hush of other people’s halls. Let deadlines burst and flash like glorious fireworks somewhere else. As hours go softly by, let others curse the roads where distant drivers queue like sheep. Let e-mails fly like panicked, tiny birds. Let phones, unanswered, ring themselves to sleep. Above, the sky unrolls its telegram*, immense and wordless, simply understood: you’ve made your mark like birdtracks in the sand - now make the air in your lungs your livelihood. See how each wave arrives at last to heave itself upon the beach and vanish. Breathe. Ros Barber * ‘telegram’ – an early form of urgent messaging What do you think is the poet’s attitude towards the way we live and work in the modern world and how does she present this attitude to the reader?

2. Read the poem below and answer the question that follows. A Marriage You are holding up a ceiling with both arms. It is very heavy, but you must hold it up, or else it will fall down on you. Your arms are tired, terribly tired, and, as the day goes on, it feels as if either your arms or the ceiling will soon collapse. But then unexpectedly, something wonderful happens: Someone, a man or a woman, walks into the room and holds their arms up to the ceiling beside you. So you finally get to take down your arms. You feel the relief of respite, the blood fl owing back to your fingers and arms. And when your partner’s arms tire, you hold up your own to relieve him again. And it can go on like this for many years without the house falling. Michael Blumenthal What do you think are the feelings about marriage in this poem and how does the poet present these feelings to the reader?

3. Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow. Slow Reader He can make sculptures and fabulous machines, invent games, tell jokes, give solemn, adult advice – but he is slow to read. When I take him on my knee with his Ladybird book he gazes into the air, sighing and shaking his head like an old man who knows the mountains are impassable. He toys with words, letting them go cold as gristly meat, until I relent and let him wriggle free: a fish returning to its element, or a white-eyed colt – shying from the bit *– who sees that if he takes it in his mouth he’ll never run quite free again. VICKI FEAVER * ‘bit’: the metal mouthpiece of a bridle, used to control a horse How do you think the speaker feels about the child and his experience of learning to read and how does the poet present the speaker’s feelings?

4. Read the poem below and answer the question that follows. Children In Wartime Sirens ripped open the warm silk of sleep; we ricocheted to the shelter moated by streets that ran with darkness. People said it was a storm, but flak* had not the right sound for rain; thunder left such huge craters of silence, we knew this was no giant playing bowls. And later, when I saw the jaw of glass, where once had hung my window spun with stars; it seemed the sky lay broken on my floor. Isobel Thrilling *flak: anti-aircraft fire

How does this poet present the ways children are affected by war?

Marking Criteria for Unseen Poem:

Revision Websites and Resources

www.thehazeleyacademy.com – Year 11 revision materials are available on our website

www.aqa.org.uk – GCSE English Literature. Under ‘Key Materials’ you can access Unit 1 and

Unit 2 Exams (Higher and Foundation) as well as marking criteria

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize - this has GCSE revision materials for ‘Of Mice and Men’, ‘An

Inspector Calls’ and Conflict Poetry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6LXRi2MsD8 – video about the Conflict Poetry

www.poemhunter.com – this website has a range of poems which you can read to help you

prepare for the Unseen Poetry Exam. They are classed by theme and poets, so there is

something for everyone

http://verulam.s3.amazonaws.com/resources/ks4/english/Poetry%20revision%20booklet.pd

f – although this is another school’s website, they have a number of unseen poems and

questions which you may find helpful

York Notes Advanced (from £4.50 new through Amazon)

CGP Revision Guides (from £3.50 new on Amazon)

Letts Revision Guides (from £3.44 new on Amazon)

*prices vary depending on literary text they are for