Let’s Look At Poetry€¦  · Web viewSound words are sometimes called echoic words because they echo and imitate the natural sounds of objects, things, people and actions. The

Let’s Look At Poetry

WITH THE EYELook at any poem laid out on the page. The way it is set on the page invites us to read it with our eye. We notice:

The length of the linesThe gaps between versesThe shape of the poem

We read poems differently from the way we read prose. The arrangement of the lines is what makes poetry different from prose. Where the poet chooses to end each line is important. Words at the beginning and end of the lines catch the reader’s attention.

SHAPE POEMS

Shape poems are a good example of how a poet may set out the words of a poem to achieve a particular effect.The shape of the poem reflects its meaning.

PING PONGSwatted between two bats

The celluloid ball Leaps on unseen Elastic Skimming the taut net Sliced spun Screwed cut Dabbed Smashed Point

Service Ping Pong

Pong Ping

Bing Bong

Bong Bing Point

1. Read the poem carefully.

2. How does the positioning of the words help us to understand what is happening in the poem?

SHAPE POEMS

CHILD SKIPPING BALLOON

H O L

Ki

S P

Ki

S P

Ki

S P

Ki

S P

Ki

S P

Ki

Ki

AsBig as

Ball as roundAs sun ………

I hugAnd pull you

whenYou run and

whenWind blows ISay politely

D M E

T I G H T L Y

In groups look at the two poems.How does the shape of the poem help you to see what is happening in the poem?

Write a shape poem of your own.You can use one of the following ideas or you can think up one of your own.

A bouncing ball A snakeA ghost A treeA snail A skeleton

A flowerThink about the words you are using as well as the shape of the poem.

WITH THE EAR

Listen to the poem being read. We have to speak poems with an ear to the rhythm, the pace of delivery and the sound of words. We have to listen to the sound of the poem.

WITH THE MIND

We have to ask ourselves what the poem is saying. What is it about? Poetry can be about anything. Although each poem is unique, all poems have some features in common.

Poems: are made of words shaped in a particular form link the content and the language of the poem

can use particular devices: rhyme, rhythm, imagery, onomatopoeia, alliteration

We will look at these in more detail.

RHYME

Many poems possess rhyme, which is usually the similarity in the end sounds of words that end lines of poetry.

Here is an example in which all the lines rhyme:

On the other hand look at Carelessness, in which the pattern of the rhyme (also called the rhyme scheme) is different.

Copy the table into your jotter and complete it.

RHYME PRACTICE

A YOUNG LADY OF SPAIN

There was a young lady of SpainWho was dreadfully sick on a trainNot once, but againAnd again and againAnd again and again and again

CARELESSNESS

A window cleaner in our streetWho fell (five storeys) at my feetImpaled himself on my umbrellaI said: “Come, come, you careless fella!”If my umbrella had been shutYou might have landed on my nut.

Harry Graham

Think up three words that rhyme with each of the following.dincreeplookspearroughmighty

LIMERICKIn the following LIMERICK the key rhyming words have been transferred to the box below it. Your task is to write out the

limerick and complete it by filling in the missing words.

A Young Farmer

There was a young farmer of Who swallowed six packets of

It soon came to He was covered with

And he couldn’t sit down for the

Look at some limericks.

The Limerick in Detail

Now that you have come across a few limericks at work, let’s look at the form in more detail.

THE YOUNG LADY RHYME SCHEME

There was a young lady whose nose rhyme a noseWas so long that it reached her toes rhyme a toesSo she hired an old lady rhyme b ladyWho conduct was steady rhyme b steadyTo carry that wonderful nose rhyme a nose Edward Lear

This limerick is a typical oneIt has a titleIt is made up of five lines – three long lines (lines 1, 2 and 5)- two short lines (lines 3 and 4)- It has the rhyme scheme, a,a,b,b,a.- It must start with the words. “There was a …

LOOKING AT THE RHYME

seeds grass weeds pass Leeds

THE BUS

What a clamour!What a fuss!Getting on and off the busPushing, squeezingStamping, nudgingNever was thereSo much budging.

“Quick!” says Mother.There’s another.Father answers,“Don’t be silly!”That one goes to Piccadilly.

Helen Price

READ: Read the poem aloud.Answer questions A or B.

Questions A

1. Read the poem.2. Which words tell us that the bus is crowded?3. Write down the rhyme scheme of the poem.4. Does it have a regular or irregular rhyme pattern.5. What effect is the poet trying to achieve by using short lines in the first

verse of the poem?6. How does the rhyme scheme reflect the movement of the bus?7. The poem ends with a little humour. What happens in stanza 2?8. How is rhyme used here?

Rhyme helps us to remember the words.Rhyme helps us with meaning.Rhyme can be fun in itself.

Question B

1. Read the poem aloud to yourself?2. What happens in the poem?3. Which words tell us that the bus is busy?4. Write out all the pairs of rhyming words eg: fuss, bus

5. Fill in the following:

LINE RHYMES WITH LINE

LINE RHYMES WITH LINELINE RHYMES WITH LINE

6. Write out the rhyme scheme for this poem.

ALLITERATIONALLITERATION is when we begin two or more words close together with the same letter (or sound). Sometimes the repeated sound does the job of:

getting our attention;adds a harsh note;adds a soft note.

Often alliteration goes hand in hand with meaning.The poet can use alliteration to create all kind of effects, feelings, moods and movements.

Alliteration involves consonant and not vowel sounds.

In groups read the following examples of alliteration and say what is being described in each and what sound or effect the poet is trying to create.Do you think the poet is successful?

Exercise A

1. Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.

2. Out of the dying darkness, over the forest dim. The pearly dew of the dawning clung to each giant limb.

3. Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard.

4. I am cold and alone On my tree sitting still as stone.

Exercise B

Read the following comic strip.It contains alliteration.Write down groups of words that are alliterated and underline the letters being alliterated.

ONOMATOPOEIASOUND WORDS

Sound words are sometimes called echoic words because they echo and imitate the natural sounds of objects, things, people and actions. The word ‘purr’ echoes the sound made by a cat, just as ‘pitter-patter’ imitates the sound rain makes. The use of sound words in poetry is called ONOMATOPOEIA.

Read through the poem ‘Noise’. Most of the lines contain sound words. Do they echo the sound they are describing?

NOISE

I like noise.The whoop of a boy, the thud of a hoof,The rattle of rain on a galvanised roof,The hubbub of traffic, the roar of the train,The throb of machinery numbing the brain,The switching of wires in an overhead tram,The rush of wind, a door on the slam,The boom of the thunder, the crash of the waves,The din of a river that races and raves,The crack of a rifle, the clank of a pail,The strident tattoo of a swift-slapping sail –From any old sound that the silence destroysArises a gamut of soul-stirring joys.I like noise.

Jessie Pope

Pick out two or three of the sound words, which you think, are particularly suitable and explain why.

Over to you

Now try writing poems of your own, by filling in the spaces. The first two spaces have been completed as examples.

I like sounds. I like sport. I like music.The swish of the wind. The splash of water. The throb of guitars.The of the _____ . The _____ of _____ . The _____ of ______ .The ____ of the _____ . The _____ of _____ . The _____ of ______.The ____ of the _____ . The _____ of _____. The ______ of _____ .I like sounds. I like sport

Now try to write an ‘I don’t like’ poem of your own.Rhythm

The rhythm of poetry is very important. As in music poetry can have a slow or fast beat of a mixture of both. Sometimes the beat is very obvious and repetitive and other times the rhythm may be hardly noticeable and varied. This rhythm often depends on the rhyme scheme of a poet.

Whatever kind of rhythm the poet uses in the poem, it adds something to the feeling, meaning and effect of the poem.

W.H. Auden was a poet who often used strong rhythms in his poetry. Here is a section of his poem “Night Mail” which describes the journey of a steam driven train travelling to Scotland carrying the mail.

Read the poem aloud and listen to the rhythm of the poem.

Night Mail

This is the night mail crossing the Border,Bringing the cheque and the postal order,

Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,The shop at the corner, the girl next door,

Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time.

Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder,Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,

Snorting noisily as she passes

Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.

Birds turn their heads as she approaches,Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.

Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;They slumber on with paws across.

In the farm she passes no one wakes,But a jug in the bedroom gently shakes.In groups, answer the following questions.

1. What clues do we get that this is a mail train? Comment on the sounds, the words and the rhythm.

2. What is the name of the hill which the train is climbing?3. Which words tell us that the train is struggling up the hill?4. Does the poem rhyme? Write down the pairs of rhyming words in

the poem.5. Is the rhythm regular or irregular? Explain how this could reflect

the movement of the train travelling through the countryside.

Now look at a section of the poem when the train is going downhill towards Glasgow. This verse is made of only ONE sentence so try to read it all in one breath!

Letters of thanks, letters from banks, 1Letters of joy from girl and boy,Receipted bills and invitationsTo inspect new stock or visit relations,And applications fro situations 5And timid lovers’ declarationsAnd gossip, gossip from all the nations,News circumstantial, news financial,Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,Letters with faces scrawled in the margin, 10Letters from uncles, cousins and aunts,Letters to Scotland from the South of France,Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands,Notes from overseas to Hebrides-Written on paper of every hue, 15The pink, the violet, the white and the blue,The chatty, the catty, the boring, adoring,The cold and official and the heart’s outpouring,Clever, stupid, short and long,The typed and the printed, and the spelt all wrong. 20

In groups answer questions A or B. Your teacher will tell

you which ones to answer.

Questions A

1. Why do you think that this section is written all in one verse?What is the poet suggesting about the speed of the train?

2. This section of the poem has many rhyming words which are close together.Write down the words which rhyme with the following

thanks and________________ joy and ___________________invitations and _____________ applications and _____________circumstantial and ___________ overseas and _______________chatty and _________________ boring and _________________

3. The poet writes about personal letters (tio friends and family) and business letters.Copy oand complete this table by writing in three examples of each type of letter from the poem

Personaleg “letters of thanks

1.2.3.

Businesseg “letters from banks”

1.2.3.

Look at lines 9-13. which word is repeated? What does this make you think about?

Questions B

1. Why do you think this section is written all in one verse?What is the poet suggesting about the speed of the train?

2. Look carefully at lines 1-2, 7 and 17.How does the rhyme scheme change in this part of the poem?What effect does this have on the rhythm?

3. In your own words, explain what would be written in these letters:“applications for situations”“news financial”“letters of condolence”“the chatty”“the catty”

4. Look at lines 9-13.What doe this lines have in common?Why do you think the poet does this?

In the following poem, James Reeve’s imagination and his acute perception have transformed the sea into a hungry dog.

Read the poem carefully and answer the following questions.

The Sea

The sea is a giant hungry dog.The sea is a giant hungry dog.Giant and grey.He rolls on the beach all day.With his clashing teeth and shaggy jaws

Hour upon hour he gnawsThe rumbling, tumbling stones,And "Bones, bones, bones!"The giant sea-do moans,Licking his greasy paws.

And when the night wind roarsAnd the moon rock in the stormy cloud,He bounds to his feet and snuffs and sniffs,Shaking his wet sides over the cliffs,And howls and hollos long and loud.

But on quiet days in May or June, When even the grasses on the dunePlay no more their reedy tune,With his head between his pawsHe lies on the sandy shores,

So quiet, so quiet, he scarcely snores

James Reeves

The Sea - The poet's craft

1. The whole poem is a metaphor. What two things are being compared?

2. "Giant and grey". What two qualities of the sea is James Reeves emphasising?

3. What are some of the qualities the sea and the dog have in common?

4. Can you suggest why the poet writes "bones" four times in the one line?

5. "Shaking his wet sides over the cliffs...." What is the sea doing?6. "And howls and hollos long and loud". What aspect of the sea is

the poet emphasising?7. "With his head between his paws..." What does the dog-picture

indicate about the sea?8. In the last two lines of the poem, the poet uses a number of "s"

sounds. What picture of the sea do these sounds give you?

Reading Poetry

When discussing poems or writing about them, there are two things you need to do.

You have to understand the poem, just as you have to understand any other piece of writing.

You have to respond to the poem and convey this understanding by the writing you do.

There is no short cut to understanding. You have to read the poems carefully and thoughtfully.

Fortunately, poems are usually fairly short. You can read most poems in a few minutes, unlike novels which take hours to read. But, on the other hand, you have to read some poems many times over, because poets often squeeze language; they put a lot of meaning into a small space.

We are now going to look at some poems in more detail.

#

Black Friday

Oot behind a lorry peyin nae heed,Ablow s doubledeckerA poor wean deid.

Perra worn sanniesWee durty knees,Heh, erra polus!Stand back, please.

Lookit the conductress,face as white as chalk,Heh, see the driver butCannae even talk.

Anyone a witness?Na, we niver saw,Glad, ah’m no the polisGoin tae tell its maw.

Weemen windaw-hingin,Hert in their mooth,It’s no oor close, Lizzie,Oh Gawdstrewth.

Screams on the landing,twa closes doon,It’s no wee Hughie!Poor Nellie Broon.

Phone up the shopyard,Oh, what a shame.Yes, we’ll inform him,Please repeat the name.

See Big Hughie,

Jokin with the squad,Better knock off, Heug,Odear God.

Whit-no his laddie?Aw, bloody hell:D’ye se Hughie’s face but,He’s just a boy himself.

James Copeland

Lament for a Lost Dinner Ticket

See ma mammySee ma dinner ticketA pititinmaPokit and she pititnyWashnmachine.

See thon burntyAp wherra firewizMa mammy says Am no tellnyaagain#No’y paynitAjist wen’y eatmaPokacrisps furma dinnerNabigwoffldoon

The wimmin sed Aver near ClapsedJistur heednur wee wellies sticknoot.

They sed Wot heppind?Nme’nma bellyNa bedbna hospital

A sed a pitit in ma Pokit and she pititnyWashnmachine.

They sed Ees these chaild eb slootly Non verbal?A sed MA BUMSAIRNwenty sleep.

Margaret Hamilton

Read “Black Friday” and “Lament for a Lost Dinner Ticket”

Answer the following questions in sentences.

1. Look at the first verse of “Black Friday”. Explain what has happened and how.

2. Who is speaking in “Lament for a Lost Dinner Ticket”?3. What kind of language does the narrator use in “Lament for a

Lost Dinner Ticket”?4. In what ways do the poems differ?5. What do they have in common?6. In “Black Friday” look at the last line of verse 2, and the last two

lines of verse 7. How are they different from the rest of the poem? Why should this be the case?

7. The poet has tried a similar technique in “Lament for a Lost Dinner Ticket”. How does she try to make this funny?

8. In what ways have the poets tried to make us laugh and yet feel sad at the same time?Have they been successful?

9. Do you think “Black Friday” is a good title for the poem? Why?

10. What is a lament?Is this appropriate for this poem ?Why?

11. Which of the poems do you like best?Why?

Further Assignments

A Choose one of the poems and rewrite it in Standard English.You don’t have to make it rhyme.

B Script the conversation between various women who were “windae-hingin”.OR

Script the conversation between the mother and the boy in “Lament for a Lost Dinner Ticket”.Remember she is warning him not to play where the fire was.

C Imagine the scene in children’s school next day.Imagine you are the headteacher.Prepare a speech where you give the children the bad news and use the experience to warn the other children about safety.

D Write a newspaper report on one of the incidents.

MY SISTER JANE

Here is a very unusual poem. It is a metaphor, a rather long one in which Jane takes on the appearance and habits of the bird.Read the poem carefully and answer the following questions.

MY SISTER JANE

And I say nothing – no, not a wordAbout our Jane. Haven’t you heard?She’s a bird, a bird, a bird, a bird.Oh it never would do to let folks knowMy sister’s nothing but a great big crow.

Each day (we daren’t send her to school)She pulls on stockings of thick blue wool

To make her pin crow legs look right,Then fits a wig of curls on tight,And dark spectacles – a huge pairTo cover her very crowy stare.Oh it never would do to let folks knowMy sister’s nothing by a great big crow.

When visitors come she sits upright(With her wings and tail tucked out of sight).They think her queer but extremely polite.Then when the visitors have goneShe whips out her wings and with her wig onWhirls through the house at the height of your headDuck, duck, or she’ll knock you dead.Oh it never would do to let folks knowMy sister’s nothing but a great big crow.

At meals whatever she sees she’ll stab it –Because she’s a crow and that’s a crow’s habit.My mother says “Jane! Your manners! Please!”Then she’ll sit quietly on the cheese,Or play the piano nicely by dancing on the keys – Oh it never would do to let folks knowMy sister’s nothing but a great big crow.

Ted Hughes

My Sister Jane – A bird or a Jane?

Try to draw a picture of Jane as the poet described her.What parts of Jane’s body are similar to those of a crow?What are some of the things that Jane does which, metaphorically speaking, make her a crow?

Do you think that poet is being cruel in any way?

In what ways do you think the poet is exaggerating in his description of Jane?

IMAGERY

Imagery is a device used by writers to convey their meaning more effectively by using a mental IMAGE or PICTURE to help the reader see more clearly what the writer is describing.

The poet will often want to bring a particular picture or ‘image’ clearly to your mind. Often they will compare one thing to another to do this. This is something we all do in everyday speech. We say, for example, that a flower is ‘blood red’, or that someone’s nose is ‘like a pincushion’.

In the first example we want to describe a flower’s colour. We use an image to do this. This image is called a metaphor. We try to create a picture in words. Blood is a deep red colour. Therefore, we get a clear picture of a dark red flower.

In the second example we are saying someone’s nose is like a pincushion. Think about the picture the poet is trying to create. A pincushion is usually round and well-padded. This suggests that the nose is round and fat. A pincushion often has holes where the pins have been. If we put the two ideas together we get a picture of a round, fat, pitted nose. Therefore, we have a clear picture of what the writer is describing.

Nose like a pincushion – This figure of speech is called a simile.

How different is a simile to a metaphor? In groups try to write a definition of a metaphor. In groups try to write a definition of a simile.

Which of the following sentences use similes and which use metaphors? The cat stretched like a taut piece of elastic. The soldier was a lion in the fight.

The snake moved like lightning.

What image/picture is the writer trying to create in each of the above?

THE COMING OF THE WEE MALKIES

Whit’ll ye dae when the wee Malkies come,If they dreep doon affy the wash-hoose dyke,An pit the hems on the sterrhied light,An play wee heidies oan the clean close wa,An blooter yir windae in wi the baw,Missus, whit’ll ye dae?

Whit’ll ye dae when the wee Malkies come,If they chap yir door an choke yir drains,An caw the feet fae yir sapsy weans,An tummle thur wulkies through yir sheets,An itm thur ashes oot in the street,Missus, whit’ll ye dae?

Whit’ll ye dae when the wee Malkies come,If they chuck thur screwtaps doon the pan,An stick the heid oan the sanit'ry man;When ye hear them shauchlin’ doon yir loabyChantin: “Wee Malkies! The gemme’s a bogey”- Haw, missus, whit’ll ye dae?

Stephen Mulrine

The two poems “My Sister Jane” and “The Sea” are written as metaphors.Read one of the poems (your teacher will tell you which one) and answer the questions.

REPLY TO THE WEE MALKIES“Haw, Missus, whit’ll ye dae?” they say. 1

Here’s wit I’ll dae when the wee Malkies come:I’ll wallop their lugs and skelp their bum,I’ll blouter their nebs on the clean close wa’an’ gien them a taste o’ heid the ba’ 5I’ll gar them swidder tae chap me doorWhen ma bristly besom dings their splore.I’ll gar their wulkies gang tapsalteeriean’ birl then roun’ an’ like a peerie.If they stick the heid on the sanit'ry man 10Aiblins they’ll fin he’s a Judo Dan;An’ when they come shaughlin’ doun ma lobbyThey’ll get a shog frae mae frien’: the bobbyThe game’s a bogey – but no their gameI’ll gar them wish that hadnae came. 15

FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

What are some of the words or expressions you don’t understand?

In pairs, try and work out the meaning of these.

Write out the ‘Grangemouth’ equivalents to these

Birl them roun’ like a peerie

The game’s a bogey

Wallop their lugs

Blouter their nebs

In the following poem, we peer fearfully through the eyes of someone just starting school and discover how much there is that simply doesn’t make sense.

FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

A millionbillionwillion miles from home 1Waiting for the bell to go. (To go where?)Why are they all so big, other children?So noisy? So much at home theyMust have been born in uniform 5Lived all their lives in playgrounds.Spent the years inventing gamesThat don’t let me in. GamesThat are rough, that swallow you up.

And the railings 10All around, the railings.Are they to keep out wolves and monsters?Things that carry off and eat children?Things you don’t take sweets from?Perhaps they’re to stop us getting out. 15Running away from the lessins. Lessins.What does a lessin look like?Sounds small and slimy.They keep them in glassrooms.Whole rooms made out of glass. Imagine. 20

I wish I could remember my name.Mummy said it would come in useful.Like wellies. When there’s puddlesYellowwallies. I wish she was here.I think my name is sewn on somewhere. 25Perhaps the teacher will read it for me.Tea-cher. The one who makes the tea.

Roger McGough

First Day at School – Responding to the poem

Answer the following questions.

1. In what way does the first line tell you that the new student is quite young?

2. Even the school bell adds to the child’s confusion. What kind of confusion do they feel about the bell?

3. Explain in your own words why the other children seem so strange and so organised.

4. In the second stanza of the poem, we see two things the eyes of the new pupil: The railings round the school and the lessins. What two possible uses for the railings does the child imagine?

5. What does the pupil think a ‘lessin’ might be?6. What is very childlike about the child’s use of a name?7. Why does the child compare his/her name to a pair of wellies?8. What does the child’s imagination do with the word ‘teacher’?

WRITE

Write about your experience of your First Day at School.Try to include some funny incidents.

OR

Write about a misunderstanding where you were made to look very silly.

OR

Write a checklist of ‘HELPFUL HINTS’ for pupils starting school. Include some good advice and tips for survival in Grangemouth High School.

OUR NEW TEACHER

Here’s a poem that treats a very familiar situation. Just when you think you’ve got to know your teacher and all the faults, and to appreciate exactly what you can get away with, she ups and leaves and there’s a fearsome replacement.

OUR NEW TEACHER

This teacher has such scary teeth,They look just like a shark’s;his eyes gleam in the sunlightLike a pair of purple sparks.His voice is boomingas the roar from some big gun;He can imitate a thunderstormfor a gruesome bit of fun.

And now Billy who was sillyalmost every other dayDoes his tables, writes his spellings,hides his comic book away.Every lesson lasts a lifetime …with our noses to each page.We imagine bars on windowsand the classroom seems a cage.

So, please come back, Miss Fothergill:Though you won’t believe its true,We all loved you as our teacher;We were oh, so fond of you!

David Bateson

Our New Teacher – Reading for detail

1. What does the simile ‘like a shark’s’ suggest about the appearance of the new teacher’s teeth?

2. What type of person do you think she is? How does the poem make you think this?

3. Give the word that tells us how his eyes looked in the sunlight.4. What word accurately describes the sound of the new teacher’s voice?5. How does the silly Billy of the past compare with the Billy under the

control of the new teacher?6. How long does every lesson seem to last under the new teacher?7. What plea is uttered in the closing stanza?

INCENDIARYThat one small boy with a face like pallid cheese1And burnt-out little eyes could make a blazeAs brazen, fierce and huge, as red and goldAnd zany yellow as the one that spoiledThree thousand guineas’ worth of property 5And crops at Godwin’s Farm on SaturdayIs frightening – as fact and metaphor:An ordinary match intended for The lighting of a pipe or kitchen fireMisused may set a whole menagerie 10Of flame-fanged tigers roaring hungrily.And frightening, too, that one small boy should setThe sky on fire and choke the stars to heatSuch skinny limbs and such a little heartWhich would have been content with one warm kiss15Had there been anyone to offer this.

Vernon Scannell

Working in your groups Read the poem.

Discuss the following questions and take notes.

1. What is the poem about?2. Who do you think is ‘speaking’? Give a reason for your answer.Look at the Title.3. What does the word ‘Incendiary’ mean?4. (Look up the dictionary if you are not sure).

5. Why do you think that the poet chose this as his title?

6. Make a list of all the words and phrases in the poem which are connected with fire.

7. What is the boy like? Give a description of the boy using words and phrases from the poem.

8. What effect does the poet create by the opening lines …9. “That one small boy with a face like pallid cheese10.And burnt-out little eyes could make a blaze …”

Look at the second line. This contains an example of alliteration.11.Show where and what these lines have.

Look at the first two lines again.12.Which words and phrases could you miss out which would still convey

the same opening to the poem?

13.Are there any words in the poem which you could join on to complete the sentence?

14.(clue: look at line 7)

15.Why do you think the poet includes the other lines and phrases?

16.What figure of speech does the poet use in lines 3 and 4?

17.What effect does this create?

18.Why do you think the poet has chosen to use the word ‘zany’ in line 4?

19.What is ‘frightening’ in line 7?20.Look at the words ‘fact’ and ‘metaphor’ in line 7.

21.Can you note down one fact and one metaphor which appear after the colon?

(clue: look at lines 8 – 11)

22.Give an example of at least 2 metaphors from the poem. Say how effective they are in helping you to picture what the poet is trying to say.

TIMOTHY WINTERS

1 Timothy Winters comes to schoolWith eyes as wide as a football-pool,Ears like bombs and teeth like splinters:A blitz of a boy Timothy Winters.

5 His belly is white, his neck is dark,And his hair is an exclamation mark.His clothes are enough to scare a crowAnd through his britches the blue winds blow.

9 When teacher talks he won’t hear a wordAnd he shoots down dead the arithmetic bird, He licks the patterns of his plateAnd he’s not even heard of the Welfare State

13 Timothy Winters has bloody feetAnd he lives in a house on Suez Street,He sleeps in a sack on the kitchen floorAnd they say there aren’t boys like him any more.

17 Old man Winters likes his beerAnd his missus ran off with a bombardier,Grandma sits in the grate with a ginAnd Timothy’s dosed with aspirin.

21 The Welfare Worker lies awakeBut the law’s as tricky as a ten-foot snakeSo Timothy Winter’s drinks his cupAnd slowly goes on growing up

25 At morning Prayers the Master helvesFor children less fortunate than ourselves,And the loudest response in the room is whenTimothy Winters roars ‘Amen!’

29 So come one angel, come on ten:Timothy Winters says ‘Amen

Amen, amen, amen, amen.’Timothy Winters, Lord. Amen.

Charles Causley

Reading Question

A poem which I have read in class and enjoyed is ‘Timothy ‘ by Charles . The theme of the poem is hardship and looking at others who are less fortunate than ourselves. The poet explores the theme by describing Timothy Winters in detail and showing us some of the difficulties that he has to endure.The poet begins by describing Timothy as he comes to : -“Ears like and teeth like A of a boy is Timothy Winters.”His “neck is dark and his hair is an “We get a picture of a boy with eyes, big , jagged , dirty and which is uncombed, standing straight up. His clothes are full of holes; he is like a .At school he does not pay heed to his and he hates . “And he down the bird. Thus, the word pictures give us a clear picture of Timothy’s appearance and his feeling’s for school.However, we find one reason why he goes to school: -“He licks the off his plate. Although he does not like the work at school at least he is provided with a good meal. The hungry way he eats his meal suggests that he is poorly fed at home.His home shows why he is dressed as he is. He lives in Street (which reminds us of sewers and sewage) and he sleeps in a . He lives with his and his (his has run away) but they seem to too much. This tells us that things are very difficult for Timothy at home and suggests that his home life is not a happy one.One person who worries about him is the but he cannot help him because, “the as tricky as a ten-foot “ This makes the poem very sad as it suggests that they know there are problems but can do nothing to help Timothy. Instead things will just go on as they are.However, this does not worry Timothy too much,“So Timothy Winters drinks his “.At school the headmaster prays for “children less than ourselves” the loudest response in the room is when, roars, ‘ ‘. This suggests that Timothy’s life has been so difficult for so long that he has accepted on his own life as being normal and is unaware of his poverty.I enjoyed the because, by his clever use of words. Causely made Timothy very much alive for me. I could him very clearly in my mind and could easily draw him.

“Eat like bombs and teeth like splintersA blitz of a boy is Timothy Winters” made me think of a boy with ears which stuck out from the sides of his head; teeth which could be the parts of the exploded bomb and the whole appearance of a boy described as an where a bomb had struck. Such SIMILES and METAPHORS are used with great skill throughout the poem.The poet also draws our attention to certain words which he considers important and wants us to notice by the use of ALLITERATION as in : -“and through his britches the blue winds blow”and“But the law’s as tricky as a ten-foot snake”The poet makes each lines and this helps us to remember the poem very easily. If you can remember the last word of a line you can usually remember the next line and so you are drawn right through the poem.The made me aware that there were people less than myself. He did this by making us smile at Timothy in the opening But as the poem goes on we feel very sorry for him and very angry at his situation. Therefore, the ideas of the poem and the techniques the poet uses make it a very enjoyable poem.

READING QUESTION

Choose a poem that you have read or studied in some detail. Write an essay about the poem in which you do the following:

Give the TITLE and AUTHOR of the poem. Give an account of the THEME – what it is about. Comment on any interesting features of the poem which appealed to

you. You may want to mention aspects like EFFECTIVE USE OF WORDS, good WORD PICTURES, attractive RHYME AND RHYTHM.

Give your PERSONAL OPINION of the poem saying why you enjoyed it.

MY PARENTS KEPT ME FROM CHILDREN WHO WERE ROUGH

My parents kept me from children who were roughWho threw words like stones and who wore torn clothes.Their thighs showed through rags. They ran in the streetAnd climbed cliffs and stripped by the country streams.

I feared more than tigers their muscles like ironTheir jerking hands and their knees tight on my arms.I feared the salt coarse pointing of the boysWho copied my lisp behind me on the road.

They were lithe. They sprang out behind hedgesLike dogs to bark at my world. They threw mudWhile I looked another way, pretending to smile.I longed to forgive them, but they never smiled.

Steven Spender

Answer the following questions:

1. Did the boys who tormented the poet come from the same kind of home as the poet?

2. What does the poet mean when he says ‘threw words like stones’?3. What figure of speech is this?4. Why do we feel that the poet envies these boys in their ‘rags’?5. What is happening to the poet where he refers to their ‘jerking hands

and their knees tight on my arms’?6. What clue is there in the second verse to explain why the boys made

fun of the poet?7. What animals does the poet compare the boys to?8. Do you think this is fair in comparison?9. What does the poet mean by ‘my world’ in the last verse?10.What was the point of looking ‘another way, pretending to smile’?11.What do you think the poet’s thoughts were as he did this?12.Why could the poet not forgive the boys’ treatment of him?13.Do you think his parents were wise to keep him from rougher people?

Why?14.Why do you think they did not approve of these boys?15.Do you think this poem is true to life or not? Explain why you think so.16.How would you have reacted if you were the poet?

How to read a poem

On the next few pages you will find some famous poems. Read them carefully remembering the following points.

Reading with the eyeLook carefully at poems on the page-the very presentation invites us to read it with an eye on the length of the lines, the gaps between sections or verses, the spaces around the words and the lay-out.

Reading with the earRead the poems aloud. Poems invite us to speak them with an ear to the rhythm of the lines, the pace of delivery and the sounds of the words. We listen to poems differently from the way we listen to stories.

Responding to what is uniqueEach poem is individual: it needs to be read at least twice. Try to find out what the poem is really saying. It might be an idea, a description … Jot down some notes to capture the poem’s distinctive character.

Thinking about what is generalAlthough each poem is unique, all poems have some features in common.They are: made of words shaped into a particular form they link ideas and language

THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREEI will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive of the honey-bee,And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket singsThere midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and dayI hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

WB Yeats(1865 – 1939)

CARGOESQuinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir.

With a cargo of ivory,And apes and peacocks,Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.

Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Ishtmus,Dipping through the tropics by the palm-green shores,With a cargo of diamonds,Emeralds, amethysts,Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores.

Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stackButting through the Channel in the mad March days,Road-rail, pig-lead,Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays.

John Masefield(1878 – 1967)

THE LISTENERS“Is there anybody there?” said the Traveller,Knocking on the moonlit door;And his horse in the silence champed the grassesOf the forest’s ferny floor;And a bird flew up out of the turret,Above the Traveller’s head;And he smote upon the door again a second time;“Is there anybody there?” he said.But no one descended to the Traveller;No head from the lead-fringed sillLeaned over and looked into his grey eyes,Where he stood perplexed and still.But only a host of phantom listenersThat dwelt in the lone house thenStood listening in the quiet of the moonlightTo that voice from the world of men:Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair,That goes down to the empty hall,Hearkening in an air stirred and shakenBy the lonely Traveller’s call.And he felt in his heart their strangeness,While his horse moved, cropping the dark turf,‘Neath the starred and leafy sky;For he suddenly smote on the door, evenLouder, and lifted his head: -“Tell then I came, and no one answered,That I kept my word,” he said.

Walter de la Mare (1873 – 1956)