Flattery will get you everywhere. However, that DAFT Anthology is what will get you through the exam, so make sure you read these notes alongside the poems and ANNOTATE them!
Hey Miss, i was doing a unseen poetry question for revision and i dont under stand it..... it i form the "Somewhere anywhere" section and its called :City Jungle" please help me Sam
Read the poem aloud. TWICE. This should give you a feel for the rhythm of the poem and for the sounds of words. Writers purposefully choose words with a specific sound to further their tone. For example, hard sounding letters often convey a sense of anger.
Look at how the poem is set out on the page. Does it have an interesting shape? Is it 'neat' or 'messy'? Think about why this is. For example, in Your Dad Did What, the speaker uses neat, 4-line stanzas to show how the speaker is controlling and needs everything to be perfect and ordered (which is why the poor spelling offends him/her so much).
Now pick out two or three interesting language choices. Pick out the connotations of these words. What wider ideas do we link to them? For example, 'cough' is a word which has many connotations - it could imply trying to grab someone's attention, it could show illness, or perhaps a reaction to the atmosphere (like when I cough if inconsiderate teenagers spray aerosols in my classroom!). Then try to piece these connotations together and work out why the writer thought this was an important choice.
Pick out techniques: E.g. Onomatopoiea, metaphor, simile, alliteration, personification. What are the effects of these?
Identify the speaker. Is it a first person narrator? What is their attitude?
Look at the rhyme scheme. Is there one? If so, what is it?
Is there a set rhythm? If so what is the effect? If not, is there enjambment? What is the effect of that? E.g. In 'Hitcher', the enjambment in the final 3 stanzas reflect how the speaker is becoming excited an carried away with retelling his account of attacking the hitcher. It could also show that although he seems calm and collected to begin with, he is unable to maintain control over his emotions.
Once you have planned out responses to these questions, you should have the basis for an essay. Try writing it up in half an hour and by the time you have finished writing out your ideas, you should have a firm grasp on what the poem is about.
hey Miss D i cant understand the imagery bit in your revision booklet i've done everything else in the table (almost) what do we actually need to write for it?
Imagery - these are the pictures that a writer puts in your head. So, in Cousin Kate, the pictures we get are of a woman sitting in dust, a dove, a golden knot etc. In Half-Caste, it's an overcast sky, a canvas, a piano, and so on...
hi, i'm doing city jungle in somewhere anywhere and i notice alot of imagery and personification. i don't understand where the poet says "shop doorways keep their mouths shut." any help there? thanks, Hana.
Hey Miss D,
ReplyDeleteim Liking the poetry,
i think this is a great alternative
to that daft anthology :) x
Flattery will get you everywhere.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that DAFT Anthology is what will get you through the exam, so make sure you read these notes alongside the poems and ANNOTATE them!
Hey Miss,
ReplyDeletei was doing a unseen poetry question for revision and i dont under stand it.....
it i form the "Somewhere anywhere" section and its called :City Jungle"
please help me
Sam
Hi Sam! Try doing the following.
ReplyDeleteRead the poem aloud. TWICE. This should give you a feel for the rhythm of the poem and for the sounds of words. Writers purposefully choose words with a specific sound to further their tone. For example, hard sounding letters often convey a sense of anger.
Look at how the poem is set out on the page. Does it have an interesting shape? Is it 'neat' or 'messy'? Think about why this is. For example, in Your Dad Did What, the speaker uses neat, 4-line stanzas to show how the speaker is controlling and needs everything to be perfect and ordered (which is why the poor spelling offends him/her so much).
Now pick out two or three interesting language choices. Pick out the connotations of these words. What wider ideas do we link to them? For example, 'cough' is a word which has many connotations - it could imply trying to grab someone's attention, it could show illness, or perhaps a reaction to the atmosphere (like when I cough if inconsiderate teenagers spray aerosols in my classroom!). Then try to piece these connotations together and work out why the writer thought this was an important choice.
Pick out techniques: E.g. Onomatopoiea, metaphor, simile, alliteration, personification. What are the effects of these?
Identify the speaker. Is it a first person narrator? What is their attitude?
Look at the rhyme scheme. Is there one? If so, what is it?
Is there a set rhythm? If so what is the effect? If not, is there enjambment? What is the effect of that? E.g. In 'Hitcher', the enjambment in the final 3 stanzas reflect how the speaker is becoming excited an carried away with retelling his account of attacking the hitcher. It could also show that although he seems calm and collected to begin with, he is unable to maintain control over his emotions.
Once you have planned out responses to these questions, you should have the basis for an essay. Try writing it up in half an hour and by the time you have finished writing out your ideas, you should have a firm grasp on what the poem is about.
Hope that helps!
Miss D :)
hey Miss D
ReplyDeletei cant understand the imagery bit in your revision booklet i've done everything else in the table (almost) what do we actually need to write for it?
thanks, ben :)
Imagery - these are the pictures that a writer puts in your head. So, in Cousin Kate, the pictures we get are of a woman sitting in dust, a dove, a golden knot etc. In Half-Caste, it's an overcast sky, a canvas, a piano, and so on...
ReplyDeletehi, i'm doing city jungle in somewhere anywhere and i notice alot of imagery and personification.
ReplyDeletei don't understand where the poet says "shop doorways keep their mouths shut."
any help there?
thanks, Hana.
Sorry Hana, this is a blog for Clashes & Collisions only.
ReplyDelete