A Martian Sends A Postcard Home – Craig Raine

Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings 1And some are treasured for their markings – They cause the eyes to meltOr the body to shriek without pain.I have never seen one fly, but 5Sometimes they perch on the hand.

Mist is when the sky is tired of flight And rests its soft machine on ground :Then the world is dim and bookishLike engravings under tissue paper. 10

Rain is when the earth is television.It has the property of making colours darker.

Model T is a room with the lock inside – A key is turned to free the world For movement, so quick there is a film 15To watch for anything missed.

But time is tied to the wristOr kept in a box, ticking with impatience.

In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps,That snores when you pick it up. 20If the ghost cries, they carry it To their lips and soothe it to sleepWith sounds. And yet, they wake it upDeliberately, by tickling with a finger.

Only the young are allowed to suffer 25Openly. Adults go to a punishment roomWith water but nothing to eat.They lock the door and suffer the noisesAlone. No one is exemptAnd everyone’s pain has a different smell. 30

At night when all the colours die,They hide themselves in pairsAnd read about themselves – In colour, with their eyelids shut.

Grade 9Descriptive writing

‘A Martian Sends a Postcard Home’ - Familiar things made strange

In the poem ‘A Martian Sends A Postcard Home’, the poet imagines what it would be like for a creature from another planet (in this case Mars) to make sense of objects and human activities which seem very normal and commonplace to us. By taking this approach, the poet encourages us to see things differently and to appreciate what we consider ordinary. He does this through a series of interesting and sometimes humorous metaphors.

1. Read the poem carefully and with a partner try to identify the objects or activities being described.

2. Share your ideas with the rest of the class.3. Creative writing exercise (assessed).

Produce your own prose version of ‘A Martian Sends A Postcard Home’. You have to produce three sentences or short paragraphs in which you describe three everyday objects or activities from a Martian’s point of view. Do not actually name the object or activity in your sentences, but indicate this on the reverse side of the page.

Here is an example;The long-tailed snake sucks at the wall. Sometimes the humans let it rest its jaws by pulling it away at the end of the day. The snake must be important because the humans can’t run a computer or a television or a kettle without it. The snake usually has two teeth in the Philippines but in some countries it has three.

What would you write on the reverse side of the paper ?

This is a minor assessment marked out of 15.Up to 5 marks will be awarded for each description based on the quality of the idea and accuracy of writing.

A Martian Sends a Postcard HomeStudent responses

It can move on wheels or be stationary on four legs. It mysteriously has a head and arms. It usually lurks in crowded office places or institutions they call schools.

When it is rubbed onto the wet skin, bubbles and foam are formed. They wash it away when they have done this interesting ritual. A peculiar object which has a million clones, many of which come in different shapes and sizes of packaging and a variety of scents which tickle the human nose.

Teeth out front With a touch of human fleshYour ears start to tingle.

Stars caughtPut in containers of different shapesPermitted to shine when darkness fallsWith a simple click.

The monster sits thereDormant but almightySpitting out Arctic airWhile humming a lullaby.

A crocodile with two sharp teeth is heading for papers to bite on.

Two tentacles attack humans as if sucking up their memories and all the beautiful sounds they’ve heard in their lifetimes. All those absorbed things go into a little box…

It is a circle with two thick sticks and one thin stick. I think the thin stick likes to move because it keeps running around the circle. The short thick one doesn’t seem to like exercising…

When the humans miraculously come back to life, they head for the punishment room, where they grate away the melted cheese accumulated on their canines over night with a long stick containing tough white hair. Upon completion you get a whiff of their winter fresh wind.

Two mini TV screens everyone ownsWhich views hundreds of channels every dayBut are usually switched off at night.

On the wall of each room is a back up switch in case the sun breaks down, which it does periodically. As the sun dies the switches are flipped and the imitation sun bursts into life.Food is put into this tiny roomWatch as the light goes on and the food starts spinning unhurriedlyWait for a loud sound and open the door.

Like lots of mouths that can open and close, but they can’t all be opened at the same time. You can keep small objects inside these mouths…

Humans breed this strange bird-like creature. It has a lengthy tail, one leg and a wide, round beak with razors inside which seem to be the teeth to grind its prey. It stays quiet whenever the tail isn’t connected to some port. But when it is, the bird begins to grind its teeth, it makes a shaky sound and it blows away many dangerous things like razor paper. Whenever you try to watch it, it hypnotizes you. It appears formidable, because even humans remind themselves not to put their fingers in.

Each snake has a different head which holds the man’s legs. Once the snake releases its fangs the man’s second skin falls. This snake forces the man to push in his gut in order for it to feast.

In small bags thin leaves rest. They are covered with elaborate designs of different colours and figures. They are treasured for their beauty and are often traded off. They can fly but I’ve never seen one do so. Their offspring resemble small heavy discs and have yet to develop wings. They are often trapped in bags and cases with their children, and sometimes in the hands of humans.

Dull and lifeless it sits there unmoved, a weapon of death. It oozes blood as its point touches a blanket as white as snow.

This large box is most often alive at night when it snores away. It only breathes out air until it dies in the morning. It is strange how it’s resurrected in the evening when it doesn’t even inhale.

A block separates two worlds. When opened it reveals the unknown. It is pushed and pulled. Ones made of trees are found in most homes.

There are special rooms where these children come together. Here they bring their pets to see who can make the loudest screech. They are activated by soft or hard blows on their rear ends. Together they squeal and groan, making horrid sounds.