carolann duffy and simon armitage poetry - gstoun · web view9- what is your opinion of the...

Stealing

1- Whose voice is speaking in this poem? Who are they talking to? What is the poem about?

2- Is the pattern of stanzas regular? Are there any short sentences? Write down the quotation and then why you think the poet has written this in this way.

3- Poets sometimes use enjambment, where a sentence continues on to the next line. This makes the poem seem more like natural speech. Find an example of this and make a note of why the poet uses this technique.

4- List any metaphors you can find and after the quotation, write what you think it means.

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5- List violent words used. Why does the poet use these?

6- List colloquial (slang or everyday language) words used. Why does the poet use these?

7- Alliteration and assonance help to stress words. Write down examples from the first stanza and make a note of the effect.

8- What is the mood or tone of the poem? Why do you think the poet decided to write a poem like this?

9- What is your opinion of the thief – why does he/she steal, do you feel sorry for him/her? Do you like the poem? Why?




By Carol Ann Duffy‘Salome’ is based on a story from the New Testament, about a girl who asks her stepfather, King Herod, to give her the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Read the extract from Mark’s Gospel and write a brief summary of the story.


MARK 6:12 John the Baptist Beheaded

King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, ‘John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’

Others said, ‘He is Elijah.’ And others still claimed, ‘He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.’

But when Herod heard this, he said, ‘John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!’

For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday, Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.’And he promised her with an oath, ‘whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my

kingdom.’She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’‘The head of John the Baptist,’ she answered.At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: ‘ I want you to give me

right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests,

he did not want to refuse her. So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring back John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, she gave it to her mother. On hearing of this, John’s disciplines came and took his body and laid it a tomb.



By Carol Ann Duffy

1- What impression do you get of Salome from the first five lines?

2- In this dramatic monologue, we hear Salome speaking her thoughts.a) What do we learn about her and her situation? How has she spent the previous night?

b)Think about the way she speaks in the poem. Is this how you would expect the biblical Salome to speak? Which expressions make Salome seem very unlike a character from the Bible?

b) Why do you think Duffy has chosen to make her speak this way?

3- a) How would you describe Salome’s attitude towards her overnight guest when she notices his head on the pillow in line 4?




By Carol Ann Duffyb) How would you describe her attitude when she realises the sheets are ‘a sticky

read’?

4- Look at lines 29-32, ‘the blighter / … who’d come like a lamb to the slaughter / to Salome’s bed’.a) What possible meanings could the phrase ‘lamb to the slaughter’ have?

b) Why do you think Duffy has Salome use this phrase?

5- Word-pairs such as ‘pewter’/ ‘Peter’ and ‘lighter’ / ‘laughter’ that sound similar but do not rhyme exactly are called near rhymes.a) What other examples can you find in the poem?

6) What opinion do you think Salome has of herself? What opinion do you form of her by the end of the poem?




By Carol Ann Duffy1- Look at line 1, ‘Today I am going to kill something’.a) Read through the rest of the poem. What does the speaker kill?

b) In stanza 1, what reasons does the speaker give for wishing to kill?

2- a) Look at lines 6-7, ‘Shakespeare. It was in / another language’. What do you think ‘another language’ means here?

b) Look at line 7, ‘now the fly is in another language’. What do you think it means here? Does it mean that the fly has been changed or ‘translated’ in some way?

3- In stanza 3, the speaker declares: ‘I am a genius’ (line 9).a) What other phrases in the poem suggest he has a high opinion of himself?

b) Note down any evidence in the poem to confirm his genius.




By Carol Ann Duffy

c) Note down any evidence to suggest he lacks any real talent.

4 – Look at lines 13-14, ‘I pour the goldfish down the bog. I pull the chain. / I see that it is good.’ In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God is described as creating the universe and, after each stage of creation, it says, ‘He saw that it was good.’ What other evidence is there in the poem to suggest that the speaker feels God-like?

5 – In stanza 4, the speaker says ‘They don’t appreciate my autograph’ (line 16).a) Who do you think ‘they’ are?

b) Why is he giving them his ‘autograph’?

c) What is suggested here about the way others view him? What is suggested about the way he views himself?




By Carol Ann Duffy

6 – The poem ends: ‘I touch your arm.’ Whose arm is the speaker referring to? Why is this ominous?

7 – The word ‘I’ appears sixteen times in this poem. Which of the following does this suggest?a) It is autobiographical.b) It doesn’t have much variety.c) It is a sign of being obsessed with oneself.

8 – The poem’s title refers to the idea that modern schools do more than just prepare students for a future job; they aim to equip them with the skills and knowledge to help them live a fulfilled life.a) Why do you think Duffy chose this title?

b) What connection does the poem make between the speaker’s schooling and his present attitudes and behaviour?




By Carol Ann Duffy

1- Miss Havisham is speaking this poem.a) How old do you think she is?

b) What is she speaking about?

c) Which of the following would you describe as being her mood and feelings?

She is angry and eager to get revenge. She is sad and embarrassed that she is still a spinster. She is aware that she is now very old. She is sexually frustrated. She is none, some or all of the above.

3 – Look at line 1, ‘Beloved sweetheart bastard.’a) About whom do you think Miss Havisham is speaking?

b) Why do you think she refers to this person as ‘beloved’ and as a ‘bastard’?

By Carol Ann Duffy


Havish…who?

Miss Havisham was an elderly character in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations; as a young woman she was jilted at the altar, and continues to be obsessed by her wedding day and her abandonement by her husband to be.



c) What does this phrase suggest about her feelings towards this person?

d) Read the rest of the poem. Can you find any other evidence of these mixed feelings?

4- Find details in the poem that describe the following. Then list them in a chart like the one below. Her appearance. The way she lives.

5- Look at line 12, ‘till I suddenly bite awake.’a) What do you think Duffy is suggesting by this phrase?

b) What other violent images does Duffy use in the poem?

By Carol Ann Duffy

6 – The poem ends: ‘Don’t think it’s only the heart that b-b-b-breaks.’a) Why do you think Duffy writes ‘b-b-b-breaks’? What is suggested by the

way she writes the word?


Miss Havisham’s appearence The way Miss Havisham lives



b) What else do you think might be broken besides Miss Havisham’s heart?

7 – Look back to the title of the poem. In the novel Great Expectations, Dickens consistently refers to the character as ‘Miss Havisham’. Why do you think Duffy omits the ‘Miss’?

Havisham has become a creature rather than a woman. Duffy wishes to focus on her as a person, not just as a spinster. Duffy doesn’t like the word. Something else.

1 – What is implied about what Mr Armitage thought when is lad came home sporting an earring?

It was a little strange. It was very odd indeed. It was a sure sign that is son was gay.

2- Why do you think Armitage writes that he ‘rolled home’? He was swaggering. He was drunk. He was walking like a sailor.

3- How do you think Mr Armitage spoke to his son?▪ in disgust ▪ as a joke ▪ as an insult▪ in despair ▪ with a frown ▪ with a smile

4- Look for evidence in the second stanza to show that Armitage: wanted to look a bit of a rebel




was a bit of a coward was unsuccessful in his rebellion was ashamed of his cowardice.

5- The first stanza describes the situation and gives the father’s reaction to the earring. The second stanza tells the story of what happened when the ear was pierced. How would you sum up the final stanza?

6- When poems rhyme they usually do so at the end of lines. This poem has many full rhymes (‘queer’ and ‘ear’) and half rhymes (‘queer’ and ‘hair’). Some of the rhyming words are in the middle of the lines; some are at the end.a) Read the poem and list the full and half rhymes in the table below.

b) Why do you think Armitage included so many?

7- What do you think the poet’s father would think if he read the poem?


FULL RHYMES HALF RHYMESear queer queer hairear



By Simon Armitage

1- Look at line 1, ‘We walk to the ward from the badly parked car.’a) What is the effect on the reader of the alliteration?

b) Why do you think the car was badly parked?

2- All the lines in the poem have eleven syllables, except for ‘with your grandma taking four short steps to our two’ (line 2).

a) What is the effect on the reader of the extra syllable?

b) Why do you think Armitage used ‘grandma’ instead of ‘Grandma’ or ‘Grandmother’?

3- a) What family trinkets do you think grandma might have taken with her?

b) What do people usually ‘parcel’?




By Simon Armitage

c) What does this tell you about grandma?

4- Look at line 6, ‘She sinks down into her incontinence’.a) Why is the word ‘sinks’ important in this image?

b) What is Armitage trying to make the reader feel?

5- How does Armitage describe the patients in the hospital in lines 7-9?

6- What do you understand by ‘the twilight zone’ (line 11)?

7- Who do you think John was? What do we learn about him and his relationship with his grandma?

By Simon Armitage




8- How do you think John would have reacted when he first read the poem?

9- Why do you think the poem is called November rather than October or December?

By Simon Armitage

1- What has happened at the start of the poem?2-


‘leeward’ – moving away from the wind.‘to scotch a rumour’ – to put an end to it‘caper’ – a Batman word for ‘crime’‘doffed’ – took off



3- What sort of life is Robin facing?

4- How does he feel about this?

5- What can you say about the different ways Batman and Robin speak in lines 1-4?

6- What do you think is happening in lines 12-13?

By Simon Armitage

7- What do you think the contrast between lines 15-16 and line 17 shows?

8- What does Robin hope the future holds for Batman?




9- How does the poem end?

10-Below are three statements. Which statement best sums up the poem?

10-What links the theme tune of the Batman TV series to Kid?

By Simon Armitage

1 – What do the driver and the hitcher have in common, according to this poem? You should be able to find at least three things they share.

2- Why does the poem repeat the first and third person pronouns throughout?

3- Draw a box around the edge of each verse of this poem. What do you notice about the shape of the box around each verse?


It’s a piece of fantasy in which Armitage imagines what it would be like to be Robin after he’s been ditched by Batman.

It’s an imaginative account using Batman and Robin as examples of what happens when any famous double act becomes separated.

It’s an extented metaphor using comic characters to explore what happens when people stop being adolescents and start to become adults.



4- Does this make a link between this poem and another poem that you have read? Which one, and what exactly is the link?

5- The poem is told from the point of view of someone who is bored with his lifestyle, and has a very predictable daily routine. Why then do you think that the verses are all the same shape?

By Simon Armitage

6- What signs can you find of the poet’s northern England background shining through in the poem?

7- Why do you think the driver murdered the hitcher?

8- Bob Dylan was a 1960s folk singer, who was a free spirit and had a very relaxed attitude to life. Why do you think the poet has chosen to use the title of a Bob Dylan song, ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ in this poem?

9- Simon Armitage was a probation officer and a shelf stacker before he became a poet. Do you think this poem might be about his own life? How?




Start by reading the poem again and thinking what it means to you. If you cannot understand it completely, don’t worry! Often by the time you have explored it with the help of this check list the meaning will have become much clearer by the end.

Each of these points will make a paragraph about the poem. Do not use headings for each paragraph when you write an essay. Each paragraph

should flow into the next paragraph Prove every point you make by using a quotation from the poem.

Your introduction Paragraph 1

Start your essay by giving the title of the poem and the name of the poet. Try to classify the poem. What sort of poem is it? (eg. sonnet, limerick, haiku,

ode, acrostic, ballad, dramatic monologue shape etc.) Briefly write about the subject of the poem.

Imagery used in the poem to express the themes Paragraph 2

What are the pictures in the poem? Are metaphors, similes or personification used to explain ideas? Are there parts of the poem that ask you to use your senses of hearing, sight,

smell, touch or taste? Do these add to your enjoyment of the poem?

Form and structure Paragraph 3

How is the poem arranged on the page? (eg. lines, verses, layout, shape.) Where are there breaks in the poem? Look at the length of the lines - do they make a pattern? Are some lines short?




Is there a progression between one verse and the next? Why do you think that the poet has used this structure?




Rhyme and rhythm Paragraph 3 continued

Does the poem rhyme? What is the rhyming pattern? (eg. ABAB or ABCB etc)

Write about the rhythm of the poem. Which words have a strong beat? Why do you think the poet has chosen this rhyme and rhythm to express his

ideas?

Language patterns Paragraph 4

Does the choice of words the poet has chosen help us share the poet’s feelings? The poet uses certain words to trigger how we think about the poem. Which

words are the “triggers” in this poem? Think about the sound of the poem. Look out for alliteration, onomatopoeia,

and assonance. Check for the use of personification and symbolism and judge their effectiveness.

Explore and explain the themes of the poem Paragraph 5

Think about the themes (the ideas) the poet explores in the poem. What do you think the poem is really about?

Write what you think is the message the poet is trying to make you share with him.

Does the poem “work” for you? (Can you sympathise with the poet’s view?) Finish by giving your thoughts and feelings about the poem.

Now check your work .

Read it out loud and make sure that what your have written makes sense. Have you used quotes from the poem to back up your ideas? Don’t use the same

words as appear in the quotations – try to vary vocabulary and interpret the poet’s words.

Have you used quotation marks where they are needed?




AlliterationThe repetition of the same consonant sounds at any place, but often at the beginning of words. Some famous examples of alliteration are tongue twisters. She sells seashells by the seashore, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

AssonanceThe repetition or a pattern of (the same) vowel sounds, as in the tongue twister:"Moses supposes his toeses are roses."

BalladA poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is an example of a ballad.

Carpe diem A Latin expression that means "seize the day." Carpe diem poems urge the reader (or the person to whom they are addressed) to live for today and enjoy the pleasures of the moment. A famous carpe diem poem by Robert Herrick begins "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may . . ."

Couplet In a poem, a pair of lines that are the same length and (usually) rhyme and form a complete thought. Shakespearean sonnets usually end in a couplet.

Elegy A poem that laments the death of a person, or one that is simply sad and thoughtful. An example of this type of poem is Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard."

EnjambementA line ending in which the sense continues, with no punctuation, into the following line or stanza. "But in contentment I still feel The need of some imperishable bliss."

Feminine rhymeA rhyme that occurs in a final unstressed syllable: pleasure/leisure, longing/yearning

HaikuA Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Haiku often reflect on some aspect of nature.

Hyperbole A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis. Many everyday expressions are examples of hyperbole: tons of money, waiting for ages, a flood of tears, etc. Hyperbole is the opposite of litotes.

Imagery The use of pictures, figures of speech and description to evoke ideas feelings, objects actions, states of mind etc.




Limerick A light, humorous poem of five lines with the rhyme scheme of aabba.

Litotes A figure of speech in which a positive is stated by negating its opposite. Some examples of litotes: no small victory, not a bad idea, not unhappy.

LyricA poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. A lyric poem may resemble a song in form or style.

Masculine rhymeA rhyme that occurs in a final stressed syllable: cat/hat, desire/fire, observe/deserve.

Metaphor A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected. Some examples of metaphors: the world's a stage, he was a lion in battle, drowning in debt, and a sea of troubles.It is probably the most important figure of speech to comment on in an essay.

NarrativeTelling a story. Ballads, epics, and lays are different kinds of narrative poems.

Ode A lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure. John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is a famous example of this type of poem

OnomatopoeiaA figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds. Examples of onomatopoeic words are:buzz, hiss, zing, clippety-clop, cock-a-doodle-do, pop, splat, thump, tick-tock. Another example of onomatopoeia is found in this line from Tennyson's Come Down, O Maid:"The moan of doves in immemorial elms,/And murmuring of innumerable bees”The repeated "m/n" sounds reinforce the idea of "murmuring" by imitating the hum of insects on a warm summer day

Pastoral A poem that pictures country life in a peaceful, idealized way.

Personification A figure of speech in which nonhuman things or abstract ideas are given human attributes: the sky is crying, dead leaves danced in the wind, blind justice.

RefrainA phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after every stanza.




Rhyme The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words. The pattern of rhyme in a stanza or poem is shown usually by using a different letter for each final sound. In a poem with an aabba rhyme scheme, the first, second, and fifth lines end in one sound, and the third and fourth lines end in another.

Rhyme schemeThe pattern that is made by the rhyme within each stanza or verse.

SimileA figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word "like" or "as." An example of a simile using like occurs in Langston Hughes's poem ‘Harlem’: "What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?"

SonnetA lyric poem that is 14 lines long. Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnets are divided into two quatrains and a six-line "sestet," with the rhyme scheme abba abba cdecde (or cdcdcd). English (or Shakespearean) sonnets are composed of three quatrains and a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. English sonnets are written generally in iambic pentameter. The volta (“break”) marks a change in the initial line of thought or feeling at the end of the octave or eighth line.

Stanza Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem. The stanzas of a poem are usually of the same length and follow the same pattern of meter and rhyme.

Stress The prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables. Stressed syllables usually stand out because they have long, rather than short, vowels, or because they have a different pitch or are louder than other syllables.

SymbolWhen a word, phrase or image 'stands for' an idea or theme. The sun could symbolize life and energy or a red rose could symbolize romantic love.




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