edwin morgan: researching the poet · web viewa. identify the repetition of a word which occurs...

Edwin Morgan Work Booklet

Broad General Education

Levels 2-4

Activities include: Practising researching

Textural analysis of the instamatic poems

Creating your own instamatic poems

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ContentsEdwin Morgan: Researching the Poet.........................................................................4

Level 2.....................................................................................................................5Level 3.....................................................................................................................6Level 4.....................................................................................................................7

Textural Analysis of Edwin Morgan’s Instamatic Poems...........................................10For the teacher......................................................................................................11Broad General Education: Level 2.........................................................................12Reminder for Pupils...............................................................................................12

Glasgow 5 March 1971......................................................................................13Venice April 1971...............................................................................................14London November 1971....................................................................................16Glasgow November 1971..................................................................................18Dona Ema Brazil April 1972...............................................................................19Glasgow October 1972......................................................................................20Andes Mountains December 1972.....................................................................21London January 1973........................................................................................22

Broad General Education: Level 3.........................................................................23Reminder for Pupils...............................................................................................23

Glasgow 5 March 1971......................................................................................24Venice April 1971...............................................................................................25London November 1971....................................................................................27Glasgow November 1971..................................................................................29Dona Ema Brazil April 1972...............................................................................30Glasgow October 1972......................................................................................31Andes Mountains December 1972.....................................................................32London January 1973........................................................................................33

Broad General Education: Level 4.........................................................................34Reminder for Pupils...............................................................................................34

Glasgow 5 March 1971......................................................................................37Venice April 1971...............................................................................................38London November 1971....................................................................................40Glasgow November 1971..................................................................................42Dona Ema Brazil April 1972...............................................................................43Glasgow October 1972......................................................................................44Andes Mountains December 1972.....................................................................45

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London January 1973........................................................................................46TA Extension Tasks...............................................................................................47Extension Task 1: Glasgow 5 March 1971............................................................47

Task 1.1.............................................................................................................47Extension Task 2: Glasgow October 1972............................................................47

Task 2.1.............................................................................................................47Task 2.2.............................................................................................................48

Extension Task 3: The London Poems..................................................................48Task 3.1.............................................................................................................48Task 3.2.............................................................................................................48

Extension Task 4: Dona Ema Brazil 1972.............................................................48Task 4.1.............................................................................................................48Task 4.2.............................................................................................................48

Extension Task 5: Andes Mountains December 1972...........................................48Task 5.1.............................................................................................................48Task 5.2.............................................................................................................48

Extension Task 6: The Collection of Instamatic Poems.........................................49Task 6.1.............................................................................................................49Task 6.2.............................................................................................................49Task 6.3.............................................................................................................49

Edwin Morgan’s Instamatic Poems: Creative Writing................................................50For the teacher......................................................................................................51Group Discussion: Meaning of ‘Instamatic’............................................................52Task 1....................................................................................................................54Task 2....................................................................................................................54Writing your own Instamatic Poem........................................................................55

Ideas for the teacher..........................................................................................55Writing their own poem in any way they choose....................................................55

Homework Task.................................................................................................55Suggested class tasks.......................................................................................56Exemplar Articles...............................................................................................56

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Edwin Morgan: Researching the

Poet

4

Level 2

You are going to be researching about the poet Edwin Morgan.Using the internet, see how many of these facts you can find out. DO NOT use Wikipedia!!TIP: remember you are not copying down everything that you read on the web. Write in brief sentences (note form).

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Full Name: _____________________________.

Birth Date: _____________________________.

Birth Place: _____________________________.

Where did Morgan grow up: _______________________________.

Where did Morgan study and what did Morgan study at university:______________

__________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________.

Did Morgan have any other jobs while writing his poetry:_____________________

_________________________________________________________________.

Was there any topics, themes, messages Morgan frequently wrote about:_______

__________________________________________________________________

What are some of Morgan’s most notable works:____________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

What are some of Morgan’s life achievements:_____________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

Insert a picture of Morgan here

Level 3

You are going to be researching about the poet Edwin Morgan.Using the internet, see how many of these facts you can find out. DO NOT use Wikipedia!!You are summarising your findings. Try to find direct quotations from Morgan about his thoughts on what you are being asked to research here e.g. what was Morgan’s thoughts on growing up in Scotland/did he have a favourite piece that he wrote.

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Full Name: _____________________________.

Birth Date: _____________________________.

Birth Place: _____________________________.

Where did Morgan grow up: ___________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

Where did Morgan study and what did Morgan study at university:______________

__________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________.

Did Morgan have any other jobs while writing his poetry:_____________________

_________________________________________________________________.

Was there any topics, themes, messages Morgan frequently wrote about in his poetry and what did he believe about them:________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Insert a picture of Morgan here

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What are some of Morgan’s most notable works:____________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

What are some of Morgan’s life achievements? Did Morgan receive any praise for his works – what was said and who said it?: ________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

Did Morgan receive any criticism for his works: if so, what was said and who said it?:

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

Anything else that you have found of interest: ______________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

Level 4

You are going to be researching about the poet Edwin Morgan.Using the internet to fill in the worksheet. DO NOT use Wikipedia!!Summarise your findings. Find evidence to back up your findings i.e. use quotations.

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Background Information: ________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What was frequent messages and/or themes that Morgan wrote about in his poetry:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Morgan’s most notable works and achievements: ___________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Insert a Picture of Morgan here.

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__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

Praise for Morgan’s works: _____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

Criticism for Morgan’s work: _____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

Anything else that you have found of interest: ______________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________.

Textural Analysis of Edwin Morgan’s

Instamatic Poems

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For the teacher

Please find brief notes on Edwin Morgan’s collection of instamatic poems:

This work booklet will look at some poetry from a series by Edwin Morgan called “Instamatic Poems”, written in 1972.

The Instamatic was a camera, popular in the 1960s and '70s, which was inexpensive and easy to load and allowed millions of people to take instantly produced pictures for the first time. Morgan uses the term "instamatic" to describe a type of poetry which is instantaneous and documentary in feel.

Morgan has said that these poems were based on real events that he had either seen reported on television or read about in the newspapers. Just as a news reporter does, he tries to present the facts of the story objectively and dispassionately. The poet is not an observer in the poem itself and he is careful not to add comment. This allows the reader to put their own interpretation on the events described.

Please share this information with your pupils. It will be helpful for them to have an understanding of these poems’ intentions and meanings.

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Broad General Education: Level 2

Reminder for Pupils:

1. When you are writing you answer remember to use bullet points. This is so it makes it easier for the marker to give you the marks.

2. Look at how many marks are being given in each question. This will let you know how many points you have to make in your answers.

3. Make sure your handwriting is clear so that you don’t miss out on any marks.4. You will read a number of poems in this workbook. It is important that you

highlight/underline any words that are used that you are not familiar with and find out their meaning. You should do this before answering any of the questions.

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Glasgow 5 March 1971

With a ragged diamondof shattered plate-glassa young man and his girlare falling backwards into a shop-window.The young man's faceis bristling with fragments of glassand the girl's leg has caughton the broken windowand spurts arterial bloodover her wet-look white coat.Their arms are starfished outbraced for impact,their faces show surprise, shock,and the beginning of pain.The two youths who have pushed themare about to complete the operationreaching into the window to loot what they can smartly.Their faces show no expression.It is a sharp clear nightin Sauchiehall Street.In the background two driverskeep their eyes on the road.

Highlight/underline any words that are used that you are not familiar with and find out their meaning. Write it in your jotter so you don’t forget.

Questions

1. In your own words, what is happening in this poem? 3 marks

2. A. The youths’ crime is compared to what? 1 markB. What does this tell us about the crime? 1 mark

3. In your own words, what injuries have the couple received from being pushed through the window? 2 marks

4. How does Morgan make the reader feel while reading the poem? 1 mark

5. Refer to two examples of word choice and explain how it shows the violent nature of the attack on the young couple? 4 marks

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Venice April 1971

Three black gondolascut the sparkle of the lagoon.

In the first, the Greek archimandritestands, a young black-bearded manin gold cope, black hood, black shoulder veil blown back in the sunny breeze. In front of him his even younger acolyte holds highthe glittering processional cross. His long black robe

glitters with delicious silver flowersagainst the blue of the sky.

In the second gondolas Stravinsky goes.The black fringe trails the lapping water, the heavy coffin dips the golden loins on the sides, the gondoliers are ankle-deep in roses, the coffin sways crowned with roses, the gondoliers’ white blouses and black sashes startle their brown arms, the shining oars, the pink and crimson flowers.

And the third gondola is like a shadow where the widow goes.

And there at the edge of the picture where the crowds cross themselves and weep a little in the Italian way, an old poet with white hair, and hooded, piercing eyes leans on his stick and without expression watches the boats move out from his shore.


Questions

1. In your own words, what is happening in the poem? 2 marks

2. a. How is the lagoon described? 1 mark b. What does this show us about the lagoon? 1 mark

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3. What are two things in the second gondola? 2 marks

4. What does the use of the word ‘crowned’ tell us about the flowers on the coffin? 1 mark

5. a) Identify a simile used in the poem. 1 markb) What does this simile show us about the third gondola? 1 mark

6. What expressions are used to describe the physical appearance of the poet in the last stanza? 2 marks

7. How is this poem supposed to make a reader feel? 1 mark

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London November 1971

At the Festival of Islamthe dervishes are dancing. The dancemaster stands in his long black gown straight-backed, his hands folded in front of him. Twelve swarthy men in cylindrical hats and loose white blouses and long white skirts and their long white sleeves stretched out straight like the albatross have begun to dance. The drum measures flutes and strings and men following.Serious, rapt, as if to wind themselves up with their arms they revolve, their skirts flaring out loose in white pyramids below the inverted pyramids of white blouses and arms which support the top truncated pyramids of circling hats. Pattern and no pattern, alone and in union without unison in the hard light of Friends' House in Euston Road the dervishes whirl round, they dance round, round they go, without sound, now, round and round.


Questions

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1. What is happening in this poem? 2 marks

2. Using your own words as far as possible, describe the twelve men and their actions. 3 marks

3. We see here a snapshot of an exciting celebration, with music and dancing presented to the reader in a fashion which mirrors the excitement of the festival. Find one example of each of the following and show what it shows about the poem:

a. Repetition. 2 marks b. Imagery. 2 marksc. Alliteration. 2 marks

4. What tone does Morgan create in this poem? 1 markQuote an example of this tone from the poem? 1 mark

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Glasgow November 1971

The ‘speckled pipe’ of the MacCrimmons,three centuries old, is being playedin a backcourt very far from Dunvegan.A young director of the College of Piping is trying it out for a radio programme. Only his cheeks show the pibroch that rises winding into the wintry city air.It is the long drones that are speckled, carved in clusters of elegant bands of creamy horn and dark brown wood, but speckled are the high tenement walls behind them, dark stone, pale mortar, narrow verticals of dark window and water-pipe and pale smudge of curtains, and speckled is the piper’s kilt against a speckled homely jungle of grasses, thistles, dandelions, fireweed, firewood, Capstan packets and Lanliq empties.In a camouflage the pibroch and the pibroch-player disappear, half appear MacCrimmons in Hornel.


Questions

1. What is happening in the poem? 2 marks

2. The young director is trying out what for the radio programme? 1 mark

3. A. Identify the metaphor in the poem. 1 mark B. What does this show us about the backcourts of the tenement buildings? 1 mark

4. A. Identify and quote the two lists in the poem. 2 marksB. What do these two lists tell us about the tenement buildings and the backcourts? 2 marks

5. What does the word ‘homely’ suggest to us about the backcourts? 1 mark

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Dona Ema Brazil April 1972

In a cabin of sweet cedarwooddeep in an orange-grovean old Hungarian doctor-poet, dying,is writing his last quirky postcardto an English friend. His brown eyes twinkleas he thinks of his thirteen languages,his theory of pain, his use of hypnosisin childbirth, his work with the Resistancein Italy, his wryest fame in WinnieIlle Pu, his endin a nest of lianas.With a laugh he stopsjust short of the datewhich who cares who will add.ALEXANDER LENARD, says the card,obiit, meghalt, starb, mori, died.


Questions

1. What is happening in the poem? 3 marks

2. Where is the poem set? 1 mark

3. Find out the translation of the Latin words in the last line of the poem? 4 marks

4. Using your own words as far as possible, what does the old Hungarian doctor-poet think about? 5 marks

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Glasgow October 1972

At the Old Ship Bank pub in Saltmarketa milk-lapping contest is in progress. A dozen very assorted Bridgeton catsHave sprung from their starting-blocksTo get their heads down in the gleaming saucers.In the middle of the pictureyoung Tiny is about to win his bottle of whiskyby kittening through the sweet half-gillin one minute forty seconds flat, butSarah, at the end of the line, Self-contained and silver-grey,has sat down with her back to the saucerand surveys the photographers calmly.She is a cat who does not like milk.


Questions


2. What does the use of the word ‘gleaming’ suggest about the milk saucers? 1 mark

3. A. What tone is created in this poem? 1 mark B. Quote an example of this tone? 1 mark

4. Using your own words, what is the contest compared to? 1 mark

5. A. Quote an example of how Morgan makes the contest seem exciting? 1 markB. Why does this example make the contest seem exciting? 1 mark

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Andes Mountains December 1972

FUERZA AEREA URUG –Nothing more can be read on the fuselage,tailless, wingless, a jagged cylinderat rest in a wilderness of snow and rock.A rugby charter from Montevideo,the Old Christians and their supporters.Two months after the crash, it would not seema bleak sceneas the sixteen tough surviving young Old Christianscrouch in the mouth of the cylinder,sipping cups of melted snow and cherry wine,eating quickly from plastic air force plates, but for the yellow handsand feet all round themin the snow, and the skulls. The plane’sfire-axe stands in today’s body. The shellwhere the sweet brain had been is scooped clean.Razors have flayed the limbs in strips.A dozen deadhave played their part, a dozen more are laid out, snow-packed, in neat rowslike fish in a box. Cherry wine and bloodare as one on their chins as the fleshthe bless becomes Old Christians.


Questions


2. Look at lines 1 -4. By referring to word choice, explain how Morgan creates dramatic opening to his poem. 2 marks

3. A. What tone is created in this poem? 1 mark B. Quote an example of this tone from the poem? 1 mark

4. What is the effect of the short sentences in lines 8 and 19? 1 mark

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London January 1973

It is not a pile of diamonds, it is not tons of money that lie like a deadweight over gemsman Julius Beer. His hideous mausoleum in Highgate Cemetery, revealed in this journalist’s flash, is a pit of filth half filled with pigeon droppings and dead pigeons and pigeons dying hundredweight on hundredweighttrapped in the poisonous cote. Down through the broken wire of the cupola they come, but cannot fly back out.One flutters weakly at the top of the picture, will soon fall into gehenna. In the diamondman’s invisible bones nothing takes root but death


Questions

1. What is being described in this poem? 2 marks

2. A. Identify the simile in this poem. 1 markB. What is the pigeon droppings and dead pigeons being compared to? 1 mark.C. What does this tell us about the amount of pigeon droppings and dead pigeons that lie over Julius Beer? 1 mark

3. Referring to one example of word choice, what does this show us about the mausoleum? 2 marks

4. A. What does the word ‘hundredweight’ suggest about the weight of the living pigeons, dead pigeons and pigeon droppings? 1 markB. Why has ‘hundredweight’ been repeated? 1 mark

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With a ragged diamondof shattered plate-glassa young man and his girlare falling backwards into a shop-window.The young man's faceis bristling with fragments of glassand the girl's leg has caughton the broken windowand spurts arterial bloodover her wet-look white coat.Their arms are starfished outbraced for impact, their faces show surprise, shock,and the beginning of pain.The two youths who have pushed themare about to complete the operationreaching into the windowto loot what they can smartly.Their faces show no expression.It is a sharp clear nightin Sauchiehall Street.In the background two driverskeep their eyes on the road.


Questions

1. How does Morgan create an effective opening image? 2 marks

2. In your own words, what has happened to the young couple? 2 marks

3. Look at lines 5 -14Referring to one example of sentence structure, how does Morgan create an effective image of the couple violently falling through the window? 2 marks

4. Look at lines 15 – 18.Using your own words as far as possible, describe what the ‘operation’ is that the youths are carrying out. 1 mark

5. In your own words, what the drivers are doing? 1 mark

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Venice April 1971








Questions

1. There are three gondolas described in this poem. Who is in each of the gondolas? 3 marks

2. What does the expression ‘cut the sparkle’ suggest about the lagoon? 1 mark

3. a. What tone does the poet convey in the poem? 1 mark

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b. Quote an example from the poem of the tone? 1 mark

4. What are two examples of imagery that describe the gondolas and what do they show us? 4 marks

5. In your own words, how is the old poet described? 1 mark

6. Looking at the sentence structure of the poem, choose two different examples and show why it is effective in this poem? 4 marks

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Questions:

27

1. Summarise the poem. 2 marks

2. Using your own words as far as possible, describe the dancemaster. 2 marks

3. A. What colour is repeatedly used to describe the dancing men. 1 mark B. What does this use of colour symbolise. 1 mark

4. Look at lines 19-27. By referring to one example of imagery, how does Morgan describe the speed of the dancer’s movement? 2 marks

5. A. What tone does Morgan create in this poem? 1 markB. Quote an example of this tone. 1 mark

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The ‘speckled pipe’ of the MacCrimmons,three centuries old, is being playedin a backcourt very far from Dunvegan.A young director of the College of Piping is trying it out for a radio programme.Only his cheeks show the pibroch that rises winding into the wintry city air.It is the long drones that are speckled, carved in clusters of elegant bands of creamy horn and dark brown wood, but speckled are the high tenement walls behind them, dark stone, pale mortar, narrow verticals of dark window and water-pipe and pale smudge of curtains, and speckled is the piper’s kilt against a speckled homely jungle of grasses, thistles, dandelions, fireweed, firewood, Capstan packets and Lanliq empties. In a camouflage the pibroch and the pibroch-player disappear, half appear MacCrimmons in Hornel.


Questions

1. In your own words, how old is the MacCrimmons pipe that is being played? 1 mark

2. Referring to three examples of word choice, what does this show us about the setting of the poem? 6 marks

3. A. Identify the repetition of a word which occurs throughout the poem. 1 markB. Why is the repetition of this word effective? 1 mark

4. A. Identify and quote an example of imagery in the poem. 1 markB. Why is this example of effective when describing the backcourts of the tenement buildings? 1 mark

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In a cabin of sweet cedarwooddeep in an orange-grovean old Hungarian doctor-poet, dying,is writing his last quirky postcardto an English friend. His brown eyes twinkleas he thinks of his thirteen languages, his theory of pain, his use of hypnosisin childbirth, his work with the Resistancein Italy, his wryest fame in WinnieIlle Pu, his endin a nest of lianas.With a laugh he stopsjust short of the datewhich who cares who will add.ALEXANDER LENARD, says the card,obiit, meghalt, starb, mori, died.


Questions

1. Summarise this poem? 3 marks

2. Look at lines 1 – 4. By referring to one example of word choice, explain how Morgan appeals to the reader’s senses. 2 marks

3. Look at line 5.By referring to one example of language, explain how Morgan describes Lenard. 2 marks

30


At the Old Ship Bank pub in Saltmarketa milk-lapping contest is in progress.A dozen very assorted Bridgeton catsHave sprung from their starting-blocksTo get their heads down in the gleaming saucers. In the middle of the pictureyoung Tiny is about to win his bottle of whiskyby kittening through the sweet half-gillin one minute forty seconds flat, butSarah, at the end of the line,Self-contained and silver-grey,has sat down with her back to the saucerand surveys the photographers calmly.She is a cat who does not like milk.


Questions:

1. Using your own words as far as possible, where is this poem set? 2 marks

2. How does Morgan create a humorous tone? 2 marks

3. Look at lines 7 – 13.Morgan makes it seem like he is the commentator of the competition. Quote an example of this (think of you would expect a commentator to say) 1 mark

4. A. What is the competition compared to? 1 markB. Why is this effective? 1 mark

5. Look at the last line of the stanza.Why is this line effective? (Think about the length of it compared to others in the poem? 2 marks

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FUERZA AEREA URUG –Nothing more can be read on the fuselage,tailless, wingless, a jagged cylinderat rest in a wilderness of snow and rock.A rugby charter from Montevideo,the Old Christians and their supporters.Two months after the crash, it would not seema bleak sceneas the sixteen tough surviving young Old Christianscrouch in the mouth of the cylinder,sipping cups of melted snow and cherry wine,eating quickly from plastic air force plates,but for the yellow handsand feet all round themin the snow, and the skulls. The plane’sfire-axe stands in today’s body. The shellwhere the sweet brain had been is scooped clean.Razors have flayed the limbs in strips.A dozen deadhave played their part, a dozen moreare laid out, snow-packed, in neat rowslike fish in a box. Cherry wine and bloodare as one on their chins as the fleshthe bless becomes Old Christians.


Questions

1. Identify the colours that are used in the poem and explain what they symbolise. 4 marks

2. Looking at the whole poem.Refer to different examples of language (word choice, imagery, sentence structure) which help create a shocking poem. 6 marks

3. What makes the details that Morgan has written about in this poem so horrific about the event which he is describing? 2 marks

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London January 1973




2. A. Identify an example of imagery. 1 markB. Explain the effectiveness of the image. 1 mark

3. Julius Beer would have collected great amounts of valuable gems in his life and looking at the size of his grave he appeared to be a very wealthy man. However, the snapshot Morgan provides here offers an alternative to the money and wealth he had in his life. What do the pigeon droppings/carcasses on the gemsman’s grave tell you about the wealth he amassed? 1 mark

4. A. What tone is created by Morgan in this poem? 1 markB. Quote an example from the poem. 1 markC. How does this quote show the tone? 1 mark

5. How does Morgan ‘break the forth wall’ in this poem? Quote two examples and explain. 4 marks

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2. Remember when you are answering these textural analysis questions to write your answers with the formulas that you have been taught. There is a help sheet on the next page.




34

UNDERSTANDING QUESTIONS

This type of question is designed to check that you understand the

meaning, language and ideas of the passage.

Own Words

Find the correct lines. Check the number of marks. Re-write in your own words. Check you haven’t copied key words from

the passage

Line of argument

Link : summarise the previous idea and show how the line(s) relate back; summarise the idea that follows and show how the line(s) introduce it

Change in direction: summarise the previous idea and explain how the line(S) show a change in the argument.

Developing: summarise the previous idea and show how the line(s) develop this or introduce a new development(e.g. by expanding, exemplifying, answering a question previously posed…)

Summarise

Identify the main points/issues from the relevant section.

Change these points into your own words. Bullet point if appropriate.

Check the marks available as a guide to how many points you are required to summarise.Generalise – avoid mentioning specific details.

ANALYSIS QUESTIONS

This type of question is designed to check you can identify specific literary

techniques. You must also analyse them (break them down) and show how they add to the reader’s understanding of the passage’s meaning.

Word Choice

Quote the word and give its basic meaning. Give the word’s connotations (associated

ideas). Explain how the word’s connotations

develop the reader’s understanding of the passage (as specified in the question).

Imagery(Simile, Metaphor, Personification)

Quote and identify the type of image. Say what is compared to what. State the literal root. Say what the comparison adds to the

reader’s understanding of the passage (as specified by the question).

Contrast(2 opposing ideas, words, images…)

Identify one side of the contrast and summarise it. Support with a quote.

Identify the other side of the contrast and summarise it. Support with a quote.

Sentence StructureYou may be asked to comment on:

Punctuation/Sentence length/Sentence type/Sentence Pattern

Identify the feature of structure being used. Comment on the effect of the structure on

the reader’s understanding of the passage (as specified by the question).

Tone Identify the tone. Quote words or phrases that create this

tone. Analyse how those words/phrases create

the tone.

Tone Bank:Informal; Humorous; Light Hearted; Whimsical

Nostalgic; Reverential; ReflectiveSarcastic; Mocking; Ironic

Formal; Clinical; QuestioningOutraged; Angry; Critical; Threatening

Disappointed; Uncertain; DoubtfulLanguage Questions

Some questions will ask you to comment on “the writer’s use of language” or “language

35

features”. You can answer these questions by commenting on any of the five features above (word choice, imagery, contrast, sentence structure or tone).Make it clear in your answer which language features you are analysing, then follow the formulae as usual.

EVALUTATION QUESTIONS

This type of question can ask you to consider:

How well a paragraph or line acts as an introduction or conclusion.

How a title relates to the passage. How an anecdote, image,

illustration or other technique helps convey the writer’s overall argument or attitude.

Higher: There is also a final question on both passages worth 5 marks.

Evaluation

The key to answering these questions is to identify the appropriate feature or technique and show how it relates to the writer’s purpose, attitude, or overall line of argument in the rest of the passage.

If you are asked about the appropriateness of the final sentence/paragraph as a conclusion to the whole article, consider which of the following it does:

Ideas It sums up the main points of the whole

passage. It ends by focusing in on/pinpointing the most

important point about the topic is (in the author’s opinion)

Tone It ends in a humorous/amusing way. It ends in a dramatic/shocking way. It ends by directly

addressing/challenging/questioning the reader (to make them consider their own reaction to the article perhaps).

Structural It returns to an idea/image/word used near

the start (giving a sense of rounding off the passage where it began – a ‘circular’ structure).

It refers back to the title, perhaps making clear why the title was picked.

It answers a question asked at the start or in the title.

The writer arrives at a different/changed/more balance/opposite attitude or perspective than they started with, showing that through the course of the article their thinking has been refined/changed.

36


With a ragged diamondof shattered plate-glassa young man and his girlare falling backwards into a shop-window.The young man's faceis bristling with fragments of glassand the girl's leg has caughton the broken windowand spurts arterial bloodover her wet-look white coat.Their arms are starfished outbraced for impact,their faces show surprise, shock,and the beginning of pain.The two youths who have pushed themare about to complete the operationreaching into the windowto loot what they can smartly.Their faces show no expression.It is a sharp clear nightin Sauchiehall Street.In the background two driverskeep their eyes on the road.

Questions

1. Look at lines 1 – 4.By referring to two different examples of language, explain how Morgan creates dramatic opening to his poem. 4 marks

2. Look at lines 5 – 10.By referring to three examples of language, explain how Morgan highlights the violent nature of the attack. 6 marks

3. Using your own words as far as possible, describe the injuries sustained by the young man and his girl. 2 marks

4. Look at lines 20-21.How does Morgan create an effective link back to the opening of the poem in these lines? 2 marks

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Venice April 1971







Questions


2. Looking at lines 1 to 10. By referring to two examples of language, explain what does it shows about the weather? 4 marks

3. Looking at lines 11 to 21. By referring to three different examples of language, explain what it emphasises to the reader? 6 marks

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4. Looking at lines 22 to 30. a. What atmosphere does the poet create? 1 mark b. Quote an example. 1 mark

5. Looking at the poem as a whole.What does the poem’s overall structure symbolise? 1 mark

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Questions

1. Morgan repeatedly uses white to describe the clothing of twelve men. What does the repetition symbolise? 1 mark

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2. A. What does the contrast in lines 30-31 tell us about the movement of the dancers? 1 markB. Why is this then effective? 1 mark

3. Look at lines 30-41. By referring to two examples of language, explain how Morgan depicts the restlessness of the dancers. 4 marks

4. A. What is the structure of the poem? 1 markB. What does this structure do then to the pace of the reading of the poem? 1 markC. What does this reflect in the poem? 1 mark D. How does the structure also relate to the mood of the poem? 1 mark

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The ‘speckled pipe’ of the MacCrimmons,three centuries old, is being playedin a backcourt very far from Dunvegan.A young director of the College of Piping is trying it out for a radio programme.Only his cheeks show the pibroch that rises winding into the wintry city air.It is the long drones that are speckled, carved in clusters of elegant bands of creamy horn and dark brown wood, but speckled are the high tenement walls behind them, dark stone, pale mortar, narrow verticals of dark window and water-pipe and pale smudge of curtains, and speckled is the piper’s kilt against a speckled homely jungle of grasses, thistles, dandelions, fireweed, firewood, Capstan packets and Lanliq empties.In a camouflage the pibroch and the pibroch-player disappear, half appear MacCrimmons in Hornel.

Questions

1. Using your own words as far as possible, where is the poem set? 2 marks

2. A. The word ‘speckled’ is repeated throughout this poem. What is it used to describe in the poem? 4 marksB. Why is the last four lines of the poem an effective ending? (Think how the word ‘speckled’ relates to the ending image) 2 marks

3. Referring to four examples of language, what does it show the reader about the setting of the poem? 8 marks

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In a cabin of sweet cedarwooddeep in an orange-grovean old Hungarian doctor-poet, dying,is writing his last quirky postcardto an English friend. His brown eyes twinkleas he thinks of his thirteen languages,his theory of pain, his use of hypnosisin childbirth, his work with the Resistancein Italy, his wryest fame in WinnieIlle Pu, his endin a nest of lianas.With a laugh he stopsjust short of the datewhich who cares who will add.ALEXANDER LENARD, says the card,obiit, meghalt, starb, mori, died.

Questions

1. Look at lines 1 -5.Referring to an example of word choice, how does Morgan create a sense of urgency to the dying doctor-poet? 2 marks

2. Why is the Latin words italicised? And why is this effective? 2 marks

3. What is the effect of the capitalised name in line 15? 1 mark

4. In your own words, explain Morgan’s creates a snapshot of Lenard’s last moments of life. Use 3 quotations from the poem in your answer. 6 marks

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At the Old Ship Bank pub in Saltmarketa milk-lapping contest is in progress.A dozen very assorted Bridgeton catsHave sprung from their starting-blocksTo get their heads down in the gleaming saucers.In the middle of the pictureyoung Tiny is about to win his bottle of whiskyby kittening through the sweet half-gillin one minute forty seconds flat, butSarah, at the end of the line,Self-contained and silver-grey,has sat down with her back to the saucerand surveys the photographers calmly.She is a cat who does not like milk.

Questions

1. A, What tone is created in this poem? 1 markB. Find an example of this tone. 1 markC. Explain how this quotation shows this tone. 1 mark

2. Referring to two examples of word choice, how does Morgan make the kittens in the competition seem eager? 4 marks

3. How does Morgan create an anti-climactic structure in this poem? 2 marks

4. Explain how Morgan creates a snapshot of Glasgow in this poem. 2 marks

5. How does Morgan ‘break the forth wall’ in this poem? 1 mark

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FUERZA AEREA URUG –Nothing more can be read on the fuselage,tailless, wingless, a jagged cylinderat rest in a wilderness of snow and rock.A rugby charter from Montevideo,the Old Christians and their supporters.Two months after the crash, it would not seema bleak sceneas the sixteen tough surviving young Old Christianscrouch in the mouth of the cylinder,sipping cups of melted snow and cherry wine,eating quickly from plastic air force plates,but for the yellow handsand feet all round themin the snow, and the skulls. The plane’sfire-axe stands in today’s body. The shellwhere the sweet brain had been is scooped clean.Razors have flayed the limbs in strips.A dozen deadhave played their part, a dozen moreare laid out, snow-packed, in neat rowslike fish in a box. Cherry wine and bloodare as one on their chins as the fleshthe bless becomes Old Christians.

Questions

1. Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the poem. 3 marks

2. Look at lines 1 -4.By referring to the language of the poem, how does Morgan create a dramatic opening to his poem? 4 marks

3. Select one poetic technique used throughout the poem and discuss its effectiveness throughout. How is it effective for the reader? 4 marks

4. A. What is the mood of the poem? 2 marksB. Why does this differ from the tone of it? 2 marks

5. How does Morgan create a shocking poem? Refer to four examples of language in your answer. 8 marks

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London January 1973


Questions

1. Look at lines 1 – 3.How does Morgan create an effective opening to this poem? 2 marks

2. Refer to two examples of language which suggest that Julius Beer was not a good man. 4 marks

3. Does Morgan manage to maintain a neutral opinion in this poem like his other instamatic poems? Compare his tone here to a tone where he manages to detach himself from the action. 4 marks

4. In lines 12 – 13.What does this image symbolise? 2 marks

5. What do you think Morgan means in his closing lines: “In the diamondman’s invisible bones/ nothing takes root but death”? 1 mark

6. By referring to this poem and one other, explain how Morgan captures a snapshot of London’s people? 6 marks

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TA Extension Tasks

Please adapt to the necessary BGE level

Extension Task 1: Glasgow 5 March 1971

Task 1.1

Why does Morgan not concentrate solely on the couple but instead describes the youths and the drivers in the background?

Extension Task 2: Glasgow October 1972Task 2.1Morgan specifically mentions a picture. If he created this poem from looking at one image, what would the photo look like? Draw your idea below.

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Task 2.2

By referring to this poem and at least one other poem, explain how Morgan captures a snapshot of Glasgow. 4 marks

Extension Task 3: The London Poems

Take London November 1971 and London January 1973. Both of these poems take place in London.

Task 3.1

What are the key differences between these poems? Refer to content, tone, mood, structure and so on in your answer. Use examples from the poems to support what you are saying.

Task 3.2

Why do you think these two images caught the attention of Morgan? (Remember Morgan got his inspiration for these poems from the newspaper and television.)

Extension Task 4: Dona Ema Brazil 1972

Task 4.1

Use the internet to look up information on Alexander Lenard. Who is he? Why do you think Morgan chosen Lenard specifically for this poem? Refer to the use of Latin in your answer.

Task 4.2

As we know, Morgan’s “Instamatic” poems are a collection of ‘snapshot’ poems that were written between 1970 – 1972. Reread the poem again. What images do you think stand out instantly like a ‘snapshot’ photograph?

Extension Task 5: Andes Mountains December 1972

Task 5.1

Describe what has happened in the poem. You may use the internet to provide information on the location in which the poem takes place. Refer to the Old Christians in your answer.

Task 5.2

As we know, Morgan’s “Instamatic” poems are a collection of ‘snapshot’ poems that were written between 1970 – 1972. He aims to write these similarly to a newspaper journalist, with as little connection or emotion to the scene in the poem, so that the emotions conveyed by the reader are spurred by you (the reader) only. In your own opinion, what do you think is the overall tone and mood of the poem?

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Extension Task 6: The Collection of Instamatic Poems

Task 6.1

This poems in the ‘Instamatic Collection’ have interesting forms and structures. They are free verse poems so they do not use consistent metre patterns or rhyme. Instead these poems tend to follow the rhythm of natural speech. Therefore, these poems look quite different to other forms of poetry such as sonnets, haikus and limericks which all have strict structures and rhyming schemes. Whereas, the poems have sentences continuing over several lines.

Referring to at least two poems, answer the following questions.

1. What form of writing do you think Morgan is trying to mimic in this poem? (Think about his sources for finding out about these events)

2. Why do you think Morgan is choosing this form and structure? What effect is he going for?

3. Although Morgan is being very careful to remain objective and dispassionate, how do you think Morgan feels about the events depicted in the poem? How does he want his readers to feel?

Task 6.2

1. Glasgow October 1972 differs from Glasgow 5th March in several ways. a. Note down the main differences between the two. Consider the tone

and atmosphere of the poems as well as content and setting.b. Despite the differences, the two poems still belong to the “Instamatic

Poems” collection. What are the main similarities to the two poems?c. The story which inspired Glasgow October 1971 is not as dramatic as

Glasgow 5 March 1971, so why might it have captured the attention of Edwin Morgan?

Task 6.3

Considering the instamatic poems that have been looked at. Do you think Morgan is effective in creating these snapshot images in his writing? Why/Why not? Refer to at least 2 poems in your answer.

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Edwin Morgan’s Instamatic Poems:

Creative Writing

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For the teacher

Please find brief notes on Edwin Morgan’s collection of instamatic poems:

This work booklet will look at some poetry from a series by Edwin Morgan called “Instamatic Poems”, written in 1972.

The Instamatic was a camera, popular in the 1960s and '70s, which was inexpensive and easy to load and allowed millions of people to take instantly produced pictures for the first time. Morgan uses the term "instamatic" to describe a type of poetry which is instantaneous and documentary in feel.

Morgan has said that these poems were based on real events that he had either seen reported on television or read about in the newspapers. Just as a news reporter does, he tries to present the facts of the story objectively and dispassionately. The poet is not an observer in the poem itself and he is careful not to add comment. This allows the reader to put their own interpretation on the events described.

Please share this information with your pupils. It will be helpful for them to have an understanding of Morgan’s method for writing these poems that they will aim to imitate. There is a suggested activity on how you may want to do this on the following page.

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Group Discussion: Meaning of ‘Instamatic’

What does ‘Instamatic’ mean? Break down the word. Is there anything that you immediately recognise?

o Insta – Instantly, Instagramo Definition of ‘instantly’o What is Instagram?o From what we already know, what do we now assume ‘instamatic’

means?

The Instamatic was a camera, popular in the 1960s and '70s, which was inexpensive and easy to load and allowed millions of people to take instantly produced pictures for the first time.

We might recognise this as a Polaroid camera nowadays.

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Morgan uses the term "instamatic" to describe a type of poetry which is instantaneous and documentary in feel. Morgan has said that these poems were based on real events that he had either seen reported on television or read about in the newspapers. Just as a news reporter does, he tries to present the facts of the story objectively and dispassionately. The poet is not an observer in the poem itself and he is careful not to add comment.This allows the reader to put their own interpretation on the events described.

Question:How does Morgan’s ‘instamatic’ poetry relate to the instamatic cameras/polaroid camera/Instagram?

Answer Example: Just as Instagram or a Polaroid camera allow us to instantly post a picture or instantly develop the picture we have just taken. So too does Morgan poetry: Morgan gives us a quick snap shot at what was happening in the world when he wrote his instamatic poems.

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Task 1

We know that Morgan got his inspiration from newspapers or the news on TV. In your groups decide on the types of headlines that might have grabbed Morgan’s attention?Now, read the instamatic poems.You now know the content of the poems.In your groups, come up with the possible headlights that would fit the content of the poem.

Task 2


Returning to the idea of the Instamatic camera, imagine what image would have been captured during the events described in the poem. If you think of the poem as firstly describing the centre of the image and slowly working its way out, you can see that the poem is describing the foreground, the middle-ground, and the background. In the following exercise, describe each section in as much detail as possible:

Foreground:

Middle-ground:

Background:

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Now you have done this with Glasgow 5 March 1971, try it with another one of Morgan’s instamatic poems.

Foreground:

Middle-ground:

Background:

Writing your own Instamatic Poem

Ideas for the teacher

Differentiated ways in which this can be done:1. Copy out the original version of whatever instamatic poem is chosen by the

pupil. Get them to remove words from the poem. Pupils then have to add in their own descriptive words to produce a completed work.

2. Copy out the original poem but pupils have to re-write a number of different lines.

3. Write their own instamatic poem in any way they choose.

Writing their own poem in any way they choose

Homework Task

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Pupils should research and find their own selection of news articles that they wish to possibly write their poem on. Ideally, encourage pupils to find articles which have a picture attached to it – it may be easier for them if they can physically see what they are supposed to be describing. If they find a maximum of three then they will have a choice to choose from when it comes to actually writing their own poem. Articles should be printed off or cut out from the newspaper.

Suggested class tasks:

1. Create the criteria. These are the things that must be met when pupils write their poem. An example may be that pupils need to ensure that they do not assert their own opinions in the poem – creating a detached feeling like Morgan did.

2. Summarise the article in 5 sentences. Then 5 words. Finally, only 1 word.3. What is the tone of the article?4. How does the article make them feel?5. Summarise the picture that goes along with the article. What is in it

(Foreground, Middle-ground, Background). How would they describe it to someone who was unable to see the picture?

6. What is the mood/atmosphere of the picture?7. How does the picture make them feel?8. How would they describe what is in the picture? How would they describe it

only using 5 adjectives? How would they describe it using their senses apart from sight? What imagery would they use to describe the picture – getting pupils to practise using similes, metaphors and personification in their own writing.

9. How does the picture relate to the article?10.What pace will they use in their poem? Does the article/picture feel like its

poem needs a fast or slow pace? How is this best achieved?11.How will be poem be structured? 1 continuous stanza/multiple stanzas? how

many lines12.Storyboard the poem. How will it open? What will the middle of the poem

depict? How will it end?13.Write and redraft poems. Encourage pupils to peer- and self-assess.14.Get pupils to write their own textural analysis questions on their own

instamatic poem to give to their peers.

Exemplar Articles

3 links to news articles have been attached below for inspiration.

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Article 1: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/31/george-floyd-us-cities-protests-violence-minneapolis-new-yorkSource: The Guardian Headline: George Floyd: curfews fail to deter a new wave of protests across US.Picture attached to article:

Article 2: https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18455633.captain-tom-moore-secret-living-long-happy-life/Source: Swindon Advisor Headline: Captain Tom Moore on the secret to living a long and happy lifePicture attached to article:

Article 3: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/01/what-we-will-miss-most-about-life-in-lockdownSource: The GuardianHeadline: What we will miss most about life in lockdownPicture attached to article:

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/01/what-we-will-miss-most-about-life-in-lockdown

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/01/what-we-will-miss-most-about-life-in-lockdown

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18455633.captain-tom-moore-secret-living-long-happy-life/

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18455633.captain-tom-moore-secret-living-long-happy-life/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/31/george-floyd-us-cities-protests-violence-minneapolis-new-york

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/31/george-floyd-us-cities-protests-violence-minneapolis-new-york

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