fl ag by john agard what is a flag? what is it’s function? what are the connotations of flags?...
TRANSCRIPT
FLAGby John Agard
What is a flag?What is it’s function?
What are the connotations of flags? What might they symbolise?
What’s that fluttering in a breeze?It’s just a piece of cloththat brings a nation to its knees.
What’s that unfurling from a pole?It’s just a piece of cloththat makes the guts of men grow bold.
What’s that rising over a tent?It’s just a piece of cloththat dares the coward to relent.
What’s that flying across a field?It’s just a piece of cloththat will outlive the blood you bleed.
How can I possess such a cloth?Just ask for a flag, my friend.Then blind your conscience to the end.
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FLAG
by John Agard
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=14749
What’s that fluttering in a
breeze?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that brings a nation to its
knees.
What’s that fluttering in a
breeze?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that brings a nation to its
knees.Juxtaposition of simple description with powerful symbolism of a flag – highlights the ridiculous power a flag has.
Kneeling = submission? Reverence? Awe?
Question = poem is like dialogue – question and answer layout (voice/structure)
Alliteration draws our attention to the image which emphases the power of the flag.
What’s that unfurling from a pole?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that makes the guts of men grow
bold.
Structure: 5x 3-line stanzas.
Every stanza starts with a question. – more than one voice? • Who is asking or is speaker voicing a general
question on behalf of others? • Who is answering/the speaker?
Patriotism! Here, 'men' could be metonymic (an army, a nation, or a general term for humanity)
Rhythm: 8-6-8 syllable count – very fixed, rigid form – military?? (conflict!) Any other oblique references to the
military in this poem?
What’s that unfurling from a pole?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that makes the guts of men grow
bold.
What’s that rising over a tent?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that dares the coward to relent.
What kind of tent? Military campaign tent ? Explorer? Old fashioned image??• Why a tent? • What else could a tent represent?
Nouns: can you see any pattern between the nouns as the poem progresses?
Verbs: what do you notice about the verbs as the poem progresses? (structure/language)
Here, flag personifies courage and antagonism. War?Sounds like propaganda? Relent to what? To fight? To
surrender? Again this image connotes conflict. Ambiguity.
What’s that rising over a tent?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that dares the coward to relent.
What’s that flying across a
field?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that will outlive the blood you
bleed.
What’s that flying across a
field?
It’s just a piece of cloth
that will outlive the blood you
bleed.
Connotes colonisation – field being claimed?
Warning: the flag will outlive 'you'. Who is the 'you’? The reader? The absent voice?
Land! A battlefield? A rural area? Something to be fought over?
How can I possess such a
cloth?
Just ask for a flag, my friend.
Then blind your conscience to
the end.
How can I possess such a
cloth?
Just ask for a flag, my friend.
Then blind your conscience to
the end.
Final stanza stands out from the rest – HOW?
Further warning against possessing a flag. It is dangerous and changes how people see and think.
Question: from previously unseen speaker? Or a philosophical question from speaker? Anticipating the other person’s question? Repeating their question?(No suggestion there are two speakers)
Controls your sense of justice, fairness and right/wrong.
To choose to decide not to see – consequences of this power?? Not let your conscience see what your greed has done?
Why wait until the last stanza to name the ‘cloth’ as a ‘flag’? (structure)
What is ‘the end’?
Flag John Agard
What's that fluttering in a breeze?Its just a piece of cloththat brings a nation to its knees.
What's that unfurling from a pole?It's just a piece of cloththat makes the guts of men grow bold.
What's that rising over a tent?It's just a piece of cloththat dares the coward to relent.
What's that flying across a field?It's just a piece of cloththat will outlive the blood you bleed.
How can I possess such a cloth?Just ask for a flag my friend.Then bind your conscience to the end
Flag John Agard
What's that fluttering in a breeze?Its just a piece of cloththat brings a nation to its knees.
What's that unfurling from a pole?It's just a piece of cloththat makes the guts of men grow bold.
What's that rising over a tent?It's just a piece of cloththat dares the coward to relent.
What's that flying across a field?It's just a piece of cloththat will outlive the blood you bleed.
How can I possess such a cloth?Just ask for a flag my friend.Then bind your conscience to the end
Noticing patterns of wordsFluttering Blowing Flapping
Strong Bold Brave
Arms Hearts Guns
Flee Fear Relent
Sacrifice Bleed Shed
Blind Hide Ignore
• What might these groups of words connote? • How might grouping words add to your understanding of a text?
John Agard• Born 1949 British Guyana.• Moved to UK in 1977.• Married to poet Grace Nichols
(also from Guyana)• Has worked as actor and lecturer.• Also writes plays and children’s
books.• Very much a performance poet –
charismatic and entertaining poetry readings.
• Started writing poems aged 16.• Considers British culture both as
an insider AND an outsider.
PLAY: Agard
discusses flags
Assessment objectives: what the examiner is looking for
• AO1: respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and evaluate relevant textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations.
• AO2: explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings.
• AO3: make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects.
Assessment Objectives - ‘Flag’AO1: the attitudes to nationalism in ‘Flag’
– the power of nationalism in ‘Flag’– the attitudes to violence and death in ‘Flag’– the attitudes to morality in ‘Flag’– the realities of war shown in ‘Flag’
AO2: the ways that repetition of form is used in ‘Flag’– the ways that question and answer are used in ‘Flag’– the effects of the changes in the last stanza of ‘Flag’
AO3: features dealt with and compared to ‘Flag’, such as:– the attitudes to country in ‘Light Brigade’ and ‘next to of course god…’– the attitudes to country in ‘At the Border’– the attitudes to violence and death in ‘Futility’– the effects of repetition of form in ‘Light Brigade’– the language of ‘Futility’– the tone of ‘Falling Leaves’
We’ll return to this at the end when we’ve looked at the other
poems!
A final comment on flags from …Eddie Izzard
Questions for consideration: use PEE to add depth and authority to your point of view where appropriate.
1. Does the poem give a negative view of patriotism or not? Explain your answer.
2. “All’s fair in love and war”: do you think that some things that are usually classed as ‘wrong’ are not wrong if you do them to defend your country or during war?
3. How does the flag gain power?4. What, for you, is the most important phrase or
word in the poem – explain your answer.