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Poetry from Different Cultures

Cluster One

Name __________________________

Form______________

Poems in Cluster One1) Limbo by Edward Kamu Braithwite2) Nothing’s hanged by Tatakhulu Afrike3) Island Man by Grace Nichols4) Blessing by Imtiaz Dhaker5) Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two beautiful People in a

Mercedes by Lawrence Ferlinghetti6) Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekial7) Vultures by Chinua Achebe8) What where they Like? By Denise Levertov

In paper two of your English Exam, you will be expected to answer a question on poems from different cultures. These poems are written by people who either live in different countries or were born in different cultures.

All the poems are in your ‘AQA Anthology’ and you will be allowed to have a copy of the anthology in the exam with you. In the exam you will be expected to answer one question but discuss two or more poems.

Some poetry terms that you will find useful Metaphor A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another. 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.

Rhyme The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words. The pattern of rhyme in a poem is shown usually by using a different letter for each final sound.

SimileA figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word "like" or "as." . Here is an example. "What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?"

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Blessing by Imtiaz DhakerCopy the following paragraph fitting the words below into the gaps in the paragraphs about the poem “Blessing”.

The poem “Blessing is by __________. It is like a ______ and after photograph of an ___________ village. The first part of the poem describes __________________ whilst the second part describes _______________. The first two lines of the poem tell us about the condition of the village. There is little ______________ and it is arid. It uses ___________ a when it says “The skin cracks ____________.“ This gives an image of a very ___________ place.

When the water pipe burst, the people ____________________ bringing ___________________ to collect the water. The children _____________ . The water is seen as a ______________ from God and lots of religious imagery is used in the poem including the title ”___________ “. Other words and phrases, which link this religious theme, are “_____________”, “Congregation”, “A roar of tongues which is a reference to the ______________, and “The blessing sings ________________”.

Also in the poem there are a lot of words and phrases which suggests sights and sounds. Words and phrases which suggest sound are called ___________________ . Onomatopoeic words and phrases from the poem include: “______________” and “Silver crashes”. These words and phrases help the reader to ________________ the sounds. Images which help the reader see what is happening include “____________________” and “highlights polished to perfection”.

The poet __________________ is showing how to some people water is a _________________ they have little of whilst other people have more than enough.

Luxury “Flashing light”

Like a pod

Dry Gift

Imagine “Small splash”

Pots and pans

Run out of their huts Pentecost

Imtiaz Dahker

The village without water

Play in the water

The village after the water pipe has burst.

before

Blessing Water Kindly God

Onomatopoeia Indian

simile Over their small bones

Night of the ScorpionBy Nissim Ezekial

Task one

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Copy the following passage filling in the missing words.

The poem is about the poet _____________ an incident that happened to his ______________ . One night a ____________ got into their home and _________ the mother. All the ___________ came round and tried to get rid of the poison using _____________ rites and _____________ . The poets __________ however, used ____________ to try and cure the mother. The mother ___________ the Scorpion sting and was just pleased that it had not bit any of her ___________ .

The poem is written in the ______ person narrative and in the past tense, it can be seen to be an autobiographical poem. The Scorpion is seen as an _______ creature. Words such as “evil one” and “diabolical” are used to describe it. The poet does not seem to have a high opinion of the villagers and says they are “____________”. A lot of religious imagery is used in this poem to shown that religion plays a large part in the ____________ of this society. It is quite a ___________ society because the poet mentions the “mud baked walls” of the hut.

Remembering mother scorpion stung villagers religious superstition father medicine survived children first evil “like swarms of flies” culture basic

Task TwoAnswer the following questions in full sentences

1. What caused the scorpion to go into the hut?2. Who was looking for the scorpion?3. Who did the villagers pray to?4. What did the father use to get rid of the poison?5. Who else was called in and what did he do?6. What happened to the mother?7. What was her reaction?8. Pick out the words and phrases connected to religion and list

them.9. What do you think was responsible for the mother’s survival

and why?

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Task OneCompare the poems “Blessing” and “Night of the Scorpion” using the grid below

Blessing Night of the Scorpion

What happens in the poem?

How is the poem set out on the page?

Does the poem use any metaphors or similes? Give examples

Blessing Night of the ScorpionHow are the two poems similar?

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How are the two poems different?

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Task TwoUsing the work you have done in the grid and the writing frame below, write an essay comparing the two poems “Blessing” and “Night of the Scorpion”.Paragraph OneYou are going to write an introduction to your essay. You can use these sentence starters to help you. Explain what happens in each poem.

We have studied the poems ................ In the first poem........... In the second poem ..............

Paragraph TwoIn this paragraph you should look at how the two poems are similar. What do they have in common? You will need to write about

What they are about How they are set out Do they use similes, metaphors, repetition etc?

You can use these sentence starters to help you. The poems are similar in some ways. One way is ....... Also ........ Another way is ........ Moreover ..........

Paragraph ThreeIn this paragraph you should write about how these poems are different. You should write about:

What they are about How they are set out Do they use similes, metaphors, repetition etc?

You can use these sentence starters to help you. The poems are different. One example is ....... However ........ Furthermore .......

ConclusionIn this paragraph you should write about what you thought about the poems. Which poem did you prefer and why? You can use these sentence starters.

I thought that the two poems were ........ I also feel ...........

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How to get a good grade in a poetry essay Use quotes from the poems Comment on theme, structure and language Use connectives to help you compare and contrast the

poems.

Edward Kamau Brathwaite: Limbo

This is a poem about slavery. Men, women and children were captured in Africa and were taken in ships to America. Once there, they were made to work as slaves on the plantations in America and the Caribbean islands. The slaves would be expected to row on the voyage and they would be struck with whips to ensure that they did so.

In this poem, the image of a limbo dance is used to suggest the cruelty of taking people away from their own homes to work as slaves. In the limbo dance, the dancer has to bend backwards to get under a stick. The stick is gradually lowered and the limbo dancer has to bend closer and closer to the ground to get under it – suggesting the way the people are ‘reduced’ and robbed of their individuality through the process of slavery.

Limbo is also the name of a place that is found on the borders of hell according to Christian beliefs. It is a place where unbaptised infants went when they died – they were not allowed into heaven due to the lack of a baptism, nor were they condemned to hell!

NotesNotesSlave Ships – An estimated 15 million Africans were transported to the Americas between 1540 and 1850. Due to the fact that they were chained together, it was very difficult for the slaves to move. Conditions aboard the ships were so poor that a large number of slaves died in the process and many were crippled for life due to the appalling conditions.

Stick and Silence – The word stick calls to mind the various weapons that we would be used to force slaves to co-operate and do as they were told. The silence indicates that the slaves spoke a different language to their captors and it was difficult to communicate.

Edward Kamau Brathwaite: LimboTask

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Match then sentence halves together and copy them into your exercise book.Sentence Starters

1. The poem is about….2. The slaves have come ……3. They are going to …….4. The stick is used for …….5. The first is ……….6. The second is ……..7. Each verse of the poem starts with …….8. This symbolises the …….9. There is lots of ……10. This gives the poem a …….11. This sounds like ……

Sentence endingsa) a drum.b) as a way of punishing the slaves.c) two reasons.d) a long sentence.e) the stick.f) repetitiong) to use in the limbo dance.h) strong rhythm.i) from Africa.j) the slave trade.k) work on farm in America.

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Two Scavengers in a Truck,Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes

Task OneCopy and complete the following paragraph using the words in the box.

The poem gives us a quick __________ of an incident that takes place in San Francisco at a set of traffic lights. Two vehicles have been stopped, each containing two people. One of the vehicles is a garbage truck and the men in this have been working __________ since the early hours of the morning. They wear cheap plastic blazers and their appearance indicates that they have been working extremely hard. The older man is described as looking like ‘__________’ and the younger man has blond hair and sunglasses and this makes him look a little bit like the man in the __________. The man who drives this car is expensively dressed in a suit made of linen and his work and that of the woman in the car with him is very different – they work in an __________ office, starting at 9.00am each day.

Normally, these two sets of people would have nothing to do with one another and the older man in the garbage truck looks down on the immaculately dressed couple as if they come from another __________. We are encouraged to compare the social status and working conditions of these people. The fact that these two groups are so different and yet inhabit the same world _________ the poet. He is concerned about the divisions that exist in __________ and the division that exists between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.

Task Two- A Day in the Life…Imagine that you are one of

The Garbage truck men The elegant couple in the Mercedes

You are going to write an account of one day in lives of these people. You will write two accounts- one as a garbage truck man and the other as one of the elegant couple. In each account you will describe:Where they live

What time they get up and go to bed What their work is like Where they eat What they do in their spare time.

What were they like? By Denise Levertov

Copy the following passage, filling in the missing words.10

Society interests architects world Mercedes hard gargoyle Quasimodo Snapshot

This is a poem that is concerned with the __________ of the Vietnam War and the way in which it impacted upon the people of that country. It takes the form of a __________ between two people, in which the first asks a series of questions and the second responds to these. The fact that the second addresses the first as, ‘Sir’ suggests that the first is more important or possibly __________ to the second. It seems that the person asking questions does not understand the situation, but they are anxious to do so.

The responses of the second serve to underline the terrible destruction that has taken place. Before the poem, the people were __________, artistic and full of joy. We are given a sense that the __________ of the Vietnamese people has been virtually __________ by this conflict. The language does not attempt to lessen the horror of what has happened. The tone of the responses suggests the __________ of the second person’s feelings regarding what has happened.

Task TwoWrite two paragraphs about the poem. You need to describe in your own words: What Vietnam was like before the war? What Vietnam was like after the war?

Island ManBy Grace Nichols

Answer the following questions on the poem.1. What different colours are used in the poem?2. Choose three words that describe the man’s feelings for:

a. The islandb. London

3. Where does he prefer to be?4. How does he describe the sun? Is this a metaphor or a simile?5. Which words are repeated?6. How is his pillow like the sea?

What do the words ‘heaves himself’ suggest about the man’s feelings?

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consequences peaceful depth society superior conversation

Nothings ChangedBy Tatamkhulu Afrika

Copy the following passage, filling in the missing words.

In this poem the writer is returning to _____________ in South Africa. The writer lived in an area called District Six which was torn down during _________________. The poem also explores the differences in South Africa since apartheid ended.

The poet discovers that although apartheid has ended ‘__________’. Black people and white people are still separated in ___________. This is shown in the poem by the different places that the people eat at. The black people eat at a ‘____________’ and eat ‘_________’, while the white people eat at a posh _____________ and eat ‘______________’. These differences make the writer feel _________ .

Vultures By Chinua Achebe

Copy the following passage, filling in the missing wordsThe poet writes about two_________ that are showing affection

for one another. Only the day before, they were eating the insides of a _________ and this is described in gruesome detail in the poem. The poet comments it is surprising how these creatures are capable both of great savagery and __________.

In the same way, the poet considers the Commandant of the ____________after a day killing Jewish prisoners. Even though the smell of burning flesh is still in his nostrils, he stops on the way home to buy ___________ for his children, who affectionately call him ‘Daddy’.

In the final part of the poem, the poet says that we can see this as a positive thing or it might make us despair – either even the hardest and most dreadful people are capable of love or there is a terrible danger that love can be corrupted by the evil of the world.

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‘Working man’s café’ angry apartheid Cape Town ‘Nothing’s Changed’ restaurant society ‘bunny chows’ ‘haute cuisine’

vultures dead animal great love Belsen Concentration Camp chocolate

Key Quotations

Complete the key quotations printed below by inserting the correct word(s).

When ___________ smashed those ___________ / there was time only to _____________________.

My father, _______________, rationalist, / trying every _____________

And the _______________ of the two / _____________ with sunglasses...

...island man wakes up / to the ___________ of blue _________.

__________ the drip of it, / the small ____________ ...

No _______________ says it is: / but we know where we

______________.

Who can _____________? It is ______________ now.

Hands _____________ / for a ______________, a bomb,

I _______________ the night my _____________ / was stung...

The peasants came like _______________________________

And ________________________________/screaming in the ________________________________

Across that _______________________/ in the ________________/ of this _________________

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Quiz QuestionsAnswer the following questions in full sentences

1. In what country was the poem ‘Nothing’s Changed’ set?

2. What does the narrator contrast to show the differences in the

way of life for black and white people?

3. What is the ‘North Circular’ referred to in the poem ‘Island Man’?

4. Is the poem ‘Island Man’ written in the first or the third person?

5. What is the ‘sudden rush of fortune’ referred to in ‘Blessing’?

6. Apart from the title, select two more words or phrase from

‘Blessing’ that suggests the water is seen as a gift from God.

7. What material was the man’s suit made out of in ‘Two

Scavengers...’?

8. How many hours have the scavengers been up for when the

meeting takes place?

9. How many times was God’s name said in ‘Night of the Scorpion’?

10. What did the father do to try and get rid of the poison?

11. What is a ‘charnel-house’ that is referred to in the poem

‘Vultures’?

12. What is the name of the camp that ‘Daddy’ is the

Commandant at?

13. How many voices are heard in the poem ‘What Were They

Like?’

14. Does the second speaker ask any questions during the poem?

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Pairing Poems

In the exam, you will be required to answer a question on two different poems. In the space below, you need to explain how you would link poems together.

1. One poem that has something in common with ‘Blessing’ is __________________.

The thing that these two poems have in common is

___________________________________________________________.

2. One poem that has something in common with ‘Nothing’s Changed’ is

___________________.

The thing that these two poems have in common is _________________________________________________________.

3. One poem that has something in common with ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck...’ is

___________________.

The thing that these two poems have in common is

_________________________________________________________.

4. One poem that has something in common with ‘Night of the Scorpion’ is

___________________.

The thing that these two poems have in common is

________________________________________________________.

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Exam PracticeCompare the ways people are presented in ‘Two

Scavengers...’ and ‘Night of the Scorpion.

Introduction The title of the poem ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes’ leads us to expect a poem in which a comparison is made between two different pairs of people. In common with this poem, ‘Night of the Scorpion’ also presents the people from one culture in a range of different ways.

Section One – Focus on people in ‘Two Scavengers...’

Consider how use of language and imagery creates a clear picture in the mind of the reader about each pair.

Comment on the ways in which the poet encourages the reader to make a comparison between groups.

Section Two – Focus on ‘Night of the Scorpion’Section Two – Focus on ‘Night of the Scorpion’

Consider the superstitions of the local community. Think about the father’s reaction – the way desperation

encourages him to grasp any hope. Explore significance of the mother’s reaction.

Conclusion – Similarities / DifferencesConclusion – Similarities / Differences

In 1st poem people are observed by an unseen 3rd person narrator. In 2nd poem, it is an action-packed situation and we learn about people through the way they act. It is a 1st person narrator describing it.

One poem shows a sense of divisions within a community and the other suggests most people coming together.

Sum up the attitude of each poet to the people presented in their poem.

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