Year 7 Poetry Unit
2020
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Year 7 Poetry Unit 2020
GUIDANCE
Hi Year 7 and welcome to your Poetry Unit.
In this unit, you’ll find a range of poems and different activities to work your
way through. As this is independent work, you will need to carry out some
research for yourself. We have included a helpful “Poetry Guide Booklet”
section right at the end of this first part and web site links to support you
throughout.
The unit should last you for approximately 3 weeks (although you can spend
longer on it should you need to) and we expect that you will spend around
about 3 or 4 hours a week on it. Feel free to carry on for longer should you
wish. Likewise, don’t worry if you don’t finish everything. The different
sections of the unit are divided into “Days” – don’t worry if your “Days” run
over. Likewise, you can complete more than one “Day” at a time.
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Let’s start with
PART ONE:
Literary Heritage Poetry: Ballads
“The Highwayman”
P.S “Literary Heritage” means writing (including poems) that have been
around since way before you. It means writing that has been influential
and is considered to be of quality. Your first poem “The Highwayman” is
one such piece and it was written in 1904.
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So, let’s get going with “The Highwayman”
What do you think of when you hear the word
‘highwayman’?
Carry out some internet research on
highwaymen.
Brainstorm your ideas.
This might help
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Highwaymen/
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Now:
Look carefully at the statements on the following slide. Next to each write
either:
T = True (if you agree)
F = False (if you disagree)
This might help
https://writingexplained.org/grammar-dictionary/ballad
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The Highwayman
Do some research - true or false?
STATEMENTS ABOUT BALLADS
Agree or disagree?
1. A ballad has 14 lines
2. A ballad has a strict rhyme scheme
3. Quatrains (4 line stanzas), which provide short scenes of a story
4. Ballads have a abcb rhyme scheme
5. A ballad will often contain a moral or message
6. Death is a common theme for a ballad
7. Ballads tend to be about war
8. Ballads do not have any sense of rhythm
9. Sonnets are designed to capture a snapshot image
10. Ballads are a traditional form of poetry, originally passed on by word of mouth
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The Highwayman
Read the first stanza:
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding –
Riding – Riding –
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
Prediction:
What do you think is going to happen in this poem?
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The Highwayman
Find at least three examples of each of these poetic devices in the poem.
Write down the full quotation that shows the device. You will have to look
carefully! (Use the Poetry Guide Booklet to help you with this).
• METAPHOR
• SIMILE
• ALLITERATION
• ONOMATOPOEIA
• REPETITION
• RHYMING COUPLET
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The Highwayman
• Go back to your statements about ballads. Read back over your list to
remind yourself of the conventions.
• Identify examples of ballad conventions used in “The Highwayman”. If
you have a hard copy of the poem, highlight them on the sheet.
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To finish, have a go at filling the gaps
The poem begins by describing the arrival of the
____________________ at the old inn. We soon learn that the
landlord’s daughter, __________, and the highwayman are in love.
Unfortunately for them, the ostler, Tim, also loves Bess, and is
______________ of the highwayman. He overhears the highwayman
promising to return to the _______ after his night’s work. The ostler
tells the _______________ who arrive and take over the inn to wait for
the highwayman. They tie Bess to the foot of the _________ and gag
her to stop her calling out to warn her lover. For good measure they
fasten a ________ beneath her breast.
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She struggles silently until she manages to reach the ___________ of
the gun. She knows then that she can give a ______________. After
midnight they hear the highwayman approaching. The soldiers prepare
to ___________ him down. Bess pulls the trigger of the gun, kills
herself, but warns the highwayman who gallops into the ________, not
knowing what has happened. At dawn he discovers the dreadful truth.
Blinded by sorrow and rage he gallops back to the inn and is shot down
by the _______________. The locals say that the spirits of the
___________________ and _________ still meet at the old
_________.
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Now check your answers
The poem begins by describing the arrival of the
Highwayman
____________________
at the old inn. We soon learn that the
Bess
landlord’s daughter, __________,
and the highwayman are in love.
Unfortunately for them, the ostler, Tim, also loves Bess, and is
Jealous
______________
of the highwayman. He overhears the highwayman
inn after his night’s work. The ostler
promising to return to the _______
King George’s men who arrive and take over the inn to wait for
tells the _______________
the highwayman. They tie Bess to the foot of the _________
and gag
bed
her to stop her calling out to warn her lover. For good measure they
musket beneath her breast.
fasten a ________
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trigger
She struggles silently until she manages to reach the ___________
of
warning
the gun. She knows then that she can give a ______________.
After
midnight they hear the highwayman approaching. The soldiers prepare
shoot
to ___________
him down. Bess pulls the trigger of the gun, kills
night
herself, but warns the highwayman who gallops into the ________,
not
knowing what has happened. At dawn he discovers the dreadful truth.
Blinded by sorrow and rage he gallops back to the inn and is shot down
King’s men
by the _______________.
The locals say that the spirits of the
Inn
Highwayman
___________________
and _________
still meet at the old
_________.
Bess
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Day Two: Ballads
What happens?
“The Highwayman”
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Now you’ve re-read the poem, let’s have a go
at the first task for today:
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Highwayman shot dead
Highwayman rides up to inn
Complete a timeline on the events from ‘The Highwayman’
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The Highwayman
What are the eight most important moments of the ballad?
Think carefully, you’ll need these for your next task.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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The Highwayman
You’re now going to create a storyboard to show the main events in the
poem. Your aim is to recreate the tone of the poem looking at the
atmosphere, tension and mystery at different times within the poem.
If you can:
Choose eight quotes and storyboard the events within them.
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The Highwayman – as a storyboard
The Highwayman
by Alfred Noyes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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Day Three: Ballads
Writing about the writer’s choices
“The Highwayman”
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The Highwayman
On the next slide you will find a number of questions to guide
you through how to look at the choices Alfred Noyes has made
when writing his poem “The Highwayman”. Read the questions
carefully. Fill in each box with your answers.
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Who? What?
Rhyme, rhythm
and structure
Imagery
Tone
Effects
Response
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PART TWO:
Day Four: Literary Heritage:
Ballads
The Lady of Shalott
Predictions and Setting
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Well done for finishing Part One.
Now, Part Two.
Our objectives for the first part of this are:
To analyse how words are used to create atmosphere in the opening
stanzas.
To read part one of the poem and answer questions to assess understanding
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Let’s begin …
The poem begins with a description
of the place where the lady lives.
Read the first two stanzas and
highlight words or phrases used by
the author to describe the Lady’s
home near Camelot.
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The Lady of Shalott
On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And through the field the road runs by
To many-towered Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.
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Setting
Look at the following images, which
picture is the most like the setting
described in the poem?
You must explain your answer with
evidence from the part of the text
you’ve read so far.
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1
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2
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3
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When you have decided on the
picture, write an explanation for
your choice.
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The Lady of Shalott
four grey
towers
four grey walls
the stream that runneth
ever
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Part One
Read the first part of
the poem again and
the next two slides.
What are your first
impressions of the
lady?
What words or phrases
could you use to
describe her?
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The Lady of Shalott
By the margin, willow-veiled,
Slide the heavy barges trailed
By slow horses; and unhailed
The shallop flitteth silken-sailed
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?
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The Lady of Shalott
Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly,
Down to towered Camelot:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers "'Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott."
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Questions
1. What is Shalott?
2. Who is imprisoned in Shalott?
3. Has the person in the tower
ever been seen? How do you
know?
4. How do people know that she
is there?
5. What do the people of
Camelot refer to her as?
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Unfamiliar Words
This poem was first published in 1833 and some of the words of the poem are
no longer in common use. Jot down any unfamiliar words or phrases from the
first two stanzas of the poem.
Words I do not
know
Some examples have been highlighted on
the next two slides.
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On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And through the field the road runs by
To many-towered Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.
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Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.
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What does it mean?
Some of the words you may be able to work out as they are similar to words we
use today. Look up any words you do not know in a dictionary. Then write down
their definitions.
Word
Definition
wold
upland or rolling country, especially when treeless
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The story so far…
Now you’ve read through to the end of part one, complete the summary of the plot by
filling in the gaps
The poem begins with the
description of _____. Shalott is an
_____ in a river just outside _____.
Upon the island is a castle of four
grey _____ and four grey _____ and
inside the castle is ___ ____ __
_____. The lady is a _____. She has
never been ____ by those passing by
but people know she exists as the
_____ sometimes hear her ____ in
the early _____. The reapers call her
‘the ____ ____ __ Shalott’.
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The story so far…
Check your answers
The poem begins with the
description of Shalott. Shalott is an
island in a river just outside Camelot.
Upon the island is a castle of four
grey walls and four grey towers and
inside the castle is the Lady of
Shalott. The lady is a prisoner. She
has never been seen by those
passing by but people know she
exists as the reapers sometimes hear
her sing in the early morning. The
reapers call her ‘the fairy Lady of
Shalott’.
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Day Five: The presentation
of the Lady of Shalott
The Lady of Shalott
Part Two
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Objective:
To read part two of the poem and explore how
Tennyson presents the Lady of Shalott
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Description, Dialogue, Action!
Can you match up the word with its correct definition?
Description
What the character
says
Dialogue
What the character
does
Action
How the character
looks, feels and behaves
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Description, Dialogue, Action!
Can you match up the word with its correct definition?
Description
What the character
says
Dialogue
What the character
does
Action
How the character
looks, feels and behaves
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Part Two
Read the second
part of the poem.
What new things
do we learn about
her in part two?
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Part Two
The Lady of Shalott
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,
Or long-haired page in crimson clad,
Goes by to towered Camelot;
And sometimes through the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often through the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
"I am half sick of shadows," said
The Lady of Shalott.
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Questions
1. Using detail from the poem,
describe the room in the tower.
2. Why does the lady never look out
of the window?
3. What does she do all day?
4. Is she happy? Explain how you
know.
5. What do you think would happen
if she looked out of the window?
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The Lady
What do we learn about the lady in part two of the poem?
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The Lady of Shalott
Remind yourself of part two then
complete the table below.
Quotation
What it tells us about her
She knows not what the curse
may be
She hath no loyal knight and true
“I am half sick of shadows,” said
The Lady of Shalott
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“Half sick of shadows”
Characterisation
Write a paragraph
explaining how Tennyson
presents the character of
the Lady of Shalott to the
reader.
Tennyson uses …
You could use some of
the sentence starters on
the next slide to get you
started.
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Characterisation
Beginning a piece of writing is often the most difficult part. Below are a few
sentence starters to help with your paragraph:
The Lady of Shalott
The Lady is … in the second part, she is described as….
When she says…it shows…
The author’s use of language gives the reader an insight into
the Lady’s character…
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Day Six: The Lady and
Lancelot
The Lady of Shalott
Part Three
Objective: To read part three of the
poem and explore how Tennyson
contrasts Lancelot with the Lady of
Shalott
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The story so far…
Re-read to the end of part two then complete the summary of the plot by filling in the
gaps
Part two begins with the Lady
weaving a magic ___. We discover
that a ____ has been placed upon her
which forbids her from looking
through the ____ to _____. The lady
sees the outside world through a
_____. She sees the ____, the ____
and the _____ passing by. She
weaves the things she sees into the
web. The Lady is _____ and longs
for ______ and ____.
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The story so far…
Check your answers
Part two begins with the Lady weaving
a magic web. We discover that a
curse has been placed upon her which
forbids her from looking through the
window to Camelot. The lady sees
the outside world through a mirror.
She sees the road, the river and the
people passing by. She weaves the
things she sees into the web. The
Lady is lonely and longs for
companionship and love.
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Part Three
Read the third part of
the poem.
Pay close attention to
the man who rides by.
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Part Three
The Lady of Shalott
A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley-sheaves,
The sun came dazzling through the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneeled
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
The gemmy bridle glittered free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazoned baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewelled shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burned like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often through the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
His broad clear brow in sunlight glowed;
On burnished hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flowed
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flashed into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra lirra," by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.
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The Lady of Shalott
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She looked down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror cracked from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.
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Sir Lancelot
What are your first impressions of Sir Lancelot? What words or phrases does the
poet use to describe him.
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Sir Lancelot
Why has Tennyson chosen such words to introduce Lancelot? What do these words
have in common?
dazzling
Burning
flame
Thick-jewelled
sparkled
Golden
galaxy
sunlight
silver
flamed
meteor
stars
glittered
bold
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Bridle bells rang merrily
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What is contrast?
What is the first thing that comes to mind when
you think about the word contrast?
Maybe you think about a TV or computer
screen.
What does the contrast button do?
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Spot the Contrast
Look at the picture below.
What contrast can you see?
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Spot the Contrast
Think about the characters of The Lady
of Shalott and Sir Lancelot.
What contrasts can you identify?
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Contrast Lancelot and the Lady
The characters of
Lancelot and the Lady
are very different.
Now you have read part
three think about the
contrast between the
two characters.
Draw a table like this
one then/using this one
complete the necessary
details.
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Lancelot
The Lady
exciting
Lives a dull, empty
life
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Part Three Questions
1. Who is the man that rides by?
2. What does the description of
Lancelot tell us about his
character?
3. How is Lancelot different to
the Lady?
4. What does the Lady do?
5. Explain what happens and why.
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The story so far…
Re-read to the end of part three then complete the summary of the plot by filling in the gaps
In part three _____ rides by the
tower. The sunlight shines upon
his _____ and he _____ as he
rides towards _____.
As his image flashes into the
_____ the lady leaves the _____,
walks across the ____ and looks
out of the _____ towards Camelot.
The _____ strikes. The _____
flies out of the ____ and the mirror
_____ from side to side. ‘“___
_____ __ ____ ____ __,” cried
The Lady of Shalott.’
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The story so far…
Check your answers
In part three Sir Lancelot rides by
the tower. The sunlight shines
upon his armour and he sings as
he rides towards Camelot.
As his image flashes into the
mirror the lady leaves the web,
walks across the room and looks
out of the window towards
Camelot. The curse strikes. The
web flies out of the window and
the mirror cracks from side to
side. ‘“The curse is come upon
me,” cried The Lady of Shalott.’
Day Seven: Finishing the poem
The Lady of Shalott
Part Four
Objective: To read part four of the
poem, answer consolidation
questions and complete
sequencing task.
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What do you
think will
happen in the
final part of the
poem?
Now read the
fourth and final
part of the
poem.
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Part Four
The Lady of Shalott
In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over towered Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
And down the river's dim expanse,
Like some bold seer in a trance
Seeing all his own mischance,
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right—
The leaves upon her falling light—
Through the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turned to towered Camelot.
For ere she reached upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.
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The Lady of Shalott
Who is this? and what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the knights at Camelot:
But Lancelot mused a little space;
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."
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Part Four Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What does the lady do in the first verse of part four? Why is the last line in
italics?
What happens in verses two and three of part four?
Explain how she dies.
Where does the boat travel?
What does Lancelot do when he sees the lady?
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The story so far…
Read to the end of part four then complete the summary of the plot by filling in the gaps
In part four the weather is ___ and
_____. The lady leaves the _____
and writes her ____ on the side of a
____. She climbs into the boat and
floats down to _____ singing her
last ____. Her blood _____ and
she ____ as she reaches Camelot.
The _____ of the city come out to
watch the lady float by. In the king’s
_____ cheers turn to _____ and
_____ says, “She has _ _____
____; ___ __ ___ ____ ____ ___
_____, The Lady of Shalott.”
The story so far…
Check your answers
In part four the weather is dark and
stormy. The lady leaves the castle
and writes her name on the side of
a boat. She climbs into the boat
and floats down to Camelot singing
her last song. Her blood freezes
and she dies as she reaches
Camelot. The people of the city
come out to watch the lady float by.
In the king’s palace cheers turn to
silence and Lancelot says, “She
has a lovely face; God in his
mercy land her grace, The Lady of
Shalott.”
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Sequencing
Place the following events in the correct order:
Sir Lancelot rides by Shalott in shining armour
People pass the island of Shalott on their way to Camelot
The Lady is imprisoned in a tower on the island
The Lady weaves the web and looks out towards Camelot
The Lady leaves the tower and floats down the river in a boat with her name on the bows
The Lady’s blood freezes and she dies
The Lady is cursed and cannot look through the window
Nobody has ever seen the lady but the reapers hear her singing
The Lady looks into a mirror and weaves whatever she sees into a tapestry
Sir Lancelot blesses the body of the Lady
The mirror cracks and the web flies out of the window
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Sequencing
The correct order is:
People pass the island of Shalott on their way to Camelot
The Lady is imprisoned in a tower on the island
Nobody has ever seen the lady but the reapers hear her singing
The Lady is cursed and cannot look through the window
The Lady looks into a mirror and weaves whatever she sees into a tapestry
Sir Lancelot rides by Shalott in shining armour
The Lady leaves the web and looks out towards Camelot
The mirror cracks and the web flies out of the window
The Lady leaves the tower and floats down the river in a boat with her name on the bows
The Lady’s blood freezes and she dies
Sir Lancelot blesses the body of the Lady
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To finish off …
Think back to “The Highwayman” and your thoughts on ballads. How
does this poem fit in with the conventions of a ballad? Look at the
structure and rhyming scheme and decide whether it is a traditional
ballad.
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Day Eight: It’s all nonsense!!!!!!!!!
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Guess what! You have been invited
to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
(Have you read “Alice in
Wonderland? If not, while you’re
in “lockdown” tick off from your
reading list).
He’s really looking forward to
meeting you but he’s quite
demanding, he wants you to
complete a task. You have to bring
a nonsense poem to read aloud,
preferably one you have written
yourself.
Let’s see what style of nonsense
he likes …
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Firstly, do you know this poem?
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high Like a diamond in the sky Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are.
Can you spot any poetic devices? Rhymes, similes,
personification, repetition?
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Here’s one he made earlier.
The poem is recited in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in
Wonderland” by the Mad Hatter.
What do you notice?
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
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Spotting the Difference
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high Like a diamond in the sky Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are.
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Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
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Of course you spotted the difference
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high Like a diamond in the sky Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are.
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
The Mad Hatter’s version is meant to
be nonsense. He is playing with
words from the original version. He
makes it easy for himself because he
doesn’t have to invent a whole poem.
Get ready to try this yourself.
Have a go yourself …
Twinkle, twinkle, little ______.
How I wonder _____________.
Up above the world ________ Like a ___________________ Twinkle, twinkle little _______How I wonder_____________ .
Tip: it might be called a nonsense poem
but it still needs to make some sense to
the reader. There should be a possible
truth in there somewhere.
Plane flame came sane
spy
high
lie
cone
cry
blame
sigh
moan
try
again
why
OR CREATE A DIFFERENT SET OF WORDS THAT RHYME
Or you could be even more
adventurous/ambitious and recreate
something like “Jabberwocky”, another
Lewis Carroll creation.
Read through the poem and try to make
some sense of it.
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BY LEWIS CARROLL
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
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One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
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Choose strange words from the poem and try to make up your own definitions for them:
Question & Enquiry
Word from the poem
Your definition
brillig
Late in the afternoon when the sun is
going down
slithy
Slimy and light
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OR, how about Spike Milligan’s
The Ning Nang Nong
On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
On the Nong Ning Nang
All the mice go Clang
And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
So its Ning Nang Nong
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning
Trees go ping
Nong Ning Nang
The mice go Clang
What a noisy place to belong
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!
Spike Milligan
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To finish …
What have you created to impress
The Mad Hatter?
Write your creation down.
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Day Nine:
Rhythm
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What kinds of mail (post) do people send?
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Night Mail by W H Auden (1907-1973)
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Night Mail
This is the night mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient's against her, but she's on time.
Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,
Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.
Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
They slumber on with paws across.
Thousands are still asleep,
Dreaming of terrifying monsters
Or of friendly tea beside the band in Cranston's or
Crawford's:
In the farm she passes no one wakes,
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.
Dawn freshens, Her climb is done.
Down towards Glasgow she descends,
Towards the steam tugs yelping down a glade of
cranes
Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland waits for her:
In dark glens, beside pale-green lochs
Men long for news.
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Letters of thanks, letters from banks,
Letters of joy from girl and boy,
Receipted bills and invitations
To inspect new stock or to visit relations,
And applications for situations,
And timid lovers' declarations,
And gossip, gossip from all the nations,
News circumstantial, news financial,
Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,
Letters with faces scrawled on the margin,
Letters from uncles, cousins, and aunts,
Letters to Scotland from the South of France,
Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands
Written on paper of every hue,
The pink, the violet, the white and the blue,
The chatty, the catty, the boring, the adoring,
The cold and official and the heart's outpouring,
Clever, stupid, short and long,
The typed and the printed and the spelt all wrong.
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Asleep in working Glasgow, asleep in well-set Edinburgh,
Asleep in granite Aberdeen,
They continue their dreams,
But shall wake soon and hope for letters,
And none will hear the postman's knock
Without a quickening of the heart,
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
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What is the poem about?
The poem describes a train travelling from England to Scotland.
The train is carrying lots of different kinds of mail.
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•What is rhythm?
•Can we clap the rhythm of the poem?
•Does the rhythm change?
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This is the Night Mail…
Read the fourth stanza
Now, read the last stanza
Do you notice any differences?
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Pace
Looking at stanza 4, make a note of the following…
Syllabic Count
Rhyme
Repetition
Now, do the same for the final stanza.
What might the change in rhythm and rhyme represent,
thinking about the subject of the poem?
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The poem’s rhythm imitates the train’s wheels as they clatter
over the track sections. There are sections of the poem which are
faster and then bits that are slower. This could reflect the train’s
changing speed as it goes on its journey through the countryside,
towns and villages.
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Say it out loud!
Choose a stanza that you feel best represents the chugging of the
train.
Prepare a performance that
really brings out the regular
rhythm of the poem. See how
fast you can chant it without
going wrong!
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CLAPS
When we are writing about a poem, we could use CLAPS.
Content
Language
Atmosphere
Poetic Techniques
Structure
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Work through the
following slides
answering each of
the questions.
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Content
What is the poem about?
What is the train delivering?
Where is it travelling from and to?
How do the people and animals react to the Night Mail?
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Language
Are there any interesting words?
Find some examples of interesting adjectives, verbs and adverbs
and try to explain why you think the poet has used them.
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Atmosphere
What mood does the rhyme scheme and rhythm give the poem?
Is there pressure for the train to arrive on time (find proof)?
What kind of mood is there in the last stanza?
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Poetic Techniques
Look for examples of personification.
Look for examples of repetition.
Look for use of lists.
What do you think the effect is, of these techniques?
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Structure
Look at stanza lengths
Use of rhythm
Use of rhyme
What do you think the effect is, of these techniques?
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Finally, a couple of readings…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLHrPrk3PkU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8_jmtbvzmY
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Day Ten: Poetry’s not boring!!!!!!!
A selection
The following slides contain a selection of poems for you to read,
enjoy and consider. When you’ve read each, consider the
questions that follow.
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The Uncertainty of the Poet
I am a poet.
I am very fond of bananas.
I am bananas.
I am very fond of a poet.
I am a poet of bananas.
I am very fond.
A fond poet of 'I am, I am'Very bananas.
Fond of 'Am I bananas?
Am I?'-a very poet.
Bananas of a poet!
Am I fond? Am I very?
Poet bananas! I am.
I am fond of a 'very.'
I am of very fond bananas.
Am I a poet?
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Wendy Cope
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Who's Who
I used to think
Were women.
I used to think
Were men.
I used to think
Were boring,
Until I became
nurses
police
poets
one of them
Benjamin Zephaniah
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Warning
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
Jenny Joseph
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Macavity the Mystery Cat
Macavity's a Mystery Cat:, he's called the Hidden Paw-For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime--Macavity's not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there's no-one like Macavity,
He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime--Macavity's not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air-But I tell you once and once again, Macavity's not there!
Macavity's a ginger cat, he's very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he's half asleep, he's always wide awake.
Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square-But when a crime's discovered, then Macavity's not there!
He's outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard's.
And when the larder's looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke's been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair-Ay, there's the wonder of the thing! Macavity's not there!
And when the Foreign Office finds a Treaty's gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair-But it's useless to investigate--Macavity's not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
"It must have been Macavity!"--but he's a mile away.
You'll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.
Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, or one or two to spare:
And whatever time the deed took place--MACAVITY WASN'T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!
TS Eliot
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Please Mrs Butler
Please Mrs Butler
This boy Derek Drew
Keeps copying my work,
Miss.
What shall I do?
Go and sit in the hall, dear.
Go and sit in the sink.
Take your books on the
roof, my lamb.
Do whatever you think.
Please Mrs Butler
This boy Derek Drew
Keeps taking my rubber,
Miss.
What shall I do?
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Keep it in your hand, dear.
Hide it up your vest.
Swallow it if you like, love.
Do what you think best.
Please Mrs Butler
This boy Derek Drew
Keeps calling me rude names, Miss.
What shall I do?
Lock yourself in the cupboard, dear.
Run away to sea.
Do whatever you can, my flower.
But don't ask me!
Allan Ahlberg
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The Lesson
Chaos ruled OK in the classroom
as bravely the teacher walked in
the nooligans ignored him
his voice was lost in the din
The first blast cleared the backrow
(where those who skive hang out)
they collapsed like rubber dinghies
when the plug's pulled out
"Please may I leave the room sir?"
a trembling vandal enquired
"Of course you may" said teacher
put the gun to his temple and fired
"The theme for today is violence
and homework will be set
I'm going to teach you a lesson
one that you'll never forget"
The Head popped a head round the doorway
to see why a din was being made
nodded understandingly
then tossed in a grenade
He picked on a boy who was shouting
and throttled him then and there
then garrotted the girl behind him
(the one with grotty hair)
And when the ammo was well spent
with blood on every chair
Silence shuffled forward
with its hands up in the air
Then sword in hand he hacked his way
between the chattering rows
"First come, first severed" he declared
"fingers, feet or toes"
The teacher surveyed the carnage
the dying and the dead
He waggled a finger severely
"Now let that be a lesson" he said
Roger McGough
He threw the sword at a latecomer
it struck with deadly aim
then pulling out a shotgun
he continued with his game
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The Ning Nang Nong
On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
On the Nong Ning Nang
All the mice go Clang
And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
So its Ning Nang Nong
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning
Trees go ping
Nong Ning Nang
The mice go Clang
What a noisy place to belong
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!
Spike Milligan
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Task 1
Decide which poem you like the best and write about 100 words explaining why you like it. Include examples from the
poem which show why you like it, for example, you could explain why you like certain words, the layout, the content
or the feelings that are in the poem.
Task 2
The Reading Assignment.
Eight questions based on the poems you’ve just read. Choose 5 questions to answer.
1. Why has Wendy Cope used all the same words, just not necessarily in the same order in her poem The Uncertainty of
the Poet?
2. What is the effect of the rhyming and the rhythm in McCavity the Mystery Cat?
3. Why do you think McCavity's fur is "dusty from neglect"?
4. Who do you think is the intended audience for Spike Milligan's poem Ning Nang Nong? Explain your answer using at
least two quotations from the poem.
5. What is the name of the disruptive boy in Allan Ahlberg's poem?
6. What is the message/real meaning in Jenny Joseph's poem? What is she trying to say?
7. Is Roger McGough's poem The Lesson funny or frightening? Explain your answer using quotations from the poem to
show your opinions.
8. Explain in 50 words or more whether you think poetry is boring or not.
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Feedback from you …
You’ve got to the end of the unit – WELL DONE YOU
SUPERSTAR!
Did you find it difficult, easy or just right? Which parts of this did you
like the most; which the least?
Let us know so that we can update the unit for next time.
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Poetry Guide
Booklet
(This is to help you work your way through the unit on poetry)
Definitions and examples.
If you get a little stuck with your
poetic devices, use this handy
power point.
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Voice
Who is speaking in the poem?
Sometimes it is the author.
Sometimes the poet creates a character in the poem, a voice, in the same
way as authors create characters.
Think about who is speaking the words in the poem.
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Alliteration
The repetition of words beginning with the same letter or sound.
Examples:
●
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The chilling cold chopped at his heart
The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew
Can you write an example of your own? House points for the longest
sentence where every word begins with the same letter and makes sense!
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Connotation
An idea or feeling associated with a word or phrase.
For example, blue is a colour but people can also ‘feel blue’ suggesting sadness or depression.
Childish and youthful may sound the same but have different
connotations. Childish is immature. Youthful is someone with fresh
ideas and energy.
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Simile
A comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as….as….’
My love is like a red, red rose
Our soldiers are as brave as lions
The well is as dry as a bone
Can you write some examples of your own? The more original the
better.
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My love is like a red, red rose...
What
connotations
are there in
this simile?
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Metaphor
Comparing one thing directly to another.
Examples:
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The classroom was a zoo
The car is a beast
The teacher is a dragon
Juliet is the sun
Can you write a few examples of your own?
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Personification
The act of attributing human qualities to an animal, object, or abstraction;
the act of personifying.
Examples:
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I wandered lonely as a cloud
The sun smiled down on us
The wind whispered
The flowers danced
Can you write some examples of your own? The easiest way to do this is to
think of something not living and then a verb. For example, tree / tickle. The
trees tickled the sky. Or the trees painted the sky a richer blue.
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Tone
What is the tone of the poem?
Is it sad, serious, comic, ironic, for example?
Does the tone change - is the tone different at the end than the
beginning?
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Pun
A play on words, normally for humour.
Examples:
The tallest building in town is the library — it has thousands of
stories!
Why are fish so smart? Because they live in schools.
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Enjambment
When poetic lines do not have punctuation at the end it is known
as enjambment.
Example:
The sun hovered above
the horizon, suspended between
night and day.
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Caesura
Punctuation in the middle of a line of poetry.
Example:
Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye
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End-stop
Sometimes lines are end-stopped.This is when punctuation comes
at the end of a line of poetry. Every line is end-stopped in
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
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Assonance
The repetition of similar or identical vowels in poetry.
For example:
The owl hooted through the wooded trees
Oh, how the evening light fades over the lake.
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Consonance
Repetition of the same consonants for effect.
Example:
Cracked and cackled
Pitter patter of the rain (p and t sounds repeated)
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Rhyme
Perfect rhyme - cat / sat, fright / night, said / bled
Internal rhyme is a rhyme on the same line - Because of applause I have to pause
Sight rhyme - words which look like they should rhyme but do not.
For example, bough / cough / dough / tough, food and flood
Half rhyme or pararhyme - words which nearly rhyme, such as
flash / flesh, bug and bag, often used in war poetry, such as Wilfred
Owen’s ‘Strange Meeting’.
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Juxtaposition
Placing two words or ideas next to each other for effect for
comparison.
Examples
Love and hate
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
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Repetition
Repeating a word or phrase for emphasis.
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Repetition
Repeating a word or phrase for emphasis.
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Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a word associated with the sound it makes.
For example:
Sizzle
Cuckoo
bang
whoosh
splash
belch
Gurgle
Examples of your own...
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Oxymoron
a figure of speech in which
apparently contradictory terms
appear in conjunction. For
example:
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Open secret.
Tragic comedy.
Seriously funny.
Awfully pretty.
An instant classic.
Original copies.
Pretty ugly.
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Romeo shows his confused state by using oxymorons
in Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet.
Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O anything, of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness! Serious vanity!
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
Juliet states a much more pleasant oxymoron in the
balcony scene:
Parting is such sweet sorrow - which also is an
example of alliteration and sibilance
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Allusion
A word or phrase that refers to something well known or familiar.
This is common in poetry, songs and movies.
For example:
You are my Kryptonite (One Direction)
‘You were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles/and my daddy said,
“Stay away from Juliet”. Taylor Swift, Love Story
See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWFR_pZ2jBg
(movies)
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Stanza
Stanza are sometimes called verses - a poetic paragraph. However,
when you analyse, use the word stanza.
Stanza in Italian means ‘room’ - think of each stanza has a separate
room.
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Hyperbole
Exaggeration for effect.
Examples:
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My school bag weighs a ton!
This homework is taking me ages.
We have bought enough food to feed an army!
I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
Can you write some examples of your own?
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Comparative
Using adjectives that compare one thing to another.
Examples:
Bigger
Smaller
Heavier
Brighter
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Superlative
Adjectives that take things to the extreme, such as the biggest, the
worst, greatest, best.
Can you give five examples of your own?
Mr Trump often uses superlatives…
“I'm highly educated. I know words. I have the best words, I have
the best, but there is no better word than stupid. Right?”
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Free Verse
When the poem has no set rhyme, meter, or regular musical
patterns.
Poetry does not have to rhyme!
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Rhyming couplets
Two lines together which rhyme.
Examples from Shakespeare:
Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble
Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
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(Macbeth)
(Romeo and Juliet)
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