From Pop to Poems –
Using the familiar (song lyrics) to teach
unfamiliar texts (poems)
Zanita Thompson
zthompson@nghs.school.nz
Main objectives
• to build students’ confidence in
analysing familiar texts (pop songs) first
then unfamiliar texts.
• to teach students how to use TEEPEE to
analyse texts convincingly and
perceptively for Excellence.
Prior knowledge - I can define these
language techniques (features):
1. Metaphor and extended metaphor
2. Personification
3. Simile
4. Direct address
5. Concrete noun
6. Symbolism
7. Vivid Verb
8. Connotation
9. Imperative
10. Cliché
11. Rhetorical question
Techniques - definitions
1. Metaphor/extended metaphor – a direct comparison between two very
different things, usually impossible. An ‘extended’ metaphor is
long/developed.
2. Personification – a type of metaphor, where a thing (inanimate object) is
compared to a person or has human characteristics.
3. Simile – a comparison between two different things, using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
4. Direct address – use of 2nd person pronouns ‘you’ to talk to the reader.
5. Concrete noun – a noun (thing) you can see or touch. Many similar nouns
may indicate an extended metaphor.
6. Symbolism – use of a concrete noun to represent an abstract noun
(idea/feeling) or organisation.
7. Vivid Verb – a verb (doing word) which is specific and has impact. May
have a positive or negative tone.
8. Connotation – ideas or feelings associated with a word.
9. Imperative – a command.
10. Cliché – a cheesy/overused saying.
11. Rhetorical question – a question asked for effect.
‘Firework’ by Katy Perry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start
again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper-thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!",
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
Do you ever feel already buried deep? Six feet
under screams, but no one seems to hear a
thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you?
'Cause there's a spark in you
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane, comes a rainbow
Maybe the reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the
perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time you know
Chorus
You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine
Just own the night like the Fourth of July
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky.
Baby you're a firework
(Chorus)
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time you let it through.
Examples of techniques
1. Metaphor/extended metaphor – ”You’re a firework”
2. Simile - “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag/drifting through the wind/wanting to start
again?”
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Direct address - “Do you know that there's still a chance for you?”
Concrete nouns - A spark, The light, The Fourth of July, A firework, The sky, the moon
Vivid Verb – Drifting, Wanting to start, Blow, Buried, Screams, Shoot, Burst, Leave
Connotations – The first 4 verbs are negative and the last 3 verbs are positive.
Symbolism - “After a hurricane, comes a rainbow” – a rainbow is a (cliché) symbol of
hope.
8. Imperative - show ‘em what you’re worth
9. Cliché - “You don't have to feel like a waste of space/ You're original, cannot be replaced.”
10. Rhetorical question – ”Do you ever feel already buried deep, Six feet under
screaming, but no one seems to hear a thing?”
11. Repetition – ”You’re a firework”
Zoom in on techniques
- use convergent thinking
T - What is the most important technique
(language feature) used?
E - What is the most important example of that
technique?
Answer for Zoom In - TEE
Technique = metaphor
Example - “You’re a firework” (The title!)
Now highlight all words/phrases to do with
fireworks.
Answer for Zoom In - TEE
Because there are so many words connected with
fireworks, it is an extended metaphor.
Firework
There’s a spark in you
ignite the light, and let it shine
Just own the night like the Fourth of July
(American Independence Day)
As you shoot across the sky.
Come on, let your colours burst
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe.
Zoom In - TEE
 Technique = extended metaphor
 Example - “You’re a firework” “There’s a spark in
you.”
N.B. This will only get you N2 for the question. You need
to show you understand the example for A3+.
E - Explain the most important examples of that
technique.
Possible Answer for Zoom In - TEE
Explain - The audience ‘you’ is being
compared to a firework, which is bright and
loud, and creates a spectacular display for
others to admire. The message is to
appreciate “the spark” (life) in you and don’t
hide but be confident and make your mark
upon the world as you “ignite the light and
let it shine”.
N.B. This will get you a maximum of A4. You
need to show understanding of other
techniques for M5+.
TEEPEE – How to analyse texts convincingly and
perceptively for Excellence.
Techniques
Purpose
Examples
Elaborate
Explain
Evaluate
Zoom out to the poet’s purpose
- use divergent thinking
P – Purpose
Thinking about all these techniques and
examples, why do you think the author wrote
this song?
Possible Answer - Purpose
P – Purpose
To encourage the audience to believe in
their potential – “there’s a spark in you”.
Elaborate
E – Elaborate
Tone – is it positive or negative, amusing or
serious?
Respond – what is its effect on you?
It makes me feel ...
Links to wider world (beyond the lines).
What do we learn about the world or human
nature from it?
Possible Answer for Elaborate
E - Elaborate
Telling the audience using direct address (‘you’)
that they are metaphorically a firework inspires us
to have hope for the future (“a rainbow”), to
believe that we have innate value (‘spark’) and
contrary to negative pressures (“feel buried deep”)
we have potential to excel in life and make our mark
on the world (‘boom, boom, boom’).
Evaluate
E – Evaluate
Is it successful? Why?
Possible Answer for Evaluate
• Evaluate – At times, all teenagers feel like they are
undervalued (“a waste of space”), powerless (“one blow
from caving in”), “drifting” through life without purpose,
without being heard (“but no one seems to hear a thing”),
so this song, with its positive message, (“there’s still a
chance for you ... Your heart will glow’) has universal
appeal. The use of the extended metaphor of
fireworks with their positive connotations and
connections with celebrations (‘the fourth of July”) match
the purpose of the text in making the audience
appreciate their lives and have hope for the future.
Peroration
• Using TEEPEE to analyse texts helps students
to provide sufficient detail and depth for
Excellence.
• If they can perceptively analyse a familiar text,
they can tackle an unfamiliar text.
Unfamiliar Text
“For Albert Wendt (On His Birthday)”
By Karlo Mila
Unfamiliar Text – Firstly …
Scan the text’s subject by first reading the subcontent:
Title - What does it reveal?
Footnotes - What do the source notes and
glossed words reveal?
Secondly - Zoom in on TEE
Read this unfamiliar text and like we did with
our song:
• Identify the most important technique, then
• Underline the most important examples of
that technique.
For Albert Wendt (On His Birthday)
By Karlo Mila
you dare to fish
beyond the coral reefs
of our understanding
your net pulls in poems
flicking salty tales
you find nuanua
in the eye of hurricanes
celebrate thunder
we prefer not to hear
and relish
the quicksilver laughter
of lightning
you shake the tree
of the frangipani
and as the flowers fall from grace
you string them into sentences
ants and all
your narrative is a needle
that pierces the thickest skin
the ink of your pen
blending with our blood
tattooing stories of altered genealogies
between the lines
of our naked bodies
Source: Karlo Mila, Dream Fish Floating
(Huia: Wellington, 2005)
Glossed words
nuanua – Samoan word for rainbow
Tattoos in many Polynesian cultures are
used to represent a person’s genealogy,
whakapapa or family history.
Note: Albert Wendt is a celebrated Samoan
poet and writer who lives in NZ.
Zoom In - TEE
T - What is the most important technique used?
E - What are the best examples to use?
E - Explain the examples.
Zoom In - TEE
T - Extended metaphor
E - “your narrative is a … tattoo”? (The last
stanza)
E - Explain the examples.
Zoom In - TEE
E - Explain the examples.
Wendt’s storytelling as a needle tattooing the story
of Polynesian cultures onto society is apt. The
image of his pen acting as a needle to write the
stories of the culture, affecting even those with
“the thickest skin”, lets the reader know Wendt’s
stories are being heard. His stories blend old and
new as well as different perspectives and have
left a permanent mark on her life.
Zoom out - PEE
P - Purpose
Why did she write the text?
(Check the title!)
E – Elaborate
Tone
Response
Links to wider world (Beyond the lines)
E – Evaluate
Successful?
Include quote bites throughout your answer.
Zoom out - PEE
P - Purpose
Mila wrote the poem “for Albert Wendt on
his birthday” as a gift to show her
appreciation for his stories and to praise him
for his craft.
Zoom out - PEE
E – Elaborate
Birthdays are a time to celebrate a person and Mila’s
poem celebrates the writing and imagination of this man
using direct address (“you”) in recognition ofthe gifts his
life has brought to us all but especially those of Polynesian
culture. The four different extended metaphors in each
stanze use concrete nouns which have links to Wendt’s
Samoan culture (fish, coral reefs, net, nuanua, frangipani)
which shows her appreciation for his culture. The overall
tone is appropriately positive to show that she likes the way
he challenges them “Dare to fish..” is imaginative “beyond
… our understanding” and optimistic “you find nuanua in …
hurricanes”. She is specific in her praise of him.
Zoom out - PEE
E – Evaluate
Mila’s beautiful poem successfully crafts
extended metaphors to illustrate her strong
appreciation of Wendt. She shows how his
“narratives” have the power to get under the
“skin”, unsettle but ultimately enlighten in a
sacred ritual which will leave its mark
(“tattooing”) upon current and future
generations (“genealogies”). His poems are
therefore powerful and permanent.
Top Tips for Tackling Unfamiliar Texts
• The title is usually an important clue of the main idea the writer wants
us to think about.
• A footnote will tell you the source of the text, which can give you a
clue about the audience and purpose.
• Glossed words
give useful definitions.
• Identify the most important language features and
write notes/underline the text. (Don’t choose alliteration!)
• Read the questions carefully and underline key words.
Remember: Use TEEPEE to analyse texts
convincingly and perceptively for Excellence.
Techniques
Purpose
Examples
Elaborate
Explain
Evaluate
Remember …
Poems are like songs without the music.
“Poetry: the best words in the best order.”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
More Familiar Texts – Group work
•
Read the lyrics to this familiar song and
•
Use TEEPEE to convincingly and
perceptively analyse the text.
“Battle Scars” by Lupe Fiasco & Guy Sebastian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mPd_SDAryQ&feature=player_detailpage
Hope the wound heals but it never does
That's cause you're at war with love
You're at war with love, yeah
Chorus: These battle scars don't look like they're
fading, Don't look like they're ever going away
They ain't never gonna change, These battle...
Never let a wound ruin me
But I feel like ruin's wooing me
Arrow holes, they never close from Cupid on a
shooting spree
Feeling stupid cause I know it ain't no you and
me
But when you're trying to beat the odds up
Been trying to keep your nods up
And you know that you should know
And let her go
But the fear of the unknown
Holding another lover strong
Sends you back into the zone
With no Tom Hanks to bring you home
A lover not a fighter
On the front line with a poem
Trying to write yourself a rifle
Maybe sharpen up a stone
To fight the tanks and drones of you being alone
I wish I never looked, I wish I never touched
I wish that I could stop loving you so much
Cause I'm the only one that's trying to keep us
together
When all of the signs say that I should forget her
I wish you weren't the best, the best I ever had
I wish that the good outweighed the bad
Cause it'll never be over, until you tell me it's
over
These battle scars, don't look like they're fading
Don't look like they're ever going away
They ain't never gonna change
These battle scars, don't look like they're fading
Don't look like they're ever going away
They ain't never gonna change
These battle...
(Then just leave)
You shouldn't have but you said it
(And I hope you never come back)
It shouldn't have happened but you let it
Now you're down on the ground screaming
medic
The only thing that comes is the post-traumatic
stresses
Shields, body armours and vests don't properly
work
That's why you're in a locker full of hurt
The enemy within and all the fires from your
friends
The best medicine is to probably just let it win
I wish I couldn't feel, I wish I couldn't love
I wish that I could stop cause it hurts so much
And I'm the only one that's trying to keep us
together
When all of the signs say that I should forget her
I wish you weren't the best, the best I ever had
I wish that the good outweighed the bad
Cause it'll never be over, until you tell me it's
over
(Chorus)
Cause you've set me on fire
I've never felt so alive, yeah
Hoping wounds heal, but it never does
That's because you're at war with love
And I'm at the point of breaking
And it's impossible to shake it
See, you hoped the wound heals, but it never
does
That's cause you're at war with love
Hope it heals, but it never does
That's cause you're at war with love!
Chorus
Techniques - definitions
1. Metaphor/extended metaphor – a direct comparison between two very
different things, usually impossible. An ‘extended’ metaphor is
long/developed.
2. Direct address – use of 2nd person pronouns ‘you’ to talk to the reader.
3. Concrete noun – a noun (thing) you can see or touch. Many similar nouns
may indicate an extended metaphor.
4. Symbolism – use of a concrete noun to represent an abstract noun
(idea/feeling) or organisation.
5. Vivid Verb – a verb (doing word) which is specific and has impact. May
have a positive or negative tone.
6. Connotation – ideas or feelings associated with a word.
7. Hyperbole – exaggeration for effect.
8. Rhetorical question – a question asked for effect.
9. Emotive language – words that stir emotion in the audience.
10. Allusion – reference to another literary work or text.
What poems link with the song “Battle Scars”?
Poems: “Shoved at Memorial Park”
Shoved at Memorial Park
By Marcel Currin
He knows about stairs and ovens and knives
But who is this large
And fierce boy?
A big kid is eyeballing my son.
The big kid is four years old.
I hate him already.
From the shadow of his oversized cap
He watches the talk,
The nudge, and then
Fletcher is two and a half,
Trip-tropping over the playground,
A tiny fish on a busy reef.
The shove.
Noisy fish flapping overhead.
My son at the bottom of a hard new world.
Whirling colours of children
Swirling over ladders, platforms, slides,
Riding and fighting the eddies.
Glossed word
Eddy
a small whirpool
Fletcher in baggy shorts.
Finding the gaps
For a quiet turn on things.
Source:
Marcel Currin, “Shoved at Memorial Park”, in
Emma Neale (ed), Swings + roundabouts:
poems on parenthood (Aucklan: Godwit,
2008), p68.
“Perfect” by Pink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=212iYwq0nQ0&safe=active
Made a wrong turn, Once or twice
Dug my way out, Blood and fire
Bad decisions, That's alright
Welcome to my silly life
Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood
Miss "no way, it's all good", It didn't slow me
down
Mistaken, Always second guessing
Under estimated, Look, I'm still around
Make them like you Instead.
So complicated,
Look happy, You'll make it!
Filled with so much hatred Such a tired game.
It's enough, I've done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do
the same.
Chorus
Pretty, pretty please
Don't you ever, ever feel
Like you're less than perfect.
Pretty, pretty please If you ever, ever feel
Like you're nothing
You are perfect to me.
The whole world stares so I swallow the fear,
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice
cold beer.
So cool in line and we try, try, try,
But we try too hard, it's a waste of my time.
Done looking for the critics, cause they're
everywhere
They don't like my jeans, they don't get my
hair We change ourselves and we do it all the
time. Why do we do that, Why do we do that.
Why do we do that? Why do I do that? (Why
do I do that?)
Chorus
You're so mean, When you talk, About
yourself, You were wrong.
Change the voices, In your head
Chorus
“Titanium” by David Guetta
featuring Sia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRfuAukYTKg&safe=active
You shout it out,
But I can't hear a word you say
I'm talking loud not saying much
I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet
You shoot me down, but I get up
[Chorus:]
I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
[Sia:]
Cut me down
But it's you who'll have further to fall
Ghost town and haunted love
Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my
bones
I'm talking loud not saying much
[Chorus:]
I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
I am titanium
I am titanium
[Sia:]
Stone-hard, machine gun
Firing at the ones who run
Stone-hard as bulletproof glass
[Chorus:]
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
I am titanium
“Take It Easy” by Stan Walker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMT_kr-F7ZQ&safe=active
Stronger days, Bitter nights,
Cold hands, Warm heart,
Walking round,
But you're staring at the ground,
Take hold, fall apart.
Chorus
Little by little,
Someone blows the whistle,
It don't matter in the end,
So just slow it all down, slow it all
down.
You gotta take it easy, easy,
Live your life,
Take on any kind of weather you
and me together,
We'll be fine,
You gotta take it easy, easy
Take your time,
It's just you and me together any
kind of weather,
We'll be fine,
Open road, broken down,
Bright lights, dark town,
Stand up then you fall again,
You will find a way in the end.
Chorus
You gotta take it easy, easy,
Live your life,
Take on any kind of weather you
and me together,
We'll be fine,
You gotta take it easy, easy,
Take your time,
It's just you and me together any
kind of weather,
We'll be fine,
“Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U41KPUfOSFk&safe=active
What poems link with these songs?
1. “Titanium” by David Guetta
2. “Perfect” by Pink
3. “Haunted” by Taylor Swift
4. “Take It Easy” by Stan Walker
5. “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake