‘Shooting Stars’ – Revision
Pack
By Carol Ann Duffy
Name:_________________________
Contents
1) ‘Shooting Stars’ – the poem
2) Summary
3) Key Quotes & Analysis
4) Practice Essay Questions
5) Evaluation Guide
6) Worked Essay plan
7) Suggested Revision Tasks
8) Useful Evaluative Phrases
9) Personal Notes
Shooting Stars
By Carol Ann Duffy
After I no longer speak they break our fingers
to salvage my wedding ring. Rebecca Rachel Ruth
Aaron Emmanuel David, stars on all our brows
Beneath the gaze of men with guns. Mourn for our daughters,
upright as statues, brave. You would not look at me.
You waited for the bullet. Fell. I say, Remember.
Remember those appalling days which make the world
forever bad. One saw I was alive. Loosened
his belt. My bowels opened in a ragged gape of fear.
Between the gap of corpses I could see a child.
The soldiers laughed. Only a matter of days separate
this from acts of torture now. They shot her in the eye.
How would you prepare to die, on a perfect April evening
with young men gossiping and smoking by the graves?
My bare feet felt the earth and urine trickled
down my legs. I heard the click. Not yet. A trick.
After immense suffering someone takes tea on the lawn.
After the terrible moans a boy washes his uniform.
After the history lesson children run to their toys the world
turns in its sleep the spades shovel soil Sara Ezra…
Sister, if seas part us, do you not consider me?
Tell them I sang the ancient psalms at dusk
inside the wire and strong men wept. Turn thee
unto me with mercy, for I am desolate and lost.
Summary
Using the first person singular a dead Jewish woman speaks to the reader
about the atrocity and suffering she and her race have endured at the
hands of Nazis, reliving her own death as part of the Holocaust in the
Second World War.
The Title
‘Shooting Stars’ is an ambiguous title referring both to the yellow Star of
David which Jewish civilians and prisoners were forced to wear as well as
the temporary nature of life in the metaphorical comparison of people to
meteors that we call shooting stars. The shooting star is a symbol of
fleetingness of life. Just as a shooting star flashes in and out of
existence in the blink of an eye so too have the lives of the victims of the
holocaust been brutally cut short. A third interpretation is that a heroic
person who has suffered a tragic end and is deserving of this ‘star’ in the
face of adversity is being shot down.
Poetic Form

Six stanza poem, each stanza four lines long.

Regular rhythm – standard line lengths – one example of rhyme in
the final stanza.
Narrative Perspective
The poem is written in the first person to emphasise the narrator’s
feelings. This creates and intimate relationship between poet and reader
to increase the emotive effect of the poem. Feelings are the crux of this
poem! The speaker is not identified; she is nameless – like so many of the
Jewish victims.
Key Quotes & Analysis
Below is a list of poetic techniques used in ‘Shooting Stars’ by Edwin
Morgan.
To write about the poem successfully, you should……
 understand what these technical words mean and be able to
explain them, giving examples from the poem
 be able to explain the effect of the technique in the poem (i.e.
what it adds to the reader’s understanding of the poem’s theme)
Technique
Example / Explanation
Religion
“upright as statues”
Effect
Theme of religion is integral to the poem
as it considers the tensions between
Christianity and Judaism.
Visual image of the Jews’ bravery as it
implies defence of their faith.
“if seas part us”
Echoes the idea of seas parting for Moses
in the bible.
“Rachel”
Jewish biblical name.
“the ancient psalms”
Theme
“…Turn thee
Unto me with mercy.”
Persecution
Use of pronouns “I”
“You would not look at me”
Refers to part of the bible. Idea that
religion and God have deserted the speaker
but at the same time, it is religion that
keeps them going.
These last couple of lines reinforce the
theme of religion and the pain it can cause.
The Jews were probably the most
persecuted race in modern history: hence,
poems like this are vital. Sometimes
history disappears through textbooks and it
is left to art to bring history to life.
Real sense of isolation in the poem through
the repeated use of “I” to remind the reader
that she stands alone. However, she is also
emblematic of her race.
The soldiers – and perhaps the reader – as
referred to as “You”. Separates us firmly
from the victims.
History
Repetition of “Remember”
“After the history lesson children
run to their toys”
The idea of “remembrance” is apparent
throughout the poem. Remembering war
heroes and the stereotypical idea of
soldiers is examined.
It could be argued that all history repeats
itself and Duffy wants to convey the idea
that history must never be forgotten.
History lessons appear to be insignificant
in this line but Duffy is rallying against
this. Children may be taught about the war
in school and they may be forgiven for
‘running to their toys’ but there is no
excuse for a world that ‘turns in its sleep’,
wilfully ignoring the truth of the past.
Humanity
“They shot her in the eye.”
Man’s kindness to man: or not, as this
poem shows the reader. Human cruelty is
explored through this unnecessary brutal
act.
“young men gossiping and smoking
by the graves”
The soldiers are portrayed as actively
enjoying themselves. This is a double kind
of cruelty.
“I heard the click. Not yet. A trick.”
Excessive gratuitous cruelty towards the
Jews is evident here. Mental torture is also
used through these mind games. How
much human dignity can the Jews maintain
in these conditions? They are robbed of
their humanity as the human condition has
sunk to new lows.
Femininity
“salvage”
Word Choice
The poet adopts a strongly female persona
and there is reference to “daughters” and
the idea of sisterhood. Use of female
names, including biblical ones (“Rachel”)
in contrasted to the male soldiers who are
depicted as torturers.
The woman’s wedding ring is “salvaged”,
indicating that her tormentors value her life
less that than the gold ring. She, however
values the ring for its symbolic and
personal significance and not for the
money it will fetch. It is normally only
used in the context of rescuing valuable
objects from wrecks. By using this word in
a human context, Duffy conveys that the
woman’s body is in ruins as the result of
her ordeal in the concentration camp.
“They break our fingers”
“Fell.”
Word Choice
“My bowels opened in a ragged gape of
fear.”
“Sister”
“Tell them I sang the ancient psalms”
“inside the wire”
“…Turn thee
unto me with mercy, for I am desolate and
lost.”
Her fingers are broken in order to achieve
this salvaging, creating the impression of a
scrap heap being picked over.
The woman addresses her friend,
reminding her of how she faced death, how
she “Fell”. Simultaneously conjures up the
picture of her friend slumping to the
ground and also its use as a euphemism in
the time of war. To fall in wartime is to die
in battle. This is horrific enough but these
are defenceless and powerless women who
were not even combatants.
This deals with the crime of rape and the
sheer terror of the woman is conveyed
through Duffy’s concentration on its
physical effects. “ragged gape” is
reminiscent of a screaming mouth which
emphasises the horror of the scene. The
word “gape” is often used to describe a
facial expression and this make the
effacement of the woman’s identify by
such brutality even more shocking.
This takes us back to the interior of the
concentration camp when the woman
addressed her “Sister”. This is of cultural
and religious significance than simply
familial.
The speaker addresses the reader directly
urging us not to forget the suffering she
has endured. The “ancient psalms” are
from the old testament and have particular
significance for the Jewish community.
Many psalms share themes of forbearance
and strength in the face of adversity, as
well as absolute faith in God as deliverer.
This indicates her bravery and defiance as
she is singing songs of her religion inside
the concentration camp. She champions the
culture she was born into and will not be
subject to ‘ethnic cleansing’.
The woman keeps faith with her religion
and tradition but her words at the end of
the poem articulate the woman’s desperate
view of the world. Duffy ends the poem
with a quotation suggestible of anything
but hope and deliverance.
Lists
“…Rebecca Rachel Ruth
Aaron Emmanuel David,”
“…stars on all our brows
Beneath the gaze of men with guns.”
“…Mourn for our daughters,
upright as statues, brave”
Imagery
When you substitute a mild, indirect or vague
term for one consider harsh, blunt or
offensive.
Euphemism
“After I no longer speak”
Repetition
“…I say, Remember.
Remember these appalling days which make the world
Forever bad”
The list of Jewish forenames, possibly her
children or family members, draws
attention to their cultural identity and
reinforces the idea that there is no need for
further identifying marks to be applied to
them by the Nazis (link to numbers
tattooed on their arms as a form of
identification). By proclaiming the names
of the dead, their dignity is in some way
restored which is in sharp contrast to the
way they have been stripped of their
dignity by being identified as nameless,
just another star bearer. The structure of
the sentence is very unusual in that it does
not have ant commas between the names.
This conveys the feeling that the list is
endless and effectively reflects the sheer
scale of the number of Jews that died in the
Holocaust.
She says there are stars of David tattooed
on the prisoners’ foreheads and these
provide a shocking image of target practice
for the soldiers who will literally be
‘shooting stars’.
The simile, comparing the female prisoners
to statues has two purposes. This further
explores the atrocities visited on the
victims of war and the heroic bravery of
the women who suffered at the hands of
the Nazis. Their stoical endurance allowed
them to wait for their deaths ‘upright as
statues’ but there is a clear implication that
they could be frozen in terror.
The first stanza opens with the words of
the victim of the Nazis. This is a
euphemistic way of saying that she is dead
and the poem reanimates her dead voice.
She can speak out forever about what
happened as the poem gives her an eternal
voice.
The woman, whose voice is heard
throughout the poem, is empathic about the
fact that she wants such atrocity to be
remembered. Duffy uses repetition for
emphasis but, more subtly capitalises
‘Remember’ at the end of the sentence as
she is drawing attention to the vital nature
of this memory. Also, there is a crucial
need for the whole world to remember in
order to avoid a repetition of the
“I heard a click. Not yet. A trick.”
Short Sentences
and Internal
Rhyme
The internal rhyme – “trickled”, “click”
and “trick” – rolls easily off the tongue,
and recreate the unexpected near silence
surrounding the moment. This heightens
the impression of mental torture and
emphasises the complete contrast with the
soldier who can view such an appalling act
as a game.
“After immense suffering someone takes tea on the lawn.
Anaphora
Holocaust. However, from the persona’s
perspective, there is no redemptive
possibility.
The sadistic soldier toys with his victim
and the short sentences at the end of the
line create tension and a sense of the real
experience of the woman and the power
wielded by the soldier.
After the terrible moans a boy washes his uniform.
After the history lesson children run to their toys the world”
“Beneath the gap of corpses I could see a child.
The soldiers laughed. Only a matter of days separate
This from acts of torture now. They shot her in the
eye.”
Symbolism
“a perfect April evening”
This stanza asks us to question how any
real normality can return after such horror
but also to remember that it does.
Anaphora of “After” emphasises that
terrible things have actually happened but
are almost immediately forgotten. People
soon return to normal life “tea on the
lawn” just as a “boy” can wash his
uniform. Clear sense that memory of
“terrible moans” can be washed away and
cleansed from the world just as the Jews
were ‘cleansed’ from Germany and many
other countries.
The persona’s hopeless surrender to fear is
halted when she glimpses a child through
the gap of corpses. The child symbolises
hope and innocence, which gives the
persona some form of hope for the future.
Yet this dies when the soldiers cruelly
murder the child. The horrible fate of the
child is contrasted with the laughter of the
soldiers making the scene more appalling
to the reader. These events are no more
than amusement for the soldiers, who are
intoxicated by the power which expresses
itself in sexual attacks and the
indiscriminate execution of civilians.
Spring time normally symbolises rebirth,
hope and a new lease of life but this is
dramatically contrasted with the ultimate
loss of life for the prisoners in the ‘final
solution’.
Use of
Questions
“How would you prepare to die, on a perfect April
evening.
With young men gossiping and smoking by the
graves?”
“…Only a matter of days separate
This from acts of torture now.”
Time
“sleep the spades shovel soil Sara Ezra…”
Alliteration
Ellipsis
“Sara Ezra…”
Stanza four opens posing a question
already implicit in the previous stanzas.
The speaker addresses the reader directly
with this rhetorical question. This engages
the reader by helping us imagine how we
would have felt in the same horrific
circumstances. Again, the suffering of the
Jews is contrasted with the carefree
attitudes of the Nazi soldiers. “gossiping”
reflects their loss of humanity towards the
death surrounding them. The fear of rape is
now replaced with the fear of being shot.
Although it has been over 60 years since
the Holocaust, Duffy points out that this is
merely a matter of days in the grand
scheme of time and history. The
immediacy of the acts is also made
apparent and there is a sense that the reader
is an eye witness to them. If only ‘days
separate’ one atrocity from another, then
the passage of years will make the
repetition of such events possible.
The alliteration of sibilants (producing a
hissing sound) phonically represents
sleeping forgetfulness, while the
reintroduction of Jewish forenames
reminds us that the Holocaust was real.
The alliteration could also reflect the
rasping noise of the spades digging up the
ground and draws us momentarily back
inside the concentration camp.
The ellipsis at the end of the stanza is a
further stark reminder that list of names
could go on and on and almost amounts to
another world. There is a depressing
presentation if a world that finds it easy to
forget.
Practice Essay Questions (Higher)
2004 (Q15)
Choose a poem in which the poet creates a picture of a heroic or a
corrupt figure.
Discuss the means by which the personality is clearly depicted.
2005 (Q12)
Choose a poem in which a specific setting is strongly evoked.
Show how the poet creates this sense of time/place, and discuss the
relative importance of the setting to the poem as a whole.
2006 (Q14)
Choose two poems by the same poet which you consider similar in theme
and style.
By referring to theme and style in both poems, discuss which poem you
prefer.
2006 (Q15)
Choose a poem which explores one of the following subjects: bravery,
compassion, tenderness.
Show how the poet’s exploration of the subject appeals to you emotionally
and/or intellectually.
2007 (Q12)
Choose a poem in which there is a sinister atmosphere or person or place.
Show how the poet evokes this sinister quality and discuss how it adds to
your appreciation of the poem.
2008 (Q13)
Choose a poem which is strongly linked to a specific location.
Show how the poet captures the essence of the location and exploits this
to explore and important theme.
2008 (Q15)
Choose a poem in which the speaker’s personality is gradually revealed.
Show how, through the content and language of the poem, aspects of the
character gradually emerge.
2009 (Q12)
Choose a poem in which the poet explores one of the following emotions:
anguish, dissatisfaction, regret, loss.
Show how the poet explores the emotion and discuss to what extent he or
she is successful in deepening your understanding of it.
2009 (Q13)
Choose two poems which explore the experience of war.
Discuss which you find more effective in conveying the experience of war.
2010 (Q16)
Choose two poems in which differing stances are adopted on the same
subject.
Show how the stances are revealed and discuss which treatment you find
more effective.
Evaluation Guide
When you get to the ‘E’ part of your PCQE paragraph, use this guide to help
you evaluate the use of particular techniques.


NAME THE TECHNIQUE BEING USED
EXPLAIN WHAT IS BEING DESCRIBED
E.G.
When talking about ________ Duffy uses [name technique]……
When describing ____________ Duffy employs a [name technique]
In lines ______ Duffy uses [name technique] when describing _______________
The use of [name technique] helps give the reader an impression of ____________
Using [name technique] in lines ________ helps give the reader a picture of _________
The poet describes ____________________ in line ________ using [name technique]

EXPLAIN HOW THE TECHNIQUE WORKS IN THE POEM
E.G.
Word Choice – give connotations
Imagery (similes & metaphors) – identify the 2 things being compared
Ambiguous meaning – what are the two possible meanings?
Anaphora – explain the effect of the repetition
Questions – show how the use of questions makes the reader think
Symbolism – explain what the object/person symbolises and the deeper meaning
Persona – explore how the persona is created and what you know about her



EXPLAIN WHY THE TECHNIQUE IS USED
WHAT DOES IT TELL THE READER ABOUT THE THING BEING DESCRIBED?
REITERATE HOW IT RELATES TO THE QUESTION?
E.G.
What does it tell us about the characters in the poem?
What does it add to the reader’s understanding of the whole situation?
What does it make the reader think about?
What does it tell us about the poet’s message?
How does it relate to Duffy’theme?
How does it make you feel?
Worked Essay Plan: Human Emotion
Step 1 –
- Identify the key words in the question:
Choose a poem in which the poet explores human emotions.
Outline her purpose in writing the piece and go on to explore how it affects the
reader.
Step 2 –
- Decide how to structure your essay and create a list of specifics/key
points you wish to cover in your essay.
- Plan which techniques/key quotes to discuss in each section.
Human Suffering
Quote
“Shooting Stars”
“After I no longer speak”
“…they break our fingers
to salvage my wedding ring.”
“…Rebecca Rachel Ruth
Aaron Emmanuel David”
“upright as statues”
“…Remember.
Remember those appalling days
which make the world
forever bad.”
“Between the gap of corpses I
could see a child.
The soldiers laughed.”
“only a matter of days
separate/this from acts of torture
now”
“April evening” “gossiping and
smoking by the graves”
“I heard the click. Not yet. A trick”
“After immense suffering someone
takes tea on the lawn.”
Points for Evaluation
Ambiguity of title. Describe three
different interpretations and relate
to suffering of the Jews.
Euphemism. Darkness and horror
of Holocaust immediately
established.
Connotations of “break”, “salvage”.
Symbolism of “wedding ring”
Lack of punctuation. Traditional
Jewish names
Simile used to describe
determination and fear of victims.
Repetition and punctuation.
Connect to poet’s purpose, plea to
the world and the reader to never
forget the suffering.
Symbolism of child, connotations
of “gap” and “corpses”. Horror of
what took place. Soldiers’
inhumane reactions.
Idea of human suffering still
existing in present time/war
conflicts.
Symbolism of season contrasted
with cruel inhumanity of soldiers.
Short sentences. Internal rhyme.
Toying with victims.
Anaphora of “After”. Purpose is to
show suffering still takes place and
his easily forgotten.
“sleep the spades shovel soil Sara
Ezra…”
“‘inside the wire …strong men
wept”
“Turn thee/unto me with mercy for
I am desolate and lost”
Never ending list of names.
Returns back to concentration
camp. Man continues to inflict
misery and suffering upon fellow
man.
Line from Psalm 25. Jews look to
God to be saved but ignored.
Step 3 – Write an introduction using your Global Statement (Title, Author,
General Message) and your Specific Statement (reference to both parts of the
task and techniques).
Global Statement
‘Shooting Stars’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a shocking and disturbing poem which
brings to our attention the persecution and death of the Jewish race during the
holocaust, as well as the plight of the world today. Duffy focuses on the
suffering and the death of the Jews from the narrative perspective of a dead
Jewish woman who describes her misery and torture at the hands of the Nazis.
Specific Statement
Of course the emotion Duffy is focusing on is that of human suffering as she tries
to recreate the impossible: what it was really like for those involved in the
Holocaust. The real purpose of this piece is to show the world what happened
and emphasise the importance of never forgetting these victims. Through Duffy
uses of word choice, imagery and structure the reader is left horrified and
shocked by the sheer suffering of Jews in the Holocaust.
Step 4 –
- Deal with each relevant point individually using P.C.Q.E.
- After each E, link back to the question key word (“human suffering”).
- Try to back up your points with more than one quotation.
- Aim for 8+ P.C.Q.E. paragraphs
POINT + CONTEXT
The poem’s title ‘Shooting Stars’ creates a sense of ambiguity and implies a vast range of
human emotions. The poet wants you to consider the connotations of the title and build up
expectations, which inevitably are dashed. The title
QUOTATION
“Shooting Stars”
EVALUATE
Has general connotations and these are that of a falling star or perhaps the beauty and
brightness of fireworks. However it is not until we reach the actual content of the poem that
we realise that the stars in question are those Stars of David, sewn on to the garments of
Jews on the order of the Nazi regime.
ADDITIONAL CONTEXT
Duffy establishes the darkness and horror of the Holocaust immediately in the first line of the
poem in the phrase
QUOTATION
‘After I no longer speak’.
EVALUATE
Here Duffy creates an incredibly strong image of silence and death when the voice has been
stilled permanently. The horror is continued in the image created by ‘they break our
fingers’ and there is in this the onomatopoeia of the sound of snapping bones as ‘wedding
rings’ are ‘salvaged’ for profit. Here again the poet uses the two conflicting images of the
wedding band, a symbol of eternal love and theft and profit through death in juxtaposition.
Human suffering is immediately introduced in the first stanza to emphasise the sheer misery
of surviving in these camps.
Step 5 –
- Once you’ve completed the main body of your essay, write a conclusion
summing up your response.
- Recap on the techniques you have mentioned and link back to the question
once more.
The poet is an address from woman to woman as men are seen to be the
inflictors of the inhumane actions that are the centre of the poem and perhaps
she sees the possibility of salvation through women. “Shooting Stars”
reanimates voices from the past to demonstrate the extent of human suffering
by men and women in the Holocaust and Duffy’s use of word choice, imagery
and structure underplays the true sense of torture yet this makes the poem all
the more powerful. The Holocaust is repeated all over the world constantly and
the voices raised in protest do not seem to be heard. Duffy’s verse is extremely
powerful and we wonder why the world does not listen to the lessons of the past
for today in the 21st century we constantly read and see of human suffering on
a similar if not a greater scale than that of the Holocaust.
Suggested Revision Tasks
 Read the poem over several times – learn important lines off by
heart (Try sticking key quotes to your fridge, bedroom walls or
ceiling above your bed to help you memorise them. Alternatively
make them your screensaver or background on your PC!)
 Show off to a friend or relative – teach them the poem! Explain to
them what it is about and how the techniques you have studied
work.
 Practise writing P.C.Q.E. paragraphs on key quotes.
 Practise writing essay plans. (Introduction, paragraph plans &
conclusion, all adapted to fit a particular question)
 Choose a question and write a full essay answer. Hand it in for
marking and feedback.
 Create and revise mnemonics for your key quotes.
 Write and memorise an adaptable generic introduction and
conclusion.
 Create revision cards (ask your teacher for study-cards) for each
key quote: draw a picture to go with each quote. Include your
mnemonic on each card.
 Use the internet to read other critics’ interpretations of the poem.
Research Carol Ann Duffy, her life and other poetry.
Useful Personal Response:
 The poem makes you feel
more involved/strongly
about an important period in
history.
 It is a very emotive poem
that elicited a strong
personal response in you.
 The persona that the poet
adopts is striking and
memorable.
 There is a sense of
understatement in the poem
that makes it all the more
harrowing.
 It is a period of history and a
subject that should not be
forgotten.
Personal Notes
Use this space for any additional
notes or ideas you wish to jot
down.