AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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‘Singh Song!’ by Daljit Nagra
Learning Objectives:
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AO1: Respond to the using details from the poem to support your
opinion
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AO2: Analyse the writers’ methods (language, structure and form) and
the purposes of these methods
Pre-reading activity:

When immigrants first come to a new country, they naturally try to work
hard in order to provide for their family and make a new life. However,
how might their children act? Why?
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
How do you think you would write in an Indian accent? Write the
following sentence phonetically, in an Indian accent: “When will you go
to the shop?”
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 Think about the features of an Indian accent in terms of letter sounds,
rhythm and grammar.

What is the Indian tradition for marriage?
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
2
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First impressions
 What are your first impressions of the tone and meaning?
 How do you think the speaker is feeling?
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‘chapatti’ 
‘plantain’ 
‘Sikh’ 
‘Punjabi’ 
‘precinct’ 
Translator

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a flat Indian bread
a fruit that
resembles a small
banana
a religious sect
commonly found in
India
one of India’s
languages
grounds
AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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Let’s take a closer look
 Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think
PEA - point, example, analysis.
Stanza 1
I run just one ov my daddy's shops from 9 o'clock to 9 o'clock and he vunt me not to hav a break but ven nobody in, I do di lock –
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How is the father / son relationship represented in the first three lines of
the poem? What can we infer about the Indian work ethic?
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The use of connectives in this first stanza is very interesting. For
example, the connective, ‘and’, emphasizes the father’s hard-working
attitude and strict role as father. What is the effect of the connective,
‘but’?
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cos up di stairs is my newly bride Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk/aqacharacterandvoice
AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
Stanza 2
4
vee share in chapatti vee share in di chutney after vee hav made luv like vee rowing through Putney –
“They are not said to be husband and wife, who merely sit together.
Rather they alone are called husband and wife, who have one soul in
two bodies.”
- Guru Amar Das.
This saying by Guru Amar Das summarises the philosophy behind Sikh
matrimony.
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Which two lines represent this philosophy? Which poetic technique
has Nagra used to establish it, and what is its effect?
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Circle any non-standard grammar. What is the effect?
Stanza 3
Ven I return vid my pinnie untied di shoppers always point and cry: Hey Singh, ver yoo bin? Yor lemons are limes
yor bananas are plantain,
dis dirty little floor need a little bit of mop
in di worst Indian shop on di whole Indian road –
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Why do you think Nagra uses Indian dialect and accent throughout the
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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poem, even when the voice is clearly that of a customer?
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In the table below, every consonant from line 12 – 17 is listed, as is the
frequency of its usage.
 Your task is to plot a line graph of these results in ascending order (from
the lowest number to the highest). Then, you must explain your findings in
the space below, with reference to alliteration and its effect.
H four times
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Y five times
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S seven times
N fourteen times
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G once
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V once
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R nine times
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B three times
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L nine times
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M three times
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P three times
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T eight times
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D eight times
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F twice
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W twice
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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Stanzas 4 – 7: Singh’s Wife
Above my head high heel tap di ground as my vife on di web is playing wid di mouse
ven she netting two cat on her Sikh lover site
she book dem for di meat at di cheese ov her price –
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Nagra refers to Singh’s wife as ‘netting two cat on her Sikh lover site’?
Explain the pun.
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What does Singh’s wife do and how may that differ from the traditional
Indian marriages?
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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7
Considering what you may know about the Indian culture, how would
you describe Singh’s wife? What do you think the Indian community’s
reaction to her might be?
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my bride she effing at my mum in all di colours of Punjabi den stumble like a drunk making fun at my daddy
my bride tiny eyes ov a gun and di tummy ov a teddy
my bride she hav a red crew cut and she wear a Tartan sari a donkey jacket and some pumps on di squeak ov di girls dat are pinching my sweeties –
 Draw a picture of Singh’s wife below by using the details from stanzas five,
six and seven. Surround your picture with quotes which support your
interpretation.
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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8
Singh begins stanzas 5-7 with ‘my bride’ and then list her traits. What
is the effect? How does Singh view his wife?
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Stanza 8
Ven I return from di tickle ov my bride di shoppers always point and cry: Hey Singh, ver yoo bin?
di milk is out ov date and di bread is alvays stale, di tings yoo hav on offer yoo hav never got in stock
in di worst Indian shop on di whole Indian road -
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What does the noun, ‘tickle’, connote?
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
9
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Stanza 9
Late in di midnight hour ven yoo shoppers are wrap up quiet ven di precinct is concrete-cool vee cum down whispering stairs and sit on my silver stool, from behind di chocolate
bars
vee stare past di half-price window signs
at di beaches ov di UK in di brightey moon –
Name three poetic techniques used in this stanza. What are their effects?
1. __________________
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2. __________________
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3. __________________
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The Indian word for Britain is ‘Blighty’. Do you see any words that
rhyme with that word? Why do you think Nagra has done this?
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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Stanza 10 -13
from di stool each night she say, How much do yoo charge for dat moon baby?
from di stool each night I say, Is half di cost ov yoo baby,
from di stool each night she say,
How much does dat come to baby?
from di stool each night I say,
Is priceless baby -
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Based on the exchange of dialogue, how does Singh view his wife?
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How would you describe Singh and his life? Think about his responses
to other people, his work, his wife, etc.
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What is the effect of ‘Is priceless baby’? Which is more important to
Singh: love or romance?
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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11
Nagra has said that he wanted to make ‘Singh Song!’ like an ‘Indian
Music Hall Song’. How does the poem resemble a song?
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Explain the significance of, and techniques used in, the title of the
poem.
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My Itchy Toes Smell Loads
 Complete the table below with what you consider to be the
most important quotes and poetic devices within each
category.
meaning
imagery
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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tone
Structure
and Form
language
Comparing poems
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AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating
writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects
 Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between
the two poems.
‘Singh Song!’
‘Checking Out Me History’
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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Sample exam questions
 Compare the characters and situations in ‘Singh Song’ and ‘Checking
Out Me History’.
 Compare how voice is created in ‘Singh Song’ and ‘Checking Out Me
History’.
Planning an essay
 Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for your
essay question. You must include 3 - 5 points of comparison. Number each
point in the order you would write about them in your exam. When you write
your essay, remember to analyse structural and poetic devices for their
effect and meaning. Don’t just list.
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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Singh Song!
I run just one ov my daddy's shops
from 9 o'clock to 9 o'clock
and he vunt me not to hav a break
but ven nobody in, I do di lock –
5
cos up di stairs is my newly bride
vee share in chapatti
vee share in di chutney
after vee hav made luv
like vee rowing through Putney –
10
Ven I return vid my pinnie untied
di shoppers always point and cry:
Hey Singh, ver yoo bin?
Yor lemons are limes
yor bananas are plantain,
Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk/aqacharacterandvoice
AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
15
dis dirty little floor need a little bit of mop
in di worst Indian shop
on di whole Indian road -
Above my head high heel tap di ground
as my vife on di web is playing wid di mouse
20
ven she netting two cat on her Sikh lover site
she book dem for di meat at di cheese ov her price –
my bride
she effing at my mum
in all di colours of Punjabi
25
den stumble like a drunk
making fun at my daddy
my bride
tiny eyes ov a gun
and di tummy ov a teddy
30
my bride
she hav a red crew cut
and she wear a Tartan sari
a donkey jacket and some pumps
on di squeak ov di girls dat are pinching my sweeties –
35
Ven I return from di tickle ov my bride
di shoppers always point and cry:
Hey Singh, ver yoo bin?
Di milk is out ov date
and di bread is alvays stale,
40
di tings yoo hav on offer yoo hav never got in stock
in di worst Indian shop
on di whole Indian road –
Late in di midnight hour
ven yoo shoppers are wrap up quiet
45
ven di precinct is concrete-cool
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15
AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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vee cum down whispering stairs
and sit on my silver stool,
from behind di chocolate bars
vee stare past di half-price window signs
50
at di beaches ov di UK in di brightey moon –
from di stool each night she say,
How much do yoo charge for dat moon baby?
from di stool each night I say,
Is half di cost ov yoo baby,
55
from di stool each night she say,
How much does dat come to baby?
from di stool each night I say,
Is priceless baby -
Daljit Nagra
Acknowledgments and thanks
Written by Chantel Mathias and Amanda Fiegel
Introduction and copy by Karen Bishop
Audio file scripts and recordings by Barrie McDermid - www.podcastrevision.co.uk
E-poetry booklet by David Riley - www.triptico.co.uk
Nagra, Daljit
‘Singh Song!’ by Daljit Nagra from Look We Have Coming to Dover (Faber, 2007), copyright © Daljit
Nagra 2007
Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of material reproduced in this collection. If
notified, we will be pleased to rectify any errors / omissions.
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