Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
GLOSSARY
OF
POETIC TERMS
Alliteration
The repetition of the same consonant sounds at any place, but often at the beginning of
words. Some famous examples of alliteration are tongue twisters.
She sells seashells by the seashore, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Assonance
The repetition or a pattern of (the same) vowel sounds, as in the tongue twister:
"Moses supposes his toeses are roses."
Couplet
In a poem, a pair of lines that are the same length and (usually) rhyme and form a complete
thought. Shakespearean sonnets usually end in a couplet.
Enjambement
A line ending in which the sense continues, with no punctuation, into the following line or
stanza.
"But in contentment I still feel
The need of some imperishable bliss."
Hyperbole
A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis. Many everyday
expressions are examples of hyperbole:
tons of money, waiting for ages, a flood of tears, etc.
Imagery
The use of pictures, figures of speech and description to evoke ideas feelings, objects
actions, states of mind etc.
Litotes
A figure of speech in which a positive is stated by negating its opposite. Some examples of
litotes:
no small victory, not a bad idea, not unhappy.
Lyric
A poem, such as a sonnet or an ode that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. A
lyric poem may resemble a song in form or style.
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another,
or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would
be expected. Some examples of metaphors:
the world's a stage, he was a lion in battle, drowning in debt, and a sea of troubles.
It is probably the most important figure of speech to comment on in an essay.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Onomatopoeia
A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds. Examples of onomatopoeic
words are:
buzz, hiss, zing, clippety-clop, cock-a-doodle-do, pop, splat, thump, tick-tock.
Another example of onomatopoeia is found in this line from Tennyson's Come Down, O
Maid:
"The moan of doves in immemorial elms,/And murmuring of innumerable bees”
The repeated "m/n" sounds reinforce the idea of "murmuring" by imitating the hum of
insects on a warm summer day
Pastoral
A poem that pictures country life in a peaceful, idealized way.
Personification
A figure of speech in which nonhuman things or abstract ideas are given human attributes:
the sky is crying, dead leaves danced in the wind, blind justice.
Refrain
A phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after every
stanza.
Rhyme
The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words.
The pattern of rhyme in a stanza or poem is shown usually by using a different letter for
each final sound. In a poem with an aabba rhyme scheme, the first, second, and fifth lines
end in one sound, and the third and fourth lines end in another. This pattern is known as a
Rhyme scheme
Simile
A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word "like" or "as." An
example of a simile using like occurs in Langston Hughes's poem ‘Harlem’:
"What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?"
Stanza
Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem. The stanzas
of a poem are usually of the same length and follow the same pattern of meter and rhyme.
Stress
The prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables. Stressed syllables usually stand
out because they have long, rather than short, vowels, or because they have a different
pitch or are louder than other syllables.
Symbol
When a word, phrase or image 'stands for' an idea or theme.
The sun could symbolize life and energy or a red rose could symbolize romantic love.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Your culture is the way you live your life. It is about the country you live in, the clothes
you wear, your language or style of speech, the sort of food you eat, how you celebrate
important occasions, and the things you believe in and value. Think about your own way
of life and try to give examples of these aspects of your culture. You may write or draw
your ideas.
Where I live
My language/ style of speech
The food I eat
Celebrations
The clothes I wear
Things I value
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Can you think of any ways your culture is different to that of one other person? Make a
list
Themes that can help you make links between
the poems
Ideas about language power and dialect
Feelings about being caught between two cultures
Feelings about change or how things do not change
Ideas about language and identity
Differences between attitudes and values
Beliefs and rituals
Customs and traditions
Protest against ideas and attitudes (including racism)
Feelings about independence
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
This sounds
apologetic. Why has
Agard done this?
What effect
does this
description
have?
Repetition.
What is
Agard
suggesting
about the
listener?
Why has
Agard used
a / in stead
of a ?
There is a lack
of punctuation in
the poem. Why?
Questioning. Is
Agard asking us, the
reader or someone
else?
Agard has written in
his own accent. How
does that affect
the reading of the
poem?
Agard is clearly angry
about being called “halfcaste”. What words
suggest he is angry?
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
This poem is
written in a
Scottish
accent.
Why do you
think Leonard
doesn’t use
capital letters?
A “BBC accent” is received
pronunciation – no accent. BBC
news readers used to speak
without accents.
What affect does
the phonetic
spelling have on
you?
Does accent
really affect
if you believe
things?
Who can’t talk
right? Those
without an accent?
Or those with?
Why end with
“belt up”? What
affect will it have
on the reader?
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Grid (a)
We are learning to:
* Think independently about difficult poetry
* Organise exam essay that ask us to compare
* Write exam quality essays on poetry
Points I want to make
about the poems
‘Unrelated Incidents’
Similarities
& Differences
‘Half-Caste’
CONTENT –
what the poem is about
1
2
3
4
5
6
LANGUAGE –
words and phrases the poets
use, including:
images
(pictures in our heads)
rhythm
(the beat of the poem)
phonetic spelling
(not spelling words as they
appear in the dictionary but as
they sound when spoken)
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Grid (b)
We are learning to:
* Think independently about difficult poetry
* Organise exam essay that ask us to compare
* Write exam quality essays on poetry
Points I want to make
about the poems
‘Unrelated Incidents’
Similarities
& Differences
‘Half-Caste’
Language
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Poetic Techniques
Structure
Tone
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Tongue can also
mean the
language you
speak.
Who is she
addressing?
Shift from 2nd
person address
to 1st person:
“you” to “I”.
Written in
Gujarati –
Sujata Bhatt’;s
mother tongue.
What effect
does the dual
language have on
the reader?
There are 3
sections to the
poem. What are the
differences and
similarities between
them?
Natural
images –
plant like.
This is an
extended
metaphor.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
This is impossible. So
what could it mean?
Christian
Imagery.
Love After Love
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
And say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
All your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
This may mean the
narrator is entering a
new life. Or can you
see other meanings?
The photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
 DEREK WALCOTT
This poem has several possible meanings:
 Self-discovery.
 Human relationships.
 Religion.
Using different colours identify all the aspects of the
poem that suggests each possible meaning.
Nobody can say exactly what this poems means, so
you will gain marks if you show that there is more
than one possible interpretation.
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The tone in
the first
verse seems
joyful
What could
this mean?
The poem uses
a darker tone.
Why?
Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
What could the room be
a metaphor for?
Does the poet
see the room as
a positive or
negative thing?
In which direction are things
moving?
Are there any words
that rhyme? Can
you spot any
onomatopoeia?
Why is ‘no one looking for the
door’? What does that usually
mean?
What does this suggest?
Speaker left
wondering what it
means to be swept
up in excitement.
What do we
associate with
rooms?
This Room by Imtiaz Dharker
This room is breaking out
of itself, cracking through
its own walls
in search of space, light,
empty air.
What does this
image remind
you of?
The bed is lifting out of
its nightmares.
From dark corners, chairs
are rising up to crash through clouds.
Is the
movement
into light
or
darkness?
This is the time and place
What is our
to be alive:
daily
when the daily furniture of our lives
furniture?
stirs, when the improbable arrives.
Pots and pans bang together
in celebration, clang
past the crowd of garlic, onions, spices,
fly by the ceiling fan.
Could the furniture
No one is looking for the door.
be the beliefs or
In all this excitement
I'm wondering where
I've left my feet, and why
everyday objects
that clutter our
lives?
my hands are outside, clapping.
Could the poem be about the excitement of moments when
things change? At these moments our surroundings seem to
share our excitement. We do not know the cause of this joyful
explosion, but it seems to be bound up with personal happiness it might be romantic love, but it could be other things: maternity,
a new job, almost anything that is profoundly life-changing.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Complete these questions about ‘This Room’ by Imtiaz
Dharker.
Remember to use inverted commas: “ ”
when quoting lines or words from a poem.
1.
List all the onomatopoeic words in the poem. Why has the poet
used these words?
2.
List all the phrases/words associated with escape or freedom.
What do you think the poem is saying about these themes?
3.
Why do you think that the last stanza contains only one line?
4.
The poet, Imtiaz Dharker, says “I don’t want to have to define
myself in terms of location or religion.” In the light of this
statement, how could you interpret the poem?
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
‘Love after Love’ and ‘This Room’
‘Love After Love’ could be said to be an optimistic poem. Select another
poem from this section that also has an optimistic message. Compare it with
‘Love After Love’, saying what the poets feel optimistic about and how they
express their feelings.
As practice, use ‘This Room’ as the second poem.
PARAGRAPH ONE:
A brief introduction. Name the two poems and their
poets. Summarise the main subject matter of each
poem and what it is that the poets feel optimistic about.
PARAGRAPH TWO:
Compare in detail the ideas of optimism in each poem,
using PEE.
PARAGRAPH THREE: For “how they express their feelings”, compare the form
and structure of the two poems, using PEE.
PARAGRAPH FOUR: For “how they express their feelings”, compare the
language of the two poems, using PEE.
PARAGRAPH FIVE:
Write a brief final consideration of the essay title and
make a few new comparative points.
Remember:



Compare the two poems in each paragraph.
In the exam, you have 45 minutes for this.
Try to keep your PEEs precise so that you can make lots of them and try
to avoid repeating the same quotation.
Words for similarities:
similarly
just as
in the same way
equally
also
Words for differences:
although
whereas
while
by contrast
unlike
however
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
PARAGRAPH ONE:
Brief Introduction: Use these notes:

Poems and poets’ names.


‘Love After Love’ – must enjoy the people and individuals that we are.
Sad love affair can restrict us, making us neglect ourselves but optimistic
message that we will throw this off and be happy again.
‘This Room’ – similar idea of throwing off restrictions and constraints but more
symbolic: restrictions could be anything.



It is about the unrestrained joy of life.
Both are optimistic poems about happiness.
PARAGRAPH TWO:
Compare in detail the ideas of optimism. Use at least three PEEs on each
poem
‘Love After Love’
1- After sadness such as a failed love affair, poet assures us that, in time, “you
will greet yourself arriving” and “will smile”, showing that happiness will
return.
2- Calm message that we should discover and cherish ourselves, “the stranger
who has loved you all your life”, a comforting promise of permanent love.
3- One of your own!
‘This Room’
1- Exciting, lively poem, more effervescent than other, almost like a cartoon
with its crazy ideas of room “breaking out” as pots and pans “fly by the
ceiling fan.”
2- An important line is “when the improbable arrives” because she is expressing
the need to break out of constraints, to relish the unexpected and live life
fully.
3- One of your own!
PARAGRAPH THREE:
Compare the form and structure: Use three PEEs on each poem: Use these
notes and clues
‘Love After Love’
1- Free verse to match the ideas in the poem because it is about the freedom
to be ourselves.
2- Clue: enjambment. Turn this into a PEE.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
3- Clue: structure- look at opening line and final line. Turn this into a PEE.
‘This Room’
1- Also free verse like other poem. This suits her message of casting off
restrictions.
2- Clue: similarly uses frequent enjambment. Turn this into a PEE
3- Clue: irregularity of stanza length. Which is longest and why? Which is
shortest and why? Turn this into a PEE
PARAGRAPH FOUR:
Compare anything to do with the language of the two poems. Use five PEEs
on each poem
‘Love After Love’
1- The variety of tenses in the poem captures some of life’s stages. There is the
past when you “ignored” yourself but the future for the certainty of how you
“will smile.”
2- Clue: repetition. Turn this into a PEE
3- Clue: use of monosyllables. Turn this into a PEE
4- Clue: interesting images such as the two about mirrors. Turn this into a PEE
5- Clue: religious associations. Turn this into a PEE
‘This Room’
1- The present tense throughout the poem captures the action of all this
activity, “This room is breaking out”, “The bed is lifting” and “Chairs are rising.”
2- Clue: alliteration. Turn this into a PEE
3- Clue: onomatopoeia. Turn this into a PEE
4- Clue: images of movement from darkness into light. Turn this into a PEE
5- One of your own!
PARAGRAPH FIVE:
Brief ending making at least three more comparative points
1- Consider how the souvenirs in Walcott’s poem “the love letters”, “the
photographs” and “the desperate notes” are just like “the daily furniture of
our lives” in Dharker’s poem. Why?
2- Both poems contain ideas of celebrating, Walcott with his references to the
Holy Sacrament and “feast” while Dharker proclaims “this is the time and
place to be alive.”
3- One more of your own!
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Who are ‘they’?
Not my business
How does this image
make you feel?
They picked Akanni up one morning
Beat him soft like clay
And stuffed him down the belly of a waiting jeep
What business of mine is it
So long they don’t take the yam
Was this planned?
From my savouring mouth?
Does this sound more or
less threatening than the
first verse?
Why is it ‘neat’?
They came one night
Booted the whole house awake
And dragged Danladi out,
Then off to a lengthy absence
What business of mine is it
So long they don’t take the yam
From my savouring mouth?
What does this
represent?
What does this
show?
Chinwe went to work one day
Only to find her job was gone:
No query, no warning, no probeJust one neat sack for a stainless record.
What business of mine is it
Think about the country
So long they don’t take the yam
in which this poem is
From my savouring mouth?
set. Why is this an
effective image?
And then one evening
As I sat down to eat my yam
A knock on the door froze my hungry hand.
Is this image
The jeep was waiting on my bewildered lawn
effective?
Waiting, waiting in its usual silence.
Niyi Osundare
Why repeat this word?
Why does the poem not
end with a definite
outcome?
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
‘Not My Business’ is most likely set in Nigeria, Niyi Osundare's country of birth.
He used this poem and others to object to the cruel dictatorship that ruled his country under
General Abacha from 1993 to 1998. During Abacha's rule, writing poetry was considered a
dangerous activity. Osundare regularly wrote poems for a Nigerian national newspaper which
commented on the lives of people in that country. As a result, he was frequently called to
account by security agents and quizzed about what his poems meant and to whom they
referred. Osundare himself says, "with the kind of poetry I write, I can never be the dictator's
friend. So I get a knock on the door at two in the morning a couple of times."
The poem criticises people who allow injustices to go on as long as it does not directly affect
them. He suggests that if no one stands up against dictatorship, cruelty, poverty and injustice,
it will, eventually, affect their lives.
The poem is a very good example of the narrator's voice being different from that of the poet.
Even if we didn't know of Niyi Osundare's political beliefs, we naturally disagree with what
the narrator says.
 Underline all the words in the poem that suggest anger and hate.
 What is your favourite image in the poem? Write a short summary of why
you like this image.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 How do you feel about the narrator in this poem?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan
Indian gold, dangling, filigree,
But it was stolen from our car.
The presents were radiant in my
wardrobe.
My aunts requested cardigans
from Marks and Spencers.
They sent me a salwar kameez
peacock-blue,
and another
glistening like an orange split open,
embossed slippers, gold and black
points curling.
Candy-striped glass bangles
snapped, drew blood.
Like at school, fashions changed
in Pakistan the salwar bottoms were broad and
stiff,
then narrow.
My aunts chose an apple-green sari,
silver-bordered
for my teens.
My salwar kameez
didn't impress the schoolfriend
who sat on my bed, asked to see
my weekend clothes.
But often I admired the mirror-work,
tried to glimpse myself
in the miniature
glass circles, recall the story
how the three of us
sailed to England.
Prickly heat had me screaming on the
way.
I ended up in a cot
In my English grandmother's diningroom,
found myself alone,
playing with a tin-boat.
I tried each satin-silken
top was alien in the sitting-room.
I could never be as lovely
as those clothes I longed
for denim and corduroy.
My costume clung to me
and I was aflame,
I couldn't rise up out of its fire,
half-English,
unlike Aunt Jamila.
I pictured my
birthplace
from fifties' photographs.
When I was older
there was conflict, a fractured land
throbbing through newsprint.
Sometimes I saw Lahore my aunts in shaded rooms,
screened from male visitors,
sorting presents,
wrapping them in tissue.
I wanted my parents'
camel-skin lamp switching it on in my bedroom,
to consider the cruelty
and the transformation
from camel to shade,
marvel at the colours
like stained glass.
Or there were beggars,
sweeper-girls
and I was there of no fixed nationality,
staring through fretwork
at the Shalimar Gardens
My mother cherished her
jewellery -
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Hurricane Hits England by Grace Nichols
The
hurricane
of 1987
It took a hurricane, to bring her closer
To the landscape
Half the night she lay awake,
The howling ship of the wind,
Its gathering rage,
Like some dark ancestral spectre,
Fearful and reassuring.
This is a
paradox
Ancient gods
of storm,
thunder and
wind.
Talk to me Huracan
Talk to me Oya
Talk to me Shango
And Hattie,
My sweeping, back-home cousin.
Changed to
the 1st
person
Personified the
trees by giving
them a death.
What could
she mean by
this?
Tell me why you visit.
An English coast?
What is the meaning
Of old tongues
Reaping havoc
In new places?
The blinding illumination,
Even as you shortCircuit us
Into further darkness?
Personification
of the
hurricane.
What is the meaning of trees
Falling heavy as whales
Their crusted roots
Their cratered graves?
Why is this
line by itself?
O Why is my heart unchained?
Tropical Oya of the Weather,
I am aligning myself to you,
I am following the movement of your winds,
I am riding the mystery of your storm.
What could this be
a metaphor for?
Ah, sweet mystery;
Come to break the frozen lake in me,
Shaking the foundations of the very trees within me,
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Come to let me know
That the earth is the earth is the earth.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Hurricane Hits England
1. Where is the poem set? What is happening?
2. In the first stanza the scene is set and the storm is described. What is it
like?
3. How would you describe the mood in the 3rd, 4th and 5th verses?
4. What is the meaning of ‘O why is my heart unchained’?
5. What effect do the winds have on the speaker? What does the storm
remind her of?
5. The poet writes that the storm has ‘Come to let me know that the earth is
the earth is the earth.’ What does this mean? How does the mood change
in this final stanza?
Your own writing
 Describe in detail how the hurricane affects the speaker in the poem.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
For your exam you will have to compare the poems.
What is given credit?
Your answer will need to consist of:
1. Examples from the text in the form of short quotations woven into your
points of comparison. (embedded quotations.)
2. Comparison connectives introducing …
3. A series of points of comparison, which are, in turn, introduced using
connectives.
4. Phrases designed to prompt this type of analysis.
5. An understanding of the techniques poets use.
6. Repetition of the key words in the question.
All these ingredients of a good answer work together, but let’s focus
particularly on numbers 2, 3 and 4.
You need to ensure you compare the texts in focus. This means identifying
points of similarity and contrast. You will need to draw upon the following
comparison connectives:
Similarity connectives
Contrast connectives
Equally
In contrast
In the same way
However
Similarly
Whereas (best used in the middle
of a sentence)
Likewise
On the other hand
Just as … also
Conversely
The best answers will blend the subtleties of similarity and contrast (whilst
both poems highlight … in one this is achieved through a series of striking
images, whereas in the other, alliteration is used to evoke … etc.)
The best comparisons deal with the way poems are written (number 5,
above) and keep returning to the key words of the question (number 6).
But how do you make sure your answer is analytical?
These words and phrases encourage you to make your point analytical:
suggests
implies
gives us the impression that
shows
highlights
indicates
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
If you want to make the same point using a different example, use
furthers
emphasises
reinforces
So, let’s look at a model paragraph and highlight its strengths, according to
the list above.
This is a question based on the Different Cultures Cluster One poems:
Compare the ways in which contrast is used in ‘Island Man’ and ‘Two
Scavengers … ’
Model paragraph, focused on the ending of each poem:
Both poets end their poems using powerful images.
In ‘Island Man’ a
metaphor is used to show the way in which the real world and the
contrasting world of the man’s dream are together in one person. The
man’s ‘crumpled pillow waves’ are the folds in the pillow he leaves behind
as he ‘heaves himself’ out of bed. The alliteration reinforces the huge
effort he makes, and maybe this is suggesting that the contrasting dreamy
‘small emerald island’ is where he would rather stay. The fact that ‘the
sound of blue surf’ is in fact the ‘grey metallic soar’ of the ‘dull North
Circular roar’ suggests that we are all, perhaps, made up of contrasts.
Similarly, a metaphor is also used in the final three lines of ‘Two
Scavengers …’
Look again at the ingredients of a good answer and identify them in this
paragraph so far. How would you complete the paragraph?
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Both poets2 end their poems using powerful images5.
In ‘Island Man’ a
metaphor5 is used to show the way in which4 the real world and the3
contrasting6 world of the man’s dream are together in one person. The
man’s3 ‘crumpled pillow waves’1 are the folds in the pillow he leaves
behind as he3 ‘heaves himself’1 out of bed3. The alliteration5 reinforces4
the huge effort he makes3, and maybe this is suggesting4 that the3
contrasting6 dreamy3 ‘small emerald island’1 is where he would rather
stay3. The fact that ‘the sound of blue surf’1 is in fact the ‘grey metallic
soar’1 of the ‘dull North Circular roar’1 suggests4 that we are all, perhaps,
made up of3 contrasts6. Similarly2, a metaphor5 is also used2 in the final
three lines of ‘Two Scavengers …’
Different Cultures Poems
There are a number of themes you can trace when you consider the subjectmatter of these poems:
 Identity is perhaps the main theme which binds the poems together
but how is identity explored?
 Voice and language
 Change
 Division
Can you add to this list?
It is best to think about each poem not in isolation, but in relation to the
others. Usually you have a choice regarding which poem you compare with
the named poem.
On the next page decide which poems fit into each category and write them
in the box.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
IDENTITY
USE OF FIRST PERSON
CHANGE
USE OF SPECIFIC CULTURAL
REFERENCES
POLITICS
PEOPLE
USE OF NONSTANDARD ENGLISH
UNUSUAL
PRESENTATION
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VOICE & LANGUAGE
DIVISION
Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
If you follow the advice you have been given about how best to plan and structure an essay on the
Poems from Other Cultures you should know roughly what ideas and points you are going to cover in
each of your paragraphs before you begin writing the essay. In general, each paragraph should deal
with one main topic or idea and it may be helpful if you include the following elements to each
paragraph.
1.
An outline of your argument or point (this should really refer to key words in
the question or address issues which it raises).
2.
A quotation and / or other detailed reference to the poem named in the question
which will support your point.
3.
A comment on the quotation which will help to explain why you have chosen it
and may analyse the language in it.
4.
A point of comparison between the named poem and one or more other poem(s)
from the cluster (you could try to draw comparisons and contrasts between
poems throughout the whole paragraph).
Remember that you will need to indent, or leave a line between, each paragraph and a paragraph
should usually contain more than one sentence.
Sample Paragraph
Compare how ‘Search for my Tongue’ and at least one other poem from Cluster 2
show how belonging to two cultures can be a positive experience.
The student makes a point in
response to the question and
introduces the named poem
In ‘Search for my Tongue’ Sujata Bhatt presents language as vital to her
A quotation
supports the
student’s
argument
sense of cultural identity. The poet begins by explaining that she is
This analysis of
the quotation
explains how it
supports the
point and refers
to the poet’s use
of language
afraid that she has lost her mother tongue, or first language, however,
when it returns to her in a dream, indicated by the use of Gujerati script
in the poem, she realizes that she can never really lose her ‘tongue’ as it
‘blossoms out of my mouth.’ Here, Bhatt’s use of an extended
metaphor, where she compares her language to a flower, effectively
reinforces the idea that, for her, belonging to two cultures has been
enriching as well as a source of conflict. Grace Nichols also uses
natural imagery to represent a connection between her cultural roots and
the country where she now lives although ‘In Hurricane Hits England’ it
is her experience of a hurricane which reminds the poet of her
‘homeland’.
The student ends the paragraph with a
point of comparison between the named
poem and another poem from Cluster 2
Now write a paragraph in response to each of the following questions. You should try to
include the four elements that have been outlined above in each paragraph.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Discuss how ‘Search for my Tongue’ and any other poem from Cluster 2 present the theme of
being divided between two cultures.
Compare how ‘Search for my Tongue’ and one other poem from Cluster 2 use imagery from
nature.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Discuss how and why ‘Unrelated Incidents’ and one other poem from Cluster 2 use dialect or
phonetic language.
Compare how ‘This Room’ and at least one other poem from Cluster 2 present the theme of
celebration.
Compare how ‘Half-Caste’ and at least one other poem from Cluster 2 present the theme of
prejudice.
29
Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Compare how ‘Hurricane Hits England’ and one other poem from Cluster 2 present the
weather.
Discuss how ‘Half-caste’ and at least one other poem from Cluster 2 use humour.
Discuss how the title, ‘Not My Business’, and the title of at least one other poem from Cluster
2 either prepare or do not prepare the reader for the themes and language of the poem.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
Now you have studied all the poems in Cluster One, see how well you do on this quiz. Can
you complete it without looking back at the poems???
Instructions: Put a cross in the box next to the correct answer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Which of these most accurately describes the mood of “Half-Caste”?
a.
sombre
b.
happy
c.
mocking
d.
thoughtful
In “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan”, the poet considers the Pakistani clothes
to be:
a.
out of date
b.
lovely
c.
too fancy
d.
suitable for older people
The section in the middle of “Search for my Tongue” is:
a.
Gujerati with a phonetic version beneath it.
b.
Urdu with non-standard English beneath it.
c.
Basmati with a phonetic version beneath it.
d.
Hindi with a non-standard English version beneath it.
In “Unrelated Incidents”, the poet expresses his belief that:
a.
People with strong regional accents would be better working as
newsreaders for ITV
b.
The Glaswegian accent is very difficult for outsiders to understand.
c.
Having a strong regional accent does not mean that a person is stupid
or inferior.
d.
People with strong regional accents should be allowed to be BBC
newsreaders.
In “Hurricane Hits England”, the poet tells of her experience of:
a.
A power cut.
b.
A nightmare involving visits by gods.
c.
The meteorological problems of living in Sussex.
d.
An event that changed her feelings about living in England.
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Which of these is closest to the message of “Love After Love”?
a.
After a failed love affair, the time and pain will pass until you reach a
stage of discovering and valuing yourself.
b.
It is important to throw away photographs, notes and other souvenirs
that might remind you of a past lover.
c.
When in pain after a failed romance, you will find it helpful to go to
church and take Communion.
d.
When a love affair goes wrong, it is inevitable that you will suffer
from a lack of self-esteem.
In “This Room”, the poet suggests that
a.
Moving furniture to new places in your home or workplace makes a
refreshing change.
b.
Upheaval is exciting and should be enjoyed.
c.
Too much time spent alone in one room will end up making you feel
stifled and desperate for a change.
d.
It is difficult, but not impossible, for people of different cultures to be
together harmoniously in one room.
In “Not my Business”, the poet shows
a.
The consequences of standing back and doing nothing when injustice
occurs.
b.
That he did not know Akanni, Danladi and Chinwe well enough to
become involved in what happened to them.
c.
The importance of the yam to Nigerian people.
d.
That lying low and judging the right moment to act is the best way to
achieve justice.
Which poem does not use the first person?
a.
“Love After Love.”
b.
“Unrelated Incidents.”
c.
“Half-Caste.”
d.
“This Room.”
Which two poems, paired below, are most concerned with the difficulty of
belonging to two different cultures?
a.
“Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan” and “Search for my Tongue.”
b.
“Hurricane Hits England” and “Unrelated Incidents.”
c.
“Half-Caste” and “Love After Love.”
d.
“Not my Business” and “This Room.”
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Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Which two poems suggest that something constructive can come after, and out of,
violent disruptions?
a.
“Love After Love” and “Search for my Tongue.”
b.
“Hurricane Hits England” and “Love After Love.”
c.
“Hurricane Hits England” and “This Room.”
d.
“This Room” and “Not my Business.”
Which two poems have the most opposing views on caring for ourselves as the
first priority?
a.
“Love After Love” and “This Room.”
b.
“Love After Love” and “Not my Business.”
c.
“This Room” and “Half-Caste.”
d.
“Not my Business” and “Search for my Tongue.”
Which two poems are most concerned with speaking a language?
a.
“Search for my Tongue” and “Half-Caste.”
b.
“Unrelated Incidents” and “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan.”
c.
“Half-Caste” and “Search for my Tongue.”
d.
“Search for my Tongue” and “Unrelated Incidents.”
Which two poems have a link to the Caribbean area?
a.
“Love After Love” and “Not my Business.”
b.
“Half-Caste” and “Not my Business.”
c.
“Hurricane Hits England” and “Love After Love.”
d.
“Hurricane Hits England” and “Half-Caste.”
Which two poems make most use of non-standard English?
a.
“Unrelated Incidents” and “Half-Caste.”
b.
“Search for my Tongue” and “This Room.”
c.
“Search for my Tongue” and “Unrelated Incidents.”
d.
“Half-Caste” and “Hurricane Hits England.”
Which four poems are by women poets?
a.
“Search for my Tongue”, “Hurricane Hits England”, “Not my
Business” and “This Room.”
b.
“Hurricane Hits England”, “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan”,
“Half-Caste” and “Search for my Tongue.”
c.
“Search for my Tongue”, “This Room”, “Presents from my Aunts in
Pakistan” and “Hurricane Hits England.”
d.
“Not my Business”, “Search for my Tongue”, “Hurricane Hits
England” and “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan.”
33
Poetry from Different Cultures – Cluster Two
17.
18.
19.
20.
Which two poems use phonetic spellings of English words?
a.
“Search for my Tongue” and “Half-Caste.”
b.
“Half-Caste” and “Unrelated Incidents.”
c.
“Unrelated Incidents” and “Not my Business.”
d.
“Search for my Tongue” and “Unrelated Incidents.”
Which of these poems does not feature repetition?
a.
“Search for my Tongue.”
b.
“Half-Caste.”
c.
“This Room.”
d.
“Not my Business.”
Which two poems are structured as if they are answers to, or conversations with,
someone and they address this person as “you”?
a.
“Hurricane Hits England” and “Half-Caste.”
b.
“Not my Business” and “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan.”
c.
“This Room” and “Hurricane Hits England.”
d.
“Search for my Tongue” and “Half-Caste.”
Which two poems have no stanza division?
a.
“Half-Caste” and “Unrelated Incidents.”
b.
“Search for my Tongue” and “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan.”
c.
“Unrelated Incidents” and “Search for my Tongue.”
d.
“This Room” and “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan.”
34