Poems from Different Cultures
Teaching
Poems
from
Different Cultures
Poems from Different Cultures
Focus
For this assignment, there is a specific focus. In writing about two poems from
different cultures the students must compare the ways in which the poets
treat their subjects.
Criteria
The students will be marked specific aspects of their work. Do they:

use the language of comparison

use technical vocabulary associated with poetry

write about the Content, Theme(s), Language and Structure of the poems

use Point, Evidence and Explanation to explain their views
Task Setting
This is crucial. Get this wrong and the students will miss out on the marks
N.B. Remember the focus.
Which of the following is the best assignment:
1. Compare the two poems, “Nothing’s Changed” and “Two Scavengers
in a Truck”.
2. Explain how the writer’s of the poems, “Nothing’s Changed” and “Two
Scavengers in a Truck”, feel about the issues they describe.
3. Compare the ways in which the writers of the poems, “Nothing’s
Changed” and “Two Scavengers in a Truck”, deal with the issues they
describe.
Teaching the materials
There are two major aspects to consider here:
1. The reading issues: developing an understanding of the poems and
then comparing the ways they use content, theme, language and
structure.
2. The writing issues: ensuring that students know the conventions of this
style of writing, what a good answer looks like, as well as building in
opportunities to draft, peer assess and then re-work their answers.
N.B.
Many students fail because they have a sound knowledge of the
poems but little idea of how to frame their answer.
The main point, therefore is top ensure that your teaching covers both aspects
of the coursework: Reading and Writing
The following pages contain some useful resources.
Materials
to
teach the
Reading
Elements
Nothing's Changed
Small round hard stones click
under my heels,
seeding grasses thrust
bearded seeds
into trouser cuffs, cans,
trodden on, crunch
in tall, purple-flowering, amiable
weeds.
District Six.
No board says it is:
but my feet know,
and my hands,
and the skin about my bones,
and the soft labouring of my lungs,
and the hot, white, inwards turning
anger of my eyes.
Brash with glass,
name flaring like a flag,
it squats
in the grass and weeds,
incipient Port Jackson trees:
new, up-market, haute cuisine,
guard at the gatepost,
whites only inn.
No sign says it is:
but we know where we belong.
I press my nose
to the clear panes, know,
before I see them, there will be
crushed ice white glass,
linen falls,
the single rose.
Down the road,
working man's cafe sells
bunny chows.
Take it with you, eat
it at a plastic table's top,
wipe your fingers on your jeans,
spit a little on the floor:
it's in the bone.
I back from the glass,
boy again,
leaving small mean O
of small, mean mouth.
Hands burn
for a stone, a bomb,
to shiver down the glass.
Nothing's changed.
-- Tatamkhulu Afrika
Nothing’s Changed
1. The first verse sets the scene. What kind of scene is it?
2. How do the words “click”, “bearded seeds” and “crunch” add to our
understanding of the scene?
3. What does verse two tell us about the poet’s feelings? Which words help
us understand these feelings?
4. What do the words “Brash with glass”, “flaring like a flag” and “squats” tell
us about the poet’s feelings about the new restaurant?
5. Why are lines 25-26 separated from the other verses?
6. What kind of restaurant does the poet describe? What evidence can you
find to support your views?
7. Why does the poet include the verse (Lines 33-40)?
8. In the last verse, how does the poet’s experiences influence how he feels
at the end?
9. The poet thought that the end of Apartheid would lead to a change in
conditions. How does he use the “glass” in line 47 as a metaphor for the
new problems that the black South Africans face?
10. How many verses? Are they rhyming? What is the purpose of each verse?
11. What are the advantages of using the first person to create this poem?
Content and
theme
Language
Structure
Two Scavengers in a Truck,
Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes
At the stoplight waiting for the light
nine a.m. downtown San Francisco
a bright yellow garbage truck
with two garbagemen in red plastic blazers
standing on the back stoop
one on each side hanging on
and looking down into
an elegant open Mercedes
with an elegant couple in it
The man
in a hip three-piece linen suit
with shoulder-length blond hair & sunglassed
The young blond woman so casually coifed
with short skirt and coloured stockings
on the way to his architect's office
And the two scavengers up since four a.m.
grungy from their route
on the way home
The older of the two with grey iron hair
and hunched back
looking down like some
gargoyle Quasimodo
And the younger of the two
also with sunglasses & long hair
about the same age as the Mercedes driver
And both scavengers gazing down
as from a great distance
at the cool couple
as if they were watching some odorless TV ad
in which everything is always possible
And the very red light for an instant
holding all four close together
as if anything at all were possible
between them
across that small gulf
in the high sea
of this democracy
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Two Scavengers in a Truck,
Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes
America is a democracy where people have rights and vote for their leaders. If
they don’t like them, they can choose someone else at the next election. The
Americans have a saying “The American Dream” that represents the idea that
anyone by working hard and doing the right things can make a great life for
themselves. In this poem, Ferlinghetti invites the reader to think about that
idea.
Now read the poem
Starter:
1. Underline any words that suggest that this poem is set in America.
2. In the table below, make two lists: one of the ways in which the couple in
the Mercedes are described, the other of the way of the way the garbage
men are described.
The couple in the Mercedes
The garbage men
cool couple
grey iron hair
3. What does the information in the table tell you the lifestyles of the two
couples?
4. What do you think the writer wants us to think when he uses the following
phrases:
(a) “hanging on” (line 6)?
(b) “like some gargoyle Quasimodo” (line 22)?
(c) “looking down as if they were watching some odorless TV ad in which
everything is possible”?
(d) “as if anything at all were possible between them”
5. What do you think that the poet wants us to think about democracy and
the American Dream at the end of this poem?
Two Scavengers
Content and Theme
Language Use
Form and Structure
My Opinion
Imagery Checklist
Title of Poem…………………………………………………………….
Image used
Type
Intended effect on reader
Imagery Checklist
Does the poet use the following devices?
1.
Similes
Yes/No
Example
2.
Metaphor
Yes/No
Example
3.
Alliteration
Yes/No
Example
4.
Onomatopoeia
Yes/No
Example
5.
Personification
Example
6.
Other
Name:
Example:
7.
Other
Example:
Name:
Yes/No
Poetry Comparison Sheet
Two Scavengers
Content and
Themes
Language
Structure
The situation
for the
citizens
Nothing’s Changed
Similarities / Differences
Materials
to teach
the
Writing
Elements
GCSE Literature (Poetry)
Words that compare:






similarly
At the same time…
In the same way…
In addition…
Also…………
Like (Likewise)…………
Words that contrast:






Conversely…………
On the other hand…………
However, …………
Whereas…………
Instead…………
By contrast…………
Writing to Compare Poems
1. Name the poems and the poets you have chosen
2. Write about the first poem – Deal with Content and
Theme(s), Language and Structure
3. Write about the next poem(s), using the language of
comparison to link the poem(s) to the rest. Write
about Content and Theme(s), Language and
Structure
4. End with an overall comparison, linking or
contrasting the poems you have written about. How
are they the same and how are they different?
Writing about Poetry
Starter:
Match the following poetry devices to the appropriate definitions
Metaphor:
To hold up a view to scorn and ridicule Simile Words that reflect the
sound they describe
Onomatopoeia:
Giving inhuman things qualities associated with human beings
Personification:
To place two different ideas next to each other to reflect a contrast or
highlight the difference
Alliteration:
A comparison using ''as'' or "like"
Juxtaposition:
To repeat the initial sound of several words to create an effect or for
emphasis
Satire:
A comparison in which one thing is said to another
Writing about Poetry
The following three pieces of writing are taken from GCSE papers. Read them and then answer the
questions that follow them.
Candidate A
The first section of the poem "Island Man" deals with the man's dreams about his life in the Caribbean. The
opening line consists of just one word, "Morning" and the reader is immediately aware of time and how the
man is awakening from his dream of home. The sound of the surf "breaking and wombing " in is head
creates not only the way in which he can still capture the sounds of his homeland but also the metaphor,
"wombing", suggests how, like a baby in a mother's womb, he feels secure and safe on hearing such
familiar and reassuring noises. Grace Nicholls' use of colours also help to define the way in which the man
remembers his island 'paradise ". The surf is "blue" and the vegetation is 'lemerald green ". Such vivid rich
colours suggest a natural, unspoilt and inviting setting, whilst the use of the metaphor, l'emerald" gives a
hint of the preciousness of the scene to the man. By contrast, his view of London is very different
Candidate B
“Blessing" is set in India and is about a burst water pipe in the backstreets of a city that causes a massive
reaction from young and old alike, as they rush to collect the water or to play in it. Imtiaz Dharker's theme is
the preciousness of the water. India is a hot country and the water we take for granted is described in
religious terms.
The poem opens with a simile,
“The skin cracks like a pod"
and the writer seeks to set the scene. The ground is dry and there are huge cracks in the earth's
crust……………………………
Candidate C
The poet who wrote 'Island Man " tells us that he likes his home but not England He thinks the Caribbean is
gorgeous but that England is dull. He says things like,
“……island man wakes up
To the sound of blue surf"
This means that in his dreams he sees the sea and it is still in his head as he wakes up. England is "a grey
metallic soar". This means that he wakes up the noise of London. He thinks that London is dull. Then he
says, “Another London Day ". He means that it is just another ordinary day. He does not like London as
much his is/and He will never forget his home on the island......................................
Tasks
1. Text mark the points, evidence and comments in each piece.
2. Which is the best piece of writing? Give reasons for your answer.
3. How would you improve the weaker pieces?
4. In pairs, improve the weakest piece. Be prepared to read it out loud.
Peer Assessment
(The Coloured Pencil Method)
Above everything else, it is important that students understand the assessment criteria and how they are
meeting them. This technique is well established and works well with practice. It can be adapted for use
with any piece of writing.
1. Remind the students of the criteria (i.e. language of comparison, technical vocabulary, coverage of
content, theme, language and structure, point, evidence and explanation)
2. Take one piece of work and model how to assess it in the following way: mark with different colours any
evidence of the criteria being met:

language of comparison-blue .technical vocabulary-green

point-red

evidence-yellow

explanation-brown

coverage of content-write content in the margin .theme-write theme in the margin

language -write language in the margin .structure -write structure in the margin
A good piece will look like an accident in a paint factory! Pupils will instantly be able to see what they have
done well or missed out. An absence of a particular colour tells them what they need to more of. They can
then tell you how they have fared and what their targets are.
3. Let the pupils work in pairs to assess their own work, using the coloured pencil approach. Ask them to
list strengths and areas for improvement. Ask them to discuss and then write a "teacher's comment" and
then have a class discussion in which students talk about their partner's work.
4. When the students re-draft their work, they can repeat the process to see how they have improved, and
then make final adjustments.