‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
Teachers notes for S2/S3:
Louis MacNeice and Bob Dylan
by
Jane Bonnyman
MA, PGDip, PGDE
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/
‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
Contents
Introduction
Activity 1 - A Prayer Before Birth – listening for sounds
Activity 2 - A Prayer Before Birth – action and performance
Activity 3a - ‘A cog in a machine’ – rules and complaints
Activity 3b – Subterranean Homesick Blues – listening/ discussing
Activity 4 - ‘O hear me’ – finding a voice
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/
‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
Introduction
The main aim of this unit is to enable the pupils to enjoy reading and writing poetry.
The pupils will, as a result, produce poems from the stimuli given. However, there are
listening and talking exercises embedded within the unit which could be developed
into assessed tasks depending on the stage and course outline for the class.
I did this with a lower set S2 class, but it could be equally successful with and S3/ S4
class, as many of the activities could be developed to become listening and talk
outcomes for National 4/5. Under Curriculum for Excellence it can be used to
develop Tools for Reading, Writing, Listening and Talking as well as to achieve
outcomes under Creating Texts.
Content
The texts chosen should tap into and challenge that default ‘No’ of the more jaded
class. They are filled with ideas that could spark discussion; lead into individual talks
and listening activities and persuasive/discursive writing. The Dylan could lead into
more modern territory, looking at more recent lyrics (of their choice…!) depending
on the level of interest. As it is, there are shorter tasks present here, as the main
impetus is towards their own writing.
Form and Style
The focus from the outset is to develop the pupils’ awareness of the sounds within
and at the ends of lines; looking particularly at assonance, alliteration; strong
rhymes; half rhymes. They will also consider the effect of different rhythms and
repetitions and listing with a view to incorporating them into their own work later on.
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/
‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
Activity 1 – ‘A Prayer Before Birth’ by Louis MacNeice
Discussion
You might begin by presenting pupils with a series of images that pertain to different
aspects of the poem’s content like the ones below:
Groups could move around the class in a carrousel-type activity, taking notes and
then a discussion could evolve around associations, contrasts and aspects of
humankind brought to light by the pictures.
Read the poem to the class. Ensure that they get the gist of the text before moving
on.
Listening for sounds
Play the poem performed by a young reader. There are various examples on
YouTube. The one I used was taken from TEAfilms Rhyme Sessions.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck4YkYVEo8k)
Divide the pupils into groups and get each one to be in charge of a sound
technique:
assonance; onomatopoeia; alliteration; repetition; rhyme and rhythm
Draw table on the board that the class fill in (depending on numbers) or they draw
one in their jotters.
Listen again to the reading; this time jotting down sounds.
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/
‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
After the feedback, it is fun to go round the class with each pupil selecting an
example of sound and draw it in a way that emphasises the technique:
bloodsucking bat
blAck rAcks rAck me
.
They could read out their finished sound in an exaggerated manner to their partner;
to the class. Get them to shout; say them quickly; slowly; in different tones….
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/
‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
Activity 2 – ‘A Prayer Before Birth’ by Louis MacNeice
Curriculum for Excellence
Listening and Talking:
Whole Class Performance
LIT 3-10a/ 4-10a
Divide the class into pairs/ threes/ fours and assign a verse to each group.
Differentiate where possible. They should try to learn it off by heart together, or
taking it line by line. The aim is for them to pronounce the sounds as much as
possible and to try to merge the sound with the meaning of what they are saying.
The last verse could be given to an able or less able pupil in class – it is perhaps more
effective if it is spoken quietly by a less confident pupil. You can experiment with this;
perhaps have one or two pupils repeating the ‘I am not yet born’ as a refrain
throughout.
When it comes to performing the poem, it is good to try to emulate the structure of
verses in actions so the verses could begin in unison and then dwindle to one
speaker by the end to convey the senses of time running out. They could also bring
in props or have a powerpoint of images in the background.
Pupils could ultimately perform their finished piece to another class; to another
teacher; or you might wish to film it….? Depending on the technology available they
could even make up their own film poem in which each group is responsible for ‘a
scene’ of the film. This could then become a listening exercise for another class
studying conflict poetry.
See website below for other ideas:
http://www.filmpoem.com/
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/
‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
Activity 3a - ‘A cog in a machine’ – rules and complaints
Pupils will now be asked to look more carefully at the content of the MacNeice
poem in relation to their own lives. They could complete a table like the one below
which charts examples from the world they live in and their own lives for each of the
quotations from the poem.
bloodsucking
bat/ rat/
stoat/ clubfooted ghoul
tall
walls
strong
drugs
wise
lies
bloodbaths
bureaucrats/ the man
old men
who thinks
he is God
In the course of the feedback, steer the discussion towards the pressures the pupils
experience; elicit one or two examples from them of ‘walls’ that surround them or
authorities that boss them and how they feel about it.
Consolidate this by giving them 5 minutes to write down (on A3 sheets or mini white
boards with marker pens if poss) rules they don’t agree with (could be school ones),
complaints they have about their lives; the hopes they have, where they see
themselves in the future…..
They should end up with a collection of posters that the teacher can hold up and sift
through, reading out maybe one from each example(if pupils are happy about this)
It is important that the teacher discard them onto the ground or desk as they read
them aloud.
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/
‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
Activity 3b – Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan
Curriculum for Excellence
Listening and Talking:
LIT 3-04a-4-04a
Play the video for this song to the class:
(not available on YouTube so try: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/sy187835137/bob_dylan_subterranean_homesick_blues_official_music_video/)
1. Get pupils to write down any expressions they can remember from the song.
They should hopefully come up with lines that are repeated or words that rhyme.
2. Play the song again and pupils discuss in pairs the purpose and audience for this
song. They have to back up their finding with evidence from the text.
(This could be developed into a Listening Outcome)
3. Pupils complete the attached worksheet with or without consolidation paragraph
at end.
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/
‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
Activity 4 – ‘O hear me’ – writing poetry…
This is the culmination of the unit where pupils are essentially being asked to channel
what they have learnt about both texts into their own poem. The format should
emulate the Dylan structure more than the MacNeice, as this is easier, but the pupils
should be encouraged to incorporate the elements of sound learnt from the first
poem.
First step is to get them to return to their own list of complaints from Activity 3a).
Hopefully the teacher has held on to them! Using each one as a springboard, pupils
will be asked to write each complaint in the centre of the paper and then write
words/ phrases/ draw pictures to surround it. Encourage them to come up with some
rhymes where possible: E.g.
food eaters
money stealers
liars/ framers/ teachers
school fights
hiders /losers
cheaters/ smokers
it’s me; they don’t know
nails are pink;
red; day-glow
no make-up
now we’re all the same;
no colours here; only grey
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/
‘Wise lies’ and ‘the day shift’
Poetry for the jaded
Now see if they can pull it altogether, beginning by listing each complaint, threading
in rhymes and trying to get them to link together. Pupils can look back to MacNeice
and steal expressions like ‘wise lies’, ‘doomed’, ‘hither’ /’thither’.
N.B. It’s easy for them to get pulled into a rhyming frenzy where they say things like
‘Finish what we started, but be kind hearted..’ which is clearly random words shoved
together as they rhyme – steer them away from this by giving examples and by
getting them to focus on rhythm rather than rhyme.
By Jane Bonnyman for the Scottish Poetry Library’s education blog
http://makingmakars.wordpress.com/