Contemporary poetry introductions and getting an a

UNSEEN POETRY

A664 – 45 minutes to write about an unseen poem (one

question, no choice)

Lesson 1

PRACTICE FOR THE EXAM A N N O T A T E A S M A N Y F E A T U R E S O F S . M . I . L . E . I N T H I S P O E M A S

Y O U C A N I N 1 0 M I N U T E S

About His Person (page 105)

Five pounds fifty in change, exactly,

a library card on its date of expiry.

A postcard stamped,

unwritten, but franked,

a pocket size diary slashed with a pencil

from March twenty-fourth to the first of April.

A brace of keys for a mortise lock,

an analogue watch, self winding, stopped.

A final demand

in his own hand,

a rolled up note of explanation

planted there like a spray carnation

but beheaded, in his fist.

A shopping list.

A giveaway photograph stashed in his wallet,

a keepsake banked in the heart of a locket.

No gold or silver,

but crowning one finger

a ring of white unweathered skin.

That was everything.

Simon Armitage

What did you find?

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

OVER THE NEXT TWO LESSONS WE WILL THINK AB OUT:

How do we evaluate the tone of a poem? (AO1)

What does an A look like in the Contemporary Poetry

exam? (AO1 and 2)

UNSEEN POETRYP L A N

Read the question, highlighting the key words. Read the poem with the

question in mind.

Annotate the poem looking for features of SMILE that relate to the

question you are being asked to answer.

Sequence these into clear points, cluster together any points that might

be related and can therefore be written about in the same PEARL

paragraph.

If there are bulletpoints to help you structure a response, make sure you

have selected a PEARL for each. If there are no bulletpoints, use the

SMILE structure to help you organise your response.

You have 10 minutes at the most to do this

UNSEEN POETRYR E S P O N D

Write a response which begins with an outline of the poem’s

meaning, tone and how the poet wants the reader to feel

about their subject. You should include the key words from the

question.

Next come your PEARL paragraphs addressing either the

bulletpoints or SMILE. Remember the key words from the

question should feature in your point and in your EAR.

Conclude with a personal response (remember to be positive –

there are no marks for ‘I hated this poem, it was rubbish!’) and

bring everything back to the key words in the question.

H O W D O W E E VA L U AT E T H E T O N E O F A P O E M ? ( A O 1 )

In your introduction it is a good idea to summarise the poem’s

meaning, tone and the response you think the poet wanted from

the reader.

The tone and reader response are created by the poem overall – the

events and their order, the narrative voice, the rhythm and rhyme,

the use of imagery, the word choices, the layout on the page...

It is like looking at a picture and being able to sense the tone and

mood an artist wanted to create. Or hearing a piece of music and

having it put you in a particular mood.


Listen to the songs. How does each make you feel?

This is probably the mood and tone the artist was going

for when they composed the song. They wanted to

make the reader feel a particular way about an idea or

issue. They also wanted to portray their own feelings.

TEACHER: CHOOSE SOME SONGS WITH CLEAR TONE

AND MOOD

e.g. Ride of the Valkyires, Swan Lake, The Lazy

song Bruno Mars, So what Pink... (all available

on youtube – but just listen don’t watch)

H O W D O W E E VA LU AT E T H E T O N E O F A P O E M ? ( A O 1 )

Take a look at the images that follow. For each

write down the tone/mood in the image and how

you think the artist wanted the person looking

at it to feel. What emotion do they evoke in

you?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

HOW DO WE EVALUATE THE TONE OF A POEM? (AO1)

Poetry is just like the songs or painting, it is a way of

communicating an idea and feeling.

Now take a look at these extracts of poetry :

What is the tone/mood of each extract?

How do you think the poet wanted the person reading

it to feel?

What emotion do they evoke in you?

How does the poet feel about the subject of their

poem?

Explain yuself

wha yu mean

when yu say half-

caste

Brash with glass,

Name flaring like a flag,

It squats

In the grass and weeds,

Incipent Port Jackson trees:

New, up-market, haute cuisine,

Guard at the gatepost,

Whites only inn.

It grows back, a stump of a shoot

Grows longer, grows moist, grows strong

veins,

It ties the other tongue in knots,

The bud opens, the bud opens in my mouth,

It pushes the other tongue aside.

Every time I think I’ve forgotten,

I think I’ve lost the mother tongue,

It blossoms out of my mouth.

I’m not playing ball boy any longer

Batman, now I’ve doffed that off-the-

shoulder

Sherwood-forest-green and scarlet number

For a pair of jeans and crew-neck jumper;

Now I’m taller; harder; stronger; older.

Sometimes, the sudden rush

Of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts,

Silver crashes to the ground

And the flow has found

A roar of tongues.

This is the time and place to be alive:

When the daily furniture of our lives

Stirs, when the improbable arrives.


In your introduction it is a good idea to summarise the

poem’s meaning, tone and the response you think the

poet wanted from the reader.

Here is an example introduction to the question: how does

the poet show their opinions strongly?:

In Agard’s Poem he expresses his reaction towards the use of

the word ‘half-caste’ to describe people of mixed race. His

response is angry, almost confrontational, and direct in

addressing the reader. He demands the reader think about

the use of the word and, by the end of the poem, he makes us

feel as strongly about it’s use as he does.

Explain yuself

wha yu mean

when yu say half-

caste

Your turn – choose any other extract and write the introduction to the

same question.

HOW DO WE EVALUATE THE TONE OF A POEM? (AO1)

What are we looking for/at?

Morning

And island man wakes up

To the sound of blue surf in his head

The steady breaking and wombing

Wild seabirds

And fishermen pushing out to sea

The sun surfacing defiantly

From the east

Of his small emerald island

He always comes back

H O W D O W E E V A L U A T E T H E T O N E O F A P O E M ? ( A O 1 )S O M E T I M E S Y O U M I G H T R E A D A P O E M W H E R E T H E T O N E

C H A N G E S PA R T W A Y T H R O U G H

Groggily groggily

Comes back to sands

Of a grey metallic soar

To surge of wheels

To dull North Circular roar

Muffling muffling

His crumpled pillow waves

Island man heaves himself

Another London day

What different tones and

moods can you

see in this poem?

Lesson 2

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

OVER THE TWO LESSONS WE HAVE AND WILL BE THINKING AB OUT:

How do we evaluate the tone of a poem? (AO1)

What does an A look like in the Contemporary Poetry

exam? (AO1 and 2)

STARTER:

Look at the poem: From the Motorway and

the question . You have 10 minutes to

annotate the features of S.M.I.L.E. that you

think would help you answer this question.

Teacher: Feedback from starter onto board.

UNSEEN POETRYP L A N

Read the question, highlighting the key words. Read the poem with the

question in mind.

Annotate the poem looking for features of SMILE that relate to the

question you are being asked to answer.

Sequence these into clear points, cluster together any points that might

be related and can therefore be written about in the same PEARL

paragraph.

If there are bulletpoints to help you structure a response, make sure you

have selected a PEARL for each. If there are no bulletpoints, use the

SMILE structure to help you organise your response.

You have 10 minutes at the most to do this

WHAT DOES AN A LOOK L IKE IN THE CONTEMPORARY POETRY EXAM? (AO1

AND 2 )

How does the poet make From the Motorway such a powerful attack

on motorways?

You should consider:

• how the poet describes the scenery and destinations on motorways

• how the poet describes the experience of travelling on motorways

• what the travellers on motorways are missing

• the tone of voice in the poem

• the language the poet uses

• how the poem is structured

• anything else that you think important.

L & I

M

L

S

E

Everywhere up and down the island

Britain is mending her desert:

marvellous we exclaim as we fly on it,

tying the country in a parcel.

London to Edinburgh, Birmingham to Cardiff. 5

No time to examine the contents,

thank you, but consider the bliss of

sitting absolutely numbed to your

nulled mind, music when you want it,

while identical miles thunder under

you, 10

the same spot coming and going

seventy, eighty times a minute,

FROM THE MOTORWAY A N N E S T E V E N S O N

defending a shamelessly naked

25

(rarely a stitch of work on her)

captive free lane,

which the inchlings inch on

without bite or sup, at most

a hard shoulder to creep on, 30

while there, on all sides,

lie your unwrapped destinations,

lanes trickling off into childhood

or anonymity, apple-scented

villages

asleep in their promise of being

35

nowhere anyone would like to

get to.

till you’re there, wherever there

is, ready to be someone in

Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, 15

they’re all the same to the road,

which loves itself, which

nonetheless

here and there hands you trailing

necklaces of fumes in which to be

one squeezed breather among 20

rich and ragged, sprinter and

staggerer,

a status parade for Major

Roadworks

toiling in his red-trimmed

triangle,

then a regiment of wounded

orange witches


AND 2 )

So you’ve gathered your evidence to answer this question. Now,

how will you structure your response? What will your PEARLs be?

PEARLs:

1.

2.

3.

Number your evidence/annotations to show which PEARL it

belongs with. Will you cover all elements of the question/SMILE

with this plan?

UNSEEN POETRYR E S P O N D

Write a response which begins with an outline of the poem’s

meaning, tone and how the poet wants the reader to feel

about their subject. You should include the key words from the

question.

Next come your PEARL paragraphs addressing either the

bulletpoints or SMILE. Remember the key words from the

question should feature in your point and in your EAR.

Conclude with a personal response (remember to be positive –

there are no marks for ‘I hated this poem, it was rubbish!’) and

bring everything back to the key words in the question.


AND 2 )

What follows is a response to this

question, which was the June 2011

exam question. Using the mark scheme,

what mark and band would you give it?

Band Mark

AO1 AO2 QWC

1 1615

•sophisticated critical perception in response to and interpretation of text cogent and precise evaluation of well-selected detail from the text

•sensitive understanding of the significance and effects of writers’ choices of language, structure and form

•text is legible •spelling, punctuation and grammar are accurate and assured •meaning is very clearly communicated

2 1413

•critical engagement and insight in response to and interpretation of text(s) •evaluation of well-selected reference to detail of text(s)

•critical insight into the significance and effects of writers’ choices of language, structure and form

•text is legible •spelling, punctuation and grammar are accurate •meaning is very clearly communicated

3 1211

•clear, sustained responses to the text(s) •support from careful and relevant reference to detail of the text(s)

•clear understanding of some of the effects of writers’ choices of language, structure and form

•text is legible •spelling, punctuation and grammar are mainly accurate •meaning is clearly communicated

4 109

•reasonably developed personal response to the text(s) •use of appropriate support from detail of the text(s)

•overall understanding that writers’ choices of language, structure and form contribute to meaning/effect

•text is legible •some errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar •meaning is clearly communicated for most of the answer

5 87

•reasonably organised response to text(s) •use of some relevant support from the text(s)

•understanding of some features of language, structure and/or form

•text is mostly legible •frequent errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar •communication of meaning is sometimes hindered

Contemporary Poetry A664

In the poem ‘’From the Motorway’ the motorway is portrayed as a mind-numbingly dull experience which saps precious moments away from unwitting drivers.

The poet describes the motorway as an endless cycle of reoccurring images that never cease to bore drivers as they witness the same road in the same constant stripe: “while identical miles thunder under you”. The writer uses distressed, repetitive imagery to create the same dull feeling in the reader as the scenery does to the driver. However the beginning may begin lacking excitement as the narrator describes the motorway, the narrator ends the poem with a irresistibly luring description of the places the drivers miss as they drive on past: “apple scented villages”. The narrator is therefore claiming that the motorway drains and leeches the fun and excitement of travelling as it boxes you in its path and won’t release you until you reach your destination..

The narrator refers to the country as a gift not to be opened as you drive on down the frustratingly never-ending motorway, “tying the country in a parcel... No time to examine the contents”. The narrators tone when describing the parcel is pleasant and excitable however the tone drops to that of depression like that of a disappointed child unable to open a present. Again this shows that the motorway prevents any fun being absorbed on the long inescapable trek. However the poet does later open the package for the reader towards the end of the poem. The gift is that of freedom “lanes trickling off into childhood” all that which the motorway is stripping away. All these people need is a way out, which presents them as prisoners and the motorway as the person with the key unwilling to share once again portraying the motorway as an evil dictator.

The writer uses personification to place blame on the motorway as if it is the motorway’s doing , like it is the motorway’s fault “they’re all the same to the road which loves it’s self... hands you...”. This portrays the motorway as a selfish, self obsessed, attention clutching captor who will spit you out when you’ve served your purpose. It self-centred attitude means it cares not where you go, only how you get there and that way is the motorway. It drags both you and your car along until you are both battered and shattered and leaves you to fend for yourself once you leave its company.

In the poem ‘’From the Motorway’ the motorway is portrayed as a mind-numbingly dull experience which saps precious moments away from unwitting drivers.

The poet describes the motorway as an endless cycle of reoccurring images that never cease to bore drivers as they witness the same road in the same constant stripe: “while identical miles thunder under you”. The writer uses distressed, repetitive imagery to create the same dull feeling in the reader as the scenery does to the driver. However the beginning may begin lacking excitement as the narrator describes the motorway, the narrator ends the poem with a irresistibly luring description of the places the drivers miss as they drive on past: “apple scented villages”. The narrator is therefore claiming that the motorway drains and leeches the fun and excitement of travelling as it boxes you in its path and won’t release you until you reach your destination..

The narrator refers to the country as a gift not to be opened as you drive on down the frustratingly never-ending motorway, “tying the country in a parcel... No time to examine the contents”. The narrators tone when describing the parcel is pleasant and excitable however the tone drops to that of depression like that of a disappointed child unable to open a present. Again this shows that the motorway prevents any fun being absorbed on the long inescapable trek. However the poet does later open the package for the reader towards the end of the poem. The gift is that of freedom “lanes trickling off into childhood” all that which the motorway is stripping away. All these people need is a way out, which presents them as prisoners and the motorway as the person with the key unwilling to share once again portraying the motorway as an evil dictator.

The writer uses personification to place blame on the motorway as if it is the motorway’s doing , like it is the motorway’s fault “they’re all the same to the road which loves it’s self... hands you...”. This portrays the motorway as a selfish, self obsessed, attention clutching captor who will spit you out when you’ve served your purpose. It self-centred attitude means it cares not where you go, only how you get there and that way is the motorway. It drags both you and your car along until you are both battered and shattered and leaves you to fend for yourself once you leave its company.

Good overview

Textual Support

Reader involvement

Right Word

Engaging with Metaphor

Critical engagement and insight. Not exhaustive but does discuss the material in the poem and the candidate has

structured well.

This is a forceful response to the unseen poem. The introduction

suggests a willingness to engage with both AO1 and AO2. The poet’s

disdain for the motorways is immediately identified and literary devices

referred to. There is analysis of and response to the ‘parcel’ metaphor

and supported discussion of the personification of the motorway and its

arrogance. The candidate comments intelligently on the structure in the

last paragraph. Although there is not always comment on some aspects

on which the response touches (“orange witches”), critical insight is

clear.

What mark did you give it?

This was given a Band 2: 13 marksDo we agree?


AND 2 )

Examiner’s tips:

Basic responses will make relevant comments on what Stevenson says, largely through

paraphrasing. They will move on through the bands as understanding becomes more

secure and better supported by textual reference. Good responses will begin to explore

the language of the poem. There are sound devices reflecting the miles travelled on a

motorway that “thunder under”. Metaphors like “necklaces of fumes”, and the activities

of the military Major roadworks, protecting the shamelessly naked free lane might be

discussed/analysed in high band answers here. Comment on structure might consider the

use of enjambment, the constricted third line of verse five mirroring the traffic filtering

because of a lane not taken, the way the last five verses hurry to a full stop at the end of

verse 6. There is much that can be said about this poem (its title has ambiguities) and it

is important to accept thoughtful exploration here. Best answers will discuss the

poem, its language and structure with some insight.


AND 2 )

Education

Contemporary poetry introductions and getting an a