Jonathan- We Live Here

We Live Here

We live here.

On the eleventh floor of the hundredth twenty-fifth block,

behind the first black door next to the second grey lift.

The one marked with the crucifix, jesus and the dust,

a little thing we salvaged from our old place

as a counter to the neighbours’ talismans.

One, nailed to their door like ours and

the rest loose on their money plant,

flutters for attention, trying to convert the wind.

Like everyone else, we’ve never introduced ourselves,

or touched hands, or come closer to saying anything than

the slightest hint of our most reluctant smile,

but imagine that the joss they burn on the altar outside,

to their furious God, bearded and well-armed,

with an equal coat of dust

will one day burn us all down.

By Eric Low Soon Liang

QLRS Vol. 3 No. 4 Jul 2004

Level/ Stream: Secondary 2 Express

Objective:  Students are to identify the tone and analyse the writer’s portrayal of HDB living in Singapore

1. What do you think the poem is about?

It is the initial stage where i want the students to be able to pick up the overall idea. In this case, the writer is describing the place he lives in. This poem is picked as it is easy for students to identify with the setting and the issues being raised through the poem. 

2. Why does the author title the poem "We Live Here"?

The teacher can  get the students to think about other titles that they see appropriate for the poem. On one level, the poem is titled "We Live Here" as the poem describes where the persona lives at. On the other hand, it is presented in the tone of irony that the residents doesn't seem to know one another who stay at the same place.

3.How are the neighbours and religious items described? Use the poem as evidence to support your answer.

Students should be able to pick up the hostility amongst neighbours, as well as the fear that one neighbour has of the other neighbour's belief. From the poet's description, it would allow the teacher to go into the tone and the effect which the tone would have on the reader.

4. Why do you think the persona described his corridor in such a manner? Is it true for you too?

Students would be able to think about the tone of irony and the reason why the writer describes the corridor in such a manner. It is ironic that the nieghbours live so closely to one another but little interaction takes place for them to know one another and thus become fearful of one another's belief. Students would also be able to relate and consider if it is true for them. 

Vergissmeinnicht by Keith Douglas - Bernice's Post

Three weeks gone and the combatants gone
returning over the nightmare ground
we found the place again, and found
the soldier sprawling in the sun.


The frowning barrel of his gun
overshadowing. As we came on
that day, he hit my tank with one
like the entry of a demon.


Look. Here in the gunpit spoil
the dishonoured picture of his girl
who has put: Steffi. Vergissmeinnicht
in a copybook gothic script.


We see him almost with content,
abased, and seeming to have paid
and mocked at by his own equipment
that's hard and good when he's decayed.


But she would weep to see today
how on his skin the swart flies move;
the dust upon the paper eye
and the burst stomach like a cave.


For here the lover and killer are mingled
who had one body and one heart.
And death who had the soldier singled
has done the lover mortal hurt.

Level/ Stream: Sec2 Express

Objective:  Students are to identify the imagery used and describe how the writer’s portrayal of war is depicted through them.

First, I would let the students run through the poem on their own before playing the reading by the poet (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6b3a8_keith-douglas-vergissmeinnicht-forg_music) himself before checking their answers for question one to see if they have gotten the correct reading of it.

1. What is this poem about?

This question aims to see how well students have understood the poem on the surface level:

Students are to briefly describe what they think the poem is about – the persona is a soldier who survived the war and has returned to the battlefield. He sees an enemy soldier dead and the objects found with him; a photo of his lover together with her name and a forget-me-not flower. The persona then describes the state of the corpse which is rather grotesque

2. Pick out evidence from the poem for the following questions:

- How is the dead soldier being described?

- What is being brought into the poem that seems to be not related to war?

3. What do you think the poet is trying to imply when he contrasts these imagery?

This question aims to guide students to see how the poet enables the reader to see war through a more micro view in contrast to how it is usually depicted through the macro lens - an affair that involves politics, killings and armies of soldier.

In contrasting the images, the students should be able to come up with ideas that war is not just about the soldiers, but about those they have left behind and the futures that have died along with them. By using answers in the second question, I would also guide students to see the connotations that come with the imagery and from here, lead them to uncover the underlying meaning of the poem.

4. Why do you think this poem is titled Vergissmeinnicht? Use the following questions as guidelines to answering qn 4)

-          How is the term used in the poem?

-          Is the poem simply about war? What else is it about?

'The Planners' by Boey Kim Cheng - Elson

They plan. They build. All spaces are gridded,

filled with permutations of possibilities.

The buildings are in alignment with the roads

which meet at desired points
linked by bridges all hang
in
 the grace of mathematics.

They build and will not stop.

Even the sea draws back
and the skies surrender.



They erase the flaws,
the blemishes of the past, knock off

useless blocks with dental dexterity.

All gaps are plugged

with gleaming gold.
The country wears perfect rows

of shining teeth.

Anaesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis.

They have the means.

The have it all so it will not hurt,
so history is new again.
The piling will not stop.

The drilling goes right through
the fossils of last century.


But my heart would not bleed
poetry. Not a single drop
to stain the blueprint
of our past's tomorrow.

Level: Sec 4 Express/ Sec 5 Normal academic

'The Planners' by Boey Kim Cheng can be used to teach students about imagery and to identify the different type of imagery. It is about how city planners map, design, and change a city's landscape so efficiently for the state's progress that they remove useless relics of the past to make way for modernization.

I feel that this poem should be taught to students who are more aware of the social and modern progress that are happening around them, and how this act of progress has done away with our historical and cultural relics. Therefore, I feel that the older and (hopefully) more mature students will be able to relate to this better.


1) What do you think is the poem about. Why do you think so?

This question is asked to first check the students' understand of the poem, for them to see if their interpretations differ from one another, and to find out why are the interpretations different (cultural schema).

This question will also help them identify the theme in the poem.

2) What are the kind of imagery used in this poem?

Students should not only be able to identify what imagery is, but also to learn how to categories the group of imagery used.

"permutations", "gridded". "alignment" - mathematical imagery
"gaps are plugged", "erase the flaws", "the blemish" - dental imagery

This skill will be useful for them when they write their essays.

3) What do you think is the tone/voice in the poem? How do you know?

The tone in the poem is very important because it allows readers to identify the poet's stand of the issues mentioned/concealed in the poem. Yet, very often, students are unable to identify the tone of the poem. Therefore, by asking this question, not only can the teacher check if students are able to identify tone, students can also learn from others who are able to identify tone, and to give valid evidence to support their claims.

4) "Anaesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis". What do these terms mean? What do you think the poet is trying to suggest here?


This question is asked to give an example to help students learn how to identify the tone in the poem. It highlight just how much the city planners will do to push for the city's advancement. The fact that the phrase suggests numbing and brain-washing also helps students to see what the persona/poet's feels about the process of physical change, thus contributing to the tone of the persona/poet.

"The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke - Robiah

The Soldier

If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is forever England. There shall be

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,

Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,

A body of England’s, breathing English air,

Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no less

Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;

Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

And laughter learnt of friends; and gentleness,

In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

                                                Rupert Brooke

LEVEL: Sec 2 Express
Theme: War Poetry

I will either use this poem alone, or compare it with Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et decorum est”. I will get students to discuss the concept of patriotism during World War 1. Students will get to explore the different portrayals of war through in-depth analysis of the tone and mood utilised in the poems. I will use a youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rix-LsinsoE) to allow students to hear an oral reading of the poem. This will help students get a better idea of the tone and mood and how these factors contribute to the themes of patriotism in the poem.

1.     After reading Rupert Brooke’s “The Soldier”, are you able to identify the setting of the poem? How did you manage to identify the setting? Describe the setting.

This question aids in allowing students to first be able to establish the poem’s setting by picking out on specific keywords and hints before they go more in-depth into the themes surfaced in the poem. By ensuring that students are clear with regards to the time in which this poem is set in (World War 1) and the place it is referring to (England) , students will  be able to get a more comprehensive understanding of the poem.

2.     (Based on question 1)  What impression of England does Brooke give?

Here, students have to look at the poem in a more specific manner, picking out words and terms such as “forever England”, “her flowers to love”, “English heaven” to understand how the use of descriptive and figurative language leads to the poet’s positive portrayal of England as a country worth dying for. I will also surface the poet’s use of personification of England as a lady (repeated use of “her”) who is worth protecting and treasuring.

3.     What do you think the tone in the poem is? What about the mood of the poem?

As students listen to the reading of the poem in the youtube video, students may have a better idea of the tone in the poem. I will emphasize the importance of tone in a poem and how it has a great impact with regards to conveying a certain meaning or a specific message to the readers. I will also get students to explain the feelings evoked through the use of tone in a poem. In this case, students will have to be able to discuss the tone of pride and joy used in the poem. Linking this to the mood of the poem where the soldier appears to look upon his death as honorable and an occasion for cheer and “laughter” suggests the soldier’s willingness to sacrifice his life for England.

4.      Now that you have looked at and discussed the earlier questions, how do the setting, mood and tone in the poem contribute to the themes in the poem? How does this relate to the poet’s intention of writing the poem?

While students looked only at specific aspects of the poem in the earlier questions, students now have to look at the poem as a whole. By using their knowledge of the setting, tone and mood of the poem,  students now have to establish the poem’s theme which is patriotism and the respectability and honor of dying for a country like England. The way in which the soldier seems to have an intimate and close relationship with England , referring to himself as “a dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware” reaffirms the poet’s positive perspective of patriotism.

After going through the poem in this manner, I will then tell the students about the poet’s background (as someone who never managed to serve as he died from sickness prior to the fighting). Students can then discuss how this has changed their perception of the poem with regards to the credibility of the poem’s message about sacrificing his life for England. Here, we can bring in Owen’s poem for comparison purposes. 

Picnic on the Lawn by Vernon Scannell - Jasmine

Picnic on the Lawn



by Vernon Scannell



Their dresses were splashed on the green

Like big petals; polished spoons shone

And tinkered with cup and saucer.

Three women sat there together.



They were young, but no longer girls.

Above them soft green applause

Of leaves acknowledged their laughter

Their voices moved at a saunter.



Small children were playing nearby;

A swing hung from an apple tree

And there was a sand pit for digging.

Two of the picnicking women



Were mothers. The third was not.

She had once had a husband, but

He had gone to play the lover

With a new lead in a different theatre.



One of the mothers said, ‘Have you

Cherished a dream, a fantasy

You know is impossible, a childish

Longing to do something wildly



‘Out of character? I’ll tell you mine.

I would like to drive alone

In a powerful sports car, wearing

A headscarf and dark glasses, looking



‘Sexy and mysterious and rich.’

The second mother smiled: I wish

I could ride through an autumn morning

On a chestnut mare, cool wind blowing



‘The jet black hair I never had

Like smoke streaming from my head,

In a summer swoop on a switchback sea.

Surf-riding in a black bikini.’



She then turned to the childless one:

‘And you? You’re free to make dreams come true.

You have no need of fantasies

Like us domestic prisoners.’



A pause, and then the answer came:

‘I also have a hopeless dream:

Tea on the lawn in a sunny garden,

Listening to the voices of my children.’



Lesson Objective: How the use of diction in poetry contributes to the overall meaning in a poem.


Class: Secondary Three Express/ Average Ability



1. What is happening in “Picnic on the Lawn”? Who are the main characters in the poem?

In this stage, I want my students to get a general idea of what the text is about – three women at a picnic and having a conversation about their dreams. I also want my students to specifically identify the two groups of women in the poem – two “mothers” and a woman who is “childless” and “once had a husband”.


2. How are the women’s dreams in the poem described? What do these descriptions suggest about the women’s dreams?
I would expect students to pick out dictions such as, “childish”, “impossible”, “out of character” and “hopeless”. The latter question would then enable students to link the dictions and their connotations to the bigger picture of women and their dreams.

3. What is the significance of the phrases, “You’re free” and “Like us domestic prisoners” in the second last stanza of the poem? What do they imply about the how the women perceive themselves and others?

Here I would expect my students to focus on the dictions, “You’re” and “us” and the binary oppositions of “free” and “prisoners to reflect on how they represent the dichotomy between married and unmarried women.


4. How does the final stanza serve as an irony of the women’s dreams?

Résumé by Dorothy Parker (Azizah's Post)

Resume by Dorothy Parker

Razors pain you;

Rivers are damp;

Acids stain you;

And drugs cause cramp.

Guns are lawful;

Nooses give;

Gas smells awful;

You might as well live.

This poem will be used to teach a beginning class of Secondary 1 Express students, and/or Secondary 1 NA students. The reason for the choice is simple; the poem is manageably short, and the offer some of the poetic devices like tone, irony and imagery succinctly. The subject matter is also identifiable, and provides a good teaching moment/point for teenagers to channel their angst about the world into poetry, rather than attempt and be overly indulgent in contemplating suicide.

1)       What is the rhyme scheme? Describe the form of the poem.

§  To read the poem aloud; the rhyme scheme is ababcdcd. This poem is selected because it the rhyme is easily identifiable, and is a good introductory to poetry at large.

§  The poem itself is very short. Could they be anything to it to suggest that life is short, and it might not worth even contemplating suicide.

2)       What do you think the story is about?

§  The subject matter is about suicide, and the cumbersome problem(s) associated with each suicide method. And this questions whether it is worth the effort to attempt suicide. Teachers can also bring in the moral obligations that complicate and weighs heavily on suicidal people. à Why do people contemplate suicide? What are the problems that afflict them greatly to such an extent to encourage them to end their lives? Teachers will be able to possibly develop and train empathy in students.

§  Teachers can then add on to the discussion of the poem and debate the impact it will have on the family/friends of the people who committed suicide. In addition, for the subsequent lesson, teachers can choose to explore further with poems that deals with death. This will create a sense of coherence and continuity.

3)       What is the tone of the poem?

§  There’s a sense of irony to the poem. Although seemingly whimsical, the subject matter and the extent of the effectiveness of this poem is more than meets the eye.

4)      Highlight the significance/irony of the title.

§  What is the message the poet is trying bring across?

§  Consider what the poem means to you personally?

http://www.essortment.com/analyzing-poetry-64004.html

I found the above website pretty helpful in analyzing the poetry better, and teachers can extrapolate the discussion there to come up with more scaffolding questions.

Izzan's

Morning Train by Alfian Sa'at




Why do you not look at each other's

Faces? Is the scenery that arresting,

One housing estate giving birth

To yet another copy?

Or the advertisements, read and re-read,

As if behind a slogan's promise lay

Hidden promise? Answer me:

Is that consciousness rising in you,

Dissolving your fatigue like a plastic sheet

Warping in heat, or is that simply

Sleep, draining away from you

Down to your soles, to the invisible tracks

Where the dew is dying? Where electricity

Is what pushes you to the borders

Of your own loneliness, against

The vulgar loneliness of crowds


Level- Secondary 3 Express Level

I chose the above poem firstly as a tribute to Singaporean Poetry. The use of local poems has many benefits mainly due to students being able to relate better to the poem and its Singaporean context.

The poem by Alfian Saat serves as a critique of our Singaporean society as one which is always marketed politically and commercially as a social cohesive, multi racial and interacting community which through the poem’s perspective is simply hypocritical in his practice. I feel that the poem here serves many purposes in only allowing students to infer its themes but to allow them to think about the message that the poem is sending with regards to our country.

After reading the poem students will have to answer these few questions?

What is the poem about?

This serves as the basic structure for analyzing poetry. Teachers must take note that this is a primary level of inference and so students should just explain briefly what the poem is about. Alternatively, if the teacher feels that students may digress here too much due to their poem’s overwhelming context, teachers may choose instead to ask

Why does Alfian Saat title the poem “Morning Train”?

It serves to place the context of the poem in a physical aspect which is here inside an MRT train. From there students may be better placed to understand the poem. This is especially useful for lower ability or foreign students whom may not know the Singaporean context and environment as other students do.

What does the use of questions serve in the poem? How does this describe the tone of the poem?

In the poem, tone plays a very crucial role. It serves as the reason why Alfian Saat wrote the poem. Saat’s harsh and sometimes overbearing tone can be seen in his use of questions. The questions asked in the poem are not passive but rather harsh and almost aggressive in its nature. Teachers may point out the use of words such as “vulgar” as evidence to his harsh tone.

What role does this poem play with regards to the Singaporean identity?

This question has two main purposes to it. Firstly it serves as a broad perspective in which the themes of the poems can be covered under it. In order to think of the Singaporean identity, students will use this as scaffolding when inferring and defining the themes of the poem.

Secondly, this question serves a reflective role. By using what instead of a how or a why, it allows students to think about the message that the poem is saying and adopt their own opinions and views with regards to it. Students may question Saat’s themes as they may perhaps mention how through the title morning train, people tend to be more restless in the morning and therefore it does not serve adequately as a proper reason for their behavior.

The Lockless Door (Peiyi's Post)

The Lockless Door (1923)
Robert Frost


It went many years,


But at last came a knock,

And I thought of the door

With no lock to lock.



I blew out the light,

I tip-toed the floor,

And raised both hands

In prayer to the door.



But the knock came again.

My window was wide;

I climbed on the sill

And descended outside.



Back over the sill

I bade a 'Come in'

To whatever the knock

At the door may have been.



So at a knock

I emptied my cage

To hide in the world

And alter with age.
 
----------------------------------
 
This poem may be introduced to a Sec 3 (Express) class.
Students are expected to have a basic understanding of literary techniques, including the form, diction of a poem, and the metaphors used.
Through this poem, students will learn how form and the use of imagery may contribute to the mood of a poem, thus effectively conveying the emotions of the persona.
 
1) What do you think is the situation being described in the poem?
- This question aims to prepare the students for further analysis of the poem by making sure that they are able to comprehend the scene being described.
2) How do you think the persona feels in the poem?
- In understanding the emotions of the persona, students will then be able to understand the mood that is created in the poem.
3) What is the image being conjured in the poem? Do the structure of the poem or the choice of words contribute to the overall feel of the poem? If so, what are some words or images that you feel are important in conveying the mood of the poem?
- This question requires the students to make a link between the form of the poem, the diction, imagery and the mood of the poem.
4) Do you think the tone of the persona is successful in conveying the mood of the poem? Why?

Sam's post

Piano
by D. H. Lawrence


Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;

Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see

A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings

And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.



In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song

Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong

To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside

And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide.



So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour

With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour

Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast

Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.

Level: Sec 3 Express

Objective: Students will be able to understand metaphors and how it contributes to the overall theme – reminiscing about the past.

1. What is happening in the poem? Who is the speaker?

The purpose of this question is to help students to understand what the poem is about, and see the central idea of the poem. It also helps students to realize that the speaker is an adult wandering down memory lane and reminiscing about his childhood while he listens to a woman singing to him in the evening.

2. What is the speaker’s childhood like? What does the word ‘glamour’ suggest about the speaker’s childhood?

Having established the fact that the speaker is reminiscing about the past, this question then helps students to better understand the feelings of the speaker. This question points students to the vivid imagery of the speaker’s childhood that D. H. Lawrence has set up – a childhood which was innocent, beautiful and familiar. This would in turn allow students to better visualize, understand what is happening, and why the speaker feels the way he does. This would then help students to see the relationship between the speaker’s past and present.

3. What is the tone of the poem, and what does it reveal about the attitude of the speaker? What does the word ‘betrays’ imply about his attitude?

Having looked at the imagery in the poem, students should be better able to understand the tone of the poem, and thereafter, the attitude of the speaker. By pointing students to the word ‘betray’, it would help students to better comprehend the internal struggle of the speaker – between the present and the beautiful past he is reminiscing and longs for.

4. Why do you think this poem is entitled ‘Piano’? What does the piano symbolize?

This question serves to put together what the students have gathered from the previous three questions – who the speaker is, what is happening, how was his childhood like, the speaker’s attitude, why the speaker is feeling the way he is now, etc. This then allows students to understand that the piano serves as a metaphor for nostalgia. The piano could also be a metaphor for their way of life, uniting everyone together through music. It can also be a metaphor for how music was his guide as a child, and still is a guide, even as he is an adult. In addition, it is the piano’s melodic sounds that transport him back in time to his childhood years. Thus, the piano symbolizes many important things, and this contributes to the overall feeling and theme of nostalgia of the poem. However, to be able to grasp what the piano symbolizes can be challenging, and thus, would require understanding of the speaker, his childhood days, and his attitude in the poem. Without these, it would be difficult to gain a full understanding of what the piano stands for, and without this understanding, students may not comprehend the central idea/theme of the poem.

Shobah's post : Daffodils

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

- By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).


Catered to students of : Secondary 3 Express

Objective :
To help students realise how the setting, mood/atmosphere can influence the overall meaning evoked by the text. Students should also be able to identify the means and literary techniques by which the writer creates a particular mood or atmosphere in the poem. Students will also realise that tone is often closely linked to mood/atmosphere and thus must be able to distinguish between the two components, where tone refers to the voice of the persona, which contributes to the mood of the poem.

I chose this poem as it is simple, does not have much complicated words/diction, is easily comprehensible and quite straight-forward, hence not intimidating students. Moreover, there is much to comment on setting, with the large use of imagery of nature.
Before looking into at poem, I would write the title of the poem on the board and ask students to guess what the poem is about, follwing which I would hand out the poem. This is to remind students that the title of the poem is not to be ignored and that it often has much significance to it, in this case, giving us a sense of the overall mood of the poem. Like daffodils, this poem indeed has a cheery and light-hearted tone to it, as it represents spring and the happiness of life.

I would then play a reading of the poem from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK9UWpYuZiE, or the teacher could do a reading of the poem to the class.

The scaffolding questions could be:

1) What kind of place do you think the persona is in? Would you like to be there?

This question aids in elliciting responses for students, especially of low-mid ability, as it will help them to voice out their thoughts and to form a visual picture that the poem portrays.

2) What feelings does this poem evoke in you? Why or How?

Students are to not merely state their emotions which are evoked, such as "This poem makes me feel happy", but to substantiate their opinions with evidence from the text.


3)What is the mood/atmosphere like in the poem? Which literary devices help evoke the mood/atmosphere in the poem?

At their level (Secondary 3), students should be able to identify literary devices of language such as diction/imagery/metaphors/use of alliteration and how these devices being out the mood/atmosphere in the poem. For instance, the title itself and the main subject in the poem being daffodils, has connotations of nature and the beauty and simplicity of life and thus evokes a cheery and light-hearted mood/atmosphere of liveliness.

4 )What is the tone of the persona? How is this portrayed in the poem?

Students often have problems identifying the right tone of the persona in the poem and must be guided through the possible adjectives they can use and how they must always substantiate their claims with evidence from the poem itself. Moreover, it can be emphasised how the tone of the persona often contributes to the mood of the poem.

Gideon's Post

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow. 

My little horse must think it's queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year. 

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake. 

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. 

Level: Sec 2 Express

Objective : Teach students about the relationship between setting (the environment) and mood in poetry.

Question 1. 

What is the poem about? 

This question is a "starter" question which essentially leads the students into thinking about the "who", "what", "where" questions which would later be elaborated and focussed upon in discussing the relationship between the setting and the mood of the poem. Students should be able to identify from the clues in the poem that this poem talks about a traveler and his/her journey through the woods. "My little horse" and "miles to go" should offer a clear indication of this, amongst others.

Question 2. 

What is the environment like in the poem?

Here, instead of asking them what the "setting" is, i wanted to allow students to be more sensitive in answering the question by using the word "environment" instead. This is due to my expectations that they would probably  just give me the "place" described in the poem and leave out the important "effects" like the winter cold and the dark, deep  vastness of the woods. By asking them what the "environment" might be like, they would probably give me answers like, "There is snow all around.", "it is cold and dark" etc. Being able to identify these qualifiers is an essential step towards understanding the relationship between setting and the mood conveyed by the poem.

Question 3.

How would you feel in this environment?

Here, i attempt to get the students to relate to their own life experiences regarding a similar setting, that allows them to relate to the effect that setting has on the poem. By relating their emotions with the poem, it actually helps to guide them into identifying the mood of the poem. By comparing and contrasting their own emotions with what is expressed in the poem, they could gain a better understanding of the message of the poem. I would expect a mix of interesting answers during this discussion ranging from "Scared", "worried" and "lonely" to "brave", "indifferent" and "tired". From this discussion, i will then lead them on to discuss what they felt is the mood of the poem expressed via the persona juxtaposed in this environment.

Question 4.

How do you think the persona feels in this environment? Why does he repeat the last line?

After discussing and establishing what the students feel the environment describe in the poem is like, i would then channel the discussion towards the persona's feelings in relation to the environment. The last line of the poem is a big clue, which is why i decided to focus on that with them. I would expect them to empathize with the persona's apparent long journey and the fatigue and loneliness that comes with it. The students should also be able to identify the persona's bravery and determination from the fact that the persona decides to stop in the deep, dark woods which even surprised his horse. It is important here to draw explicit links between the language used in describing the setting and the mood of the poem/persona. For example, students might express that the persona might feel lonely on his travels. Here, i would then draw the link between the season (winter) and the cold of the snow to show how this symbolizes a certain sense of loneliness in the poem. The deep and dark vastness of the woods also represent uncertainty and fear - something they would already be able to relate to, in answering question 3. In making the links between the setting and the mood in the poem more obvious and relevant, students would be able to identify them and draw links for themselves in future poetry discussions. 

                     

post by elizabeth.

The Caged Bird In Springtime

By James Kirkup

What can it be,

This curious anxiety?

It is as if I wanted

To fly away from here.

But how absurd!

I have never flown in my life,

And I do not know

What flying means, though I have heard,

Of course, something about it.

Why do I peck the wires of this little cage?

It is the only nest I have ever known.

But I want to build my own,

High in the secret branches of the air.

I cannot quite remember how

It is done, but I know

That what I want to do

Cannot be done here.

I have all I need –

Seed and water, air and light.

Why then, do I weep with anguish,

And beat my head and my wings

Against those sharp wires, while the children

Smile at each other, saying: “Hark how he sings”?

Level: Sec 2 Express/ Normal

Objective: To teach students tone and mood/atmosphere and how it portrays thematic concerns.

I feel that this poem is suitable for students of the lower secondary level as it is written in relatively simple English. Therefore, students should be able to understand the poem without much difficulty. Also, students possibly would be able to relate to the theme of constraint and the frustration it causes present in the poem as this is an issue many adolescents face in their identity development years as they strive to define themselves as separate entities from their elders.

I would suggest for the teacher to read the poem to students before the following questions are carried out. This is because some students may not be able to immediately pick out the tone of the poem’s persona. By reading the poem aloud, students will be able to study the text through both audio and visual means, allowing for a better creation of understanding.

1.    After reading James Kirkup’s The Caged Bird In Springtime,

a) What do you think the poem is about?

b) Identify the tone of the persona in the poem.

This question aims to guide students to locating the poet’s intended purpose of the poem. Firstly, students will be asked to describe the event(s) in the poem, to ensure that they are on the right track. Thereafter, they are to identify the tone. In correctly identifying the tone of the poem, through a close examination of the diction and details, students will be able to understand better the attitude implied in the poem.

2. How does the Kirkup’s use of imagery contribute to the creation of atmosphere in the poem? 

Assuming that students have already been taught figurative language and imagery, question 2 allows students to further explore the mood of the poem through the imagery Kirkup uses in his poem. Through identifying the imagery used, students would be able to come to a conclusion on the emotionally charged atmosphere present, thus gaining a better comprehension of the themes present.

3. What do you think of the children mentioned in the last stanza? Why do you think the poet include the children’s response to the caged bird?

This question serves to stimulate critical thinking. Students are required to consider Kirkup’s use of children in the poem, their role and how it assists in the reinforcement of the tone and mood of the poem.

4. How does the tone and mood/atmosphere serve to emphasize the main theme(s) present in the poem?

The aim of this question is for students to be able to see how the poet through the successful use of language and imagery is able to create the tone and mood/atmosphere intended so as to clearly elicit the main theme(s) of the poem. By creating a link between tone, mood/atmosphere and theme, a better comprehension of the poem is thus created for students.

When You are Old (Jocelyn)

When You are Old   

by W. B. Yeats

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Objectives (Secondary 3 (NA/EXP) students) :  
Students will be able to identify the tone of a poem
Students will be able to identify the techniques through which tone is conveyed
Students will be able to relate tone and theme

1. What do you think the speaker feels in this poem?
This question allows students to reflect on the attitude of the speaker in this poem . The speaker’s point of view would be taken into consideration by the students. They will then be able to understand what the speaker feels towards the subject in the poem.

2. What are the reasons for such feelings?
In this next question, students will then take a deeper consideration as to why the speaker possesses such feelings towards the subject and fate itself. Students will then be able to understand that the subject mentioned in the poem is of great importance and significance to the speaker.   

3. Pick out examples of figures of speech in the poem. What effect does the poet gain by using such figures of  speech?
By getting students to pick out the various figures of speech such as diction, choice of words and imagery, they can see how the speaker tries to portray the subject in a positive light and also how the speaker shows one’s affections and longings towards the the subject. Students hence see how tone can be conveyed through these figures of speech.

4. How does tone help you understand the main themes in this poem?
The scaffolding questions above allows students to relate tone to the main themes found in this poem.  Some main themes include enduring love and loss.

At Lunchtime by Roger McGough (Charmaine's)

AT LUNCHTIME

by Roger McGough

 

 

When the bus stopped suddenly

to avoid damaging

a mother and child in the road,

the younglady in the green hat sitting opposite,

was thrown across me,

and not being one to miss an opportunity

i started to make love.

 

At first, she resisted,

saying that it was too early in the morning,

and too soon after breakfast,

and anyway, she found me repulsive.

But when i explained that this being a nuclearage

the world was going to end at lunchtime,

she took off her green hat,

put her busticket into her pocket

and joined in the exercise.

 

The buspeople,

and there were many of them,

were shockedandsurprised,

and amusedandannoyed.

But when word got around

that the world was going to

end at lunchtime,

they put their pride in their pockets

with their bustickets

and made love one with the other.

And even the busconductor,

feeling left out,

climbed into the cab,

and struck up some sort of relationship with the driver.

 

That night,

on the bus coming home,

we were all a little embarrassed.

Especially me and the younglady in the green hat.

And we all started to say

in different ways

how hasty and foolish we had been.

But then, always having been a bitofalad,

i stood up and said it was a pity

that the world didn't nearly end every lunchtime,

and that we could always pretend.

And then it happened . . .

 

Quick asa crash

we all changed partners,

and soon the bus was aquiver

with white, mothball bodies doing naughty things.

 

And the next day

and everyday

In everybus

In everystreet

In everytown

In everycountry

 

People pretended

that the world was coming to an end at lunchtime.

It still hasn't.

Although in a way it has.

Target level: Sec 4 Express
Clip to let students listen to the poem aloud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWPnCM19di8s

1) What is the poem about? Explain why you think this is so.

This question is targetted at the students recognising the strange episode that is taking place in the poem - that strangers are making love with one another, a very intimate interaction, on the bus, a public place and at a very unlikely time, lunchtime.

2) In your opinion, why do you think the poet has chosen to combine the words "nuclearage", " busticket", "buspeople", "shockedandsurprised", " amusedandannoyed", "busconductor", "younglady", "bitofalad", "everybus", "everystreet", "everytown" and "everycountry"? Try reading these words out loud and compare them with how they are read when they are separated.
This question is targetted at helping the students to realise that a mere absence of the space between 2 words would cause the words to be read faster. With this realisation, it is in hope that students deduce that the episode on the bus is taking place very fast (comparable with the speed with which they read the combined words). Society is progressing at an increasingly speed.

3) Based on your reading, how would you describe the personality of the character in this poem?

Students should be able to tell that the persona is impulsive and reckless, yet anxious not to lose out in what he deems as the pleasures of life should the world end. It is in hope that the students are able to determine that amidst the speed at which society is progressing, people fear losing out on opportunities, thus they impulsively engage in activities which they, from a moral standpoint, should not.

4) Why does the poet say that "in a way [the world] has [come to an end]" though "it still hasn't"?

This question aims to show students' that in light of increasing immorality in society, moral degradation has done much damage to the world such that it's moral standards have seemingly come to an end.


These 4 scaffolded questions aim to help students attain the thematic concern of the poem - that there is increasing moral degradation in society today.