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AO1 Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to:• maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response •use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations AO2 Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate. Level Band
Q
24 mark question AO1 Use of comparison and quotations AO2 Use of terminology and effect of techniques
Q
8 mark question AO2 Use of terminology and effect of techniques 6 Top
Critical, exploratory, conceptualised; Judicious, precise. Judicious, analysed
Band 4 Top Exploratory, convincing 5 High
Thoughtful, developed; Apt, integrated Examined, effective 4 Mid
Clear, explained; Effective, supportive Clear, understanding
Band 3 Mid Thoughtful, comparative 3 Low mid
Some explained; References to support, range Explained, identified effects 2 Low
Supported, relevant; Comments on references Some references terminology, Identifies methods
Band 2 Low Relevant, some comparison 1 Bottom
Simple, relevant; Reference to relevant detail(s) Possibly uses terminology, awareness of choices
Band 1 Bottom Some links between text and reader 0 0 No work worthy of any marks
Narrative viewpoint Repeated symbols Sentence structure and punctuation Opening and Closing Semantic field Rhythm Timeframe
How the sentence
structures or
specific punctuation
reflect feelings or
emotions within the
text. How does it
change or develop?
Are there groups of
words that belong
to a particular
semantic field?
What difference
does this make to
the atmosphere of
the text?
Considering how
the narrative choice
enhances the
meaning of the text
overall. WHY do we
hear the 'story' from
that perspective?
Analysing STRUCTURE could be...
Can you identify a
rhythm to the text?
Is it written in a
particular style or
form?
Analysing how a
repeated symbol
(motif), idea of
theme runs through
a whole text.
Looking at the
opening and closing
lines to see how
they are connected.
What impact do
they have on the
reader?
Is the timeline straightforward, or is there a flash back or flash forward? Does the event occur in the distant past, recent past or does it describe an ongoing event? Why would this matter?
PERSONIFICATION
METAPHOR
SIMILE
ALLITERATED SOUND
REPETITION
CONTRAST
ONOMATOPOEIA
ASSONANCE
Look out for words that can have more than one meaning. What further ideas or images could they create? Which specific emotion are you encouraged to feel as a result of the words used? Identify the specific techniques that have been used in the text. Consider what impact they have upon the tone? Analysing LANGUAGE could be... Choose adjectives, adverbs, verbs and nouns to explode- how do these words suggest what the character or setting is like? Consider the language a character uses in his or her speech. Is it timid? Authoritative? Apologetic? Something else? What might this reveal about their character? Which words help you identify the tone or mood of the character? How do the words imply his or her feelings or attitude? What are the reasons why?
RHETORIC
EMOTIVE LANGUAGE
MODAL VERBS
DIRECT ADDRESS
PREPOSITIONS
IMPERATIVE VERBS
HYPERBOLE
First Frost by Andrei Vosnesensky A girl is freezing in a telephone booth, huddled in her flimsy coat, her face stained by tears and smeared with lipstick. She breathes on her thin little fingers. Fingers like ice. Glass beads in her ears. She has to beat her way back alone down the icy street. First frost. A beginning of losses. The first frost of telephone phrases. It is the start of winter glittering on her cheek, the first frost of having been hurt. Hard Frost by Andrew J Young Frost called to the water Halt And crusted the moist snow with sparkling salt; Brooks, their one bridges, stop, And icicles in long stalactites drop. And tench in water-holes Lurk under gluey glass like fish in bowls. In the hard-rutted lane At every footstep breaks a brittle pane, And tinkling trees ice-bound, Changed into weeping willows, sweep the ground; Dead boughs take root in ponds And ferns on windows shoot their ghostly fronds. But vainly the fierce frost Interns poor fish, ranks trees in an armed host, Hangs daggers from house-eaves And on the windows ferny ambush weaves; In the long war grown warmer The sun will strike him dead and strip his armour.
- In 'First Frost' how does the poet present the speakers feelings towards love? 24 marks
- In both ‘First Frost’ and ‘Hard Frost’ the speakers describe the weather. What are the similarities and/or differences between the ways the poets present those feelings? 8 marks
Last Lesson of the Afternoon by D H Lawrence When will the bell ring, and end this weariness? How long have they tugged the leash, and strained apart, My pack of unruly hounds! I cannot start Them again on a quarry of knowledge they hate to hunt, I can haul them and urge them no more. No longer now can I endure the brunt Of the books that lie out on the desks; a full threescore Of several insults of blotted pages, and scrawl Of slovenly work that they have offered me. I am sick, and what on earth is the good of it all? What good to them or me, I cannot see! So, shall I take My last dear fuel of life to heap on my soul And kindle my will to a flame that shall consume Their dross of indifference; and take the toll Of their insults in punishment? — I will not! - I will not waste my soul and my strength for this. What do I care for all that they do amiss! What is the point of this teaching of mine, and of this Learning of theirs? It all goes down the same abyss. What does it matter to me, if they can write A description of a dog, or if they can't? What is the point? To us both, it is all my aunt! And yet I'm supposed to care, with all my might. I do not, and will not; they won't and they don't; and that's all! I shall keep my strength for myself; they can keep theirs as well. Why should we beat our heads against the wall Of each other? I shall sit and wait for the bell. Mrs Tilscher's Class by Carol Ann Duffy In Mrs Tilscher's class You could travel up the Blue Nile with your finger, tracing the route while Mrs Tilscher chanted the scenery. ”Tana. Ethiopia. Khartoum. Aswan.” That for an hour, then a skittle of milk and the chalky Pyramids rubbed into dust. A window opened with a long pole. The laugh of a bell swung by a running child. This was better than home. Enthralling books. The classroom glowed like a sweetshop. Sugar paper. Coloured shapes. Brady and Hindley faded, like the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake. Mrs Tilscher loved you. Some mornings, you found she'd left a gold star by your name. The scent of a pencil slowly, carefully, shaved. A xylophone's nonsense heard from another form. Over the Easter term the inky tadpoles changed from commas into exclamation marks. Three frogs hopped in the playground, freed by a dunce followed by a line of kids, jumping and croaking away from the lunch queue. A rough boy told you how you were born. You kicked him, but stared at your parents, appalled, when you got back home That feverish July, the air tasted of electricity. A tangible alarm made you always untidy, hot, fractious under the heavy, sexy sky. You asked her how you were born and Mrs Tilscher smiled then turned away. Reports were handed out. You ran through the gates, impatient to be grown the sky split open into a thunderstorm.
- In 'Mrs Tilcher's Class' how does the poet present the speakers feelings towards school? 24 marks
- In both ‘Last Lesson’ and ‘Mrs Tilcher's Class’ the speakers describe their time at school. What are the similarities and/ or differences between the ways the poets present those feelings? 8 marks
The Explosion By Philip Larkin On the day of the explosion Shadows pointed towards the pithead: In thesun the slagheap slept. Down the lane came men in pitboots Coughing oath-edged talk and pipe-smoke Shouldering off the freshened silence. One chased after rabbits; lost them; Came back with a nest of lark's eggs; Showed them; lodged them in the grasses. So they passed in beards and moleskins Fathers brothers nicknames laughter Through the tall gates standing open. At noon there came a tremor; cows Stopped chewing for a second; sun Scarfed as in a heat-haze dimmed. The dead go on before us they Are sitting in God's house in comfort We shall see them face to face— plain as lettering in the chapels It was said and for a second Wives saw men of the explosion Larger than in life they managed— Gold as on a coin or walking Somehow from the sun towards them One showing the eggs unbroken. Belfast Confetti by Ciaran Carson Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks, Nuts, bolts, nails, car keys. A fount of broken type. And the explosion Itself – an asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst of rapid fire … I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept stuttering, All the alleyways and side-streets blocked with stops and colons. I know this labyrinth so well – Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman, Odessa Street – Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea Street. Dead end again. A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkie-talkies. What is My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going? A fusillade of question-marks. Makrolon = toughened plastic Fusillade = a series of shots fired rapidly one after another
- In 'Belfast Confetti' how does the poet present the speakers feelings towards the explosion? 24 marks
- In both ‘Belfast Confetti’ and ‘The Explosion’ the speakers describe the impact an explosion has upon the community it happens to. What are the similarities and/or differences between the ways the poets present those feelings about their impact? 8 marks
Love is a Losing Game by A Winehouse For you I was the flame Love is a losing game Five story fire as you came Love is losing game One I wished, I never played Oh, what a mess we made And now the final frame Love is a losing game Played out by the band Love is a losing hand More than I could stand Love is a losing hand Self-professed profound Till the chips were down Know you're a gambling man Love is a losing hand Though I battled blind Love is a fate resigned Memories mar my mind Love is a fate resigned Over futile odds And laughed at by the gods And now the final frame Love is a losing game
A Vow by Wendy Cope.
I cannot promise never to be angry;
I cannot promise always to be kind.
You know what you are taking on, my darling –
It's only at the start that love is blind.
And yet I'm still the one you want to be with
And you're the one for me – of that I'm sure.
You are my closest friend, my favorite person,
The lover and the home I've waited for.
I cannot promise that I will deserve you
From this day on. I hope to pass that test.
I love you and I want to make you happy.
I promise I will do my very best.
1. In 'Love is a Losing Game' how does the poet present the speakers feelings towards love?
24 marks
2. In both ‘Love is a Losing Game’ and ‘A Vow’ the speakers describe the conflicted feelings that come with love. What are
the similarities and/or differences between the ways the poets present those feelings about their impact?
8 marks
Names
By Wendy Cope
She was Eliza for a few weeks
when she was a baby –
Eliza Lily. Soon it changed to Lil.
Later she was Miss Steward in the baker’s shop
And then ‘my love’, ‘my darling’, Mother.
Widowed at thirty, she went back to work
As Mrs Hand. Her daughter grew up,
Married and gave birth.
Now she was Nanna. ‘Everybody
Calls me Nanna,’ she would say to visitors.
And so they did – friends, tradesmen, the doctor.
In the geriatric ward
They used the patients’ Christian names.
‘Lil,’ we said, ‘or Nanna,’
But it wasn’t in her file
And for those last bewildered weeks
She was Eliza once again.
What I Regret By Nina Cassian
... never having heard the voice of the Dodo bird... ... never having smelled the Japanese cherry trees... ... never having punished the lovers and friends that deserted me... ... never having asked for honours that I deserved... ... never having composed a Mozart sonata... ... never having realised that I'd live long enough to regret all the above... ... and much, much more...
- In 'Names' how does the poet present the speakers feelings towards Eliza? 24 marks
- In both ‘Names’ and ‘What I Regret’ the speakers describe feelings about growing old. What are the similarities and/or differences between the ways the poets present those feelings? 8 marks
Band Four Band Five Band Six In the poem, 'Names' the poet keeps quite an informal tone when describing Eliza, which could suggest she feels quite fond of her. "was a baby- / Eliza Lily" the dash makes it sound as if she is correcting herself, or chatting to someone. This implies a closeness between the persona and Eliza, as if she is speaking about someone special to her. Throughout the entire poem, the poet gives the persona a level of detachment from the story, the entire poem is almost devoid of emotion, apart from the final stanza where the persona describes Eliza's final time alive as "final bewildered weeks". In the poem, 'Names' the poet keeps quite an informal tone when describing Eliza, which could suggest she feels quite fond of her. "was a baby- / Eliza Lily" the dash makes it sound as if she is correcting herself, or chatting to someone. This implies a closeness between the persona and Eliza, as if she is speaking about someone special to her.
In the opening stanzas, the tone adopted by the
persona is one of detachment. At no point does
the persona explicitly state the relationship
between them. There are no adjectives or
adverbs used, with one exception in the final
stanza. The use of the pronoun "she" creates a
distance between the persona and Eliza, and by
using this as the first word of the entire poem, it
emphasise the way in which it is almost devoid
of emotion- most particularly noticeable when
describing the death of her husband, "widowed
at thirty" is quite abrupt and factual for something
so tragic. This absence of sentimentality
amplifies the shift in the final stanza, where the
persona describes Eliza's final time alive as "final
bewildered weeks". The use of the adjective
"bewildered" creates a sense of sadness and
tragedy, expressing the way the persona is
mourning Eliza, and the awfulness that the
confusion of being called the 'wrong' name would
create.
AO1 Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to:• maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response •use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations AO2 Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
What themes are there? Death Nature Childhood Religion New life Existentialism Relationships Communication At the beginning the persona/reader feels... At the end the persona/reader feels... The change has happened because... What themes are there? Death Nature Childhood Religion New life Existentialism Relationships Communication How many stanzas? Rhyme? Regular/irregular? Patterns Motifs Symbols Six O’Clock News’ by Tom Leonard this is thi six a clock news thi man said n thi reason a talk wia BBC accent iz coz yi widny wahnt mi ti talk aboot thi trooth wia voice lik wanna yoo scruff. if a toktaboot thi trooth lik wanna yoo scruff yi widny thingk it wuz troo. jist wanna yoo scruff tokn. thirza right way ti spell ana right way to tok it. this is me tokn yir right way a spellin. this is ma trooth. yooz doant no thi trooth yirsellz cawz yi canny talk right. this is the six a clock nyooz. belt up. Listen Mr Oxford don Me not no Oxford don me a simple immigrant from Clapham Common I didn’t graduate I immigrate But listen Mr Oxford don I’m a man on de run and a man on de run is a dangerous one I ent have no gun I ent have no knife but mugging de Queen’s English is the story of my life I dont need no axe to split/ up yu syntax I dont need no hammer to mash/ up yu grammar I warning you Mr Oxford don I’m a wanted man and a wanted man is a dangerous one Dem accuse me of assault on de Oxford dictionary/ imagine a concise peaceful man like me/ dem want me serve time for inciting rhyme to riot but I rekking it quiet down here in Clapham Common I’m not a violent man Mr Oxford don I only armed wit mih human breath but human breath is a dangerous weapon So mek dem send one big word after me I ent serving no jail sentence I slashing suffix in self defence I bashing future wit present tense and if necessary I making de Queen’s English accessory/ to my offence Techniques used: Simile Metaphor Triple Alliteration Anaphora Assonance Allusion Sensory description Oxymoron Techniques used: Simile Metaphor Triple Alliteration Anaphora Assonance Allusion Sensory description Oxymoron How many stanzas? Rhyme? Regular/irregular? Patterns Motifs Symbols Interesting words and phrases: At the beginning the persona/reader feels... At the end the persona/reader feels... The change has happened because... Interesting words and phrases:
What themes are there? Death Nature Childhood Religion New life Existentialism Relationships Communication At the beginning the persona/reader feels... At the end the persona/reader feels... The change has happened because... What themes are there? Death Nature Childhood Religion New life Existentialism Relationships Communication How many stanzas? Rhyme? Regular/irregular? Patterns Motifs Symbols Dress Sense by David Kitchen You’re not going out in that, are you? I’ve never seen anything More ridiculous in my whole life. You look like you’ve been dragged Through a hedge backwards And lost half your dress along the way. What’s wrong with it? You’re asking me what’s wrong with that? Everything: that’s what. It’s loud, it’s common, It reveals far too much of your ... Your ... well your ‘what you shouldn’t be revealing’. No, I’m not going to explain; You know very well what I mean, young lady But you choose to ignore Every single piece of reasonable helpful advice That you are offered. It’s not just the neckline I’m talking about
- (^) And you can hardly describe it as a neckline, More like a navel-line If you bother to observe the way it plunges. Have you taken a look at the back? (What little there is of it.) Have you? Boys are only going to think One thing When they see you in that outfit. Where on earth did you get it? And don’t tell me that my money paid for it Whatever you do. You found it where? Well, it probably looked different on her And, anyway, you shouldn’t be going through Your mother’s old clothes. I’ve had this shirt by Michael Rosen I’ve had this shirt That’s covered in dirt For years and years and years It used to be red but I wore it in bed And it went grey Cos I wore it all day For years and years and years The arms fell off In the Monday wash And you can see my vest Through the holes in my chest For years and years and years As my shirt falls apart I’ll keep the bits In a biscuit tin On the mantelpiece For years and years and years Techniques used: Simile Metaphor Triple Alliteration Anaphora Assonance Allusion Sensory description Oxymoron Techniques used: Simile Metaphor Triple Alliteration Anaphora Assonance Allusion Sensory description Oxymoron How many stanzas? Rhyme? Regular/irregular? Patterns Motifs Symbols Interesting words and phrases: At the beginning the persona/reader feels... At the end the persona/reader feels... The change has happened because... Interesting words and phrases:
What themes are there? Death Nature Childhood Religion New life Existentialism Relationships Communication At the beginning the persona/reader feels... At the end the persona/reader feels... The change has happened because... What themes are there? Death Nature Childhood Religion New life Existentialism Relationships Communication How many stanzas? Rhyme? Regular/irregular? Patterns Motifs Symbols Text By Carol Ann Duffy I tend the mobile now like an injured bird We text, text, text our significant words. I re-read your first, your second, your third, look for your small xx, feeling absurd. The codes we send arrive with a broken chord. I try to picture your hands, their image is blurred. Nothing my thumbs press will ever be heard. Hygge if true by Brian Bilston These are the hyggelige days we live for, dark afternoons brightened by simple things; pumpkin soup bubbling on the hob, logs crackl – sorry, my phone just pinged. Today we crochet socks. We swap knitting patterns and tales of meandering pine forest walks and the frail beauty of a nightingale’s song, as the scent of fresh rosemary clings – I think the wi-fi has just gone down – to our fingers. We shall bathe ourselves in hygge’s warmth; it cosies, it surrounds, and wraps our friendships like a blanket. The soup is ready upon the aga. I hope to heaven they will all leave soon. I hear the call of Candy Crush Saga. Techniques used: Simile Metaphor Triple Alliteration Anaphora Assonance Allusion Sensory description Oxymoron Techniques used: Simile Metaphor Triple Alliteration Anaphora Assonance Allusion Sensory description Oxymoron How many stanzas? Rhyme? Regular/irregular? Patterns Motifs Symbols Interesting words and phrases: At the beginning the persona/reader feels... At the end the persona/reader feels... The change has happened because... Interesting words and phrases:
What themes are there? Death Nature Childhood Religion New life Existentialism Relationships Communication At the beginning the persona/reader feels... At the end the persona/reader feels... The change has happened because... What themes are there? Death Nature Childhood Religion New life Existentialism Relationships Communication How many stanzas? Rhyme? Regular/irregular? Patterns Motifs Symbols The Man He Killed By Thomas Hardy "Had he and I but met By some old ancient inn, We should have sat us down to wet Right many a nipperkin! "But ranged as infantry, And staring face to face, I shot at him as he at me, And killed him in his place. "I shot him dead because — Because he was my foe, Just so: my foe of course he was; That's clear enough; although "He thought he'd 'list, perhaps, Off-hand like — just as I — Was out of work — had sold his traps — No other reason why. "Yes; quaint and curious war is! You shoot a fellow down You'd treat if met where any bar is, Or help to half-a-crown." America is a Gun by Brian Bilston England is a cup of tea. France, a wheel of ripened brie. Greece, a short, squat olive tree. America is a gun. Brazil is football on the sand. Argentina, Maradona's hand. Germany, an oompah band. America is a gun. Holland is a wooden shoe. Hungary, a goulash stew. Australia, a kangaroo. America is a gun. Japan is a thermal spring. Scotland is a highland fling. Oh, better to be anything than America as a gun. Techniques used: Simile Metaphor Triple Alliteration Anaphora Assonance Allusion Sensory description Oxymoron Techniques used: Simile Metaphor Triple Alliteration Anaphora Assonance Allusion Sensory description Oxymoron How many stanzas? Rhyme? Regular/irregular? Patterns Motifs Symbols Interesting words and phrases: At the beginning the persona/reader feels... At the end the persona/reader feels... The change has happened because... Interesting words and phrases:
Consider how feelings of love are presented in this poem.
1. Highlight all references to gambling: what does this suggest about her feelings towards love?
2. Think about the use of alliteration and plosives: what tone does this create, and what feeling does it convey?
3. Search for a pattern in the rhyme scheme: how does the rhyme scheme mirror the complexity of the persona's feelings?
Love Is a Losing Game by Amy
Winehouse
For you I was the flame
Love is a losing game
Five story fire as you came
Love is losing game
One I wished, I never played
Oh, what a mess we made
And now the final frame
Love is a losing game
Played out by the band
Love is a losing hand
More than I could stand
Love is a losing hand
Self-professed profound
Till the chips were down
Know you're a gambling man
Love is a losing hand
Though I battled blind
Love is a fate resigned
Memories mar my mind
Love is a fate resigned
Over futile odds
And laughed at by the gods
And now the final frame
Love is a losing game
1. Find three examples of figurative language
2. Decode the writer's meaning
3. What does the figurative language tell us about how the persona of the song feel about the subject they're talking about?
Love Is a Losing Game by Amy
Winehouse
For you I was the flame
Love is a losing game
Five story fire as you came
Love is losing game
One I wished, I never played
Oh, what a mess we made
And now the final frame
Love is a losing game
Played out by the band
Love is a losing hand
More than I could stand
Love is a losing hand
Self-professed profound
Till the chips were down
Know you're a gambling man
Love is a losing hand
Though I battled blind
Love is a fate resigned
Memories mar my mind
Love is a fate resigned
Over futile odds
And laughed at by the gods
And now the final frame
Love is a losing game
- "Love is a losing hand" "futile odds" "laughed at by the gods"
- That love always 'loses' and you'll be hurt by the ones you love. 'Futile' implies you never had a chance to be happy. Destiny is never in your favour- star crossed lovers, the blame for the failure of your love isn't within yourselves, but from a higher power (like Romeo and Juliet and other tragic lovers).
- That love is a painful thing that only ever ends in unhappiness, that it is a game you will always lose, all the gambling imagery suggests that it is risky and foolish, and that people in love will always be hurt by the ones they love. That your destiny is not decided by you, everything is a matter of luck and is 'foretold' and we merely suffer at the hands of fate.
