The Ten Mark Question Higher/ Nat 6 English

Learning Intentions Gain confidence in selecting areas of commonality between 3 poems. Structure our answer in a way that will be easy to replicate in the exam. Make relevant points about the poems we have selected.

Scottish Poems Recently in class we have studied: Havisham, War Photographer & Originally. Mind map all of the things that these poems have in common. They could be thematic or deal with language features.

Possible Answers

How To Structure Your Answer Identify which 3 poems you will be discussing and what they have in common (2) PEE from printed poem (2) PEE from second poem (2) PEE from third poem (2) = 10 marks

Past Paper 2015 PRINTED POEM: WAR PHOTOGRAPHER Step 1 (2)- Commonality In the poem ‘War Photographer’, Duffy shows the difference between the photographer’s past experience in war zones and his present as he develops his pictures. In ‘Originally’ Duffy explores her past life in Scotland and he present living in England. Also in ‘Havisham’ Duffy discusses the past love contrasted with present hatres Havisham has for the man who jilted her.

Step 2 (2)- Printed Poem P- In ‘War Photographer’ the poet struggles to feel at home in England. E- ‘Home again to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel’ E- This suggests that the poet feels elements of guilt when he is at home as the problems faced by the masses seem so superficial in comparison to what people face in war torn countries.

Step 3 (2) Second Poem P- In ‘Originally’ Duffy expresses the difficulty in leaving her past home. E- “The vacant rooms where we didn’t live anymore” E- this suggests that leaving home at a young age is a traumatic experience and she struggles to let go of the past.

Step 4 (2)- Second Poem P- Duffy also uses Scottish language to suggest she has struggles to let go of the past. E- “skelf” E- Although at this point in the poem Duffy is starting to fit into life in England, using this piece of Scottish dialect shows that she cannot fully leave behind her past heritage.

Step 5 (2)- Third Poem P- Havisham also struggles with her past love of her fiancé and present hatred of him. E- “Some nights better, the lost body over me, my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear then down till I suddenly bite awake.” E- Although she hates the man for leaving her alone, when she dreams she has sexual fantasies about him as her mind clearly reverts to the past. Yet she ‘bites’ awake suggesting when she wakes up her present hatred returns.

Class Practice Question Printed Poem- Originally Show how this poem and other poems by Carol Ann Duffy deal effectively with the theme of isolation. /10

Possible Answer Step 1- commonality In ‘Originally’ Duffy feels isolated as she is living in England but struggling to let go of her Scottish heritage. In ‘War Photographer’ feels isolated as he witnesses the atrocities of war but others fail to be moved into action by his pictures. In ‘Havisham’ the speaker feels isolated because she is an unmarried woman outcast by society.

Step 2- printed poem P- In Originally Duffy feels isolated as the way she speaks makes her seem out of place. E- ‘Your accent wrong’ E- the use of the word ‘wrong’ has negative connotations, suggesting that Duffy feels like she does not belong in her new home.

Step 3- second poem P- In ‘Havisham’ the speaker feels like her whole identity is based on her unmarried status. E- “Spinster” E- The use of this one word sentence suggests that Havisham is only seen as an unmarried woman by a society who does not care about who she is an individual. By placing the word on its own, Duffy reflects how isolated Havisham feels.

Step 4- Second poem P- Also in Havisham, the character seems alone as she faces her grief. E- “Whole days in bed cawing Noooo at the wall” E- Normally if someone went through a traumatic life experience, they would have friends or family there to support them yet Havisham is crying to ‘the wall’ suggesting her loneliness and isolation.

Step 5- Third Poem P- In War Photographer the photographer is literally and symbolically isolated as he develops his films. E- “alone with spools of suffering” E- He is literally alone in his darkroom working, however, this suggests that he feels isolated in his society as he cant escape the horrific things he has witnessed in war zones yet his peers fail to understand.

Homework Practice Question Printed Poem- Havisham Show how this poem and other poems by Carol Ann Duffy make effective use of vivid imagery. Note- Focus on Originally, Havisham and War Photographer. Look for similes and metaphors. /10

Review of Learning Please write a substantial comment detailing what you have learned and how confident you feel about replicating this and achieving 10/10 in the exam. Express any areas where you lack confidence or clarity.