What is your understanding of the word ‘hero’? Heading – Poetry 8 What is your understanding of the word ‘hero’? Do you have any heroes?

Objective To examine one more Mahon Poem. Can you guess what it is about?

Background information Captain Lawrence Oaks is a true legend. To give his crew more fuel and food in the south pole, this Englishman left the tent, walked into a blizzard and died. He sacrificed himself. (Do not write) This poem is about that man.

Antarctica, by Derek Mahon "I am just going outside, and may be some time." The others nod, pretending not to know. At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime. He leaves them reading and begins to climb, Goading his ghost into the howling snow; He is just going outside and may be some time. The tent recedes beneath its crust of rime, And frostbite is replaced by vertigo: At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime. Need we consider it some sort of crime, This numb self-sacrifice of the weakest? No, He is just going outside and may be some time -- In fact, for ever. Solitary enzyme, Though the night yield no glimmer there will glow, At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime. He takes leave of the earthly pantomime Quietly, knowing it is time to go. "I am just going outside and may be some time." At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime.

Theme: pretence. Pretence means a false display, to make something appear true when it is not. (Grandfather). The amount of pretending and lying that goes on the poem, and in life, is ridiculous. Life is compared to a funny show, a ‘pantomime’, which the good captain has now taken his leave of. How many time does the poem say “is just going outside and may be some time” – why do you think this line is repeated?

Theme: Difficulty of life One needs great strength to endure the hostile landscape of Antarctica (the south pole) or life in general. All three Mahon poems have conveyed life as cold, hard, difficult and something to be endured. (After the Titanic) When poems use alliteration, you are meant to focus on those images. (Find the 2 cases of alliteration. They use the letter ‘G’.)

“Goading his ghost” – the captain had to force himself out of that tent to his death. (Write down your opinion of the captain, who sacrificed himself).

“no glimmer there will glow”, (Do you think that the fact the men all died anyway makes the Captain’s actions any less heroic? Write down your opinion)

Rhyme There is a rhyming scheme (ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABBA) The poet is trying to comfort you as he tells you the story of Captain Oates.

Homework FOR NEXT FRIDAY Compare all three poems.

Reflection I think... I like... I want to know...