1.4 Writing Poetry Essays

There are two types of essay question you can choose based on the poems we have studied in class Idea based questions – Choose a question that links the use of techniques to ideas Character based questions – Choose a question that links character to ideas Look at the following questions and identify suitable ones

Describe a memorable place or scene in EACH text. Explain how this place or scene helped you understand an idea (or ideas) in EACH text. 2.Describe a person or character you admired OR disliked in EACH text. Explain how this person or character helped you understand an idea (or ideas) in EACH text. 3.Describe an important change that happened in EACH text. Explain how this change helped you understand an idea (or ideas) in EACH text. 4.Describe at least ONE unusual language feature in EACH text. Explain how this feature helped you understand an idea (or ideas) in EACH text. 5.Describe a surprising event or moment in EACH text. Explain how this event or moment helped you understand an idea (or ideas) in EACH text. 6.Describe at least ONE interesting example of imagery used in EACH text. Explain how EACH image helped you understand an idea (or ideas) in EACH text.

Describe an important experience that happened to a person or character in EACH text. Explain how this experience affected EACH person or character. 2. Describe a surprising detail or description in EACH text. Explain why this detail or description helped you understand an important idea (or ideas) in EACH text. 3. Describe an important idea you learned about in EACH text. Explain why EACH idea was worth learning about. 4. Describe an interesting quality or characteristic of a person or character in EACH text. Explain how this quality or characteristic helped you understand EACH person or character. 5. Describe an important setting or situation in EACH text. Explain why this setting or situation is important to help you understand an idea (or ideas) in EACH text. 6. Describe at least ONE interesting language technique in EACH text. Explain how EACH technique helped you understand an idea (or ideas) in EACH text.

Describe an important character or individual in EACH text. Explain why this character or individual was important in EACH text. 2.Describe an interesting aspect of setting in EACH text. Explain why the setting was important in EACH text. Note: “Setting” may refer to time and / or place. 3.Describe a change that happened in EACH text. Explain how this change helped you understand a character or individual in EACH text. 4.Describe an important idea in EACH text. Explain how you were shown that this idea was important in EACH text. 5.Describe at least ONE interesting technique in EACH text. Explain how these techniques were used to show you an important idea in EACH text. Note: Techniques could include language, structure, and narrative point-of- view. 6.Describe a memorable event in EACH text. Explain how this event was made memorable for you in EACH text.

Describe a positive OR negative experience that happened to a character or individual in EACH text. Explain how the writer(s) used the experience to help you understand the character or individual in EACH text. Note: You can use a positive experience from one text and a negative experience from the other. 2. Describe at least ONE technique that helped make the writer’s idea(s) clear to you in EACH text. Explain why the technique(s) made the idea(s) clear to you in EACH text. Note: “Techniques” might be language, style, structure or narrative point-of-view. 3. Describe ONE character or individual in EACH text whom you found interesting. Explain how the writer made the character or individual interesting to you in EACH text. 4. Describe an aspect of setting that was important in EACH text. Explain why the setting was important in EACH text. Note: “Setting” might include time and / or place. 5. Describe at least ONE idea that you thought was important in EACH text. Explain how the writer showed you the idea was important in EACH text. 6. Describe at least ONE interesting use of language in EACH text. Explain how the writer(s) used the aspect of language in an interesting way in EACH text.

Idea Based Questions Idea = Displacement Possible poem combinations: – House & Land and SkGM – SkGM and The Trick – House & Land and Sad Joke – The Trick and Sad Joke Displacement is always portrayed negatively so the theme (ie the writer’s pov) is something like ‘Displaced people are unhappy’

Character Questions Characters = Miss Wilson & Tu Only one poem combination – House & Land and Sad Joke Must focus on the similarities between characters Both relate to idea of displacement

Structuring Your Essay Introduction (POO) Body Paragraph #1 (Poem #1, Technique #1) Body Paragraph #2 (Poem #1, Technique #2) Body Paragraph #3 (Poem #2, Technique #1) Body Paragraph #4 (Poem #2, Technique #2) Body Paragraph #5 (Discussion beyond the text explaining difference between poems) optional Conclusion (OOP)

Points to consider One reason people fail is that they do not write about the poems equally Your body paragraphs should all be roughly the same length You do not need to write about the same idea/theme in each poem or the same techniques However, you are highly unlikely to gain a Merit or Excellence if you fail to make links and comparisons between the two poems

Points to consider (contd) Try to maintain a literary tone throughout Ensure you use correct terminology throughout Refer to the author by their surname after the first mention Discuss how techniques have been ‘used’ by the author Try to develop some sort of argument – this shouldn’t be as strong as in 1.2 but you should be making some sort of value judgement

Introduction P – Profound statement about idea – What idea are you going to write about? – Why is it important to society? – Make some mention of the question O – Observation of text and idea – What texts are you going to write about? – Who wrote them? – What are the authors’ povs on the idea? O – Outline of essay form – What techniques will you be looking at?

Body Paragraphs Topic sentence should explain which technique you are focusing on and which poem you are using Next you should include a quotation or detailed explanation of the technique from the poem Try to avoid isolating your quotation in your essay – try to integrate it into a sentence

Body Paragraphs (contd) You now need to explain how this quotation affects the reader – What does it make them feel/think – How does it do this – Make sure you work through this step–by–step: do not make assumptions of knowledge – You may want to support these points with ‘minor’ quotations from elsewhere in the text – This is a good time to ‘quote weave’

Body Paragraphs (contd) Finally you need to relate this to the idea – Why has the writer used this technique – Why does he want the reader to feel/think in this way – How does this relate to the writer’s pov on the idea

Body Paragraphs (contd) You need to work on using linking words at the start of paragraphs to join ideas together Words that link like minded ideas – ‘Another’, ‘Similarly’, ‘Additionally’, ‘Also’, ‘Moreover’ Words that link differing ideas – ‘However’, ‘In contrast’, ‘Although’, ‘Despite’, ‘Whereas’

Discussion Body Paragraph Topic sentence should explain what this paragraph is going to do Next you should outline what the pov for each poem is and mention the context Then you need to list external factors that might be responsible for the difference in the povs You should be thinking about a value judgement – which poem is ‘better’

Conclusion O – Outline of essay form – Summarise what techniques you have looked at O – Observation of text and idea – Mention again the texts and authors P – Profound statement about idea – Explain what the idea and povs are – Make a value judgement on which poem is more effective and why – This may be just a summary sentence if you have included a discussion body paragraph

In The Exam Choose the question Write down the two poems you will use along with their authors Write down the idea you’ll focus on Write down the pov of the authors on these ideas Write down the two techniques you will look at in each poem Write down the examples you will use for each technique