“Your Dad Did What?” and “Catrin” Poetry Revision “Your Dad Did What?” and “Catrin”

“Your Dad Did What?” by Sophie Hannah What is this poem about? - A teacher misunderstanding one of her pupils’ sentences and therefore not realising his Dad dies during the holidays Who is the voice of the poem? - The teacher Where is the conflict in this poem? - Conflict between the student and teacher, also a conflict of guilt within the teacher’s conscience

Voice Explain how the author uses language to present the voice of the poem. Look for quotes that reflect characteristics, attitudes, assumptions, feelings and emotions.

Explain how the author uses language to present the voice of the poem ‘what? Your Dad did what?’ – rhetorical, repetition, frustration ‘they’ – not personal, doesn’t see students as individuals, but also, possibly just doesn’t know them all that well ‘you’ (direct address) – puts reader in teacher’s shoes – trying to make us understand / feel her guilt?

Rhyme and Rhythm Can we think of any points to make about rhyme and rhythm that we could link into this essay? Starts off like a nursery rhyme / story – young children in school, sets scene Reader thinks a story about an ordinary day – perhaps comical Light-hearted- false sense of security Teacher organised so set rhyme scheme

Form and Structure Four quatrains with regular rhyme scheme Starts off innocently Reveal at the end – reader feels guilt, reflects emotions of teacher, teachers don’t know everything going on with students Short sentences show teacher’s impatience – ‘that’s not a sentence. Never mind the bell.’ – ‘not’ / ‘never’ negative, alliterative Last line final statement – leaves the reader thinking, important and dramatic

“Catrin” by Gillian Clarke? How do you feel about your parents?

Explore how Gillian Clarke presents conflict between a mother and daughter in “Catrin”. Initial Ideas

Voice First person – personal account: ‘I can remember’ Direct address – addressing the child as if she is speaking to them, things not normally expressed to daughter: ‘I can remember you, our first fierce confrontation’

Imagery ‘hot, white / room’ – hospital, small / claustraphobic, clinical – not homely ‘red rope of love’ – umbilical cord, red – passion, love, anger, rope – ties things together / up, tug of war / pull, ‘love’ – unconditional love, exists whatever happens.

Language features ‘first / fierce confrontation’ – alliteration of consonant emphasises aggression ‘I wrote all over the walls’ – metaphor for screaming, shouting / noise Contrasting ‘clean squares’ of hospitals with the ‘wild tender circles / Of our struggle’ ‘the glass tank clouded with feelings ‘ Which changed us both’ - glass box babies get put into, incubator – highly emotional, dense, can’t see? Filling up mind etc ‘bringing up from the heart’s pool’ – suggestive of depth, old feelings

Rhyme and rhythm Some rhyme in the middle of lines ‘there’ / ‘hair’ / glare’ near the end – joins lines / ideas together, list builds momentum to the last line. Short lines / line break ‘struggle to become / separate’ emphasises meaning of the word; form represents meaning Enjambement – flow of poem shows confusion and thought process (like a stream of consciousness?)

Form and Structure Move from the past and memory to the present However, there is no change / resolution, still in conflict with each other Even the last line is unanswered – continuous, carries on even after we stop reading – trying to make the reader understand parenthood?