Session 1: “Half Caste” and “The Class Game” Poetry Revision Session 1: “Half Caste” and “The Class Game”

Poetry Revision Sessions Take place on Mondays (P14) and Tuesdays (P12) Must be prompt! Sessions will BEGIN at 1.25 Latecomers not welcome Bring poetry anthology Registers taken All materials will go up on the blog- the NEW blog- www.stcmgcseenglish.wordpress.com

To start us off…. What is a METAPHOR? In pairs, please come up with a definition and an example of a metaphor (preferably one you have made up yourself and not one from the poems) Eg: ‘my son is a beanpole’ A metaphor is when you say one thing ‘is’ another to describe it.

“Half Caste” by John Agard How do you respond to this poem? Think up a word that summarises your reaction. Race Prejudice Injustice…. How do we respond to this poem?

What is this poem about? WHO is this poem about? WHERE could the voice be from / be living? WHY was this poem written? HOW is the poem written? WHAT kind of poem is it? WHEN might this poem have been written? I haven’t filled these in because it’s good to come up with your own interpretations…. What do you think? Can you back up your ideas with quotations from the poem?

Voice Who is the voice? What are they trying to communicate to us? How is the voice presented? Direct address to reader eg ‘wha yu mean’ Dialect / accent used – what does this suggest? Challenging Repetition – ‘Explain yuself’ also an imperative (command) verb - demanding

Imagery What do we mean by imagery? Why do poets describe create detailed images in their work? What images are present in this poem?

Weather- English weather is mixed of light and shadow Image: Effect it creates / Why it has been used Art- Picasso, abstract art, used lots of colour, an ‘impression’ of something rather than realistic / naturalistic As Picasso’s art is beautiful because he mixes colours and looks at things in a different way, people who are mixed race can also be beautiful Weather- English weather is mixed of light and shadow English weather is mixed up, and this is something which we see as very ‘English’ so mixed race people can inhabit that national identity too. Also the balance of light and shadow in English weather can be beautiful, as are mixed race people. Halves - half an eye etc… You cannot have half an eye, like you cannot have ‘half’ a person. Calling someone ‘half’ anything is ridiculous but it is also nonsensical and impossible.

Rhyme and Rhythm Does this poem use rhyme? - Some half rhymes are used eg ‘overcast’ ‘pass’ Does this poem use rhythm? - The poem builds in momentums, as points are made in the voice’s argument How does this poem use alliteration and repetition? - Repetition is used to keep proving a point to the reader

Form and Structure Does this poem have a formal form or structure? - Not really How does the poem use enjambement? - Gives the poem a conversational feel and means it flows well. Can imagine the speaking vocie How does the voice build tension / importance? - The argument builds with each point How does the poem end? - The reader is unsatisfied and the voice proves they do not know everything- they are still unknowledgeable. Political.

“The Class Game” by Mary Casey How would you sum up the voice in this poem? (One word or phrase) What do you think about the voice in this poem? Voice

What is this poem about? WHO is this poem about? WHERE could the voice be from / be living? WHY was this poem written? HOW is the poem written? WHAT kind of poem is it? WHEN might this poem have been written?

Voice Who is the voice of the poem? Who are they speaking to? What are they trying to prove? Do they succeed?

How does the voice speak? Direct Address – use of ‘you’ to address the reader Rhetorical questions – ‘How can you tell what class I’m from?’ Swapping between dialect / accent and posh words and phrases – confuses reader > who is the voice? unapologetic

Language choice Uses words the reader might not understand – creates distance, prevents us from making an initial judgement Scathing ‘Bye mummy dear’ – characterises posh people in a certain way Crude imagery ‘toilet instead of bog when I want to pee’ – shocking?

Rhyme and Rhythm Does this poem have a rhyme scheme? Why? What effect does it have? -The rhyme scheme is not regular but the poet does use rhyming couplets nearly all the way through. This creates a jaunty feel to the poem, which helps the mocking tone the author wants to use and the humour in the poem. Does this poem use rhythm? (Look at the end…) - There is a rhythm created by the line-end rhyming, and at the end the poet uses short lines to build up to the final statement which is given poignancy as a result.

Form and Structure Does this poem have a formal form? Is it particularly structured? Why? The poem is again very conversational, which helps with its focus on the way people speak. It is informal, suggesting the voice’s class or purpose and helping create humorous moments. How does it end? - The final statement of the poem is the focus of the poem and is the most important thing the voice says.

Comparison See if you can answer these yourself……. What are the similarities between the two poems? What are the main differences in how they present their ideas?

Over the coming weeks… We will cover ALL the anthology poems… We will practise writing PEA paragraphs We will practise exam questions We will discuss highly interesting literary works in an extremely intelligent and focussed fashion. See you tomorrow!