1. GCSE English Literature
Section B: Poetry –
Elvis’s Twin Sister

2. MUST: Read, understand and annotate the poem Elvis’s Twin Sister (D) SHOULD: Be able to discuss contextual references and imagery (C/B ) COULD: Be able to compare and contrast recurrent themes in this and a number of poems (B/A)

3. Are you Lonesome tonight?
What do you know about…?
Elvis?
Heartbreak Hotel
Are you Lonesome tonight?

4. Picked on at school for being different – he stuttered and was very quiet
Born January , died August
King of Rock and Roll
Elvis
Died as a result of overdosing on prescription medication
Gyrating hips
His music mixed black and white influences
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, to a very religious family
The second of two identical twins (the first was stillborn and named Jesse Garon)

5. Are you lonesome tonight? Do you miss me tonight?
Elvis is alive and she’s female: Madonna
In the convent, y’all,
I tend the gardens,
watch things grow,
pray for the immortal soul
of rock ‘n’ roll.
They call me
Sister Presley here.
The Reverend Mother
digs the way I move my hips
just like my brother.
Gregorian chant
drifts out across the herbs
Pascha nostrum immolatus est…
I wear a simple habit,
darkish hues,
a wimple with novice-sewn
lace band, a rosary,
a chain of keys,
a pair of good and sturdy
blue suede shoes.
I think of it
as Graceland here,
a land of grace.
It puts my trademark slow lopsided smile
back on my face.
Lawdy.
I’m alive and well.
Long time since I walked
down Lonely Street
towards Heartbreak Hotel.

6. Task: Annotate the text!
In pairs, go through the poem.
Look for:
Themes (love, hate, etc)
Structure (how many lines, rhymes)
Language (similes, puns, metpahors, interesting words)
Attitudes (what is the mood of the speaker and the author?)
Purpose (what is the purpose of this poem?

7. Madonna is female Elvis or a quote from Madonna?
Are you lonesome tonight? Do you miss me tonight?
Elvis is alive and she’s female: Madonna
In the convent, y’all,
I tend the gardens,
watch things grow,
pray for the immortal soul
of rock ‘n’ roll.
They call me
Sister Presley here.
The Reverend Mother
digs the way I move my hips
just like my brother.
Gregorian chant
drifts out across the herbs
Pascha nostrum immolatus est…
I wear a simple habit,
darkish hues,
a wimple with novice-sewn
lace band, a rosary,
a chain of keys,
a pair of good and sturdy
blue suede shoes.
I think of it
as Graceland here,
a land of grace.
It puts my trademark slow lopsided smile
back on my face.
Lawdy.
I’m alive and well.
Long time since I walked
down Lonely Street
towards Heartbreak Hotel.
Epigraph in form of rhetorical question
Madonna is female Elvis or a quote from Madonna?
Colour imagery
6 stanzas of quintrains
Highly punctuated
Enjambement
Another monologue taken from the collection ‘The World’s Wife’
Italics

8. Are you lonesome tonight? Do you miss me tonight?
Elvis is alive and she’s female: Madonna
In the convent, y’all,
I tend the gardens,
watch things grow,
pray for the immortal soul
of rock ‘n’ roll.
They call me
Sister Presley here.
The Reverend Mother
digs the way I move my hips
just like my brother.
Gregorian chant
drifts out across the herbs
Pascha nostrum immolatus est…
I wear a simple habit,
darkish hues,
a wimple with novice-sewn
lace band, a rosary,
a chain of keys,
a pair of good and sturdy
blue suede shoes.
I think of it
as Graceland here,
a land of grace.
It puts my trademark slow lopsided smile
back on my face.
Lawdy.
I’m alive and well.
Long time since I walked
down Lonely Street
towards Heartbreak Hotel.
Song by Elvis Presley
American drawl
Completely contrasting / contradictory statements
Where Elvis lived
Religious symbolism / Elvis was thought to be the devil (the twin is the opposite of him)
As twins, they share the same characteristics
His gyrating hips got him banned!
What many of his fans believe
Original songs of the church
Latin meaning ‘Or Lamb has been sacrificed…’ (Christ)

9. Summarise what you now know about the poem:
What is it about? (Content)
What themes are covered?
What tone does the poem have?
What literary devices have been used?
How effective is the poem for the reader?

10. Summarise what you now know about the poem:
What is it about? The imagined ‘other story’ to Elvis’s Twin – from a feminist perspective
What themes are covered? Love, religion, chastity
What tone does the poem have? Light, Admiring, reflective
What literary devices have been used? Enjambement, metaphor, occasional rhyme, religious imagery, epigraph
How effective is the poem for the reader?