1. ‘Give’ by Simon Armitage

2. Question
What do you think the poet is saying about homelessness? How does he present his ideas?

3. Spider Diagram
What is the subject of the poem? (What is it about?)
What is the tone?
‘Give’

4. First Paragraph
Subject
Simon Armitage adopts the voice of a homeless person in his poem ‘Give’. He is explaining to an unknown person, and to us, the reader, why he has chosen to sleep in that particular doorway. The tone alternates between sadness, desperation and bitterness, since we learn he will do anything for money, but the tea he finally receives will not really help him. He sarcastically states in the penultimate line, ‘That’s big of you’.

5. Spider Diagram
What is the subject of the poem? (What is it about?)
What is the tone?
‘Give’
What language features does it have?
What effects do these create?
How does it make you feel? (What is your personal response?)
What is the structure of the poem? How does this affect the meaning?

6. Language
In pairs, identify two language features in the poem. Look out for the following:
Repetition
Alliteration
Imagery
Ambiguity (a word that has two or three different meanings)

7. Second Paragraph (language)
Armitage uses ambiguity to show that the predicament of the homeless person is more complex than mere poverty. For example, ‘It’s not as if I’m holding out For frankincense or myrrh, just change’ (lines 9-10). The phrase ‘holding out’ can be meant both literally, and as another way of saying ‘surviving’. He desperately needs ’change’, that is, money, but more significantly, for his life to change.

8. Now it’s your turn
Individually, write two PEE paragraphs using your language features.

9. Structure
In pairs, find two structural devices used in the poem. Look for:
Rhyme
Half-rhyme (words that sound similar but don’t rhyme fully)
Full stops
Patterns (how the poem is presented visually)

10. Individually write one PEE paragraph on structure......
....and one final paragraph on how the poem makes you feel (your personal response)
Subject - Tone- Language- Structure- Personal response Some Teens Love Studying Poetry