1. Welcome Higher!
Scottish Texts

2. Course Overview Made up of;
Reading for Understanding and Analysis (RUAE) paper = 30%
Critical Reading paper = 40%
Scottish Texts (20% = 20 marks)
Critical Essay (20% = 20 marks)
Writing Portfolio = 30%
Spoken Language Unit = must pass to sit exam.

3. Time with me
During your periods with me, we will generally be focusing on the Scottish Texts element of the course.
We will be studying 6 poems by a poet called Carol Ann Duffy – Originally, Valentine, War Photographer, Mrs Midas, In Mrs Tilscher’s Class, and The Way my Mother Speaks.

4. What is expected of you?
Over the course of the year we will study these poems, the types of questions that you can be asked and how to answer them.
You need to ensure that you are studying regularly – learning the poems and the annotations, as well as the formula given to you for each question type.
You need to take responsibility for your learning: if you aren’t sure about something ASK!

5. For Scottish Texts, you will be developing;
Why are we doing it?
For Scottish Texts, you will be developing;
Your understanding skills – ability to identify, summarise, and explain key ideas within a text.
Your language skills – ability to analyse, infer meaning of words/phrases, identify language techniques and use these effectively.
Ability to compare key ideas.
Your communication skills – confidence working in groups, fluency of speech, ability to articiulate your ideas and opinions.
Your organisational skills – you will need to organise a study schedule etc.
To name but a few!!

6. Who is Carol Ann Duffy? She was born 23rd of December 1955.
She is a Scottish poet and playwright, and was appointed as Britain’s Poet Laureate in May 2009.
She is the first woman, the first Scot, and the first openly gay person to hold the position.
Duffy's work explores both everyday experience and the rich fantasy life of herself and others. In dramatising scenes from childhood, adolescence, and adult life, she discovers moments of consolation through love, memory, and language.

7. Originally
Poem One

8. On your show me boards, tell me what you think a poetic technique is.
Starter
On your show me boards, tell me what you think a poetic technique is.
A device or devices used by a poet in order to get the main ideas and themes across to their readers.

9. Name as many poetic techniques as you can in 2 minutes.

10. Poetic Techniques (not an exhaustive list!)
Alliteration
Connotation
Enjambment
Irony
Hyperbole
Imagery
Metaphor
Onomatopoeia
Perspective
Personification
Simile
Stanza
Context

11. Learning Intentions To understand the context of Originally.
To have analysed each stanza.
To identify key themes/ideas, and discuss these in relation to the text

12. Context
In this autobiographical poem, Duffy considers and explores the sense of isolation and confusion she felt as a child when her family moved from the Gorbals in Glasgow to Stafford, England. She was 6 years old.
She describes both the literal details of the journey and the move as well as the deeper, metaphorical journey that she and her family experienced as a result of this decision.

13. Discuss this in pairs. You will have 3 minutes.
Task
Now that you are aware that the poem is about emigration, isolation and the feeling of leaving a past life behind, do you think that the title ‘Originally’ is powerful/effective?
Why or why not?
Discuss this in pairs. You will have 3 minutes.
Take feedback – we will come back to the title at the end of the poem to see if our opinions have changed!

14. I will first read through the poem with you.
Reading the Poem
I will first read through the poem with you.
If there are words/phrases that you don’t understand, underline them as we read through – we can discuss them at the end.

15. Example: Isolation, Love…
Your Turn
Read the poem on your own at least twice.
In your jotters, make a note of any key themes or key ideas that you notice.
Example: Isolation, Love…

16. Discuss your notes in your groups
Discuss your notes in your groups. Did you all come up with the same ideas, or did you come up with something different?

17. Originally
Poem One

18. Learning Intentions To understand the context of Originally.
To have analysed each stanza.
To identify key themes/ideas, and discuss these in relation to the text

19. Key Themes Isolation Impact on Family Confusion Shame (key idea)
Change & Time
Loss
Importance of Childhood memories and experiences
Nostalgia
National and Individual Identity
Isolation
Importance of Childhood Memories and Experiences
National and Individual Identity
Loss
Nostalgia – for the past.
Time
Change and development

20. Annotations

21. Stanza One We came from our own country in a red room
which fell through the fields, our mother singing
our father’s name to the turn of the wheels.
My brothers cried, one of them bawling Home,
Home, as the miles rushed back to the city,
the street, the house, the vacant rooms
where we didn’t live any more. I stared
at the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw.

22. In groups:
Does Duffy use any poetic techniques? If so what does she use, and why?
Are there any references to the themes we have identified?
The first line mentions a “red room”. What do you think this might be? Do you think this description betrays Duffy’s feelings at leaving home?
What do you think the significance of the “blind toy” is, in the final line?

23. Reference to Duffy’s home country – Scotland.
“Own” suggests she still associates herself as being a part of Scotland – difficulty in separating herself from it and still belongs.
Reference to the train they journey in.
“Red” = connotations of anger and danger. Perhaps signifies Duffy’s concerns and feelings of betrayal at moving away from her childhood home.
We came from our own country in a red room which fell through the fields, our mother singing our father’s name to the turn of the wheels.
Alliteration of “fell” and “fields” emphasises her feelings of impotence and lack of control in the making of this important decision.
Enjambment = reveals the tension experienced by the family with such upheaval to their way of life.
Shows how quickly this change has happened
Contrast = optimistic mood of her mother is a distinct contrast to the obvious negativity of Duffy herself and is also slightly ambiguous - unsure whether their father is in the train carriage with them or if they are travelling to meet him at their destination.
Alliteration

24. Originally
Poem One

25. Starter Task Write down a brief summary of the poem.
Note one-two poetic techniques within the first stanza which reinforce the theme of isolation. Explain how they develop this theme. (Through word choice? Sentence structure? Imagery?)

26. Their emotions reflect her own – all children feeling the considerable loss at losing their home.
Repetition and capitalisation of “Home” = reinforces misery and overwhelming sense of loss & separation that she associates with this time of her childhood.
My brothers cried, one of them bawling Home, Home, as the miles rushed back to the city, the street, the house, the vacant rooms where we didn’t live any more. I stared
Personification = marks Duffy’s inability at this time to embrace the change and consequently longing to return home/reflect on the past.
List
Word choice “vacant” emphasises the emptiness she feels at losing her childhood home.
The way that her POV works from the outside in (street>inside of house) mirrors the magnification of these feelings as she relives them.
Narrative technique. Past tense reflecting back. Marks adult narrative voice of Duffy. Brings mature reflection.
“We” = although from Duffy’s POV, gives a sense of impact it has had on family as whole.

27. at the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw.
“Blind” = uncertainty & anxiety at the future, heading to an unfamiliar place.
at the eyes of a blind toy, holding its paw.
“Toy” & fact she holds its paw = emphasises her innocence & vulnerability at the time. Although written in past tense from a mature perspective, this line effectively stresses that she was a child at the time.
As it is a toy – cannot be comforted. She is truly alone and has no support network other than a lifeless toy.

28. Stanza Two
All childhood is an emigration. Some are slow, leaving you standing, resigned, up an avenue where no one you know stays. Others are sudden. Your accent is wrong. Corners, which seemed familiar, leading to unimagined, pebble-dashed estates, big boys eating worms and shouting words you don’t understand. My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth in my head. I want our own country, I said.

29. In groups:
“All childhood is an emigration” is a metaphor. Discuss what you think Duffy means by this. Do you think this is an effective description? Why or why not?
Duffy uses a number of short, stunted sentences throughout the stanza – why do you think she does this?
Are there any other examples of imagery used? If so, what do they mean and why do you think they have been used?
How does Duffy describe the boys – refer to word choice in your answer.

30. Originally
Poem One

31. No Notes 5 minutes to complete!
“My brothers cried, one of them bawling Home,/ Home” How does the repetition of “home” develop the theme of loss?
“Our mother singing our father’s name to the turn of the wheels.” What contrast is created by these lines? Explain your answer.
What is the significance of the “blind toy” in the first stanza? What does it represent/symbolise?

32. Metaphor
Reveals one of the key ideas: childhood is equated with changes and transitions that are often out with our control. Not only moving home, but all mental and physical development, emotional change etc.
In same way that there are multiple stages to a journey, so too are there multiple stages of life – ever changing and ever moving.
Short sentences – may represent the feeling of stagnancy that the poet feels.
Having the 'wrong' accent conveys how communication and acceptance is much more complex than merely speaking the same language.
Elongated sentence reinforce the slowness mentioned in the first line of the stanza.
Contrasts with the short, abrupt sentences that follow.
All childhood is an emigration. Some are slow, leaving you standing, resigned, up an avenue where no one you know stays. Others are sudden. Your accent is wrong.

33. Sense of confusion is reinforced as Duffy recalls aspects of the transition.
Emphasis on feeling of not belonging – emphasised by “unimagined” and “seemed familiar”, which exposes her inability to negotiate her way successfully through this new, strange and unfamiliar landscape.
Corners, which seemed familiar, leading to unimagined, pebble-dashed estates, big boys eating worms and shouting words you don’t understand.
Recollection underpins her sense of confusion as she is confronted by behaviour and language that is alien to her.
“Big”, “Eating worms” and “shouting” = creates an aggressive impression of the boys, and heightens a sense of vulnerability & feelings of isolation as this behaviour is unknown to her.

34. The “anxiety” replaces her mother’s initial feeling of optimism in the first stanza.
Simile
Emphasises that her parents too are struggling with the move but that their fears are not enough to provoke a strong reaction – a loose tooth can easily fall out of its own accord or be quickly extracted. Similarly, it is irritating and unstable – mirroring her feelings of instability and discomfort.
My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth in my head. I want our own country, I said.
The italicisation reminds us again of the autobiographical nature of the poem and is a reference back to the first line of stanza one.
It acts almost as a childish lament, perhaps one that was constantly repeated during this upsetting transition and reminds us, like the words big boys used earlier, how young Duffy was when this event occurred.
Repeats the idea of not belonging, and a sense of lost identity – something she is trying to reclaim.

35. Stanza Three
But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change, and, seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel only a skelf of shame. I remember my tongue shedding its skin like a snake, my voice in the classroom sounding just like the rest. Do I only think I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space and the right place? Now, Where do you come from? Strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.

36. In groups:
How powerful is the simile “I remember my tongue shedding its skin like a snake” in conveying a sense of loss? Be prepared to explain your answer.
Are there any other examples of imagery? Identify them and explain how effective they are in furthering the main ideas/key themes.

37. But = Conjunction – indicates a change in tone/focus, as she considers the inevitability of change and adaptation.
List = emphasises fact that change is difficult to pinpoint or define.
Uses the second person here to expose the often fragile nature of childhood memory.
The speaker is clearly older, and is using this time to reflect on her own gradual transition.
But then you forget, or don’t recall, or change, and, seeing your brother swallow a slug,
Refers back to the image of the boys eating worms in previous stanza.
Implies that this act is evidence that he has fully assimilated into his new home, with the simple alliteration indicating that this was a straightforward process for him.
Alliteration “S” mirrors alliteration “shedding skin like a snake” = emphasises difficulties for Duffy but ease with which brother integrates

38. feel only a skelf of shame.
Deliberate employment of the Scottish dialect (“Skelf”) reveals that she still feels attached to her Scottish roots and is unwilling to fully relinquish the last traces of her Scottish dialect.
While her brothers have successfully adapted, she still feels out of place and like a splinter, memories of her former life continue to trouble her.
Skelf = uncomfortable, so emphasises her discomfort at leaving her past life behind.

39. Originally
Poem One

40. Do Now: No Notes Extension 5 minutes to complete!
What does the phrase “a skelf of shame” suggest about Duffy’s attitude towards the move/leaving Scotland? What makes you think that (focus in on word choice here).
“Others are sudden./ Your accent wrong.” What effect to the short sentences here have in demonstrating the theme of identity.
Extension
Explain the simile “My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth.” Is this effective in demonstrating the theme of change/movement of time?

41. Simile – compares shedding Scottish dialect/voice/language to a snake shedding its skin.
Is a suggestion of regrowth, that from this loss something new takes its place, however there is a clear sense of melancholy at the loss of her Scottish Identity.
Conveys idea of change – losing the old and adapting to suit the new – however also stresses that she is still uncomfortable there.
I remember my tongue shedding its skin like a snake, my voice in the classroom sounding just like the rest. Do I only think
Reinforces the feeling that she has lost her identity and individuality.

42. List = all the things she thinks she may have lost.
Poses it as a question, demonstrating her uncertainty - she challenges both herself and us to consider our own notions of self and identity.
Inversion of ‘I only’ = emphasises her feelings of isolation and separateness from the other members of her family during this period
River = metaphorical/literal? Indicates turmoil, and a loss of peace/ tranquility.
Do I only think I lost a river, culture, speech, sense of first space and the right place? Now, Where do you come from? Strangers ask. Originally? And I hesitate.
By the end of the poem it is clear that the poet is no closer to defining her identity.
Uncertainty reinforced by the presentation of two very different questions: is where you come from the  same as your original home?
Final abrupt sentence again emphasises the poet's uncertainty about her identity and where she belongs.
Momentary hesitation reveals that even though she is older, the speaker continues to have mixed feeling about her true origins.

43. In pairs, discuss the following:
The Title
Now that we have finished annotating the poem, lets reconsider the title.
In pairs, discuss the following:
What are the connotations of the word originally?
What does Duffy mean using the word in the context of the poem?
Do you think that this is still a powerful and effective title for the poem? Why?

44. Textual analysis
Scottish Texts

45. Learning Intention
To develop our ability to analyse Duffy’s Originally in response to textual analysis questions.

46. Textual Analysis Questions
You can be asked a range of different types of questions in response to your Scottish Texts. For each one, there is a ‘formula’ you can follow to answer it. This will go some way to ensuring your answers are detailed enough.

47. Question Types Word choice Imagery Sentence Structure Tone
Effectiveness
Comparison (10 marker at the end)

48. Differences between N5 & Higher
For a large portion of the exam/folio, the criteria remains the same.
However, within the Scottish Texts element you will notice a couple of differences.
The final question is worth 10 marks at Higher, compared to 8 marks at N5
You do not get any marks for quoting at Higher – your marks are based solely on the quality of your analysis.

49. Technique + Quote + Analysis
Question 1
By referring to 1 example in lines 1-9 of the poem, analyse the use of poetic techniques in clarifying the main ideas in the poem.
(2 marks)
How will we answer?
Technique + Quote + Analysis

50. Textual analysis
Scottish Texts

51. Learning Intention
To develop our ability to analyse Duffy’s Originally in response to textual analysis questions.

52. Question 2
By referring to 2 examples in lines 9-16 of the poem, analyse the use of poetic techniques in clarifying the theme of isolation in the poem. (4 marks) How will we answer? Technique + Quote + Analysis X2

53. Question 3
By referring closely to lines 17-24, identify the attitude of the poet toward emigration and explain how this is conveyed. (2 marks) How will we answer? Tone + Evidence + Analysis + Additional Technique(s)

54. Question 4
Evaluate how effective you find the lines “My parents’ anxiety stirred like a loose tooth/in my head”. Your answer should deal with idea and/or language. (2 marks) How do we answer? Effective + Technique + Quote + Analysis

55. Question 5
By referring closely to lines 9-16, identify the attitude of the poet toward their emigration and explain how this is conveyed. (2 marks) How do we answer? Tone + Evidence + Analysis + Question

56. Homework
For next Thursday, write and learn your answer to the following question. You will then be required to replicate this with no notes. You will have 7 minutes in class to complete this. By referring to two poetic techniques within lines of the poem, analyse the way in which the theme of isolation is explored. (4 marks)

57. Question 1 – Possible Answers
“All childhood is an emigration” – metaphor – suggests she feels as though constantly moving, enhances sense of loneliness as though she can never find a place for herself. + further explanation = 1 mark
“Some are slow,/ leaving you standing, resigned” - sentence structure – elongated sentence – enhances sense of slow change / word choice of personal pronoun “you” = isolating in itself, isolates the reader / word choice “resigned” = cannot change outcome, suggests feelings of inecapability – she is isolated from this new environment and is unable to integrate. Any of these + further explanation = 1 mark
Others are sudden./ Your accent wrong. - Short sentences – represents feelings of stagnancy – isolated by language barrier. + further explanation = 1 mark