1. Jackie Kay
Revision

2. Quick Quiz 1. What are the recurring themes in Jackie Kay’s poetry?
2. What is a poetic persona?
3. What is a symbol?
4. What is imagery?
5. What is word choice?
6. What is a stanza?
7. What is the vernacular?
8. What is structure? Which two poems in particular have an interesting structure?

3. Lucozade
Many of the main ideas or concerns of this poem come through in the first three stanzas.
a. identify two of these main concerns from the first three stanzas (2)
b. show how the use of the poet’s language in the first three stanzas help to clarify or illustrate these ideas (4)
How effective do you find the final five lines as a conclusion to the poem? Your answer might deal with ideas and or language (2)

4. Gap Year
Describe how the poet feels about her unborn child in the first 4 stanzas (section 1). Go on to show how she uses language to illustrate these emotions (3)
How do the last two stanzas form an effective conclusion to the poem. You may wish to consider language and or ideas. (2)
What is the main theme of this poem? With close textual reference consider the ideas and language in relation to this theme are similar or different to other poems by Jackie Kay.

5. Divorce
Look at lines 1-14 and show any two examples of the poet’s use of language effectively conveys the persona’s dissatisfaction with her parents. (4)
Explain what kind of parents the persona imagines. Go on to show how the writer uses language to effectively describe these parents (3)
In your own words explain the reasons the persona gives for wanting to divorce her parents (3)

6. Bed This poem deals with illness and ageing.
a. Identify two problems that are identified in the first three stanzas (2)
b. show how the poet’s use of language helps convey this to the reader (4)
How effective do you find any aspect of the final two stanzas as a conclusion to the poem? (2)

7. My Grandmother’s Houses
Describe the three different houses. How does the persona convey her feelings for each house? Your answer should closely reference the text (6) How do we know that the poet feels discomfort in the third house? (2) How does the persona feel about her Grandmother? (2)