English Literature Year 11 Poetry Revision Booklet

AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE

‘Medusa’ by Carol Ann Duffy

What were Greek myths?

Greek myths were adapted and changed according to the storyteller; it was very

competitive, so the myths changed according to the listeners’ needs. According to some,

‘mythological correctness’ is seen as being fraudulent; there is no right or wrong story.

However, the most well known story of Medusa can be seen in the short summary below.

Medusa was a very attractive mortal who was admired for her

beauty and lovely locks. One day, Poseidon, the God of the Sea,

seduced Medusa in Athena’s temple. Athena, the Goddess of war

strategy and the protector of land, was very angry that Medusa

disgraced her in her temple; therefore, she took Medusa’s beauty

away and turned her into an ugly Gorgon with snakes on her

head. From then on, any person that Medusa looked at would turn

into stone. This obviously meant that she could never fall in love

or have herself attached to someone again. Perseus, a Greek hero, was able to cut off

Medusa’s head by using a polished shield from Athena. He saw Medusa in the reflection

of the shield (this allowed him not to turn to stone) and was able to use her head to

combat many future battles.

What type of poem is this? This poem is a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue is a piece of verse that

gives the speaker a voice to express his / her feelings. In the case of ‘Medusa’, Carol Ann

Duffy is giving a voice to Medusa.

In this poem, Medusa expresses her bitter feelings about becoming old and, in a sense,

unwanted. She is directing the poem to her husband, her Greek God.

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Poetry detectives Work in pairs to make a note of examples (quotations) from the poem in the table

below.

Poetic techniquesand devices

Examples

alliteration

assonance

metaphor

verbs

repetition

questions

imperative sentences

pleasant images

ugly images

one line stanza

narrative voice

Let’s take a closer look

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Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis.

Stanza 1

1. What can we infer about the speaker?

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Stanza 2

1. What does ‘my bride’s breath soured’ imply?

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2. Why should Medusa’s husband be terrified?

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Stanza 3

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1. Why is it terrifying that Medusa loves him? What are the consequences?

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2. What is the effect of the internal rhyme in ‘you’ll go, betray me, stray from home’?

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3. Why is it better if he is stone? What does that allow Medusa to do? Hint: Think about how

she is feeling.

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Stanzas 4-5

1. Why is it significant that she ‘glances’?

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2. What do the images of the bee, singing bird, ginger cat and snuffling pig convey? What is

Medusa not able to allow herself to do?

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3. Why is the phrase, ‘a heap of shit’ so powerful?

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Stanza 6

1. Why is it significant that she ‘stares’?

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2. What does Medusa see in the mirror?

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Stanza 7 and last line

1. What is the significance of ‘And here you come’? What is the tone?

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2. What emotions are displayed in this stanza and how are they displayed?

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3. Why is the last line poignant? What is she tempting him to do?

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My Itchy Toes Smell Loads Complete the table below with what you consider to be the

most important quotes and poetic devices within each category.

meaning

imagery

tone

Structure and Form

language

Comparing poems

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- AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different

ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects

Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between the two

poems.

Sample exam question Compare the central characters in ‘Medusa’ and ‘My Last Duchess’.

Compare the ways that jealousy is explored in ‘Medusa’ and ‘My Last Duchess’.

Comparing poems

‘Medusa’ ‘my last duchess’

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- AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different

ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects

Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between the two

poems.

Sample exam question Compare the central characters in ‘Medusa’ and ‘Les Grand Seigneurs’.

Planning an essay

‘Medusa’ ‘Les grand seigneurs’

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Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for your essay

question. You must include 3 - 5 points of comparison. Number each point in the order

you would write about them in your exam. When you write your essay, remember to

analyse structural and poetic devices for their effect and meaning. Don’t just list.

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‘Ozymandias’

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by Percy Bysshe Shelley

The title What is the meaning of Shelley’s title?

OzymandiasOzy comes from the Greek

“ozium” which means

either, ‘to breathe’ or ‘air’.

Mandias comes from the Greek “mandate” which

means ‘to rule’.

Now that you understand the meaning of the title, how do these ideas link

to the poem?

Make a note of your ideas.

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Pharaoh Facts

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The gods had a little help, in the form of

pharaohs. Pharaohs were the kings of

Ancient Egypt. In hieroglyphics,

pharaoh means “great house” or

“palace”, a word that was eventually

used to describe the king himself. The

ancient Egyptians saw their pharaoh as a

god, more specifically as the god Horus.

They thought that when the pharaoh

died, a new Horus was born to rule on

earth, thus achieving eternal life. In

reality, the pharaohs headed the

government, the army, set taxes, judged

criminals and were high priests of all the

temples. All this was in theory, of

course. Appointed officials did most of

the work, in his name.

http://www.angelfire.com/wi/egypt/phar.html

Read the poem.

What are your first impressions of the tone and meaning?

Make a note of your ideas.

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Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think PEA -

point, example, analysis.

What does the adjective, ‘antique’, suggest? Is it a positive or negative description, or is it

both?

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What is the effect of creating a ‘traveller’ to narrate the story?

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Why does Shelley use ‘vast’ to describe the remains of the statue, rather than ‘big’?

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What does the noun, ‘frown’ and the noun phrase ‘wrinkled lip’ suggest about the nature of

the Pharaoh?

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Up until line five, Shelley’s focus is on, primarily, the image of the statue in the

desert.

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Underline each NOUN and highlight each adjective up until line five. Then, using

this to aid you, in the space below, draw an image of Shelley’s creation of Egypt.

Make sure you draw every object the way they are described by the poet.

At line 6, the poem subject shifts to the sculptor, Ozymandias’s servant: ‘its sculptor well those

passions read…’ How does this extract support your previous answers?

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“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

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a. What do you think these lines meant in the context of the time?

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b. What do you think these lines mean in today’s context? What does the verb, ‘despair’,

suggest?

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c. How many references are there to Ozymandias himself in these lines? What does this

suggest?

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d. ‘Mighty’ is a noun in line 11. Who does it refer to?

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e. Using punctuation, how has Shelley created the superior status of Ozymandias? Note and

explain two examples.

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Describe the grammar of this sentence: ‘Nothing beside remains.’ What is its effect? Think

about the contrast with the previous lines.

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Whose work has lasted - Ozymandias’ or the sculptor’s? What do you think Shelley is

suggesting?

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Rhythm and Rhyme Label the rhyme scheme.

Does the rhyme scheme follow the conventions of a Petrarchan sonnet?

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What is the symbolism of replacing old rhymes with new ones?

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What is the effect of the rhythm in the poem’s last line?

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My Itchy Toes Smell Loads Complete the table below with what you consider to be the most important quotes and poetic devices within each category.

meaning

imagery

tone

Structure and Form

l

angu

ageComparing poems

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- AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts,

evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and

achieving effects

Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between

the two poems.

Sample exam question Compare the characters in ‘Ozymandias’ and ‘My Last Duchess’.

Compare the ways that voice is created in ‘Ozymandias’ and ‘My

Last Duchess’.

Comparing poems

‘Ozymandias’ ‘my last duchess’

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- AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts,

evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and

achieving effects

Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between

the two poems.

Sample exam questions Compare the ways that character and voice is created in

‘Ozymandias’ and ‘Medusa’.

Compare the presentation of power in ‘Ozymandias’ and ‘Medusa’.

Planning an essay

‘Ozymandias’ ‘Medusa’

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Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for

your essay question. You must include 3 - 5 points of comparison.

Number each point in the order you would write about them in your

exam. When you write your essay, remember to analyse structural and

poetic devices for their effect and meaning. Don’t just list.

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‘The Clown Punk’

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by Simon Armitage

Let’s take a closer look Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think PEA -

point, example, analysis.

Stanza 1

Driving home through the shonky side of town,

three times out of ten you’ll see the town clown,

like a basket of washing that got up

and walked, towing a dog on a rope. But

What does the phrase, ‘the shonky side of town’, suggest about the Clown

Punk’s status?

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Note the simile in this stanza:

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What does this simile imply about the Clown Punk? Describe its

effectiveness.

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What do the verbs, ‘driving’, ‘got up’, ‘walked’ and ‘towing’ have in common?

They are verbs of M _ V _ _ E _ T

Look up this noun in a dictionary. One definition of the word is one that also

denotes ‘revolution’.

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Describe the significance and irony of Armitage’s verb choices.

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Why does Simon Armitage end with ‘But’ in the first stanza? What does it

cause you to do? Think about rhythm.

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Stanza 2

don’t laugh: every pixel of that man’s skin

is shot through with indelible ink;

as he steps out at the traffic lights,

think what he’ll look like in thirty years’ time

What are imperative verbs and what are the effects of Armitage’s use of

them?

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Why does Armitage use a hyphen at the end of the stanza? What does it

cause the reader to do?

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Stanza 3

the deflated face and shrunken scalp

still daubed with the sad tattoos of high punk.

You kids in the back seat who wince and scream

when he slathers his daft mush on the windscreen,

Why are the adjectives ‘deflated’ and ‘shrunken’ effective? What are their

connotations?

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Fill the gap in the following sentence:

The poem is written in ___________ person.

What is the effect of this narrative mode?

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Stanza 4

remember the clown punk with his dyed brain,

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then picture windscreen wipers, and let it rain.

What does the imperative fourth stanza suggest? What do you think Armitage

is trying to convey?

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When asked about this poem, Armitage said that a man he used to see on

the street influenced him. He stated:

‘”I used to see around town quite a lot, who once pressed his face up against the

windscreen of my car while I was stopped at the traffic lights. There's a tradition in

English Literature of writing such poems, where one type of person stands eyeball to

eyeball with another type, and something passes between them.’”

Sex PistolsLook at the following album cover for the Sex Pistols.

What do you think their or other punks’ political views were? Make a note

of your ideas in the space below.

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My Itchy Toes Smell Loads Complete the table below with what you consider to be the most

important quotes and poetic devices within each category.

meaning

imagery

tone

Structure

and Form

language

Comparing poems

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- AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating

writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects

Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between the

two poems.

Exam question Compare the attitudes presented towards a disadvantaged person in

‘The Clown Punk’ and ‘The Hunchback in the Park’

Planning an essay

‘The Clown Punk’ ‘The Hunchback in the

Park’

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Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for your

essay question. You must include 3 - 5 points of comparison. Number each

point in the order you would write about them in your exam. When you write

your essay, remember to analyse structural and poetic devices for their

effect and meaning. Don’t just list.

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‘Checking Out Me History’ by John Agard

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1. Why do you think it might it be a good idea to teach young people history at school? Note three

reasons.

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2. Why do you think that British history is widely taught across the world?

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3. What reasons might there be to teach young people about the history of other cultures as well

as British history?

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What type of poem is this?

This poem is a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue is a piece of

verse that gives the speaker a voice to EXPRESS his / her feelings to a silent

audience.

In the case of ‘Checking Out Me History’, Agard’s speaker expresses a desire

to learn more about his / her own country of origin, not just the British

history s/he has been taught in school. Agard himself was born in Guyana in

South America in 1949 and moved to England in 1977.

Spot the following poetic techniques and devices at work in the poem. What is their

PURPOSE and EFFECT?

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techniques examples and analysis

short lines

italics

non-standard

english

repetition

lack of

punctuation

a range of

historical

events /

figures

rhyme


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Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think PEA - point,

example, analysis.

Stanzas 1 – 3

Dem tell me

Dem tell me

Wha dem want to tell me

Bandage up me eye with me own history

Blind me to me own identity

Dem tell me bout 1066 and all dat

dem tell me bout Dick Whittington and he cat

But Toussaint L’Ouverture

no dem never tell me bout dat

What can we infer about the speaker?

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Who do you think ‘dem’ refers to?

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Why do you think the poet has included a mixture of real events, characters from children’s

stories and nursery rhymes?

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Select an effective noun phrase used to describe each historical figure. Discuss the effect of

each noun phrase and how the speaker’s praise for them is made clear.

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Toussaint L’Ouverture

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Nanny de Maroon

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Mary Seacole

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What might the metaphor ‘I carving out me identity’ mean? Think about the connotations of the

verb ‘to carve’.

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What could you infer about the way the speaker feels about his or her identity from this stanza?

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My Itchy Toes Smell Loads Complete the table below with what you consider to be the most

important quotes and poetic devices within each category.

meaning

imagery

tone

Structure

and Form

language

Comparing poems- AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of

expressing meaning and achieving effects

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Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between the two poems.

Sample exam question Compare the theme of history in ‘Checking Out Me History’ and ‘The Horse Whisperer’.

Planning an essay Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for your essay question.

You must include 3 - 5 points of comparison. Number each point in the order you would write

‘Checking Out Me ‘The Horse Whisperer’

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about them in your exam. When you write your essay, remember to analyse structural and

poetic devices for their effect and meaning. Don’t just list.

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‘The River God’ Medusa

Character

What sort of character

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is presented in each poem?

What are the most striking aspects of each character?

Do you feel any sympathy for the characters?

What other feelings do you have towards these characters?

Point of view

Whose point of view is used in each poem?

Does the point of view change at any point?

Does the poem use the first person (I) or the third person (he/she)?

Does the speaker of the poem have a particular audience in mind?

Language

Is there any striking imagery in each poem (metaphor, simile, personification)?

Are any phonological techniques used (alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia)?

Which words or phrases do you find particularly effective and why?

‘Singh Song!’ by Daljit Nagra


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Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think

PEA - point, example, analysis.

Stanza 1

I run just one ov my daddy's shops

from 9 o'clock to 9 o'clock

and he vunt me not to hav a break

but ven nobody in, I do di lock –

- How is the father / son relationship represented in the first three lines of

the poem? What can we infer about the Indian work ethic?

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- The use of connectives in this first stanza is very interesting. For

example, the connective, ‘and’, emphasizes the father’s hard-working

attitude and strict role as father. What is the effect of the connective,

‘but’?

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Stanza 2

“They are not said to be husband and wife, who merely sit together.

Rather they alone are called husband and wife, who have one soul in two

bodies.”

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cos up di stairs is my newly bride

vee share in chapatti

vee share in di chutney

after vee hav made luv

like vee rowing through Putney –


- Guru Amar Das.

This saying by Guru Amar Das summarises the philosophy behind Sikh

matrimony.

- Which two lines represent this philosophy? Which poetic technique has

Nagra used to establish it, and what is its effect?

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- Circle any non-standard grammar. What is the effect?

Stanza 3

- Why do you think Nagra uses Indian dialect and accent throughout the

poem, even when the voice is clearly that of a customer?

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Stanzas 4 – 7: Singh’s Wife

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Ven I return vid my pinnie untied

di shoppers always point and cry:

Hey Singh, ver yoo bin?

Yor lemons are limes

yor bananas are plantain,

dis dirty little floor need a little bit of mop

in di worst Indian shop

on di whole Indian road –

Above my head high heel tap di ground

as my vife on di web is playing wid di mouse

ven she netting two cat on her Sikh lover site

she book dem for di meat at di cheese ov her price –


- Nagra refers to Singh’s wife as ‘netting two cat on her Sikh lover site’?

Explain the pun.

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- What does Singh’s wife do and how may that differ from the traditional

Indian marriages?

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- Considering what you may know about the Indian culture, how would

you describe Singh’s wife? What do you think the Indian community’s

reaction to her might be?

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my bride

she effing at my mum

in all di colours of Punjabi

den stumble like a drunk

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making fun at my daddy

my bride

tiny eyes ov a gun

and di tummy ov a teddy

my bride

she hav a red crew cut

and she wear a Tartan sari

a donkey jacket and some pumps

on di squeak ov di girls dat are pinching my sweeties –

Draw a picture of Singh’s wife below by using the details from stanzas five,

six and seven. Surround your picture with quotes which support your

interpretation.

Stanza 9Late in di midnight hour

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ven yoo shoppers are wrap up quiet

ven di precinct is concrete-cool

vee cum down whispering stairs

and sit on my silver stool, from behind di chocolate bars

vee stare past di half-price window signs

at di beaches ov di UK in di brightey moon –

Name three poetic techniques used in this stanza. What are their effects?

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- The Indian word for Britain is ‘Blighty’. Do you see any words that rhyme

with that word? Why do you think Nagra has done this?

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Comparing poems

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- AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating



two poems.

Sample exam questions Compare the characters and situations in ‘Singh Song’ and ‘Checking

Out Me History’.

Compare how voice is created in ‘Singh Song’ and ‘Checking Out Me

History’.

Planning an essay

‘Singh Song!’ ‘Checking Out Me History’

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‘The River God’ by Stevie Smith

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Character and voice Read the following lines from the opening of the poem:

“I may be smelly and I may be old,

Rough in my pebbles, reedy in my pools,

But where my fish float by I bless their swimming

And I like the people to bathe in me, especially women.”

Who is the speaker of this poem? Explain your answer.

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Rhyme scheme The poem is written almost entirely in rhyming couplets. The only

exceptions are:

the first two lines of the poem;

the last four lines of the poem. (Though the last four lines do contain a

couplet, the regular pattern is broken.)

Let’s take a closer lookWhat other poetic techniques does the poet use to create the sound of water?

Identify and explain three examples.

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What is the effect of the rhyme scheme changing at the end of the poem?

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There are two lines in the poem that begin with a single word followed by a full

stop. What are they, and what is the effect on the reader?

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Poetry detective

Poetic techniques and devices

Examples

assonance

rhyme

mid-line full stops

onomatopoeia

modal verbs

repetition

use of personal pronouns

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Comparing poems- AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating



two poems.

Sample exam questions Compare the central characters in ‘The River God’ and ‘Medusa’.

Compare the presentation of the theme of power in ‘The River God’ and

‘Medusa’.

Planning an essay

‘The river god’ ‘medusa’

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‘Les Grands Seigneurs’ by Dorothy Molloy

Look at the following images. Note down the connotations that each image

suggests to you.

‘castellated towers’

‘the peacocks’

‘performing seals’

‘sailing-ships’

‘monkey-men’

Let’s take a closer look Read the final stanza of the poem again.

What is the turn in the poem?

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Why did this change happen ‘overnight’?

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What do you think the speaker means by ‘called my bluff’?

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Device spotting

Examiner’s Hint

Technical terms, device spotting, counting lines and alphabetising rhyme

schemes are only of any use if they support your understanding of the

poems and the comparisons between them – and you show this.

So, there is very little point in saying:

Molloy uses a metaphor in line … of the poem.

There is also very little point in saying:

In the metaphor, she compares … to ...

The above, although useful in focusing your thoughts, will not earn you many

marks in terms of the assessment objectives and they will only be of use if

you also do the following.

To earn the marks, you must:

use appropriate quotations;

analyse and explain the use of any technical terms and poetic devices;

show your understanding and detail your personal response;

make comparisons.

link all of the above to the wider content of the poem.

Select one metaphor from the poem. Write your response to Molloy’s use

of the metaphor. Try to earn full marks.

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Poetry detectives Make a note of examples (quotations) from the poem in the table below.

Poetic techniques and devices

Examples

metaphors

narrative voice

rhyme

mid-line full stops

enjambment

parenthesis

alliteration

assonance

sibilance

consonance

word sets

the poem’s turn

pun

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English Literature Year 11 Poetry Revision Booklet

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Transcript of English Literature Year 11 Poetry Revision Booklet