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‘Stewart Island’ by Fleur Adcock, ‘Hurricane Hits England’ by Grace

Nichols and ‘Presents from my aunts in Pakistan’ by Moniza Alvi

Name:

English DepartmentPupil assessment sheet – Time and Place Poetry

Extending Mastering LearningAO2: Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using

relevant subject terminology where appropriate.I can demonstrate a perceptive grasp of form and structure and their effect.

I can show a sound understanding of form and structure and link them to their effect.

I can identify minimal form and structure techniques

I can offer a cohesive evaluation of the poets’ language and its effect on the reader.

I can demonstrate a clear awareness of the poets’ use of language and its effect on the reader with sound examples.

I can demonstrate little awareness of the language used by the poets.

I can integrate relevant and precise subject terminology.

I can use relevant subject terminology to support the examples given.

I can show little evidence of using the relevant subject terminology.

I can analyse form and structure and sustain my comments on the effect.

I can make some comment on the form and structure of the poems.

I can comment effectively on the poets’ use of language and its effect on the reader.

I can show some awareness of the poets’ use of language, but without development.

I can use relevant subject terminology accurately and appropriately to develop ideas.

I can make limited use of relevant subject terminology to support the examples given.

AO3: Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were writtenI can show an excellent understanding of context and demonstrate a convincing understanding of the relationship between text and context which is integrated into the response.

I can offer sound comments on the relevant context and sound relevant comments on the relationship between poems and context.

I can show little awareness of context and offer little comment on the relationship between poems and context.

I can offer a sustained comment on relevant context and demonstrate a detailed awareness of the relationship between poems and context.

I can show some awareness of relevant contexts and offer some comment on the relationship between poems and context

AO3: Show understanding of the relationship between textsI can make perceptive comparisons and contrasts, with a varied and comprehensive range of similarities and / or differences between the poems considered.

I can compare and contrast a range of points and consider some similarities and / or differences between the poems.

I can make little or no comparison of the two poems

I can compare and contrast the poems effectively, considering a wide range of similarities and / or differences, and ideas are supported throughout with relevant examples from both poems.

I can make some underdeveloped comparisons and contrasts with obvious similarities and / or differences, supported with some ideas from the poems.

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Learning episode 1:

Learning goalTo have an understanding of the poet’s background and the events that might have

influenced the writing of Stewart IslandCan I summarise the main ideas of the poems I have previously studied?

What am I learning today?

AO3: context

Can I identify five things I have learnt about Fleur Adcock’s life?Can I hypothesise about how the events of Fleur Adcock’s life might have influenced her writing of ‘Stewart Island’?

Do it now: vocabulary1. Read the following definitions and examples

Word Definitionostracised If someone is ostracised, people deliberately behave in an unfriendly

way towards them.She claims she’s being ostracised by some members of her local community

cynical If you describe someone as cynical, you mean they believe that people always act selfishlyHis cynical view of the world.

antidote Something that is an antidote to a difficult or unpleasant situation helps you to overcome the situation.Massage is a wonderful antidote to stress.

jetted To move or travel rapidlyThe star halfback jetted toward the goal line.

2. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5ostracised

cynical

antidote

jetted

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Do it nowLast term you studied three poems: ‘In Romney Marsh’ ‘Adlestrop’ and ‘Nothing’s Changed’. Write a 50 word summary for each poem to see how much you can remember

In Romney Marsh Adlestrop Nothing’s Changed

New knowledge: Who is Fleur Adcock?The first poem we are going to explore in this cluster is entitled ‘Stewart Island’ by Fleur Adcock. Read the newspaper article below about Fleur Adcock and her life which has influenced the writing of ‘Stewart Island.’

Fleur Adcock

1 She was five years old when the big test came. Her parents had 2 come to England from New Zealand, where she was born. The 3 second world war was on the cards and they, good people that they4 were, meant to dig ditches for the war effort. They settled briefly in5 Sidcup, then evacuated their daughters to distant relations on a 6 Leicestershire farm.7 In England, Fleur found her spiritual home. Not to put too fine a 8 point on it, she loved the weather. The seasons were real and 9 distinct from one another. Winters were real winters with snow and

10 summers were real summers and the skies changed face a million11 times a day and, putting it in a nutshell, there were primroses. In 12 those first, halcyon days, she was a good big sister. Without a 13 mummy and daddy to fight for, there was nothing to be cross about.14 Being the first to read, she did the decent thing and read aloud to the 15 baby sister, good as gold. The worst she did was to charge a penny 16 each for making up a new William story. ‘William and Ginger went 17 for a walk. Just as they came to the old barn, William noticed…” And18 so on. She didn’t get nasty till later.19 They took her back to New Zealand after the war. The long journey20 home probably marked the end and the culmination of her

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21 childhood. She and the little sister strung up curtains in one of the22 ship’s nether corridors and put on entertainment for the other23 children. They wrote and performed a series of what they took to be24 hilarious plays centred on a Mr Tommy Ato and his wife Poppette25 who ran a hat shop. Tommy Ah-to. Tomato. She was 13. The26 series ran and ran. The children paid up. England got further and27 further away till all she had left was an abiding sense of loss and a28 bad case of homesickness.29 Five years later, she was sitting her finals at Wellington University,30 Pregnant, married, a shit-hot Latin scholar and fondly imagining she 31 was grow up. She had seen her husband across a crowded room 32 and snapped him up for his physical beauty. He looked like Gregory33 Peck only better, not as tall, alas, but divine. Exotic. Half 34 Polynesian. If she was obliged to live in Kiwi-land, she might as well 35 have the benefit. She fancied him ‘like mad’. He was a romantic 36 poet, published, acclaimed, successful, all the things she wanted 37 For herself. She wanted, yes, to be him. Instead she married him. 38 It was a long time ago. “Look,” she says, “nobody took you seriously39 in the 50s unless you had a bloke or were married or something. 40 You couldn’t get away from home, you couldn’t shack up because41 that was immoral. You weren’t anyone. All the things Sylvia Plath42 suffered from.’43 So suddenly there she was with a little house and a little mortgage,44 pushing a pram along the street where Katherine Mansfield lived,45 desperately pretending to be grown up. She had her poet, but he 46 had a wife. There was no more dressing up and going out having a 47 good time. She was a suburban housewife, bored out of her mind. 48 It was Catch 22. You couldn’t be an adult without a man and you 49 couldn’t be an adult with a man. And when she thought about it 50 properly she realised she didn’t really want to be him anyway. She 51 wrote a poem at that time, called The Lover. “Always he would52 inhabit an alien landscape,” it went, so everybody thought it was 53 about the poet’s hubbie. But it wasn’t. It was about herself, only in 54 those days you weren’t allowed to have female personas in poems.55 The marriage lasted five years. Somewhere along the way she got56 caught in flagrante with someone else, was as guilty as sin, had a 57 second son, dwelt peaceably a trois with the romantic poet’s 58 second wife for a spell, got a job and took off with her baby under59 her arm.60 She can’t believe she did this. How to put it? She was a child, 23 61 going on 12. She’d been brought up to believe fair was fair; a cake62 for her, the identical cake for her sister. There was nothing for it but63 to leave her first-born with her father. It seemed fair. It was that 64 bone-simple. She felt she had no more choice than if her child had 65 been snatched or had died. He would have the same parent, the 66 same home, the same bed, the same little tricycle, just a different

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67 mother.68 “I just don’t recognise the girl who did this,” she says, her voice 69 dropping like a stone. “I haven’t a clue how her mind worked. This 70 Is me sitting here now, I’ve grown cynical and I don’t know who she71 is. Only in bits. Her past and her memories I can see, but I don’t 72 recognise her in the mirror and I don’t like looking back on her. I 73 don’t admire her.” And, more in sorrow than anger, she concludes 74 that she is jolly glad to have got away from someone so, so… so 75 pathetic.76 At 23, then, with one small baby and a university lectureship to 77 bless herself with, she began to muddle through a facsimile of an 78 independent life. The city of Dunedin, where she worked, was “all79 laced curtains and Calvinistic disapproval,” and a divorced woman 80 was ostracised in respectable company. The poems she wrote in 81 those days, she thinks now, seem to have been written by someone82 pretending to be her. She had no idea how unhappy she was until83 one day she found herself standing by the wall in her kitchen,84 waiting for the kettle to boil, with unstoppable tears pouring down 85 her face. The enormity of it all hit her like a hammer. She had 86 relinquished her child, and all the rationalisation in the world 87 wouldn’t make it right. It was all wrong. Everything. Hopelessly 88 wrong. Her love affairs brought torment and obsession and guilt and89 going back to wives and attempted suicides and God knows what-90 all. Romantic idylls of the kind you imagine will continue in heaven91 have a tendency to be played out with married men or those 92 separated from you by great distances. They work rather as an 93 antidote to domestic enslavement but are invariably full of grief.94 The citizens of Dunedin, by this token, were probably right about95 young Fleur. Well-meaning friends perceiving her anguish, 96 introduced her to various distractions, among them a gentleman by 97 the name of Barry Crump. “But don’t marry him,” they counselled98 urgently, which was a mistake.99 Among his many distinctions, Mr Crump was incredibly famous in100

New Zealand. Searching for a contemporary equivalent, Adcock

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thinks of Georgie Best. Or, better yet, Gazza. He was a Crocodile

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Dundee sort of fellow who wrote adventure stories with titles such as

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Hang On A Minute, Mate and A Good Keen Man. And, of course, he

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was an absolute knock-out in bed. “Well, they are, aren’t they?” she

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says, giggling like a teenager. “Male chauvinist pigs always are.

10 Think of Italians. Isn’t it perverse?”6

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Anyway, it wasn’t long before she displayed all the foresight and not

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prudence of a lemming and married him. It was, she says, the most

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horrifying thing she could think to do to persuade herself out of more

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obsessive liaisons. He was soon routinely smacking her in the

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mouth. “They do that, don’t they?” she says. “Manly men. They’re

Do fine in the pub telling jokes and stories, but in an argument they’re113

so good at the old logic, so that’s when they smack you across the

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mouth.”

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The marriage lasted five months. By the way of a divorce the £30

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settlement, Mr Crump agreed to pay her passage to England; less

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she’d already salted away for the purpose. And she ran away. No.

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Correction. She ran towards.

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It was mid-winter when she arrived in London, as though the whole

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of England had been kept on ice for her, waiting for her to come

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home. Sylvia Plath had taken her life one week earlier. Nobody

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had heard of a poet called Fleur Adcock. She had a six-year-old

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son, a couple of tea chests and some loose change, but the front

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was cruel and she was literally sparked by that: “When it’s frosty,”

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she says, “I feel as though I’ve been taking some interesting drug.”

Pen to paper: what have I learnt about Fleur Adcock?1. Where was Fleur Adcock born?

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2. Explain why Fleur Adcock felt more at home in England.

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3. Explain Fleur Adcock’s feelings on the journey home to New Zealand.

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4. Why did Fleur Adcock marry her first husband?

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5. What was the reality of married life for Fleur?

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6. ‘Always he would inhabit an alien landscape.’ Adcock uses this line to describe herself. What did you think she meant by this?

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7. Explain why Adcock’s first marriage broke down and the effect this had on her.

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8. At what point did Fleur Adcock realise she was so unhappy?

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9. What was the name of Adcock’s second husband and who does Adcock compare him to?

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10. Explain why this second marriage ended.

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11. Adcock’s ex-husband paid for her return to England. Why does the writer state ‘she ran towards’ England?

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12. Explain how Adcock felt upon her return.

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ReflectionHaving read the information about Fleur Adcock, what viewpoint do you think Fleur Adcock might have on Stewart Island that she wishes to share with her readers?

Learning episode 2:

Learning goalTo comment effectively on Adcock’s use of language to present Stewart Island

Can I identify key words and phrases that have been used to describe Stewart Island?

What am I learning today?AO2:

languageAO3: context

Can I evaluate the tone of writing and what this reveals about Adcock’s viewpoint?Can I make sound comments on the relationship between the poem ‘Stewart Island’ and what we have already learnt about Fleur Adcock?

Do it nowRecap questions:

1. Did Fleur Adcock prefer living in England or in New Zealand? How do you know?

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2. What was Adcock’s experience of marriage?

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3. Do you think experiences we go through affect our views on a place?

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Do it now: vocabulary

1. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5Ostracised

Cynical

Antidote

Jetted

2. Write the correct word alongside its definition in the table.

Word DefinitionSomething that helps to overcome pain or hurt.

To feel excluded by others.

To fly down quickly.

Where you distrust the motives or others.

New knowledge: Stewart IslandLet’s now read the poem written by Fleur Adcock entitled ‘Stewart Island.’

Stewart Island

1 ‘But look at all this beauty’2 said the hotel manager’s wife4 when asked how she could bear to5 live there. True: there was a fine bay,

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6 all hills and atmosphere; white7 sand, and bush down to the sea’s edge;8 oyster-boats, too, and Maori9 fishermen with Scottish names (she

10 ran off with one that autumn).11 As for me, I walked on the beach;12 it was too cold to swim. My13 seven-year-old collected shells 14 and was bitten by sandflies;15 my four-year-old paddled, until16 a mad seagull jetted down17 to jab its claws and beak into18 his head. I had already19 decided to leave the country.

Pen to paper: thinking about the presentation of settingThought-shower all of the words that help to provide a picture of Stewart Island in the reader’s mind.

What overall impression do we form of the island itself?___________________________________________________________________

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Pen to paper: the creation of toneTone is the mood of a poem. At it’s most basic, the tone of a piece of writing can be positive or negative. We are going to look at the tone conveyed in this poem and Fleur Adcock’s attitude towards the island.

Working in pairs, look at the table below. The first column shows jumbled-up quotations from ‘Stewart Island’. Without checking their position in the poem, decide whether in each phrase the poet/narrator is expressing a positive, neutral or negative attitude towards the island. Tick the appropriate column.

Count how many ticks you have in each column and enter the figures along the bottom row.

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Quotation Positive? Neutral? Negative?I walked on the beach

I had already decided to leave

white sand

collected shells

all hills and atmosphere

Maori fishermen with Scottish names

jab its claws and beak into his head

it was too cold to swim

my four-year-old paddled

oyster-boats, too

a mad seagull jetted down

there was a fine bay

bitten by sandflies

bush down to the sea’s edge

TotalsWhat does the tally tell you about Fleur Adcock’s attitude to the island?___________________________________________________________________

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Challenge question: where does a sense of irony or sarcasm come through in this poem and why?

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Pen to paper: summarising the poet’s viewpointAcross the poem, many feelings are expressed by Adcock about Stewart Island. She portrays

Her reluctance in accepting the beauty of the island Her frustration that others cannot understand her perspective The sense of irony with the hotel manager’s wife The sense of danger and hostility she feels from the island

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Use the ideas above to write a postcard home. Imagine you are Fleur Adcock, writing to friends or family in England. In this postcard, summarise her (your feelings – writing in first person) feelings but draw upon key details from the text to develop this.

ReflectionHow might our reading about Fleur Adcock’s life help us to understand how she views the island?

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Challenge question: do you think in any of the other poems you have read, the poet’s background has influenced their feelings about a place?

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Learning episode 3:

Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint

Learning goalTo analyse the poet’s use of form and structure in Stewart Island and consider the

effect on the reader.Can I show a sound understanding of 1-2 structural techniques or features of form and the effect of these on the reader?

What am I learning today?Can I analyse a range of structural features and features of form for

their effect on the reader?Can I evaluate which structural technique or feature of form best supports the poet’s perspective on Stewart Island?

Do it nowRecap questions:

1. What impression is formed of Stewart Island?

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2. Despite its beauty, how does Fleur Adcock feel about living on the island?

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3. How have events in her life shaped her viewpoint do you think?

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Do it now: vocabulary1. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5Ostracised

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Cynical

Antidote

Jetted

2. Identify the correct definition for each word below.

Word Definitionostracised

cynical

antidote

jetted

New knowledge: structural termsThe poem ‘Stewart Island’ is an autobiographical poem in which Adcock describes her feelings towards place. It is written using the first person ‘I’.

The poem is written in one stanza.

The poem also uses free verse – where there is no rhyme or regular rhythm.

The poem uses enjambment throughout. This is where a sentence runs over a number of lines.

The poem employs caesura. Caesura is a longer pause usually indicated by a colon or a dash.

Finally the poem uses contrast.

Challenge: go back and label your copy of the poem with these structural techniques / features.

Pen to paper: how have structural techniques been used to convey feelings about a place?

Now let’s consider some of these structural techniques further. Each group is going to be given a different structural technique to consider and explore. You will then be

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asked to teach other pupils in the class about this structural technique and its effect in the poem.

Contrast

Contrasts are when differences are presented. The poem is full of contrasts. Look at the quotations below and see if you can identify a contrasting quotation and then consider why Adcock has used these contrasts – what point do you think she is trying to make through their use?

Quotation Which line do you think provides a suitable contrast? Why?

‘But look at all this beauty’ (there are two really good contrasts to this line)

‘But look at all this beauty’ (there are two really good contrasts to this line?

The sea’s edge

My seven year-old collected shells

My four year-old paddled

Enjambment

Enjambment is where a sentence runs over lines. When looking at enjambment, we need to consider why the line has run over – especially the words that feature at the end of each line. Look at the following examples and consider why you think the poet has chosen to use enjambment in each – what might be the effect?

Example Why do you think the poet has used enjambment here? What might the effect be?

True: there was a fine bay,all hills and atmosphere; white

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sand, and bush down to the sea’s edge’oyster-boats, too, and Maorifishermen with Scottish names (she ran off with one that autumn).Myseven-year-old collected shellsand was bitten by sandflies

My four-year-old paddled, untila mad seagull jetted downto jab its claws and beak intohis head.I had alreadydecided to leave the country.

Caesura

Caesura is a stronger pause, often indicated by a colon or a dash. There is one example of this in the poem but it is a brilliant example and encapsulates Adcock’s feelings beautifully. Discuss the following use of caesura and explain how it perfectly sums Adcock’s viewpoint up. To do this, consider what comes before the colon and what comes after the colon.

True: there was a fine bay.

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One stanza and the use of free verseThe poem is written using one stanza. Why do you think this is? (Think about how this might connect to the title of the poem).

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Free verse has been used in this poem – why do you think the poet has chosen not to use a rhythm or a rhyme in this poem? How might it support the poet’s viewpoint?

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ReflectionWhich structural technique, from the few we have explored today, do you think is most successful in conveying Adcock’s feelings towards place?

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Learning episode 4:

Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint, autobiographical poem, first person, stanza, free verse, enjambment, caesura, contrast

Learning goalTo construct an effective paragraph of writing, analysing the use of language or

structure to present Adcock’s feelings towards place.Can I show a clear awareness, with sound examples, of the poets’ use of language and of its effect on the reader?

What am I learning today?

AO2: language and structure

AO3: context

Can I show a sound understanding of form and structure and link them to the effect?Can I make sound comments on the relevant context and sound relevant comments on the relationship between the poem and its context?

Do it nowRecap questions:

1. Why do you think Stewart Island is written using one complete stanza?

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2. How effective are the use of the contrasts throughout the poem in helping to present a sense of place and Adcock’s feelings towards it?

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3. What do we learn through the use of caesura in the line ‘True: there was a fine bay’?

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Do it now: vocabulary1. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5Ostracised

Cynical

Antidote

Jetted

2. Choose the most appropriate word for each of the pictures below and write it in the box.

OstracisedCynicalAntidoteJetted

New knowledge: essay questionsOver the past few lessons we have exploring the poem ‘Stewart Island’ by Fleur Adcock. We have looked at Adcock’s perspective and how she has used language and structure to present that perspective on Stewart Island.

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In today’s learning episode, you are going to construct a paragraph in response to one of the following questions:

1. How does Fleur Adcock use language to present her feelings about Stewart Island?

2. How does Fleur Adcock use structure to present her feelings about Stewart Island?

In responding to this question, you should draw upon your knowledge of the JESUS structure. Use the following grid to help you gather your ideas, ahead of writing.

Pen to paper: how do we structure our response?

JudgementWhat feeling do you think Adcock presents in her poem ‘Stewart Island’?EvidenceWhat evidence can you find to support your judgement?

Subject terminologyWhat language or structural technique has been used to present this feeling?UnderstandingWhat do we learn from the use of the technique?What can we infer form this? What can be implied about Adcock’s feelings?SignificanceHow might Adcock’s own experiences influence her feelings about place in this poem?

Challenge: if you are aiming for extending, you would want to pick out a range of language techniques using multiple quotations.

ReflectionHow easy do you find it to construct JESUS paragraphs?

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not confident totally confident

The part of a JESUS paragraph I feel most confident about

The part of a JESUS paragraph I feel least confident about

Learning episode 5:

Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint, autobiographical poem, first person, stanza, free verse, enjambment, caesura, contrast

Learning goalTo learn about Grace Nichol’s background and the events that might have influenced the

writing of ‘Hurricane Hits England.’

Can I summarise Grace Nichol’s background? What am I learning today?

AO1: inference and interpretationAO3: context

Can I explain the key ideas in the poem ‘Hurricane Hits England’?Can I explain Nichol’s perspective on place and link this to my contextual understanding?

Do it nowRecap questions:

1. Which poems, out of the ones you have studied so far, present a positive attitude towards place and which poems you have studied so far, present a negative attitude towards place?

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2. How far do you think personal experience lies at the heart of this?

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3. If you had to write about one place that has been significant in your life, what would that place be?

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Do it now: vocabulary1. Read the following definitions and examples

Word Definitionancestor Your ancestors are the people from whom you are descended.

He could trace his ancestors back seven hundred years.spectre A spectre is a ghost

The spectre could be seen behind the windowreap If you reap the benefits of something, you gain or get something as a

reward for some action or enterpriseYou will soon begin to reap the benefits of being fitter

havoc Havoc is great disorder and confusionRioters caused havoc in the centre of the town

aligning If you align something, you place it in a certain position in relation to something else.A tripod will be useful to align and steady the camera.

2. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5ancestor

spectre

reap

havoc

aligining

New knowledge: Grace NicholsGrace Nichols was born in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1950 but moved to England in 1977 with her husband John Agard. She

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said ‘When I am in Guyana, I feel like I belong there because I spring from that landscape. I’m still enriched by the myths and the legends and the landscape and I am still inspired a lot by Guyana.

Pen to paper: making connectionsWhat connection can you already see between Grace Nichols and the experiences of Fleur Adcock and Grace Nichols?

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New knowledge: Hurricane Hits EnglandListen to a reading of this poem by Grace Nichols herself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsa_QAFMs5o

1 It took a hurricane, to bring her closer2 To the landscape.3 Half the night she lay awake,4 The howling ship of the wind,5 Its gathering rage,6 Like some dark ancestral spectre.7 Fearful and reassuring.

8 Talk to me Huracan9 Talk to me Oya10

Talk to me Shango

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And Hattie,

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My sweeping, back-home-cousin.

1 Tell me why you visit24

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An English coast?

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What is the meaning

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Of old tongues

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Reaping havoc

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In new places?

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The blinding illumination,

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Even as you short-

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Circuit us

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Into further darkness?

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What is the meaning of trees

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Falling heavy as whales

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Their crusted roots

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Their cratered graves?

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O why is my heart unchained?

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Tropical Oya of the Weather,

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I am aligning myself to you,

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I am following the movement of your winds,

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I am riding the mystery of your storm.

3 Ah, sweet mystery,

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Come to break the frozen lake in me,

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Shaking the foundations of the very trees within me,

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Come to let us know

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That the earth is the earth is the earth.

Pen to paper: supporting inferences with textual referenceAt the start of the poem, Grace Nichols feels very uncertain and distant about being in England but by the end of the poem, Grace Nichols comes to realise that beneath the superficial differences, we are all connected and share common experiences leading her to feel more comfortable in her new homeland. What evidence is there to support this interpretation in the last few stanzas?

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ReflectionHow does Grace Nichols attitude differ from that of Fleur Adcock’s by the end of the poem and why do you think this is?___________________________________________________________________

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Learning episode 6:

Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint, autobiographical poem, first person, stanza, free verse, enjambment, caesura, contrast

Learning goal26

To comment effectively on Nichol’s use of language to convey her feelings about place.

Can I define a range of key linguistic terms? What am I learning today?

AO2: language

Can I identify and explain how language has been used to present feelings towards place using relevant subject terminology?Can I analyse how the tone shifts across the poem, using relevant textual reference and accurate subject terminology?Can I compare / contrast the perspective on place across two or more poems?

Do it nowRecap questions:

1. Where was Grace Nichols born?

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2. In what year did she move to England?

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3. How does she feel about her homeland?

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4. How does Nichols feel about England at the start of the poem? How do you know?

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5. How does Nichols feel about England at the end of the poem? How do you know?

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6. What changes her mind?

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Do it now: vocabulary1. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5

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ancestor

spectre

Reap

havoc

aligning

2. Write the correct word alongside its definition in the table.

Word DefinitionTo create

Joining forces

A ghost

Causing destruction and mess

A relation from the past

New knowledge: Hurricane of 1987The title of the poem ‘Hurricane Hits England’ which reads like a newspaper headline. This is because the poem is based upon the infamous hurricane of October 1987 remembered principally for the fact that the BBC weatherman at the time, Michael Fish, denied it was going to happen. It was a dramatic moment for England.

Revising prior knowledge: language techniquesThis poem effectively uses language to present the storm whilst also exploring Nichol’s reaction to it.

The poems uses personification. Personification is where human qualities are given to inanimate objects.

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It also uses similes. Similes are comparison made by two unrelated items using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

Metaphors are also used. These two are comparisons which are made between two unrelated items but, unlike a simile, they state that something is something else.

And finally, it uses a sequence of rhetorical questions. These questions could be directed at the hurricane but because we know the hurricane can’t talk, these questions are rhetorical.

Pen to paper: how has language been used to present the storm?Let’s look at how key words, phrases and lines and used to present the storm. Use the chart on the next page to record your ideas.

Example:

The howling ship of the wind

Key technique:

Metaphor

Example:

Key technique:

Example:

Key technique:

Example:

Key technique:

Example:

Key technique:

What do you learn about the hurricane from the descriptions above?

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Pen to paper: supporting inferences with relevant textual reference

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In this poem, Nichols uses language to convey a range of different feelings. Some of these feelings are listed below. Which words, phrases and lines reinforce the different feelings she experiences?

Frightened In need of reassurance

Uncertainty Inconvenience

Curiosity Thoughtful Desire Resolute

Summarise, using some of the key words above and quotations from the poem, how Nichol’s tone shifts across the poem. Use the following phrases as well:

At the start of the poem Towards the middle of the poem At the end of the poem

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ReflectionWhy do you think Nichol’s experiences such a range of feelings in this poem? What does this range help us to infer about Nichol’s feelings towards England in this poem?

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Learning episode 7:

Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint, autobiographical poem, first person, stanza, free verse, enjambment, caesura, contrast, personification, simile, metaphor, rhetorical questions

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Learning goalTo analyse how structural techniques and features of form are used to help present

Nichol’s feelings towards placeCan I define a range of structural terms? What am I

learning today?AO2:

structureAO3:

comparison

Can I identify and explain how structural techniques and features of form have been used to present feelings towards place using relevant subject terminology?Can I evaluate which structural technique helps to convey Nichol’s feelings most strongly?Can I compare and contrast the use of structural techniques across two poems?

Do it nowRecap questions:

1. What metaphorical significance does the hurricane have in the poem ‘Hurricane Hits England’?

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2. How does Nichol’s tone shift across the poem?

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Do it now: vocabulary1. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5Ancestor

Spectre32

Reap

havoc

aligning

2. Identify the correct definition for each word below.

Word Definitionancestor

spectre

reap

havoc

aligning

Revising prior knowledge: structural techniquesThis poem effectively draws upon a range of structural techniques and features of form to present Nichol’s feelings about place and her own identity.

The poem is autobiographical so it reflects her own experiences and feelings.

Third person is when we write using the personal pronouns ‘he’ or ‘she’ or ‘they’ and so we are referring to the experiences of others.

First person is writing using the personal pronoun ‘I’ and we are recalling something from our perspective.

An oxymoron is where two contradictory words are placed next to each other.

Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase across several successive lines.

Lexical repetition is where a key word or phrase is repeated for effect.

Pen to paper: analysing structural methodsIn today’s learning episode we are going to consider the range of structural methods Nichols has used to help her convey her feelings about place. Each group will be given a different structural feature / feature of form to explore before feeding back to the rest of the class.

Person33

Firstly, Nichols has used person to present Nichols feelings towards place.

In the first stanza, she uses the third person in the line

‘It took a hurricane, to bring her closer / To the landscape.’

In the last stanza, she uses the first person in the lines

‘Come to break the frozen lake in me,

Shaking the foundations of the very trees within me’

Why do you think Nichols starts the poem in the third person? Why do you think this then shifts to the first person by the end of the poem? How does the shift from third to first help convey her changing feelings towards her new homeland?

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Oxymoron

In the first stanza, Nichols uses an oxymoron to describe the hurricane in the line

‘Fearful and reassuring’

How can the hurricane be both?

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Anaphora34

The use of the first person is most evident in the lines

‘I am aligning myself to you,

I am following the movement of your winds,

I am riding the mystery of your storm.’

Why do you think the verb phrase ‘I am’ has been used at the start of every line?

Challenge: How does the use of the second person ‘you’ or ‘your’ help to show Nichol’s changing feelings about place?

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Lexical repetition

Towards the end of the poem, Nichols uses lexical repetition to link the final two stanzas.

I am riding the mystery of your storm.

Ah, sweet mystery.

How does the use of mystery in both lines reflect Nichols feelings towards place? Clue: look at the lines that follow ‘Ah, sweet mystery.’

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Free verseAgain, like Stewart Island, the poem is written using free verse where there is no rhyme or rhythm.

Is free verse a good choice for this poem and why?

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ReflectionWhich structural method do you think has best helped to convey Nichols feelings about place? Why?

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Challenge question: which structural techniques have you seen used in both Stewart Island and Hurricane Hits England? Which poem do you think uses the techniques more effectively?

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Learning episode 8:

Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint, autobiographical poem, first person, stanza, free verse, enjambment, caesura, contrast, personification, simile, metaphor, rhetorical questions, third person, first person, oxymoron, anaphora, lexical repetition

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Learning goalTo compare and contrast the feelings associated with one’s identity across two poems:

Stewart Island and Hurricane Hits England.Can I identify examples of how the theme of identity is relevant to both Stewart Island and Hurricane Hits England?

What am I learning today?

AO2: language and

structureAO3: context

AO3: comparison

Can I compare and contrast how language has been used to present the theme of identity in ‘Stewart Island’ and ‘Hurricane Hits England’ using relevant subject terminology and making effective comments?Can I compare and contrast how structure has been used to present the theme of identity in ‘Stewart Island’ and ‘Hurricane Hits England’ using relevant subject terminology and clear analysis?Can I make sound comments on the relevant context and the link between context and the poems being studied?

Do it nowRecap questions:

1. How does the use of structural techniques convey the way Nichol feels about England?

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2. How does the use of structural techniques show Nichol has shifted her own mindset about this new experience?

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Do it now: vocabulary1. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5ancestor

spectre

37

reap

havoc

aligning

2. Choose the most appropriate word for each of the pictures below and write it in the box.

ancestorspectre

reaphavoc

aligning

New knowledge: comparing poems – theme of identityOver the past few learning episodes we have been studying two poems. These two poems have helped to present how the poet feels about a place. However, in this learning episode we are going to consider how these two poems present feelings associated with identity.

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Identity is who you are and, with regards to place, how far you feel you belong.

Pen to paper: how are Stewart Island and Hurricane Hits England poems about identity?

Think about Stewart Island and Hurricane Hits England. In what ways are these two poems about identity.

New knowledge: how to write a comparative responseBefore you construct a response, we are going to look at what you need to ensure your response is successful.

1. Construct a short introduction that consists of the following:a. Sentence 1: Define the key word in the question. Personalise it – what

does it mean to you? Contextualise it based on the text you’re writing about.

b. Sentence 2: how has the poets’ background influenced the writing of the poem. What questions are raised as a result?

2. Identify how each poem presents the key focus in the question– identity3. Identify key language techniques that the poems use to present the theme of

identity4. Identify key structural techniques that the poems use to present the theme of

identity5. Identify whether the ideas or the techniques used are similar or different and

choose your connectives accordingly

Connectives for comparison Connectives for contrastSimilarly,In comparison,

However,Whereas,

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Also,In addition,

In contrast,Alternatively,

Pen to paper: planning a comparative responseUsing the grid below, frame out your ideas for a response to this question:

Introduction:

Stewart Island Connective Hurricane Hits EnglandIdeas with relation to focus of question.

Language

Structure

ReflectionNow share your plan with at least two other people in the classroom. Is there anything else they think you should add? Remember your green pen.

Learning episode 9:

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Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint, autobiographical poem, first person, stanza, free verse, enjambment, caesura, contrast, personification, simile, metaphor, rhetorical questions, third person, first person, oxymoron, anaphora, lexical repetition

Learning goalTo compare and contrast the feelings associated with one’s identity across two poems:

Stewart Island and Hurricane Hits England.Can I identify examples of how the theme of identity is relevant to both Stewart Island and Hurricane Hits England?

What am I learning today?

AO2: language and

structureAO3: context

AO3: comparison

Can I compare and contrast how language has been used to present the theme of identity in ‘Stewart Island’ and ‘Hurricane Hits England’ using relevant subject terminology and making effective comments?Can I compare and contrast how structure has been used to present the theme of identity in ‘Stewart Island’ and ‘Hurricane Hits England’ using relevant subject terminology and clear analysis?Can I make sound comments on the relevant context and the link between context and the poems being studied?

Do it nowRecap questions:

1. How is the theme of identity presented in ‘Stewart Island’ and ‘Hurricane Hits England’?

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2. How have both poems used language techniques to present feelings associated with identity?

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3. How have both poems used structural techniques to present feelings associated with identity?

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Do it now: vocabulary

1. Read the following definitions and examples

Word Definitionembossed If a surface is embossed with a design, the design stands up slightly

from the surfaceThe paper on the walls was pale gold, embossed with swirling leaf designs.

Aflame If something is on fire, you can say it is aflame.Hundreds of tightly rolled newspapers were set aflame among the 50,000 crowd.

filigree The word filigree is used to refer to delicate ornamental designs made with gold or silver wire.The market is a good one, and gold and silver filigree work is made, peculiar in character and design.

fretwork Fretwork is wood or metal that has been decorated with lines that weave in and out of each other.The classic Guyanese house is constructed of wood and raised on stilts, painted white and decorated with intricate fretwork.

2. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5Embossed

Aflame

Filigree

Fretwork

Recapping prior learning: key questionLast lesson you prepared a response to the question:

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Compare how feelings about identity are presented in the poems ‘Stewart Island’ and ‘Hurricane Hits England.’

You consider the main ideas, the poets’ use of language and the poets’ use of structure.

Pen to paper: writing a comparative paragraphIn this learning episode, you are going to be given time to write your response up. However, we are only going to ask you to write one comparative paragraph. You could choose to write a comparative paragraph on how the poets have used language to present feelings associated with identity OR you could choose to write a comparative paragraph on how the poets have used structure to present feelings associated with identity.

Use your chart and the formative assessment sheet to help you construct your comparative paragraph of writing in your formative assessment book.

ReflectionHow easy do you find it to construct a comparative paragraph of writing?

not confident totally confident

The part of a comparative paragraph I feel most confident about

The part of a comparative paragraph I feel least confident about

Learning episode 10:

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Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint, autobiographical poem, first person, stanza, free verse, enjambment, caesura, contrast, personification, simile, metaphor, rhetorical questions, third person, first person, oxymoron, anaphora, lexical repetition, compare, contrast

Learning goalTo learn about Moniza Alvi’s background and the events that might have influenced the

writing of ‘Presents from my aunt in Pakistan.’ Can I identify five things about Pakistan? What am I

learning today?AO1:

inference and interpretationAO3: context

Can I summarise Moniza Alvi’s feelings about her own identity?Can I explain the key events in the poem ‘Presents from my aunt in Pakistan’?Can I analyse the poet’s reactions to the presents from Pakistan and identify what the clothes symbolise?

Do it now

1. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5Embossed

Aflame

Filigree

Fretwork

Word DefinitionDesigns made with gold or silver wire.

A maze like design on a piece of wood.

A design that stands out.

Something that is on fire.

New knowledge: Where is Pakistan? What do I already know about Pakistan?

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The next poem we are going to read is called ‘Presents from my aunt in Pakistan’ by Moniza Alvi.

Can you identify where Pakistan is on the map?

What do you know of Pakistan and nearby India or what do you associate with those countries?

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To what extent do you think your life would be different if you lived in Pakistan or nearby India?

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New knowledge: Who is Moniza Alvi?

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Moniza Alvi, a British teacher and poet was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1954 to a Pakistani father and an English mother. She was brought to England as a baby and grew up in Hertfordshire. She did not return to Pakistan until after the writing of this poem in 2000. As a teenager she felt torn between two cultures.

We are now going to watch a short video in which she talksabout her background. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00wrlzw As you are watching, respond to the following question:

What do you learn about Moniza Alvi’s feelings about her own identity?

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Bearing in mind what you have learnt about Moniza Alvi, what aspect of ‘Time and Place’ do you think the poem Presents from my aunt in Pakistan is going to present?

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New knowledge: Presents from my aunt in Pakistan46

Let’s complete a reading of the poem by Monica Alzi.

1 They sent me a salwar kameez2 peacock blue,3 and another4 glistening like an orange split open,5 embossed slippers, gold and black6 points curling.7 Candy-striped glass bangles8 snapped, drew blood.9 Like at school, fashions changed10 in Pakistan -11 The salwar bottoms were broad and stiff,12 then narrow.13 My aunts chose an apple-green sari,14 silver-bordered15 for my teens.

16 I tried each satin-silken top -17 was alien in the sitting room.18 I could never be as lovely 19 as those clothes -20 I longed 21 for denim and corduroy.22 My costume clung to me23 and I was aflame,24 I couldn’t rise up out of its fire,25 half-English26 unlike Aunt Jamilia.

27 I wanted my parents’ camel-skin lamp -28 switching it on in my bedroom,29 to consider the cruelty30 and the transformation31 from camel to shade,32 marvel at the colours33 like stained glass.

34 My mother cherished her jewellery - 35 Indian gold, dangling, filigree,36 But it was stolen from our car.37 The presents were radiant in my wardrobe.38 My aunts requested cardigans39 from Marks and Spencers.

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40 My salwar kameez41 didn’t impress the schoolfriend42 who sat on my bed, asked to see43 my weekend clothes.44 But often I admired the mirror-work,45 tried to glimpse myself 46 in the miniature47 glass circles; recall the story48 how the three of us 49 sailed to England.50 Prickly heat had me screaming on the way.51 I ended up in a cot52 In my English grandmother’s dining-room,53 found myself alone,54 playing with a tin-boat.

55 I pictured my birthplace56 from fifties’ photographs57 When I was older58 there was conflict, a fractured land59 throbbing through newsprint.60 Sometimes I saw Lahore -61 my aunts in shaded rooms, 62 screened from male visitors,63 sorting presents,64 wrapping them in tissue.

65 Or there were beggars, sweeper-girls66 and I was there -67 of no fixed nationality,68 staring through fretwork69 at the Shalimar Gardens.

Pen to paper: how does the poet react to the gifts from Pakistan and why does she react in this way?

In this poem, the poet is presented with a gift – a salwar kameez - from her aunts in Pakistan. She has mixed feelings about the present as it reminds her about her native homeland – Pakistan.

Look at the descriptions on the following page which have been taken from the poem. These descriptions reveal what she has been given and the feelings it stirs up within her.

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tried to glimpse myself gold and black I was aflame

snapped, drew blood glistening like an orange split open

candy-striped

costume I admired [them] I could never be as lovely

radiant bottoms broad and stiff then narrow

alien in the sitting room

apple-green, silver bordered

didn’t impress the school friend

I longed for denim and corduroy

peacock-blue I couldn’t rise up out of its fire

What initial inferences can you make about the poet’s feelings upon receiving this gift and why?

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Now having looked at these descriptions and made some initial inferences, can you decide whether each quotation suggests the poet appreciates the clothes, feels uneasy about the clothes or whether the quotation suggests both an appreciation and a feeling of uneasiness.

This quotation suggests the poet appreciates the

This quotation suggests the poet feels uneasy

This quotation could suggest that the poet

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clothes about the clothes appreciates the clothes or that the poet feels uneasy about the clothes.

What do you notice?

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Reflection

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In this poem, it seems as though the gifts actually as a symbol. What do you think that symbol could be?

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Learning episode 11:

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Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint, autobiographical poem, first person, stanza, free verse, enjambment, caesura, contrast, personification, simile, metaphor, rhetorical questions, third person, first person, oxymoron, anaphora, lexical repetition, compare, contrast

Learning goalTo comment effectively on Alvi’s use of language to present her feelings about place.

Can I comment upon how colour has been used to present feelings towards place?

What am I learning today?

AO2: language

Can I identify similes and metaphors from within the poem and comment upon how they help to convey feelings about place?Can I select one word from the poem that I think encapsulates the poet’s feelings and explain why?

Do it now1. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5Embossed

Aflame

Filigree

Fretwork

2. Identify the correct definition for each word below.

Word DefinitionEmbossed

Aflame

Filigree

Fretwork

New knowledge: figurative language

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Last lesson we began to consider how the language used by Moniza Alzi helped to present the confusion felt over her own identity. One of the methods Monzia Alzi uses is imagery which is presented through her references to colour.

Pen to paper: the use of colourGo back through the poem and list all the references to colour that you can find.

Identify whether the colours listed are associated with Pakistan (P) or whether they are associated with England (E).

What do you notice? What message do you think Alvi is trying to convey through colour?

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Colour references in ‘Presents from my aunt in Pakistan’

Revising knowledge: similes and metaphorsMoniza’s poem is also rich with figurative language, specifically similes (a comparison between two things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’) and metaphors (a comparison between two things saying something ‘is’ something else).

Re-read the poem to identify how the poet uses simile and metaphor. Enter examples of such imagery from the text on the chart below and write notes about their symbolic effect.

Poetic device Examples from the poem

Effect

Similes

Metaphors

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What do we learn about the poet’s feelings through the use of simile and metaphor?

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ReflectionIf you could choose one word from the poem to summarise how Moniza Alvi feels about Pakistan, which word would you choose and why?___________________________________________________________________

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Learning episode 12:

Vocabulary: tone, viewpoint, autobiographical poem, first person, stanza, free verse, enjambment, caesura, contrast, personification, simile, metaphor, rhetorical questions, third person, first person, oxymoron, anaphora, lexical repetition, compare, contrast, imagery

Learning goalTo analyse how structural techniques and features of form are used to help present

Alvi’s feelings towards placeCan I define a range of structural terms? What am I

learning today?AO2:

structureAO3:

comparison

Can I identify and explain how structural techniques and features of form have been used to present feelings towards place using relevant subject terminology?Can I evaluate which structural technique helps to convey Nichol’s feelings most strongly?Can I compare and contrast the use of structural techniques across two poems?

Do it now1. Look, cover, write and check the following words five times in the table below.

1 2 3 4 5Embossed

Aflame

Filigree

Fretwork

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2. Choose the most appropriate word for each of the pictures below and write it in the box.

Embossedaflamefiligree

fretwork

Recapping prior knowledge: structural techniquesIn this poem, a range of structural techniques are used to present Alvi’s feelings about two particular places.

Line lengths – when we consider line length, we should consider whether some lines or long or some lines and short and why this must be

Viewpoint is the perspective the poem is written from. Identifying how a viewpoint changes across a poem is important.

Contrasts are differences that can be found.

Dashes are a piece of punctuation that may indicate a pause or a shift in tone. Looking at what comes before the dash and after the dash is key.

Enjambment is where a sentence runs over consecutive lines. Looking at which words ends a line and which word begins the next is key.

Pen to paper: analysing how Alvi’s use of structural techniques helps to convey feelings towards a particular place

In today’s learning episode we are going to consider the range of structural methods Alvi has used to help her convey her feelings about place. Each group will be given a different structural feature / feature of form to explore before feeding back to the rest of the class.

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Line lengths

What do you notice about the line lengths? Why do you think the lines are presented in this way?

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Enjambment

The poem uses enjambment throughout. Why do you think this is? What might this suggest about the poet’s state of mind?

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Viewpoint

In this poem the adult poet is looking back and seeing the events of her teenage years through herself-as-a-teenager’s eyes as well as some reflections about her journey to England as a baby. Therefore there are three different points of view in the poem which help to present and strengthen her feelings about place over time. You are now going to explore these three viewpoints.

Identify and record your ideas in the table on the next page about the poet’s different feelings about her cross-cultural experiences at different points in her life. Is she using the voice of a child, a teenager or an adult?

Quotation When was this? How do How does she feel?

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you know?

I tried each satin-silken top –

was alien in the sitting room.

Prickly heat had me screaming

on the way.

Sometimes I saw Lahore –

my aunts in shaded rooms,

screened from male visitors

I admired the mirror-work,

tried to glimpse myself

in the miniature

glass circles

and I was there –

of no fixed nationality,

staring through fretwork

a fractured land

throbbing through newsprint

I ended up in a cot

in my English grandmother’s dining-room

How have the poet’s feelings towards place developed over time?Consider the poet as a baby, as a teenager and as a young adult in your response.

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ContrastsUse the chart below to identify as many contrasts within the poem as you can find.

What is the contrast? What can we infer from this contrast?ExampleEmbossed slippers gold and blackDenim and corduroy

The Pakistani culture is presented as extravagant and luxurious in contrast to the English culture which is presented as simple and comfortable. The poet feels more at home in English clothing.

DashesLook at each example of where a dash appears. What can we infer about the poet’s feelings at each point?

Before the dash After the dash What can we infer?Like at school, fashions changed in Pakistan -

The salwar bottoms were broad and stiff, then narrow

I tried each satin-silken top -

Was alien in the sitting-room.

I could never be as lovely I longed for denim and

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as those clothes - corduroy.

I wanted my parents’ camel skin lamp -

Switching it on in my bedroom, to consider the cruelty and transformation

My mother cherished her jewellery -

Indian gold, dangling, filigree

Sometimes I saw Lahore - My aunts in shaded rooms screened from male visitors

Or there were beggars, sweeper-girls and I was there -

Of no fixed nationality, staring through fretwork at the Shalimar Gardens

ReflectionHow successful has Alvi been in using structure to help her convey her feelings towards place?

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Preparing for the summative assessment

Link to context Key ideas Language Structure and formIn Romney Marsh

Adlestrop

Nothing’s Changed

Stewart Island

Hurricane Hits England

Presents from my aunt in Pakistan

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