Unseen Poetry Heavens above Celia I cant for

Unseen Poetry Heavens above Celia, I can’t for the life of me see the poem! Starter: What do you think you need to do when tackling an unseen poem?

Unseen Poetry To sum up this question (section B of the Lit Unit 2 - Poetry), you can expect: • A fairly straight forward poem • An extended metaphor or pattern of imagery to interpret • A question which requires you to discuss – a) ideas, attitudes, feelings; and – b) the writer's methods (language and structure)

The Examiner’s report “It was felt by the majority of examiners that one of the main areas of concern here was lack of reading of the poem. Candidates should be encouraged, through exposure to unseen poems in class, to read the poem through several times before attempting a detailed written response. Reading aloud is essential to fully appreciate rhyme and rhythm, alliteration etc and it would be helpful if candidates were taught how to achieve this in exam conditions. Whilst individual unique responses are desirable and highly rewarded, when such responses bear no relation to the meaning of the poem, it is generally because they have been too hastily arrived at. ”

The Unseen Poetry Exam Section B • You will have 30 minutes to answer this question • Question will be worth 18 marks

Unseen Poets- 2016 • • • • William Blake John Keats Thomas Hardy Christina Rossetti W. H. Auden Robert Frost Wilfred Owen Dorothy Parker Maya Angelou Wendy Cope Tony Harrison Jo Shapcott Sophie Hannah Owen Sheers Brian Patten

John Keats was born in London on 31 October 1795. He died when he was 25 years old. In his own lifetime John Keats would not have been associated with other major Romantic poets, and he himself was often uneasy among them. Literature for him was more than a dreamy refuge for a lonely orphan: it was a domain for energetic exploration, "realms of gold, " as he later wrote, tempting not only as a realm of idealistic romance but also of a beauty that enlarges our imaginative sympathies. When Keats had been in school less than a year, an accident occurred that would alter his life and proved to be the first in a series of losses and dislocations that would pursue him throughout his brief life, certainly contributing to his mature sense that the career of the artist was an exploration of art's power to bring solace and meaning to human suffering. His father was seriously injured when his horse stumbled as he rode home, and he died the next day.

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. Angelou has had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood's first female black director, but is most famous as a writer, editor, essayist, playwright, and poet. As a civil rights activist, Angelou worked for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Angelou had become recognized not only as a spokesperson for blacks and women, but also for all people who are committed to raising the moral standards of living in the United States. Angelou had a tough childhood- she was raped by her mother's boyfriend when she was just seven years old. When the man was murdered by her uncles for his crime, Angelou felt responsible, and stopped talking. Angelou remained mute for five years, but developed a love for language. When Angelou was twelve and a half, Mrs. Flowers, an educated black woman, finally got her to speak again. Angelou was also a prolific and widely-read poet, and her poetry has often been lauded more for its depictions of black beauty, the strength of women, and the human spirit; criticizing the Vietnam War; demanding social justice for all—than for its poetic virtue.

The Three Ticks Method • So, how should you approach a new poem in exam conditions? • By using the Three Tick Method! I stole this idea from a well known American edublogger and writer. • Here's how it works: 1. Create three tick boxes in the top corner of the paper like this: 2. Read the poem. Make notes about the mood/tone. (Perhaps at the beginning and end? ) Tick the first box. 3. Re-read the poem. Annotate the techniques (Go for the most obvious ones – e. g. metaphor, rhyme, structure). Tick the second box. 4. Re-read the poem. Make notes about the 'main idea' (perhaps theme or meaning of the poem). Tick the final box. 5. Consider how the techniques help get the message across and achieve the tone. Challenge: Look for words that you can take for a walk

Still I Rise- by Maya Angelou You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? 'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops. Weakened by my soulful cries. Does my haughtiness offend you? Don't you take it awful hard 'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines Diggin' in my own back yard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I'll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I've got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history's shame I rise Up from a past that's rooted in pain I rise I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise.

Why Should we take a word for a walk? In order to get the highest grades possible, you must aim to make the quotations you use as precise and focused as possible. F A* A Words B Words & Phrases C D/E Phrases Whole Sentences Massive chunks of text

Taking a Word for a Walk – Saying a lot about a little • Taking a word for a walk simply means exploring all of the connotations and associations (linked meanings) of specific words. TASK: On your copy of the poem, choose two to three words that you could explain the connotations of that you think link to the writer’s message. • This will enable you explore the deeper meanings of the poem as some of the words may offer more than on explanation. Challenge: Justify why these words help to show the deeper meanings of the poem E. g. ‘’impassable” suggests that the boy’s inability to read is unbreakable or blocked in. Word

FLIRTS For writing your response, remember… Form (is the poem in free verse? Is it a sonnet (14 lines) ? Ballad? Elegy? Hymn? Is it a dramatic monologue? …) Language (can you identify any poetic techniques- alliteration, metaphors, similes, personification etc… what is the effect- why has the poet used this technique- how does it link with his/her message? ) Imagery (what images are created in your heard- positive/negative- is this achieved through sensory language perhaps? ) Rhyme, repetition (how does the rhyme scheme link to the message of the poem- why are certain words/phrases repeated? ) Tone (what is the tone of the speaker’s voice- how does this contribute to the mood/message of the poem? ) Structure (line lengths- how does this contribute to theme/message of the poem. How is the poem laid out? For example, ‘The River God’ the structure mirrors waves- to symbolise theme of the poem and the speaker’s change in mood. )

Writing Your Response… Answer the following question using FLIRTS and making sure you achieve the success criteria on the right: How does Owen explore theme of war in his poem ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’? Form Language Imagery Rhyme, repetition Tone Structure Remember: FLIRTS Success Criteria: ü Have you done a mini introduction (this doesn’t need to be as detailed as the ‘Character and Voice’ introduction). ü Have you stated a clear point/idea to explore at the beginning of your paragraph. ü Have you located appropriate evidence to support your point/idea from the poem? ü Have you commented on the technique the poet has used and the effect on the reader? ü Have you used FLIRTS? ü Have you zoomed in on key words and explored connotations and how they link to the poet’s message? ü Have you explore multiple interpretations? ü Have you EVALUATED why the poet has used certain words/techniques? ü Mini conclusion to sum up your response?

Unseen Poetry Mark Scheme • You should spend no more than about 25 minutes on this part of the paper • Look carefully at the exam question given to you. • Answer the question fully. The mark scheme is below. Mark Band 6 6. 1 insightful exploratory response to ideas/themes 6. 2 close analysis of detail to support interpretation 16 -18 marks 6. 3 evaluation of writer’s uses of language and/or structure and/or form and effects on readers Information is presented clearly and accurately. Writing is fluent and focused. Syntax and spelling are used with a high degree of accuracy. Mark Band 5 5. 1 exploratory response to ideas/themes – 5. 2 analytical use of detail 13 -15 marks 5. 3 analysis of writer’s uses of language and/or structure and/or form and effects on readers Structure and style are used effectively to render meaning clear. Syntax and spelling are used with a high degree of accuracy.

Unseen Poetry Mark Scheme Mark Band 6 6. 1 insightful exploratory response to ideas/themes 6. 2 close analysis of detail to support interpretation 16 -18 marks 6. 3 evaluation of writer’s uses of language and/or structure and/or form and effects on readers Information is presented clearly and accurately. Writing is fluent and focused. Syntax and spelling are used with a high degree of accuracy. Mark Band 5 5. 1 exploratory response to ideas/themes – 5. 2 analytical use of detail 13 -15 marks 5. 3 analysis of writer’s uses of language and/or structure and/or form and effects on readers Structure and style are used effectively to render meaning clear. Syntax and spelling are used with a high degree of accuracy.

What’s the mood? W OR ha t’s th e to ne ?

What’s The msg? f o t OR the poin s ? ’ t m a Wh he poe t r o r e k OR a e p s ? e y h a t s s i o t t a g h n i y W r t t poe

Stations Task. At each station is a poem and the question. You have 9 minutes to read annotate each poem using the three ticks method. You are going to do this 3 or 4 times in small groups.