Transcript Starter: - Winterhill School

Starter:
In pairs discuss the following questions:
If a poem is given a title, “Singh Song”, what
would you expect the poem’s rhythm to be
like?
Why is the word ”Singh spelt this way?
To what culture could the word belong?
What type of mood would you expect a poem
with this title to have?
Starter:
Listen to the poem, “ Singh Song”
read by the poet himself!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/daljitnagra-singh-song-poem-only/12251.html
Have you noticed?
• The length of the stanzas vary.
• There are some short stanzas and some
with 8 lines.
• In 3 stanzas the words “my bride” are on
lines by themselves and set out slightly in
front.
• There are 4 sets of 2 lines.
• There are some dashes.
• There are some question marks.
As we unravel the poem we will be able to see why the poet has
used these structural features!
How does the poem read?
Think!
What do you notice
about the pace and
rhythm of the poem as
you read it?
What mood do you gain
from the pace and
rhythm?
Think!
Why 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
Stanza 1.
but ven nobody in, I do di lock Why would the first stanza be short? Think
about what the stanza is about and this may
help you.
Why are there more stanzas about the man’s
wife?
Exercise
One person will read the first 2 lines of the
stanza:
“Ven I return…”
Then everyone else will pair up, to call out-
1.Hey Singh,ver yoo bin?
2.Yor lemons are limes
3. yor bananas are plantain,
4.dis dirty little floor need a little bit of mop
5. in di worst Indian shop
What impression do you gain from the
6.on di whole Indian road mispronunciation of words? How does this
help the rhythm and pace? How does this
7. Hey Singh,ver yoo bin?
contribute to our understanding of the
8. Di milk is out ov date
character?
9. and di bread is alvays stale,
10.di tings yoo hav on offer yoo hav never got in stock
11. in di worst Indian shop
12. on di whole Indian road Do this a few
times!
Which words rhyme in these lines?
Underline the words that rhyme or half rhyme
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 cos up di stairs is my newly bride
vee share in chapatti
How does the rhyme affect the
vee share in di chutney
mood and tone of the poem?
after vee hav made luv
like vee rowing through Putney TIP
Mood: I am in a bad mood.
Tone: The tone of voice is low, stern and aggressive.
Exercise
What do you notice about the dialogue between the
two at the end?
What does the poet want us to understand about
their relationship?
Which words are repeated? Why?
Why is it written in italics?
Juxtaposition and contrast
Find any examples of the mixing, or
juxtaposition, of Indian and English
imagery.
If the lines and stanzas are irregular
what is the poet saying about his
culture?
Write to consolidate!
Write an explanation of the structure of this poem.
Use the following headings and your writing mats to
assist you:
• Appearance of the poem/ link to the character
• Rhythm rhymes and pace/ link to the character,
culture and ideas.
• The refrains/chorus/ Link to the character.
• Repetition/ Link to the character
• Dialogue/ Link to character
• Juxtaposition and contrast/ Link to character and
culture.
“Singh Song”
Plenary:
Did you like the poem?
Write down 3 words to describe the
character.
Which aspect of structure shows the
character particularly well?