Transcript Settling Activity: Match the term with the definition (Cut

Form
Structure
Character and Voice
Stanzas, Rhyme
Blank Verse, Free Verse
Verse form, Metre
Offering different perspectives
and different points of view
Length of the poem:
• Any special layout
• The type of poem
• Tone/mood/atmosphere
Imagery
Onomatopoeia
Metaphor
Simile
Personification
Alliteration
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Form
Structure
Character and Voice
Imagery
Length of the poem:
• Any special layout
• The type of poem
• Tone/mood/atmosphere
Stanzas, Rhyme
Blank Verse, Free Verse
Verse form, Metre
Offering different perspectives
and different points of view
Onomatopoeia
Metaphor
Simile
Personification
Alliteration
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Imagery
Form
Structure
Character and
Voice
Are you…
in your
understanding
of the
following
terms?
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
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
Read through the poem The Autumn Gilt by
Valerie Bloom on your own and then in your
groups of four.
In your groups, refer to the 3 – 5 bullet points
that you made for revision on character, voice,
themes and issues, sensory language and
imagery and shape and structure.
Discuss: what and who you think this poem is
about and why.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
The Autumn Gilt by Valerie Bloom
The late September sunshine
Lime green on the linden leaves
Burns bronze on the slated roof-tops,
Yellow on the farmer's last sheaves.
It flares flame-like on the fire hydrant,
Is ebony on the blackbird's wing,
Blue beryl on the face of the ocean,
Glints gold on the bride's wedding ring.
A sparkling rainbow on the stained-glass
window,
It's a silver sheen on the kitchen sink,
The late September sunshine
Is a chameleon I think.
Whole Class
Feedback
What can we say
about the
character and
voice in this poem?
What themes and
ideas can you find
in this poem?
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across
Time: Conflict: Week Four
The Autumn Gilt by Valerie Bloom
The late September sunshine
Lime green on the linden leaves
Burns bronze on the slated roof-tops,
Yellow on the farmer's last sheaves.
It flares flame-like on the fire hydrant,
Is ebony on the blackbird's wing,
Blue beryl on the face of the ocean,
Glints gold on the bride's wedding ring.
A sparkling rainbow on the stained-glass
window,
It's a silver sheen on the kitchen sink,
The late September sunshine
Is a chameleon I think.
Whole Class
Feedback
What are the
effects of the
imagery and
sensory language in
this poem?
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across
Time: Conflict: Week Four
The Autumn Gilt by Valerie Bloom
The late September sunshine
Lime green on the linden leaves
Burns bronze on the slated roof-tops,
Yellow on the farmer's last sheaves.
It flares flame-like on the fire hydrant,
Is ebony on the blackbird's wing,
Blue beryl on the face of the ocean,
Glints gold on the bride's wedding ring.
Whole Class
Feedback
What can you say
about the form of
the poem?
A sparkling rainbow on the stained-glass
window,
It's a silver sheen on the kitchen sink,
The late September sunshine
Is a chameleon I think.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across
Time: Conflict: Week Four
The Autumn Gilt by Valerie Bloom
The late September sunshine
Lime green on the linden leaves
Burns bronze on the slated roof-tops,
Yellow on the farmer's last sheaves.
It flares flame-like on the fire hydrant,
Is ebony on the blackbird's wing,
Blue beryl on the face of the ocean,
Glints gold on the bride's wedding ring.
Whole Class
Feedback
What can you say
about the structure
of the poem?
A sparkling rainbow on the stained-glass
window,
It's a silver sheen on the kitchen sink,
The late September sunshine
Is a chameleon I think.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across
Time: Conflict: Week Four
Must be able to find examples of the different ways and the different
poetic devices that poets use to help convey their ideas and themes in
their poetry.
Should be able to respond critically to the different poetic devices that
are used in poems about Conflict.
Could be able to critically compare and contrast the ways that two poets
use different poetic devices to convey their ideas and themes in their
poems about Conflict.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Should women be allowed to
fight in wars?
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Throughout history, the business of war has
generally been the preserve of men. In the
20th century, however, the role of women in
the armed forces began a process of
transformation that is still happening to this
day. Women now serve in an increasingly wide
range of jobs, including positions as jet fighter
pilots in the Royal Navy, RAF and US Air Force.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
First, society argued
that women were
physically weaker than
men. They were said,
for example, to lack the
upper body strength so
important to enable one
to haul ropes, wield a
sword, shoulder a
musket, or load a shell
for a sustained period
in combat.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Secondly, there is the
psychological
argument that women
are different from
men. They are said to
possess
characteristics of
caring and nurturing,
and to be less
aggressive than men.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Thirdly, it is argued
that women lack one
of the unique qualities
of young men in
uniform, prized by the
armies of all nations their willingness to
take risks, to kill and,
in extreme situations,
to sacrifice
themselves.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Finally, is the belief
that the killing or
wounding of women is
somehow worse than
the concept of male
battle casualties. It is
thought that media
coverage will focus on
female casualties (the
‘body-bag’ factor) to
the discomfort of
politicians, who will
therefore be wary of
sending women in to
combat.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Finally, is the belief
that the killing or
wounding of women is
somehow worse than
the concept of male
battle casualties. It is
thought that media
coverage will focus on
female casualties (the
‘body-bag’ factor) to
the discomfort of
politicians, who will
therefore be wary of
sending women in to
combat.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
For
Against
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Arguments
Counter-Arguments
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
First, society argued that
women were physically
weaker than men. They were
said, for example, to lack
the upper body strength so
important to enable one to
haul ropes, wield a sword,
shoulder a musket, or load a
shell for a sustained period
in combat.
No! They shouldn’t!
What could be the
counter-argument here?
Yes! They Should!
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week
Four
Secondly, there is the
psychological argument
that women are
different from men.
They are said to possess
characteristics of caring
and nurturing, and to be
less aggressive than men.
What could be the
counter-argument here?
No! They shouldn’t!
Yes! They Should!
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week
Four
Thirdly, it is argued that
women lack one of the
unique qualities of young
men in uniform, prized
by the armies of all
nations - their
willingness to take risks,
to kill and, in extreme
situations, to sacrifice
themselves.
What could be the
counter-argument here?
No! They shouldn’t!
Yes! They Should!
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week
Four
Finally, is the belief that
the killing or wounding of
women is somehow worse than
the concept of male battle
casualties. It is thought that
media coverage will focus on
female casualties (the ‘bodybag’ factor) to the
discomfort of politicians, who
will therefore be wary of
sending women in to combat.
What could be the
counter-argument here?
No! They shouldn’t!
Yes! They Should!
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week
Four
Over to you
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
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The Battle of Austerlitz (1805)
The town of Memel (now Klaipėda), a coastal
town in Lithuania.
The Extermination Camps of the Nazi Germans.
You can present your findings as you see fit (e.g.
paper collage, photostory 3 or movie maker)
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Austerlitz, now a part
of the Czech Republic,
was officially under
Austrian control in 1805
when Napoleon’s troops,
in what became one of
his greatest victories,
defeated the Russian
and Austrian armies at
the Battle of
Austerlitz.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
The town of Memel
(now Klaipėda) came
under German rule
after the Napoleonic
war, although it is a
coastal town in
Lithuania.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
The Nazi Extermination
Camps were places
where Jewish people,
Travellers as well as
disabled people were
taken to be killed either
by forced labour or by
being gassed in huge
ovens. The victims
included old people and
children.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
You will need the following sheet:
Left by the ebbing tide of battle
On the field of Austerlitz
The girl soldier Vaudevue sits
Her fingers tap the ground, she is alone
At midnight in the moonlight she is
sitting alone on a round flat stone.
Graded by the Memel Conference first
Of all human exterminators
M.L.5.
Has left her just alive
Only her memory is dead for
evermore.
She fears and cries, Ah me why am I
here?
Sitting alone on a round flat stone on a
hummock there.
Rising, staggering, over the ground she
goes
Over the seeming miles of rutted meadow
To the margin of a lake
The sand beneath her feet
Is cold and damp and firm to the waves’
beat.
Group One: Look at the following
stanza; discuss the tone of voice in
the stanza. What can you say about
the character in this stanza? What
are the tone and the mood of the
stanza? What are the effects of the
language used in this stanza?
Highlight any words that you are
unsure of.
Group Two: Look at the following
stanza; discuss the tone of voice in
the stanza. What can you say about
the character in this stanza? What
are the tone and mood of the
stanza? What are the effects of
the use of punctuation in this
stanza? Highlight any words that you
are unsure of.
Group Three: Look at the following
stanza; discuss the tone of voice in the
stanza. What can you say about the
character in this stanza? What are the
tone and mood of the stanza? What
are the effects of structure and rhyme
pattern used? What are the effects of
the repetition? Highlight any words
that you are unsure of.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
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In your groups, work through each of the stanzas
and the questions that you have been assigned.
You will then be given a copy of the whole poem
and move from group to group to label/annotate
your findings from each group .
Finally, we will come together with our findings,
and work through the poem as a whole class.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
.
By the 1960s Smith
had built a reputation
as a popular but
eccentric performer,
by reading her poems
and often chanting
them off-key while
dressed in schoolgirlish outfits.
She drew quirky
pictures to accompany
her poetry, but
struggled to find a
publisher willing to
include them. In this,
she was like William
Blake, a poet whose
work she admired.
Born in 1902
in Kingston
upon Hull.
Died in 1971.
She began writing poetry
while working as a private
secretary in London
where she worked for 30
years until she suffered a
breakdown, which led to
her retirement in her
early 1950s.
She was born Florence
Margaret Smith but
became known by
others as Stevie after
riding in the park with a
friend who said that
she reminded him of
Steve Donaghue, a
jockey who was famous
at the time.
When she was three,
her father left home
and she moved with
her mother, two
aunts and sister to
Palmer’s Green in
London.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Although this dramatic poem is set in a future
war, some of the references in the poem seem
to point to previous wars, including the
Napoleonic Wars and World Wars One and
Two.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
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Death as central theme. Poem suggests death
as release – Vaudevue sleeps on in ‘close
embrace’. Death as friend, lover…inviting?
Metaphor? Simile?
Chemical warfare?
Zyklon B = gas used by Nazis to exterminate
Jews in death camps. Is Smith referring to
something similar with M.L.5? Is it a memorywiping drug?

Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
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The symbolic nature of a future battle on old
battleground.
War – past and future – all equally pointless
(futile). Even though the methods of killing
change, the suffering stays the same.
Other issues include: the use of child soldiers
in War; a sense of danger; isolation, fear and
loneliness; the power of water.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
1.
2.
In pairs discuss why the shape of
this poem is interesting.
How does it compare to the shapes
of the other conflict poems that we
have studied?
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation
marks,
Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And
the explosion
Itself – an asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst
of rapid fire …
I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept
stuttering,
All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and
colons.
I know this labyrinth so well – Balaklava, Raglan, Inkerman,
Odessa Street –
Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea Street.
Dead end again.
A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkietalkies. What is
My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going?
A fusillade of question-marks.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Pairs to join up with
another pair.
The new ‘four’ to
discuss their ideas.
Did you have any
ideas that are the
same or different?
The group of four to
feedback to the
whole class.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Belfast Confetti
Suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation
Do you know
where Belfast
is?
marks,
Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And
the explosion
Itself – an asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst
of rapid fire …
What is Confetti?
What feelings
do you associate
with Confetti?
I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept
stuttering,
All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and
colons.
I know this labyrinth so well – Balaklava, Raglan, Inkerman,
Odessa Street –
Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea Street.
Dead end again.
A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkietalkies. What is
My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going?
A fusillade of question-marks.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Belfast Confetti
Considering the
title of the
poem,
do the opening
lines surprise
you?
Extension:
Discuss
ambiguity.
Suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation
marks,
Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And
What kind of
confetti is being
used in Belfast?
the explosion
Itself – an asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst
of rapid fire …
I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept
stuttering,
All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and
colons.
I know this labyrinth so well – Balaklava, Raglan, Inkerman,
Odessa Street –
Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea Street.
Dead end again.
A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkietalkies. What is
My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going?
A fusillade of question-marks.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Belfast Confetti
Suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation
marks,
How might the
shape of this poem
reflect that of
a weapon?
Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And
the explosion
Itself – an asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst
of rapid fire …
I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept
stuttering,
All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and
colons.
I know this labyrinth so well – Balaklava, Raglan, Inkerman,
Odessa Street –
Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea Street.
Dead end again.
A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkietalkies. What is
My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going?
A fusillade of question-marks.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Belfast Confetti
Suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation
On your mini
whiteboards,
draw the punctuation
that is used in
the poem so far.
marks,
Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of broken type. And
the explosion
Itself – an asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst
of rapid fire …
I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept
stuttering,
All the alleyways and side streets blocked with stops and
colons.
I know this labyrinth so well – Balaklava, Raglan, Inkerman,
Odessa Street –
Why can’t I escape? Every move is punctuated. Crimea Street.
Dead end again.
A Saracen, Kremlin-2 mesh. Makrolon face-shields. Walkietalkies. What is
My name? Where am I coming from? Where am I going?
How is this punctuation
used to reflect
the violence in the poem?
A fusillade of question-marks.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
For hundreds of years, Ireland was
ruled by its next door neighbour Great Britain. Many people objected to
being ruled by Britain. A campaign to
make Ireland independent started.
In 1922, most of the island became
independent from Britain. This became
the Republic of Ireland.
But in the north, six counties remained
under British rule and became part of
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland.
Some people were unhappy about this
and it led to lots of problems in
Northern Ireland.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
The community in Northern Ireland can be
roughly divided into two groups:
Unionists : Are mainly Protestants and
have traditionally wanted Northern
Ireland to stay part of the UK. They are
also known as Loyalists (because they are
loyal to the British crown).
Nationalists : Are mainly Catholics and
have wanted the area to join the Republic
of Ireland (the rest of Ireland) and form
a united Ireland. They are also known as
Republicans (because they want to be part
of the Republic Of Ireland).
The differing views of the two groups
led to a lot of unrest and conflict.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
The British and Irish governments made several
attempts to get power-sharing back on track
after the 2002 breakdown.
Finally, in October 2006, something called the
St Andrews Agreement was made - setting up a
timetable for getting a power-sharing
government going again.
Political parties agreed to back down on certain
issues and elections to choose the Assembly's
representatives were held.
Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams - the leaders of
the two biggest parties who have very different
political views - agreed to a power-sharing deal,
naming 8 May 2007 as the date when devolution
would return to Northern Ireland.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
.
Much of his writing is
influenced by music,
particularly jigs and
other traditional
forms. In an interview
in the New Yorker
magazine, he says, ‘The
more I write, the more
I think that music and
song are fundamental
to what I write.
Influenced by writers
such as Paul Muldoon,
C.K. Williams and Louis
MacNeice in particular,
Carson extends
traditionally based
Irish vernacular
storytelling in verse
that uses a ‘long line’
style – a feature of
‘Belfast Confetti’
He was born in 1948 in
Belfast, Northern
Ireland. He is very
much a son of that
city, graduating from
Queen's University,
Belfast, and living
there still now.
His first language is
Irish and he says that
‘I write in English, but
the ghost of Irish
hovers behind it; and
English itself is full of
ghostly presences’.
His name is in many
ways symbolic of his
Irish identity – Ciaran
is a Catholic name,
whereas Carson is
Protestant
Violence and its effects
often lie at the centre of
Carson’s poetry,
unsurprising perhaps given
that he grew up and lived
in Belfast during the
‘Troubles’.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
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
‘Belfast Confetti’ (1990) won the Irish Times Irish
Literature Prize for Poetry. The title of the poem
initially suggests a celebration, but the phrase
‘Belfast Confetti’ pre-dates the poem and refers to
the screws, bolts and nails that were placed in IRA
bombs as shrapnel.
The poem is about the aftermath of an IRA bomb
attack. Even the language itself becomes a weapon:
the bomb in 'Belfast Confetti' is loaded
ironmongery as well as a ‘fount of broken type’.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week
Four
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Belfast Confetti’ reveals a fascination with
language itself. The poem explores how written
language echoes the sounds of a city (Belfast) in
turmoil, disorder and confusion.
Carson has said, ‘I'm not that interested in
ideologies (political ideas). I'm interested in the
words, and how they sound to me, how words
connect with experience.’ This can certainly be
seen in the poem, where he does not seem to take
sides, and does not say whether he condemns
the bombing or not.
It is about the effect on people and the power of
words.
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week
Four
1.
2.
3.
4.
In pairs, discuss how your knowledge of:
a) Ciaran Carson’s life/biography and b) the
background to Belfast Confetti has changed the
way you hear and the way you see the poem.
Join another pair. Listen carefully to what your
new pair say and jot down their ideas on your
mini-whiteboards.
Once you have these notes, you need to move
onto another pair and carefully recite them. This
will help everybody get to hear different points
of view about the same poem!
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
You will need a copy of the following worksheet:
Comparing Character, Voice, Imagery and
Sensory Language, Structure and Form in the
poems:
Come On, Come Back by Stevie Smith and
Belfast Confetti by
Ciaran Carson
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four
End of 4 Week Unit Assessment: (30 Minutes)
AQA Specimen Paper: Response to the unseen
poem Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins and
the following question:
What do you think the poet is saying about the
ways that some students approach poetry and
how it should be approached? How does he
present his ideas? (18 marks)
Liz Hillier: 2011 Poetry Across Time: Conflict: Week Four