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Classic poetry - study guide |
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IntroductionThis guide to classic texts is intended for students reading poetry in Key Stages 2 and 3 of the UK National Curriculum. Please use the hyperlinks in the table above to navigate this page. Responding to the poemsYou can respond to the poems in many reading, writing and speaking activities, some of which are described below. If you have good ideas for studying these poems, please send a comment to me. And in the frosty seasonAbout the poemThis is an extract from The Prelude by William Wordsworth (1770-1850). The Prelude is a very long autobiographical poem, with the alternative title Growth of a Poet's Mind. The passage here comes from the first book of twelve. The whole poem is several hundred pages long in standard print size. Criticism and comprehension:You can write about the poem, to show your understanding of what Wordsworth tells us, and how he achieves particular effects. You should write at least a page but you could write much more fully. Always remember to use quotation (short extracts, placed in inverted commas) to support what you say. What is the poem about?This is fairly easy to work out by reading the poem and discussing it with your friends and your teacher. Wordsworth describes skating on a frozen lake just as night is falling. Comment on the information about time; what the poet could see, in different directions; the various sounds made by him and his friends and the way these echoed off the surrounding features of the landscape; the games he and his friends were playing; what is the poet describing at the end of the second section? How is it written?This is quite a lot harder to explain. There are no rules you must follow in writing about the poet's technique (how he writes) but you may find it helpful to comment on the following:
Personal responseIn conclusion, you might like to say whether you liked the poem, or any part of it. Give reasons for your answer. Other responsesWord studyThis poem was first published in 1805. It contains many words not used nowadays, and many other words which are used differently today from the way Wordsworth uses them. Find as many such words as you can in the extract. For each one, write an explanation of how it is used in the poem, whether it is still used today, and whether it has changed meaning. Creative writingWrite about the kinds of things you do in winter weather; this could be a poem, with each stanza describing a different activity, or a story about a particular winter experience, real or imagined. You may write as yourself, as someone from a different time and/or place, or even as an animal (a polar bear, say, or reindeer). ResearchUsing reference books, you may like to find out about winters in Britain (or elsewhere) in past times. You might describe and illustrate how people enjoyed or endured these conditions. The Host of the AirAbout the poemThis poem is an English version of an old Gaelic (Irish) ballad which the poet heard sung and translated in Ballisodare, County Sligo. In the original poem, the husband (O'Driscoll) finds mourners weeping for his wife when he comes home. Criticism and comprehensionYou can write about the poem, to show your understanding of what Yeats tells us, and how he achieves particular effects. You should write at least a page but you could write much more fully. Remember to use quotation (short extracts, placed in inverted commas) to support what you say. What is the poem about?Yeats tells a story about a man who works apparently as a kind of game-keeper driving water-fowl from reed beds (perhaps for wildfowlers to shoot). He falls asleep and has a strange dream about his newly-wed wife. First he sees a group of dancers, then he is invited to eat bread and drink wine, which have magical qualities* . Next he is invited to play cards with a band of old men, while his bride is stolen from him by a handsome young man. At this, he scatters the cards away and wakes, only to hear, still playing the strange piping music he heard in his dream. *“The host of the air” refers to the bread and wine. In the Roman Catholic church service of mass, the bread and wine represent Jesus, who is the "Host" of the meal which the worshippers share. How is it written?This is harder to explain. There are no rules you must follow in writing about the poet's technique (how he writes) but you may find it helpful to comment on the following:
Personal responseIn conclusion, say whether you liked the poem, or any part of it. Other responsesWhat do you think happened next?You could write, either as a poem, or a prose story, what O'Driscoll did next. One possibility (not the only one) is suggested to you by the ending of the original Irish ballad on which Yeats based this poem. Performing the poemThis poem can be read aloud in a group, making the most of its strange story. Use music or other sound effects. Alternatively you could act out the story it tells. Making a comic strip or story-boardThis poem could be written as a comic strip or story-board, with a picture for each stanza (verse). The text of the poem could appear underneath. In illustrating the poem, try to bring out its very strange qualities, especially in the dream episode. The Cap and BellsAbout the poemThis ballad comes from the same collection of poems (The Wind Among the Reeds, 1899) as The Host of the Air. Both poems relate events which are dreamed. The Host of the Air is an anonymous ballad, originally sung in Irish, and translated by Yeats; the story in it may be believed by the singer's audience. The Cap and Bells is Yeats's memory of a dream of his own. Criticism and comprehensionYou can write about the poem, to show your understanding of what Yeats tells us, and how he achieves particular effects. You should write at least a page but you could write much more fully. Use quotation (short extracts, placed in inverted commas) to support what you say. What is the poem about?Yeats tells a story about a jester who tries to impress a young queen. He sends her his soul and his heart, but she ignores him. Finally, he sends his jester's cap and bells, and she is happy to accept the gift. Like The Host of the Air, this poem has an ambiguous (unclear) ending: we do not know if the queen and the jester have anything more to do with each other. How is it written?This is quite hard to explain. There are no rules you must follow in writing about the poet's technique (how he writes) but you may find it helpful to comment on the following:
Personal responseIn conclusion, say whether you liked the poem, or any part of it. Other responsesStory-tellingYou could write, either as a poem, or a prose story, what happened next. You could also retell the story from the point of view of the "Young Queen", writing in the first person (I/me). Performing the poemThis poem can be read aloud in a group, making the most of its strange story. You could use music or other sound effects. Alternatively you could act out the story it tells. Making a comic strip or story-boardThis poem could be written as a comic strip or story-board, with a picture for each stanza (verse). The text of the poem could appear underneath. In illustrating the poem, try to bring out its many strange and beautiful images. Night MailAbout the poemThis poem was written by W.H. Auden (1907-1973) to be a commentary for a documentary film made in 1936, and also called Night Mail. Near the end of the 24-minute film this poem is read by Auden to the accompaniment of music composed by Benjamin Britten. Criticism and comprehensionYou can write about the poem, to show your understanding of what Auden tells us, and how he achieves particular effects. You should write at least a page but you could write much more fully. Remember to use quotation (short extracts, placed in inverted commas) to support what you say. What is the poem about?This is fairly easy. Auden describes a train bringing letters and parcels from England to Scotland; he describes the scenery through which the train passes, lists the different kinds of mail the train is carrying, and ends with a sketch of the people waiting for the mail to arrive. How is it written?This is quite a lot harder to explain. There are no rules you must follow in writing about the poet's technique (how he writes) but you may find it helpful to comment on the following:
Personal responseIn conclusion, you might like to say whether you liked the poem, or any part of it. Give reasons for your answer. Other responsesPerforming the poemNight Mail was written as a commentary (a voice-over) for a documentary short film, now regarded as a classic. The poem is read by the writer, W.H. Auden. In pairs or groups, try to work out how to read the poem in an animated and exciting way. You could then “perform” the poem for your class, or make an audio (cassette) recording of it. If you have suitable video-editing facilities, you could voice-over footage of a suitable train journey. Creative writingThe British are very fond of all forms of transport: trains, cars, ships, aeroplanes and other vehicles. You could, like Auden, choose a real journey which you have made, imagined, or read about, and write it as a narrative. This could be a poem, like Night Mail, or a prose story, whether fictitious or true to life. Research/further readingYou may wish to find other poems, stories, films or television documentaries which depict trains or other kinds of transport or journeys, and read/write about these. Well-known examples would be S.T. Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, John Masefield's Cargoes; R.L. Stevenson's Treasure Island and Kidnapped or Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, feature films such as Apollo 13 and various road movies, or television programmes about travel. © Andrew Moore, 2002; Contact me
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