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Unseen Poetry and Creative Writing

Your teacher will tell you which pages of this booklet they want you to work on.

This unit combines skills needed for both English Language and Literature

GCSE. We will be using poems (Literature Paper 2) to help us explore creative

language (Language Paper 1).

English Literature Paper 2 Section C - Unseen Poetry. There are two questions

and two poems that are “unseen” – in other words, you have not seen them

before.

The following two assessment objectives are tested:

AO1: Respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and evaluate relevant textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations.

This means it is a good idea to have your own personal and critical ideas about

the poem and be able to think imaginatively about what the poet does with

the imagery, the themes, the voice, the language etc. As it’s an unseen poem,

it will have to be your own ideas – just make sure they’re credible and you can

back them up. Obviously, you have to get good short quotations to prove those

ideas you have about the poem.

AO2: Explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings.

This means you have to look in real detail at the words and techniques the

poet uses to create the themes, the rhythm, the subject matter, the voice and

the tone of the poem form.

What poetic devices are used? Is there a rhyme scheme and has it been used

for a reason? Imagery? Contrasts? Specific vocabulary etc..? How do they have

an impact? In addition, you could make a point about the structure of the

poem. What happens where? It may be something about how each stanza

starts. It could be about when the poem changes tone. It could be about how

the poem builds. It could be about a point or a line that is repeated to have a

deliberate structural effect. Try to make at least one point about structure.

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The Clown Punk, by Simon Armitage

Task One – Read the Poem

The Clown Punk

Driving home through the shonky side of town,

three times out of ten you’ll see the town clown,

like a basket of washing that got up

and walked, towing a dog on a rope. But

don’t laugh: every pixel of that man’s skin

is shot through with indelible ink;

as he steps out at the traffic lights,

think what he’ll look like in thirty years’ time –

the deflated face and shrunken scalp

still daubed with the sad tattoos of high punk.

You kids in the back seat who wince and scream

when he slathers his daft mush on the windscreen,

remember the clown punk with his dyed brain,

then picture windscreen wipers, and let it rain.

Answer the following questions:

1. What might the poem be about?

2. Why do you think that?

3. Why might the poet have wanted to write this poem?

4. What is your personal response to it?

Task Two – Interpreting the Language

Read back over the poem, then attempt the following questions:

1. “the shonky side of town” (line 1) – what do you think “shonky” means in this context? What

do you imagine this “side of town” to be like?

2. The punk in the poem is described as the “town clown”. Why do you think Armitage has

used this metaphor? In what ways might a punk be similar to a clown? What does it suggest

about the speaker’s attitude to the punk?

3. “think what he’ll look like in thirty years’ time” What else might Armitage be thinking about

here apart from simply the physical way the punk would look when he is older? Is Armitage

suggesting anything else about how society judges people?

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Task Three – Creative Writing

Choose from one of the following options:

Either, write a description suggested by this picture.

Or, write a story that begins with the phrase “Think what he’ll look like in thirty years time…”

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Give, by Simon Armitage

Task One Which of the following words would you use to describe homeless people, and why? Pick one word and explain why you have chosen it. (If you’re not sure of the meaning of a word, look it up and write a definition)

Lazy

Unlucky

Deserving

Vulnerable

Alienated Task Two – Read the Poem Give Of all the public places, dear to make a scene, I’ve chosen here. Of all the doorways in the world to choose to sleep, I’ve chosen yours. I’m on the street, under the stars. For coppers I can dance or sing. For silver-swallow swords, eat fire. For gold-escape from locks and chains. It’s not as if I’m holding out for frankincense or myrrh, just change. You give me tea. That’s big of you. I’m on my knees. I beg of you. Answer the following questions:

1. Choose three phrases that you think stand out. Why do you think they stand out? 2. Why do you think Armitage chose to write from the point of view of a homeless person,

rather than himself (not a homeless person)?

Poetic voice: This is the speaker or voice of the poem; he is a homeless person.

This poem is a dramatic monologue, which is a poem spoken by an imagined person – a beggar in

this case.

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Task Three – Tone of the Poem

Can you find any of the following techniques in the poem?

Rhyme

Alliteration

Repetition

Sarcasm

Short phrases

Personal pronoun ‘you’ Considering these techniques, answer the following questions:

1. What overall tone do these techniques create? Tone: the attitude of the speaker (happy, sad, angry, resentful, sarcastic, etc.)

2. Do you think the homeless person has a right to feel the way that he does? 3. Do you have sympathy for them?

Task Four - Creative Task Create a dramatic monologue using the voice of a character in society.

Choose a voice and write it in first person.

Decide what tone you want to create.

Consider what techniques to use to express your ideas. Possible character options:

A police officer

A binman/woman

A teacher

A doctor/nurse

A prisoner

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Hawk Roosting, by Ted Hughes

a) What does it mean to be powerful?

b) What different types of power can you think of?

c) Which types of people tend to have more power than others?

d) How might the idea of a hawk present ideas about power? If you are unsure what a

hawk is or looks like, google images of hawks.

Try to think of at least 4 different ideas. Remember that there can be different types

of power.

Read the poem through twice (on the next page). How does the poet show that the

hawk thinks he is powerful? What types of power does he have?

Use these questions to help you analyse and annotate the poem.

Stanza One:

1. What is important about where the hawk is sitting? How does this link to ideas about

power? What technique is the poet using here?

2. What physical details are mentioned about the hawk which link to power? How do

they make him sound like a powerful creature?

3. What does the hawk spend his time rehearsing? What does this suggest about him

and how does this link to power?

Stanza Two:

1. How does the poet show that the hawk thinks that things in nature are all there just

for his benefit? What does this suggest about him?

2. The hawk says that the earth’s face is “upward for my inspection.” What does this

suggest he thinks his job/role is? How does this link to power? How does it make you

feel about him?

Stanzas Three, Four and Five

1. What other evidence can you find that the hawk feels superior to others?

2. How else does the poet present the hawk as powerful? Can you identify a method or

key word/phrase used that you would zoom in on?

Stanza Six

1. What do you notice about the structure of the lines in this last stanza? How

might this structure have been used deliberately to show that the hawk is

powerful and controlling?

Literature Exam style question (24 marks)

• In ‘Hawk Roosting’, how does the poet present ideas about power? (Consider: Is

this really a poem about a hawk or could there be a different meaning or

interpretation?)

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Hawk Roosting

I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.

Inaction, no falsifying dream

Between my hooked head and hooked feet:

Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.

The convenience of the high trees!

The air's buoyancy and the sun's ray

Are of advantage to me;

And the earth's face upward for my inspection.

My feet are locked upon the rough bark.

It took the whole of Creation

To produce my foot, my each feather:

Now I hold Creation in my foot

Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly -

I kill where I please because it is all mine.

There is no sophistry in my body:

My manners are tearing off heads -

The allotment of death.

For the one path of my flight is direct

Through the bones of the living.

No arguments assert my right:

The sun is behind me.

Nothing has changed since I began.

My eye has permitted no change.

I am going to keep things like this.

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The Horse Whisperer, by Andrew Forster

Task One – Connotations

What are the connotations of the words: ‘horse’ and ‘whisperer’? Some examples have been

provided.

Connotation: A feeling/idea suggested by a particular word; an association.

Task Two – Read the Poem

The Horse Whisperer

They shouted for me when their horses snorted, when restless hooves traced circles in the earth and shimmering muscles refused the plough. My secret was a spongy tissue, pulled bloody from the mouth of a just-born foal, scented with rosemary, cinnamon, a charm to draw the tender giants to my hands. They shouted for me when their horses reared at burning straw and eyes revolved in stately heads. I would pull a frog’s wishbone, tainted by meat, from a pouch, a new fear to fight the fear of fire, so I could lead the horses, like helpless children, to safety. I swore I would protect this legacy of whispers but the tractor came over the fields like a warning. I was the life-blood no longer. From pulpits I was scorned as demon and witch. Pitchforks drove me from villages and farms.

Horse

Farm

Jump

?

?

?

Whisperer

Quiet

Secret

?

?

?

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My gifts were the tools of revenge. A foul hex above a stable door so a trusted stallion could be ridden no more. Then I joined the stampede, with others of my kind, to countries far from our trade. Still I miss them. Shire, Clydesdale, Suffolk. The searing breath, glistening veins, steady tread and the pride, most of all the pride.

Answer the following questions:

1. Who is speaking? 2. What happens to them? 3. Why does this happen?

Task Three – Identifying the Verbs How does the poet use verbs to influence the reader’s interpretation? Verbs: words that signify motion or state of being (‘doing words’). Use three different colours to highlight the verbs in the poem. One example for each character provided.

1. The Horse Whisperer: pulled, 2. The Farmers: shouted, 3. The Horses: snorted,

Glossary

Foal: a baby horse.

Shire, Clydesdale, Suffolk:

different breeds of large

working horses

Hex: an evil spell or curse.

Context

When the industrial revolution came, tractors were used to plough fields instead of horses.

About the Poem.

A horse whisperer is someone who can seemingly communicate with horses.

The poem is narrated by a horse whisperer, who begins by describing his work with horses and

the secrets of his trade, which sound like magic but seem completely natural. When the people

who once used his skills turned against him, believing that he uses witchcraft, the speaker decides

to finally give up his trade, even though he had sworn to protect its secrets. The speaker also

chooses to use his powers against the owners of the horses, corrupting the animals, before fleeing

the country.

The poem creates a strong sense of the relationship between man and horse and the tensions

between superstition, religion and progress are explored.

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Task Four – Summarising Attitudes Summarise the speaker’s attitude to each set of characters in one word. The Horse Whisperer (himself): The Farmers: The Horses: Answer the following questions:

Who do you think the poet wants us to sympathise with more?

Who do you think he wants us to dislike the most?

How does the amount of verbs relating to the horse whisperer change throughout the poem?

How does the amount of lines in each stanza change throughout the poem? Can you consider any reason for this?

Task Five – Creative Writing Task Choose one of the following three options for your creative writing task.

1. Copy the stanza structure from the poem to write your own poem about something being lost; each stanza should be shorter than the last.

• End of a relationship (romantic or friendship) • Losing a job • Somewhere that you stop going to as much • Growing up (losing your childhood)

2. Write a description suggested by this picture

3. Write a story that begins with the sentence “They shouted for me”

Carefully consider your use of verbs

– try to use ones that convey a

sense of character.

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The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

1) Starter Punctuation is missing from this paragraph, making it difficult to read. Use red font colour and bold to edit the paragraph. Add capital letters, full stops and commas. What other punctuation might you make use of?

A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers this type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads such criminals operated in great britain from the elizabethan era until the early 19th century in many other countries they persisted for a few decades longer until the mid or late 19th century highwaywomen such as katherine ferrers were said to also exist often dressing as men especially in fiction.

2) Colour code the boxes to match the symbols to their names and definitions. One has been done for you. Star Challenge – Add your own example from texts you have studied in English. These are available online.

Symbol Name Purpose Example Star Challenge Example

! Speech Marks Used to differentiate speech from other text. Possibly, it might be used to suggest a sarcastic tone.

She screamed! ‘”Good God!” thought Mr Utterson.‘

“ “ Colon Used to introduce a list or definition.

“Shut it” demanded the soldier.

( ) Exclamation Mark

Used after an interrogative.

The barrel of the gun (which still pressed into her throat) was deathly cold.

: Question Mark Used to add additional information or clarify an idea.

The shot blasted its message to the stars: danger.

; Brackets Emphasises a point, drawing attention to it and adding emotion.

To save herself would be to endure a living death; to die together would be to live forever.

? Semicolon Separates items in complex lists or joins closely related sentences. In this case, it takes the place of a full stop and capital letter.

How could she warn him?

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3) Read and/or listen to ‘The Highwayman’ (1906) by Alfred Noyes. What punctuation does Noyes make use of? Complete the table

Star Challenge – Evaluate Noyes use of punctuation. How far do his choices improve the poem? Would the poem be as effective without the punctuation? Explain your answer.

5) Creative Task Rewrite a section of the poem, transforming it from a poem into prose. It may be either a description or narrative. Importantly, you must focus on your technical accuracy. Work at a level of your choice.

Rewrite either Part 1, 2 or 3 of the poem. Ensure your sentence demarcation is accurate. Additionally, make use of speech marks, exclamation marks, question marks and brackets.

Focus on a short section of the text, turning it into a detailed description. Ensure your sentence demarcation is accurate. Can you make accurate use of a semicolon and colon? Additionally, ensure your vocabulary is varied and your language devices are carefully crafted.

Punctuation Quotation Effect Evaluation (Star Challenge)

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The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes PART ONE The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding— Riding—riding— The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door. He’d a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin, A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin. They fitted with never a wrinkle. His boots were up to the thigh. And he rode with a jewelled twinkle, His pistol butts a-twinkle, His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky. Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard. He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred. He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there But the landlord’s black-eyed daughter, Bess, the landlord’s daughter, Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair. And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked Where Tim the ostler listened. His face was white and peaked. His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay, But he loved the landlord’s daughter, The landlord’s red-lipped daughter. Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say— “One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I’m after a prize to-night, But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light; Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day, Then look for me by moonlight, Watch for me by moonlight, I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way.” He rose upright in the stirrups. He scarce could reach her hand, But she loosened her hair in the casement. His face burnt like a brand As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast; And he kissed its waves in the moonlight, (O, sweet black waves in the moonlight!) Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west.

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PART TWO He did not come in the dawning. He did not come at noon; And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise of the moon, When the road was a gypsy’s ribbon, looping the purple moor, A red-coat troop came marching— Marching—marching— King George’s men came marching, up to the old inn-door. They said no word to the landlord. They drank his ale instead. But they gagged his daughter, and bound her, to the foot of her narrow bed. Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side! There was death at every window; And hell at one dark window; For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride. They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest. They had bound a musket beside her, with the muzzle beneath her breast! “Now, keep good watch!” and they kissed her. She heard the doomed man say— Look for me by moonlight; Watch for me by moonlight; I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way! She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good! She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood! They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years Till, now, on the stroke of midnight, Cold, on the stroke of midnight, The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers! The tip of one finger touched it. She strove no more for the rest. Up, she stood up to attention, with the muzzle beneath her breast. She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again; For the road lay bare in the moonlight; Blank and bare in the moonlight; And the blood of her veins, in the moonlight, throbbed to her love’s refrain. Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horsehoofs ringing clear; Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear? Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill, The highwayman came riding— Riding—riding— The red coats looked to their priming! She stood up, straight and still. Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night! Nearer he came and nearer. Her face was like a light.

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Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath, Then her finger moved in the moonlight, Her musket shattered the moonlight, Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him—with her death. He turned. He spurred to the west; he did not know who stood Bowed, with her head o’er the musket, drenched with her own blood! Not till the dawn he heard it, and his face grew grey to hear How Bess, the landlord’s daughter, The landlord’s black-eyed daughter, Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there. Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky, With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high. Blood red were his spurs in the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat; When they shot him down on the highway, Down like a dog on the highway, And he lay in his blood on the highway, with a bunch of lace at his throat. . . . And still of a winter’s night, they say, when the wind is in the trees, When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, A highwayman comes riding— Riding—riding— A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door. Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard. He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred. He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there But the landlord’s black-eyed daughter, Bess, the landlord’s daughter, Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

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The Tyger, by William Blake

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies. Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? & what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain, In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp, Dare its deadly terrors clasp! When the stars threw down their spears And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

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1. What are your first ideas about the poem?

2. What words would you use to describe the TONE of the poem?

3. What do you notice about the form of the poem? Stanzas, rhyme scheme, length of poem etc

4. What do you notice about the structure of the poem? Caesura, enjambment, repetition etc

5. Choose at least 3 words or phrases you think are particularly effective in the poem. Explain the effect they have.

6. Find an example of these techniques in the poem – highlight them and then label them. Then explain what they mean and what effect they have on the reader.

Alliteration

Metaphor

Repetition

Verbs

Rhetorical Questions

Adjectives

Personification

Semantic field of creation Summarise the poem by drawing symbols next to each stanza to represent what is happening. The Bereavement of the Lion Keeper by Sheenah Pugh

Then summarise in a few sentences what the whole poem is about:

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The Bereavement of the Lion-Keeper by Sheenagh Pugh

1. Write down the overall tone of the poem.

2. How does the poet suggest that the keepers were devoted to the animals and their

jobs?

3. Each stanza, apart from the last one, starts with the word “who...”. What is the effect of this?

4. What does “who has seen him asleep so often/ but never like this.” mean?

5. What do you think the line “wrapped in his warmth,/ his pungent scent, as the bombs fell,” suggests?

6. How does the poet appeal to different senses? Give an example and explain the effect of these.

7. In what way does the poem show similarities between the ageing lion and the elderly keeper? How might that make the reader feel?

Who stayed, long after his pay stopped,

in the zoo with no visitors,

just keepers and captives, moth-eaten,

growing old together.

Who begged for meat in the market-

place

as times grew hungrier,

and cut it up small to feed him,

since his teeth were gone.

Who could stroke his head, who knew

how it felt to plunge fingers

into rough glowing fur, who has heard

the deepest purr in the world.

Who curled close to him, wrapped in his warmth,

his pungent scent, as the bombs fell,

who has seen him asleep so often,

but never like this.

Who knew that elderly lions

were not immortal, that it was bound

to happen, that he died peacefully,

in the course of nature,

but who knows no way to let go

of love, to walk out of sunlight,

to be an old man in a city

without a lion.

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8. Briefly describe the emotions put across in the poem.

9. Do you think there is a feeling of hope in the poem? Pick a quote to support your view.

10. Which of the 6 stanzas do you find the most effective in showing the keeper’s emotions? Give evidence to support.

How can we be thoughtful and developed in our response?

Choose 3 quotations from the poem to deeply analyse.

Consider the multiple meanings of the quotation and what the poet might be trying to say? FOR EXAMPLE:

Marks Criteria

21-24 Convincing, critical analysis and exploration

17-20 Thoughtful, developed consideration

13-16 Clear understanding

9-12 Explained, structured comments

5-8 Supported, relevant comments

1-4 Simple, explicit comments

“just keepers and captives, moth-eaten,

growing old together.”

The poet suggests that the animals and zoo keepers are getting old together. It could also be suggesting that the

noun ‘keepers’ are actually referring to the animals – who hold their official keepers ‘captive’ because of the

close bonds they have built over the years. They are ‘moth-eaten’ together because they forged such strong

ties. Maybe the poet is trying to suggest it isn’t just animals who are held captive.

How does the poet present the relationship between the lion and the lion keeper in “The

Bereavement of the Lion Keeper”? 24 marks

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Comparing The Bereavement of the Lion Keeper to The Tyger. This question should only focus on AO2 – writers’ methods

Exam Question: Compare the ways the poets present attitudes towards the animals in the two poems. 8 marks

UNSEEN COMPARISON MARK SCHEME:

SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES