Year 11 Unseen Poetry Masterclass

• Make sure you have a clear idea of how to answer the question

• To make it less fearful for you

• To go though a couple of poems with you as an example

• Thursday 22nd May

• I hour 15 minutes

• Section A: Poetry Comparison Question

45 minutes 36 Marks

• Section B: Unseen Poetry

30 Minutes 18 Marks

What are the feelings of the speaker and how do you

know?

What is the BVC English teacher

thinking and how do you

know?

What? How?

What? How?

What? How?

What? How?

The first feeling we see from Mr Allman is one of intense anger. As we can see from his body language, his “clenched fist” is symbolic of a man who is in a state of aggression and, perhaps, willing to cause damage. In the same way, the “snarl” that we see on his face suggests that he is becoming animalistic, feral and savage. His mind could be in a state of uncontrollable vexation. Alternatively, the picture could suggest that he is feeling triumphant. The “clenched fist” could imply that he is delighted with some result and outcome, perhaps with his teaching or that he has overcome a doubt. The “facial expressions” could indicate that he is satisfied and content with what has happened and is ensuring that he delights in the moment.

LondonBy

William Blake

London

I wander through each chartered stree t,

Near where the chartered Thames does flow,

And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every man,

In every infant’s cry of fear,

In every voice, in every ban,

The mind-forged manacles I hear:

How the chimney-sweeper’s cry

Every black’ning church appalls,

And the hapless soldier’s sigh

Runs in blood down palace walls.

But most through midnight streets I hear

How the youthfu l harlot’s curse

B lasts the new-born infant’s tear,

And blights w ith plagues the marriage hearse.

WILLIAM BLAKE

What are the speaker’s

feelings towards London and how does he present

them?

“I wander…”

How?What?

AimlessDirectionlessLost

Is he searching for something?

Using the verb “wander”

Tip of the Day #1

Make a comment on the implications and effects of individual

words

“Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”

How?What?

Tip of the Day #2

Talk about the sounds of words and

how they have an impact on meaning.

“black’ning church”

How?What?

Tip of the Day #3

Discuss alternative interpretations.

“mind-forged manacles”

How?What?

Tip of the Day #4

Take a risk.

Tip of the Day #5

To get an A*, could you make a

comment on structure, rhyme or

rhythm?

London

I wander through each chartered stree t,

Near where the chartered Thames does flow,

And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every man,

In every infant’s cry of fear,

In every voice, in every ban,

The mind-forged manacles I hear:

How the chimney-sweeper’s cry

Every black’ning church appalls,

And the hapless soldier’s sigh

Runs in blood down palace walls.

But most through midnight streets I hear

How the youthfu l harlot’s curse

B lasts the new-born infant’s tear,

And blights w ith plagues the marriage hearse.

WILLIAM BLAKE

The first feeling we see from Mr Allman is one of intense anger. As we can see from his body language, his “clenched fist” is symbolic of a man who is in a state of aggression and, perhaps, willing to cause damage. In the same way, the “snarl” that we see on his face suggests that he is becoming animalistic, feral and savage. His mind could be in a state of uncontrollable vexation. Alternatively, the picture could suggest that he is feeling triumphant. The “clenched fist” could imply that he is delighted with some result and outcome, perhaps with his teaching or that he has overcome a doubt. The “facial expressions” could indicate that he is satisfied and content with what has happened and is ensuring that he delights in the moment.

One of the main feelings we see from Blake about London is that he thinks it is disgusting. He tells us about “Every Black’ning church”, providing us with a grotesque image of churches. The fact that he uses the word “black’ning” suggests that the church is continuing to become black from pollution, indicating that it will get worse. The word “every” is vital, as it tells us that he thinks that this happens to all of the churches: none can escape. Alternatively, we could interpret his feelings of anger if we see the word “black’ning” as a metaphor for corruption. The image would then tell us that the church is becoming more evil. In this way, Blake conveys a feeling of distrust at the church and all it should stand for.