Peckham Rye Lane

Question 1

Who is the poet?

Answer 1

A. K. Blakemore

Question 2

When was it written?

Answer 2

2007

Question 3

Context:

Answer 3

• William Blake was a Romantic poet who also wrote about his experiences in London
• However, unlike Blakemoore who celebrates London as an area of vibrant diversity and beauty despite its seemingly mundane exterior, Blake was critical about poverty and corruption present within London
• Peckham is a diverse area, with nearly half the population being Black, and a further 10% being Asian
• Peckham has a high crime rate

Question 4

Language, form and structure:

Answer 4

• Unfixed stanza length
• This could reflect the movement of the bus that the speaker is on, as its stop and start motion is emulated by both stanza length and the use of enjambment contrasting with end-stopped lines, creating a stop and start motion

Question 5

Metaphor

Answer 5

‘Gunmetal drops of perspiration’
- Paints a negative image of Peckham, reference to crime

‘Each person is a sturdy hairbrush bristle’
- Metapohor could allude to the strength and individuality of each person, who contributes and works with other ‘bristles’ to contribute to a wider, cohesive society

‘the pavement is a gruesome meat’
- A metaphor for the moving pavement, as loose stones become dislodged it creates the image that the pavement ‘moves’ like a dead creature

Question 6

Lexical field

Answer 6

Lexical field of colour
‘tentacle pink’ ‘grandmother mauve’ ‘rainbow’
- Makes the tone more light hearted and comical, use of colour can also illustrate strange, unusual beauty present within Peckham

Lexical field of the sea
‘salted jellyfish’ ‘tentacle pink’ ‘briny’
- the sea is full of diverse life that exists in harmony, this idea is reflected back in Peckham

Question 7

Assonance

Answer 7

‘as damp and as crammed as a’
- Creates an unpleasant, cloying atmosphere, the adjectives ‘damp’ and ‘crammed’ emphasise the heat and claustrophobic atmosphere

Question 8

Similes

Answer 8

‘angels gaze from the treetops like William Blake’
- gives a sense of comfort from both presence of angels and shelter offered by the trees- shows that Blakemore finds comfort in Peckham

‘Clutching drumsticks like weapons’
- Constructs a humorous image, but it could also be a sober acknowledgement of the history of crime which has blighted Peckham

Question 9

Symbolism

Answer 9

‘damp and crammed as a coconut shell’
- Coconut could represent a celebration of the diversity present in Peckham
- Coconut has both dark and light colours, symbolising fusion within society
- Also, whilst the area has a hard outer image (coconut shell), the true content is soft and rich

Question 10

Internal Rhyme

Answer 10

‘afro combs and mobile phones’

Question 11

Techniques used:

Answer 11

Similes
Metaphors
Internal rhyme
Lexical fields of colour and the sea
Juxtaposition
Symbolism
Assonance

Question 12

Quotes:

Answer 12

‘as damp and crammed as a coconut shell’

‘clutching drumsticks like weapons’

‘angels gaze from the treetops like William Blake’

‘each person is a sturdy hairbrush bristle’