poetry (english lit- 'Songs of ourselves') Flashcards
What are the three language devices to include for ‘A different history’
- The writer uses allusion and symbolism
- The writer uses vivid imagery
- The writer uses a volta
- semantic field of oppression, violence
What are the 3 main language devices for ‘where I come from’
sensory description
Figurative language
symbolism
What are the 3 main language devices for ‘The cockroach’
figurative language
vivid, complex imagery of erratic cockroach
profound symbolism and allusion
commonality of experience- last stanza
What are the three main language devices for ‘hunting snake’
figurative language
characterisation through action
powerful imagery- under this comes all the language devices and everything
What are the three main language devices for ‘The chimney sweeper’
figurative language
juxtaposition and contrast
allusion and symbolism
What are the three main language devices for ‘Before the sun’
figurative language
powerful, focused imagery
Different uses of tone.
Structural devices in ‘A different history’
Free verse
two contrasting stanzas
indentation to mimic the actions in the poem
Structural devices in ‘Hunting snake’
enjambment- First stanza
Caesura-Last lines and “half through a pace.”
regular rhyme scheme
structural devices in ‘Where I come from’
Free verse
contrasting sections
enjambment and caesura between lines and slow pace- mimics the stream of consciousness
Structural devices in ‘The cockroach’
caesura- the stopping of the cockroach
iambic pentameter- mimics the cockroach’s pace in the first stanza
Structural devices in ‘The chimney sweeper’
playful rhyme scheme- enhances concept of superficiality and delusion
simple quatrains
Structural devices in ‘Before the sun’
Free verse
fragmented structure, resembling an arc that mirrors the arc that’s formed when wood chips fly
in the 5th stanza the long sentences mimic the smoke going up in the air
What are quotes you should include in your essay for ‘A different history’
Great Pan is not dead;
he simply emigrated “
to India."-
“Here, the gods roam freely,
disguised as snakes or monkeys; “ -
“It is a sin to shove a book aside
with your foot,
a sin to slam books down
hard on a table”-
“learn how to turn the pages gently without disturbing Sarasvati,”-
“oppressor’s tongue”-
“after the soul has been cropped” “with a long scythe”-
How is it that “the unborn grandchildren” “grow to love that strange language. “-
What are some quotes you should include in your essay from “Hunting snake”
“Head down, tongue flickering”
“He quested through the parting grass”
“Sun glazed his curves of diamond scale”
“Cold, dark, and splendid”
“our eyes went with him as he went”
“We took a deeper breath of day,
“Looked at each other, and went on “
What are some quotes you should include in your essay from ‘The cockroach’
“At first, he seemed quite satisfied to trace”
“A path between the wainscot and the door,”
“jog in crooked rings,”
“rusty table leg”
“As if the victim of a mild attack”
“Of restlessness”
“he climbed an open shelf “
“He looked uncertain where to go. “
“Was this due payment for some vicious crime
A former life had led to? “
“Except I thought I recognised myself. “
What are some quotes you should include in your essay from ‘The chimney sweeper’
“A little black thing among the snow”
“They are both gone up to the church to pray.”
And because I am happy and dance and sing,
They think they have done me no injury,”
“taught me to sing the notes of woe. “
“clothes of death”
“And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King, “
“Who make up a heaven of our misery.”
What are some quotes you can include in your essay for ‘Where I come from’
“Nature tidily plotted in little squares”
“or the smell of work, glue factories maybe,
chromium-plated offices; smell of subways” (separate in to three)
“carry woods in their minds, acres of pine woods”
“burned-out bush”
“battered schoolhouses”
“They carry with them
hints of jungles”
“carry”
“A door in the mind blows open, and there blows
a frosty wind from fields of snow. “
What are some quotes you can include in your essay for ‘Before the sun’
“Intense blue morning”
“Heavy rain”
“settle down in showers on the the dewy grass” semantic field
“eternities later”
“a signal of some sort”
“sacrificial prayer”
“wood hisses, the sparks fly”
“Like some latecomer to a feast”
“one for the sun,one for me”
“till the cobs are just two little skeletons”
What is the main message behind ‘A different history’
Cultural Identity and Heritage: Bhatt emphasizes the importance of language as a cornerstone of cultural identity, conveying the painful mutilation of india’s cultural heritage and language.
Impact of Colonization: The poem critiques colonialism’s impacts, illustrating how it marginalizes languages and cultures and oppresses nd changes a country’s culture and ethos inherent in its identity.
What is the main message behind Hunting snake
Human Interaction with Nature: Wright examines the complex relationship between humans and nature, portraying both fear and admiration in the face of the snake’s power.
Admiration of nature: The poem depicts a short but profound moment of appreciation and admiration for nature and the environment in which we reside.
What is the main message behind ‘Where I come from’
Connection to Place: Brewster explores the deep relationship between personal identity and origins, emphasising how places shape individual experiences and
Contrast Between Urban and Rural Life: The poem contrasts urban modernity with rural simplicity, evoking nostalgia for authentic experiences often lost in progress.
What is the main message behind ‘The cockroach’
Human Condition and existential reflection: The cockroach serves as a mirror for human experiences, prompting introspection about the nature of existence and the complexity of life.
Life’s Cycles: The poem conveys a sense of cyclical existence, suggesting that life often involves repetitive patterns and the search for meaning in mundane actions.
What is the main message behind ‘The chimney sweeper’
Hypocrisy of Religion: The poem exposes the contradiction between religious teachings of compassion and the indifference shown towards the plight of the oppressed. It conveys how the Church encroaches on the freedoms and joys of childhood and robs children of their youth.
Loss of Innocence: It reflects on the devastating impact of societal demands on childhood, portraying the erosion of innocence through forced labor.
What is the main message behind ‘Before the sun’
Man’s relationship with nature- This poem reflects the life of a child who lives in harmony and balance with nature. His environment and the beauty of it deeply resonates with him and he treats nature (portrayed by the sun) as a companion in life
The passage of time- Mungoshi reflects on the passage of time and its impact on life, emphasizing the importance of embracing change and the promise of a new day.
Analyse the quote:
‘Great Pan is not dead;
he simply emigrated “
to India."
This allusion suggests that while Western culture may perceive the Greek god Pan, a symbol of nature and paganism, as “dead,” his essence has been preserved and transformed in India, a land rich in spiritual traditions
analyse the quote ““after the soul has been cropped” “with a long scythe”-
the imagery of a soul being “cropped” evokes a violent, forceful act of cutting away or diminishing one’s inner essence or cultural identity.
The scythe, typically associated with harvest, here symbolizes colonial oppression, suggesting that colonization strips people of their spiritual and cultural roots in a destructive manner.
The scythe is also associated with the Grim reaper and death which reinforces its earlier connotations of torture and pain.
Analyse the quote “our eyes went with him as he went”
This quote is a synecdoche as it describes the big picture of how the persona is intently observing the snake to the point where their eyes follow the movements of it
Analyse the quote “We took a deeper breath of day,
Looked at each other, and went on”
Here, caesura is utilised which mimics the process of the persona stopping to admire the snake’s beauty and taking a deep breath to absorb the awe and tension of the moment.
Analyse the quote “Sun glazed his curves of diamond scale “
Here, the writer not only uses powerful imagery and metaphor to portray the snake as beautiful & majestic but expresses its qualities of being rare, valuable and powerful.
Silbilance- mimics the hissing of the snake
Analyse the quote “quested through the parting grass”
The word “quested” signifies the determination and cold, fierce power with which it approaches its prey
Analyse the quote “Nature tidily plotted in little squares”
contrasts the wildness of nature with the rigid, artificial order imposed by humans. By describing nature as “plotted in little squares,” the poet critiques how urban environments compartmentalize and control nature
Analyse the quote “or the smell of work, glue factories maybe,
chromium-plated offices; smell of subways”
The smell of “work” evokes connotations of physical labour, sweat and the grit of city life while “glue factories” evokes connotations of the destruction of nature (in the manufacturing process) and the putrid smell these factories emanate. The mention of “chromium plated offices” adds a stark contrast to the earlier images of labor, evoking the dull, sterile nature of corporate environments.
Analyse the quote “carry woods in their minds, acres of pine woods”
The word ‘carry’ not only evokes connotations of memories and identity but could also imply the physical burden of carrying something around, suggesting the significance of places as well as both the positive and negative effects they can have on people.
Analyse the quote “burned-out bush”
“battered schoolhouses”
the contrasting negative connotations of decrepit, worn out objects portrays the realities of there being positive and negative aspects of nature and life.
Analyse the quote “A door in the mind blows open, and there blows a frosty wind”
wind blowing could portray a renewal or the blowing away of negativity.
It could also describe the recollection of a distant memory.
It could also portray the impermanence of memory and how it fades.
Sensory experiences that may once have seemed trivial (e.g., shivering in cold weather) turn out to be vividly embedded in the speaker’s psyche.
Analyse the quote “At first, he seemed quite satisfied to trace”
“A path between the wainscot and the door,”
‘satisfied to pace’ is an example of personification and evokes a tone of stability and calmness. Specifically, the writer refers to a period of early adulthood where a sense of confidence and contentment is established.
The path that this cockroach follows symbolises the secure paths people take and that the persona took in life, regarding careers or certain life choices.
Analyse the quote “jog in crooked rings,”
“rusty table leg”
‘crooked rings’ evokes connotations of spiraling and confusion and portrays the cockroach’s erratic movements. This resembles a time in the persona’s life where they faced hardships and challenges from which emerged uncertainty and purposelessness.
‘rusty table leg’ enhances this underlying narrative as it not only suggests instability in life but also has the effect of characterizing the persona and the life they are currently living
Analyse the quote “Was this due payment for some vicious crime
A former life had led to? “
Here the writer alludes to the religious notion of reincarnation and the persona suggests that the cockroach feels guilt for his ‘vicious crimes’ as well as a sense of resentment for the life that he’s led. This insecurity and ambiguity symbolises a common experience of existential uncertainty.
Analyse the quote “he climbed an open shelf “
“He looked uncertain where to go. “
The cockroach’s movement up to the shelf can be interpreted as the moments up to death where the shelf resembles death and the cockroach’s ‘uncertainty’ symbolising a fear of death. A more optimistic analysis of this could be that the cockroach’s movement up to the shelf resembles the period in life where the persona progressed and overcame the hardships and obstacles they faced.
Analyse the quote “A little black thing among the snow”
black thing against the white snow-Suggestion that the child has lost his innocence, purity.
Subtle repetition of ‘l’ (consonance) and soft sounds (phonological)1 suggests that the child is still vulnerable and naive as the softness mimics the way children are treated or nursery rhymes perhaps.
Thing-This vague description has a kind of distancing and dehumanizing effect, showing the way that the boy has been made literally and metaphorically unidentifiable
Analyse the quote “They are both gone up to the church to pray.”
William Blake uses metonymy by having “the church” represent not just a physical place, but the broader institution of religion. In this context, there is a sense of irony and hypocrisy of the child’s parents neglecting the child in pain as they go to church where they preach compassion, love etc.
Analyse the quote “Who make up a heaven of our misery.”
juxtaposition of the blissful and divine notion of heaven and the realities of misery. Oxymoron
Two interpretations:
Whole of the high-ranking structures exploit workers and manipulate them for their own benefit, creating a ‘heaven’ for themselves out of the ‘misery’ of lower classes
Religion is used to manipulate people into believing in delusions of happiness and become blind to the realities of misery and hardship.
Analyse the quote “intense blue morning” “heavy rain”
Juxtaposition: slow pace and intense weather is juxtaposed to imply that the persona is adaptable to the conditions and relaxed in times of turbulence.
Analyse the quote “eternities later”“settle down in showers on the dewy grass
‘eternities’- turns the scene into slow motion. Represents immense observation and appreciation.
‘Showers, dewy, wood’ -all part of nature (semantic field)
Analyse the quote “a signal of some sort”
“sacrificial prayer”
Indicates an intuitive connection between the boy and nature, suggesting that the environment communicates silently, guiding his actions.
Long sentences mimic the smoke going up in the air.
‘Flute’- religious connotation, linked with columns of writing in religious monuments and buildings.
Sibilance: mimics smoke as well.
Analyse the quote “Like some latecomer to a feast”
suggests that the persona has a friendly relationship with the sun with a casual, mocking tone. This scene resembles closeness, intimacy and equality between the sun and the persona.
Analyse the quote “till the cobs are just two little skeletons”
Whilst being a unique use of imagery and figurative speech, it is also a shift to a bleaker tone which resembles the darker aspects of life such as death (alluded to by the skeletons) inherent in nature and our world.
What should your introduction include?
-general statement about the poem
-address the focus of your question
-signpost
What should a conclusion include
What have you shown about the focus in the question
what does the writer want us to understand
what have you shown in terms of the themes/ big underlying ideas
Overall impact on reader
Analyse the quote “late season’s grace”
The word grace suggests a link to the divine.
opening of poem offers an eden-like scene
sibilance- tranquility
sounds are melodious, emphasising the pleasant scenery. Enjambment further enhances the tranquil tone.
Analyse the quote ‘it is a sin’
There is the anaphora; the repetition of the word sin. This evokes a tone of gravity and depth, inducing visions of moral law
analyse the quote “without offending the tree from whose wood the pages were made”-
These books are connected to the trees from which they were made just as we are shaped from the history from which we came. (metonymy)
analyse the quote ‘truly meant to murder someone’
complex metaphor- the dark, sinister tone of murder and oppression is used to portray the mutilation of identity and the forced assimilation to another language and culture.
where is the volta in ‘a different history’
the second stanza-
where is the volta in ‘where i come from’
as the point of view from omniscient narrator changes to first person in the second stanza, the tone becomes more personal and endearing
analyse the quote ‘the almost not smell of tulips’
This portrays the subtle smell of tulips in the spring which typically grow in more urban areas. However juxtaposed amidst the more pungent, stronger smells of the city in this stanza, the suppression and tight control and restriction of nature is conveyed.
whats the device used in the chimney sweeper in the line ‘weep weep’
epizeuxis
what period in life does ‘flipping over itrs wings’ in the cockroach represnt
a mid-life crisis
what does the cockroach represent in the poem
It’s actions metaphorically and anthropomorphically and reflect on the persona’s life experiences
Analyse the quote ‘‘spring and winter are the minds chief seasons : ice and the breaking of ice”
spring and winter: evokes connotations of nature and paying attention to it.
ice: how our perceptions and certain parts of our identity can change and are malleable like how ice can melt and be shaped.
