'The City Planners' Revison Flashcards
Who wrote ‘The City Planners’?
Margaret Atwood
What is Margaret Atwood’s background?
Atwood is a writer and an advocate for climate change.
What is the main ‘evil’ in ‘The City Planners’?
Modernisation/Urbanisation
“Slant, sickness, splash.” What literary device is used here?
Sibilance: it flows well and creates emphasis.
Who are the ‘City Planners’?
Government/Influential leaders who control climate change and only care about themselves. They are worsening the problem.
What structure is the poem in? Why is this significant?
Free Verse. This emphasises the chaos and madness of climate change and use effect to show how bad it is.
What semantic fields are there in the poem?
Environmental damage/nature and water
What language devices are used in the poem?
Metaphors, personification, imagery, e.g. ‘vicious coil’ is imagery of a snake.
What is the tone of the poem?
The tone changes from a critical tone at the beginning of the poem to a worried/warning tone at the end of the poem.
What is the message of the poem?
Climate change is killing the world and everyone is ignoring it for their own perfect little world. The poem is a warning and call to action for everyone to help.
What is modernisation?
The process of adapting something to modern needs or habits.
What does the speaker predict is the outcome if climate change continues?
Water levels rising and the world is being destroyed. The use of the word ‘when’ conveys the idea that it is inevitable and will happen.
