Click here for a selection of past questions on the literature poetry. You have seen this selection before however I will be looking to upload some more in the enxt few days so check back. Over Easter, you should aim to do "15 Minute Writing Challenges" on as many as possible, comparing two stories and at least one full timed essay, by hand.
Please post questions as comments and also any of your writing which you'd like me to have a look at. Please remember to include the question number with your work.
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15 minute writing challenge:
ReplyDeleteCompare how women are presented in four of the poems you have studied. To do this, compare “Mother any distance…” by Simon Armitage and three other poems, one by Carol Ann Duffy and two from the pre-1914 poetry bank.
In ‘Mother any distance...’ Armitage shows the mother to be lost, but also jealous in the fact that her son is leaving her. ‘fingertips still pinch’ this metaphor suggests that she is holding onto the tie that keeps them together because she thinks she is going to lose him. As the word ‘pinch’ is strong and violent it suggests that she is possessive and is holding on to him too tightly. This is also implied by the phrase ‘Anchor. Kite.’ Which suggests that she is pulling him down and keeping him from doing what he wants. As these are shown as short sentences it proves how far apart they both are, proving that the mother is jealous by the loss of her son: showing that women are presented as resentful and evil.
In ‘The Laboratory’, the persona is also presented as jealous and feeling loss, however she is different because she is trying to gain revenge to make her feel worthy. ‘they believe my tears flow’ this shows her desperate feelings as she is trying to convince herself that she isn’t feeling the loss of her love. The phrase ‘he is sure to remember her dying face’ also emphasizes the jealousy presented, as she is making him feel pain by killing his lover, proving the maliciousness women are presented to have.
Similarly, both of the poets use pain to present the persona’s of the women. The words ‘dying’ and ‘pinch’ are both painful and evil, emphasizing the desperate manners the women are willing to do to gain back the people they lost; indicating their powerful feelings towards love and loss.
-Roberta
This is excellent comparison Roberta (and serious dedication to the cause, writing it on Easter morning!). The only thing I'd change is in your description of the woman in "Mother..." as evil which I think is too strong. The women in both poems are certainly jealous, possessive and resentful however I would argue that the difference between the two is that, whilst both believe they are motivated by love, the persona in "Laboratory" has in fact pushed herself over the boundary and become evil whereas the woman in "Mother..." holds back from this because of her love for her son and is willing to let him make his own choices, for right or wrong ("to fall or fly"). That said, this is only a small change and I like the way you're writing; keep it up!
ReplyDelete15 minute writing challenge: Compare how relationships are presented in 'Mother any distance..' by Simon Armitag with one poem by Carol Ann Duffy and two poems from the Pre-1914 poetry.
ReplyDeleteIn Mother any distance, Simon Armitage presents the relationship between a mother and son. In this case the poet shows the possessive love from the mother, and thus the son's want for freedom: 'Anchor. Kite.' These physical objects suggest the distance between the mother (the anchor) and the son (the kite). It suggests when the son is showing his strong desire to escape, the mother is always trying to keep him from doing so: shown by the kite's string, holding him back. Armitage uses the quotation: 'fingertips still pinch' which shows how little strength she has over her son and his decisions, emphasised by the word pinch.
In Before you were mine, Carol Ann Duffy presents the relationship between mother and daughter. Although here, the poets shows the daughter's possessive love over her mother. The quotation: 'I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur' shows how resentful the speaker is, and also suggests her desire to be a part of her mother's youth. Alternatively, it could suggest the speaker's self-loathing because she feels she has now given her mother responsibilities, and made her loose all possible freedom she had before.
Similar to Armitage's use of the phrase: 'Anchor. Kite.' Duffy uses the word 'Marilyn.'. This metaphor in Before you were mine, compares the mother, still in her youth, to the famous Marilyn Monroe who was both young and care-free. In both quotations, the use of the full stop acts as a metaphorical barrier between the parent and child, showing the reader the distance that exists in both these relationships.
Outstanding comparison here- really well done! I particularly like your comparison of "Marilyn" with all it's glamorous connotations with the word "anchor" which sums up the other side of motherhood. Neither quality is seen as superior necessarily but both are vitally importnat.
ReplyDeleteGreat work, love it!
Compare the ways the relationships between the speakers of the poems and other in the poems are shown.
ReplyDeleteIn both ‘My father thought it...’ and ‘Song of the old mother’ the poets use different linguistic and structural devices to emphasise the reasons behind the problems which are present in either poem.
In ‘My father thought it...’, Simon Armitage uses a metaphor to show the distancing relationship between the son and father: “where is slept/ the hole became a sore, became a wound, and wept”. This metaphor actually symbolises the relationship between the son, (the speaker), and his father, not just the effects of the ear piercing. The words ‘sore’ and ‘wound’ could represent further arguments or disagreements they both had, leading both individuals to ‘weep,’ in this case cry. Also, the enjambment used could show the son’s dissattchment to his father thus emphasising the persona’s feelings towards the awkwardness of the situation.
In ‘Song of the old mother’, W.B Yeats personifies stars which ‘blink and peep’. This could indicate to the mother that her work is finally over. Alternatively, it could be suggesting that whilst the old mother continues her strenuous work load through the night, the stars could represent the young featured in this poem, which are just rising now to experience the world. This shows the contrast between the two sets of people: the young and old. Here, we can sense the mother’s injustice; her life so hard whilst that of the young, who are believed to be more energetic, is so carefree with no restrictions or responsibilities.
Both poets use different linguistic or structural devices to emphasise the main points of the poems. W.B Yeats uses personification to communicate the contrast in the relationship between the young and old; split by their age differences, responsibilities and roles in life. Alternatively, Armitage uses both a metaphor and enjambment to emphasise the gap in the relationship between the father and son, but here they are split by age and also differing views/opinions which have been encouraged by their separate generations. - Jenny
This is good comparison Jenny, particularly if you got it done in time. The only thing I'd change is that, once you have analysed the poem, you should try to relate it to the broader theme in more specific terms- e.g make it clear that Armitage's poem is not just about his relationship with his own father but about the inherent difficulties and stumbling blocks in all relationships.
ReplyDelete15 minute writing challenge- 2. Compare how death is presented in four of them poem you have studied. Choose two poems from List A and two poems from List B:
ReplyDeleteIn Hitcher, by Armtiage, death is presented to be simply an emotionless stage in the human condition:
"Saw him in the mirror
bouncing off the kerb"
The fact that the persona descibed the dead man as 'bouncing' immediatley illustrates that he is being dehumanised and belittled. Therefore death is seen as an everyday event, and consequently isn't classed as 'out of the ordinary': we tend not to notice little things in life, such as grass; because it's there all of the time. Because of this, in the poem, death is presented as omnipresent yet not noticeable.
This ideal of death is continued in 'The Man He Killed':
"I shot him because-
Because he was my foe,"
The emotionless tone of this sentence helps to present death as a normal state of being: it is not out of the ordianry, as in Hitcher, and therefore the murderer doesn't care if he commits this crime. This is futher suppoted by his lack of an explanation: 'because- because he was my foe'. This consequently presents death to be an acceptable thing to inflict within both the peom's socities. What's more, 'bouncing' and 'because-because' link nicely together, held by the theme of death being an emotionless state of being.
-Jack
Jack:
ReplyDeleteThis is excellent and it's good to see you getting the close comparison in on the end. My only criticism is with the phrase "link nicely together" as this seems a little waffly. Instead, try something like: Whilst at first glance, the phrases "bouncing" and "because" might seem very different, the way in which both authors have used the plosive consonant "b" demonstrate the lack of emotion with which they face death.
1. Compare how women are presented in four of the poems you have studied. To do this, compare “Mother any distance…” by Simon Armitage and three other poems, one by Carol Ann Duffy and two from the pre-1914 poetry bank.
ReplyDelete15 minute writing challenge
In mother any distance, Simon Armitage portrays the Women as a loving controlling character, whom is unable to let go of her son; “Two floors below your fingertips still pinch” This short metaphorical quote clearly shows my point as the persona has been anchored by the women in the story, this could also be seen as a physical link between the two characters anchoring him to the only thing he knows. She also supports him in ways she does not way so for that reason she is very caring and he is seen as lazy in her eyes as he is unable to do anything by himself; for example measuring things; this is very similar to “The songs of the old mother”, by William Butler Yeats; who describes the children; “lie long and dream in their bed of the matching of ribbons for bosom and head” This quote clearly shows us how the persona created by Yeats is uncontrollable and has no respect for the female persona whom William Butler Yeats also created. This lack of respect is also accentuated by the fact that the female persona is described as constantly working and the only mention of the children is to talk about their laziness, however when you factor in that over time that the children will become adults this somewhat stereotypical view will obviously be encompassed by a slight blurring of the edges.
Luke
2. Compare how death is presented in four of them poem you have studied. Choose two poems from List A and two poems from List B:
ReplyDelete15 minute writing challenge
In Hitcher death is portrayed with a certain amount of comic irony and this is achieved by using rhythm and a fast pace, this is achieved by repeated use of a dash; “on the top road out of Harrogate- once with the head, then six times with the krooklok in the face – and didn’t even swerve.” The fast pace in this short quote clearly shows us that the character is taking a almost comic pleasure in it and this is shown through the use of “Didn’t even swerve” which implies that he was pleased with the end results something that people only expect to happen in real life, this gives is a some what comic affect, the use of irony by describing the two characters to be the same ended in a net result of almost tricking the reader into seeing someone through a mirror image of themselves out of the car and this is somewhat ironic.
In the man he killed there is also a sense of comic irony as it seems that such possibly great friend killed each other and we can blame fate entirely for that; “you shoot a fellow down You’d treat if met where any bar is Or help to half a crown” this statement which really highlight the irony which the poem is all about shows us that comic irony is a good way in which you can show death. This also enables us to think that life according to Armitage and Hardy is a funny comical thing and that it is almost irrelevant of what we do as we are all destined to die now or die later.
Luke-
ReplyDeleteSome excellent ideas here and you use an excellent vocabulary. I do think that both these answers would benefit from careful proof-reading and some detailed linguistic analysis but the ideas are spot on so well done.
15 minute writing challenge
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Compare how relationships are presented in 'Mother any distance..' by Simon Armitage with one poem by Carol Ann Duffy and two poems from the Pre-1914 poetry.
In "Mother, any distance..." Armitage uses the idea of the distance between he and his mother as a metaphor for their relationship, implying that the non-physical space between them is lengthening with time. However, his use of the words "back to base," provoke a feeling of familiarity; the protagonist's mother with always be there, no matter how far they grow apart, she will always be his 'base'. Also, his use of the short sentences 'Anchor. Kite.' standing out very obviously in the center of the poem (at the end of the second stanza), are used to represent the narrator and his mother. In their relationship, she is the 'anchor' who keeps him away from danger and he is the 'kite'. This leaves the reader wondering if the relationship between the two characters is actually desirable: Is the mother only doing what's best, or is she holding her son back?
In "On my first Sonne", a similar relationship (a family relation) is portrayed. However, in this poem, the mourning father feels as though he loved his son too much, he feels guilty that he hates death even though it has brought his son closer to God: "Will man lament the state he should envie?"
Jonson's use of the closing lines "For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,
As what he loves may never like too much." leave the reader feeling sorry for the narrator because of his evident self-loathing as a result of taking his son for granted.
-Cassie
Cassie-
ReplyDeleteBeautifully and eloquantly written as always and the level of detail on "Mother and distance..." is exceptional but I wonder if you would have time to write this much about all poems in the exam? Particularly as it seems like you might have run out of time here. Careful planning might help with this of course...
Hi Sir,
ReplyDeleteI don't really understand the poems 'Elvis's Twin sister' and 'Homecoming', I was just wondering if you could briefly explain them. I have notes, but I don't fully understand.
Thank you Sir!
1. Compare how women are presented in four of the poems you have studied. To do this, compare “Mother any distance…” by Simon Armitage and three other poems, one by Carol Ann Duffy and two from the pre-1914 poetry bank.
ReplyDelete______________________________________________
In "Mother any distance.." Armitage illustrates how the maternal woman feels that she is forever succumbed to dutifully providing for her said children, and even when they face liberty and freedom that the wanting to provide and help does not fade so quickly. Armitage uses extensive metaphors to describe the umbilically connected relationship between Mother and Son , and to demonstrate how difficult it is to let go of the possessive nature a Mother experiences.
“Anchor. Kite.”
These metaphors relate to the strong bonds of Mother and Son, and how both eventually learn to weaken the attachment and let go. The comparison of a “kite” demonstrates the child-like memory of the immense pride when a kite is airborne, and how this relates to a Mother’s satisfaction when a son leaves for a life of independence. The comparison of the word “anchor” emphasises how the Mother is perceived to be the strong component of the relationship, and how reliant a parent can be. Armitage uses short sentences to stress the certainty in the description, and to demonstrates the simplicity of the relationship between Mother and Son, also the short sentences illustrates the narrators conviction in the Mother. Armitage uses these emphatic metaphors to illustrate the bond between Mother and Son and even though the distance is great, the love between kin is always apparent.
Similarly in “Before you were mine” Duffy uses a short sentence to describe the narrators outlook on a relationship with her Mother. However, this is in a negative view and by Duffy using an infamous description she subtly gives away the Mothers pure persona.
“Marilyn.”
This comparison to the iconic Marilyn Monroe demonstrates how the narrator perceives her Mother, the reader instantly see’s how this infamous representation of freedom and excitement could suggest that the woman had a colourful life, and that the existence of the Mother is unsure of, as this short sentence could imply with Monroe’s negative characteristics for example, drug and alcohol abuse, that the Mother was a bad parent, and the inconclusive question of suicide. This one word gives a passageway into the Mothers character. In comparison, the short sentences in “Mother any distance” creates a optimistic view of a maternal Mother, whereas Duffy instantaneously gives off a bad impression of the Mother from “Before you were mine.”
- Lizzy
Check back in the next hour and I'll have a couple of summaries up for you.
ReplyDeleteHere is an essay that took 1hr.
ReplyDeletePart a question: Compare how the writers present parents in ‘Before You Were Mine’ by Carol Ann Duffy and ‘Mother, any distance’ by Simon Armitage.
a) The poets Duffy and Armitage use a mixture of language and structure to present parents. In “Before you were mine”, Duffy presents a relationship in which the daughter seems to be controlling the mothers life; the mother gave up her old life of teenage innocence for a more serious life, devoted to her daughter. In “Mother any Distance”, Armitage presents a parent who seems to have difficulty in accepting that she will soon be relapsing the title of “mother”.
An interesting factor in both poems is that the parents seem to have no control over their relationship with their children. “Before you were mine” emphasises this point by using strong contrasts. The reader is confronted with a care-free image – holding “your polka-dot dress … round your legs” – but soon after, this image is denoted as being a “ghost”. It becomes apparent that the possessive attitude of the daughter, consumed her mothers life, transforming her into an object, “mine”.
It becomes clear that the mother lacks control over her relationship as the poetic voice uses possessive language, “mine”. This is accentuated by the fact that the persona of the poem seems to be the one hinting or giving the commands, “I wanted”.
This theme – where the parent lacks control over their relationship – is paralleled by “Mother any distance”. In this poem, we are confronted with two images: a tape measure and an anchor. It is apparent that the tape measure represents two things: one literal and one metaphorical. Literally, it is symbolic of the measuring of the house; metaphorically, however, the tape measure represents the ever growing distance between the mother and son, in this relationship. Armitage presents the mother of the poem as being loving, caring but also, unable to relapse her control over her child. The “anchor” of the poem, representing the mother, is symbolic of the rigid status the mother has adopted. She cannot move on in her relationship and hence remains still, contrasting the care-free attitude of the son, “kite”.
In some ways, the image of a tape measure can be seen in the poem “Before you were mine”. There are clear references to time “ten years” and the poem seems to jump through stages of the mothers’ life: from the time of her teenage-hood to the time when she became a parent. However, un-like “Mother any distance”, the idea of a tape measure does not represent a growing distance between the mother and child, rather it represents the stages in the parents life; from freedom to utter devotion.
The speaker of the poem helps emphasise the portrayal of a relationship: “Before you were mine” is written from the perspective of the child, not the mother; however, the poem seems to be about the mother’s life. It is therefore accentuated how the mother is not the predominant figure in her relationship, rather it is the child.
The poem “Mother any distance” contains two poetic voices: first person and second person. At the start, the poem is in second person, where the poetic voice still sees his “mother” as being part of his life. By the end, however, the poetic voice has evolved into first person, “I”; this change in voice accentuates how the child of the poem and the mother of the poem have separated. The fact the mother has practically disappeared from the child’s vision by the end of the poem, accentuates the hopelessness of the mothers actions of holding onto her child, emphasising and her lack of control.
following on from part a:
ReplyDeleteThe structure of each poem is also somewhat significant. The first three stanzas in “Before you were mine” each begin with the concept of the child: “I’m”; “my”. It therefore becomes clear that the parent in the poem is not in control; the “possessive” attitude of the speaker has overwhelmed the mother, hence she is not the predominant figure in their relationship.
In “Mother any Distance”, however, the structure seems to mirror the key themes of the poems: the tape measure. At the start, the child and parent still seem to be connected: the childish word “mother” is still used by the speaker; by the end of the final stanza, however, there seems to be a greater distance between the parent and the child: the child now refers to his parent as “you”.
“Before you were mine” and “Mother any distance” both rely on images, structure and language to denote the position of the parents in each relationship. In both poems, a similar theme is that neither parent seems to have much control over their relationship.
I have actually updated by answer to part b:
ReplyDeleteThe poems “My Last Duchess” (MLD) and “Sonnet 130” both analyse the ways females are seen from the male perspective. Shakespeare criticises the conventional attitude towards women in his “Sonnet 130”; Browning, however, explores the attitude of the Duke towards his Duchess.
In “MLD”, it is abundantly clear how the poetic voice sees women: as “object[s]”. The Duke only appreciates his wife in the form of a fresco; even in this form, however, he is critical of her. Although the Duke had right to be jealous of the fact his Duchess “looks went everywhere”, his desperation for power over his wife should not have led to “all smiles” stopping altogether.
The Duke’s critical, objectifying attitude towards his Duchess is, possibly, supposed to be extended to the general attitude towards women. The writer of “MLD” vividly presents women as inhumane entities, rather than living beings – the writer’s comments may either be criticising the general attitude towards women, or sympathising towards this attitude.
Assuming the writers attitude were to criticise societies attitude towards women, “Sonnet 130” can be paralleled to “MLD”. In this poem, Shakespeare highlights the absurdity of treating women as “goddesses”. In a similar way to “MLD”, Shakespeare’s use of satire emphasises how, conventionally, women were placed upon a pedestal and objectified unrealistically. It is clear that Shakespeare is disdainful towards the conventional attitude towards women; this is clear as his poem adopts the use of ‘conventional love language’ – “love”, “lips”, “breasts” – but then contrasts them, denoting his mistresses appearance as being repulsive.
The ending to “Sonnet 130” furthers Shakespeare’s critical attitude: he states, indirectly, that women don’t have to be beautiful to be adored rather they should have special, lovable characteristics.
In “Sonnet 130”, therefore, the poetic voice presents how conventionally – akin to “MLD” – women were objectified. However, unlike “MLD”, Shakespeare offers an alternate viewpoint towards women – their true, innate personality.
The structure of each poem is also significant. “MLD” is written as a dramatic monologue. This along with the enjambment accentuates the poetic voices attitude towards women. He feels that men should have total control over their wife, and hence, the persona does not pause.
The ending of the poem also allows the reader to appreciate the poetic voices attitude towards women. At the start, when the persona is discussing his wife he objectifies her; when talking about his future Duchess he does the same thing. The lack of change in the persona’s attitude highlights his possessive, objective attitude towards women.
Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130”, uses structure to further emphasise the poems main ideas. The poem is presented as a sonnet; conventionally, these were written to or about women, overly-praising their beauty. By adopting this structure, but relying on images that veto such conventions, Shakespeare successfully denotes his viewpoint that actually, objectifying women is both wrong and false.
Both “Sonnet 130” and “MLD” use language and structure to talk about attitudes towards women, hence presenting how females were viewed. However, the persona of “MLD” is of the impression that such attitudes are correct, whereas Shakespeare believes the opposite: he is of the impression that our objectification of women is misjudged and unrealistic.
Lizzie-
ReplyDeleteOutstanding, detailed and original comparison here, well done. The only thing I could think to add to this would be some exploration of the negative aspects of the relationship in "Mother any distance" however, with the level of detail you have included, this is not really necessary. This should give you great confidence going into Tuesday.
To the writer of the anonymous two part essay:
ReplyDeleteThis is unbelievable writing and way above GCSE level. I'm not going to suggest changes or targets, I simply going to say write like this in the exam on Tuesday (and write this much inside the hour if you can) and you will get the mark you deserve!
Well done!
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you could comment on this poetry essay. Thanks.
Compare how the poets make the reader feel sympathy for the speaker in “On my first Sonne” by Ben Jonson and the speaker in one poem by Carol Ann Duffy. – part one of a two part poetry essay (time taken: 25 mins)
The poets Duffy and Johnson both rely on the structure and language of their poems, to evoke sympathy in their reader. In “Havisham” the reader is presented with the image of a woman who has been emotionally destroyed by her jilter. “On my first Sonne”, however, deals with the lamenting of a father for their son.
The opening to “Havisham” is sharp and painful. The reader is presented with two contrasting statements: “Beloved sweetheart” and “bastard”. This shocking, opening image is used to evoke the reader’s sympathy for Havisham. As we delve further into the poem, we are presented with yet further unpleasant imagery. We understand that Havisham’s is jealous towards all successful relationships – this is denoted by the use of colour imagery: “green”.
The theme of jealousy is also seen in “On my first Sonne”. Despite the fact that the persona laments for their son, there is a definite tone of envy: “to have scap’d worlds, and fleshes rage”. This jealousy could be explained in two ways: firstly, Johnson is jealous of the fact that his son escaped the “miserie” of life; secondly, however, Johnson feelings could be directed at other relationships, where the parent does not have to suffer the losing of a child.
It becomes clear as we transpose to the second stanza of “Havisham”, that the poetic voice is not just jealous, but bitter, resentful and to some extent self-destructive. The person defines herself as being a lost soul – “her, myself, who did this / to me?”. It is clear that Havisham has lost all sense of being, instead she has aged, along with her “yellowing clothes”, lacking the ability to move on in life.
In stark contrast to this, however, the persona of “On my first Sonne” is neither angry nor destructive. He seems to resolve the issue of losing his son, by defining a child as a loan from G-d: “seven yeeres tho’wert lent to me”. However, the ending to Johnson’s poem certainly suggests feelings of pain and suffering. The person states that loving something “too much” simply leads to an emotional break-down.
The structure of each poem helps the reader empathise for the personae. The structure of “Havisham” is fairly uniform, but this is strongly contrasted by the use of enjambment and caesura. Akin to the persona of the poem, the structure seems to be split.
“On my first Sonne” adopts a fairly uniform structure too, and uses rhyming couplets throughout. This controlled flow of speech, somewhat vetoes the persona’s state of mind, hence emphasising the contrast within the persona: the fact he still wants to be with his son but also that he, as a religious man, sees life simply as a loan from God.
In someway, the structure mirrors an epitaph. Such a structure highlights the embittered state of the persona.
In Duffy’s Havisham, language and structure are used to evoke the reader to empathise for the split, chaotic state of the persona. However, Johnson relies on the same literary techniques to evoke the reader to sympathise for Johnson’s loss.