poetry Flashcards
1
Q
singh song! context
A
- by Daljit Nagra
- immigrant parents, moved in the 1920s
- family owned a shop in Sheffield for 15 years
- Singh is a common Indian surname, immediately
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2
Q
singh song! structure
A
- melodic form, stable rhythm, mimicking a song, as suggestive in the title, which further portrays its light-heartedness
- irregular rhyme scheme - suggests he is unable to completely conform to his parents’ standards
- last 4 stanzas are couplets, and contain direct speech between him and his wife, creating a sense of intimacy through the personal engagement, and he makes a flirty joke, further adding to the unseriousness of the poem
3
Q
singh song! language
A
- dialect in Punglish - “di”, “ov” - which is the typical dialogue of Indians in Britain, which can be portrayed as humorous, but also has deeper connotations of being proud of his culture
- colloquial language “effing at my mum”, portrays the humorous attitude of the speaker, however has undertones of perhaps annoyance and disrespect of his parents, which could suggest the humor is a defense mechanism from not being able to please his parents
- repetition of “my bride” - shows his pride and affection and suggests he cannot stop thinking about her
- “di worst Indian shop, on the whole Indian road” - hyperbole that emphasizes how unreliable he is and how he is letting down his parents and community
- juxtaposing language, e.g. “tiny eyes ov a gun/di tummy of a teddy”, which shows a deeper understanding of his wife as a complex being, and the poem evidently shows his love for her regardless
- sibilance: “sit on my silver stool”, which through the soft sounds shows his comfort around her
4
Q
singh song! tone
A
- immature, “tickle ov my bride”, suggesting his light hearted attitude, and perhaps suggesting that he feels like a child around her, showing his comfort
- “di shoppers always point and cry”, portrays slight annoyance, but in a humorous way, as if he is almost proud of his defiance
- ” den stumble like a drunk, making fun ov my daddy” - undertones of strained relationship with parents, but humorous tones suggests that with his bride it doesn’t seem that serious anymore
5
Q
winter swans, context
A
- by Owen Sheers
- the poet grew up in Wales, and so commonly used it as a background
- part of a collection of poems called “Skirrid Hill”, which means divorced/separated
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6
Q
winter swans, structure
A
- the free verse is used to mirror the complexity and the constantly changing nature of their relationship
- the enjambment perhaps is used to represent the continuity of their relationship
- tercets can be used to represent the two of them and the middle line as an obstacle in between them, implying there is a problem
- the couplet at the end therefore could portray how their issues have been or will be resolved
7
Q
winter swans, language
A
- “waterlogged Earth” - natural imagery, which could show that arguments are a natural part of any relationship
- “two days of rain, and then a break”, pathetic fallacy used to show their argument, and now a break
- “gulping for breath” - personification, mirrors how perhaps he feels suffocated in the relationship
- semantic field of pairings, “two days”, “pair of wings”, which represent the couple and how the two of them belong together
- swans used a symbol for the two of them - “halved themselves” - implying they are both one whole, “white feather”, contrasting the period of darkness and symbolizing hope, “our hands had swum the distance between us”.
8
Q
winter swans, tone
A
- monotonous tone, with only an undertone of sadness, perhaps shows their lack of communication and expressing of emotions
- direct speech marks the turning point/ shift in tone - breaking the tension
- ends with a full stop - represents his inner peace
9
Q
before you were mine, context
A
- by Carol Ann Duffy
- raised as a Roman Catholic, which accounts for the religious references
- it was written as a eulogy for her mother
- explores themes of female suppression and restrictive society in the 1950s
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10
Q
before you were mine, structure
A
- free verse and no rhyme scheme, which could be used to emphasizes her right to freedom of expression and her mother’s lack of it in her time, and it also creates a conversational, intimate tone, or could be used to mimic her mother’s free, unpredictable spirit in her youth
- enjambment adds to the conversational tone
11
Q
before you were mine, language
A
- use of separate pronouns, “I”, “You”, which conveys distance and how they lived in separate worlds
- holophrastic sentence “Marilyn” shows her idolization of her mother, and “movie tomorrows” compares her mother to a movie star, suggesting how glamorous she was
- however, Marilyn Monroe committed suicide, which could further reference the themes of female suppression
- “red shoes, relics”, alliteration draws attention to the symbol of the red shoes, which are typically associated with boldness and glamour, and ‘relics’ portray her mother as a goddess
- “stamping stars from the wrong pavement”, star imagery further references her mother, and perhaps how bright she made her childhood, however it suggests her mother chose the wrong path
- “ballroom with the thousand eyes”, personification, shows how her mother was the centre of attention, however can also portray that she was being watched by a deeply critical, sexist society
12
Q
before you were mine, tone
A
- colloquial language “eh?” portrays their intimacy
“I’m not here yet. The thought of me doesn’t occur” shows a jealous, bitter tone, and her possessiveness towards her mother - “whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?” - patronising, reversal in role
13
Q
climbing my grandfather, context
A
- by Andrew Waterhouse
- committed suicide, 42
- passionate environmentalist
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14
Q
climbing my grandfather, structure
A
-“I change/ direction” - enjambment used to represent change of direction and continuous journey
- further emphasized by the continuous poetry and no stanzas to mimic the continuous climb of a mountain
- no rhyme scheme represents how each part is unique
15
Q
climbing my grandfather, language
A
- extended metaphor of climbing a mountain, as the higher he climbs, the more he uncovers about his grandfather, portraying his grandfather as mighty and old, but also sturdy and reliable
- “Earth - stained hand”, suggests how he is hard-working, and perhaps down to Earth
- “easy scramble”, “gasping for breath”, the increasing effort he has to put in shows the increasing complexity of his grandfather, and the difficulty to get to know him fully
- “like warm ice”, oxymorons demonstrates the complexity of his grandfather
- “slow pulse of good heart” represents the summit
16
Q
climbing my grandfather, tone
A
- gentle, relaxed, conversational tone, portrays his comfort around his grandfather
- soft textural elements of “glassy” and “gently” creates a poignant tone, perhaps suggesting his grandfather under his mountainous, sturdy exterior is fragile on the inside
17
Q
mother, any distance, context
A
- by Simon Armitage
- poetry often relates to his Yorkshire heritage, creating a personal connection to his poems
- from collection “Burning Matches” a collection of sonnets
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18
Q
mother, any distance, structure
A
- uneven rhyme scheme “span”, “hands”
- broken sonnet - sonnets are a symbol of love, where the last two lines are separated, portrayal of the separation of mother and son
- enjambment “something/has to give”, represents how they are supposed to be together, part of the same line (family) but are forced apart
19
Q
mother, any distance, language
A
- “acres of the walls”, “meters, centimeters”, “inch”, “pinch”, semantic field of measurement, hyperbolic imagery presents his intimidation, however shortening distance shows decreasing fear
- extended metaphor of tape measure - “you at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape. unreeling years between us”, represents despite the growing distance, they will always have a connection
- holophrastic sentences “Anchor. Kite” represent how he is unstable and could become lost, like a kite, however she is there as an anchor to stabilize him - juxtaposition represents his decision as to whether to let his mother continue being an anchor, to fly off by himself
- “a hatch that opens onto an endless sky/ to fall or fly” , the endless sky represents the great unknown, which could also be a positive note, which could suggest he is ready to go out by himself
20
Q
mother, any distance, tone
A
- starts off formally, addressing her as “Mother” to try and distance himself, however the poem becomes more colloquial, gradually unveiling his uncontrollable affection for his mother
- “You”, direct address, tone of intimacy
- daunted tone throughout the poem, portraying his doubt and fear, however reaches a tone of resolve at the end “to fall or fly”, suggesting he is ready for whatever will happen
21
Q
porphyria’s lover, context
A
- by Robert Browning
- part of a collection of poems called “Madhouse Cells” (perspectives of eccentrics/lunatics
- name of a skin disease that results in psychotic episodes (implies unreliable narrator)
22
Q
porphyria’s lover, structure
A
- ABABB rhyme scheme - B at the end of the couplets implies that there is only one of them left
- strict, even rhyme scheme implies intentionality behind madness
- enjambment (“throat around/ and strangled her”) suggests impulsiveness of actions
23
Q
porphyria’s lover, language
A
- pathetic fallacy (“rain”, “sullen wind”)
- “smooth white shoulders” - sibilance suggests innocence and purity, contrasting to plosive alliteration “perfectly good and pure”, juxtaposition between her and speaker, violent undertones
- “no pain felt she, I am quite sure she felt no pain” - introduces unreliable narrator as he believes there is nothing wrong with what he just did
- “I, its love, am gained instead!” - its suggests the objectification of Porphyria, and the exclamative language suggests his sociopathic nature
24
Q
porphyria’s lover, tone
A
- “Porphyria worshipped me” - hubristic, represents gender imbalance, as he would like to feel in charge of the relationship, and suggests his narcissism
- “And strangled her” - calm tone suggest his sociopathic nature, and his indifference to his crime
- “And yet God has not said a word!” - mocking, victorious tone, implying there is no God to punish him or that there was nothing wrong with what he did
