Cluster 1 Workbook[1]

7/30/2019 Cluster 1 Workbook[1]

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Dartmouth High School English Department

Poems from different cultures Cluster One

Name: _____________________________________

Class: _____________________________________

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Poems in Cluster One

1) Limbo by Edward Kamau Brathwaite2) Nothings changed by Tatamkhulu Afrika3) Island Man by Grace Nichols4) Blessing by Imtiaz Dhaker5) Two scavengers in a truck, two beautiful people in a Mercedes byLawrence Ferlinghetti6) Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekial7) Vultures by Chinua Achebe8 What where you like? By Denise Levertov.

In your English exam paper, you will be expected to answer aquestion on poems from different cultures. These poems are writtenby people who either live in different cultures or were born in differentcultures.

All the poems are in your AQA Anthology and you will be allowed tohave a copy of the anthology in your exam with you. In the exam youwill be expected to answer one essay question but write about twopoems.

Some poetry terms that you might find useful

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually bysaying one thing is another. Some examples of metaphors are:

The worlds a stage; he is a lion in battle, drowning in debt, anda sea of troubles.

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Rhyme

The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two ormore words. The pattern of rhyme in a poem is using a different letterfor each final sound.

Simile

A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the wordlike or as. Here is an example.

What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up? Like a raisinin the sun?

As you read and complete this booklet and then use it to revisefrom always try to answer the following key questions :

1. What is the poem about?2. What is the stance or viewpoint of the poet?3. What is the purpose of the poem?4. What is the poet trying to convey?5. Why did the poet write this poem?6. What are the emotions or mood of the poet?7. What does the poet want you to feel?

How does the poet achieve this?

1. S Structure (stanza, divisions etc)

2. L Language (the use of words)3. I Imagery (what is the effect of similes and metaphors)4. M Movement and rhythm (regular or irregular? Effect?5. S Sounds (alliteration, rhyme, assonance, onomatopoeia)

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You are going to be studying poems from different cultures, some ofthese poems will be in English, and some, will be a mixture of Englishand other languages. In order to fully appreciate the poetry and tounderstand the key concepts, it will be important to understand thecultures, and political issues of other countries that have a bearing onyour understanding of the poems in this, and cluster two.

Activity One

In small groups of 4 people (depending on class size), you are goingto research and prepare a poster and presentation on an area of theworld and the cultures that are found there.

In order to help you with this you will look at the following list of

questions which you, as a group, must answer

1. What is the country you are talking about?2. What culture and religion is most common?3. What are the cultural limitations/expectations (how do they lead

their lives)4. What is the lifestyle of the people (dress, song etc)5. Are there any current problems in these areas (famine, war,

civil unrest?)6. Has anything significant occurred in this country over the last

100 years?

Prepare a poster explaining to the other members of your class,information about your country you have been asked to look at, andbe prepared to produce a short presentation on this topic!Countries to look at:

South Africa

Jamaica

India Ethiopia

Sudan

Vietnam

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Limbo by Edward Kamau Brathwaite

This is a poem, written by ________________________________

which discusses the topic of ____________________. Men, women

and children were captured in _______________________ and were

taken in ships to _____________________. The slaves would be

expected to _____________ on the voyage and they would be struck

with _____________ to ensure they did so.

Going down under the limbo stick is likened to

_______________________ going down into the _______________

of a ___________________. In the limbo dance, the dancer has to

bend backwards to get under a stick, the stick is gradually lowered

and the limbo dancer has to _________ closer and

________________ to the ground to get under it suggesting the

way that people are ______________________ and

____________________ of their individuality through the

_____________ of _____________________.

In the poem, the image of __________________ dance is used to

suggest the cruelty of taking people away from their homes to work

as slaves.

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Limbo is also the name of the place that is the place the souls of

people go, if they are not good enough for ____________ or bad

enough for __________________.

Task two

Match these sentence halves together and copy them into yourexercise books

Sentence starters

1. The poem is about2. The slaves have come 3. They are going to4. The stick is used for5. The first is6. The second is7. Each verse of the poem starts with8. This symbolises the .9. There is lots of10. This gives the poem a 11. This sounds like

Sentence Endings

a. a drumb. as a way of punishing the slavesc. two reasons

d. the sticke. a long sentencef. the stickg. repetitionh. to use in the limbo dancei. from Africa

j. the slave trade

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k. work on farm in America

Nothings Changed by Tatamkhulu Afrika

Complete the paragraphs below with the words in the tablebelow, some words can be used more than once!

The poem is about the writer returning to ____________________

in South Africa. The poem tells the story of a time when the rich

__________________ people and the poor_____________

people were segregated.

The poet talks about the freedom which was given following the

ending of the __________________ by __________________ in

1966. Yet, the Poet describes that the person, in-fact he feels

that the ______________________ still exists, as it is deep-

rooted into the persons persona. The writer lived in an area

called _____________________ Six, a poor area of

_________________ town, which was never rebuilt, and there is

no sign there, the poet knows where he is when he says

_________________________________________

Similarly, the up-market inn and the bright sign flaring like a

flag show that it is a place for ________________ customers

only. (the sign is not there anymore) but it shows the point the

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poet makes that ___________ and __________________people were not allowed past the ______________ at the gate,

as it was a place of elegance with white

_____________________ and a red ________________, for

the rich. In contrast with the working mans ________________

serving ______________ chow (local food).

As shown above the Poem utilises imagery, the most important

imagery used in this poem is that of the _____________ which

shuts out the speaker in the poem, It symbolises the division of

_______________. As the speaker is a boy at the end of the

poem, he wants a stone to break the _____________, in an

attempt to break down the ________________ which separates

white and _______________ rich, and __________ in South

Africa.

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Task two

Compare 'Limbo' with 'Nothing's Changed, showing how the poetsreveal their ideas and feelings about the particular cultures andtraditions that they are writing about.

What is similar between the two poems?

How are the two poems different?

What happens in the poem?

How is the Poem set out on the page?

Black poor glass working caf

bunny

Cape Town District white apartheid

Mandela but my feet know/ and my hands

coloured

Guard tablecloths rose

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Does the poem use any forms of Imagery

How would you describe the use of language and sound?

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Comparing poems for EnglishWrite the name of the poem and poet here Write the name of the poem and poet here

Subject Write a short description (one

sentence) of what each poem is about.

Theme What are the main ideas in the poems?

Meaning Is each poem straightforward or

ambiguous in meaning? What do you think it

means?

Viewpoint What is the viewpoint?

Tone and mood Comment on each poems

tone and mood. Does either poem make any use

of humour or irony?

Interesting details Comment on any details

which you find interesting in the poems

Structure and form Describe the structure and

form of the poems look at such things as

rhyme, metre/rhythm, stanza form

Key images Look for the key images in each

poem. In each case say

what the image is

what it means

how it works in the poem

Other technical features Are there any other

technical features, such as sound FX, contrast,

colloquialism or wordplay?

Personal response Give your own response to

the poems, with reasons

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Island Man by Grace Nichols

This poem is a short poem which describes a

__________________________ man, who lives in

_________________ but thinks of his home. The poem uses

different colours these are blue, _________________ and

______________________ this emphasises that the poet sees the

Island in his ____________________ and this is in his mind. He uses

the colours to help describe three things he sees in his mind these

are:

____________________________________________;

____________________________________________;

____________________________________________.

The island man always returns to the island, in his mind, but, he must

always ___________________ to his immediate surroundings. For

example, at the end of the poem the poet talks about the man

coming out of the __________________ which in reality is the

____________, the crumpled pillow waves being his

_______________________.

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Many afro-Caribbeans living in the UK have a split existence. They

yearn for the warmth of the island, but find themselves in the cold

northern climate with their family. The poet captures the division

between ______________________ of the simple life and

________________ of the working day.

Task two

Answer the following questions on the poem.

Choose three words that describe the mans feelings for

a. the islandb. London.

Where does he prefer to be?

How does he describe the sun? Is this a metaphor or simile?

Which words are repeated?

How is his pillow like the sea?

What do the words heaves himself suggest about the mansfeelings?

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Blessing by Imtiaz Dhaker

The poem blessing is written by ____________________________.

And is about _____________________ in a hot country were the

water supply is inadequate.

The first two lines of the poem tell us about the conditions of the

village. There is little _________________ and it is arid. It gives an

image of a very ___________ place.

When a _____________________ pipe (the main supply for the

town) bursts there is unexpected good luck

(a ___________________ of good fortune) and everyone rushes to

Help themselves. The People bring __________________ to collect

the water. The children __________ in the water.

The Water is seen as a _______________ from God and lots of

religious imagery is used in the poem including in the title

________________. Other words and phrases, which link to the

religious theme, such as________________________, this further

emphasises the single central metaphor in the poem, that of, the

giving of ______________ as a blessing from a

_______________ god (religion).

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Also, in the poem there are a lot of words and phrases which suggest

sights and sounds. Words and phrases which suggest sight and

sounds are called _______________________________.

Onomatopoeic words and phrases in the poem include

___________________________________ and silver crashes.

These words help the reader to _______________________ the

sounds.

The poet by the end of the poem gives us a clear understanding of

the culture she lives in, where water is ________________ as life

depends on the supply of it. The poem ends with the line

___________________________ this shows the reader the fragility

of the people and children and how the drought can ultimately kill

those children.

over their small bones small splash voice kindly

Village water play municipal dry

Rush pots gift congregation Onomatopoeic

Imagine valued

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Debate

Should the world do more to help people in countries wherewater supply is a problem?

Research the topic prior to completing this debate

Consider the following mnemonic

P E E

P PointE ExamineE Explain

(This is something you will need to be able to do in your GCSE exam)

Points for doing more

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.

Point against doing more

1.

2.3.4.5.6.7.8.

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Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedesby Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Task one

Complete the following paragraph using the words in the box

The poem______________________________________________________

______________________________ is written by

_____________________________________________.The poem

gives a quick ______________________________ of an incident

that takes place in San Francisco at a set of

______________________. Two vehicles have been stopped, one is

a ____________________ truck, the other is a

__________________. The men in the garbage truck have been

working ________________ since the early hours of the

_________________________. They wear

__________________________________________________. Theman in the Mercedes is described as wearing a

_________________________________________ the youngwoman is described as wearing a

____________________________________ and sunglasses and

_____________________ stockings.

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The poem is written using the _________________________

language and this can be shown by the spelling of the word

____________________________. This helps the writer to

emphasise the country and culture he is referring to. The Writer,

within the poem is emphasising that within the world we are

encouraged to _______________________ the social

_____________________ and working __________________ of the

people who are so different, yet inhabit the same world __________

the poet. The writer uses the description of the scavenger looking

like _____________________ (almost human a character

found in victor Hugos Hunchback of Notre Dame), dirty, unintelligent

man, whilst he describes the man in the Mercedes as_______________.

Discussion - Why does the poet do this?

Beautiful Quasimodo compare status

conditions

World colored snapshot hip three-piece linen suit

hard garbage truck Mercedes

Morning American (English)

Red plastic blazers short skirt

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Task two

Imagine that you are one of

The Garbage truck men

The couple in the Mercedes

You are going to write an account of one day in the lives of thesepeople. You will write two accounts: One as a Garbage truck manand the other as one of the elegant people. In each account you willdescribe:

Where they live

What time they get up and go to bed

What their work is like

Where they eat

What they do in their spare time

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Debate

should there be class structure in society? Or should we all be,and have the same?

Points for

1.2.3.4.

5.6.7.8.

Other ideas

Points against

1.2.3.4.5.

6.7.8.

Other ideas

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Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekial

Complete the following passage filling in the missing words.

The poem is about the poet _________________________ an

incident that happened to his __________________. One night a

____________________ got into their home and

_________________ the mother. All the ____________________

can round and tired to get rid of the poison using

_________________ rites and ______________________ to try and

cure the mother. The mother ___________________ the scorpion

stink and was just pleased that it did not bite any of her

________________________.

The poem is written by the _________________ person narrative

and in the past tense, it can be seen to be an autobiographical poem.

The scorpion is seen as an ____________________ creature. Words

such as evil one and diabolical are used to describe it. The poet

does not seem to have a high opinion of the villagers and says they

are ________________________________________.

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A lot of religious imagery is used in the poem to show that religion

plays a part in the ____________________ of this society. It is quite

a __________________ society because the poet mentions that the

mud baked walls of the hut.

Remembering mother scorpion stung

villagers religious

Superstition father medicine

survived

Children first evil like swarms of flies

Culture basic

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Task two

Answer the following questions in full sentences

What caused the scorpion to go into the hut?

Who was looking for the scorpion?

Who did the villagers pray to?

What did the father use to get rid of the poison?

Who else was called in and what did he do?

What happened to the mother?

What was her reaction?

Pick out the words and phrases connected to religion and list

them What do you think was responsible for the mothers survival and

why?

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Vultures by Chinua Achebe

The poem __________________ written by

_______________________ introduces the reader to

_______________ and their unpleasant diet; in spite of this, they

appear to care for one another. The poet comments how surprising it

is that these creatures, who are capable of great savagery, which

benefits from someone elses suffering is also capable of great

______________. From this __________________ goes on to note

that even the worst human beings, in history have shown some

touches of _________________. The poet makes reference to the

commandant at ______________________, Josef ___________

after spending the day burning Jewish prisoner corpses he goes

home and buys ________________ for his tender offspring, who

affectionately call him Daddy

In the final part of the poem, the poet says that we can see this as a

_____________________ thing or it might make us

_________________ - either even the hardest most dreadful people

are capable of __________________ or there is a terrible

_______________ that love can be corrupted by the evil of the world.

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Danger love Chinua Achebe despair

Achebe Belsen concentration camp humanity

Candy Kramer positive vultures

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What where you like? By Denise Levertov

This poem by ____________________ is a poem, which was written

in _________________ as a protest against the

__________________ War (1954-1975). The Poet spent most of her

time in prison and it is argued that the poem

__________________________ ? is an imagination or

_______________ that the poet had in which the people have all

been killed, and the culture ___________________ out!

(ethnic cleansing!). The poem is in the form of questions, which are

being posed to a ____________________________. The questions

are straightforward whilst, the responses are subversive (in an

attempt to undermine the government!) Together they create a

___________________________ portrayal of a gentle, simple

__________________ people, living a dignified humble life amid the

___________________ fields. Contrasted with the sounds of

_________, the ______________ bones, the _____________ of

people as the bombs hit the _________________ fields.

The final lines of the poem show how the people have been forgottenhow their songs were like______________________________________________

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Task two Answer the following questions in your books

This poem became very well-known when it was first published- but the poet's fears for Vietnam have not come true (thoughthings that are perhaps just as bad have happened inCambodia, Ruanda-Burundi and the former Yugoslavia). Doesit still have anything to say to us or has history made itirrelevant?

What do you think of the question and answer format in thepoem?

Flight of the moths in moonlight paddy

screams

Denise Levertov what were they like?

Wiped peasant charred

Vietnam 1971 dream

Cultural historian

Sympathetic war

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Do you think that Vietnamese people would like to be depictedas gentle peasants who know only rice and bamboo? Youmay have some Vietnamese friends - so you could ask them. Isit ever a good idea for people from one culture to try to describeanother, or is there a risk of stereotyping and patronizing?

How might singing be like the flight of moths in moonlight?Does this mean anything or is it pretentious and misleading?You might check this by finding out what traditional Vietnamesemusic is really like.

This poem is not about individuals but about big political events.What do you think of the way the poet presents history andpolitics here?

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Pairing Poems

In the exam, you will be required to answer a question on twodifferent poems. In the spaces below, you need to explain how youwould link poems together.

1. One poem that has something in common with Blessing is__________________________________________________

The thing that these two poems have in common is______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. One poem that has something in common with NothingsChanged is

__________________________________________________

The thing that these two poems have in common is___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. One thing that has something in common with Two scavengers ina truck is

___________________________________________________


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4. One poem that has something in common with Night of theScorpion is

___________________________________________________


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Quiz Questions

Answer the following questions in full sentences

1) In what country was the poem Nothings Changed set?

2) What does the narrator contrast to show the differences inthe way of life for black and white people?

3) What is the North circular referred to in the poem IslandMan?

4) Is the poem Island Man written in the first or third person?

5) What is the sudden rush of fortune referred to in Blessing?6) Apart from the title, select two or more words or phrases

from Blessing that suggests the water is a gift from God.

7) What material was the mans suit made from in TwoScavengers?

8) How many hours have the scavengers been up for when themeeting takes place?

9) How many times was Gods name said in Night of theScorpion?

10) What did the father do to try and get rid of the poison?

11) What is a Charnel house that is referred to in the poemVultures?

12) What is the name of the camp that Daddy is theCommandant at?

13) How many voices are heard in the poem What were theylike?

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14) Does the second speaker ask any questions during thepoem?

Documents

Cluster 1 Workbook[1]