Poetry Revision

“Cousin Kate” and “Hitcher”

Today

• Beth Burnard• Sara K• Emily Smith• Rhiannon Blackburn-Roberts• Kassandra Brunner• Ben H• Brandon S• Damian G

Yesterday

• Beth Burnard• Sara K• Emily Smith• Rhiannon Blackburn-Roberts• Kassandra Brunner• Damian G• Amie S-D• Sophie G• Alyce Mears

“Cousin Kate” by Christina Rossetti

When do you think this poem was written?

Voice

Who is the voice?

What is the tone of the voice’s speech?

Imagery

Find an example of an image used in the poem that has a powerful effect on the audience…• ‘He wore me like a golden knot, / He changed

me like a glove’ – possession, not a person, knot – trapped, item you wear, superficial, glove – changeable, not important to him

• ‘He bound you with his ring’ – got married, ‘bound’ – protected, secure

Language Choice

Is there any language that is particular to the STYLE of the poem?Poem slightly ballad-like: ‘woe’ etc

Is there any language that helps to particularly CHARACTERISE the VOICE?

Language Features

• Rhetorical questions ‘ Why….’ ‘Why…’ – Repetition, Demanding – emphasise confusion, anguish

• ‘my shame, my pride’ – antithesis, ‘shameless, shameful’ – could both be negative, meaning ambiguous

• ‘who might have been a dove’ – symbolises purity – Biblical, white – colour of purity / virginity

• ‘good and pure’ – repetition, emphasising Cousin kate’s virtuous nature, - these qualities are very important

Rhyme and Rhythm

What rhyming patterns are present? Every other line rhymesWhat kind of rhythm does this create? – Balad / Song-likeWhat is the effect of this rhyming pattern? Why has it been used?- Helps to emphasise the comparison between the two women – read lines as couplets eg contrast between ‘dust’ and ‘gold’ , ‘me’ and ‘you’ repeated to highligh comparison

Form and Structure

What structure does it have?• Narrative structure – story-like, beginning / middle /

end• Past to present• All the way through the poem, negative about

comparing herself to kate• However, at the end – ‘yet’ change because she has

something kate will never have• Last line – warning about threat that still exists –

looking to the future, uneasy – tension

“Hitcher” by Simon Armitage

Explore how Armitage presents his ideas about conflict and violence in “Hitcher”.

VoiceImageryLanguage featuresRhyme and RhythmForm and Structure

Voice

• Casual voice – ‘you can walk from there’ ‘bouncing off the kerb’ – talks about violence in a very relaxed manner, use of black humour, mocking

• ‘east to west’ ‘good earth’ – mocking romantic lifestyle

Imagery

• ‘the ansaphone kept screaming’ – personification, loud, ‘screaming’ – aggressive, confrontational. Could be metaphorical – likely that voice FEELS as if messages are screaming at him – may be angry, but also could be demanding, or just a lot of them.

Language features?

• Irony – voice hitches a lift to car hire venue and then kills a hitchiker (subtle) – not very self-aware / hypocritical?

• ‘blowing in the wind’, ‘He’d said he liked the breeze….’ > Hitcher ends up with this happening as is pushed out of a car going at speed

Rhyme and Rhythm

• Occasional rhyme eg ‘hired’ / ‘fired’ ‘verge’ ‘kerb’ – random and unexpected, doesn’t seem like the voice planned this act much in advance

• Enjamebement used, over lines as well as stanzas – reflects casual tone. Not new ideas on new lines / not organised. Represents disorder of thought-flow. Doesn’t have a new verse to chock with a sudden revelation.

Form and Structure

Tone, mood, conlcude!