1. Lesson Objectives By the end of this lesson we will: 1. Be able to analyse the poem Brothers by Andrew Forster

2. Background Andrew Forster was born in South Yorkshire but lived in Scotland for over twenty years before moving to Cumbria in 2008. His poems are about ‘family and memoir’ and ‘people and places’. He has a keen interest in biographical poetry, and often writes about childhood experiences.

3. Task One Before reading the poem draw a spider diagram and write down as many positive and negative connotations of the word Brother that you can

4. Task Two Now read through the poem and write a paragraph summarising the main events that happen in the poem

5. What Forster says about the poem: ‘Brothers’ was one of a number of poems based on childhood memories that I wrote in a group. I’d never really written about childhood and suddenly I was faced with these extraordinarily vivid memories. I’m sure that all of us who have brothers or sisters have behaved in ways that we have later regretted. As a poet I’m interested in tiny moments which later take on a huge significance. ‘Brothers’ is about one of those moments.

6. Photographs I think each stanza is like a photograph. Do you agree with me?

7. Imagery Copy and complete this table analysing the imagery used in the poem. Quote from the poemEffect created Saddled with you Me and Paul Your ridiculous tank-top Spouting six-year-old views You windmilled home I looked at Paul I ran home, unable to close the distance I’d set in motion

8. Brothers Brothers explores the relationship between two brothers. In the poem the narrator feels burdened with and annoyed by his younger brother when they were children. The key themes in this poem are growing up, separation and nostalgia. At the end of the poem the older brother, now an adult, feels some regret about his relationship with his brother because they seem distant and he feels responsible.