Starter: In pairs discuss the following questions: If a poem is given a title, “Singh Song”, what would you expect the poem’s rhythm to be like? Why is the word ”Singh spelt this way? To what culture could the word belong? What type of mood would you expect a poem with this title to have?

Listen to the poem, “ Singh Song” read by the poet himself! nagra-singh-song-poem-only/12251.html Starter:

Have you noticed? The length of the stanzas vary. There are some short stanzas and some with 8 lines. In 3 stanzas the words “my bride” are on lines by themselves and set out slightly in front. There are 4 sets of 2 lines. There are some dashes. There are some question marks. As we unravel the poem we will be able to see why the poet has used these structural features!

How does the poem read? Think! What do you notice about the pace and rhythm of the poem as you read it? What mood do you gain from the pace and rhythm?

Think! Why run just one ov my daddy's shops from 9 o'clock to 9 o'clock and he vunt me not to hav a break but ven nobody in, I do di lock - Stanza 1. Why would the first stanza be short? Think about what the stanza is about and this may help you. Why are there more stanzas about the man’s wife?

Exercise One person will read the first 2 lines of the stanza: “Ven I return…” Then everyone else will pair up, to call out- 1.Hey Singh,ver yoo bin? 2.Yor lemons are limes 3. yor bananas are plantain, 4.dis dirty little floor need a little bit of mop 5. in di worst Indian shop 6.on di whole Indian road - 7. Hey Singh,ver yoo bin? 8. Di milk is out ov date 9. and di bread is alvays stale, 10.di tings yoo hav on offer yoo hav never got in stock 11. in di worst Indian shop 12. on di whole Indian road - Do this a few times! What impression do you gain from the mispronunciation of words? How does this help the rhythm and pace? How does this contribute to our understanding of the character?

Which words rhyme in these lines? I run just one ov my daddy's shops from 9 o'clock to 9 o'clock and he vunt me not to hav a break but ven nobody in, I do di lock - cos up di stairs is my newly bride vee share in chapatti vee share in di chutney after vee hav made luv like vee rowing through Putney - Underline the words that rhyme or half rhyme How does the rhyme affect the mood and tone of the poem? TIP Mood: I am in a bad mood. Tone: The tone of voice is low, stern and aggressive. TIP Mood: I am in a bad mood. Tone: The tone of voice is low, stern and aggressive.

What do you notice about the dialogue between the two at the end? What does the poet want us to understand about their relationship? Which words are repeated? Why? Why is it written in italics? Exercise

Juxtaposition and contrast Find any examples of the mixing, or juxtaposition, of Indian and English imagery. If the lines and stanzas are irregular what is the poet saying about his culture?

Write to consolidate! Write an explanation of the structure of this poem. Use the following headings and your writing mats to assist you: Appearance of the poem/ link to the character Rhythm rhymes and pace/ link to the character, culture and ideas. The refrains/chorus/ Link to the character. Repetition/ Link to the character Dialogue/ Link to character Juxtaposition and contrast/ Link to character and culture.

“Singh Song” Plenary: Did you like the poem? Write down 3 words to describe the character. Which aspect of structure shows the character particularly well?