“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood” T.S.Eliot 1888-1965

Unseen Poetry

What does “Unseen” mean? It will be a poem you have probably never seen before You are being tested on your ability to “read and respond” thoughtfully You are thinking about what the writer is trying to say Every word of the poem will count

The Question Write about the poem and its effect on you. You may wish to include some or all of these points: The poem’s content – what it is about The ideas the poet may have wanted us to think about The mood or atmosphere of a poem How it is written – words or phrases you find interesting, the way the poem is structured or organised Your response to the poem

Content What it’s about What happens in each section Is there an order or sequence? Who’s speaking? Story or idea?

Ideas What did the poet want us to think about? Is it a story or an idea or an expression of an emotion? Is there a message?

Mood and atmosphere What is the tone of the poem? How does it make you feel as you read it? Think about the 5 senses Think about the setting

How it is written Don’t just list or spot techniques Pick out words or phrases that you find effective and try to say why Think about the sound and rhythm of the poem. Does it have a beat? Or is it disjointed? Look at repetition of sounds or words

Imagery: a quick reminder An image in poetry (or in writing generally) is a picture in the reader’s mind created by the words used. Literal images can be effective ; “roses in snow”. The reader sees this in an uncomplicated way. Similes and metaphors are figurative images – they are built on comparison : SIMILE – “The pigeon bursts like a city” METAPHOR – “The sun died” - this is also an example of personification

How it is written 2 Think about the structure or form Is it regular, uneven, awkward or easy to read. Does that tie in with the content? Look at the first line of each stanza to see how the meaning develops Look at the title and last line to give you a clue as to what the writer intended

Your Response It’s perfectly acceptable to say you find a poem confusing or misleading if you can explain why Try to be positive about some aspect of the poem or explain how you relate to an idea or event in it Uses phrases to show your sadness, surprise, enjoyment, anger, frustration, empathy…… The examiner basically wants to know you have read and thought about this poem

Things you should NEVER write! At first I didn’t understand the poem but after reading it a couple of times I think… The poem has no rhythm I think the poem needed to rhyme more because I like poems that rhyme… I think the poet has done a very good job of writing this poem and they obviously thought carefully about it…

Ok – so let’s try an example It is absolutely essential to get into the habit of reading the poem at least twice before even trying to think of what you will write. Try to hear the poem aloud in your head – notice how it makes you feel and which words felt important as you read it.

TRAMP By William Marshall He liked he said rainbows and the sky and children who passed him in the street without staring. And he liked he said the ordinary things

like roses in snow and the way he remembered the first time the first time he really smelt the rain on a green hillside back home just before the sun died

And he liked he said thinking about who slept beneath the red brick roofs he walked by in the early part of the day from Land’s End to John O’Groats. but he said as a full time tramp with no other place to go he was worried where he would die - Land’s End or John O’Groats.

Start by annotating …. Tramp He liked he said rainbows and the sky Any tramp – no name Like a child – a simple treat The speaker is someone reporting The tramp’s opinions He liked he said rainbows and the sky and children who passed him in the street without staring. Most children stare - likes the ones who don’t – why?

Using P-E-E Making sure you always use P-E-E-L statements in the poetry question

How to score sustained response to situation/ideas or author's purposes effective use of details to support answer explanation of features of language interest explanation of effects achieved/authors' purposes

How to score qualified, developed response, exploring writers' ideas or methods details from poem linked to authors' intentions and purposes exploration of effects achieved/authors' purposes qualified/exploratory response to writers' ideas or methods

Check your response Have you explained? Have you used details? Is your writing on the poem sustained? Are you beginning to explore? Do you evaluate the writer’s techniques?

Remember: Read the poem carefully more than once Annotate the poem quickly In the exam, you have 45 minutes in total Spend 5 mins reading the poem and annotating Think about the poem.

Writing your answer Use P-E-E-L throughout Don’t panic if you don’t get it all – it is not a trick!

Practice makes perfect Practise annotating poems. Remember to annotate in different ways: questions, points, meanings, links, language techniques, poet’s ideas Thinking about the poems and questioning the ideas in them will help you be more confident in the exam.