Piano By D H Lawrence

Objectives Literary Terms – sound devices Introduction – D H Lawrence “Piano” – summary “Piano” – themes “Piano” – analysis of writer’s craft: language “Piano” – analysis of writer’s craft: voice “Piano” - analysis of writer’s craft: structure “Piano” – analysis of writer’s craft: imagery Conclusion – links to other poems

WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Don’t forget! Remember, follow the instructions in the yellow box on the top of the page! Taking notes is important; don’t let it go!

Watch out for the following literary techniques as we read the poem.

Literary Terms – Sound Devices WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Literary Terms – Sound Devices Onomatopoeia – words that imitate or suggest the sound that they stand for e.g. ‘boom’, ‘tingling’ Alliteration – adjacent or closely connected words that begin with the same sound of a consonant e.g. ‘pressing the small, poised feet…’

Literary Terms – Sound Devices WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Literary Terms – Sound Devices Assonance – use of the same or similar vowel sounds close together e.g. ‘With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour…’ Consonance - use of the same or similar consonant sounds close together e.g. or in "all mammals named Sam are clammy".

(Taken from: http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/d-h-Lawrence) D H Lawrence (1885-1930) David Herbert Lawrence, novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist, was born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, England, on September 11, 1885. He was devoted to his mother who died when he was 25. “I want to live my life so that my nights are not full of regrets” “I cannot cure myself of that most woeful of youth's follies--thinking that those who care about us will care for the things that mean much to us.” (Taken from: http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/d-h-Lawrence)

Read the poem

WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Summary What is the poem about? SUMMARIZE the poem in bullet points with your partner

Themes – what do we learn about them WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Themes – what do we learn about them Memory – an adult nostalgically remembering the past and regretting its loss. Childhood – how a song can bring you back to a particular place in your past. It also emphasises the importance of safety and security to a child.

Themes – what do we learn about them WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Themes – what do we learn about them Relationships – the tender and close relationship between a child and his mother. It also looks at the relationship between the poet as a man and him as a child, and the changes that age has forced upon him. Growing up – involves becoming an independent adult and dealing with the loss of loved ones and of your past.

Language Find examples of the following techniques and their effect WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Language Find examples of the following techniques and their effect Repetition of certain phrases emphasises loss, music or youth. Sibilance sets the mood at the beginning. Onomatopoeia is used to help us imagine the scene. Alliteration is used to highlight the intensity of the memory.

Language Find examples of the following techniques and their effect WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Language Find examples of the following techniques and their effect Assonance is shown in the use of flat “a” sounds highlight the grand nature of the piano and the music. Word choices, in particular words connected to the past and with music. A simile is used to highlight the persona’s vulnerability.

Language Possible examples WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Language Possible examples Repetition – ‘weeps’, ‘piano’, ‘singing’, ‘child’ Sibilance – ‘Softly in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;’ Onomatopoeia – ‘boom’, ‘tingling’, ‘tinkling’. Alliteration – ‘Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong...’ Assonance – ‘With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour…’ Word choices – ‘back’, ‘old’, ‘years’, ‘piano’, ‘appassionato’, ‘hymns’ A simile – ‘I weep like a child…’

WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Voice What is the voice in “Piano” and how is it established? Let’s brainstorm our ideas. Think about: Speaker Tone Setting Diction

WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Structure Structured in three quatrains with rhymed couplets throughout the poem Lawrence uses full rhyme (aabb) to add harmony to his poem, reflecting the harmonious music of the piano.

WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Structure Caesura and enjambment contribute to the pace of the poem. Enjambment aids the nostalgia as one memory flows into another like one note leads into another in a song. Caesura is used in the last stanza to illustrate the passion, grandeur and wonder of the piano and its music. It still catches the speaker by surprise all those years later.

WRITE THIS INTO YOUR NOTEBOOK! Imagery Lawrence uses various types of imagery. Here are a few types seen in the poem. With your partner, write down an example and the effect of each. ORGANIC VISUAL AUDITORY

Conclusion Good secondary poems to link it to are: - Digging - To My Mother - A Cradle Song Read through these poems and discuss with your partner what poem you might use and why. They are all available in your folder.

WRITE THIS INTO YOUR DIARY! Homework - Complete questions 1 to 4 on the bottom of page 115. - Pick the poem you will link to “Piano”

Structure - meter Meter – poetry’s rhythm or its pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. It allows the add a specific rhythm and places specific emphasis on certain words or sounds. Syllables in words can be stressed or unstressed. When we speak naturally we don’t think about this but in poetry it can really effect the sound and pace of a poem. Iambic/ iamb  / today, balloon Trochaic/ trochee /  happy, soda Anapestic/ anapest  / obvious, contradict Dactyllic/dactyl /  cigarette, maniac Spondaic/spondee / / Downtown, manmade Pyrrhic  of the