2. The Examination Structure  Two questions on poetry.  Exam is 1 hour 45 mins worth 25% of your GCSE. Section A: Unseen Poetry Given a poem you have not studied You read through the poem and answer the questions 2o Marks Section B: Anthology Poems 1 question in 2 parts Each Part worth 15 Marks Section worth 30 Marks Part a: named poem from the anthology Part b: one question from a choice of two: link/compare poems The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

3. Poems Studied so far?  Our Sharpville  Catrin  Your Dad did What?  Hitcher The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

4. Objectives  To understand the Poem – Cousin Kate  To be able to analyse the language of the poem  To explore the idea of society and class in the poem  TITLE: Cousin Kate, Poetry for GCSE  Date: 15/12/2014 The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

5. Mnemonic AABOUT – What is the poem about? Who is speaking? What are their ideas? RRepeated Ideas (themes) and words (motifs) – are there ideas that stand out because they are repeated? TTone – What is the poem’s ‘tone of voice’ or mood? Does it change? WWords – what interesting or unusual words or phrases are there? Metaphor/Simile/personification/onomatopoeia/nouns & adjectives/verbs & adverbs AAlliteration – are there any repeated sound effects? Don’t forget assonance and sibilance too. RRhyme & Rhythm – is there a rhyme scheme or pattern? are there internal rhymes? Is there a particular rhythm? If there is, is it ever broken? Or is it unpredictable? SStructure – Is the poem in one stanza or more than one? Do different things happen in them? Or are different ideas introduced in different parts?

6. Starter  In groups of 3 or 4: Take on the following roles (the 4 th person can be an observer to comment):  A: a wealthy Lord (in reality he would be male … of course)  B: a beautiful but poor woman  C: Another equally beautiful but poor woman  D: The observer  The Lord is going to choose to marry one of the women? Who will he choose and and why? How will the women fight for the Lord’s affections?  5 minutes then be prepared to share your discussion … The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

7. Cousin Kate To understand the Poem – Cousin Kate To be able to analyse the language of the poem To explore the idea of society and class in the poem  Ballads are poems which tell a story, often tragic and often about love that goes wrong.  ‘Cousin Kate’ is a ballad.  Read the poem The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

8. About: Initial Questions  The poem is a dramatic monologue and mainly deals with three characters: a rejected poor woman, another poor woman called Kate, and a ‘great’ Lord.  Who is the narrator of this poem?  Who is the audience?  Why do you think Kate gets the title? What does the familial ‘Cousin’ add to the title? To understand the Poem – Cousin Kate To be able to analyse the language of the poem To explore the idea of society and class in the poem The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

9. Fill in the Character Grid  Draw a Grid in your Books  What does each of them do in each Stanza: Be detailed use quotes StanzaNarratorKateLord 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

10. Repeated Themes and Motifs in the Poem Look for three quotations on the following themes or motifs  A/ Hunting and Possession  B/ Wealth or Poverty  C/ Goodness or Sin  D/ Happiness or Unhappiness: Look for two ‘quotations’ for the following repeated ideas:  E/ Nature or animals  F/ Anger

11. Tone?  Start new table – this time focusing on the tone of each stanza What happens in the stanza? Tone and ‘quote’ S1The narrator describes her poor and care-free life and how a lord pursued her to be his. The tone is one of regret as she has changed from being ‘contented’ to filled ‘with care’. S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 To understand the Poem – Cousin Kate To be able to analyse the language of the poem To explore the idea of society and class in the poem The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

12. Words  Create an image (drawing) for each piece of imagery below. Try to capture the mood and meaning of the lines. Beneath your drawing, write a short explanation. Eg. The simile ‘he wore me like a golden knot’ suggests she is value-less, like an item of clothing. ‘Knot’ also suggests she is controlled or tied-up. 1He wore me like a golden knot 2He changed me like a glove 3Who might have been a dove 4He bound you with his ring 5I sit and howl in dust 6You sit in gold and sing 7You had the stronger wing 8Your love was writ in sand The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

13. Cousin Kate I was a cottage maiden Hardened by sun and air Contented with my cottage mates, Not mindful I was fair. Why did a great lord find me out, And praise my flaxen hair? Why did a great lord find me out, To fill my heart with care? First person narrative Connotations of innocence and purity. What does this suggest about her? Contrast this with the use of ‘hardened’. What picture are we building of her? Foreshadowing Beautiful A lament. What has happened to her? Repetition suggests despair

14. He lured me to his palace home - Woe's me for joy thereof- To lead a shameless shameful life, His plaything and his love. He wore me like a silken knot, He changed me like a glove; So now I moan, an unclean thing, Who might have been a dove. Contrasts with her humble cottage. Sexualised imagery: What do these similes suggest about how he treats her? Predatory What does she become? What do you think he has done to her? How has this damaged her?

15. O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate, You grow more fair than I: He saw you at your father's gate, Chose you, and cast me by. He watched your steps along the lane, Your work among the rye; He lifted you from mean estate To sit with him on high. The narrator is addressing her cousin, who has now become a lady. Comparison suggests jealousy? What has he done to our narrator? Can you explain the story so far? Clash of classes – ‘mean’ = humble and poor.

16. Because you were so good and pure He bound you with his ring: The neighbours call you good and pure, Call me an outcast thing. Even so I sit and howl in dust, You sit in gold and sing: Now which of us has tenderer heart? You had the stronger wing. Victorian ideal of women as possessions to own. Examine these contrasts. How were women treated in these times for having relationships before marriage? Link to the bird imagery in lines 15-16

17. O cousin Kate, my love was true, Your love was writ in sand: If he had fooled not me but you, If you stood where I stand, He'd not have won me with his love Nor bought me with his land; I would have spit into his face And not have taken his hand. What does this metaphor suggest about the depth of Kate’s love for the Lord? Would our narrator have betrayed Cousin Kate or been loyal? What does this show about the moral character of both women? Easily washed away and inconstant.

18. Yet I've a gift you have not got, And seem not like to get: For all your clothes and wedding-ring I've little doubt you fret. My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride, Cling closer, closer yet: Your father would give his lands for one To wear his coronet. She is childless and doesn’t seem able to have them Juxtaposition of two extremes to show how society and she view her child. Is she afraid they will take him away from her? Justice? He casts her aside and cannot have a child with Kate. He needs an heir to carry on his line...

19. Alliteration, Assonance, Sibilance, Consonance  Using the table you have been given - try to work out what effect each of the uses of the above poetic terms has on the reader.

20. Rhythm and Rhyme  Can you map out the rhyme scheme?  (e.g. ABCBABDB)  Can you think of what the relationship might be between the rhyme scheme and the poem? To understand the Poem – Cousin Kate To be able to analyse the language of the poem To explore the idea of society and class in the poem The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

21. Structure Predictable couplet-type rhymes, strong and predictable rhythm, and most of all a folk song type story, all give this poem a ballad-like feel. Every stanza is the same length and each line has a similar rhythm- this gives the poem a unified strength.  Can this be linked to anything or anyone in the poem? There are 6 stanzas, each dealing with different subject matter and concentrating on different characters in the love-triangle.  Put these stanza headings in the right order A/ How she would have behaved if she were Kate B/ About Kate C/ What Kate has won and she has lost D/ About the speaker/ narrator E/ What she has won and the Lord and Kate have lost F/ About the Lord  Is there any good reason to have 6 stanzas? To understand the Poem – Cousin Kate To be able to analyse the language of the poem To explore the idea of society and class in the poem The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

22. Independent Writing  Bitter, regretful, angry, happy, triumphant, uncaring, jealous, sad, vindictive, proud  Choose two or three words that you think best sum up the tone of the poem and the woman’s emotions?  Write a paragraph justifying your choices (use evidence from the poem) and evaluate the overall effect of the message delivered by the poet. The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination

23. Write your own poem  Choose to write as either Kate or the Lord …  Can you produce a narrative poem using the same techniques and style to convey their point of view …  Think about your language choices and structure …  6 stanzas in total …  Be prepared to share … To understand the Poem – Cousin Kate To be able to analyse the language of the poem To explore the idea of society and class in the poem The Big Picture: Understanding the poetry anthology for the literature examination