English Literature- Poetry from Different Cultures Year 9, Spring Term.

Key poems: Language Devices: Key Themes: ‘Not My Business’ by Niyi Osundare Sensory language is language that connects to the five Ignorance, choices, community, exploitation, discrimination, The narrator watches each night as people are mistreated senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) to create an image prejudice, identity, heritage, responsibility but decides to do nothing to interfere as long as he is safe. or description (including onomatopoeia a word that sounds Contextual Information: similar to its sound “Imagine the drip of it, the small Apartheid – a political and social system in South Africa while ‘Nothing’s Changed’ by Tatamkhulu Afrika splash…”) it was under white minority rule from 1948 to the early An autobiographical poem about the apartheid system in IMAGERY: 1990s. The word apartheid means "apartness" in Afrikaans. South Africa. This explores racism and the irony that nothing Personification giving an inanimate object human attributes The civil rights movement in America was a decades-long has changed. “It took a hurricane to bring her closer” movement with the goal of securing legal rights for African Metaphor referring to person or object by referring to Americans that other Americans already held. ‘Search for my Tongue’ by Sujata Bhatt something with similar characteristics “Sometimes the Key words A poem about living in a foreign country and feeling sudden rush of fortune” Identity the perception you develop about yourself disconnected from your cultural background and your first Extended Metaphor a comparison between two unlike Culture ideas, customs, social behaviour or a particular group language. things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a of people paragraph, or lines in a poem. It contains several individual Attitude perspective the narrator has ‘Half Caste’ by John Agard metaphors within it. e.g. the reference to a tongue meaning Tone the feeling of the poem which shows the poet’s The poem explores people’s ideas and usage of the term a language in Search for my Tongue attitude - how would you say the words in the poem? “half-caste” Simile comparing 2 things using ‘like’ or ‘as’ “The skin cracks Symbolism use of images to represent ideas like a pod” Dialect a particular form of language associated to a specific ‘Presents from my Aunt in Pakistan’ by Moniza Alvi Overlap region or social group The poem is about having a mixed cultural background. The Alliteration repetition of consonant sounds “Stung by a Phonetic spelling in the way something sounds narrator portrays how confusing this is for her. scorpion” Connotations an idea or feeling which a word creates for a Repetition repeating a word or phrase “Talk to me …talk to person, an association with that word me…talk to me…” Other poems: Structure: Example Exam Questions: ‘Blessing’ by Imtiaz Dharker Contrast where two ideas are strikingly different Part A: Comparison with an unseen poem (This will be the Regular/irregular structure style used on your end of year exam) Opening/Ending – considering how tone or ideas change Compare how the two poets express their feelings about ‘Flag’ by John Agard throughout a poem and the effect of its start and end discrimination. Use of question: A question where the answer is already Compare how the poems present the experience of being ‘Island Man’ by Grace Nichols known, or not demanded. “What’s that fluttering in the part of two cultures. breeze?” Enjambment continuation of a sentence without a pause Part B: Discussion of a poem from memory ‘Limbo’ by Edward Kamau Brathwaite beyond end of line or stanza “What’s the meaning of trees/ Explore how the poet presents their feelings about their Falling heavy as whales…” identity. ‘Night of the Scorpion’ by Nissim Ezekiel Stanza A group of lines forming a section of a poem Explore another poem where prejudice is presented. Rhythm a strong regular repeated pattern