On the Beach – Student Book • No named writer for most of the leaflet • Text distinguished by visual presentational devices. • The special artwork includes: – layout (incl. subtitles, bullet points, & spacing) – colour (carefully co-ordinated – more on this later) – lettering (different fonts and sizes) – images (see next slide)
On the Beach • Images include: – photographs – diagrams – watermarks – logos – warning signs – flags • Note that three images appear to have been sellotaped on at their corners. Why?
On the Beach • Three photographs. What is their function? • 1 st – children are happy and safe. (Artificial? Children sitting in jacuzzi? Man stepping out of jet ski boat to walk on water? Perspective?) • 2 nd – grateful reunion with son who nearly died • 3 rd – what an actual rescue looks like • triangular warning signs • flags • diagrams • logos – RNLI and National Beach Safety Council
On the Beach - Persons • Ignoring the front and back covers… • Find two accounts written in 1 st person • Find three accounts written in 2 nd person • Find one account mainly written in 3 rd person. • Comment on background colours used for each. • Is this correlation accidental or intentional? • If intentional, how is it intended to work?
Techniques • General layout (page size, sections, paragraphs, subtitles, bullet points) • Use of graphics (various types) • Use of fonts • Use of colour • Do the graphics complement the written content? • Variety of written content – safety information – human-interest stories – facts & statistics • Style of writing (e.g. I st person vs 2 nd person) • Vocabulary used (e.g. technical or general?) • Weaknesses?
How not to answer an exam question! • Ignore the question altogether! • Just say anything you like about the piece! • Hope examiner will find an answer to his question somehere in your essay! • Answer the question minimally . • Pad out the rest of it by – piling up lots of (uncommented) quotations – rewriting the content using your own words • Hope the examiner won’t notice just how far you’ve deviated from the question!
Climate Change: The Facts See original article dated 28 April 2008 at www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/apr/28/scienceofclimatechange2 Kate Ravilious, freelance science writer • Anthropogenic (man-made) global warming – truth or fiction? • “This is a controversial subject…” Edexcel Student Book • The Facts? or Opinions? or Lies? • A balanced presentation of both sides of the controversy? • Or a one-sided (biased) account to convince the don’t -knows that man-made global warming is “a reality”?
Climate Change: Some Terms • climate change vs global warming • natural global warming vs anthropogenic (man-made) global warming • is Earth a planet = a body in space that orbits a star? • is “fossil fuel” really derived from fossils? • is the Earth really millions (not to say billions!) of years old?
Climate Change: Facts or Opinions? Facts or an appeal to consensus opinion and conjecture ? • “the majority of scientists agree that… • “ There is little doubt that …” • “The rise in temperatures seems too much of a coincidence…” • “ Most people now agree that…” • “ Estimates … suggest that…” • “Whether it ... is unclear .” • Global temperatures are predicted to rise.”
Climate Change Imagine you are the secretary of the chief editor of the Guardian. You are sitting in his office listening to two of his junior editors arguing heatedly in front of him about whether Kate Ravilious’ article should be published or not. One thinks it superb, the other dreadful. You notice that at the end of their argument the chief editor appears undecided. Report what his junior editors said.
Questions 1. What is CO 2 ? 2. Name one other greenhouse gas. 3. And another. 4. How much has the average global temperature gone up in last 100 years? 5. By how much could this go up in next 100 years (according to IPCC)? Give max only. 6. Name the climate threshold that could trigger a major change if passed. 7. Apart from extra heat, how else could global warming affect the world? 8. How does man mainly raise global CO 2 levels? 9. What does IR stand for in IR radiation? 10. Which newspaper published this article?
Climate Change: A Hoax? • The biggest scam of modern times… a ‘religion’ for crazies! • Deliberate fraud backed by big money of globalists.Aim is to promote one-world government and higher taxes. • Despite what Kate Ravilious says, most scientists view global warming as either unproven or false. • Overall, earth has actually been cooling over last 15 years! Only in northern hemisphere has temperature gone up a little. • Middle Ages were warmer than today. • Global warming scientists have been caught fabricating data. • IPCC is a highly politicized UN environmental advocacy group, not a group of “best scientists” as Kate Ravilious calls them. • Their projections are based on fraudulent computer models. • If people are genuinely committed to protecting our atmosphere, they will oppose chemtrails!
Climate Change: the Pluses • appealing layout • well-chosen FAQs • clear, well-written • lots of facts, informative • avoids extremes of being too technical and too non- technical • scientific sources quoted • carefully avoids overstating the case • hint of humour? (farting & burping)
Climate Change: the Minuses • blatantly biased propaganda piece • full of erroneous assumptions • argument based on conjecture, not indisputable facts • doesn’t understand meaning of ‘hot potato’ • spells ‘gases’ in two different ways • gas breakdown bar unintelligible
Climate Change: the Minuses • blatantly biased propaganda piece • full of erroneous assumptions • argument based on conjecture, not indisputable facts • doesn’t understand meaning of ‘hot potato’ • spells ‘gases’ in two different ways • gas breakdown bar unintelligible
Full stops • It’s raining again, the weather is terrible. X • It’s raining again. The weather is terrible. • It’s raining again; the weather is terrible. • It’s raining again, the weather is terrible, and I’m fed up. • It’s raining again, and the weather is terrible. • Mispunctuate at your peril!
Essay Question • Achieving balance is difficult! Consider it a little like tightrope walking. • The Climate Change essay required two kinds of balance: – pro arguments vs contra arguments – the drama of an imaginative essay vs the solid arguments of a persuasive essay • If you want to write brilliantly, intertwine two themes – but balance them. • Compare musical counterpoint.
Narrative example … Hamish, another of our junior editors, came through the door. He looked his usual self with his messy hair, slightly askew tie, and trousers that had permanent-looking creases in them. Whenever I looked at Hamish, it made my poor womanly ‘clean and tidy’ instinct tingle with the work possibilities that lay there. Right now he was in the act of stuffing some tea-stained looking papers into his bag.
Dialogue example “I think Kate Ravilious’ article on climate change is superb ”, began John. “You what?” said Sarah in a surprised voice. “I think it’s dreadful. It’s a blatantly biased piece of propaganda, and it’s written as if everyone believes in climate change and there’s no doubt that it’s a fact”. “It is a fact”, said John, raising his voice a little, “and you can’t be biased about something that’s a fact. Kate Ravilious has even put in quotes from scientific sources to prove that it’s a fact. This is serious stuff. I t says in her article, ‘the result is likely to be more extreme weather.’ ”
One way of expressing controversial views • Many Christians might well take offence at … • Not everyone would agree with … • Many people might take issue with … … the anti -biblical nature of some of the views presented, that is, the idea that the earth is a planet and that its age should be measured in millions rather than thousands of years.
Ecoterrorism • Are Global Warming campaigners spreading fear, not just lies? • Fox News report: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqTd0g48ZY4 • For full video see www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfnddMpzPsM
A Game of Polo … Ten Questions • In which city does the race take place? • Where did EL park to obtain best view of race? • How long did she have to wait? • What is the top speed of the donkeys? • “This was [racing car sport] without rules.” • How does oncoming traffic get out of way? • Name the driver. • Apart from the steering wheel, what else does he hold all the time as he keeps up with the race? • What was the finishing line? • How many ‘punters’ had staked money on the race?
A Game of Polo … • A mixture of the comic and serious. • The different interests of EL and the boys combine perfectly in this race. • Elements of humour: – contrast between motor car and donkey racing – coexistence of jollity and seriousness in spectators – crazy unconcern for safety – cheeky excitement and daring of boys – final twist, proving that this is one race where it pays to disregard the rules!
Three Races? EL says, “There were two races – the motorized spectators at the back; in front, the two donkeys.” 1. “The two [donkeys] were neck and neck…” (line 22) 2. “… the vehicles jostled to get to the front of the convoy.” (line 28) 3. “ ‘Will you try and get to the front?’ … We waited for eternity on the brow of the hill …” (lines 6-8)
Observations • Focus is at three levels: (i) socio- cultural “wackiness”! (ii) the people in story (participants) (iii) the race itself • Lines 2-6 : indirect speech followed by direct speech where it’s obvious who is talking. • Paragraph 4: sudden transitions: (i) transition from inactivity to the excitement of the actual race (ii) transition from EL’s doubts to the unmistakable reality of race • In this foreign land, both EL’s assumptions prove wrong! Lines 17 and 49. • EL gives instructions; then boys take over with enthusiasm, fulfilling them to perfection. • But roles are reversed from line 58: the boys order EL to stay in car, then recommend her to leave, and she obliges!
Questions • “We waited for eternity...” What figure of speech is this? • “The two donkeys were almost dwarfed by their entourage.” What is an entourage ? • What language is this word borrowed from? • “… a volatile situation.”What does volatile mean? • “oncoming traffic … had to dive into the ditch …” What figure of speech is this? • “This was Formula One without rules.” What figure of speech is this? • “… drove off at a more sedate pace.” What does sedate mean? • What is EL’s reaction to Y’s news at end? (anger, surprise, disappointment, relief, shock, or delight)
Homework “Hey, did I miss something?! Hanging around for an hour to see a couple of donkeys running down the road in a so- called race isn’t my idea of fun. And just when things start to get interesting and one of those stupid creatures hits the dirt, the race is over and Emma Levine can’t even be bothered to tell us how it ended. I want my money back!” How would you answer this observation?
Emma Levine • Is EL a sports commentator, a professional photographer, a travel writer, or a journalist? • What does she hope to obtain: a good film, a good set of photos, a good story, a good spectator experience? • Is EL interested in the unusual and wacky? • Apart from the race itself, what else is wacky? • The two boys. Man on wobbly bicyle. Spectator enthusiasm. Spectator anger. The general culture itself?
Fictitious Critic • Displays a one-sided outlook (not to say vulgarity of mind) • Fails to understand EL’s purpose in writing. • What are his criteria for a good account? – instant action of the kind available on television – powerful competitors of the kind found in the West – stimulating sports commentary – full coverage of conflictual situations – cutting out of everything irrelevant to sport fans
UK centres 2011 specifications: 4EAO Last certification May/June 2017, with a final retake only certification in January 2018 2016 specifications: 4EA1 First certification May/June 2018 International centres 2011 specifications: 4EAO Last certification May/June 2018, with a final retake only certification in January 2019 2016 specifications: 4EA1 First certification May/June 2018
A Passage to Africa - Homework • Read piece carefully, at least twice. • Look up words you don’t know. • Write essay (500+ words) : Discuss George Alagiah’s reactions to the various types of human misery he encounters in war-torn Somalia. Would you react like this?
Essay • Whole passage is focused on and structured around the depiction of GA’s reactions: – professional insensitivity (paras 3-5) – pity and revulsion (paras 7-8) – unsettled by smile (paras 9-12) – regret (para 13) • ‘ How should I feel to be standing there so strong and confident ?’
20 Words from a Passage to Africa • • ghoulish taboo • • callous breach • • compile excretion • • edible surreptitious • • enervate aspire • • whimper inure • • fester (unwritten) code • • fuse passive • • revulsion tacit • • degeneration seminal
English Vocabulary • Using English words, we – think – talk, listen – read, write • Each new word we learn is a major achievement. • Do you have a vocabulary book? • Ask yourself: – could I define the word? – could I give an example of it in a sentence? – could I use it myself in an essay?
George Alagiah’s reactions • His job – to track down and report human misery in all its horrible detail – is done well. • The hardened journalist vs the sensitive inner man. • Admits pity and revulsion – both explored. • Admits being embarrassed by the unknown man’s embarrassment. • I mplies that his “answer” to the man’s “question” is the answer of the reporter, not the inner man. • Reveals shame for his callous behaviour, even though he justifies it (and blames BBC audience).
Structure of 13 paragraphs • 1: the face – 2: geographical info (isolation/desolation) – 3: operational info (search for ultimate misery) – 4-5: two harrowing vignettes • 6: the face (even more stirring for GA) – 7: revulsion – 8: pity • 9-13: sight of face, mystery of smile, understanding, embarrassment, resolution to make amends, gratitude
Examination criteria Foundation level Higher level • • demonstrates superficial demonstrates thorough understanding of text understanding of text • • presents a few simple obvious makes many good well- points considered points • • throws in quotations without comments effectively on commentary quotations • • spends much time recounting spends little time recounting content content • • spends little time analysing spends much time analysing writer’s techniques writer’s techniques • • imperfect grammar/spelling excellent grammar/spelling
Moving to Higher level • Assume your reader knows the basic factual contents of the piece. • Don’t introduce the story to him. • Don’t recount the story or elements of it except in the most minimal way. • Don’t tell him the obvious. • Instead, tell him the things he might have missed. • And discuss the structure, the language, and the stylistic techniques used.
Bring out the less obvious features that your reader might have missed. • For example: • the squalor in which the inhabitants now live - even the mat must double up as a shroud. • the imminent and inevitable death of the inhabitants - note the accumulation of words relating to death. • their feeble (even partly delusional) attempts to preserve a vestige of visible dignity.
A Passage to Africa • Para 3: images of insensitivity • Para 4-5: unemotional, detached reporting with a ‘photographic’ level of detail • Para 7: TV-reporting taboo prevents expression of revulsion (and pity?) • Para 8: pity stirred by their (i) squalor, (ii) imminent death, (iii) attempt to retain dignity • Para 9 : the “face” so absorbs GA that it is treated as detached from its “owner”
A Passage to Africa • Para 10 : discovery of man’s embarrassment – contradicts para 8? • Para 11: another unwritten code restraining GA – the man appears to have overturned it. • Para 12 : GA writes “with all the power and purpose” he can muster. • Para 13: one regret (one only!) – that he failed to complete his account by including the man’s name.
Comprehension Questions 1. How far away were the hunters from land? 2. What are their boats called? 3. What is another name for blubber? 4. What vitamin is it a rich source of? 5. What does KH call the waters north of the Arctic Circle? 6. What is the name of the hunters’ town? 7. How often does the plane from W Greenland visit? 8. How long will a narwhal feed a team of dogs? 9. Which fish do narwhal have a predilection for? 10. What is a tupilak ?
Objective 2(i) Read with INSIGHT and ENGAGEMENT… … making APPROPRIATE REFERENCES TO TEXTS … … and DEVELOPING and SUSTAINING INTERPRETATIONS of them. • In Section A, the focus is on interpreting the texts with insight, e.g. spotting themes (both stated and unstated)
Objective 2(iii) UNDERSTAND and make some EVALUATION of how writers use LINGUISTIC and STRUCTURAL DEVICES to achieve their effects. • In Section B, the focus is on understanding and evaluating the writer’s techniques: • linguistic devices • structural devices
Kari Herbert • Nostalgic • Daydreamer? (lines 13-14) • Fascinated by history of survival techniques • Keen eye for detail (lines 9-10) • Youthful immersion in natural world • Alive to the beauty of environment and wildlife • But doesn’t mention the Creator once! • Sensitive to plight of both hunters and narwhal • Very practical about health and surival issues • Strong original writing – avoids clichés (lines 7-8)
Analysis Questions • Who is the ruler of the “glittering kingdom” ( 7) – the Inughuit, the narwhal, nature, or God? • Is narwhal-hunting a sport, despite its danger and economic necessity? Nothing but fishing on a grand scale? (para 4) • The Inughuit “do not kill [seals] for sport”. ( 68) • Does KH do enough to answer the objections of the “environmentalists”? • Who were “the men” battering seals “several years ago”? Why doesn’t KH say?
Remember! • To subjoin a quotation simply without an explicit introduction, use a colon ( : ), e.g. • She has a keen sense of natural beauty: “The evening light was turning butter- gold.” • Use point-quotation-comment triads! You have to sustain your interpretations! We might go on: • “It is not the sun or even the sky that is described thus, but the very light itself. Everything is bathed in this gloriously rich atmosphere.”
Essay Question ‘I’d shoot those pesky Eskimos! Killing whales is criminal! If they can’t get food without risking their stupid lives and butchering the magnificent creatures of the Arctic deep, they should clear off and find somewhere else to live!’ Do you agree? Discuss with reference to KH’s treatment of the subject.
Explorers or Boys Messing About? • Whose phrase has Steven Morris borrowed? • Whom does he expect to answer this question? • How quickly does he address it? • Question: What is a “farce”? • Answer: An absurd or ridiculous situation; a particular kind of humorous play. • Imagine a prosecutor describing past crimes before telling the jury what the new crime is! • How much sympathy do we have in para 2 when we learn of the near-tragedy?
Explorers or Boys Messing About? • “helicopter plunged” ( 9 ); “the men were plucked” ( 11); “ditched into the sea” ( 40 ); “scrambled into the lifecraft” (42). Farce? • Compare the verbs used for the rescue services! • Why is Mr Brooks’ wife called Ms Jo Vestey? • Is there evidence that the two men are a couple of young- minded gadget freaks? • Who is Q? Suggestion of juvenile nature? • How much emphasis is there on the disruption caused to the rescue services?
Explorers or Boys Messing About? • Why are their ambitions treated in such a careless manner? Was it not easy to establish them? • How well-prepared were the two men? • Why was it ‘nothing short of a miracle’ that they had survived? (70) • Is SM fairer to the two men from line 73? • Impressive adventure track record, belying claim that they are boys messing about. • What can we surmise about JV from her honeymoon? • Lines 111-115 reveal a more serious side to their activities!
Explorers or Boys Messing About? • Quotations at the end: – choice of R44 questioned (repetition of 22-26) – weather conditions excellent (69) – a mystery what had gone wrong – a cover-up? – taxpayer provoked (repetition of 18-21) – Ms Vestey gets last word! (and the first) • Does Ms Vestey show any concern for her husband? Or merely an amusing disdain?
Essay Question on Explorers, or Boys Messing About? From the evidence presented in this article, what reactions do you think the author Steven Morris was trying to provoke in his audience? Do you agree with his approach?
How to tackle last essay question • First read the question VERY carefully. Did you REALLY understand it? • In your jottings identify the reactions SM is seeking to provoke : – resentment over squandering readers’ taxes – conte tempt t for foolh lhardy juvenile le explo lorers • Make a simple plan to develop thse points. • Choose whether to agree/disagree with SM’s agenda as you discuss the reactions he stirs up or defer your opinion to the end. • Make sure EVERY paragraph is clearly relevant to the question. • If you wander off track and ‘do your own thing’, you will lose points, no matter how well you write in other respects.
Anthology – Section A • Do selections reveal a “feminist bias”? • Excluding the anonymously written leaflet Your Guide to Beach Safety , 5 of the 8 pieces are written by women. • Which explorers/travellers suffer massive failure or embarrassment? • Which writers suffer no embarrassing situations. • Which writers appear most “scientific” in their approach. • Which writers successfully struggle against the odds and achieve their aims?
Taking on the World (I) • In what ways is EM “taking on the world”? • Similarities behind climbing a 90ft mast and mountain-climbing? (aerial view, hike to the top, whole mast to climb down, began my descent) • Lapses into clichés near the end? (heart in mouth, felt like a million dollars) • But overall piece has some intensely descriptive writing that maintains the tension. • Bravery, perseverance and humility apparent?
Taking on the World (II) • What happens when an unstoppable object meets an immovable object? • This is a philosophical conundrum . • What happens when total determination confronts impossible conditions? • This is a great basis for a story . • Compare this piece with a tense step-by-step sports commentary. • Does EM succeed in maintaining our interest?
Taking on the World (III) • “I climbed the mast on Christmas Eve.” Final outcome known in advance. Loss of suspense? • Resourceful, determined, strong, but vulnerable . • Vulnerability vs ferocity of conditions. • Relentless focus on: – mental agony (“agonized for hours…”, line 4) – physical agony (“the physical drain…”, line 26) • Near end, she urges herself on like a jockey on a racehorse. There are two EMs! Mind over matter. • Highly graphic descriptions (“mast slices erratically through the air, shuddering slowdown”)
Essay Question How does Ellen MacArthur seek to maintain the reader’s interest in her description of replacing a sailboat’s halyard? Does she succeed?
Some suggestions on last question • Heart of the story: man vs the elements • A 5 ’ 2 ” woman vs the brutal wind and sea. • Planning, determination, courage, tenacity vs awesome power and unpredictability of nature. • Analyze and contrast the descriptions of each. • Overall ordeal broken down into a series of highly graphic mini conflicts.
Questions 1. Why was AYM summoned home? 2. What was the name of her school? 3. How old is she at this time? 4. How many of AYM’s brothers had already gone to university before her? 5. What would she specialize in after graduation?
What do we learn of Adeline’s feelings towards school from these opening paragraphs?
What makes this an effective piece of dialogue? What does this tell us about AYM’S attitude towards her family?
Notice any dramatic irony here?
Questions for reflection • Did AYM’s father help her in the long run or did he hinder her? • Does this piece show evidence of feminist bias? • Did AYM break the Fourth Commandment by showing up her father in public? • How dysfunctional was AYM’s family in your opinion?
Essay Question on Chinese Cinderella What evidence do you see of Adeline Yen Mah’s drama-writing ability in this excerpt?
Suggestions for Last Essay • Gone with the Locusts was a play . So examine: • quantity & nature of dialogue in extract • dramatic characterization : oppressed but resourceful heroine, churlish driver, vain overbearing father • dramatic irony of father’s comment concerning his daughter’s English
Disabled • Irregular stanza lengths and rhyming patterns. • Frequent alliterative effects. • Soldier’s vanity and immature attitude to war. • It then turns into an attitude full of despair and cynicism. • Soldier’s suffering seen as futile. • Wounds seen as self-inflicted. • Tragedy is unredeemed by concept of patriotic self- sacrifice (‘ Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori ’ -Horace). • Nor is there any belief in the afterlife. (Hymns sadden him and the priest’s attentions irk him)
15 Questions 1. How is the man's isolation conveyed in the first stanza? 2. What is the effect of the alliteration used in ‘ghastly suit of grey’? 3. What does ‘sewn short at elbow’ tell us about the man’s disability? 4. What are the connotations of the word ‘mothered’? What is the connection between this word and sleep? 5. The second stanza focuses on happier memories. How are feelings of warmth and happiness conveyed in this stanza? 6. How is the alliteration of the letter ‘g’ used to different effect in this stanza? 7. List all of the reasons the man conscripted to the army in stanza four. 8. Why were the soldiers ‘smiling’ as he joined the army? What was the ‘lie’?
15 Questions (contd) 9. Examine lines 33-36 . How would you describe the man’s image of war as he joins up? 10. How is the man greeted by the public upon his return home from war in stanza five? 11. Why is stanza five so short? How does this contrast with the previous stanza? 12. What is the tone of the final stanza? 13. How does the question ‘Why don’t they come/And put him into bed?’ link to the phrase 'waiting for dark’ in the first stanza? 14. Who are ‘they’ in the final two lines? 15. Describe the rhyme scheme and rhythm used in the poem? How might these link to the overall themes in the poem?
Brief notes on questions - I 1. No one to be seen. Only children’s voices heard. Even these are ‘mothered’ away FROM him. 2. alliterative g’s: in this context, harsh, discordant, chilling – not pleasant 3. loss of lower arms 4. connotations = associated meanings of a word; ‘mothered’ connotes gentleness, care, protective love; sleep personified – almost like a shepherd lovingly rounding up his sheep with as much care as he might his own children 5. Town: ‘swing so gay’, ‘glow - lamps budded’. Girls: ‘glanced lovelier’, ‘slim waists’, ‘warm their subtle hands’ 6. gay … glow … girls … glanced: here perhaps evokes the plaintive quality of solid, distinctly visualized memories that can never be relived 7. To please Meg (the artist silly for his face); fall sense of elation due to football victory and alchohol; vanity of regimental dress & customs; vanity of incorporation. 8. Duping delight due to mutually shared tacit understanding of deception. He was obviously noticeably younger than 19, perhaps only 16 or 17.
Brief notes on questions - II 9. exclusive focus on all the deceptive attractions of military life; neglect of its negative aspects 10. Only ‘some’ cheered him home, and in subdued manner. Clergyman (‘solemn man’) offers fruit and thanks in an apparently calculated gesture. 11. joy is expansive and of many words; misery is constrictive and of few 12. despairing; expects to die in a few years, bound by impersonal rules, and receiving pity, not true affection 13. Gives a unity of time to the poem. Evening was approaching when he began his reflections. Now it is dark. 14. Nurses presumably. Described impersonally. He feels no affection towards them, as they appear to feel none for him. Querulous, impatient tone. 15. Each stanza represents a vignette (brief highly visual sketch) of a different phase in his life. To bring this out each has its own slightly different rhyme scheme, containing two or three rhyme endings. Sometimes rhymes overlap, perhaps like reminiscences flow into one another without clear lines of demarcation. No rhyme for hands – emphasizing that he will never again experience anything like that.
Essay Title Discuss Robert Frost’s use of contrast in his poem Out, Out … Here are some contrasting themes you may wish to discuss: – serenity/calm vs violence/panic – youth vs adulthood – speech vs silence – life vs death
Further Points on Last Essay Question • See slide 26. Write the question at the top. • Identify up-front the contrasts you will discuss. • Opening vs closing scene. • What might have been vs what was: – And nothing happened: day was all but done. – Call it a day, I wish they might have said.
Feelings evoked in poem How do refugees feel? • nostalgic for what they’ve lost (country & home) • sensitive to unkindness (note irony & cynicism) • jealous of the freedoms of animals • fearful of future, even to extent of paranoia How do we feel? • sympathetic to refugees • angry at bureaucrats even more than Hitler • entertained by kaleidoscopic imagery • entertained by irony
Recommend
More recommend
