Thursday 9 February 2012

Armitage Poetry

Over half term you should be doing the following:

Reading through all of the poems in the Armitage section of your Anthology

Annotating poetic devices/effects of words/key themes/effect of structure

For at least 4 poems post as a comment on this blog 2 questions per poem to ask the rest of the class - these could be about the general meaning of the poem, the meaning of specific parts/lines, the effect of language used or the effect of the poet's chosen structure

Finally, answer 2 questions that someone else has asked as a comment on this post

42 comments:

  1. Mother any distance greater than a single span:
    What does the line “I reach towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky to fall or fly” mean?
    What is the effect of the words “Anchor. Kite.” in the 8th line of poem?

    Kid:
    What is the effect of the two lines “Holy robin-redbreast-nest-egg-shocker! Holy roll-me-over-in-the-clover”?
    What is the effect of the poets chosen structure?

    The Convergence of the Twain:
    What is the effect of the poets chosen structure?
    What is the effect of the last line in this poem “before the furious contact wherein earth and heaven fused”?

    To Poverty:
    What is the effect of the words “Sit down. I said sit down.” in the last stanza of the poem?
    What is the effect of the words “Bad Blood.”?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1.The line 'before the furious contact wherein earth and heaven fused' i think represents the vast number of deaths that the 9/11 attack caused. There are so many deaths that heaven and earth have 'fused' as if to become one as the dead lay among the living
      2. The short stanzas, sentences and numerous full stops make the poem more dramatic.

      Delete
  2. Alaska: What is the summary of Alaska?
    What does the title of the poem show you about the poem?

    Hitcher: What poetic devices does Simon Armitage use in this poem?
    What does the last stanza mean?

    In Our Tenth Year: What is the summary of the poem?
    What does the opening stanza tell you about the rest of the poem?

    Poem: What is the summary of the poem?
    What poetic devices does he use in this poem?

    ReplyDelete
  3. About his person:
    Q1)What is the effect of the the repeated stanza length?
    Q2)What is the deeper, more sybolic meaning to the poem?

    Alaska:
    Q1)What does the title suggest about the meaning of the poem?
    Q2)What is the poem's suface meaning? Does it link with your interpritation of the title?

    Gooseberry season:
    Q1)What is the effect of having an odd number of stanzas?
    Q2)What is the tone at the begining of the poem and, if it does, how does it change?

    Poem:
    Q1)What is significant about the end of each stanza and why is this significant?
    Q2)What effect does Armatige create through the repetition of the word 'And'?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1. Each stanza shows different peoples experiences and views on his personality and behaviour as a husband, father, son and peer.

      2. Through the repetition of the word 'and' Armitage suggests a dull and repetitive routine of the man.

      Delete
    2. About his person: This poem is about a man that is divorced hence 'a ring of white unweathered skin', and has planned his suicide. Him describing what he has about his person represents how his physical possessions no longer hold any value to him.

      Delete
    3. Alaska -
      Q1: The title suggests an icy, cold-hearted mood as Alaska is a cold part of the world.

      Gooseberry season -
      Q1: Having an odd number of stanzas gives the impression of an unbalanced argument, if not slightly disjointed. It suggests an uncertainty or a mood with sin in place of purity.

      Delete
  4. 1.What is the tone for Gooseberry Season?
    2.Does the family in Gooseberry season show remorse?

    3.What is the main theme for Alaska?
    4.does the man in Alaska have feelings for the woman he is talking about?

    5.What is the theme for Kid?
    6.What is robin's goal in Kid?

    7.What is the theme Convergence of the twain?
    8. Why is it emotional?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 5. The theme of Kid is a superhero story of the viewpoint of Robin who is Batman's sidekick and wants to grow up and live his own life.
      6. Robin's goal in Kid is to overcome Batman's leadership for the past few years and wants to lead his own life without Batman.

      Delete
    2. 1. The tone for Gooseberry season is one with no compassion. A blunt and meciless way of depicting the story. This is shown through the use of the words 'and held him under'. This shows that the murder was intentional and with perpose, not an accident.
      2. No, the family in Gooseberry season does not show remose as in the last stanza the poet writes 'for the hell of it' this suggests an almost mocking attidue of the killers towards their victim.

      Delete
  5. 1. what is the tone in the Convergance of the Twain?
    2. what is the effect of the three line stanzas?

    3. what is the theme in gooseberry season?
    4. why is the fourth stanza significant?

    5. what is the theme in About His Person?
    6. what is significant about the repeated stanza length?

    7. what is the tone of Kid?
    8. what is important about the rhyme scheme?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Alaska:
    1) What is the main theme for Alaska?
    2) What is the reason the poet is writing to the girl?

    About His Person:
    1)What effect does the format of the stanzas create?
    2)How does Armitage's use of dramatic adjectives create effect?

    Hitcher:
    1)How does the poet's insanity come across in this poem?
    2)What is significant in the poem?

    My Father Thought It Bloody Queer:
    1)What effect does the rhyming pattern give?
    2)What is the main theme of the poem?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1) The main theme for My father thought it bloody queer, is that the character starts as a young boy/teen who rebels against his fathers wishes and gets his ear pierced, then grows up to regret it and realises his fathers point of being young, reckless and without cares.
      2) The significant moment in Hitcher is when the character pushes the passenger out of the car for a thrill because he feels his life was lacking adrenaline.

      Delete
  7. The Convergence of the Twain:
    1. What is meant by 'over the spoil of junk, rescuers prod and pick'?
    My father thought it bloody queer:
    2. what is the meaning of the poem?
    3.What is the effect of the structure of the poem?
    Poem:
    4. What is it that makes the poem seem so violent?
    5. What is the effect of the rhyming pattern?
    To Poverty:
    6. what is the effect of the words ' i should have split, cut loose, but let you pass the buck, the bug.'
    7. What is the effect of the structure of the poem?
    Kid:
    8. what is the meaning of kid?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 4. This poem is made so violent by the shocking contrast of the last lines in each stanza which take the reader completely off guard. These abrupt moments of violence symbolize the man's mental instability and how he randomly loses his temper.

      Delete
  8. Poem:
    1. How does the last line of the first 3 stanzas effect the readers perception of the man?
    2. What does each stanza show?

    The convergence of the twain
    1. What is the meaning of this poem?
    2. Why is the number of stanzas significant?

    Kid
    1. What is the effect of enjambement?
    2. What is the poem about

    Gooseberry season
    1. What does the 4th stanza of the poem represent?
    2. What is the tone of the poem?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kid
      2) The poem is about Batman's sidekick, Robin, and how he is separating from Batman, and learning to have an independent life. He also exposes Batman's secrets.

      Delete
  9. Kid:
    1) What does the one long stanza in kid suggest?
    2) What does the final stanza mean?

    Poem:
    1) What effect does starting most lines with the word 'and' create?
    2) What is the tone of the poem?

    About His Person:
    1) What do you think the meaning is of the poem?
    2) What does the line 'a ring of unweathered skin' mean?

    The Convergence of the Twain:
    1) What does the structure of the poem show?
    2) What effect does the last line of the poem give?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. About his person:
      The line "a ring of unweathered skin" suggests that the person in the poem has recently suffered a divorce. This is because "unweathered" implies that the ring has recently been removed as the ring marks are still obvious. It shows that the skin has not been affected by the weather and is therefore lighter than the rest of the skin.

      Poem:
      The tone of the poem is mainly grateful and proud of the man who is mentioned in the poem. However, the last line of each stanza is negative and shows the man in a different light by reflects the bad points of the mans life. The tone of the poem alternates between joy and anger showing two different sides to the man.

      Delete
  10. My father thought it bloody queer:
    1) What is the effect of the character's story?
    2) Why do you think that the character chose to pierce his ear as a young man?

    The Convergence of the Twain:
    1) What's effective about using Roman numerals to title each paragraph?
    2) What is the story of this poem?

    Wintering Out:
    1) Why does the character feel so much anger at the beginning of the poem?
    2) Why did the character end up killing his own mother?

    Without Photographs:
    1) What is the effect of the character and his opinions?
    2) What is the effect of using similes multiple times throughout the poem?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Convergence of the twain:
      1) The effect of roman numerals is to chapter each aspect of the overall event. It also shows the chronological order of the things that happened.
      2)the story of the poem is 9/11 where the two planes hit the twin towers.

      Delete
  11. Mice and Snakes dont give me the shivers:
    1. What is the effect of the stanzas getting shorter as you go down the poem?
    2. Do mice and snakes symbolise anything?
    Wintering out:
    1. What is the effect of the single line at the end of the poem?
    2.Why does armitage use a lot of enjambment?
    Alaska:
    1.What is the theme?
    2.What is meant by 'like the Bering Strait'?
    In our tenth year:
    1.What do the full stops at the end of every stanza show?
    2.Why is harebell used in the first and last stanza?

    ReplyDelete
  12. ‘Poem’
    -What do you notice about the mans actions in each stanza?
    -What effect does it have that the man has no name, and is simply referd to as ‘he’ or ‘him’?

    ‘Without Photographs’
    -What is the overall message of this poem?
    -When Armitage uses the line ‘What there is in sweat, and the burns, and the blisters, is unmistakably everlasting’ what do you think he is trying to say?

    ‘Hitcher’
    -who do you think the ‘anasaphone’ represents?
    -what do you notice about the layout of this poem?

    ‘Gooseberry season’
    -Does Armitage pull you towards being on the side of the father or the victim?
    -How does he do this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hitcher
      2)The layout of the poem has been split into 5 stanzas, and each stanza tells part of the story of the fired man, envious of the hitchhiker's freedom, and therefore, throws him out of the car.

      Delete
  13. "kid"
    -What is the effect of er at the end of each line?
    -What sort of pace is the poem?

    "Hitcher"
    -What are the differences between the 2 people?
    -What does the title suggest about the poem?

    "Alaska"
    -What is the theme of Alaska?
    -What is the poem about?

    "The Convergence of the twain"
    - What is the meaning of the poem?
    - What effect does the last line of the poem give?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Raven, the pace is fast because it is one long stanza and you can't really take a breath in it, it is also emphasised with the 'ER' at the end as you read it faster as it is repetitive and gives a better flow to the poem.

      luke

      Delete
  14. Alaska:
    - Describe Armitage's feelings towards the girl he is addressing in the poem
    - Why is her writing to/about her?
    Poem:
    - What is the effect of the contrast between the last line of each stanza and the previous three?
    - What effect does the casual tone of the last line of the poem have on the reader?
    About his person:
    - What effect does only having two line in each stanza create?
    - What is the effect of the contrast between the poem's casual tone and the author's intentions?
    Hitcher:
    - What is the effect of the deterioration of punctuation as the poem progresses?
    - What is the effect of the minimal/random rhyming?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wintering out
      Q1) What is the surface meaning of the poem?
      Q2) Is the length of the poem important to the meaning of the poem if so why?


      Kid
      Q1) What does the continuous use of enjambment cause the reader to do?
      Q2) What is the effect of only having one Stanza?


      My Father thought it bloody queer
      Q1) The tone of the poem starts off as defiant, what does it change to?
      Q2) Why does Armitage only use three stanzas? Is there a reason for the odd number?


      Without Paragraphs
      Q1) What does the title suggest about the meaning of the poem?
      Q2) Summarise the tone of the poem. Does it change? If so where?

      Delete
    2. Kid Q2

      the effect of having one long stanza makes the reader not take many breaths this makes the poem fast and creates a feeling of rush in the reader. the fast pace can also symbolise the effect of his adrenaline rush as he parted with batman.

      luke

      Delete
  15. Lottie

    About his poem;
    1)What is the symbolism in the poem?
    2)What does the extract "a final demand, in his own hand" show about the character?

    Gooseberry season;
    1)What is the theme of the poem?
    2)what does the quote "where does the hand become the wrist" represent in the poem?

    Mice and snakes dont give me the shivers;
    1)describe the main character in the poem?
    2)What effect is portrayed by the use of a short ending -"he'll be to old".?

    Kid;
    1)Why does Robin refer to Batman as "Bigshot" in the poem?
    2)How does the use of rhyming couplets make the poem interesting?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gooseberry season:
      2) The quote "where does the hand become the wrist" represents a tipping point in the poem. It also represents the change in opinion of the character, they start of liking him but after this tipping point, end up killing him.
      Kid:
      1) Robin refers to Batman as "Bigshot" because Batman is in control, and the dominant member in the friendship. It also shows Robin is jealous of Batman and wishes to be in his position.

      Delete
    2. Gooseberry season:
      2) The quote "where does the hand become the wrist" represents a tipping point in the poem. It also represents the change in opinion of the character, they start of liking him but after this tipping point, end up killing him.
      Kid:
      1) Robin refers to Batman as "Bigshot" because Batman is in control, and the dominant member in the friendship. It also shows Robin is jealous of Batman and wishes to be in his position.

      Delete
  16. About his person:
    1)What does the line "a ring of white unweathered skin" represent and imply about the character?
    2)What affect do verbs such as "stamped" and "franked" have on the mood of the poem?

    The convergance of the twain:
    1)How is the poem structured and what affect does this have?
    2)How do the words "ruins" and "instant" reflect the mood of the poem?

    Gooseberry season:
    1)How does the dramatic monologue create the poems tone?
    2)What is the tipping point in the poem and how does Armitage portray this?

    Hitcher:
    1)How does Armitage create comparison between the two characters in the poem?
    2)How does Armitage's use of enjabment affect the flow of the poem and what does this represent?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hitcher
    -Why has the character narrating thrown the hitchhiker out of the car?
    -What does Armitage mean in the line 'The truth he said, was blowin in the wind'?

    Kid
    -What is the meaning of the poem?
    -What does Armitage mean in the line 'Holy roll-me-over-in-the-clover'?

    Poem
    -What kind of man has Armitage written about?
    -What does the line 'And slippered her the one time that she lied'?

    About His Person
    -What effect does the line 'An analogue watch, self winding, stopped' give?
    -How is the use of enjambment effective?

    ReplyDelete
  18. About his person:
    1) Explore and describe the influence of the line "a ring of white unweathered skin" on the reader.
    2) What does the structure of the poem tell you about the mood of the poem?

    The convergence of the twain:
    1) What point is Armitage trying to make with the structure of the poem?
    2) How does the word 'ruin' effect the reader's perception of the poem?

    Gooseberry season:
    1) What is the theme of the poem?
    2) Why is the fourth stanza important to the mood of the poem?

    Without Photographs:
    1)What is the overall mood of the poem?
    2) How is this represented?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Kid;
    By using Dramatic Monologue what emotion does Armitage Protray throughout the poem?
    What does the structure portray about the poem?

    About His Person;
    What does the structure of the poem reflect about the person?
    What type of person/Who is Armitage writing about?

    Gooseberry Season;
    How does the beginning of the poem contrast to the rest of the poem?
    Why do you think Armitage included the last stanza?

    My Father Thought it Bloody Queer;
    Has armitage chosen an ironic title for the poem?
    Who is the character? Why did they pierce their ear?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Poem:
    Q1) 'And every week he tipped up half his wage' what does this mean?
    Q2) Explore and describe the influence of the line ' Here's how they rated him when they got back'.

    Mice and Snakes don't give me the shivers:
    Q1)what is the overall mood Armitage is trying to portray to the reader?
    Q2)how does the structure of the poem create an impact on the reader?

    Kid:
    Q1) What was Armitage trying to tell the reader about robin when he said ' i'm not playing ball boy any longer?
    Q2) the way Armitage adds lots of enjambments, how does that create a dramatic impact to the reader on how robin feels?

    True North:
    Q1) what does Armitage mean by ' like a snare drum over a brandy glass?
    Q2) how is the last stanza important to the poem?

    ReplyDelete
  21. About His Person:
    Q1)What does the descriptive writing in the poem suggest about the 'person' featured in the poem?
    Q2)what does the endings of the 1st, 3rd and 4th stanzas tell you about the overall poem?

    Alaska:
    Q1)What does the cease of use of enjambment signify?
    Q2)What does the 5th stanza tell you about the man's life?

    Gooseberry Season:
    Q1)What is the overall theme of each stanza?
    Q2)What does the 1st 3 stanzas, particularly the 3rd stanza, tell you about the guest/ weary traveller?

    The Convergence of the Twain:
    Q1)What emotion does the 5th stanza show?
    Q2)What does the structure and use of enjambment in the 10th stanza signify?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. convergeance of the twain Q2
      i think he uses enjambment to give the impression to the reader that there is too much to say.

      Delete
  22. About his person -
    1) - How do the verbs in the poem portray the narrative chracter?
    2) - What effect does the line 'that was everything' have on the poem

    Kid
    1) - What effect does the monologue give the poem?
    2) - How does each line ending in '-er' benefit the poem?

    My father thought it bloody queer
    1) - How do the rhymes aid the poem?
    2) - What does the poem make you think about the father?

    The Convergence of The Twain
    1) - How does the titling of stanzas with roman numerals effect the poem?
    2) - How the word excoriated be interpreted?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Zoe Fowler.

    Kid
    What is Armitage trying to portray throughout the poem?
    What doy ou notice about the layout of the poem?

    Hitcher
    How does the way the poem set out create atmosphere?
    Is the poem talking in 1st or 3rd person?

    ReplyDelete
  24. luke whittaker

    Alaska
    is he actually talking about the state?
    What is the connection with the hims and hers in the 2nd and 3rd last stanzas?

    convergeance of the twain
    what does the word excoriated mean?
    how does the presentation of the poem affect the readers perception of it

    ReplyDelete