Poetry Revision

Unit 2: Understanding poetry

This unit is assessed be external examination and forms 25% of your English Literature GCSE. The exam is 1 hour and 45 minutes and
has two sections.

Section A. You will answer one question about an unseen poem printed in the examination paper. This section is worth 20 marks.
Section B. You will have to answer one two-part question on the collection of poems that you have studied in class. You can
choose from two named poems or one named poem and a further poem of your choice from the collection. This section is worth 30
marks.

THIS

REVISION GUIDE COVERS THE TWO SEEN

POEMS CHOSEN FOR YOU MOCK EXAM.

Exploring the two poems from the collection Taking a
Stand. For each poem you will:
First thoughts. Thinking about initial reactions
to the poem.
Close reading. Developing an understanding of
theme, content, viewpoint, mood and style.
Developing responses. Practice exam style
response to the poems.
Self / peer assessment. Reflecting on your own
and others work. Identifying strengths and weaknesses
and redrafting to move you towards your target grade.
Chapter 3: Assessment practice in exam style questions.

Chapter 1

An exploration of the poetry collection Taking a Stand.

Learning objectives:

Pessimism
for
Beginners

To explore and develop responses to Pessimism for

beginners by Sophie Hannah.
To explore how Hannah used exaggeration and ridicule
to humorous effect in looking at our everyday lives.

Glossary
When youre waiting for someone to e-mail,
When youre waiting for someone to call
Young or old, gay or straight, male or female
Dont assume that theyre busy, thats all.
5 Dont conclude that their letter went missing
Or they must be away for a while;
Think instead that theyre cursing and hissing

Theyve decided youre venal and vile,

That your eyes should be pecked by an eagle.
10 Oh, to bash in your head with a stone!
But since this is unfairly illegal
Theyve no choice but to leave you alone.
Be they friend, parent, sibling or lover
Or your most stalwart colleague at work,
15 Dont pursue them. Youll only discover
That your once-irresistible quirk
Is no longer appealing. Far from it.
Everything that you are and you do
Makes them spatter their basin with vomit.
20 They loathe Hitler and herpes and you.
Once you take this on board, life gets better.
You give no one your hopes to destroy.
The most cursory phone call or letter
Makes you pickle your heart in pure joy.
25 Its so different from what you expected!
They do not want to gouge out your eyes!
You feel neither abused nor rejected
What a stunning and perfect surprise.
This approach Im endorsing will net you
30 A small portion of boundless delight.
Keep believing the worlds out to get you.
Now and then you might not be proved right.
Sophie Hannah

Pessimism: taking a negative view of events

Venal: dishonest corrupt
Stalwart: firm and unwavering
Quirk: a peculiarity of manner or action
Hitler: German Nazi dictator
Herpes: Viral disease which causes cold sores
Cursory: hasty or superficial
Endorsing: giving approval to
Activity 1
First thoughts
1. The title of the poem
suggests that it will help
the reader become a
pessimist. Sum up in one
sentence the advice given
in the poem.

Activity 2
Looking more closely
1. a) List the ten most negative words in the poem
or highlight them on a copy of the poem.
b) List the ten most positive words in the poem
or highlight them.
c) Look at where the majority
2. Look at the last two lines of the poem. What
advice is Hannah trying to give the reader?

3. a) Look at the phrases below. Each one

b) Briefly explain how each phrase that you have
reflects and attitude to life. Which do you selected matches the message of the poem. Use
think match the message of the poem.
quotations to support your ideas.
If it can go wrong it will
Where there a will theres a way
The glass if half full
If you have low expectations in life youll never
be disappointed
Every cloud had a silver lining
It never rains but it pours.
Activity 3
Developing your ideas
1. Write one or two sentences summing up
the argument in the poem. Do you agree
with Hannahs ideas? Explain your point
of view.
2. Look at these quotations taken from the
poem.
your eyes should be pecked by an eagle
bash your head in with a stone
spatter their basin with vomit
Hitler and herpes and you
pickle your heart in pure joy
gouge out your eyes
a stunning and perfect surprise
small portion of boundless delight
For each one explain why they are effective. For
example,
your eyes should be pecked by an eagle is
effective because, although it creates agonising
images of torture, it is so unlikely to occur that it
becomes absurd and amusing.
3. In the poem Hannah uses rhyme and
alliteration.
a) Pick out one or two examples of each
of these techniques
b) How do they contribute to the tone
of the poem and the poets point of
view?

4. Although the theme of the poem is about

pessimism, how does Hannah make it
humorous? Think about hyperbole. Briefly
explain your answer with reference to the
poem.

Activity 4
Developing your response
1. Think about how Hannahs use of humour
changes the way the reader responses to the
poem. What would the impact of the poem be
if it was written without humour?
2. Look at this example of an examination style
question:
Explore how Hannah presents her point of view
in Pessimism for beginner. Use examples from
the poem to support you answer.
Write one section one the poets use of
exaggeration, humour and imagery that could
be included in your answer.
Self / peer assessment
1. Read the paragraph written in response to
the above task.
2. Annotate your paragraph using similar
notes to those given in this response.
3. Use the mark scheme to decide which band
your paragraph would fall into.

No Problem
I am not de problem
But I bear de brunt
Of silly playground taunts
An racist stunts,
5 I am not de problem
I am born academic
But dey got me on de run
Now I am branded athletic
I am not de problem
10 If yu give I a chance
I can teach yu of Timbuktu
I can do more dan dance,
I am not de problem
I greet yu wid a smile
15 Yu put me in a pigeon hole
But I am versatile
These conditions may affect me
As I get older,
An I am positively sure
20 I have no chips on me shoulders,
Black is not de problem
Mother country get it right
An juss fe de record,
Sum of me best friends are white.
Benjamin Zephaniah

Activity 2
Looking more closely
1. Look at the first four lines.
a. What is the problem which the
narrator in the poem is having?
b. Briefly explain what the narrator
means by:
I am not de problem
2a. What chain of events is described
in lines 6-8.
b. How does Zephaniah use language
and wordplay to connect these
events?

Learning objective
To explore and develop a response to No problem by Benjamin
Zephaniah.
To explore how Zephaniah uses language to communicate that we
should challenge preconceptions.
Activity 1
First thoughts
1a. Pick out all the things which people say or think about the
narrator.
b. What do people not see or notice about the narrator in the
poem?
2a. What are your first impressions of the narrator in the poem?
b. How would you describe other peoples attitudes to the narrator
in the poem?
3. The poem is written with dialect. What initial effect does this
create for the reader?
3. In line 11, the narrator says he:
Teach yu of Timbuktu
Why has Zephaniah chosen to name this place?
4a. In line 16, the narrator tells us he is versatile. What do you
think that he means by this?
b. How does this contrast with the pigeon hole he talks about in
line 15?
5. The poem is written in a Caribbean dialect.
a. pick out all the words and phrases in dialect and make a note of
their meaning.
b. Why do you think Zephaniah chose to write the poem in this
dialect?

Activity 3
Developing your ideas
1a This sentence is repeated throughout the poem:
I am not the problem
What is the effect of the repetition?
b Why do you think that Zephaniah decided to call
the poem No Problem.
2 The narrator says he has:
no chips on me shoulders,
a What do you think he means?
b Do you agree with the narrator or is there any
evidence in the poem to suggest otherwise?
c Why do you think Zephaniah uses the word chips,
and not chip?
3 In line 22 the narrator says:
Mother country get it right,
a Is this a statement that the mother country is
getting it right or an imperative suggesting that the
mother country should try harder to get it right?
b Why does Zephaniah use the phrase mother
country here, do you think?
Read the paragraph written in response to the
above task.
Annotate your paragraph.
If you have forgotten to include any points add
them in.
Using the mark scheme decide which band your
paragraph belongs in.

Activity 4
Developing your response
1 Look at the final line of the poem. Why is the
narrator making this point, do you think?
2 Look at this example of an examination style
question.
Explain how Zephaniah puts forward his point
of view in No Problem. Use examples from the
poem to support your answer.
Write one section on the poets use of language and
form that could be included in your answer.

The narrator in No Problem is a victim of racism

and bullied because of it. He is portrayed as
intelligent: I am born academic / But they got me
on de run / Now I am branded athletic. This
suggests that his academic progress is suffering
because of the bullying he undergoes.