On entry:

Think back to all you’ve

learnt about writing effective
poem commentaries.

Write the things you

remember best on the board
as a reminder for others.

Stormcock in Elder – Ruth Pitter

L.O. using your awesome poetry analysis
skills to analyse this 11th poem as if it
were an unseen poem.
 Let’s get started….
• If this were to be an unseen exam, you’d now be
looking at the poem you’ll need to try to understand
and analyse without using my help, the www or a
dictionary.
• What should you be doing first??
• Let’s do that! (= reading twice 1) to work out the
effect on you 2) to find out what the poet is saying)
 So?? What did you think & what is the poet
saying?
• The poet is writing about a bird she used to see in the old
cottage she used to go to on holiday.
• Overall, the poem is supposed to give you an appreciation
for nature.
• Let’s see how she’s done that. Step 2 in your unseen
practice: read again and look closely at language / poetic
devices / structure
 Language / style / poetic devices / structure
(what you might have found)
• The poem is very structured – 7 stanzas of the same line length
and similar rhyme schemes (ABABCC)  similar to ‘In Praise of
Creation’ seems to be connected to order in nature and be in
awe of this world out there.
• The poet seems to want to shut out the world around her (words
like aloof / dark / grope in stanza 1), but the volta at the end of
stanza 1 (But) changes this – heavenly nature finds its way in
(though it’s unaware of her).
 Language / style / poetic devices / structure
(what you might have found)
• Lots of imagery is used to describe the way the bird looks
and sounds, making us share her admiration for the bird
and what it can do.
• There is a clear contrast between the house’s broken
down structure (‘old’ ‘broken’) and the bird (‘polished’
‘glorified’ ‘gold’ ‘silver’ etc) making us realise that nature
is more beautiful than man-made structures.
 What do you do with the many good ideas
you have now?
• Plan the following, then write your essay:
• Phrase a clear thesis that states something about HOW
the author has conveyed certain ideas and emotions to
her audience.
• Make (at least) 3 PEA paragraphs proving this.
• Round off with a conclusion that offers clear insight into
what the poem is about and how is affects the reader.
 The poet – Ruth Pitter
• Ruth Pitter (1897-1992) lived a life of quiet dedication to her
art. She was the first woman to receive the Queen's Gold
Medal for Poetry in 1955, and was appointed a CBE in 1979
to honour her many contributions to English literature.
• Most representative for her poetry is "Stormcock in Elder."
This was written when Pitter was recuperating from an eye
injured at work; it looks back to the tumble-down cottage
where she spent many vacations as a girl.
 Plenary
• Agree or disagree? Choose a corner in the
room!
• I am confident I would have been able to write
a (unseen) commentary about this poem.
• I know how to write a poem commentary.
• I understand this poem well now.

Next lesson you will write an

unseen commentary for a
grade!!!!