Reminders and usual gubbins

Hi All,

Just a reminder that I'm not in class tomorrow (19/01) and you will be working on Blackberry Picking in my absence. Please leave the work you do on my desk for me to look over.

If you still have homework to submit, please do so by close of business on Friday, or you will be seriously disadvantaged as far as preparing your PS notes goes.

Next week's draft schedule is:

Monday - Blackberry Picking - further discussion, essay practice.
Tuesday - As Monday.
Wednesday - Bring Romeo and Juliet and both of your poems - we will be learning our quotes!
Thursday - Continued from Wednesday, plus PS notes are due to me. I also have tentative plans for the Close Reading resit to happen this day, so be prepared if this applies to you.

Have a fun and productive weekend,

Ms B

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Evening all,

I've been a bit concerned by the lack of depth in the analysis I'm seeing in the Glasgow Sonnet essays, so I thought I'd have a go at modelling what I'm looking for. Well, kinda...

What you will find, when you press 'read more', are four worked examples of analysis of different techniques from the poem. Now, I'm not one to call a spade a spade when I could call it a manual digging implement, so they're a bit over-wordy, but you'll get the idea I hope ;-)

If nothing else, you can have a laugh at them!

nighty night,

Ms B



Example Analysis – dealing with poverty/ unpleasantness/ unhappiness

“Kettle Whimpers” – Personification/ Sound Effects

A kettle usually whistles, as strong, bright and happy sound. The fact that this one ‘whimpers’ reflects the poverty and unhappiness of the family’s situation. A whimper is an understated, almost furtive sound, which indicates pain and fear. This personification of the kettle mirrors the family’s emotional pain, caused by the deprivation in which they live, and the fear of falling further into destitution. In a literal sense, the fact that the kettle can only muster a ‘whimper’ may suggest that the stove is unreliable (reinforced by the phrase ‘crazy hob’) and old, and that the family’s poverty means that they are unable to replace this most essential of household appliances.

“Play Fortresses/ of brick and bric-a-brac” – Enjambment

At the end of line three, the poet introduces the image of ‘play-fortresses’. Taken on its own, this image is a pleasant one, as it suggests children playing, using their imagination and building ‘forts’ and ‘dens’ in which to have fun. The way the writer has positioned this phrase at the end of the line forces us to pause momentarily in our reading and consider this positive concept. However, the poet’s use of enjambment quickly leads to disillusion, as we learn that these ‘fortresses’ are made of ‘brick and bric-a-brac’, suggesting dangerous and dirty materials. This shows that all the children can play with, essentially, is rubbish, as their families cannot afford to provide them with toys, or even a clean area in which to play. The fact that the enjambment caused us to expect a positive development, but then let us down, makes the image of the children playing in rubble all the more depressing.

“Black block condemned to stand, not crash” – Sound effects/ paradox/ word choice

The poet creates a haunting image of the building itself with the line “Black block condemned to stand, not crash.” The phrase ‘black block’ seems ominous, suggesting an imposing, emotionless monolith, a place with no soul and no hope of escape. The sound effects used in this phrase add to this effect, as the harsh consonants are unforgiving, jarring and powerful, demanding attention. The end of the sentence - ‘crash’- continues this effect with the use of powerful onomatopoeia, a word the reader cannot help but be affected by. The phrase ‘condemned to stand not crash’ is charged with meaning. The phrase ‘condemned’ conventionally means that a building is earmarked for demolition, suggesting a place without hope. However, this building is condemned to stand. It is so devoid of hope, so full of despair, that the worst thing that could happen would be that it remains standing. The impression created is that demolition would be welcome and merciful, but that this building’s ‘punishment’ is its continued existence. The idea of punishment is appropriate, as the word condemned also has connotations of a prisoner sentenced to death. This building is both the prison and the prisoner. Its inhabitants are trapped, ‘condemned’ to live in poverty and squalor, and the building itself, personified by the poet, is ‘condemned’ to continue its miserable, suffocating existence.

“Letting his coughs fall/ thinly into an air to poor to rob” – imagery

Enjambment is used by the poet to draw our attention to the word ‘fall’. The purpose of this is to allow us pause to consider the connotations of the word. Falling suggests losing control, just as the man has lost control of his destiny. The idea of a ‘fall from grace’ is also appropriate, as the family have reached rock bottom, and are now at the nadir of society. The writer’s use of enjambment also emphasises the word ‘thinly’, which clearly suggests poverty, as the family would not be able to adequately feed themselves and care for their health. The final phrase – ‘an air too poor to rob’ – is an effective ending to the poem, as it neatly sums up the abject poverty in which the family live. Even the air is poor, suggesting that even something as fundamental to life as the air we breathe is compromised by the family’s pitiable situation. Morgan also leaves us with the implicit idea that, like the air, the family have nothing of worth to steal: not even thieves – the scum of society – would venture into the oppressive and shunned ‘black block’.

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Forward Thinking

Here's a work plan for the rest of week, and a homework reminder:

Wednesday: Picking our next poem, starting analysis of it.
Thursday: Close reading practice.
Monday: Close reading NAB

Homework

Wednesday 18th - second draft of Personal Study due
Thursday 26th - Personal Study notes due in.

Have Fun!

Ms B

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