S3 Poetry
Engaging Introductions & PEA Advice
Important Reminders:
Introductions serve the following purpose:
To inform the reader of the question.
To alert the reader to how the question will be answered.
To provide the reader with important information about the text and engage them.
You should remember that when writing a critical essay like this you need TTAT: title, type, author and task.
Look at the following example:
During the 1970s, many urban areas withinGlasgow fell into disrepair and as a result of economic depression, several people were left jobless. The depressing scene of a Glasgow tenement block is the focus of the first sonnet in Morgan’s ‘Glasgow Sonnets’ series. In this poem, Morgan explores the suffering faced by those living in Glasgowandthrough imagery and word choice a sombre mood is created throughout.
Look at each sentence in turn. Write down what you feel is the purpose of each line in the introduction – in other words, what information are you given in each line?
Using the example as a model, write your own introduction. Remember that the task must be addressed – one way to do this is to use key words.
Choose a poem in which a particular mood such as joy, anger or sorrow is created.
Show how the poet, by his or her choice of content and skilful use of techniques, conveys this emotion and explain its significance for the overall theme.
Theme – remember that this term is used to describe the ‘message’ of the text. You should think about what the author wanted you to consider when reading the text.
PEA Advice:
Once you have written your introduction you should move on to the main body of your essay in which you will address the question.
Note – the use of the word ‘show’ in the question is very important. This is to remind you that you must analyse the use of techniques and that an important part of your essay is explaining what the poet seems to be suggesting.
Mood! The focus of this essay must be on the ‘feeling’ of the poem and how it adds to its ‘message’. Think about it… why would it be important that we are made to feel angry and upset when reading a poem about war victims?
CHECK! Have you ended each paragraph with a link to the theme?
Example paragraph:
Aim to be THIS GOOD!
Throughout the first ‘Glasgow Sonnet’, Morgan uses imagery to create the dismal and depressing scene of the Glasgow tenements. We are drawn into the inside of a tenement flat, which is described as severely run down and disgusting with ‘roses of mould’ growing upon the wall. Whilst we normally associate ‘roses’ with romance and beauty, the word ‘mould’ creates a gruesome image of the spores spreading and blossoming across the room.At first we might think that this is a joyful and happy image, but this mood is reversed when we realise it is not a flower but a fungus. There is clearly nothing pleasant about this environment; it is ugly, harsh and uninviting. Morgan forces us to think about the lifestyle of those living in Glasgow and the terrible state that people have lived in, even in a modern city.
‘Stealing’
Carol Ann Duffy
Essay Planning Advice:
Before writing your essay, you must make a plan. This plan should follow the following layout for EACH paragraph:
Point – statement which clearly answers the question.
Evidence – introduce a quotation whilst explaining what is ‘happening’ or being described in the text.
Analysis – Explain the meaning of the evidence and what it shows you. Try to explain any effect it has – what it makes you think about or how it makes you feel. You should always keep in mind what the THEME of the text is.
Important Points:
Bear in mind that they question you have to answer clearly mentions MOOD. You have to explain the emotions coming across in the poem, how they are created, and why it’s important for Duffy’s message.
So what moods do we find in this poem?
(1) Angry(2) Depressing(3) Frustrated
(4) Sinister
In the topic sentence for each paragraph (the Point) you should mention a mood.
How are these moods created?
(1) Word choice(2) Imagery(3) Tone
(4) Scene(5) Character(6) Narrative technique
(7) Rhetorical questions(8) Informal/Chatty style.
Each paragraph should include an example of one of the features above. Using this example, you must say how it sets the mood…
One way that you can create clear topic sentences is to combine one of the moods with one of the features: ‘In verse 3, a depressing mood is created through the imagery used.’
Evaluation:
So what is Duffy’s message? In each paragraph, you must try to explain what you think Duffy wishes us to feel and whether she raises any important issues.
This character seems to be someone quite young, who is resorting to crime in order to get attention. His angry actions show his frustration with his life.
This character is angry and bored, but this could be because he/she is very selfish.
This character feels isolated and lonely and has for some reason been cut off from friends, family, society.
Duffy seems to be suggesting that when we aren’t given something positive and productive to do, we can resort to violence.
Duffy seems to want us to feel some sympathy for this character, perhaps so that we understand it maybe isn’t his/her fault that he/she commits these crimes. Society has made him/her this way.
After you have introduced and explained the meaning/effect of your evidence you should make sure that you write something similar to the examples above.
The marker wants to see that you have engaged with the message of the poem and that you have thought about the issues it raises.
Example Paragraph:
In the second verse of the poem, the mood becomes increasingly sinister and depressing as the character describes stealing the snowman. The word choice is very important as it reflects his angry and violent behaviour. When describing the snowman, instead of it sounding inhuman, it becomes like a corpse, brutally murdered. Whilst moving the snowman we are told that the character carried ‘his torso’ and that the coldness of it hurt as it was ‘piercing my gut’. Using body parts to describe the snowman makes his actions seem closer to murder than a silly prank whilst saying that the coldness of the snowman was ‘piercing’ also adds to this idea of violence. Whilst at the beginning of the poem the character seems odd and a little peculiar, he/she now appears more sinister and scary as the action of stealing the snowman seems more about causing pain than having fun. Duffy seems to want us to feel afraid of this character so that we think about start to question what has made this person feel so angry.