11 the clown punk
TRANSCRIPT
AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
‘The Clown Punk’
by Simon Armitage
Learning Objectives:
- AO1: Respond to the using details from the poem to support your
opinion
- AO2: Analyse the writers’ methods (language, structure and form) and
the purposes of these methods
Pre-reading ActivityLook at the pictures below and state your initial reaction(s) to the person /
people in the photo. Do not spend more than 5 seconds on each picture.
1 2 3
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
Reaction: Reaction: Reaction:
Overall, what do these people have in common?
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What do they not have in common?
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Why do we automatically judge or fear these people?
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Sex PistolsLook at the following album cover for the Sex Pistols.
What do you think their or other punks’ political views were? Make a note
of your ideas in the space below.
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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SEX PISTOLS
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
“The Sex Pistols were a revolutionary English punk rock band of the mid-1970's. Led by Johnny Rotten. They sought to convey a
political message that the music industry and western society in general were exploiting and conning the young people. Using outrageous
clothing, including Nazi emblems, and more outrageous song lyrics and obscene slang
language they sought to pervade the atmosphere of apathy and reach the minds of the young.”
www.probertencyclopaedia.com
“Their songs attacked everything from the
British royal family to capitalism to politics.”
Dave White
Despite claims from New York, the Sex Pistols are the true originators of punk; no one else had their attitude, balls, or honesty. The Pistols were inspired by anger and poverty, not art and poetry. "An imitation from New York, you're cheese and chalk…"www.sexpistolsofficial.com
Punctuation
Below, you will find a copy of Armitage’s ‘The Clown Punk’. However, it does
not contain any punctuation.
Your task is to listen carefully to your teacher reading the poem and fill in
the gaps with the punctuation where and when you deem appropriate.
driving home through the shonky side of town three times out of ten you’ll see the town clown like a basket of washing that got upand walked towing a dog on a rope but don’t laugh every pixel of that man’s skinis shot through with indelible ink
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
as he steps out at the traffic lights think what he’ll look like in thirty years’ time the deflated face and shrunken scalpstill daubed with the sad tattoos of high punk you kids in the back seat who wince and screamwhen he slathers his daft mush on the windscreen remember the clown punk with his dyed brain then picture windscreen wipers and let it rain
Punctuation
Below, you will find a copy of Armitage’s ‘The Clown Punk’. However, the
punctuation has been replaced with empty squares for you to fill!
Listen carefully to your teacher reading the poem and fill in the gaps with
the punctuation you deem appropriate. On the next page, you will find a list of
punctuation and the amount of times they are used in the poem to help you.
driving home through the shonky side of town three times out of ten you’ll see the town clown like a basket of washing that got upand walked towing a dog on a rope but
Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
don’t laugh every pixel of that man’s skinis shot through with indelible ink as he steps out at the traffic lights think what he’ll look like in thirty years’ time the deflated face and shrunken scalpstill daubed with the sad tattoos of high punk you kids in the back seat who wince and screamwhen he slathers his daft mush on the windscreen remember the clown punk with his dyed brain then picture windscreen wipers and let it rain
Type of punctuation:
How many times it is
used in the poem?Tally:
comma 7 times
full stop 3 times
semi-colon 1 time
colon 1 time
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
dash 1 time
Type of punctuation:
How many times it is
used in the poem?Tally:
comma 7 times
full stop 3 times
semi-colon 1 time
colon 1 time
dash 1 time
‘shonky’
‘pixel’
‘indelible’
‘deflated’
‘daubed’
‘mush’
Translator
rundown
small bit
permanent
depressed
smeared
face
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
First impressions Read the poem.
What are your first impressions of the tone and meaning?
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Draw a representation of the poem Draw an image in the box below conveying the way you feel after reading
the poem. Think about colour, pressure and texture while you draw.
Let’s take a closer look Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think
PEA - point, example, analysis.
Stanza 1
Driving home through the shonky side of town,
three times out of ten you’ll see the town clown,
like a basket of washing that got up
and walked, towing a dog on a rope. But
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
What does the phrase, ‘the shonky side of town’, suggest about the
Clown Punk’s status?
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Note the simile in this stanza:
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What does this simile imply about the Clown Punk? Describe its
effectiveness.
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What do the verbs, ‘driving’, ‘got up’, ‘walked’ and ‘towing’ have in
common?
They are verbs of M _ V _ _ E _ T
Look up this noun in a dictionary. One definition of the word is one that also
denotes ‘revolution’.
Describe the significance and irony of Armitage’s verb choices.
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Why does Simon Armitage end with ‘But’ in the first stanza? What
does it cause you to do? Think about rhythm.
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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Stanza 2
don’t laugh: every pixel of that man’s skin
is shot through with indelible ink;
as he steps out at the traffic lights,
think what he’ll look like in thirty years’ time
What are imperative verbs and what are the effects of Armitage’s use
of them?
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Why does Armitage use a hyphen at the end of the stanza? What
does it cause the reader to do?
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Stanza 3
the deflated face and shrunken scalp
still daubed with the sad tattoos of high punk.
You kids in the back seat who wince and scream
when he slathers his daft mush on the windscreen,
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
Why are the adjectives ‘deflated’ and ‘shrunken’ effective? What are
their connotations?
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Fill the gap in the following sentence:
The poem is written in ___________ person.
What is the effect of this narrative mode?
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Stanza 4
remember the clown punk with his dyed brain,
then picture windscreen wipers, and let it rain.
What does the imperative fourth stanza suggest? What do you think
Armitage is trying to convey?
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When asked about this poem, Armitage said that a man he used to see on
the street influenced him. He stated:
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
‘”I used to see around town quite a lot, who once pressed his face up against the
windscreen of my car while I was stopped at the traffic lights. There's a tradition in
English Literature of writing such poems, where one type of person stands eyeball to
eyeball with another type, and something passes between them.’”
In pairs, discuss the following question: What could be the ‘something’ that
passes between strangers when they are confronted with their differences?
Debate Does Armitage use the clown punk as a warning to society or does he use
him as a sympathetic character?
Task: Form an argument on whether the message is a warning for what
people can become or whether is it a message about having sympathy for the
disadvantaged. Remember to also think about the counterargument and how
you can refute the other points. How does this poem affect your perception
of British culture?
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
Depending on your argument, you may decide to use the following terms:
metaphorsimile emotive language
IMPERATIVE VERBS
anti=establishment
self-inflicted imagery
narrative stance context
Warning Sympathetic Character
My Itchy Toes Smell Loads Complete the table below with what you consider to be the
most important quotes and poetic devices within each
category.
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
meaning
imagery
tone
Structure and Form
language
Comparing poems- AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating
writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects
Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between
the two poems.
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
Exam question Compare the attitudes presented towards a disadvantaged person in
‘The Clown Punk’ and ‘The Hunchback in the Park’
Planning an essay Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for your
essay question. You must include 3 - 5 points of comparison. Number each
point in the order you would write about them in your exam. When you write
your essay, remember to analyse structural and poetic devices for their
effect and meaning. Don’t just list.
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‘The Clown Punk’ ‘The Hunchback in the
Park’
AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
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The Clown Punk
Driving home through the shonky side of town,
three times out of ten you’ll see the town clown,
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
5
10
like a basket of washing that got up
and walked, towing a dog on a rope. But
don’t laugh: every pixel of that man’s skin
is shot through with indelible ink;
as he steps out at the traffic lights,
think what he’ll look like in thirty years’ time -
the deflated face and shrunken scalp
still daubed with the sad tattoos of high punk.
You kids in the back seat who wince and scream
when he slathers his daft mush on the windscreen,
remember the clown punk with his dyed brain,
then picture windscreen wipers, and let it rain.
Simon Armitage
Acknowledgments and thanksWritten by Chantel Mathias and Amanda Fiegel
Introduction and copy by Karen Bishop
Audio file scripts written by Barrie McDermid
Audio file recordings by Barrie McDermid - www.podcastrevision.co.uk
Interactive resources and design by David Riley - www.triptico.co.uk
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE
Images:
travelblog.viator.com
community.videogamer.com
dailyfreep.blogspot.com
whatchrislikes.wordpress.com
http://www.philjens.plus.com - sex pistols b&w
astrospeak.indiatimes.com - swastika
http://www.helpmewithenglish.co.uk - scary window screen man
futility.typepad.com – semi colon
commons.wikimedia.org - colon
Armitage, Simon
‘The Clown Punk’ by Simon Armitage from Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus the Corduroy Kid (Faber,
2006), copyright © Simon Armitage 2006
Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of material reproduced in this collection. If
notified, we will be pleased to rectify any errors / omissions.
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