Download - Douglas Stewart 2012
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Granville Boys High School
HSC Standard English
MODULE A: EXPERIENCE THROUGH LANGUAGE
ELECTIVE 2: DISTINCTIVELY VISUAL
THE POETRY OF DOUGLAS STEWART
DISTINCTIVELY VISUAL RUBRIC
In their responding and composing students explore the ways the images we see and/or visualise in texts are created. Students consider how the forms and language of different texts create these images, affect interpretation and shape meaning. Students examine one prescribed text, in addition to other texts providing examples of the distinctively visual.
For this module the prescribed text you will be studying is the poetry of Douglas Stewart, in this booklet. You will also be studying TWO related texts that relate to the concept and rubric of “Distinctively Visual”.
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CONTENTS:Timeline of study_____________________ Page 3
Assessment Tasks_____________________ Page 4
Essay Marking Criteria_________________ Page 5
Poems, Related Text and Activities
- Cave Painting______________________ Page 6-10- Lady Feeding the Cats_______________ Page 11-17- Nesting Time______________________ Page 18-23- Wombat__________________________ Page 24-28- The Snow Gum_____________________ Page 29-34 - The Moths_________________________Page 35-39- The Fireflies________________________Page 40-44- Waterlily__________________________ Page 45-49- Related text: Scenic Drive ____________ Page 50-55
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TIMELINE of STUDY: Term 1
WEEK Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1 No class Introduction to unit and “Cave
Painting”
Lady Feeding the Cats
Lady Feeding the Cats
2 Lady Feeding the Cats
Nesting Time Nesting Time No class Nesting Time
3 Assessment task
preparation
No class Assessment task A
Wombat Wombat
4 Wombat The Snow-gum
The Snow-gum
No class The Snow-gum
5 Assessment task
preparation
No class Assessment task B
The Moths The Moths
6 The Moths The Fireflies The Fireflies No class The Fireflies
7 Assessment task
preparation
No class Assessment task C
Related text: Scenic Drive
Related text: Scenic Drive
8 Related text: Scenic Drive
Waterlily Waterlily No class Waterlily
9 Assessment task
preparation
No class Assessment task
preparation
Assessment task D and EUNIT FINISH
HOMEWORK
You are expected to keep up to date with notes and assessment tasks even if you are absent.
IMPORTANT: If you lose your book you can get a new one, but you are expected to catch up on all work. No extensions will be granted if this occurs.
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ASSESSMENT TASK NOTIFICATION SHEET
ENGLISH FACULTY COURSE: Standard English prescribed text:
Douglas Stewart Poetry
TOPIC: Distinctively Visual
TASK NUMBER: ONE
DUE DATE: Ongoing throughout term 4 2010
A) Wednesday – Week 3 B) Wednesday – Week 5C) Wednesday – Week 7D) Wednesday – Week 9E) Wednesday – Week 9
Further information about these assessments are outlined below.
COURSE WEIGHTINGS:
Part A – In-class essay 15%
Part B – Questions 15%
Part C – In-class essay 20%
Part D – In-class essay 30%
Part E – Study booklet 20%
UNIT WEIGHTING 20% of HSC course
OUTCOMES TO BE ASSESSED: 1, 3, 6 and 7.
1. A student demonstrates understanding of how relationships between composer, responder, text and context shape meaning.3. A student develops language relevant to the study of English.6. A student engages with the details of text in order to respond critically and personally.7. A student adapts and synthesises a range of textual features to explore and communicate information, ideas and values for a variety of purposes,
audiences and contexts.
Part A: In-class essay: How does Douglas Stewart use the distinctively visual to comment on man’s relationship with nature in one poem you have studied.
- You may NOT write on “Cave Painting” - Notes may be brought into the assessment task
Part B: In-class questions: (Questions provided on day of task)- You will be given FIVE questions- You must answer THREE in the time provided- Each answer must be at least 150 words in length- You will receive FULL marks if you attempt THREE questions and reach the word length. It is not dependant on
the quality of your answer
Part C: In-class essay: Compare and contrast how the distinctively visual is used to convey personal perspectives in two poems you have studied.
- You may NOT write on “Cave Painting” - Notes may be brought into the assessment task
Part D: In-class essay: Compare the ways the distinctively visual is created in TWO of Stewarts’ poems and in ONE other related text of your own choosing.
- Notes may NOT be brought into the assessment task - You MAY write on “Cave Painting”
Part E: Study booklet: Complete the study booklet in class and submit at end of unit. You may submit at any time for corrections by your teacher.
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Essay Marking Criteria Mark Ranges
Demonstrates extensive, detailed knowledge, insightful understanding and sophisticated evaluation of the distinctive images found in Stewart’s poetry.
Displays a highly developed ability to describe and analyse a broad range of poetic devices and explain the ways these devices create distinctive images and shape meaning.
Demonstrates a sophisticated ability to compose an interpretive, critical and sophisticated response, appropriate for audience and purpose.
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AHighly
Developed
Demonstrates detailed knowledge, insightful understanding and sophisticated evaluation of the distinctive features found in Stewart’s poetry.
Displays a well developed ability to describe and analyse a broad range of poetic devices and explain the ways these devices create distinctive images and shape meaning.
Demonstrates an insightful ability to compose an interpretive, critical and sophisticated response, appropriate for audience and purpose.
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BWell
Developed
Demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding and sophisticated evaluation of the distinctive features found in Stewart’s poetry.
Displays an ability to describe and analyse some poetic devices and explain the ways these devices create distinctive images and shape meaning.
Demonstrates a sound ability to compose an interpretive, critical and sophisticated response, appropriate for audience and purpose.
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C
Developed
Demonstrates a generalised knowledge and understanding of the distinctive features found in Stewart’s poetry.
Displays an ability to describe a limited range of poetic devices and explain the ways these devices create distinctive images and shape meaning.
Demonstrates a generalised ability to compose an interpretive, critical and sophisticated response, appropriate for audience and purpose.
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DDeveloping
Demonstrates elementary knowledge and understanding of the distinctive features found in Stewart’s poetry.
Displays no ability to describe poetic devices and explain the ways these devices create distinctive images and shape meaning.
Demonstrates an elementary ability to compose an interpretive, critical and sophisticated response, appropriate for audience and purpose.
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ENot Developed
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POEM 1: Cave Painting
Look there are dark hands in the black rock,
Man’s hands, woman’s hands, child’s hands hiding in a cave,
Shadows of hands, but with such a living look
They seem to waver and beckon, they seem to move
In a language of gesture startling and piercing as speech.
Up from the green water here we clambered
Say the hands and the bodies of the hands, to hold and to touch,
And here we camped, and here we shall be remembered.
And they are so close and yet so far and wild
They seem to breathe and speak for all humanity
Who made their camp so, man and woman and child,
And flowed with the green river down to infinity;
And beautifully and terribly they wave
In the black rock, like hands alive in a grave.
Cave Painting: Glossary
Waver – sway, shake or tremble
Beckon – to signal or summon
Startling – disturbing, surprising
Clambered – climbed
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POEM 1: “CAVE PAINTING” ACTIVITIES
OVERVIEW: Write a brief summary of the poem
Cave Painting by Douglas Stewart details a distinctive image of aged hand prints on a cave wall.
THREE LEVEL GUIDE QUESTIONS
“Cave Painting” Question set 1.
LEVEL 1
1. What are the ‘dark hands in the black rock’?
The ‘dark hands in the black rock’ are painted hand prints.
LEVEL 2
2. Who made the hand prints?
It is inferred that the hand prints were made by Aboriginal Australians.
3. What is distinctive about the use of the word ‘in’?
The word ‘in’ is distinctive because usually the word ‘on’ would be used. This implies the hand prints are part of the cave wall.
LEVEL 3
4. What does this image connect humanity with? And how does it do it?
Stewart has created an image of hand prints ‘in’ the rock rather than on the rock. This deliberate word choice suggests that humanity once had a deep and unbreakable bond with nature.
CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
In the first line of the poem Cave Painting by Douglas Stewart, a distinctive visual image is created through specific word choice: ‘…dark hands in the black rock.’ The ‘dark hands’ refer to
Aboriginal hand prints on a cave wall. The word ‘in’ is distinctive because usually the word ‘on’ would be used. This implies the hand prints are part of the cave wall. This deliberate word choice suggests that humanity once had a deep and unbreakable bond with nature.
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“Cave Painting” Question set 2.
LEVEL 1
1. What is distinctive about the first line of the second stanza“And they are so close and yet so far and wild”?
The first line of the second stanza seems to contradict itself.
LEVEL 2
2. To what image does the word “they” refer?
The word ‘they’ refers to Aborigines of the past.
3. Explain how the hands are both close and yet far away at the same time.
The hands are physically close because the persona can see them. However, they are symbolically far away because those that left them on the wall have long since disappeared.
LEVEL 3
4. What does this imply about how humans have changed from when “cave painting” was
made?
This dual image implies that when the hand prints were made, humanity had a deep connection with nature that is slowly disappearing. This loss should be cause for concern.
CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
The first line of the second stanza seems to contradict itself, “And they are so close and yet
so far and wild”. This is deliberate in creating a dual image for the reader. The hands are physically close because the persona can see them. However, they are symbolically far away because those that left them on the wall have long since disappeared. This dual image implies that when the hand prints were made, humanity had a deep connection with nature that is slowly disappearing. This loss should be cause for concern.
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“Cave Painting” Question set 3.
LEVEL 1
1. What technique is used in the line ‘like hands alive in a grave’?
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LEVEL 2
2. Describe the mood this image creates
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3. What does this image symbolise?
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LEVEL 3
4. What judgement about how humanity has changed is implicit in Stewart’s final image?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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QUESTION: How does Douglas Stewart use the distinctively visual to comment on man’s relationship with nature?
Douglas Stewart uses the forms and features of poetry to create distinctive images that comment on man’s relationship with nature. The poem “Cave Painting” uses specific language choices, dual images, symbolism and _ _ _ _ _ _ to create an image that implicitly grieves over man’s diminishing relationship with nature.
In the first line of the poem Cave Painting by Douglas Stewart, a distinctive visual image is created through specific word choice: ‘…dark hands in the black rock.’ The ‘dark hands’ refer to
Aboriginal hand prints on a cave wall. The word ‘in’ is distinctive because usually the word ‘on’ would be used. This implies the hand prints are part of the cave wall. This deliberate word choice suggests that humanity once had a deep and unbreakable relationship with nature. It is this relationship that Stewart laments the degradation as the poem continues.
The first line of the second stanza seems to contradict itself, “And they are so close and yet
so far and wild”. This is deliberate in creating a dual image for the reader. The hands are physically close because the persona can see them. However, they are symbolically far away because those that left them on the wall have long since disappeared. This dual image is therefore commenting and lamenting the ever increasing gap between humanity and the natural world.
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In conclusion Stewart has used the forms and features of poetry to create the distinctive image where the hands of the past are fused with black rock. This image comments on man’s past intimate relationship with nature, and laments its continuing degradation over time.
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POEM 2: Lady Feeding the Cats
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Shuffling along in her broken shoes from the slums,
A blue-eyed lady showing the weather’s stain,
Her long dress green and black like a pine in the rain,
Her bonnet much bedraggled, daily she comes
Uphill past the Moreton Bays and the smoky gums
With a sack of bones on her back and a song in her brain
To feed those outlaws prowling about the Domain,
Those furtive she-cats and those villainous toms.
Proudly they step to meet her, they march together
With an arching of backs and a waving of plumy tails
And smiles that swear they never would harm a feather.
They rub at her legs for the bounty that never fails,
They think she is a princess out of a tower,
And so she is, she is trembling with love and power.
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Meat, it is true, is meat, and demands attention
But this is the sweetest moment that they know
Whose courtship even is a hiss, a howl and a blow.
At so much kindness passing their comprehension
– Beggars and rogues who never deserved this pension –
Some recollection of old punctilio
Dawns in their eyes, and as she moves to go
They turn their battered heads in condescension.
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She smiles and walks back lightly to the slums.
If she has fed their bodies, they have fed
More than the body in her; they purr like drums,
Their tails are banners and fountains inside her head.
The times are hard for exiled aristocrats,
But gracious and sweet it is to be queen of the cats.
Lady Feeding the Cats: Glossary
shuffling – dragging the feet while walking
slums – poor, overpopulated urban areas
bonnet – a hat to keep off the sun
bedraggled – messy, limp, dirty
Moreton Bay - type of fig tree
Domain - public park in Sydney near the Art Gallery of NSW
furtive – secretive
villainous – bad, wicked – like villains
tom – a male cat
plumy – like feathers
bounty – a payment or a reward
comprehension - understanding
rogues - bad guys, rascals
pension – benefit, compensation
recollection – memory
punctilio – a small detail of procedure, a point of good manners
condescension – looking down on someone you think is inferior to you
exiled – sent away from one’s native country for protection
aristocrats – “high class” titled people, eg Dukes and duchesses
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POEM 2 “LADY FEEDING THE CATS” ACTIVITIES
OVERVIEW: Write a brief summary of the poem
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THREE LEVEL GUIDE QUESTIONS
“Lady Feeding the Cats” Question set 1.
LEVEL 1
1. What four words in line 2 demonstrate that the woman is dirty and bedraggled?
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2. What technique is used in the line 3 of the poem, “Her long dress green and black like a pine in the rain”?
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LEVEL 2
3. What does the simile connect the old woman with?
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4. How does the simile transform the image of the old woman?
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LEVEL 3
5. Why has the composer chosen to connect the old woman with nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH (note: focus on using the language of the rubric in your structured paragraph)
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“Lady Feeding the Cats” Question set 2.
LEVEL 1
1. “They think she is a princess out of a tower” in stanza 2 is an example of which literary device?
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2. Who does “they” refer to?
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LEVEL 2
3. What assumptions does the reader make when presented with the image of a princess?
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4. How does this image contrast with the original image of the old woman?
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LEVEL 3
5. How does this image demonstrate the different values of the natural world compared to the human world?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“Lady Feeding the Cats” Question set 3.
LEVEL 1
1. What technique is used in the first line of the poem, “Shuffling along in her broken shoes from the slums”?
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2. Which lines in stanza four create a contrasting image of the old woman’s movement?
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LEVEL 2
3. What is the reader’s feelings towards the image of the woman created in the first line of the poem?
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4. How does the image of the lady change from the first stanza and how does the reader’s feelings also change?
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LEVEL 3
5. What do these images demonstrate about the effect of nature on humans?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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POEM 3: Nesting Time
Oh never in this hard world was such an absurd
Charming utterly disarming little bird,
The mossy green, the sunlit honey-eater
That darts from scribbly-gum to banksia tree
And lights upon the head of my small daughter.
It must decide, for men and birds alike,
As pick-pick-pick it goes with its sharp beak,
If so much trust is possible in Nature;
And back it darts to that safe banksia tree
Then swoops on my own head, the brave wild creature.
It thinks it must have hair to line its nest
And hair will have, and it will chance the rest;
And up and down my neck and then my daughter’s
Those prickly black feet run, that tugging beak,
And loud like wind it whirrs its green wing-feathers.
Then take your choice from me or those fair tresses
You darting bird too shy for our caresses;
There’s just this gap in Nature and in man
Where birds may perch on heads and pull out hair
And if you want to chance it, well, you can.
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Nesting Time: Glossary
Absurd – strange, bizarre, funny
Disarming – taking away one’s weapons or bad thoughts
Tresses – long hairs
Darting – moving suddenly and forcefully
Perch – to sit lightly like a bird on a branch
POEM 3: “Nesting Time” ACTIVITIES
OVERVIEW: Write a brief summary of the poem
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THREE LEVEL GUIDE QUESTIONS
“Nesting Time” Question set 1.
LEVEL 1
1. Which two words are being used to personify the honey-eater?
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2. What two adjectives are used to connect the bird with nature?
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LEVEL 2
3. By using personification and these specific adjectives, how is the reader made to feel about this image of the bird?
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4. How does this image contrast with the ‘hard world’ described in the first line?
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LEVEL 3
5. What does this contrast tell us about how Stewart views man’s relationship with nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“Nesting Time” Question set 2.
LEVEL 1
1. What visual image occurs twice in the poem?
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2. What technique is Stewart using in this image? (when an image represents something else)
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LEVEL 2
3. How does this image help create a playful and affectionate tone?
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4. Why does the honey-eater feel confident enough to land on the girls head?
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LEVEL 3
5. What does this image symbolically suggest about humans reconnecting with nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“Nesting Time” Question set 3.
LEVEL 1
1. What does the persona want to do to the bird in the last stanza? (Use a quote)
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LEVEL 2
2. Why doesn’t the persona do what he wants to do?
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3. What line most clearly shows the disconnection between man and nature?
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LEVEL 3
4. How does this image show the possibility about a new connection forming between man and nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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POEM 4: Wombat
Ha there! old pig, old bear, old bristly and gingery
Wombat out of the red earth peering gingerly
Was there some thud of foot in the mist and the silence
That stiffens whisker and ear in sound’s fierce absence,
Some smell means man?
I see the dewdrop trembling upon the rushes,
All else is the mist’s now, river and rocks and ridges.
Poor lump of movable clay, snuffling and blinking,
Too thick in the head to know what thumps in your thinking,
Rears in the rain –
Be easy, old tree-root’s companion; down there where your burrow
Dips in its yellow shadow, deep in the hollow,
We have one mother, good brother; it is Her laughter
That sends you now snorting and plunging like red flood-water
To earth again.
Wombat: Glossary
bristly – thick with stiff hairs
gingerly – to move with caution
rushes – plants that grow in fresh water
ridges – long narrow range of hills
snuffling – breathing noisily
hollow – an empty space
snorting – breathing heavily like a horse or a pig
plunging – diving, sinking heavily
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POEM 4: “Wombat” ACTIVITIES
OVERVIEW: Write a brief summary of the poem
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THREE LEVEL GUIDE QUESTIONS
“Wombat” Question set 1.
LEVEL 1
1. What technique is used in line 1 of the poem?
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2. What is being described?
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LEVEL 2
3. Describe the image this creates.
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4. Describe the tone this image creates.
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LEVEL 3
5. What does this tone and image imply about man’s perceived relationship with the natural world?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“Wombat” Question set 2.
LEVEL 1
1. The word “thud” in line three is an example of which literary device?
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2. “Some smell means man?” is an example of which literary device?
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LEVEL 2
3. What emotion is the wombat feeling in these lines?
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4. How does this contrast with the persona’s feelings in line 1? (Question set 1)
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LEVEL 3
5. What do these contrasting images say about mankind’s relationship with nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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POEM 5: The Snow-Gum
It is the snow-gum silently,
In noon’s blue and the silvery
Flowering of light on snow.
Performing its slow miracle
Where upon drift and icicle
Perfect lies its shadow.
Leaf upon leaf’s fidelity,
The creamy trunk’s solidity,
The full-grown curve of the crown,
It is the tree’s perfection
Now shown in clear reflection
Like flakes of soft grey stone.
Out of the granite’s eternity,
Out of the winter’s long enmity,
Something is done on the snow;
And the silver light like ecstasy
Flows where the green tree perfectly
Curves to its perfect shadow.
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The Snow Gum: Glossary
drift – a gentle fall
fidelity – faithfulness
enmity – thinking of someone as an enemy
ecstasy – strong pleasure and happiness
POEM 5: “The Snow-Gum” ACTIVITIES
OVERVIEW: Write a brief summary of the poem
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THREE LEVEL GUIDE QUESTIONS
“The Snow-Gum” Question set 1.
LEVEL 1
1. Describe the light in the first stanza of the poem.
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LEVEL 2
2. How does the word “miracle” transform the image of the tree standing in the light?
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LEVEL 3
3. What does this image sugest about the composer’s feelings towards nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“The Snow-Gum” Question set 2.
LEVEL 1
1. What parts of the tree are specifically described in the second stanza?
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LEVEL 2
2. By describing these parts, what is the tree being compared to?
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LEVEL 3
3. How has Stewart used specific and explicit language to transform the audience’s appreciation of nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“The Snow-Gum” Question set 3.
LEVEL 1
1. What is the transformation which is occurring in the last stanza of the poem?
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LEVEL 2
2. How is this image similar to the transformation in stanzas one and two?
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LEVEL 3
3. How does this image reflect the transformation of perspective in the responder?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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POEM 6: The Moths
Such a blaze of snow, such a smoke of sleet, such a fume of moths in the air
You’d think a wind of the dusk had swept the blossoming tea-trees bare
But the gust that blew the sunlight out and bade the thrush be silent
Has left the branches glittering white where the dark stream cuts the granite
And still in a whirring hush of wings the bent old tea-tree showers
Storm upon storm of snow-white moths from the midst of its cloud of flowers.
Bursting and foaming, spinning and gushing, secret above the stream,
Nothing is left of the mountains now, nothing is left of time:
Only in depths of space and night there thrusts this ragged bough
And wheeling around its cloud of flowers the galaxies swarm like snow.
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The Moths: Glossary
Sleet – frozen rain
Fume – smoke
Blossoming – flowering
Gust – sudden burst
Bade – told
Thrush – type of bird
Granite – grey rock
Thrusts – pushes hard
Bough – tree branch
Swarm – group together like insects
POEM 6: “The Moths” ACTIVITES
OVERVIEW: Write a brief summary of the poem
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THREE LEVEL GUIDE QUESTIONS
“The Moths” Question set 1.
LEVEL 1
1. What technique is used in the first 2 lines of the poem?
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2. Describe the image that this creates.
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LEVEL 2
3. How does this image change the responder’s perception of moths?
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LEVEL 3
4. Why does Stewart depict the moths in such a way?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“The Moths” Question set 2.
LEVEL 1
1. What type of words are used to create imagery in the first 2 lines of the second stanza?
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LEVEL 2
2. What type of images to these words create?
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3. How do these images build on the image that has been created in the first stanza?
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LEVEL 3
4. What do these images tell us about Stewart’s feelings about nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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POEM 7: The Fireflies
But they are moving steadily, the height of a man,
Like a man among the dark trees holding a lantern
A clear small floating flame with a tinge of green,
Many small flames, all climbing the stony mountain,
Like an invisible army; but no footfalls move
Over the soft red dust, so shadow ruffles
The yellow-box-trees that the silver phalangers love;
Oh there are no men here, there are only the fireflies,
Steadfast and radiant travelling over the spur
Where the hot earth lies heavy in dust and silence;
But indeed oh indeed some army is moving here,
Some invisible power flashing in points of brilliance
Unraveling over the earth its unearthly plans,
Uncanny to meet at night among the stones.
Fireflies: Glossary
ruffles - disturbs the even surface of something
tinge - faint colour
phalangers – marsupials living in trees (e.g. possum)
steadfast – steady, fixed in place
radiant – giving light, shiny
unravelling - undoing
uncanny – mysterious, a rousing fear or dread
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POEM 7: “The Fireflies” ACTIVITIES
OVERVIEW: Write a brief summary of the poem
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THREE LEVEL GUIDE QUESTIONS
“The Fireflies” Question set 1.
LEVEL 1
1. What is the first word of the poem (which is later repeated at the beginning of another line)?
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2. Who is the word ‘they’ referring to?
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LEVEL 2
3. How does this word choice affect the image of the fireflies?
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LEVEL 3
4. What comment is Stewart making about the difficulty in capturing images of nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“The Fireflies” Question set 2.
LEVEL 1
1. What technique is being used when the fireflies are being referred to as an ‘army’?
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2. What other words in the poem support the image of the fireflies as an army?
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LEVEL 2
3. What connotations arise from the fireflies being described in this way?
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4. How does this complement the technique discussed in the previous set of questions (the word ‘but’ being used to create a sense of movement or flow)?
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LEVEL 3
5. What is Stewart implying about nature in viewing the fireflies as so much more than just insects?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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POEM 8: Waterlily
Look, look, there is an angel in the fishpond,
It wakes its yellow wings above the water;
Or say the naked moon came down to bathe here
And dipped her toe in weeds and so we caught her;
Or say the sun fell in and sprang up yellow,
Or say that mud’s in flower today – no matter:
All images and fancies coalesce and cancel
In mystery at last; it is an angel,
And moves its yellow wings above the water.
*Coalesce – to grow together, to unite
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POEM 8: “WATERLILY” ACTIVITIES
OVERVIEW: Write a brief summary of the poem
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THREE LEVEL GUIDE QUESTIONS
“Waterlily” Question set 1.
LEVEL 1
1. What is being described in the poem?
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2. What is the religious metaphor that this natural object is being compared with in the first line of the poem?
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LEVEL 2
3. How does this use of language transform the mundane?
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LEVEL 3
4. Why has the author chosen to use a religious metaphor to describe the mundane/natural?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“Waterlily” Question set 2.
LEVEL 1
1. What three additional metaphors does Douglas Stewart use to describe the waterlily?
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Level 2
2. What do these three metaphors have in common?
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3. How are these metaphors different from that of the angel?
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Level 3
What is implied about Stewart’s feelings towards nature by returning to the image of the angel?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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RELATED TEXT: “SCENIC DRIVE” ACTIVITIES
OVERVIEW: Briefly describe the picture.
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THREE LEVEL GUIDE QUESTIONS
“Scenic Drive” Question set 1.
LEVEL 1
1. What is depicted in the billboards?
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2. What is the title of the text?
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LEVEL 2
3. Why is this ironic?
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LEVEL 3
4. What comment does this visual irony make about man’s relationship with nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH (note: focus on using the language of the rubric in your structured paragraph)
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“Scenic Drive” Question set 2.
LEVEL 1
1. Are the cars personal vehicles or industrial vehicles?
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2. Describe the waste in the picture.
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LEVEL 2
3. What is implied by the type of vehicles and rubbish in the image?
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LEVEL 3
4. How is this intended to make the audience react?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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“Scenic Drive” Question set 3.
LEVEL 1
1. With what is the clutter of the rubbish juxtaposed?
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LEVEL 2
2. What does this visual technique imply about the reasons for the futuristic wasteland?
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LEVEL 3
3. How is this intended to help the responder to close the gap between humanity and nature?
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CONVERT YOUR ANSWERS INTO A STRUCTURED PARAGRAPH
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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