GCSE English and English Literature

Revision(to be used in conjunction with the Revision Booklets)

GCSE English Paper 2

Poems from Different Cultures

Cluster One

The contexts

Some of the poems have specific contexts that you need to understand in order to access the poem. What do you know about the following contexts?

Slavery

Apartheid

The Caribbean and London

Water in a drought ridden country

The American Dream

Scorpions

Vultures

The Holocaust

The Vietnam War

How Well Do You Know Your Poems?

• What is the title of the poem about water?

• What is the title of the poem about the Vietnam War?

• What is the title of the poem about apartheid?

How Well Do You Know Your Poems?

• What is the title of the poem about a scorpion?

• What is the title of the poem about slavery?

• What is the title of the poem about the holocaust?

How Well Do You Know Your Poems?

• What is the title of the poem about a Caribbean Man who lives in London?

• What is the title of the poem that is about the American Dream?

How Well Do You Know Your Poems?

What poem do the following words belong to?

‘the voice of a kindly god’

‘all the bones were charred’

Long dark night is the silence in front of me’

May he sit still, they said

The Poets

Which poem did they write?

• What poem did Chinua Achebe write?• What poems did Grace Nichols write?• What poems did Lawrence Ferlinghetti write?• What poem did Denise Levertov write?• What poem did Edward Kamau Braithwaite write?• What poem did Imtiaz Dharker write?• What poem did Nissim Ezekiel write?• What poem did Tatamkhulu Afrika write?

Edward Kamau Braithwaite

Tatamkhulu Afrika

Grace Nichols

Imtiaz Dharker

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Nissim Ezekiel

Chinua Achebe

Denise Levertov

Themes

• Which poems use animals as there central theme?

• Which poems use ‘injustice in society’ as their central theme?

• Which poems use inequality as their central theme?

• Which poems use miracles as their central theme?

• Which poems use the theme of parents and children?

• Which poems use change as their central theme?

• Which poems use the theme of racism?

The list of themes is not-definitive: can you think of any more?(See past papers for an extensive range of themes)

Poetry ComparisonExam Style

There is a recipe for success when answering a question on your poetry Cluster in the exam.

Answering a poetry question

Chinua Achebe has used an animal to convey his message. How effectively has

he and one other poet used an animal effectively to convey their message?

1. Choose your poem to compare2. Brainstorm how effectively they have

used animals. Use the ideas on your brainstorm in your response

Secrets to Success

Always:• Use formal language• Use a range of connectives• Use paragraphs• Refer back to the question at least once

per paragraph• Use a quote in each paragraph• Write about both poems together• Place quotes of three words or more on a

separate line

Paragraph 1/Part One

Write about:• The poets• The contexts• The titles• The narrators• The contents (as in what literally

happens)

Part 2Very important part of the essay, this is likely to be more than one paragraph:

• Language and the effectS of language

Only write about quotes which are linked to the question and the more effects you can write about the higher the grade

For example:

In Night of the Scorpion, the poet compares the scorpion to the devil,‘the Evil One’.

This is an effective metaphor because it clearly and unarguably shows how dangerous the scorpion was, how life threatening. In addition, by comparing the scorpion to Satan the poet is emphasising the primitive nature of the culture in its extreme belief in the power of good and evil. However, it is perhaps unfair to assume that this society (who live in huts) are completely primitive in that perhaps they are correct to focus heavily on the battle between good and evil, it may be that, we, in Western society have become ignorant of such boundaries.

Paragraph 3

This should be about:

• Rhyme and rhythm and effects• Themes and effects

Only write about this in relation to the question

Paragraph 4

This should be about:

• The overall messages of the poets in relation to the question

Paragraph 5

This should be about:

• The conclusion

(sum up and analyse the question, answering it)