An Approach to Unseen Poetry

by Andy Fisher

What skills & knowledge are you demonstrating?

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  • How poets use language, form & structure to achieve effects
  • Use of terminology
  • Clear and confident critical style
There are many paths up the mountain

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  • Poems are not puzzles to be solved
  • You may have a different reading to another student
  • If you can support your claims, your reading is as valid as any other
  • Reading is a co-creative process
  • Some readings are more convincing than others!
The Benefits of having a route map

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  • Don't start writing without a plan
  • Reduce your cognitive load by using S.O.P.s
The Route Map

1

Read & annotate the question

2

Read the poem for understanding

3

Read and annotate the poem (planning)

4

Write using the '5 Stepping stones Template'
#1 Read & annotate the question

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  • Explore how the nettles are presented in this poem
  • Explore how the writer presents the parent’s thoughts and feelings in this poem
  • Explore how the writer presents the natural world in this poem
#2 Read the poem for understanding

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Images
What images are created in your mind's eye?
???
What is the subject matter of the poem?
Setting
Where and when is the poem set - how do you now?
Narrator
Whose point of view is being expressed?
Mood/Tone
What is it and how is it established and developed?
#3 Read & annotate the poem (planning)

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  • 5 minutes - fail to plan = plan to fail!
  • Use abbreviations
  • 2 highlighters & pen
  • Arrows to identify patterns
  • Forensic > Macro perspective
  • Keep an eye on the clock
  • It's ok to deviate from the plan with new ideas
#4 The '5 Stepping Stones' Template: introduction

1

Overview & title

2

Form & structure

3

Opening & language

4

Dev. & language

5

Closing & language
The 'Effect Formula'

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Technique
a language or structural feature that is doing 'hard work' in the poem
'The writer uses a simile:
'the ancient bat unfurled like a tatty umbrella in a tempest'
Signpost
this suggests, gives the impression, connotes, emphasises, implies, invites us to… etc.
which emphasises
Intended effect
the reason why you think the poet used this technique (makes us think/feel…)
the creature's vulnerability and age'.
Stepping Stone 1 - Overview & title

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Overview
Identify the poem's setting, narrative perspective & overarching treatment of the topic.
The title
Does it intrigue the reader or give a clear preview of the poem's focus? Analyze how it sets the stage for what follows.
Stepping Stone 2 - Form & structure

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  • The shape of the poem - arm's length & squint
  • What's the meter, rhythm & scansion - and is it consistent?
  • Is there a rhyme scheme?
  • Are the line endings predominantly end-stopped or enjambed?
  • Are there any caesurae?
Stepping Stone 3 - Opening & language

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  • The words or phrases that are doing the 'heavy lifting' in the first lines of the poem
  • Look for use of Figurative language, Aural effects, connotations
  • The opening - initial impressions of the topic
Stepping Stone 4 - Development & language

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  • This section is where the poet builds on the opening impressions we have of the topic
  • If time allows, aim for 4 or 5 techniques employed for effect.
Stepping Stone 5 - Closing & language

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  • How does the poet's language choices bring the topic to a close?
  • How has the focus of the poem shifted since the opening?
  • Express a more resolved reading of the poem if you have one.
Mastering your craft - fine tuning your style
Modal verbs are your friends

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  • ‘This might suggest that’
  • 'This could indicate that…'
Getting personal

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  • This suggests to me that…
  • and I found this image particularly striking…
Know & use terminology

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The Poetry Foundation

Glossary of Terms

A comprehensive glossary of terminology used when writing about poetry. Dip into this and expand your toolbox!

Brief embedded quotations

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  • The narrator says it was 'bitter cold' in the room…
  • The father 'mourned the day/He lost his way' and this…
  • Scannell comments ‘and [he] saw/White blisters’ and this striking image…
Practise, Practise, Practise

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