by Alfred Noyes You are about to study a poem by Alfred Noyes … · 2020-04-02 · LO: To understand the narrative poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes Now you have a better understanding

LO: To understand the narrative poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

You are about to study a poem by Alfred Noyes about a highwayman. But what is a highwayman you might ask?

From the Tudors to the Georgians

We have looked at King Henry and Lady

Jane Grey in topic. Now we must skip

forward by over 100 years – through the

time of the Stuarts – to the Georgian

period!

Around 110 years Around 120 years

AD 1066 AD 1154 AD 1603

March 1603: Elizabeth I dies and

James VI of Scotland accedes to

the throne.

August 1714: George I becomes King.

June 1837: Queen Victoria I accedes

to the throne.

AD 1485

End of the Tudors/start of the

Stuart period. The start of the

Georgian period. The end of the

Georgian period.

Dick Turpin: The Highwayman

Highwaymen would rob people while they were travelling on the road. This had

already been happening for hundreds of years but highwaymen became a greater

threat during the Stuart and Georgian periods. This was because trade was

increasing and there were more wealthy people who were travelling on the roads.

There were also many areas of forest and countryside where highwaymen could

lie in wait. The pistol had been invented in the 17th century which made it easier

for highwaymen to threaten travellers and force them to give up their money

and possessions.

Britain still did not have a police force, so it was difficult to

catch highwaymen. There were large rewards for their

capture. Most highwaymen were eventually caught

and hanged.

The most famous highwayman was Dick Turpin. He was

born in 1705 in Essex. When he was on the run from being

caught in London, he moved to York and lived under the

name of John Palmer. He was captured and hung in 1739.

Comparing the Sources There were no more highwaymen after

1830. Tales of highwaymen, such as Dick

Turpin, turned into myth and folklore.

Instead of a horrible villain, his reputation

become one of heroism and courage, but

this was not based on the facts.

Do you think that he was a villain or a

hero? Why?

Perhaps ‘Horrible Histories’ can help us to

decide…?

https://youtu.be/WYU-vSh7ORA





Now you have a better understanding about what a highwayman is, read the poem. Read it through once to understand it, then read it through again aloud so that you can hear the rhythm. Miss Hare’s group: • Ask an adult to read the poem to you. • Have a go at reading the poem back to your

adult. • Talk about what happens in the poem.

The Highwayman

Alfred Noyes (1880 – 1958)

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,

The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

And the highwayman came riding-

Riding- riding-

The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.

Part One, I

He’d a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin, A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of doe brown skin;

They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh! And he rode with a jewelled twinkle, His pistol butts a twinkle,

His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

II

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard, And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;

He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there But the landlord’s black-eyed daughter,

Bess, the landlord’s daughter, Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

III

And dark in the old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked; His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,

But he loved the landlord’s daughter, The landlord’s red-lipped daughter,

Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say

IV

“One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I’m after a prize to-night,

But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;

Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,

Then look for me by moonlight,

Watch for me by moonlight,

I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way.”

V

He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand, But she loosened her hair i’ the casement! His face burnt like a brand

As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast; And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,

(Oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!) Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the West.

VI

He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon; And out o’ the tawny sunset, before the rise o’ the moon, When the road was a gypsy’s ribbon, looping the purple moor,

A red-coat troop came marching- Marching-marching-

King George’s men came marching, up to the old inn-door.

Part Two, I

They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead, But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of the narrow bed; Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!

There was death at every window; And hell at one dark window;

For Bess could see, through the casement, the road that he would ride.

II

They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest; They bound a musket beside her, with barrel beneath her breast!

“Now keep good watch!” and they kissed her. She heard the dead man say-

Look for me by moonlight; Watch for me by moonlight;

I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!

III

She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good! She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood! They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,

Till, now, on the stroke of midnight, Cold, on the stroke of midnight,

The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!

IV

The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest! Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,

She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again; For the road lay bare in the moonlight;

Blank and bare in the moonlight; And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love’s refrain.

V

Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs ringing clear; Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear?

Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill, The highwayman came riding,

Riding, riding! The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood up straight and still!

VI

Tlot-tlot in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night! Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!

Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,

Then her fingers moved in the moonlight, Her musket shattered the moonlight,

Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him-with her death.

VII

He turned; he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood Bowed, with her head o’er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!

Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear How Bess, the landlord’s daughter,

The landlord’s black-eyed daughter, Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.

VIII

Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky, With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!

Blood-red were his spurs i’ the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat, When they shot him down on the highway, Down like a dog on the highway,

And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.

IX

And still of a winters night, they say, when the wind is in the trees, When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

A highwayman comes riding- Riding-riding-

A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

X

Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard, And he taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked

and barred; He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be

waiting there But the landlord’s black-eyed daughter,

Bess, the landlord’s daughter, Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

XI

Your task today: • Think about the poem. • Look at the questions on the next few

slides. • Find the relevant part of the poem to help

you to answer the question. • Answer the question on paper or you could

tell an adult and see if they agree. Miss Hare’s group: • Look at the picture on the next slide. • Try to copy it. • Think about what the poem says and draw

all of the missing parts onto your picture. • Try to colour it in correctly if you can.

He’d a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin, A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin. They fitted with never a wrinkle. His boots were up to the thigh. And he rode with a jewelled twinkle, pistol butts a-twinkle, His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.



LO: To understand the narrative poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes (more questions)

LO: To understand the narrative poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes (part two)

LO: To analyse The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

Read through the poem again just to remind yourself of it. Then look through the following slides. They tell you about poetic features. Miss Hare’s group: • Ask an adult to read the poem to you. • Have a go at reading the poem back to your

adult. • Talk about what happens in the poem.

Metaphors

Metaphors describe something by saying it is something else, without using like or as.

The children were silent mice.

The King was a furious lion.

The trees were a prison; trapping the boy.

The stars were diamonds twinkling in the sky.

Now, try writing your own to describe a storm…

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word that is a sound. For example:

Boing went the trampoline as the children

bounced.

The custard pie went slap.

Brum went the car.

Meow replied the cat.


Rhyme

When lines rhyme, the last words on the line have the same end sounds.

The animal I really dig,

Above all others is the pig. Pigs are noble. Pigs are clever, Pigs are courteous. However,

Now, try writing your own to describe a storm that

rhyme with: blow, rain and sun

Repetition

When sections, phrases, sentences or words are repeated. For example:

I stuck my finger up my nose

to see what it contained. I found a bunch of crazy things

that cannot be explained. I found a dozen rubber bands.

I found a piece of string. I found my missing basketball.

I found a playground swing.

What is repeated in this poem?

Alliteration

When initial sounds of words are repeated. For example:

Eat Wisely

Franks and fries, and French fondue

Beans and burgers and biscuits too

Chicken, chili, and cheddar cheese

When I munch too much, I always sneeze!

What food can you think of to alliterate?

Personification

Personification describes something by giving it a human feature.

The ship shivered at the bottom of the sea..

The grass tickled her ankles as she walked.

The sun hid silently behind a hug grey cloud.

The wind dashed silently through the alleyways.


Similes

Similes describe something by comparing one thing to another, always using like, or as.

The children crept, quietly as mice.

The stars sparkled like diamonds in the sky.

The engine roared like a lion.

The wind howled as if it were an angry wolf.


Your job : Look at the poem. Think about MORERAPS and see if you can spot any in the poem. • Metaphors • Onomatopoeia • Rhyme • Emotion • Repetition • Alliteration • Personification • Similes Write down the name of the poetic feature then write your example of it from the poem. Miss Hare’s group, your task is on the next slide:

LO: To analyse The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

Miss Hare’s group only: Look at the pictures and write a sentence about each one in your own words.

LO: To understand and know how to use: similes, metaphors and personification.

Challenge time…

Is this a simile, a metaphor or personification?

The sun was a golden ball in the sky.

Simile Metaphor Personification

Challenge time…


The snow shimmered like glitter.


Challenge time…


The boy was a fierce tiger, prowling through the forest.


Challenge time…


The branches clung on to the girl, refusing to let go.


Ok, now let’s move on…

Think about how each of these sentences make you feel: The car was loud. The car’s engine roared like an angry tiger. Which was most interesting? Which helped you to build a picture in your mind?

And finally, these two…

The children tiptoed quietly.

The children tiptoed, creeping through the house like tiny mice.

Which was most interesting?

Which helped you to build a picture in your mind?

Let’s think about an author…

They write stories for their readers to enjoy, and their readers are going to enjoy their story if the book makes them experience feelings; happiness, sadness, being scared, being shocked. The author will used their descriptions to make the reader experience these feelings and reactions.

Your job today:

• Look the next slides. Write the sentences with metaphors, similes and personification in the spaces.

Some of you who like a challenge (slide A:

• Will need to write the heading on the sheet.

• You will need to look at the nouns under each heading.

• Remember, whatever you are comparing the object to needs to be similar in some way.

•Try not to use clichés.

• Try to compare it to something completely different but similar.

•It might help to think of the sorts of things the noun is used for or does.

Others of you who are finding this a bit tricky (slide B):

• Will need to read the sentences.

•Then decide which of the words to choose to compare the object to.

• Remember, it needs to be compared to something that makes sense.


Your job today: • Look the next slides. Write the sentences with metaphors, similes and personification in the spaces.

Some of you who like a challenge (slide A):

• Will need to write the heading on the sheet.

• You will need to look at the nouns under each heading.

• Remember, whatever you are comparing the object to needs to be similar in some way.

•Try not to use clichés.

• Try to compare it to something completely different but similar.

•It might help to think of the sorts of things the noun is used for or does.

Others of you who are finding this a bit tricky (slide B):

• Will need to read the sentences.

•Then decide which of the words to choose to compare the object to.

• Remember, it needs to be compared to something that makes sense.


Miss Hare’s group:

• Read through the poem again.

• Write down any words that rhyme (the ends of the words sound the same).

Slide A (the mean one).

Similes describe something by comparing it to another using like or as. Write the subtitle similes and underline it. Write a simile to describe the following nouns. Try not to copy the ideas in the poem. The windy day The moon The windy road Metaphors describe something by saying it is something else. Write the subtitle metaphors and underline it. Write a metaphor to describe the following nouns. Try not to copy the ideas in the poem. The bunch of lace at the Highwayman’s neck His red velvet coat The starry sky

Slide A (the mean one).

Personification is giving an object human features or characteristics. Write the subtitle personification and underline it. Write a sentence containing some personification to describe the following nouns. Think about what the nouns do. Try not to copy the ideas in the poem. 1. The shutters that Jess stood behind 2. A marching troop. 3. The knotted rope around Jess’s wrists. ˃Feed forward: Choose a noun from the poem to describe using any of the literary devices that you have used.

Slide B (the nice one).

Complete these sentences using the words underneath. Remember your handwriting! Similes describe something by comparing it to another using like or as. 1. Bess was……………………... like a leaf. 2. During the day, Tim …………………. like a log. 3. The Highwayman tapped on the window as ………………………. as a mouse. 4. The gold shone like the ………… quietly shaking slept sun


Metaphors describe something by saying it is something else. 1. The moon was a ………………………. ball in the sky. 2. The horse was a galloping ……………... 3. Tim’s jealousy was an……………….. volcano, exploding with envy. 4. Her ……………… was a flowing river. machine hair glowing erupting


Personification is giving an object human features or characteristics. 1. The wind …………………… through the trees. 2. The clouds …………………… along in the sky. 3. The inn door ………………….. on its hinges. 4. The rope …………………. Her wrists tightly grabbed raced squealed called

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by Alfred Noyes You are about to study a poem by Alfred Noyes … · 2020-04-02 · LO: To understand the narrative poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes Now you have a better understanding