Writing About Poetry for IAS

7/24/2019 Writing About Poetry for IAS

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Writing about poetry for IASWriting about poetry for IAS

Here is a basic structure you could use to ensure you cover allthe necessary points for the poetry question. You can play with

the layout of this structure.

I suggest a six-paragraph essay with an additional introductionand conclusion.

The six paragraphs will be divided into three sections, with twoparagraphs per section.

Introduction:

- Briey introduce each of the poe!s and how you intend toapproach"interpret the the!e.

- How does each poe! show the the!e"issue referred to in thequestion#

Section A: How both poe!s explore the the!es in si!ilar or di$erent waysthrough language#

- %aragraph & ' The!e showed through use of language in poe! &- %aragraph ( ' The!e showed through use of language in poe! (

Section B: How both poe!s explore the the!es in si!ilar or di$erent ways

through imagery #

- %aragraph ) ' The!e showed through imagery in poe! &- %aragraph * ' The!e showed through imagery in poe! (

Section C: How both poe!s explore the the!es in si!ilar or di$erent waysthrough techniques#

- %aragraph + ' The!e showed through other techniques in poe! &- %aragraph ' The!e showed through other techniques in poe! (

Note: This section can be used to highlight the dierence in the way your poems present the themes through their use of dierent techniques.

Conclusion:

- Briey recap how each poe! presented the the!e

- in bac to the question



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Note: DO NOT introduce new information in your conclusion.

Basic structure of a paragraphBasic structure of a paragraph

1. Topic

– the aspect of the the!e"issue you/ll focus on

2. Technique

– the technique that is used to help show the the!e"issue

. !"idence

– the quote0s1 that shows the technique 234 the!e in thepoe!

#. $eaning

– what the !eaning are the quote and evidencesuggesting

– e$ect on reader can be looed at here

%. Co&pare to and contrast 'ith other poe&

– what connection can be !ade to the other poe! andhow is the treat!ent of the the!e"issue si!ilar ordi$erent.

(. )in* – bac to the the!e"issue in the question



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+ead at &y e,a&ple belo'.

05a!ple Introduction1

Both Nagra’s !oo" we #a$e %oming to Do$er&' and O’Brien’s (antasiaon the theme of )ames *right'+ highlight the social position of an oftenignored marginali,ed other in modern British communities. They show ussilent residents of a country that are denied their speci-c type of Britishidentity+ and+ thereby+ are marginali,ed and reduced to the position of asubordinate other. They do not -t into the traditional idea of what it

means to be British. *hile Nagra loo"s at the hidden and often $ili-ed sian immigrant+ O’Brien loo"s at the ignored and largely forgottenformer' miner.

05a!ple 5ection B paragraphs1

Nagra and O’Brien rely on natural imagery to con$ey their themes. Theimmigrant in !oo" we #a$e %oming to Do$er&' goes about uncloc"ed by national eye'+ while we hardly hear' the miner in O’Brien’s poem. /nfact+ Nagra’s entire poem is directed towards the iconic image of the

chal"ed %lis of Do$er+ which+ for the spea"er in the poem+ is emblematicof true 0nglishness'. The imagery is poignant for the reader here+ as wesee Nagra’s marginali,ed immigrant persona dream of being 1ec"ed by the chal" of Britannia' 2the %lis3 and+ as a result+ ha$e his new 0nglishresidency+ life and identity cemented and anointed by the iconic roc".4imilarly+ in the mines of a Northern 0nglish mining town+ O’Brien presentsus with wor"ers whose $ery identity is wedded to and embedded in thestone and coal of the earth.

The more the miners sin" slowly' into the earth in (antasia on thetheme of )ames *right'+ the more assured they are of their identity and

place within 0nglish society. Their $ery culture 2prints of #edley5s%oming #ome'3 is pasted to this roc" as they descend. 6nfortunately+ therest of British70nglish society cannot see this determination of spirit or their connection to the earth and stone. This national apathy and lac" of awareness can also be seen in the cushy come8and8go tourists' who donot see the immigrants’ arri$al at or connection to the clis. /n these two

poems+ we see immigrants and miners treated dierently and beingmarginali,ed. But ironically+ they are more connected to the natural heart of Britain then those who marginali,e them. They embody the roc" andfoundation on which Britain was and will be built on. Though bothsub9ects inhabit dierent quiet or hidden parts of the British /sles+ both

poets use imagery that -nds it origins in nature+ particularly roc" to

underpin the endurance and presence of these subordinate andmarginali,ed others'.



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-iscuss &y paragraph 'ith the Basic structure of a

paragraph/ 'ith a partner.

Acti"ityActi"ity

0sing a bullet point fro& the &ar* sche&e for thequestion belo' 'rite an ans'er based on the guidein pre"ious pages.

uestion

6o!pare the ways in which poets explore challenging hu!anexperiences in !eisure %entre /s lso a Temple of !earning by 5ueBoyle and one other poe! of your choice fro! oems of the Decade:

n nthology of the (orward Boo"s of oetry ;<<;8;<==.

In your answer, you should consider the following7-

the poets/ develop!ent of the!es- the poets/ use of language and i!agery- the use of other poetic techniques.

3Total for uestion 1 4 2%&ar*s5

$ar* Sche&e



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Chec*list for poetryChec*list for poetry

Question to ask myself for yes or X forno

4o I have a topic to focus on#

4o I identify a technique#

4o I include relevant evidence#

4o I explain the !eaning of the evidence and thetechnique#

4o I connect !y poe!s by co!paring andcontrasting#

4o I lin bac to the question"the!e"issue#

Bonus for higher grades: -------

4o I co!!ent on the writer/s intended e$ects#

4o I use interesting vocabulary#

Have avoided repeating !yself#

Have I used interesting transitions#

Have I e!bedded !y quotations#



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Writing About Poetry for IAS