Timothy Winters by Charles Causley

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Timothy Winters by Charles Causley

‘Timothy Winters'Timothy Winters comes to school With eyes as wide as a football-pool, Ears like bombs and teeth like splinters: A blitz of a boy is Timothy Winters.

His belly is white, his neck is dark, And his hair is an exclamation-mark. His clothes are enough to scare a crow And through his britches the blue winds blow.

When teacher talks he won't hear a word And he shoots down dead the arithmetic-bird, He licks the pattern off his plate And he's not even heard of the Welfare State.

Timothy Winters has bloody feet And he lives in a house on Suez Street, He sleeps in a sack on the kitchen floor And they say there aren't boys like him anymore.

Old Man Winters likes his beer And his missus ran off with a bombardier, Grandma sits in the grate with a gin And Timothy's dosed with an aspirin.

The welfare Worker lies awake But the law's as tricky as a ten-foot snake, So Timothy Winters drinks his cup And slowly goes on growing up.

At Morning Prayers the Master helves for children less fortunate than ourselves, And the loudest response in the room is when Timothy Winters roars "Amen!"

So come one angel, come on ten Timothy Winters says "Amen Amen amen amen amen."

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Timothy Winters, Lord. Amen

Introduction

‘Timothy Winters’In the poem ‘Timothy Winters’ by Charles Causley the delicate issue of domestic abuse is used very well. Charles Causley uses symbolism well, throughout the poem you can find symbolism, imagery, simile and connotation.The plot of the poem concerns the welfare of a boy called Timothy Winters. He lives in constant fear and neglect. He comes to school to escape home life. Although he does not seem to enjoy the lessons, in his opinion school is better than being at home where he witnesses and suffers domestic abuse.The poem was written in the 1950’s. It contains some ‘old-fashioned’ words like football-pool/ bombardier. Those days these words were commonly used, nowadays they are rarely used.However, the plot of the poem is still relevant to modern society.This poem will make the reader think of children in similar situations to Timothy. "People always ask me whether this was a real boy. My God, he certainly was. Poor old boy, I don't know where he is now. I was thunderstruck when people thought I'd made it up! -he was a real bloke. Poor little devil." (Charles Causley)

Charles Stanley Causley ( 24 August 1917 – 4 November 2003) was a  poet, schoolmaster and writer. His work is noted for its simplicity and directness. He worked as a teacher at a school in Launceston, Cornwall, the same school he attended as a pupil.His poems for children were popular, and he used to say that he could have lived comfortably on the fees paid for the reproduction of "Timothy Winters":

ERK standardsA2-B1 level: VMBO-TL, 4th year and Havo-VWO 2nd and 3rd yearAge: from 12-15 years.This poem could appeal to all ages.

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Vocabulary

SymbolismThe practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character.

SimileA figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”.

MetaphorA figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.”.

ImageryThe formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, or of such images collectively:the dim imagery of a dream.

Connotationa. the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression inaddit

ion to its explicit or primary meaning: A possible connotation of“home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.”.

b. the act of connoting; the suggesting of an additional meaning for aword or expression, apart from its explicit meaning.

2. something suggested or implied by a word or thing, rather than being explicitly named or described:“Religion” has always had a negative connotation for me

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Reading targets

Enjoyment in reading a poem Extensive reading in reading comfort zone:

Overall understandingFluent reading of an easy textSome comprehensive questions Some use of dictionary

Reflecting on the poem in different ways: Conversation about the plotRecognition of similesAnalyzing the used similes Using sense associations

Learning objectives

The student can create an understanding of child abuse/ children growing up in difficult situations

The student can express about and reflect upon the plot and characters of the poem

The students get familiar with simile The student can recognize similes in a text The students can reflect upon the used similes in the poem The student can describe and explain their sense associations of the

poem The student can use similes in a short text/poem

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Pre-reading activity

Goal: The students get familiar with simile

Material:DigiboardStudents: paper and pen

Teacher: Draw an egg-shaped head on the boardSay: “a head like an egg”Continue drawing:For example: Hair like spikes

A mouth like a heart

Ask pupils to write a few similar sentences, related to the head on the piece of paperAsk students to come up to the board and draw their figures of speech (similes)When the head is done continue with the body, arms, legs

When all students have had a turn explain about what they have written on the board: similes

Simile: a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared with ‘like’ or ‘as’, as in “she is like a rose.”.

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‘Timothy Winters’ by Charles Causley

Timothy Winters comes to school With eyes as wide as a football-pool, Ears like bombs and teeth like splinters: A blitz of a boy is Timothy Winters.

His belly is white, his neck is dark, And his hair is an exclamation-mark. His clothes are enough to scare a crow And through his britches the blue winds blow.

When teacher talks he won't hear a word And he shoots down dead the arithmetic-bird, He licks the pattern off his plate And he's not even heard of the Welfare State.

Timothy Winters has bloody feet And he lives in a house on Suez Street, He sleeps in a sack on the kitchen floor And they say there aren't boys like him anymore.

Old Man Winters likes his beer And his missus ran off with a bombardier, Grandma sits in the grate with a gin And Timothy's dosed with an aspirin.

The welfare Worker lies awake But the law's as tricky as a ten-foot snake, So Timothy Winters drinks his cup And slowly goes on growing up.

At Morning Prayers the Master helves for children less fortunate than ourselves, And the loudest response in the room is when Timothy Winters roars "Amen!"

So come one angel, come on ten Timothy Winters says "Amen Amen amen amen amen."

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Timothy Winters, Lord. Amen

Vocabulary

football pool a type of gambling on the outcome of football games

blitz intensive aerial bombingbritches breeches, knee-length trousersWelfare state organisation set up to make sure everyone got

basic carebombardier the member of a bombing plane crewgrate a fireplace helves hammer away at

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While-reading activities

Goals: The student can recognize similes in a text The students can reflect upon the used similes in the poem The student can use similes in a short text/poem The student can describe and explain their sense associations of the

poem

Hand out the poem Timothy Winters

1. The teacher reads the poem Timothy Winters, the students listenThe teacher explains some unknown words

2. The teacher asks the students to listen again and underline the similes they recognize, while listening.

3. The teacher asks the students to silent read the poem and: make notes around the poem about what the similes want to

express predict what will happen to Timothy in a few year's time

4. Conversation/ analysisThe teacher asks the students to read out the similes they have underlined.The teacher asks the students what they think the similes express.The teacher links the similes to the plot of the poem by asking questions.

Example questions:What is the poem about? Please mention some gripping lines in which the topic is made clear.What lines, do you think, describe Timothy and Timothy’s life best? Why?Please mention some similes which support the plot (teacher gives an example)Could you mention the similes which describe Timothy best?The poem was written in 1950s. Do you think the topic is still relevant?Do you know or used to know someone like Timothy?What did/do you feel after having read the poem?

Tell your predictions: what will happen to Timothy?

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5. Sense associations

The teacher writes down sense associations .Asks what senses are, explains when needed.The teacher draws a circle and “Timothy” in the middle.Lines sticking out from the circle link to feel, smell, see, hear (sound), taste, colour, movement (action).The teacher makes a drawing on the board and gives an example of a sense association.

Students copy the drawing on their piece of paper Around TIMOTHY they write their sense associations:

Feel (what do you feel when you think of Timothy?) Smell (what do you smell when you think of Timothy?) See (what to you see when you think of Timothy?) Sound (what do you hear when you think of Timothy?) Taste (what do you taste when you think of Timothy?) Colour (what colour makes you think of Timothy?) Movement/action (what action do you visualise when you think of

Timothy?)

Timothy...Sounds like....Tastes like....Smells like...... etc

Let the students tell about what sense associations they have written down and let them explain why.

6. Watch short film/ lyrics of the poem Timothy Winters

Filmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNahlu02yIg

Lyricshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bOHsTH8g3Y

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Post-reading activities

Goals: The student can use similes in a short text/poem The students enjoy writing short poems

Activities:1. Students write their own short poems, with similes, about

themselves or another student.or

2. The students write a short poem about themselves or another student, each line starts with a letter of their name.

The teacher show examples en let the students choose between the two above mentioned activities.

3. Put all the poems on the classroom walls, great results!!

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Examples 1:

You are like the sweetest grapesYou are like the warmest sunshineYou are like a warm, fluffy sweaterYou are like the ugliest zombieYou are like a spooky, haunted house

“O my Luve's like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June;

O my Luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly played in tune.” R. Burns

“Your feet smell so bad

Just like Limburger cheese

That I’m holding my nose tight

Between my two knees.” 

Examples 2:

Mad like a…

Awesome like a….

X….like a………

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Examples: Chocolate cake is like happiness, you can never get enough of it.”

“Your feet smell so bad

Just like Limburger cheese

That I’m holding my nose tight

Between my two knees.” 

“O my Luve's like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June;

O my Luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly played in tune.”

(R. Burns)

“Friends are like chocolate cake

You can never have too many.

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Sources

Timothy Winters by Charles Causleyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-sNpaD-r4

http://allpoetry.com/Timothy-Winters

http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/timothy-winters

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-simile-poems.html

http://www.quotev.com/story/4725656/Erins-English-homework/4/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bOHsTH8g3Y

http://vorige.nrc.nl//kunst/article1812587.ece/Ik_heb_een_dichter_nodig!

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