Parade’s End (P21)

1. LO: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques. Parade’s End (P21) “From gold to the brown of our former colour.” • Make annotations in SMALL writing on the poem: • What connotations does the word “gold” have? (what does it make you think of?) • And “brown”? • EXT: Can you link the quotation to the theme of race? There is a direct link between those students who complete homework and those who achieve B,A and A* in their English GCSE.

2. LO : 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques. Parade’s End (P21) Daljit Nagra comes from a Punjabi background and was born and brought up in West London and Sheffield. He lives in London, and works as a secondary school English teacher. Many of his poems explore the experiences and anxieties of second-generation British-born Indians.

3. SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques. Imagery Imagery 1) What is this line a metaphor for? 4) What does the colour of the car symbolise? What impression might the locals have of this family? Imagery 2) Why has the colloquial “thumbs-up” been used here? Dad parked our Granada, champagne-gold by our superstore on Blackstock Road, my brother’s eyes scanning the men who scraped the pavement frost to the dole, one ‘got on his bike’ over the hill or the few who warmed us a thumbs-up for the polished recovery of our new-sprayed car. Imagery Imagery 3) What does the use of “few” emphasise? 5) Why is the car described as “re-sprayed”? 5a) What has the car come to be a symbol of then?

4. SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques. Imagery Imagery 1) Why does the poet include “council” as well as “mums”? What did he want to highlight? 4) Who are the “darkies”? Poetic Devices Imagery 5) Why has the poet chosen to include Yorkshire dialect here? Who is speaking the dialect and what does it highlight about them? Council mums at our meat display nestled against a pane with white trays swilling kidneys, liver and a sandy block of corned beef, loud enough about the way darkies from down south Come op ta Yorksha, mekkin claaims on aut theh can befor buggrin off theh flash caahs! 2) “Swilling” and “sandy” are very vivid images, what do they suggest to you? Imagery 3) Kidneys, liver and corned beef are all cheap cuts of meat. How does this link to the setting? EXT: Why is it ironic that the council estate mums are so rude?

5. SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques. Imagery Poetic Devices 6) What do the “spread trolleys” create in the dark if they are “spread”? What is this line a metaphor for? 1) Why has enjambement been used on the word “bolted”? What does the word suggest? At nine, we left the emptied till open, clicked the dials of the safe. Bolted two metal bars across the back door (with a new lock). Spread trolleys at ends of the darkened aisles. Then we pressed the code for the caged alarm and rushed the precinct to check it was throbbing red. Imagery 2) Why have two metal bars been used? Tone / voice Structure Poetic Devices 5)What atmosphere and tone has been created by this stanza? Which words tell you this? 3)Why has the poet chosen to use brackets as punctuation? 4) Why has the alarm been described as “throbbing red”? What technique has been used?

6. SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques. Imagery Imagery Poetic Devices 2) What does the word “graffiti” tell us about the area ? 1) Why has Nagra chosen to use “thundering”? What effect does it create? 3) What technique has been used here? Why? Thundering down the graffiti of shutters against the valley of high-rise flats. Ready for the getaway to our cul-de-sac’d semi-detached, until we stood stock –still: watching the car skin pucker, bubbling smarts of acid. In the unstoppable pub-roar from the John O’Gaunt across the forecourt. Structure 4) What effect is created by the use of the colon? Poetic Devices 5) What technique has been used here? Why is it effective? Rhythm / Rhyme Rhyme: Does the poem have a set, regular rhyme scheme? Why do you think this is?

7. SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques. Imagery Ideas 1) What is this line a metaphor for? What themes and messages are conveyed within the poem? We returned up to the shop, lifted a shutter, queued at the sink, walked down again. Three of us, each carrying pans of cold water. Then we swept away the bonnet-leaves from gold to the brown of our former colour. Tone / Voice 2) Read the last line? How would you describe the tone and voice of the speaker here? Is this different to the beginning of the poem? Structure 3) Why is the last stanza 5 lines long, when the others are 7?

8. SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques. You now have 10 minutes to do the following: Use 1 piece of A4 lined paper and create a SPIRIT grid. Put the letter in the margin Add notes what of you have observed about the poem to each column Tips! Use your annotations from your anthology to help you. Don’t write in full paragraphs – the point is to get quick, important notes down By the end of this term you will be able to do this in 5 minutes!

9. SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques. Revision homework for next lesson: compose a three paragraph answer to the question below, Bring in typed or written up, ready to be added to your anthology. How does Nagra use violent / threatening imagery to express his views? Structure Poetic Devices Imagery Rhythm /Rhyme Ideas Tone