Flag

A cloth is a common everyday household item; perhaps by comparing the flag to a cloth the poet is suggesting that the flag’s reach is in every household and is commonplace, therefore its effects on a nation are far reaching.

Just as a cloth is commonplace and linked to the flag – the flag incites conflict. By linking the flag and the cloth, the author is suggesting that ultimately conflict (incited by the flag) is futile as a cloth is.

Each stanza starts with a question and followed quickly by a rebuttal – is this showing that national pride represses freedom of speech.

“Fluttering” – suggestions of aimless, graceful, innocent movement associated with butterflies, by end of the poem the verb is now “flying” which has suggestions of a clear aim. This climax  highlights the overpowering strength of national pride. (graduation of verbs) In the third line of each stanza the verbs also become more powerful (brings – makes – dares – outlive – blind) becoming intense and also disempowering showing again the power of the cloth and its disabling effect on people.

Each stanza is three lines – three is an uneven number saying war is disproportionate.

Also line 1 and 3 is large, line 2 is shorter – is this a symbol of the human?

Mametz Wood

The soldiers are described as being a part of a ‘broken mosaic’. A mosaic is a piece of art that is made of many pieces – Art is also a part of how we portray history, therefore the poet is suggesting that although the soldiers may only be a little part, they will always be a part of a country’s history.

 

Futility

14 lines, 2 stanzas, 7 lines each stanza, each stanza roughly shaped like a bomb/mortar. Stanza 1 uses the pronoun “him” this is personal and in some ways emotive. It also uses words such as “awoke” and “touch” showing some level of care and affection. In contrast to this, in the second stanza the pronoun used is “it” this is third person non-personal and is used to describe ‘the earth’ (perhaps showing people’s respect/attitude to the earth) and words used are “woke” and “break” these words are rougher and with considerably less care than in the first stanza. This happened as a result of the coming on war and conflict. By calling the poem Futility instead of ‘war’ (which the poem is about) Owen may be referring to war as futile and there is no point to it (and possibly there is no point in harming the earth “break earth’s sleep”).

 

next to of course god America i

There is enjambment (when the lines of poetry run without punctuation). This could highlight the none-stop pride and love the speaker has for America. The lack of punctuation throughout poem could convey the lack of boundaries there are in patriotism.     

Out of the Blue

The speaker is being noticed due to his 'white cotton shirt'. The fact that the shirt is white suggests that he is giving up and surrendering to the flames and the chaos. In addition the colour white has connotations purity and innocence, by contrasting this with the 'burning building' the poet is also suggesting that the speaker is an innocent victim of this terrorist attack.

Out of the blue

The speaker in line 9 says: “so when will you come?” the word “will” tells the audience that the speaker still has hope in humanity to save him, which is ironic because it was the humans action that has caused him, his death.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Throughout the poem the first three stanzas end with “rode the six hundred”

 

 

An Inspector Calls: Key Quotes

An Inspector Calls: Key Quotes

“pleased with themselves” (the family)

“except for all last summer when you never came near me” (Sheila about Gerald, creates suspicion)

“men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business” (Mrs Birling to Sheila)

“you’re just the kind of son-in law I always wanted” (rmember Gerald earlier was described as easy, well-bred man about town, Mr Birling to Gerald)

“There is a fair chance that I might be on my way to honours list” (birling to Gerald)

“I was lord mayor for 2 years” (birling to Gerald)

“A man has to mind his own business” (birling to Eric and Gerald)

“Clothes mean.. A token of self-respect” (birling to Eric and Gerald)

Protest against the way my daughter is young unmarried girl: being dragged in to this. (Birling)

“Better than I thought she was very gallant-bout it” (Gerald)

“With irony: that was nice for you” (Sheila)

“It doesn’t much matter now, of course- but was he really a police inspector” (Sheila to family)

“That fellow obviously didn’t like us. He was prejudice from the start” (Birling to Mrs Birling)

“Each of you helped to kill her” - Inspector

“One Eva Smith is gone… millions of Eva Smith’s and John Smith’s are still with us”

“There’s every excuse for what… mother and I did” –Mr Birling

“You sack a girl called Eva Smith and you’ve forgotten, but he shows you a photograph… and you remember” –Gerald

“I don’t think we need to discuss it”. (Mrs Birling to Inspector) Shows how Mrs Birling is trying to get away from the truth and she enjoys giving orders.

“I’ve done nothing wrong” – Mrs Birling never thinks she does anything wrong and remains resolute in her refusal to take any responsibility.

“So I told her it was her business”- Mrs Birling is selfish and would do anything to protect herself. Also it highlights her total coldness even on a feminine level, she shows no maternal nature towards Eva in her pregnant condition.

“Inspector Goole…a new man” – the name is a homophone for ghoul. Ghoul meaning person with morbid interests. He is interested in the death of Eva and exploring the darker side of the Birling family, he brings no joy, only judgement and harsh reality.  The new man element of his description suggests a new way of looking at things, and he certainly opens up a new start for Sheila and Eric in their lives by the end of his encounter with them.

“I was a bit squiffy” (Eric)… word choice of squiffy has suggestions of upper class.

“I wasn’t in love with her or anything- but I liked her –she was pretty and a good sport”. (Eric on Eva)

“You’ll be able to divide the responsibility between you when I’m gone” (Goole to the family) sadly of course they don’t as some refuse to accept any responsibility.

“I respect you more than I’ve ever done before” (Sheila to Eric)

“You’re quite wrong to suppose I shall regret what I did” (Mrs Birling)

“I accept no blame for it” (Mrs Birling)

“If you’d had any sense of loyalty” (Birling to Sheila)

“There’s no Inspector Goole on the police…this makes a difference y’know in fact it makes all the difference” (Goole represents a moral conscience, sadly when Mr Birling realises he is a fake, this allows him to disregard any responsibility or guilt)

“(bitterly) I suppose we’re all nice people now” (Sheila)

“I was the only one of you who didn’t give in to him” (Mrs Birling)

“The fact remains that I did what I did. And Mother did what she did. And the rest of you did what you did to her…the money’s not the important thing. It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters.” (Eric to the family, taking responsibility)

“Nothing but an elaborate sell” (Mr Birling)

“I want to get out of this. It frightens me the way you talk” (Sheila)

“while we’re by ourselves…I have an idea that your mother – Lady Croft –while she doesn’t object to my girl – feels you might have done better for yourself socially” (Mr Birling to Gerald) (class system, snobbery)

“so long as we behave ourselves, don’t get into the police court or start a scandal eh” (Mr Birling)

“you think everybody has to look after everybody else…community and all that nonsense” (Mr Birling to Eric and Gerald)

“have a glass of port or a little whisky” port is mentioned frequently throughout the play and the family is keen to sink into it rather than the community they are in. It is a stiff, old fashioned drink, much like the family themselves.

“I was an alderman for years, and lord mayor two years ago – I’m still on the bench so – so I know the Brumly police officers really well” (Mr Birling to Goole) (highlights the issues with the class system and that the upper classes control the authorities and have influence. Society is corrupt.

“they’re over-tired, in the morning they will be as amused as we are”. (Mrs Birling to MR Birling)

 

 

and one of my favourites (and I do believe in all of you, every single one of you. Not the 95%, but the 100%):

Just some things we all need to remember when we are following our dreams:

Unseen Poetry Revision

Below are 2 poems.

Spend twenty minutes on each poem reading and interpreting them. Once you are satisfied that you have read and understood their main themes and identified language devices which you have analysed and linked to the main themes, use the link below to check if your are on the right path with your interpretations:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/english/poetry/maccaig/revision/1/

Visiting Hour

The hospital smell
combs my nostrils
as they go bobbing along
green and yellow corridors.

What seems a corpse
is trundled into a lift and vanishes
heavenward.

I will not feel, I will not
feel, until
I have to.

Nurses walk lightly, swiftly,
here and up and down and there,
their slender waists miraculously
carrying their burden
of so much pain, so
many deaths, their eyes
still clear after
so many farewells.

Ward 7. She lies
in a white cave of forgetfulness.
A withered hand
trembles on its stalk. Eyes move
behind eyelids too heavy
to raise. Into an arm wasted
of colour a glass fang is fixed,
not guzzling but giving.
And between her and me
distance shrinks till there is none left
but the distance of pain that neither she nor I
can cross.

She smiles a little at this
black figure in her white cave
who clumsily rises
in the round swimming waves of a bell
and dizzily goes off, growing fainter,
not smaller, leaving behind only
books that will not be read
and fruitless fruits.

Norman MacCaig

POEM 2

Assisi

Poem

The dwarf with his hands on backwards
sat, slumped like a half-filled sack
on tiny twisted legs from which
sawdust might run,
outside the three tiers of churches built
in honour of St Francis, brother
of the poor, talker with birds, over whom
he had the advantage
of not being dead yet.

A priest explained
how clever it was of Giotto
to make his frescoes tell stories
that would reveal to the illiterate the goodness
of God and the suffering
of His Son. I understood
the explanation and
the cleverness.

A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly,
fluttered after him as he scattered
the grain of the Word. It was they who had passed
the ruined temple outside, whose eyes
wept pus, whose back was higher
than his head, whose lopsided mouth
said Grazie in a voice as sweet
as a child's when she speaks to her mother
or a bird's when it spoke
to St Francis.

Norman MacCaig

Please use the link below to improve analysis and critical essay writing skills for Literature.

I know it is based on Scotland but the information is fantastic. Be sure to click on page 2 etc at the bottom. Page two is a brilliant glossary on language devices.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/english/about_the_exam/critical_essay_paper/revision/1/

Enjoy!

English Language March Mock Results!!!!

Dear all,

I have marked all of the English Language Mocks.

Now - my work e-mail does not let me attach attachments from my laptop. I had begun sending you individual e-mails but what would be so much easier is for you all to drop me an e-mail and I will reply with your results.

I have already had mail sent back due to misreading email addresses or mistakes in them.

However as a class we are doing amazingly and I am so proud:
8A*
2A
7B
3C and then 4 grades which will vastly improve under my eagle/dragon eye.

One person who believed they would only get a C has only gone and achieved a B!!!!

And there is still time. For everyone!

Could everyone please reserachPersonal Reflective Writing to help with Q5 which remains our weakest as a class.

Detailed feedback Q by Q will be th first day back as I realised many of my comments require you to be looking at your answer.

Let everyone in the class know to e-mail me for their individual results!