Character And Voice

Front 1

Describe briefly the storyline behind 'The Clown Punk' - Simon Armitage.

Back 1

The poem describes an encounter with the eponymous Clown Punk, a tattooed, slightly tragic character who presses his face against the windscreen of the narrator's car, frightening the children sitting in the back seat.

Front 2

Describe briefly the storyline behind 'Checking Out Me History' - John Agard.

Back 2

He uses phonetic spellings to represent his own accent, and writes about what it is like being black to challenge racist attitudes, especially those which are unthinking.

Front 3

Explain briefly the back story behind 'Horse whisper' - Andrew Forster.

Back 3

It begins with his work with horses and the secrets of his trade. When the people who once used his skills turn against him, believing that he uses witchcraft, the speaker decides to finally give up his trade.

Front 4

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'Medusa' - Carol Ann Duffy.

Back 4

Medusa's transformed into a Gorgon because of jealousy. She suspects her husband's cheating on her. Everything she looks at is turned to stone.

She's been wronged and is suffering deeply, there's an element of threat within the poem, culminating in the final line "Look at me now".

Front 5

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'Singh Song' - Daljit Nagra.

Back 5

A first-person love song by a young man about his wife. He manages his father's shop but often sneaks upstairs to see her instead. He paints a colourful picture of their lives, challenging stereotypical ideas about Indian culture.

Front 6

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'Brendon Gallacher' - Jackie Kay.

Back 6

He tells the story of his childhood friend, the eponymous character, describes his childhood. And only towards the end of the poem do we realise that Brendon Gallacher's imaginary. When the narrator's mother discovers this, Brendon dies.

Front 7

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'Give' - Simon Armitage.

Back 7

Give is about homelessness and the way in which society reacts to beggars. The poet has adopted the persona of a homeless person, although initially there is some ambiguity about the speaker.

Front 8

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'Les Grands Seigneurs' - Dorothy Molloy.

Back 8

The poem seems to be a celebration of courtly love, but a twist suggests marriage changes everything. The title tells us that the subject of the poem is men because it translates as "the great lords".

Front 9

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'Ozymandias' - Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Back 9

Although it is about the remains of a statue of Ozymandias it can be read as a criticism of people or systems that become huge and believe themselves to be invincible.

Front 10

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'My Last Duchess' - Robert Browning.

Back 10

My Last Duchess is a dramatic monologue. It reflects Browning's love of history and European culture as the story is based on the life of an Italian Duke from the sixteenth century.

Front 11

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'The River God' - Stevie Smith.

Back 11

The river is personified in this poem as a narrator he's old but should not be underestimated. He tells us how he blesses the swimming of fish. He likes people, particularly women, to bathe in him. The poem takes a darker turn as he tells us he can drown people when he chooses, even playing with them while he does so.

Front 12

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'The Hunchback in the Park' - Dylan Thomas.

Back 12

The story of a man who is different from others, both physically and mentally. As a result, he is isolated and spends all day in the park. He's tormented by local children and has to avoid the park keeper. The main character's life is lonely, miserable and full of fear.

Front 13

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'My Ruined Maid' - Thomas Hardy.

Back 13

'Melia used to work on the farm but doesn't anymore. The farm worker is surprised to see a great change in her. 'Melia, used to have only the most basic clothing and now she's dressed very well and wears jewellery. She also talks differently and appears to be much more refined. 'Melia's physical appearance has improved too.

Front 14

Briefly explain the storyline behind ' Casehistory: Alison (head injury)' - U. A. Fanthorpe.

Back 14

A woman who has suffered brain damage after an accident. Her memory has been badly affected. Alison looks at a photograph of her younger self and talks about the person in it as if she were someone else.

Front 15

Briefly explain the storyline behind 'On a Portrait of a Deaf Man' - John Betjeman.

Back 15

It is an unusual poem as it's harsh and direct about the less talked-about aspects of death, such as being underground and the process of a body decaying. Betjeman describes how his father used to dress, where and what he liked to eat and what the pair used to do together.