Mrs Tilscher's Class by Carol Ann Duffy

















You could travel up the Blue Nile
with your finger, tracing the route
while Mrs Tilscher chanted the scenery.
Tana. Ethiopia. Khartoum. Aswan.
That for an hour, then a skittle of milk
and the chalky Pyramids rubbed into dust.
A window opened with a long pole.
The laugh of a bell swung by a running child.

This was better than home. Enthralling books.
The classroom glowed like a sweetshop.
Sugar paper. Coloured shapes. Brady and Hindley
faded, like the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake.
Mrs Tilscher loved you. Some mornings, you found
she'd left a gold star by your name.
The scent of a pencil slowly, carefully, shaved.
A xylophone's nonsense heard from another form.

Over the Easter term the inky tadpoles changed
from commas into exclamation marks. Three frogs
hopped in the playground, freed by a dunce,
followed by a line of kids, jumping and croaking
away from the lunch queue. A rough boy
told you how you were born. You kicked him, but stared at your parents,
appalled, when you got back home.

That feverish July, the air tasted of electricity.
A tangible alarm made you always untidy, hot,
fractious under the heavy, sexy sky. You asked her
how you were born and Mrs Tilscher smiled,
then turned away. Reports were handed out.
You ran through the gates, impatient to be grown,
as the sky split open into a thunderstorm.



What is the poem about?

In this poem, Carol Ann Duffy affectionately remembers a year during primary school, in particular the class of Mrs Tilscher. School, and especially Mrs Tilscher's class, was a place of security and adventure. The poem is also about growing up and the confusion and excitement that this can bring. This is a poem that nearly everybody can relate to. Mrs. Tilscher is a real person, who taught Carol Ann Duffy in her last year at junior school. This is an autobiographical poem.

The poem celebrates childhood and a wonderful, imaginative, loving teacher. Everything in the first two stanzas is magical, warm, colourful and exciting. The first line gives the impression that they felt like they really were travelling up the Blue Nile. Even the books are 'Enthralling'! The second half of the poem introduces more complex feelings, although mixed still with comedy and Mrs Tilscher's warmth. The final line suggests excitement, opportunity, fresh horizons, 'split open' and perhaps some emotional turmoil. After all the summer holidays are about to start!

What is the tone of the poem?


The tone of the poem is one of warmth, affection, and of love which communicates the excitement of being young. The tone changes in the final stanza and becomes slightly more troubled, but there is still the sense of wonder and enthusiasm for life.

What techniques are used?

Duffy uses lots of sensual imagery to bring the scene to life. Word choice, such as the milk, the gold star, and the pole for opening the window help to establish the time (the past) as well as the place. The imagery that Duffy uses, all relate to the world and perspective of a child.

Throughout the poem Duffy refers to "you". She means herself as she was in Mrs. Tilscher's class in the 1960s. But by writing in the second person she invites us to share her experience. Most readers will have had experiences like those Carol Ann Duffy depicts in this poem.

Analysis: I've included some quotes that you all seem to have trouble explaining in relation to the poem

"You could travel up the Blue Nile
with your finger, tracing the route"


The reader travels up the 'Blue Nile', along with the class. The poem appears to open in the middle of a lesson and it is this seeming 'naturalness' that makes the world of school come back to life. We too can take part in this magical journey where the rivers are everlastingly blue.

"chanted the scenery"

The reader is almost physically there, transported back, listening to Mrs Tilscher deliver her wonderful lesson.

"a skittle of milk"

Again, the reader (I know you are young 'uns, but some people remember free milk!), is transported to the past. It establishes the scene is a positive memory.


"You asked her how you were born and Mrs Tilscher smiled"


Mrs Tilscher is acknowledging that it is time for the child to move away from primary school and to enter adolescence.

That feverish July, the air tasted of electricity.
A tangible alarm made you always untidy, hot,
fractious under the heavy, sexy sky

It is the hormonal child, not the month, who is feverish, in July. The electrical storm, about to break, is felt as "a tangible alarm" ("tangible" means felt by touch). It makes the child feel uncomfortable and irritable ("fractious"). When the "reports were handed out" it is as if these are reports on childhood which has officially ended. The breaking thunderstorm is a metaphor for adolescence - overwhelmed with feelings, hormones and changed attitudes.

Romeo and Juliet Character Adjectives

Think you know the characters of Romeo and Juliet but have trouble putting it into words? Here are some useful adjectives to describe their personalities.

Plus, think why these are appropriate - they are, honest guv.

Romeo:

1. tempestuous
2. confused
3. sorrowful
4. naive
5. poetic
6. frivolous
7. reckless
8. headstrong
9. intense
10. loyal

Juliet:

1. passionate
2. determined
3. level-headed
4. logical
5. sheltered
6. compassionate
7. innocent
8. sincere
9. disobedient
10. obedient

Romeo and Juliet Quotes

Key Quotes You Should Know


You should have the following quotes memorised so you can:

1. PEE all over your critical essay
2. have a nifty plan to keep you focused in the exam
3. show off how clever you are later in life



How you go about memorising these is your business. You can use flashcards, make a song, use 'post it' notes, or ask a parent to quiz you. It is probably best to leave the tattoos for now....



Quote:

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife (Prologue)

Analysis: Shakespeare gives us the plot of the play before the play even begins. The lovers are destined to die tragically.

Quote:

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night (1:5)

Analysis:Romeo realises his love for Rosaline was artificial and this is the moment he falls in love with Juliet - rather quickly!

Quote:

O she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear
Beauty too rich for use, for Earth too dear! (1:5)

Analysis: Romeo proclaims his infatuation for Juliet and he says this mere hours after uttering similar thoughts about Rosaline. These words give insight into Romeo's instability and how he is controlled by his emotions. The final line foreshadows Juliet's death.

Quote:

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. (2:1)


Analysis: To Romeo, Juliet is fairer and more brilliant than the moon. The metaphor, 'Juliet is the sun', is speaking of her radiance. This is another compliment on her beauty and power, and to Romeo, Juliet is the centre of his world.

Quote:

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name (2:2)

Analysis: The key word in Juliet's question is wherefore, which means why, not where . Juliet, in these lines, declares her willingness to disown her own family if she can be with her true love, who she's known for almost an hour-and-a-half! Juliet thinks of Romeo separate from the Montagues, and thus, her love for him overrides her family’s hatred for the Montague name.

Quote:

What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet (2:2).

Analysis: Juliet tries to ease her conscience with this reasoning, claiming that Romeo's name matters not, despite the ancient family feud, for he is her true love.

Quote:

Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow
That I shall say good night till it be morrow (2:2).

Analysis:The famous balcony scene. Romeo and Juliet have been conversing all night long and they have made an agreement that Romeo will send word tomorrow about when and where they should be married. She feels sorrow and sadness that they need to say goodbye, but on the other hand what is to come is sweet and beautiful when they shall be together again.

Quote: A plague a both your houses (3:1)

Analysis: It's ironic that Mercutio blames Romeo even though Mercutio instigated the violence as Romeo attempted to stop it. Romeo feels responsible for Mercutio's death and gets his revenge by slaying Tybalt. Mercutio's curse foreshadows the lovers' suicide.

Quote:

Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelical!
Dove feathered raven! Wolvish-ravening lamb!
Despised substance of divinest show!
A damned saint, an honorable villain! (3:2).

Analysis: Juliet can't quite wrap her mind around the fact that Romeo, her true love, has killed her cousin. Shakespeare's use of oxymorons emphasizes Juliet's confused state.

Quote:

Then I defy you, stars! (5:1)

Analysis:Romeo feels trapped by fate, thinking 'the stars' have somehow tried to separate him from Juliet. When Romeo screams “Then I defy you, stars” he is defying fate by killing himself and spending eternity with Juliet.

Quote:

I will lie with thee tonight (5:1)

Analysis: Tragically, it is Romeo’s very decision to avoid his destiny that actually brings fate about. In killing himself over the sleeping Juliet, he ensures their ultimate double suicide.


These are just some of the quotes that are important when discussing the play. Make sure you revise your notes on the religious imagery used by Romeo, to communicate the depth and purity of his love for Juliet.

P is the What, OETIC is the How

Analysing poetry: using POETIC
(P is the What, OETIC is the How)

Exams are on their way. DON'T PANIC!

To help, here is a nifty mnemonic (memory aid) to help with essay writing. If you can remember this, your analysis should be even more effective and you can avoid the dreaded, "more analysis needed". Super duper.

Purpose: the meaning of the poem

Organisation: rhyme scheme, line length, lines per stanza, repetition, layout, number of stanzas

Emotive tone: (feelings the poem expresses) sad, wistful, angry, scathing, ironic, celebratory

Techniques: metaphor, simile, personification, repetition, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia,oxymoron

Individual words: any key words (word choice) or phrases

Contrast: opposites (there will usually be a contrast in a well-written poem)


Mnemonics are very handy for spelling too, Here's a few worthy examples:

A friend is always there when the end comes.

Separate is A RAT of a word to spell

The word "believe" has "lie" in it

Rhythm: Rhythm has your two hands moving!

Argument: A Rude Girl Undresses; My Eyes Need Taping!

Necessary: Never Eat Crisps - Eat Salad

Brooklyn Cop

Here is the poem, just in case your dog ate it.

Brooklyn Cop
by Norman MacCaig

Built like a gorilla but less timid,
thick‑fleshed, steak‑coloured, with two
hieroglyphs in his face that mean
trouble, he walks the sidewalk and the
thin tissue over violence. This morning,
when he said, "See you, babe" to his wife,
he hoped it, he truly hoped it.
He is a gorilla
to whom "Hiya, honey" is no cliché.

Should the tissue tear, should he plunge through
into violence, what clubbings, what
gunshots between Phoebe's Whamburger
and Louie's Place.

Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick,
whose home is a place
he might, this time, never get back to?

And who would be who have to be
his victims?


What is the poem about?


Norman MacCaig depicts the character of a corrupt, thuggish American cop. A policeman is meant to inspire trust and is employed to 'serve and protect'. Instead the, "Gorilla with a nightstick", is insensitive, violent and appears to enjoy the murderous nature of his occupation. However, despite his brutal nature and tough exterior, there is a gentler side to the cop, who loves his wife and fears for his life. The poem asks us to consider the violence that takes place within a city like New York, and whether the cop is partly responsible.

Imagery

“built like a gorilla” - tells us he is big and strong and is a stereotypical image of a New York cop.

“..but less timid”- suggests he is brave, but brutal

“he walks the sidewalk and the thin tissue over violence” - the divide between civilisation and violence is only ever paper-thin.

“two hieroglyphs in his face that mean trouble” - he is seeking out violence

MacCaig uses the simile at the start of the poem, "built like a Gorilla", but towards the end of stanza one he changes the comparison to a metaphor, "he is a gorilla". This strengthens the image and emphasises the savage, bestial and primitive nature of the cop.


Word Choice

“Phoebe’s Whamburger” and “Louie’s Place” – sound like they might be mafia diners or places where gangsters might hang out.

"nightstick"- It is significant that he has chosen a nightstick, because stereotypical police would have a gun. The Brooklyn Cop has a nightstick, perhaps because he enjoys being able to use it to violently beat up criminals.

Plunge” - suggests falling quickly. It has connotations of falling, uncontrollably, perhaps from a great height into something terrible, like the “thin tissue” into violence

“honey” - has tender associations, and his fear that his “home is a place he might, this time, never get back to” tells us that he is vulnerable.

Structure

Stanza One - builds the cartoon-like image of a stereotypical cop.

Stanza two - shows how how quickly the cop could be thrust from safety into chaos and how violence is always present in his world.

Stanza Three - written as a rhetorical question and is ambiguous. It leaves the reader to question his policing, and his "victims".

It is important to note the stanzas become shorter and much more condensed. This reflects the poet grasping at different ideas and becoming lost. Norman MacCaig's hope of proper justice is disappearing the more he thinks about it.

Setting

‘Brooklyn’ tells us that the poem is set in a poorer part of New York, and it is generally known that crime is more common in poorer parts of the city. The setting emphasises the violence and corruption in the poem.

Overall

The poem explores the relevant and important issue of police brutality. Should we feel sympathy for a family man who has been hardened by everyday violence, or instead be disgusted by his brutal policing, which seems to have little effect? Perhaps you found the poem effective because it describes a realistic character who is both vulnerable, and violent.

Girls Vs Boys

Ever wondered which words are more commonly used by girls and boys? This handy tool indicates just that. It shows the most common sex and age range of MSN internet searches - I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it's quite interesting!