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0-485775 1905031750center-466725Section 1:In Section 1 you will read an extract from a Scottish text that you have studied in class and answer questions.There are 20 marks available for answering these questionsSection 2:In Section 2 you will write one critical essay about a text that you have studied in class. This text can be drama, prose, poetry, film and television drama or language.You will have the option of the Prose section based on your study of “Superman and Paula brown’s New Snowsuit.” or the Drama section based on your study of “The Letterbox.”To date we have studied the following poems: In the Snack Bar, Trio and Good FridayYou will have to have a thorough understanding of all of these poems for the Prelim, although you will only be required to know 2 of them on the day.The end of year exam will require you to know 6 of Edwin Morgan’s poems in total!We will begin our revision by looking back at Good Friday…center-782320Three o’clock. The bus lurchesround into the sun. “D’s this go –”he flops beside me – “right along Bath Street?-Oh tha’s, tha’s all right, see I’vegot to get some Easter eggs for the kiddies.I’ve had a wee drink, ye understand –ye’ll maybe think it’s a – funny dayto be celebrating – well, no, but ye seeI wasny working, and I like to celebratewhen I’m no working – I don’t say it’s rightI’m no saying it’s right – ye understand – ye understand?but anyway tha’s the way I look at it –I’m no boring you, eh? – ye see today,take today, I don’t know what today’s in aid of,whether Christ was – crucified or was he –rose fae the dead like, see what I mean?You’re an educatit man, you can tell me –-Aye, well. There you are. It’s been seentime and again, the working manhas nae education, he jist canny – jisthasny got it, know what I mean,he’s jist bliddy ignorant – Christ aye,bliddy ignorant. Well –” The bus brakes violently,he lunges for the stair, swings down – off,into the sun for his Easter eggs,Rhyming coupleton very nearly steady legs.center-628650Points to Consider:The Realism of the poem:The opening of the poem is full of real life detail. We know exactly where the encounter happens: on the top deck of a bus heading along Bath Street in Glasgow. We also know exactly when it happens: three o’clock on Good Friday afternoon. We also know the weather is sunny.However we do NOT find out any detail about the working man himself.In this sense the character in Good Friday is unlike some of the other characters that Morgan describes: Trio and In the Snack Bar feature characters described quite vividly. Despite this, the character is very real. This is partly due to how realistically Morgan renders the man’s speech. Also, by beginning the poem so vividly, the reader is already convinced of the poem’s authenticity, including that of the man.The use of present tense also adds to the realism of the poem as it creates a sense of immediacy which engages the reader instantaneously as we feel the events of the poem are unfolding in front of us.The Role of the Narrator:Morgan only narrates the first few lines of the poem and the last few lines: “Three o’clock. The bus lurches/ round in the sun…he flops beside me and …the bus brakes violently, he lunges for the stair, swings down – offEverything in between consists of the man’s dialogue and the use of the dashes to indicate the moments that Morgan has presumably responded to the man. center220980740410-511175Christianity:The title of the poem refers to a particular day on the Christian calendar. This is the day that Jesus was crucified,The idea of Easter is picked up in the working man’s mention of going to buy Easter eggs, and by his questions about the meaning of Easter in the 2nd half of the poemIf we look closely we can see other parallels. The opening words of the poem are:Three o’clock. The bus lurchesround into the sunThe Bible story of Jesus’ death, as told by a writer called Matthew, says:From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice (…and) gave up his spirit.‘The ninth hour’ here means about three in the afternoon, as the Jews of biblical times counted their hours from sunrise. So, Morgan in his poem has his bus come out into the sun at the exact same time as the Bible story has the darkness ending and Jesus dying.You do not have to believe in or agree with the Bible story in order to enjoy this poem. But, if you understand the Easter story, you will be able to appreciate the poem better and see what Morgan, as a writer, is doing.Back to the man in the poem…Significant points: The working man in the poem does not fully understand the Christian stories and has more questions than answersThe way in which he ‘celebrates’ this occasion is quite unorthodoxThe working man says the word ‘Christ’ twice in the poem, but in entirely different and ironic contexts. What is Morgan trying to say then?..Below are a few different ideas. Which do you agree most with?That Easter means different things to different people p the mans celebratory drink and buying of eggs for his children is just as valid as any other way of marking itThat the church has not done a very good job of explaining things, if the man doesn’t know “What it’s in aid of.”That the church is not good at reaching ordinary working people. The man in the poem says he is ‘bliddy ignorant’ about Easter. However, Morgan the poet knows the story in enough detail to be able to refer in his opening lines to the detail about the darkness and the third hourIt does seem that Morgan is questioning how much Christian beliefs and ritual are relevant in modern life. However, he also shows that we still need something to celebrate. The working man celebrates having a day off work. The poem also celebrates the arrival of spring.If you wanted to take the ideas even further you could even consider the poem as an allegory of the resurrection story. However, in this version, the man is ‘crucified’ by drink, but it resurrected again at the end when he steps back into the sunshine to celebrate the occasion with his children. 192405052939951122680-755650right738505On the following page is set of revision questions, the first 4 of which are based on “Good Friday.” However, before you try them out, give the “8 Mark Question Helpline” a phone… Hello, 8 mark question helpline, how may I help? you?-704850130175Hello, I’m hoping you can help me. I am freaking OUT about my 8 mark Scottish Texts question. Can you give me some guidance please?How to answer the 8 mark comparative question in the Scottish Texts section of your exam paper:Organise your answer into 4 bullet points, each worth 2 marks:1. Begin by referring to another text and say what it has in common / in contrast with the given text. (2 marks) (e.g. theme, central relationship, importance of setting, use of imagery, development in characterisation, use of personal experience, use of narrative style, any other key feature…)For example:Morgan’s poem ‘Trio’, with its strong theme of the importance of valuing and celebrating life and love, fits well with his other poem, ‘In the Snack Bar’, which may, on the surface, appear to contradict any such celebration but which does, by the end of the poem, show the importance of humanity and kindness. (2 marks)2. Give a specific example of the first commonality (language/theme/ ideas description/ opening etc.) explain it fully and link back to task. Set out your answer using a PEE format. For example: (see next page)Both Trio and Good Friday are written in present tense and deal with an ordinary encounter which affects the narrator in some way. In Good Friday the bus, “lurches round into the sun,” and Trio begins in a similar way, “Coming up Buchanan Street, quickly, on a sharp winter evening.” The present continuous tense conveys a sense of immediacy and closeness to the action and in turn authenticates the action of each poem allowing the reader to feel a connection with it; a connection which Morgan himself must have felt and wanted to convey. 3. Do stage 2 again, 2 more times, (write 2 more PEE answers) ensuring to refer to different features.71310592075The author gives the poem a sense of reality. Show how this is achieved in the first three lines. (‘Three o’clock…Bath Street?’) (2)How does the writer’ use of language in lines 6-16 (“I’ve had a wee drink…see what I mean?”) show the man’s need to communicate? (3)With close reference to lines 6 to 23 (I’ve had a wee drink… bliddy ignorant. Well – “) explain how the poem shows at least one belief Morgan has about Easter and/or the church. (3)Show how two examples of the poet’s use of language in lines 23 to end (“The bus brakes…steady legs”) create an effective ending to the poem. (4)With close textual reference, show how the ideas and/ r the language of this poem are similar to another poem by Morgan that you have read. (8)1885950-552449Coming up Buchanan Street, quickly, on a sharp winter evening a young man and two girls, under the Christmas lights -The young man carries a new guitar in his arms,the girl on the inside carries a very young baby,and the girl on the outside carries a chihuahua.And the three of them are laughing, their breath risesin a cloud of happiness, and as they passthe boy says, ‘Wait till he sees this but!’The chihuahua has a tiny Royal Stewart tartan coat like a teapot-holder,the baby in its white shawl is all bright eyes and mouth like favoursin a fresh sweet cake,the guitar swells out under its milky plastic cover, tied at the neckwith silver tinsel tape and a brisk sprig of mistletoe.Orphean sprig! Melting baby! Warm chihuahua!The vale of tears is powerless before you.Whether Christ is born, or is not born, youput paid to fate, it abdicatesunder the Christmas lights.Monsters of the yeargo blank, are scattered back,can't bear this march of three.- And the three have passed, vanished in the crowd(yet not vanished, for in their arms they windthe life of men and beasts, and music,laughter ringing them round like a guard)at the end of this winter's day2019300-485775Points to Consider:The title: ‘Trio’ suggests a number of thingsThree people playing music together in a small group. This idea fits in the poem as it features a guitar. The idea of music also fits the general mood of happiness and celebration in the poemA trio of musicians, we how, would sing in harmony with one another. The title also therefore suggests the harmonious nature of the trio’s friendship. By the end of the poem the narrator uses these characters to celebrate the possible harmony and togetherness of the whole human race.The three people in the poem may suggest the 3 kings or 3 wise men from the Nativity story.Use of Realism: Like Good Friday, Morgan crates an instant sense of realism and immediacy in Trio. He does this by including specific and realistic detail about the setting and by writing in present tenseOpening Line/ Message of the poem:Although the poem begins rather negatively, “sharp winter evening” the poem is anything but negative; rather it is a celebration of life and love and relationships. This could therefore be a message from Morgan that we can find happiness in the most unlikely of places, or that Morgan was perhaps himself feeling rather negative before you spotted the trio.center-590550Below is a list of the main techniques featured in Trio. For each one ensure that you are able to find the supporting evidence and analyse and explain each technique in sufficient depth.Realistic detailsRepetition of ‘young’ and ‘girl’ and ‘carries’Glasgow dialectLong descriptive linesAllusion to the myth of OrpheusAmbiguity of ‘march’ and ‘ringing’Present tenseIdeas of fragilityExclamation marksAllusion to the Nativity story and hymn wordsSymbolismNegative sounding opening lineIdeas of safety and protectionParenthesis 460057512128523634707620004060070652780center633730-836930614680790575-757555The author gives this poem a sense of reality. Show how this is achieved in the first 8 lines. (‘Coming up… sees this but’)(2)In lines 9-11(The Chihuahua has…sprig of mistletoe’) Morgan describes what the young people are carrying. What mood or atmosphere is created by the writer, and how does he use language effectively to create this mood?(3)Many of the main ideas in the poem come across clearly in lines 12-18 (‘Orphean sprig! … this march of three’) Identify at least one of Morgan’s main ideas from these lines. Show how one example of the poet’s language in these lines helps to clarify or illustrate his meaning.(3)Show how two examples of the poet’s use of language in lines 19-23 (‘- And the three… this winter’s day.’) help to clarify or illustrate his ideas in these lines.(4)With close textual reference , show how the ideas and/or language of this poem are similar to another poem by Morgan that you have read.(8)center-638175A cup capsizes along the formica,?slithering with a dull clatter.A few heads turn in the crowded evening snack-bar.An old man is trying to get to his feetfrom the low round stool fixed to the floor.5Slowly he levers himself up, his hands have no power.He is up as far as he can get. The dismal humplooming over him forces his head down.He stands in his stained beltless garberdinelike a monstrous animal caught in a tent10in some story. He sways slightly,the face not seen, bent downin shadow under his cap.Even on his feet he is staring at the flooror would be, if he could see.15I notice now his stick, once painted whitebut scuffed and muddy, hanging from his right arm.Long blind, hunchback born, half paralysedhe standsfumbling with the stick20and speaks:‘I want –to go to the-toilet.’It is down two flights of stairs, but we go.I take his arm. ‘Give me-your arm-it’s better,’ he says.Inch by inch we drift towards the stairs.25A few yards of floor are like a landscapeto be negotiated, in the slow setting outtime has almost stopped. I concentratemy life to his: crunch of spilt sugar,slidy puddle from the night’s umbrellas,30table edges, people’s feet,hiss of the coffee-machine, voices and laughter,smell of a cigar, hamburgers, wet coats steaming,and the slow dangerous inches to the stairs.I put his right hand on the rail35and take his stick. He clings to me. The stickis in his left hand, probing the treadsI guide his arm and tell him the steps.And slowly we go down. And slowly we go down.White tiles and mirrors at last. He shambles40uncouth into the clinical gleam.I set him in position, stand behind him?and wait with his stick.His brooding reflection darkens the mirrorbut the trickle of his water is thin and slow,?45an old man’s apology for living.Painful ages to close his trousers and coat –I do up the last buttons for him.He asks doubtfully, ‘Can I- wash my hands?’I fill the basin, clasp his soft fingers round the soap.50He washes, feebly, patiently. There is no towel.I press the pedal of the drier, draw his handsgently into the roar of the hot air.But he cannot rub them together,drags out a handkerchief to finish.55He is glad to leave the contraption, and face the stairs.He climbs, and steadily enough.He climbs, we climb. He climbswith many pauses but with that onepersisting patience of the undefeated60which is the nature of man when all is said.And slowly we go up. And slowly we go up.The faltering, unfaltering stepstake him at last to the dooracross that endless, yet not endless waste of floor.65I watch him helped on a bus. It shudders off in the rain.The conductor bends to hear where he wants to go.Wherever he could go it would be darkand yet he must trust men.Without embarrassment or shame70he must announce his most pitiful needsin a public place. No one sees his face.Does he know how frightening he is in his strangenessunder his mountainous coat, his hands like wet leavesstuck to the half-white stick?75His life depends on many who would evade him.But he cannot reckon up the chances,having one thing to do,to haul his blind hump through these rains of August.Dear Christ, to be born for this!801352550-714375Points to ConsiderThe role of the Narrator:The narrator plays a significant role in shaping the reader’s opinion of the old man and in helping evoke our emotions towards him. In the first Stanza, the narrator remains quite detached from the old man as he appears to observe the old man from a distance. This helps the reader feel sorry for the old man as we concentrate on the hideous descriptions of his appearance. However, this changes as the narrator helps the man in stanza two, building up an emotional relationship with the main character which, in a way, is transferred to the reader. As the narrator’s attitude towards the old man develops from sympathy and pity, through to admiration and eventually to a mixture of both, so too does the reader’s. The most obvious example of the narrator helping shape the reader’s views of the old man comes in stanza two when the narrator tells us that:I concentrate my life to hisHe then goes on to put the reader in the old man’s shoes by describing the scene without using sight:crunch of spilt sugarhiss of the coffee-machineThis not only provides the reader with a real sense of the old man’s perspective, but also lends a dangerous feel to the man’s world through the harsh onomatopoeic sounds of ?crunch? and ?hiss?, which in turn makes us feel a degree of sympathy and respect for what he has to go through. As stated earlier, the narrator’s changing opinion of the old man affects our own opinion, and he sums up his mixed emotions at the end when he proclaims:Dear Christ, to be born for this!This sentence neatly represents both his wonderment and admiration for the man and how he copes with the hand life has dealt him, but also his sympathy and sorrow that anyone should be born into a life like that.The Theme/Message of the poem:Much of Edwin Morgan’s poetry is focused around ordinary people and society, and his poetry is often viewed as a commentary on society as he observes it.In the Snack-bar has a fairly obvious theme, inviting the reader to consider theplace of the disabled, less-fortunate or “needy” in society. Morgan clearly feels that people do not do enough to help those in need in modern society:his life depends on many who would evade himThis quote quite clearly indicates that the poet feels most people in society would turn a blind eye to people like the old man rather than lend a helping hand. However, “In the Snack-bar” could also be seen as a tribute to the fighting spirit of the old man, and to those in society who are less fortunate, yet refuse to give up:persisting patience of the undefeatedThis attitude from the old man is all the more astonishing given what he has to face in his life, and is one of the reason’s the reader and the narrator cannot help but feel a sense of admiration towards him.center153035Below is a list of the main techniques featured in ‘In the Snack Bar.’ For each one ensure that you are able to find the supporting evidence and analyse and explain each technique in sufficient depth.Present tenseThe use of imagery and figurative languageRepetitionOnomatopoeiaEnjambmentAlliterationThe use of dashesNarrative voiceUse of a listInversionThe use of questionsEffective word choicecenter-381000For the exam you will be required not only to know all of your poems inside out, but also to understand the similarities and differences and parallels which can be drawn between the different poems. This is especially important for your 8 mark question at the end!In order to prepare yourself for this fill in the table below marking the common features in each of the poems that you have studied. This is a very visual way to prepare yourself for the exam!Themes/ Main IdeasIn the Snack BarGood FridayTrioFinding the ordinary in the extraordinaryApathy of societyDetermination of ManFinding the ordinary in the extraordinaryIgnorance of societyThe redundant role of religion in the working man’s lifeFriendship and loveThe ability to celebrate a traditionally religious holiday in an a-religious manner without losing meaning or significanceMake your own tables, similar to the one above, based on the following features, as a way of seeing the similarities and differences of all 3 poems:Narrative Structure Effective OpeningsEffective ConclusionsCharacter SettingDescription and imagery ................
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