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English Grade 11 poetry for Monday 27 April The first poem of the term focused on over-protective parents. In our second poem we look at another aspect of parenting. Once you have read the poem you could ask your parents if they ever had the fears and emotions that the poet in this poem shares with the reader. The poem is on p 244 in your anthology Love Poem for my Country Read the poem and make sense of it. I will post the memo tomorrow. You cannot know the fears i have - Shabbir Banoobhaiyou cannot know the fears i haveas i think about youi fear that i shall live only at your laughterlie awake long nights while you sleepso loneliness does not trouble younor hunger, nor thirstoverwhelm your waking world with wonderwith the music of other worlds, your earlier homeread to you poems written the night beforewhile you smiled bewildered.or just when my very breathing begins to depend on youeven as your tiny fingers close around minesome insensitive thingcrushes your butterfly spiritshadows of a sun-darkened landflow over youand the eclipsecloses your eyesi cannot live with the thought of having you, loving youany other waya day without such carehas no meaningwe shall find for you a nameyour name shall bring lightWhy was the poem written: Shabbir wrote this poem to his future child. The poem is all about a hypothetical argument with himself as to whether he should have the child. Finally he makes the decision that will have the child for the child could change the world.?STRUCTURE:Free verse with lines of irregular length, no rhyme or rhythm.Stanza 1 and 7 shortest stanzas - two lines long.One full stop at the end of line 10.No capital letters.First person pronoun lower case.STANZA 1you cannot know the fears i haveas i think about youA father addressing an unborn child is poignant (emotional/touching).In your opinion is this a normal reaction for a prospective parent to have? Give a reason for your answer.Note that in the conversation it seems as if the child has been born but remember the speaker is addressing an unborn child.STANZA 2 i fear that i shall live only at your laughterlie awake long nights while you sleepso loneliness does not trouble younor hunger, nor thirstExplain the father’s fears in this stanza.Against what would the father want to protect the child? STANZA 3overwhelm your waking world with wonderwith the music of other worlds, your earlier homeread to you poems written the night beforewhile you smiled bewildered.Start line 7 with ‘i fear that i shall …’1.7Vocabulary: overwhelm (overpower); a parent often overpowers a child with ideas and emotions because of the intense love that the parent has for the child.1.8 Write down the alliteration from line 7 and explain the function of the alliteration within context of the poem. List the beautiful elements that he would to bring to the child’s world.1.10 Explain the father’s fear in this stanza.1.11 From this stanza quote the examples of alliteration.STANZA 4 or just when my very breathing begins to depend on you even as your tiny fingers close around mine some insensitive thing crushes your butterfly spiritStart line 11 with ‘i fear that just when …’Write down the alliteration from line 11 and explain the function of the alliteration within context of the poem. Read line 11 carefully. Do you agree with the poet’s idea of parenting when he says ‘my very breathing begins to depend on you.’? Explain your opinion. Figure of speech: identify and explain the figure of speech in line 13 and 14.What does the poet fear in this stanza?STANZA 5 shadows of a sun-darkened land flow over you and the eclipse closes your eyesLine 14 should start with ‘i fear that …’ Vocabulary: eclipse – to cast a shadow over somethingIdentify and explain the figure of speech in this stanza. Tip: the figure of speech extends from line 15 to line 18. Now that you have identified the figure of speech explain the poet’s fear in this stanza.STANZA 6 i cannot live with the thought of having you, loving you, any other way a day without such care has no meaningStart line 19 with ‘i fear that …’In the previous stanza the poet has voiced his fears and reservations. To what conclusion does he come in this stanza? What realization does the poet reach about parenthood?STANZA 7 we shall find for you a name your name shall bring lightNote the change of the singular first person pronoun ‘i’ to ‘we’.Who is the ‘we’?What decision does the poet come to in this stanza?Identify the figure of speech in line 24.What does the poet believe the child will bring to this world?. ................
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