AS and A Level: Poetry

Conclusion analysis

Good conclusions usually refer back to the question or title and address it directly - for example by using key words from the title.
How well do you think these conclusions address the title or question? Answering these questions should help you find out.

1. Do they use key words from the title or question?
2. Do they answer the question directly?
3. Can you work out the question or title just by reading the conclusion?

• From your reading of 'The Fenland Chronicle' discuss the farmers view of what life is like for girls in service. Consider the way the story is told, what is revealed about the narrator and the daily routines of a maid.

  "In conclusion, I believe that this is a useful piece of historical evidence in looking at the life of a girl in service. It also examines class consciousness by attacking the farmers and their lifestyle and values. It also explains the poor conditions that girls were subjected to, as well as shedding some light on the identity of the author them self."

• Carol Ann Duffy explores the theme of childhood. Discuss in reference to at least two poems.

  "In conclusion Carol Ann Duffy explores the theme of childhood through the memories of the characters and sometimes through the child presented in the poem. The main idea of the poems is that childhood represents innocence and it is the experiences of life the takes away the innocence that children hold. The loss of innocece seems to be an inevitable part of growing up and the problem would occur if we kept our innocence throughout our adulthood. Also through her poems she shows that the experiences that we receive during our cildhood affect us in our later life. Alex fish"

• Compare and contrast the poems 'Brendon Gallacher' and 'Yellow' in terms of language, ideas and imagery.

  "Jackie Kay's experiences as a child were not particularly pleasant when the relatives visited. In the poem 'Yellow', Aunt Peggy visits. She seems quite a strict character. Her speech is written in italics, alike the father's speech. This gives a better idea of how loud Aunt Peggy may be talking to Jackie Kay. Aunt Peggy 'shoves' Jackie Kay's head into the yellow egg yolk. This shows that Aunt Peggy may be quite nasty and violent, giving the reason why Jackie Kay might dislike her. Jackie Kay finds comfort by personifying the food. The 'passionate beetroot balls', rolling across the plate conveys an image of close, intimate relationship. The colour of the beetroot balls, red, is also related to love and affection. Jackie Kay did not appear to get any of this in the poem. Throughout both poems, Jackie Kay cleverly revealed her childhood and her family relationship with the other members of her adoptive family through the language of each poem. Everything seems to be linked to family relationship in some way, in particular the relationship between a mother and daughter. Both poems are full of imagination from Jackie Kay as child with the poems containing both negative and positive times in her life. Ryan McDonnell 10CTJ 10a1"