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Poems from Different Cultures

GCSE: Poems from Different Cultures

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How to respond to exam questions on poems from other cultures

1 You will usually be asked to compare at least two poems, sometimes you will be given one poem and asked to choose another.
2 Use the language of comparison in your answers. Good words are: 'however', 'therefore', 'in contrast', 'on the other hand'.
3 Use PEE to help you structure your essays. This means point, evidence and explanation.
4 Embed all of your quotations into your essay. Your writing should be fluid and the quote should be encased by the rest of the sentence.
5 Make sure all poetic terminology is used accurately when you discuss the language and the structure of the poem.

Maya Angelou - Still I Rise

1 Maya Angelou is an African American writer of novels and poems.
2 In Still I Rise she writes about the fact that she, as a black woman is not subjugated or broken by what has been done to both her personally and the black race as a whole.
3 She addresses her readers directly as ‘you’, asks rhetorical questions and uses repetition metaphors and similes.
4 Angelou references Africa’s natural riches and the exploitation of these.
5 The phrase Still I Rise is a refrain and is repeated three times at the end of the poem.

782 GCSE Poems from Different Cultures essays

Marked by Teachers essays 14
Peer Reviewed essays 40

Compare how the past reveals feelings about a place in Nothings Changed with the ways another poet reveals feelings about a place or places in one other poem.

5 star(s)

A very good essay. Detailed and perceptive analysis of poetic techniques used by both poets.
Accurate and thorough analysis of language using correct poetic terminology.
Most comments are supported…
- Essay length: 1729 words
- Submitted: 04/01/2012
- Marked by teacher: Katie Dixon 09/02/2012
The poems Strange fruit written by Abel Meeropol (Lewis Allen) 1937 and Still I rise written by Maya Angelou both convey the racism which fell upon the lives of many black individuals.

4 star(s)

This is a good attempt at analysing two poems and tackling a very broad subject.
Some very good and perceptive analysis of the language both poets use to convey their…
- Essay length: 1292 words
- Submitted: 10/05/2011
- Marked by teacher: Katie Dixon 09/02/2012
Compare Two Robert Frost Poems, The Road Not Taken & Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

4 star(s)

There are some good points in this essay, particularly when looking at the structure of the poems. When comparing two texts it is important to identify key differences and similarities…
- Essay length: 1785 words
- Submitted: 24/03/2010
- Marked by teacher: Laura Gater 15/04/2013
Comparing poems 'halfe cast' and 'nothings changed'

4 star(s)

****
A very good essay which analyses both poems in detail and uses well selected quotes to support arguments. Good use of topic sentences and the essay is well structured.
- Essay length: 1101 words
- Submitted: 22/10/2007
- Marked by teacher: Katie Dixon 10/05/2013
How does John Agard make the poem Half-Caste seem controversial? Think about the main features of the poet's language which make it different from Standard English. Is the poem mainly directed against white people who use the term 'half-caste'?

3 star(s)

The essay has its merits: the student demonstrates a sound understanding of the themes of the poem. The student begins to take a close look at some of the language…
- Essay length: 823 words
- Submitted: 03/06/2005
- Marked by teacher: Melissa Thompson 09/04/2013
- Reviewed by: 02/08/2012
The theme of father and son relationships in Digging and Follower

3 star(s)

This essay is an honest attempt to present a reasoned analysis of these 2 poems by Heaney. Many good points are made, mostly supported by apt references to the text.…
- Essay length: 1009 words
- Submitted: 17/01/2009
- Marked by teacher: Jeff Taylor 13/08/2013
The poems No Problem written by Benjamin Zephania and Half-Caste written by John Aguard illustrate strong feelings towards race

3 star(s)

There are strengths in this essay. The student has clearly engaged with both poems, and has begun to offer interpretation into what the writers were hoping to achieve.
However, the…
- Essay length: 1066 words
- Submitted: 30/01/2007
- Marked by teacher: Melissa Thompson 09/04/2013
Poetry from other cultures

3 star(s)

***
This essay shows some detailed language of analysis and uses terminology appropriately and accurately. There needs to be more discussion and analysis of the fact the poem is written…
- Essay length: 1300 words
- Submitted: 14/02/2006
- Marked by teacher: Katie Dixon 10/05/2013
Half Caste written by John Agard and Nothing's Changed written by Tatamkhulu Afrika, both explore the portrayal of racism

3 star(s)

*** 3 stars.
This has the potential to be a very good essay.
The writer clearly understands the poems and the messages the poets are conveying.
There are some insightful…
- Essay length: 543 words
- Submitted: 16/01/2006
- Marked by teacher: Katie Dixon 10/05/2013
How are anger and frustration presented in 'Nothing's Changed' and 'Half-Caste'?

3 star(s)

This essay has many good points. It is very clearly and logically structured and uses topic sentences to refer to the question.
The essay clearly compares the two poems and…
- Essay length: 1410 words
- Submitted: 15/07/2004
- Marked by teacher: Katie Dixon 10/05/2013

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GCSE: Poems from Different Cultures

How to respond to exam questions on poems from other cultures

Maya Angelou - Still I Rise

782 GCSE Poems from Different Cultures essays

Compare how the past reveals feelings about a place in Nothings Changed with the ways another poet reveals feelings about a place or places in one other poem.

The poems Strange fruit written by Abel Meeropol (Lewis Allen) 1937 and Still I rise written by Maya Angelou both convey the racism which fell upon the lives of many black individuals.

Compare Two Robert Frost Poems, The Road Not Taken & Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Comparing poems 'halfe cast' and 'nothings changed'

How does John Agard make the poem Half-Caste seem controversial? Think about the main features of the poet's language which make it different from Standard English. Is the poem mainly directed against white people who use the term 'half-caste'?

The theme of father and son relationships in Digging and Follower

The poems No Problem written by Benjamin Zephania and Half-Caste written by John Aguard illustrate strong feelings towards race

Poetry from other cultures

Half Caste written by John Agard and Nothing's Changed written by Tatamkhulu Afrika, both explore the portrayal of racism

How are anger and frustration presented in 'Nothing's Changed' and 'Half-Caste'?

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Peer reviewed

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