CH Cian Hogan English Notes 2014 Unseen Poetry Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 1
According the State Examination Commission s marking scheme: Students should be able to read poetry conscious of its specific mode of using language as an artistic medium. (DES English Syllabus, 4. 5. 1) Note that responding to the unseen poem is an exercise in aesthetic reading. It is especially important, in assessing the responses of the candidates, to guard against the temptation to assume a correct reading of the poem. Reward the candidates awareness of the patterned nature of the language of poetry, its imagery, its sensuous qualities, its suggestiveness. Note that the Unseen Poem is essentially a reading test; do not expect lengthy answering. Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 2
2010 Poetry I can never find a pen when you come, when you snap me up on your lizard tongue, and wrap yourself around me as if I were a spool. Vague as metaphors you tease, trawling your shadows as feathering clouds do, shedding infant vowels in your vaporous image. You will never be perfected, and while you are half-born I will never sleep. In pickling ink I preserve all your fruits; perhaps you are a prophecy, a mouthing of the boundless, or some God or other Minerva* festering like secrets in empty lines. Year s gone now, labour ing to dr ain the reddest blood from your throat, and I am none the wiser. *Minerva: Goddess associated with artistic creativity. Leanne O Sullivan Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 3
1. (a) Comment on one emotion expressed by the poet in this poem. Refer to the text in your answer. (10) To my mind, this poem is dominated by feelings of fr ustr ation. The opening line of the poem captures the poet s frustrated sense of being unprepared for the arrival of poetic inspiration: I can never find a pen when you come, when you snap me up on your lizard tongue, The way in which she identifies the vagueness of poetic metaphors, the manner in which she feels poetry teases her and her admission that she will never perfect her poems, all add to our sense of the poet s frustration. The final three lines of the poem announce the poet s realisation that despite years of attempting to drain the reddest blood from [poetry s] throat she is still none the wiser. So, the poem concludes as it began with feelings of frustration. (b) Choose a line or phrase from the poem that impressed you. Explain your choice. (10) The phrase of poetry that I found most impressive is contained in the poem s opening couplet: I can never find a pen when you come, when you snap me up on your lizard tongue, I like these lines because they are very evocative of the creative process. The image of the lizard tongue is difficult to ignore and the shor t, strong verb snap captures something of the force with which poetic inspiration takes hold of the speaker. I particularly enjoyed the way in which this couplet rhymes. The strong rhyme that occurs between come and tongue is ver y satisfying to the ear and is particular apt in a poem that centres on the notion of poetic inspiration. OR Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 4
2. Write a personal response to this poem. Your answer should make close reference to the text. (20) I really enjoyed reading Poetry by Leanne O Sullivan. It held my attention in an unforced manner from beginning to end. The poem takes us inside the magical and mysterious world of poetic inspiration, and through a series of unusual images and metaphors, helps us to understand the creative process. The opening line of the poem captures the poet s frustrated sense of being unprepared for the arrival of poetic inspiration: I can never find a pen when you come, when you snap me up on your lizard tongue, I like these lines in particular because they are very evocative of the creative process. The image of the lizard tongue is difficult to ignore and the shor t, strong verb snap captures something of the force with which poetic inspiration takes hold of the speaker. I particularly enjoyed the way in which this couplet rhymes. The strong rhyme that occurs between come and tongue is ver y satisfying to the ear and is particularly apt in a poem that centres on the notion of poetic inspiration. The poet also relies on a fascinating simile in order to convey how she feels about poetry. She describes poetry as being Vague as metaphors. The way in which this simile identifies the vagueness of poetic metaphors, the manner in which she feels poetry tease [s] her, together with her admission that she will never perfect her poems added greatly to my sense of the poet s frustration. The phrase, shedding infant vowels helped me to understand that the poet feels that writing a poem is like giving birth to something new. The final three lines of the poem announce the poet s realisation that despite years of attempting to drain the reddest blood from [poetry s] throat that she is still none the wiser. The language here again is very striking and thought-provoking and helped my to see that the process of writing is not only frustrating, but is actually physically draining. I really enjoyed reading this poem and know that I will be reading more of Leanne O Sullivan s work in the future. Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 5
2010 Seed The first warm day of spring and I step out into the garden from the gloom of a house where hope had died to tally the storm damage, to seek what may have survived. And finding some forgotten lupins I'd sown from seed last autumn holding in their fingers a raindrop each like a peace offering, or a promise, I am suddenly grateful and would offer a prayer if I believed in God. But not believing, I bless the power of seed, its casual, useless persistence, and bless the power of sun, its conspiracy with the underground, and thank my stars the winter's ended. Paula Meehan Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 6
1. (a) What in your view is the mood of this poem? Explain briefly how it is conveyed. Make reference to the text in support of your answer. (10) In my opinion the mood of this poem is at once determined, resigned and hopeful. The opening line of the poem, which traces the speaker s movement from the gloom of the house, to the warmth of a spring day, conveys a sense of hope. While the speaker acknowledges the storm damage of the previous winter, she also emphasises the persistence and the power of seed to sur vive such damage. Drawing heavily on imagery from the natural world, the speaker infers a sense of hope. The power of the sun, and its conspiracy with the underground seem to ensure that winter has ended. The mood is also one of resignation and determination; while the poet is hopeful, she is also realistic enough to admit to the existence of gloom, storm damage and even the death of hope itself. However, despite all of this, the speaker glimpses in nature a useless persistence that guaranties the continuation of the seasons. Such determination to go on, contributes greatly to the overall feeling of hope that dominates the poem. 1.(b) Choose one image from the poem that appealed to you. Explain your choice. (10) To my mind, the most powerful image in this poem is contained in the final couplet. Here, the poet describes the power of the sun [and] its conspiracy with the underground this image leads the speaker to offer thanks for the end of winter. I particularly enjoyed this image because it afforded me a glimpse of the harmonious workings of the natural world. There is something elemental about the apposition of sun and underground. The mention of sun, underground and stars cause the reader to at once dwell on the poet s lack of belief in God and to consider more primitive, even primal, forms of religion. I also was particularly impressed by the way in which this final image manages to conclude the poem on a note of hope. The line also assures the poem s title. 2. Write a personal response to this poem, highlighting the impact it makes on you. Your answer should make close reference to the text. (20) Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 7
I found this poem to be engaging, thought provoking and accessible. The poem held my attention in an unforced manner from the beginning right to the end. The opening line conveys a sense of warmth, hope and renewal. However this is balanced by the somewhat enigmatic third line where the poet describes the house from which she emerges as being a place where hope had died. I was really intrigued by this line because the narrator chooses to concentrate on the sense of renewal afforded by the arrival of spring rather than on the gloom that the house seems to represent. In this respect, we are forced to guess at the source of the narrator s feelings of hopelessness. I particularly enjoyed the way in which the poet used the seasons and the natural cycle as an extended metaphor forced an almost spiritual belief in the importance of renewal and persistence. I think the final image in the poem where, sun, underground and stars achieve a complex unity is particularly thought-provoking. In my opinion, this series of visual images captures an almost primal reaction to the changing of the seasons. In the tenth line, the poet rejects conventional religion and chooses to bless instead the power of seed. In the poem s final series of images, the poet thanks [her] stars that winter s ended. This interesting and accessible poem caused me to consider the restorative power of nature, the sense of renewal that is to be glimpsed in the changing of the seasons and the inadequacy of conventional religion to respond to such miner miracles. I genuinely enjoyed reading Seed and would certainly consider buying an edition of Paula Meehan s poetry. Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 8
2005 BACK YARD Shine on, O moon of summer, Shine to the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak, All silver under your rain tonight. An Italian boy is sending songs to you tonight from an accordion. A Polish boy is out with his best girl; they marry next month; tonight they are throwing you kisses. An old man next door is dreaming over a sheen that sits in a cherry tree in his back yard. The clocks say I must go I stay here sitting on the back porch drinking white thoughts you rain down. Shine on, O moon, Shake out more and more silver changes. Carl Sandburg 1. (a) Do you like the world that the poet describes in this poem? I really enjoyed the world described by the poet in this poem. Firstly, it is one that I am completely familiar with. The mixture of cosmopolitan (reflected in Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 9
the various nationalities) and nature (symbolised by the moon, leaves of grass cherry tree and rain ) remind me so much of my native Galway. Although one suspects that this backyard is in America it could also be anywhere in Ireland of 2005. On a different level, I genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere that the poem creates. The world of the poem is populated with people, yet the speaker has the space and time to contemplate the significance of the full moon. Furthermore, the reader is drawn into this world in a very clever fashion. The familiar sound of the accordion combines with the sight of the leaves of grass and leads us to a point where we can almost taste the moonlight. 1. (b) Choose a line or two that you find particularly appealing and explain why. (10) I have chosen the couplet that forms the second last stanza. I found these lines particularly appealing because they sum up the dreamy quality of this poem. The image of the poet sitting on the back porch is familiar and grounded in reality. Yet, at the same time, I found that this line evoked something of the imagery of a Hollywood movie. The personification of the clocks makes us aware of the urgencies of the outside world. The speaker s refusal to listen to their demands that he must go increases our sense of a special place that is removed from day to day worries. I particularly enjoyed the second line of this penultimate stanza. The confusion of the senses where the poet attempts to drink the moonlight is, in my opinion the stuff of pure poetry. The beautifully slow pace created by the predominance of broad vowel sounds adds so much to these lines. 2. Write a personal response to the poem Back Yard. (20) I genuinely enjoyed reading this poem. In comparison to many of the poems that I have studied this year, Backyard is an accessible yet thought provoking. The energetic first line drew me in and from there on in, my attention was held in an unforced manner. The beautiful opening tercet which describes the moon of Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 10
summer, the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak, all of which are, according to the speaker, [...]silver under [...] rain tonight led me to expect that this would be a nature poem. However, as I read on, I quickly realised that Backyard was not typical of that genre of poem. The setting of Backyard is in fact an urban one. Coming from a large city, this is something that really appealed to me. I enjoyed the cosmopolitan feel to the second stanza. The melting pot of what is presumably American culture is beautifully interlaced with the descriptions of the moonlight. Another aspect of the Backyard that appealed to me is the manner in which the poet manages to combine a uniquely personal experience with an overview of the neighbourhood he lives in: An Italian boy is sending songs to you tonight from an accordion. A Polish boy is out with his best girl; they marry next month; tonight they are throwing you kisses. The Polish boy, the romantic Italian are forced to share the stage with the old man. All three are seen to bathe in the beauty of the moonlight. This somehow makes the poem more inviting and open. Ultimately however, this poem presents us with a personal moment of reflection; a moment that I really enjoyed sharing. Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 11
2008 Those Winter Sundays Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labour in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, he'd call, and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house, Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well. What did I know, what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices Robert Hayden (1.a) What impression do you get of the father son relationship? Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 12
In my opinion, the father son relationship at the heart of this poem is complicated. The narrator does not seem to remember any acts of meaningful communication between himself and his father. There is a palpable and worrying silence surrounding the narrator's memories of those winter Sunday s when his father used to get up early to light the fire. At the time, the narrator did not thank his father for lighting the fire and driving out the cold. When he did speak to his father, it was with an indifferent voice that failed to acknowledge the austere and lonely offices that characterised this man s love for his family. Further evidence of the complicated relationship that exists between the father and son in this poem, can be seen in the narrator's reference to the chronic angers of that house. The adult narrator speaks of fearing these angers that we presume originate from his father. I was particularly struck by the poet s use word house instead of home and his emphasis on the blueblack cold that seems indicative of the atmosphere of his childhood home. Yet, despite these clear indications of an unhappy childhood, the adult narrator infers that this father did love his family. The man works hard; his hands are cracked and ache from labour. Yet despite this, the speaker s father is selfless enough to rise early on his day of rest so as to ensure that this family is warm. Unfortunately, this very physical act of love is not accompanied by a corresponding emotional warmth. The poet s obvious appreciation for his father s acts of kindness, together with the equally obvious tone of irretrievable regret that hangs over the poem, lead me to feel that his relationship with his father is a very complicated one. (1b) Choose a phrase or a line that impressed you. Explain your choice. The line that most impressed me is the opening line of the second stanza: I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. This line captures both the cold, silent atmosphere of the house on those winter Sundays and the narrator's changing attitude to his father s acts of kindness. Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 13
There is a wonderful onomatopoeic quality to the words splintering and breaking that takes us right to the moment when the speaker would wake to hear his father lighting the fire. However, the way in which the poet has the cold splinter and break is fascinating. I think that this is the adult narrative voice intruding on the memory of the actual event. The cold represents the troubled nature of his relationship with his father. The way in which this cold splinters and breaks signals to us just how much his perception of his father s actions has changed. The final lines of this stanza reinforce this notion. 2. Write a personal response to this poem your answer should make close reference to the text. I found this poem genuinely moving and thought provoking. The poem contains an open, honest and accessible description of the poet s complicated relationship with his father. The poet s description of those winter Sunday s during which his father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold in order to light a fire for his sleeping family, is highly atmospheric. We quickly come to see that this cold atmosphere is perhaps representative of family life in general in this house. I was moved by the poet s honesty in admitting that he feared the the chronic angers of that house and that he spoke indifferently to his father. There is a palpable tone of regret hanging over this poem that is difficult to ignore. The relationship between the father and the son seems dominated by unspoken difficulties. The final couplet of the poem is particularly effective in capturing the adult narrator s understanding of his father s unstated love for his family: What did I know, what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices The poem s language is simple enough to convey the honesty of the poet s emotions, yet sufficiently complex to capture the sad reality of his relationship with his father. In particular, I was struck by the predominance of broad vowel Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 14
sounds. Words such as cold, house, austere, good and lonely succeed in capturing the narrator s sadness. In contrast to many of the poems that I studied this year, Those Winter Sunday s held my unforced attention and I feel that I shall be reading more of Robert Hayden. Cian Hogan English Notes 2011/2012 15