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50 Science Poems for Students of All Ages
Physics says: go to sleep. Of course you’re tired.
What do you get when you combine the concrete concepts of science, with the literary fluidity of poetry? Something amazing to share with your students! Encourage kids to look at STEM through a whole new lens with these science poems for students of all ages!
Best Science Poems for Elementary School Students
1. science by martin dejnicki.
“Everything works, because of science.”
2. Butterfly Poem by Mr. R
“Two blue wings flapped by my eye…”
3. Science is Like Writing by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
“The sun made a rainbow on my book.”
4. Milkweed Beetle by Roberta Gibson
“Gently touch a milkweed beetle…”
5. My Frog Recycles All His Trash by Kenn Nesbitt
“He eats organic food.”
6. Earthworm Poem by Mr. R
“This poem is slimy…”
7. Science Homework by Kenn Nesbitt
“I hope that you believe me for I wouldn’t tell a lie.”
8. Why by Celia Berrell
“It’s part of our nature to want to know why.”
9. When is a Fruit a Fruit? by Toni Newell
“Did you know that cucumbers and tomatoes are a fruit?”
10. Buoyancy by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
“Does it sink? Does it float?”
11. Celery by Barbara Smith
“Emerald pale stalks…”
12. Carotene Carrot by Jeanie Axton
“It looked up at me and said ‘Please wait.’”
13. Magnetism by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
“Opposites attract.”
14. The Turbulent Sea by Madonna George
“…shaking the corals and clams with fright.”
15. Digestive System Poem by Mr. R
“Stomach’s muscles are churning…”
16. I Have an Amoeba by Kenn Nesbitt
“Today is his birthday. I didn’t forget.”
17. Scary Shadows by Celia Berrell
“When lights are dim the shapes look weird.”
Best Science Poems for Middle School and High School Students
18. my einsteinicity by lynne thompson.
“Let y equal any number of fathers.”
19. At Age 28, Chilean Astronomer Maritza Soto Has Already Discovered Three Planets by Vincent Toro
“Haloed by the glow of the multiverse swirling above La Silla Observatory…”
20. So They Say— They Finally Nailed— the Proton’s Size— & Hope— Dies— by Rosebud Ben-Oni
“but love does not, Menelle Sebastien.”
21. On the Religion of Nature by Philip Freneau
“The power, that gives with liberal hand…”
22. Unruly by Jari Bradley
“Hushed whispers in an undisclosed room.”
23. Singularity by Marie Howe
“Do you sometimes want to wake up to the singularity we once were?”
24. Presto! How the Universe is Made by Stephanie Strickland
“On your Mark, one first O/riginal Form…”
25. Einstein Defining Special Relativity by A. Van Jordan
“INSERT SHOT: Einstein’s notebook 1905—DAY 1…”
26. Triple Moments of Light and Industry by Brenda Hillman
“During our protest at the refineries…”
27. Second Law by Samiya Bashir
“Who was warned about these things…”
28. Apology to the Body by Lory Bedikian
“Sorry for mercury strewn in veins of fish…”
29. The Sciences Sing a Lullaby by Albert Goldbarth
“ Physics says : go to sleep. Of course you’re tired.”
30. Of the Threads that Connect the Stars by Martín Espada
“Did you ever see stars?”
31. Annus Mirabilis by Sally Ball
“In retrospect there is no side to choose: in math…”
32. Blur by H. L. Hix
“Turns out lots of lines prove blurry I once thought sharp.”
33. Negotiations with a Volcano by Naomi Shihab Nye
“We will call you “Agua” like the rivers and cool jugs.”
34. To Science by Edgar Allan Poe
“Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!”
35. We Know the Atom Consists Primarily of Empty Space by Art Zilleruelo
“But when the knife enters the trout…”
36. The Law of the Apple by Edwin Torres
“we convince ourselves of what we need…”
37. Not Nothing by Kimiko Hahn
“A map on tissue. A mass of wire. Electricity of the highest order.”
38. Vapor by Sara Eliza Johnson
“When it happens the rain is not black but powder.”
39. Philip Larkin’s Koan by Paisley Rekdal
“In the perfect universe of math it’s said the world’s eternal aberration.”
40. A Conceit by Rae Armantrout
“Local anchors list the ways…”
41. Dark Matter and Dark Energy by Alicia Ostriker
“My husband says dark matter is a reality…”
42. Panoramic View by Shanna Compton
“Last week Mars suddenly got a lot closer.”
43. Textbook & Absence (Anatomy) by Catherine Barnett
“At school he studies the human body…”
44. Lament for the Makaris by William Dunbar
“I that in heill was and gladness…”
45. Mail-Order Planets by Adrian Matejka
“In 1981, Eris’s spacious face hadn’t been discovered yet.”
46. The Horrid Voice of Science by Vachel Lindsay
“There’s machinery in the butterfly…”
47. NINE, 40 by Anne Tardos
“Take a good look, she says about her inventory.”
48. First Probe by Barry Ballard
“When the earth is tempered, compressed and cooled…”
49. Anthropocene by Nomi Stone
“Nesting, the turtle seems to be crying even though she is simply secreting her salt.”
50. When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer by Walt Whitman
“When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me…”
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50 Poems About Science
Written by Dan
Last updated February 15, 2024
Science education can often feel dry and disconnected from the imagination of our students, but poetry can be a powerful way to connect scientific concepts to creative language and imagery.
Written in various styles, these science poems can provide an engaging way to supplement the regular curriculum, allowing students to explore complex scientific phenomena through metaphor and verse.
In this article, you will find a collection of science-themed poems that can be used to enrich your lessons and inspire your students to explore the world of science with more significant curiosity and wonder.
And remember to explore the rest of our website for a wealth of other teaching resources!
Related : For more, check out our article on Poems About RE here.
Table of Contents
Five Free Verse Poems about Science
The wonders of the universe.
The vast, infinite universe above
A place of wonder and mysterious love
Burning stars, endless skies
A place where galaxies thrive
Comets, meteors, black holes
Dark matter that nothing controls
A world of endless possibilities
A universe of perpetual energies
From the microscopic to the grand
A world of science that we can understand
The universe, a never-ending scope
Of mystery, beauty, and hope.
Science Fair Day
Projects created with imagination and zeal
Proud students with projects ready to reveal
The air is filled with an electric buzz
Science experiments, you must discuss
Volcanoes exploding with fierce power
Lava spewing out each second, every hour
Clouds of smoke, acid rain
Fascinating learning that’s never plain
From biology to chemistry, physics too
Science wonders to bring to the view
Education in all its glory to see
Science fair day, learning gets to be free.
Small, tiny building blocks of life
The cornerstone of all, free from strife
Millions of cells, working every day
Ensuring our bodies function in every way
The heart’s cells beating in unison
Lungs taking every breath, giving it to someone
Muscles contracting and expanding constantly
Skin cells renewing so wonderfully
Cells, a vital part of life’s foundation
Of growth, development, and rejuvenation
A world the microscope reveals
A world that science so beautifully unveils.
The Elements
The forces that create all matter
From solids to gases, endless chatter
Nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon
Elements that make up our life, climb the paradigm
Atoms, molecules, creating bonds
A world of balance, where nothing absconds
From the cells in us to the stars above
Elements are everywhere, where nothing stays as grub
Science lets us understand and see
The secrets of the elements that make up our debris
From fire to water, from life to dust
The elements prove, in science, we must trust.
The Circle of Life
A world of birth, growth, and decline
A cycle, in harmony align
A world of biology and ecology too
A world where science comes anew
From the seed to the mighty tree,
To the flowers that bumblebees see,
To the bird that makes songs so sweet,
To the soil that grows food so neat
Nature is a part of our tapestry
A world where learning is a certainty
Science teaches us the cycle of life
The beauty of nature that is never a strife.
Related : For more, check out our article on Poems About Art here.
Five Rhyming Poems About Science
1. the dance of science.
In the cosmic dance, we take a stance,
Every discovery, not just by chance.
Through the universe, we advance,
In the name of science, we enhance.
By Dan Higgins, 2024
2. The Experiment
Every question begins a new journey,
As science spins, in an endless tourney.
Through losses and wins, we’re never weary,
For in the end, truth is our attorney.
3. The Joy of Discovery
Delving deep into the unknown,
Seeds of curiosity are sown.
With every fact that’s shown,
The joy of discovery has grown.
4. The Pursuit
Relentlessly probing, day and night,
Every question, a new delight.
With every wrong and right,
Science is our guiding light.
5. The Investigation
In the realm of science, sparks fly,
As we reach for answers from the sky.
Through every truth and lie,
Our quest for knowledge will never die.
Five Acrostic Poems About Science
1. s.c.i.e.n.c.e.
Seeking answers, in the cosmic dance,
Curiosity fuels our collective advance.
Investigating nature’s intricate stance,
Every discovery, not left to chance.
Nurturing knowledge, in every glance.
Crafting theories, in an intellectual prance,
Endlessly exploring, in a scientific romance.
2. E.X.P.E.R.I.M.E.N.T
Every question, a new journey begins,
Xeroxing nature’s secrets, as science spins.
Perseverance guides us, through losses and wins,
Experimentation, where understanding begins.
Revelations found, under microscopes and within tins,
Inquiring minds, clearing doubts and sins.
Making sense of chaos, as the world spins,
Endlessly testing, till truth grins.
Never resting, till knowledge pins,
Testing theories, till wisdom wins.
3. D.I.S.C.O.V.E.R.Y
Inquisitive minds, seeds are sown.
Science, the field where truths are grown,
Casting light where darkness had shown.
Overcoming fear, to the mysteries, we’ve flown,
Venturing forth, into zones unbeknown.
Every riddle solved, every fact known,
Reveals a universe, that’s continually shown,
Yearning for discovery, in every tone.
4. R.E.S.E.A.R.C.H
Searching for truth, with all our might,
Exploring the universe, from height and sight.
Always asking, what’s wrong and right?
Revealing answers, in the dark and light.
Constantly learning, with every flight,
Harnessing knowledge, with all our might.
5. I.N.V.E.S.T.I.G.A.T.I.O.N
In the realm of science, questions spark,
Nurturing curiosity, in light and dark.
Venturing forward, leaving a mark,
Exploring mysteries, like Noah’s Ark.
Seeking answers, in every quark,
Testing hypotheses, in each remark.
Investigating nature, in every park,
Gaining insight, from dawn till dark.
Always pursuing, the knowledge arc,
Testing, probing, making our mark,
In the vast cosmos, we embark,
On a journey of discovery, like a lark.
Five Haiku Poems About Science
Tiny wonders.
Microcosmic worlds
Teeming with life unseen
Science unlocks them
Nature’s Mystery
Wonders of nature,
Science reveals secrets deep,
Eyes opened anew.
Universe’s Complex
Limitless expanse,
Mystery of the unknown,
Science seeks answers.
Living Systems
Plants, animals, life,
The intricate web revealed,
Science illuminates.
Experimenting
Mixing, testing, change,
Discovery at its purest,
Science at its best.
Five Limerick Poems about Science
A physicist had us assume
A force that pulls us to the moon
No, it’s not magic
It’s simple physics trag…
“Gravity,” he said, snickering with a boom.
Biology class, we learn about cells
The DNA, mitochondria, and what compels
The nucleus is the brain
Ribosomes, protein the strain
How science brings life out of its shells.
Volcanoes we learned, spewing ash high
Boiling lava flows before our wondering eyes
The ring of fire, the crust
Tectonic plates, rust
So much science behind the fiery prize.
In chemistry class, we know about the elements
Gold, helium, oxygen, and nitrogen
Some are solids, some are gases
Thanks to science, our knowledge surpasses
Science, the essence of life’s commencements.
The world runs on energy, our science class
Fossil fuel, solar, it’s all here amassed
Nuclear reactions, electric power
The science behind it makes us bow our head lower
Innovation, science’s best garlanded glass.
Five Tanka Poems about Science
Vast and infinite
Stars shimmering in the night sky
Sciences wonders, vast
Planets, moons, galaxies too
A universe to explore
Microscopic World
Hidden from plain sight
Infinite complexity
Microscopic world
Fascinating in nature
Science uncovers beauty
The Natural World
Golden fields of wheat
Wildflowers swaying gently
Nature’s endless dance
A science to study in depth
Endless beauty to behold
Electricity
Power in our homes
Electricity at work
A science of power
Dynamic, thrilling, and bright
A force, it’s strongly felt
Our Place in Time
Science of the past
Unfolding secrets for us
Our place in time — grand
A history we can trace back
Enlightening, deep and grand.
Five Sonnet Poems About Science
The beauty of science.
Oh science, you are an ocean so vast
A world of beauty that we cannot miss
From cosmic rays to microscopic blast
Your wonders continue to amiss.
We learn about chemistry and its reaction
The physics that governs our everyday life
Biology, how everything has a function
And geology, rocks, and plates in strife.
Science explains the mysteries of our youth
And uncovers the depths of life’s stability
It enhances our knowledge, that’s the truth
And opens up our mind’s agility.
Oh science, we gaze at your magnificent view
Your innovations are boundless and always new.
The stars in the sky, they twinkle so bright
A glimmering cosmos that we want to explore
Studying space, on a mission, our fate is right
The mysteries it holds, we marvel and adore.
From supernovae that the universe explodes
The black holes that trap light, we learn and know
The planets in our solar system in codes,
To the moons that Saturn possesses in tow.
Astronomy examines our place in the cosmos
The birth of stars, the galaxies they form
The questions we ask, endless, we propose
Curiosity and imagination, we transform.
Oh stars, like glittering diamonds, in the night
Teach us science , bring us closer to always see the light.
Nature’s Wonders
From the tiniest bug that crawls on the wall
To the majestic oceans, big and vast
Nature is beautiful, something for all
Science helps us understand it at last
The ecosystems that inhabit our lands
The cycles of life, as we go about
It’s part of earth’s priceless demands
And of course, the big question of drought.
We learn of plants, their growth and their gene
We study wildlife, their patterns, and life
We explore oceans, what’s beyond seen
We protect and conserve, for peace and no strife.
Science has pried and uncovered wonders
Nature’s secrets, endless and never sunder.
Microscopic
Oh, wonderous lenses, a view so surreal
The world of microbes, what is unseen
Their depths, surprising, it’s a big deal
Us, humans, our eyes, don’t have the keen.
We look through the prism of a scope
And see atoms, cells, and viruses too
We examine their behavior, it’s no trope
Their structure, we analyze and imbue.
We study chemistry because it’s pertinent
DNA, RNA, protein, the building blocks
We study disease, it’s so urgent
Microscopy, biology, linked together like clock.
Oh science, you’ve opened up our eyes
Microscopic, an ever-evolving surprise.
The Scientific Method
Science is not just systematic, but it’s also an art
An inquiry, an investigation, to wonder and impart
It’s a journey of seeking, with a hypothesis to start
Experimentation and observation, to take heart.
It’s about testing, with control and variable groups
Collecting data, graphs, and analysis
It’s about theorizing, to come up with a scoop
And peer-review, to ensure accuracy and trust.
Science is about challenging, the status quo
Thinking outside the box, to question and probe
It’s about resilience, in times of no-show
And rewriting theories, we once thought as a globe.
The scientific method, the cornerstone of science
A methodology, where facts take a firm stance.
Five Ode Poems about Science
Ode to the microscope.
Oh, microscope, you magnify
The world beyond the naked eye
Through tiny lenses and great skill
You reveal mysteries, never still
From bacteria to cell walls
You make the details stand tall
A special view, you magnify
Oh, microscope, you sanctify
Ode to the Stars
Oh, stars, how you light up the sky
Your constellations shining so high
We gaze upon your beauty so rare
From comets to planets out there
Your glow, a beacon of the night
Like diamonds, you make our spirits bright
Mysterious and captivating
Oh, stars, our hearts are palpitating
Ode to the Elements
The elements, oh precious breath
From hydrogen to helium’s quest
From oxygen to carbon, a fire
Our earth is made with a magical desire
From metals to gases, you so impel
Our world is made so very well
A symphony of atoms entwined
The elements are ours to find
Ode to the Brain
The brain, an intricate work of art
A symphony of neurons that do impart
From dendrites to synapses, so divine
The brain’s complexity so refined
From creativity to deep thought
The brain’s secrets so well wrought
A supermachine of innovation
Oh, brain, you are our fascination
Ode to Invention
Inventions that shape how we live
Through science and technology, we give
From electricity to the internet
We innovate, and we fret
From air travel to space discovery
Inventions that make us feel so sonorous and free
Our creativity takes flight
Oh, invention, you shine so bright
Five Elegy Poems About Science
1. elegy to the stars.
Oh, celestial bodies, you distant lights,
In your infinite vastness, we take flight.
Your mysteries, like a siren’s call,
Guiding our curious minds through the nightfall.
Yet for every secret we unveil,
A thousand more in your expanse still sail.
The pursuit of knowledge, a ceaseless quest,
In your silent depths, we find our test.
2. Ode to the Atom
Atom, heart of all creation,
From your nucleus, life finds formation.
Splitting, fusing, in your dance,
The universe is held in trance.
Yet your power, when unleashed,
Leaves our world scarred and breached.
A paradox, both life and death,
In your orbit, we draw breath.
3. Lament for Lost Species
Once they roamed, free and wild,
Nature’s every precious child.
Now only in textbooks they reside,
Victims of a global tide.
Science warned us, but in vain,
Our actions brought this endless pain.
Extinct, erased, from life’s grand stage,
Their loss, our lasting heritage.
4. Sonnet to the Scientist
To the scientist, with lab coat white,
Whose days are spent in artificial light.
Seeking truth, with mind so keen,
In data, patterns yet unseen.
Yet often unappreciated, your vital role,
In understanding nature’s scroll.
To you this elegy, a humble ode,
For the burdens on your noble road.
5. Dirge for the Dying Earth
Oh Earth, our home, now in decay,
Under the weight of human fray.
Your wounds, deep and wide,
From which we can no longer hide.
Science, once our beacon bright,
Now presents a dreadful sight.
Yet hope remains, if we dare,
To heed its warnings, show we care.
Five Villanelle Poems About Science
1. the dance of the cosmos.
In the vast dance of the cosmos we spin,
Stars burning bright in the blackest night,
The universe’s secrets hidden within.
Through telescopes, our quest begins,
Gazing at celestial light,
In the vast dance of the cosmos we spin.
Galaxies swirling, a cosmic din,
In their dance, we find delight,
Comets streaking with fiery skin,
Astronomical wonders taking flight,
Each discovery, a new origin,
Unfolding mysteries, infinite and bright,
In this grand ballet, we are kin,
Bound by the fabric of space-time’s might,
2. The Song of the Atom
The atom sings a song of creation,
Fusing, splitting in nuclear elation,
In its dance, the universe’s foundation.
Protons, neutrons in constant rotation,
Science probes their complex relation,
The atom sings a song of creation.
Yet its power, cause for trepidation,
Nuclear energy, a double-edged citation,
A force of life, yet also devastation,
In its mystery, we find fascination,
Through its study, we seek salvation,
Understanding its intricate formation,
So, we delve into atomic exploration,
Seeking knowledge, not annihilation,
3. Eulogy for Extinction
Once they roamed, now they are no more,
In our hearts, their memory we store,
Victims of human exploitation, forever lore.
Science warned us, yet we chose to ignore,
Now their absence, a wound raw and sore,
Once they roamed, now they are no more.
Their echoes, the oceans’ mournful roar,
In our dreams, their spirits soar,
Their loss, a debt we can’t restore,
A haunting reminder of nature’s law,
In their demise, our conscience tore,
We must change, of this we’re sure,
So, we remember, and we implore,
To protect life, from shore to shore,
4. The Scientist’s Soliloquy
In the lab, the scientist seeks truth,
Through data and facts, she finds proof,
Her dedication, a testament to youth.
Each experiment, a detective’s sleuth,
In her findings, there’s no reproof,
In the lab, the scientist seeks truth.
Yet often misunderstood, her pursuit,
To the world, she must be aloof,
Despite challenges, she remains uncouth,
For knowledge is her ultimate roof,
She studies life, from root to tooth,
Uncovering secrets, from aloof to couth,
So, here’s to science, unvarnished truth,
And to the scientist, its relentless sleuth,
5. Requiem for a Dying Planet
Our home, the Earth, now in decay,
Science warns us, we’ve lost our way,
Yet hope remains, if we dare to stay.
Pollution, deforestation, a deadly fray,
In nature’s balance, we hold the sway,
Our home, the Earth, now in decay.
Yet in science, there’s a brighter ray,
Solutions, innovations, a new pathway,
We must act, without delay,
For our children’s future, we must pray,
So, let’s heed the signs, not stray,
In our hands, the power to allay,
Poetry opens the door to a world of imagination and creativity, providing a fun and engaging way to explore various topics in the classroom.
Our collection of diverse poems and styles designed for teachers can add variety to their lesson plans, making learning more exciting and enjoyable for their students.
Teachers can use our carefully crafted poems to promote literacy skills, communication, and emotional well-being among their students. We urge all teachers to explore our website, where you can find more tools and materials specifically designed to meet the learning needs of students.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your student’s learning experience with the help of our resourceful website. Try our poems and see the joy they bring to the classroom!
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I'm Dan Higgins, one of the faces behind The Teaching Couple. With 15 years in the education sector and a decade as a teacher, I've witnessed the highs and lows of school life. Over the years, my passion for supporting fellow teachers and making school more bearable has grown. The Teaching Couple is my platform to share strategies, tips, and insights from my journey. Together, we can shape a better school experience for all.
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Sonnet to Science Summary & Analysis by Edgar Allan Poe
- Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
- Poetic Devices
- Vocabulary & References
- Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
- Line-by-Line Explanations
"Sonnet to Science" is an early poem by Edgar Allan Poe, composed in 1829 and published in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems. The poem's speaker laments the impact of science on art and creativity, suggesting that science is only interested in "dull realities" and evidence-based observations—as opposed to the wondrous journeys undertaken by the creative imagination. As the title reveals, the poem takes the form of a sonnet (specifically a Shakespearean sonnet) and is written in iambic pentameter.
- Read the full text of “Sonnet to Science”
The Full Text of “Sonnet to Science”
1 Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!
2 Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.
3 Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart,
4 Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?
5 How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise,
6 Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering
7 To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies,
8 Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?
9 Hast thou not dragged Diana from her car,
10 And driven the Hamadryad from the wood
11 To seek a shelter in some happier star?
12 Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood,
13 The Elfin from the green grass, and from me
14 The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?
“Sonnet to Science” Summary
“sonnet to science” themes.
Science vs. Art and Creativity
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Sonnet to Science”
Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art! Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.
Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart, Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?
How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise, Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies, Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?
Hast thou not dragged Diana from her car, And driven the Hamadryad from the wood To seek a shelter in some happier star? Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood,
Lines 13-14
The Elfin from the green grass, and from me The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?
“Sonnet to Science” Symbols
The Exile of Mythical Figures
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
“Sonnet to Science” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
Alliteration
Rhetorical question, “sonnet to science” vocabulary.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Tamarind tree
- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Sonnet to Science”
Rhyme scheme, “sonnet to science” speaker, “sonnet to science” setting, literary and historical context of “sonnet to science”, more “sonnet to science” resources, external resources.
Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems — Read the full collection in which "Sonnet to Science" appears.
The Poem Out Loud — Hear "Sonnet to Science" read aloud.
Poe's Life and Work — Listen to this informative BBC podcast about Poe, which includes contributions from renowned biographer Peter Ackroyd.
"How Edgar Allan Poe Exposed Scientific Hoaxes—And Perpetrated Them" — Check out a podcast on Poe's complicated relationship with science.
LitCharts on Other Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
A Dream Within a Dream
Annabel Lee
The Conqueror Worm
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Loving. Healing. Touching.
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Homework Stew
Famous children poem, making homework stew is not quite what the teacher had in mind. this funny children’s poem shows what can happen when we mishear something. famous poet kenn nesbitt writes humorous poetry for children, and he served as the children’s poet laureate from 2013-2015..
I loved this poem because I loved how it said "I sprinkled up my book report". When at the end the teacher said "Your quite a chef but you get a F, I did not say homework stew, I said...
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Famous Poem
I cooked my math book in a broth and stirred it to a steaming froth. I threw in papers—pencils, too— to make a pot of homework stew. I turned the flame up nice and hot and tossed my binder in the pot. I sprinkled in my book report with colored markers by the quart. Despite its putrid, noxious gas, I proudly took my stew to class. And though the smell was so grotesque, I set it on my teacher’s desk. My teacher said, “You’re quite a chef. But, still, you’re going to get an F. I didn’t ask for ‘homework stew,’ I said, ‘Tomorrow, homework’s due.'” “Homework Stew” copyright © 2005 Kenn Nesbitt. All Rights Reserved. Published in When the Teacher Isn’t Looking . Reprinted by permission of the author. www.poetry4kids.com
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I loved this poem because I loved how it said "I sprinkled up my book report". When at the end the teacher said "Your quite a chef but you get a F, I did not say homework stew, I said tomorrow homework's due".
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10 of the Best Poems about Science and Technology
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘I am no poet,’ the scientist Michael Faraday once said, ‘but if you think for yourselves, as I proceed, the facts will form a poem in your minds.’ Although they’re often viewed as being at odds – such as in John Keats’s famous worry about Isaac Newton unweaving the rainbow through explaining the colour spectrum – science and poetry have often been bedfellows.
Since the metaphysical poets such as John Donne and Andrew Marvell some four hundred years ago, whose work incorporated scientific ideas, poets over the last few centuries have engaged with scientific discoveries, questions, and ideas. Here are ten of the very best poems about science, technology, and machinery.
Edgar Allan Poe, ‘ Sonnet – To Science ’.
Poe was greatly interested in science, and among his literary achievements is a long prose-poem-cum-essay, Eureka , which is subtitled in some editions of Poe’s work ‘An Essay on the Material and Spiritual Universe’.
However, in this shorter poem, a sonnet following the Shakespearean or English rhyme scheme , Poe calls science ‘true daughter of Old Time’ which ‘alterest all things with thy peering eyes’, arguing that science has destroyed the human love of the fantastical or mystical.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Canto LVI from In Memoriam .
Who trusted God was love indeed And love Creation’s final law – Tho’ Nature, red in tooth and claw With ravine, shriek’d against his creed …
This poem from Tennyson’s long elegy for his friend, Arthur Henry Hallam, was published in 1850. In this canto from the longer poem, Tennyson engages with the nineteenth-century geological debate surrounding the fossil record: the so-called ‘dinosaur canto’ sees Tennyson fearing the Nature (and God) don’t value either the individual creature within a species or the species as a whole, because so many ‘types’ have gone extinct.
Robert Browning, ‘ Caliban upon Setebos ’.
’Thinketh He made it, with the sun to match, But not the stars; the stars came otherwise; Only made clouds, winds, meteors, such as that: Also this isle, what lives and grows thereon, And snaky sea which rounds and ends the same …
A good science poem to pair with Tennyson’s above. Although its most immediate literary inspiration was Shakespeare’s The Tempest , this 1863 poem by Robert Browning (1812-89) was written just four years after the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species , and the poem is a response to the implications of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
Walt Whitman, ‘ When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer ’.
When I heard the learn’d astronomer, When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me, When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them, When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself …
Science can increase the magic of the natural world, rather than detract from it. In this short poem, Whitman (1819-92) describes how hearing an astronomy lecture opens his mind up to the wonders of the night sky.
Emily Dickinson, ‘ A Light exists in Spring ’.
As the Keats example quoted at the start of this post demonstrates, not all poems about science have been celebratory. Here, Emily Dickinson examines the gulf between what science can analyse and understand, and what human nature somehow senses in a way that stands aside from the scientific:
A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period – When March is scarcely here
A Color stands abroad On Solitary Fields That Science cannot overtake But Human Nature feels …
Ambrose Bierce, ‘ Technology ’.
Bierce (1842-c.1914) is best-known for The Devil’s Dictionary , but he was also a poet. Here he addresses in a comic poem the issue of technology:
’Twas a serious person with locks of gray And a figure like a crescent; His gravity, clearly, had come to stay, But his smile was evanescent …
Rudyard Kipling, ‘ The Secret of the Machines ’.
Kipling (1865-1936) was a prolific writer of short stories and poems, and in this poem he ponders new technology and machinery:
We were taken from the ore-bed and the mine, We were melted in the furnace and the pit— We were cast and wrought and hammered to design, We were cut and filed and tooled and gauged to fit. Some water, coal, and oil is all we ask, And a thousandth of an inch to give us play: And now, if you will set us to our task, We will serve you four and twenty hours a day …
Stephen Spender, ‘ The Pylons ’.
For Spender (1909-95) in this poem, which spawned the name of a whole poetic movement (the ‘Pylon Poets’ of the 1930s), the electricity pylons springing up across the English countryside are symbols of the future, placed in a landscape that has been largely unchanged for centuries.
Whilst cities have been radically transformed in the last few hundred years by a succession of technological innovations – industry, factories, skyscrapers, the advent of the motorcar – the English countryside has largely remained the same, yet this is precisely where the pylons have been situated … or, at least, is the place where they are the most conspicuous.
Edwin Morgan, ‘ The Computer’s First Christmas Card ’.
In this poem, the Scottish poet Edwin Morgan (1920-2010) gives us an unusual Christmas poem supposedly ‘written’ by a computer, and its attempt to produce the simple message ‘Merry Christmas’. A humorous poem from the 1960s about the early technology of the modern computer.
Sarah Howe, ‘ Relativity ’.
Howe wrote this poem about scientific ideas – specifically relating to Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and its impact on subsequent physics – and read it to Stephen Hawking, to whom the poem is dedicated. It’s beautiful, moving, and shows that science continues to inspire some of the finest poetry.
1 thought on “10 of the Best Poems about Science and Technology”
The tables turned, by Wordsworth, also come to mind As a poem criticising science’ s need to dissect, to analyse.
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How the Leaves Came Down Questions & Answers
Hi Everyone!! This article will share How the Leaves Came Down Questions & Answers. This poem is written by Susan Coolidge. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions & answers of The Praying Hands , The Cherry Tree and The Will so, you can check these posts as well.
Word galaxy
- Pouting – make a face using one’s lips to show annoyance
- Pleasant – (here) pleasing to one’s senses
- Leaflets – (here) single leaves
- Frolicked – play about in a fun manner
- Coax – to persuade
- Huddled – to gather together
- Swarm – (here) to assemble closely like a large group of insects
Question 1: Choose the correct option:
1. the leaves did not want to go to sleep as.
(a) they loved to sing. (b) it was a pleasant day. (c) they wanted to listen to story
2. The leaves wanted to stay until
(a) spring. (b) the monsoon (c) the next summer.
3. When all the leaves came down, the Tree was
(a) full (b) bare (c) heavy
Question 2: Read these lines from the poem and answer the questions.
1. You’re getting sleepy, Yellow and Brown, Yes, very sleepy, little Red It is quite time to go to bed.
(a) Who says that?
Answer: The Great Tree or the father tree says that.
(b) Why do you think the speaker addresses the listeners as Yellow, Brown and Red?
Answer: Yellow, Brown and Red are colour of the leaves in autumn season so, the speaker addresses the listeners as Yellow, Brown and Red.
2. White bedclothes heaped upon her arm. Should come to wrap them safe and warm.
(a) What do you understand by ‘white bedclothes’ here?
Answer: Here ‘white bedclothes’ means a layer of snow due to snowfall.
(b) Who will be wrapped safe and warm?
Answer: Fallen leaves will be wrapped safe and warm.
Question 3: Who tells the story of the falling of leaves in the poem?
Answer: The Great Tree tells the story of the falling of leaves in the poem.
Question 4: Where are the leaves when the tree asks them to go to bed?
Answer: The leaves are on the tree when the father tree asks them to go to bed.
Question 5: What does the tree mean by ‘going to bed’?
Answer: ‘Going to bed’ refers to the falling of the leaves from the tree to the ground.
Question 6: Who are Yellow, Brown and little Red in the poem?
Answer: In the poem, Yellow, Brown and little Red are the names of the leaves. The names indicate the colour of each leaf. The colours of leaves convey that it is autumn.
Question 7: What do the leaves not want to do?
Answer: The leaves do not want to go away on such pleasant day.
Question 8: What happens when the Great Tree shakes his head?
Answer: When the Great Tree shakes his head, the Yellow, Brown and little Red leaves fell on the ground.
Question 9: W hat did the Great tree tell his children to do? What was their response?
Answer: The Great Tree told his children, the leaves, that it was time to go bed. The leaves did not want to go away on such a pleasant day. They try to convince their father to let them stay a little longer.
Question 10: W hat did the tree do after one day? Were the children happy about it?
Answer: The tree shook his head and the leaflets fell to the ground. No, the children were not happy about this as they wanted to stay on the tree still spring.
Question 11: W hat is the main imagery in the poem? Explain in your own words.
Answer: The poet uses the imagery of the father tree and his children, the colourful leaflets, to show the relationship between a tree and its leaves. The autumn season is represented with the image of father putting his children to sleep.
Question 12: At the end, what happens to the leaves?
Answer: At the end, the tree shakes his head and the leaflets fall down to the ground by saying, ‘Sleeping is beautiful’. So, these were How the Leaves Came Down Questions & Answers.
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Poetry with answers (Over 100 poems, questions and answers)
Here is a collection of over 100 poems, questions and answers for high students. Each poem has a set of questions and whose answers are provided at the bottom of this page. Hope this assist you horn your Literature knowledge and skills.
Get more ofsuch free resources here : Free High school resources for teachers and learners
POETRY (20 MARKS)
Poems and questions, read the following poems below and then answer the questions that follow., in the city.
All moving the Lord knows where,
Dressed in suits and tatters, Bowties, tights, ochred sheets and earrings, All thinking of things to come, Africa is in a state of opportunity, All look for easy chances.
Of self-upliftment or undeserved promotion That often mirage further and further Making frustrate Minds that should be content
It is a time of opportunity-
When one line makes a poet And a little acquaintance or chance Rockets one to the highest office
But the peasant, the pillar of the nation, Has only to cope with prices that shift Like the waves that rock the ship carrying yellow maize to the city.
The employed call out strikes That only deplete the little funds That may relieve the peasant-
The elder brother keeps the younger in hunger At home, if there’s any, The child plays with an empty bottle, Cries for more milk When the cost is daily on the rise
While the incomes remain static And the higher brackets are daily filled By youths that will not retire Within this century. The child laughs gaily, Displaying its only four teeth That show it grows to eat, Unaware of all that shapes her decade
Adapted from a poem by Joseph G. Mutiga
a) Who is the persona in the poem ? (2 marks) b) Briefly describe what the poem is about. (3 marks) c) Explain the significance of the first line in the poem. (2 marks) d) Identify the aspect of style used in stanza six and show its effectiveness. (3 marks) e) Describe the kind of society presented in this poem. (2 marks) f) What is the tone of the poem ? Support your answer. (3 marks) g) Identify and discuss the use of sarcasm in the second-last stanza. (3 marks) h) Explain the meaning of the following lines in the poem. (2 marks) i) Africa is in a state of opportunity ii) The pillar of the nation
Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow. (20 marks)
You embarrass me….
Why do you embarrass me with your questions About the new Mercedes I bought The large farm I own The houses, the wives, An inflated stomach!
Why do you threaten me with your threats The threats in your bloodshot eyes Fixedly pointed at me wherever I go Like if you are ready To release the arrow that will deflate me Into nothingness; Even the watchmen, the dogs, the police Are all not enough to protect me From your increasing shouts to protest Against my good judgement;
Mwananchi Have you forgotten how you loved me And gave me your vote That I may be your man in parliament? Now that I have the power I will mend your confused senses
And keep you in prison Until you see me as your leader again And keep those bloodshot eyes away from me I will charge like an angry lion And scare you out of your wits Until like a frightened dog, You keep your head forever… Everett M. Standa a. Identify the persona in the poem. (2 marks) b. What is the message of the poem? (4 marks) c. Identify and comment on any two aspects of style in the poem. (6 marks) d. Describe the tone of the poem. (2 marks) e. Identify and illIustrate two character traits of Mwananchi. (4 marks) f. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases as used in the poem. (2 marks) i) Inflated stomach ii) Scare you out of your wits.
Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.(20 mks)
Song of agony.
I put on a clean shirt And go to work Which of us Which of us will come back? Four and twenty moons Not seeing women Not seeing my hand Which of us Which of us will die? I put on a clean shirt And go to work my contract To work far away
I go beyond the mountain Into the bush Where the roads end And the rivers run dry Which of us Which of us will come back? Which of us Which of us will die? Questions a) Who is the persona in the poem? Explain. (2 marks) b) Briefly discuss the subject matter in this poem. (3 marks) c) Identify two stylistic devices in the poem and show their effectiveness. (4 marks) d) Show how the persona and the others suffer in the poem. Illustrate your answer. (4 marks) e) What is the dominant mood in the poem? (2 marks) f) Is the title of this poem suitable? Explain (3 marks) Identify and explain one economic activity practiced by the persona’s community.
Read the poem below then answer the questions that follow
The necklace.
From a distance Fearful of inching any further, A cold sweat trickled rivulets, Making me shiver at noon. Undaring to approach the form It was over in minutes, The necessities of execution availed, The firestone tyre, Petrol in blackened tin, And ignites in numerous hands Each participant ready and anxious, To set the man a flame. As the smouldering form blackened, Smell of sizzling flesh filling in the air Piercing the nostrils,
And choking me breathless, I watched in wonder, Witness to an unwritten law. As the crowd dispersed, The haggling and bargaining resumed, Buying, selling and cheating, As men in uniform arrived, Bearing away the charred remains Questions a) How relevant is the title of the poem above? (2 marks) b) Describe the character of the executionists in the poem (2 marks) c) What was needed to carry out the execution? (3 marks) d) Explain the difference in the use of the word “form” in stanza one and stanza three (2 marks) e) (i) Who is the persona ? (1 mark) (ii) What deters the persona from getting closer to the scene of action? (1 mark) f) Explain the meaning of the following phrases as used in the poem (3 marks) i) Smell of sizzling flesh ii) Each participant ready and anxious iii) Witnessed to an unwritten law g) What mood is portrayed in the poem? (2 marks) h) Paraphrase the last stanza (4 marks)
Read the poem below and answers the questions that follow (20 MARKS)
Wedding eve.
Should I Or should I not Take the oath to love For ever This person I know little about? Does she love me Or my car Or my future Which I know little about? Will she continue to love me When the future she saw in me Crumbles and fades into nothing Leaving the naked me To love without hope?
Will that smile she wears Last through the hazards to come When fate strikes Across the dreams of tomorrow? Like the clever passenger in a faulty plane, Wear her life jacket And jump out to save her life Leaving me crush into the unknown? What magic can I use To see what lies beneath Her angel face and well knit hair To see her hopes and dreams Before I take an oath To love forever? We are both wise chess players She makes a move I make a move And we trap each other in our secret dreams Hoping to win against each other Everett Standa
QUESTIONS 1. Comment on the title of this poem. 3 marks 2. Explain the dilemma of speaker in the first stanza. 2 marks 3. What is the speaker’s attitude towards their relationship? 4. Discuss and illustrate two character traits of the persona. 4 marks 5. Comment on the imagery of the plane. 3 marks 6. Explain how the relationship is compared to a game of chess. 3 marks 7. Explain the meaning of the following line: leaving the naked me. 3 marks
The inmates
Huddled together Cold biting their bones
Teeth chattering from the chill, The air oppressive, The smell offensive They sit and they reflect The room self contained At the corner the ‘gents’ invites With the nice fragrance of ammonia, And fresh human dung, The fresh inmates sit thoughtfully Vermin perform a guard of honour Saluting him with a bite here And a bite there ‘Welcome to the world, they seem to say’ The steel lock of the door The walls insurmountable And the one torching tortuous bulb Stare vacantly at him Slowly he reflects about the consignment That gave birth to his confinement Locked in for conduct refinement The reason they put him in prison The clock ticks But too slowly Five years will be a long time Doomed in the dungeon In this hell of a cell
a) Who is the persona in the poem? (1 mark) b) Briefly explain what the poem is about. (2 marks) c) Identify and illustrate three aspects of style in the poem. (6 marks) d) Give evidence from the poem which indicates the inmates are suffering. (3 marks) e) Why is the fresh inmate in prison? (2 marks) f) Identify and explain the mood of the new convict. (2 marks) g) Explain the meaning of the following lines as used in the poem. i) That gave birth to his confinement (1 mark) ii) The room is self contained (1 mark) h) What does the steel lock in the door and the insurmountable walls suggest? (2 marks)
Read the following poem and then answer the questions that follow.
The courage that my mother had.
The courage that my mother had Went with her, and is with her still; Rock and New England quarried; Now granite in a granite hill. The golden brooch my mother wore She left behind for me to wear; I have nothing I treasure more; Yet, it is something I could spare. Oh, if instead she’d left to me The thing she took into the gravel! The courage like a rock, which she Has no more need of, and I have. (Had – Edna St. Vincent Millay)
a) Briefly explain how the poem is about. (4 marks) b) Is the speaker male or female? How do you know? (2 marks) c) What does the speaker wish the mother had left behind? Why can’t the wish be fulfilled? (3 marks) d) Describe the character trait of the mother in the poem. (2 marks) e) Identify and illustrate the imagery used in the poem. (4 marks) f) What is the speaker’s attitude towards the mother and the golden brooch in the poem. (3 marks) g) Rewrite the following in your own words: (2 marks) “Has no more need of, and I have”
THE PAUPER.
Pauper, pauper, craning your eyes In all directions, in no direction! What brutal force, malignant element, Dared to forge your piteous fate? Was it worth the effort, the time? You limply lean on a leafless tree Nursing the jiggers that shrivel your bottom Like baby newly born to an old woman.
What crime, what treason did you commit That you are thus condemned to human indifference?
And when you trudge on the horny pads, Gullied like the soles of modern shoes, Pads that even jiggers cannot conquer; Does He admire your sense of endurance Or turn his head away from your imprudent presence?
You sit alone on hairless goatskins, Your ribs and bones reflecting the light That beautiful cars reflect on you, Squashing like between your nails. And cleaning your nails with dry saliva.
And when He looks at the grimy coating Caking off your emaciated skin, At the rust that uproots all your teeth Like a pick on a stony piece of land, Does He pat his paunch at the wonderful sight?
Pauper, pauper, crouching in beautiful verandas Of beautiful cities and beautiful people, Tourists and I will take your snapshots, And your M.P. with a shining head and triple chin Will mourn your fate in a supplementary questions at question time. (Adapted from poems from East Africa, by Cook and Rubadiri EDS)
i) Identify the persona in the poem above. (2 marks) ii) What evidence from the poem suggest that the subject is poor? (4 marks) iii) Comment on the writer's use of imagery in stanza two. (3 marks) iv) Apart from the imagery indentified in (iii) above, discuss any two other stylistic devices employed in the poem. (4 marks) v) What is the persona's attitude towards the M.P. (2 marks) vi) Discuss one theme brought out in the poem. (2 marks) vii) Explain the meaning of the following words and expression as used in the poem. (3 marks) a) Emaciated . b) Crouching. c) Gullied like the soles of modern shoes.
ORAL LITERARY
Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow. death is a witch.
Solo: Ah, what shall I do, Abuluhya?
It’s wrong Chorus: Today I will say Death is a witch, my people It snatched my child I will remain alone Solo: Ah what shall I really do, Abuluhya its very wrong Chorus: Today I will say Death is a witch, my people It snatched my child I will weed along Solo: Ah, what shall I really do, Abuluhya it’s wrong Chorus: Today I will say Death is a witch, my people It snatched my child I will dance alone Solo: My child, my friend, I cry what shall I do? I cry What shall I do? I cry x2
a) Classify the above oral poem giving reasons. (2 marks) b) What is the singer’s attitude towards death? (2 marks) c) What two things are lost when this song is written down? Use suitable illustrations from the song to support your answer.
d) Identify one character trait of death brought out in this poem. (2 marks) e) With illustrations, identify social-economic activities of the community from which this song is drawn. (4 marks
Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.
They met by accident He proposed the idea She gave her consent All the way to the altar The casualty was male And his pigment was pale Unlike his alleged sire Who was black with ire The recourse was legitimate He disclaimed responsibility So they had to separate The boy remains illegitimate
Last month, not long ago They both took their go Coincidentally by accident No will, no estate Nothing to inherit The poor boy is hardly ten And knows no next-of-kin He roams the streets of town Like a wind-sown out-cast G. Gathemia
a) Briefly explain what the poem is about. (4 marks) b) Describe two characters traits of the mother in the poem (4 marks) c) Explain the meaning of the following as used in the poem. (3 marks) (i) Disclaimed. (ii) Unlike his alleged sire who was black with ire d) Identify and explain one instance of irony in the poem (3 marks) e) What is the persona’s attitude towards the boy in the poem? (3 marks) f) Rewrite the following in your own words. (1 marks) (‘They both took their go’) g) Give a proverb which appropriately summarizes this poem. (2 marks)
Read the following oral poem and answer the questions that follow.
After a brief struggle I got myself A job My food was meat and banana flour A hundred cents a month and soon I had some money. Soon afterwards I bought myself A beautiful girl My heart was telling time this was a fortune So heart you were deceiving me and I believed you On a Saturday morning as I was leaving work I was thinking I was being awaited at home
But on arrival I couldn’t find my bride Nor was she in her parents home I ran fast to the river valley; What I saw gave me a shock. There was my wife conversing with her lovers. I sat and silently wept. I realized there is no luck in this world. People aren’t trustworthy and will never be!
(a) Place this song in its appropriate genre. (2 Marks) (b) State and illustrate two functions of this song. (4 Marks) (c) What evidence is there to show that this is an Oral Poem? (4 Marks) (d) Explain briefly what the poem is about. (2 Marks) (e) Give any two character traits of the singer. (4 Marks) (f) Identify and illustrate two economic activities practiced by the society in the song. (4 Marks)
The earth does not get fat. It makes an end- Of those who wear the head plumes We shall die on the earth. The earth does not get fat. It makes an end of those who act swiftly as heroes. Shall we die on the earth? Listen O earth. We shall mourn because of you. Listen O earth. Shall we all die on the earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end of The chiefs. Shall we die on earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end Of the women chiefs. Shall we die on earth?
Listen o earth. We shall mourn because of you. Listen O earth. Shall we all die on earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end Of the nobles. The earth does not get fat It makes an end of the royal women. Shall we die on earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end
of the common people. Shall we die on the earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end of all the beasts Shall we die on the earth? Listen you who are asleep, who are left tightly closed in the land. Shall we all sink Into the earth? Listen O Earth the sun is setting tightly. We shall enter into the earth. We shall not enter into the earth. (From: 'The Heritage Of African Poetry') a) What is the poem about?
b) Who is the persona in the poem? (2mks) c) Identify and illustrate any two features of style used in the poem? (4mks) d) What is the tone of the persona in the poem? (2mks) e) What in the poem shows that death is indiscriminate in its manifestations? (2mks) f) Describe the political setting of the community from which the poem originates. (2mks) g) What is the mood of the poem? (2mks) h) Explain what the expressions below mean : (3mks) i) The earth does not get fat . ii) Those who wear the head plumes iii) Earth the sun is setting tightly
Read the poem below and then answer the question that follow.
Africa my Africa Africa of proud warriors in the ancestral savannah’s Africa my grandmother sings of Beside her distant river I have never seen you. But my gaze is full of your blood. Your black spilt over the field. The blood of your sweat The sweat of your toil The toil of slavery The slavery of your children. Africa, tell me Africa, Are you the back that bends. Lies down under the weight of humbleness?
The trembling back stripped red. That says yes to the whips on the road of noon? Solemnly a voice answers me “Impetuous child, that young and sturdy tree. That tree that grows. There splendidly alone among white and faded flowers. Is Africa, your Africa. It puts forth new shoots. With patience and stubbornness pouts forth news shoots. Slowly its fruits grow to have That bitter taste of freedom.
1. Who is the persona 2mks 2. What is the message of the poem? 3mks 3. Identify any three stylistic devices used in the poem. 6mks 4. What is the tone of the poem? 3mks 5. From the above poem, explain the meaning of the following lines? a)’ But the gaze is full of your blood. Your blood spilt over the field.’ 1mk b)’ Africa, my Africa Africa of proud warriors in the ancestral Savannah’ 1mk 6. But my gaze is full of your blood. 1mk (Add an appropriate question tag) 7. What is the meaning of the following words? 3mks i) Solemnly ii) Sturdy iii) Toil
Read the following poem and respond to the questions appropriately.
The smiling orphan.
And when she passed away, They came, Kinsmen came, Friends came, Everybody came to mourn her. Hospitalized for five months The ward was her world Fellow patients her compatriots The meager hospital supply-her-diet When she was dying Her son was on official duty The state demanded his services Her only daughter, uneducated,
Sat by her Crying, praying waiting for an answer From God far above Wishing, she spoke the language Figures in white-coats do understand They matched, the figures did Stiff, numb and deaf, to the cries and wishes Of her dying mother As she was dying Friends and kinsmen TALKED of her How good, how helpful: a very practical woman None reached her: they were too busy, there waws no money, Who would look after their homes? Was it so crucial their presence? But when she passed away, they came, Kinsmen came, friends hired cars to come, Neighbours gathered to mourn her, They ought to be there, to be there for the funeral So they swore The mourners shrieked out cries As they arrived in the busy compound of the dead. Memories of loved ones no more Stimulated tears of many. They cried dutiful tears for the deceased Now stretching their hands all over to help The daughter looked at them With dry eyes, quiet, blank The mourners pinched each other Shocked by the stone – heartedness Of the be-orphaned. She sat: watching the tears soak their garments Or in the soil around them; wasted
That night, she went to her love, In the freshly made emergency grass hut, And let loose all ties of the Convectional Dress she wore Submitting to the Great Power, she whispered: ‘Now ……………….
You and I must know Now…………. Tomorrow you might never understand Unable to lick my tears …………….. And there was light In the darkness of the hut While outside The mourners cried Louder thant he Orphan By Grace Birabwa Isharaza
Questions a) Who is the persona in the poem? (2 marks)
‘STILL I RISE’
You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells’ Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainity of tides Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like tear drops. Weakened by my soulful cries. Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard ‘cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines Diggin’ in my own backyard. You m,ay shoot me with your word You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Out of the hurts of history’s shame I rise Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I raise I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear In the tide Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a day brake that is wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my Ancestors game, I am the dream and the Hope of the slave I rise I rise I rise Adapted from: Maya Angelous’ STILL I RISE (1978)
1. With support from the poem, briefly explain what the poem is about. (3 marks) 2. Identify three challenges that the speaker in the poem contends with. (3 marks) 3. What is the attitude of the speaker towards these challenges? (2 marks) 4. Identify and illustrate figures of speech from the poem above. Comment on their effectiveness. (4 marks) 5. Other than the style in (4) above, identify and illustrate other two stylistic devices employed by the poet. (4 marks) 6. Explain the meaning of the following phrases as they are used in poem. (3 marks) a) ‘Cause I laugh I’ve got gold mines’ b) ‘But still, like dust, I’ll rise’. c) I am Black Ocean, leaping and wide. 7. Supply the following sentence with ethe correct question tag. (1 mark) I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.
I went to church..
I went to church today. Yes I went and prayed for all Friends and foes a like. Dead and those alive.
I also prayed hard. For the soul of that soldier. Who got short. Fighting for our motherland While I shot hot life into his wife. And I prayed to God too That I live long To go and pray again Questions. a) What is the poem about? (4 marks) b) Identify and illustrate any two character traits of the speaker. (4 marks) c) Identify and illustrate three poetic devices used in the poem. (6 marks) d) What is the meaning of the following lines as used in the poem. (2 marks) i) While I shot hot life into his wife. ii) That I live long to go and pray again. e) i) What is the tone of the poem (2 marks) ii) Explain the overriding mood of the poem. (2 marks)
1. Read the poem below and then answer the question that follows. (20 marks)
So What is the mountain deal? About the minister’s ailing son That makes boiling news? How come it was not whispered? When Tina’s hospital bed was crawled with maggots And her eyes oozed pus Because the doctors lacked gloves? What about Kasajja’s only child Who died because the man with the key To the oxygen room was on leave? I have seen queues Of emaciated mothers clinging to Babies with translucent skins Faint in line And the lioness of a nurse
Commanding tersely ‘Get up or live the line’ Didn’t I hear it rumored that The man with the white mane Ushered a rape case out of court Because the seven-year-old Failed to testify? Anyway, I only remembered these things Ehen I drink They indeed tipsyexplosions. Susan Nalugwa Kiguli Adopted By from: Echoes across the valley.
Questions a) Identify and explain the social evils dealt with in the poem. (6 marks) b) Pick out three poetic devices evident in this poem and comment on their significance. (6 marks) c) Comment on the tone of the poem. (2 marks) d) Is the title significant? Why or why not? (2 marks) e) Explain the irony of the poem? (2 marks) f) Explain the meaning of the following words: (2 marks) i) Crawled ii) Ushered
City in the sun without any warmth except for wanaotosheka and the tourists escaping from civilized boredom Sit under the Tree any Saturday morning and watch the new Africans, the anxious faces behind the steering wheels in hire purchase cars see them looking important in a tiny corner behind the chauffeur We have seen them in a nightmare, the thickset directors of several companies; we have seen them
struggling under the weight of a heavy lunch on a Monday afternoon cutting a tape to open a building, we have seen them looking over their gold-rimmed glasses to read a speech And in the small hours between one day and the next we have strolled through the deserted streets and seen strange figures under bougainvillea bushes in traffic islands figures hardly human snoring away into the cold winds of the night; desperately dying to live. (Lennard Okola)
Questions. a) Who is the persona in the poem? (2 marks) b) Explain what the poem is about. (3 marks) c) What is achieved by repetition of “We have seen them”? (2 marks) d) Identify and explain two thematic concerns of the poet. (4 marks) e) Why are the “new Africans” said to have anxious faces? (2 marks) f) Explain the meaning of the expression; figures hardly human desperately dying to live. (2 marks) g) How does the persona portray the rich? (2 marks) h) Describe the tone in the poem. (3 marks)
Western civilization
Sheets of tin nailed to posts driven in the ground make up the house Some rags complete The intimate landscape The sun slanting through the cracks
welcomes the owner. After twelve hours of slave labour Breaking rock shifting rock breaking rock shifting rock fair weather wet weather breaking rock shifting rock Old age comes early a mat on dark nights is enough when he dies gratefully of hunger
Questions. a) What is the poem about? (4 marks) b) Identify and illustrate two features of style used in the poem. (4 marks) c) What does the fifth stanza suggest about the work done by “he”? (2 marks) d) What basic requirements does the “he” in the poem lack? (3 marks) e) Why do you think the “he” dies “gratefully”? (1 mark) f) Describe two themes brought out in the poem. (4 marks) g) Explain the meaning of “Old age comes early” (1 marks) h) Supply a word that means the same as hunger as used in the poem. (1 mark
Beggar in the three a piece.
My Jumbo Shot its way Across the sky To distant lands Across blue seas I descended the ladder To a waiting ribbon Of blood-red carpet A quick glance at my Three piece suit and the tie
That beautifully strangled my neck. On my left hand hang My beaded knob kerry On my right I clutched My rusty inter- nation Begging Bowl On my face I wore humility and need And of course dignity. Sir, the dearth of food Had rendered my people thin And hungry Scoop us a little You know Just little To keep them till next rains. But Sir, beggars In three piece Are a rare sight But your suit is beautiful Honestly. Now my suit Which cost me a fortune In a Parisian Texture Has denied me a fortune And my countrymen, life. By. L.O. Sunkuli.
(a) Who is the persona in the poem? (3 marks) (b) What is the subject matter of this poem? (4 marks) (c) Explain the satire in this poem and comment on its effectiveness. (4 marks) (d) Describe the tone of this poem. (3 marks) (e) Explain what the last stanza implies. (3 marks) (f) Explain the meaning of the following liens as used in the poem. (3 marks) i) My Jumbo Shot its way Across the sky ii) That beautifully strangled my neck. iii) To keep them till next rains.
Read the poem below and answer questions that follow.
White child meets black man.
She caught me outside a London Suburban shop, I, like a giraffe And she a mouse. I tried to go But felt she stood Lovely as light on my back I turned with hello And waited. Her eyes got Wider but not her lips. Hello I smiled again and watched. She stepped around me Slowly, in a kind of dance, Her wide eyes searching Inch by inch up and down: No fur no scales no feathers No shell. Just a live silhouette, Wild and strange And compulsive Till mother came horrified 'Mummy is his tummy black?' Mother grasped her and swung Toward the crowd. She tangled Mother’s legs looking back at me As I watched them birds were singing. James Berry (Jamaica)
QUESTIONS (a) Briefly explain what the poem is about. (3mks) (b) Explain what the reaction of the white child makes the persona feel. (4mks) (c) Compare and contrast the reactions of the mother and daughter to the black man. (6mks) (d) Identify and explain any two figures of speech used in this poem. (4mks) (e) Explain the significance of the last line of the poem. (3mks)
Read the Poem below and answer the questions that follow: (20 Marks)
In a little shanty town Was on a night like this Girls were sitting down Around the town Like this Some were young And some were brown I even found a miss Who was black and brown And really did The twist Watch her move her wrist And feel your belly twist Feel the hunger thunder When her hip bones twist Try to hold her, keep her under While the juke box hiss Twist the music out of hunger On a night like this
a) What is the poem about? (3 marks) b) Identify three senses that the poem appeals to. (3 Marks) c) What is the main theme of this poem? (2 Marks)
d) What is the attitude of the persona towards the girls mentioned in the poem? (2 Marks) e) Identify three poetic devices used in the poem. (6 marks) f) What are the achievements of the persona on this night? (2 marks) g) Explain the meaning of: i) …… a miss (who was brown and black). (1 Marks) ii) Twist the music out of hunger. (1 Marks)
Read the poem below and then answer the question that follow. (20 marks)
Death of my father.
His sunken cheeks, his inward-looking eyes, The sarcastic, scornful smile on his lips The unkempt, matted, grey hair, The hard, coarse sand-paper hands, Spoke eloquently of the lifehe had lived. But I did not mourn for him. The hammer, the saw and the plane, These were his tools and his damnation, His sweat was his ointment and his perfume. He fashioned dining tables, chairs, wardrobes, And all the wooden loves of colonial life. No, I did not mourn for him. He built colonial mansions, Huge,unwieldy,arrogant constructions; But he squatted in a sickly mud-house, With his children huddled stuntedly, Under the bed-bug bed he shared with Mother. I could not mourn for him. I had already inherited His premature old-age look, I had imbibed his frustration; But his dreams of freedom and happiness Had become my song, my love. So, I could not mourn for him.
No, I did not shed any tears; My father’s dead life still lives in me, He lives in my son, my father, I am my father and my son. I will awaken his sleepy hopes and yearnings, But I will not mourn for him, I will not mourn for me.
a) Identify the persona. (2 marks) b) What is the poem talking about? (3 marks) c) Comment on the alliteration that is used in the poem? (2 marks) d) Apart from alliteration, identify and explain any other two aspects of style that the poet has used. (4 marks) e) What reason does the persona give for not mourning his father’s death? ( 3 marks) f) What is the father’s profession from the poem? ( 1 mark) g) Explain the meaning of the following lines as used in the poem: ( 3 marks) i) The hard, coarse sand-paper hands, Spoke eloquently of the life he had lived. ii) His premature old-age look, iii) I will awaken his sleepy hopes and yearnings, h) What is the attitude of the persona towards his father’s life? ( 2 marks)
The Gourd of Friendship.
Where is the curiosity we've lost in discovery? Where is the discovery we've lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we've lost in communication? Where is the communication we've lost in mass media? And where is the community we've lost in all these? Where is the message we've lost in the medium? It is easy to go to the moon: There, there are no people. It is easier to count the stars: They will not complain. But the road to your neighbour's heart – who has surveyed it? The formula to your brother's head – Who has devised it? The gourd that doesn't spill friendship – In whose garden has it ever grown? You never know despair Until you've lost hope; You never know your aspiration Until you've seen others disillusionment. Peace resides in the hearts of men.
Not in conference tables and delegates signatures. True friendship never dies – It grows stronger the more it is used. By Richard Ntiru
1. Explain the meaning of the poem (3 marks) 2. Discuss the use of the rhetorical questions in the poem. (3 marks) 3. Describe the tone of this poem (3 marks) 4. Identify and explain two other stylistic devices (apart from the rhetorical questions) (4 marks) 5. Explain the meaning of these lines. (4 marks) i) "where is the curiosity we have lost in discovery". ii) "But the road to your neighbour's heart – who has surveyed it?" ( marks) 6. What does the persona think about relationships? (2 marks) 7. Explain the appropriateness of the title. (1 mark)
1. Read the poem below and answer the questions below. (20 marks)
Theme for english b..
The instructor said, Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you. Then, it will be true. I wonder if it is that simple? I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. I went there, then Durham, then here To this college on the hill above Harlem, I am the only colored student in my class. The steps from the hill lead down into Harem, Through a park, then I cross St Nicholas, Eighth Avenue, seventh, and I come to the Y The Harlem BranchY, where I take the elevator Up to my room, sit down, and write this page: It’s no easy to know what is true for you or me At twenty-two, my age. But I guess I’m what I feel and see and hear. Harlem, I hear you: Hear you, hear me-we two-you, talk on this page. (I hear New York, too) me- who? Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn and understand life.
I like a pipe for a Christmas present, Or records- Bessie, bop, or Bach. I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like The same things other folks like who are other races. So will my page be colored that I write? Being me, it will not be white. But it will be A part of you, instructor. You are white Yet a part of me, as I am part of you. That’s American. Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be part of me. Nor do I often want to be part of you. But we are, that’s true! As I learn from you, I guess you learn from me- Although you are older- and white- And somewhat more free. This is my page for English B. (Langstone Hughes)
Questions. a) Who is the speaker in the poem? Illustrate your answer. 2 mks b) Identify two themes in the poem. Explain. 4 mks c) Describe the mood of the poem? What details contribute or help establish that mood? 2mks d) What point does the speaker seek to make by listing the things that he or she likes? 2mks e) What is the tone of the poem? Explain 2 mks f) Identify the use of personification in the poem. 2mks g) In what ways is the speaker and the addressee similar and different? 2mks h) Describe the relationship between the persona and the addressee 2mks i) i) “I wonder if it is that simple.” Rewrite as a yes/no question. ii) Rewrite the following beginning with: neither…. You don’t want to be part of me. Nor do I often want to be part of you l mk
Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow. (20 Marks)
Operating room, by john reed.
Sunlight floods the shiny many-windowed place, Coldly glinting on flawless steel under glass, And blaring imperially on the spattered gules Where kneeling men grunt as they swab the floor. Startled eyes of nurses swish by noiselessly, Orderlies with cropped heads swagger like murderers; And three surgeons, robed and masked mysteriously, Lounge gossiping of guts, and wish it were lunch-time. Beyond the porcelain door, screaming mounts crescendo Case 4001 coming out of the ether, Born again half a man, to spend his life in bed.
a) Describe the setting of the poem. (3 marks) b) Briefly explain what the poem is talking about. (4 marks) c) Who is the persona in the poem? (2 marks) d) Illustrate the use of the following styles and state their effectiveness. (4 marks) a. Metaphor ii. Hyperbole e) What is the tone of the poem? (2 marks) f) Discuss the general mood of the poem. (2 marks) g) Why do the men grunt as they swab the floor? (1 mark) h) Explain the meaning of the following phrases as used in the poem. (2 marks) i) Robed and masked mysteriously ii) Case 40001 coming out of ether
Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow
The war lord.
Cut, thrust, plunge
Slash, slit, stab Starve, maim, shoot Torch, burn, scar
The trumpets herald you with regal glory Epaulettes glisten and medals gleam
Plunder, loot and steal Blind, brand, rape Curse, crush, kidnap Smash, torture, kill
Your arrival is welcomed with carpets of steel Ramrod backed your subjects hail you
Bind, bludgeon, bury Garotte, impale, castrate Order, imprison, enslave Censor, cajole and destroy Your scarlet cape billows as you sense fresh converts Ever more shrill their praises grow. Barren, bleak, blackened Shattered, sterile, stricken Torn, poisoned, defiled Bloodied, emtombed, rotting
The prize presented on some stolen silver
A maggot riddled remnant of a once serene world.
Questions (a) Briefly explain what the poem is talking about. (3mks) (b) What is the attitude of the persona to the warlord? Elaborate your answer. (2mks) Explain the relevance of having separated words for stanza one, three, five and seven. (3mks) (c) Explain the irony in the poem. (3mks) (d) What is the meaning of the following lines as used in the poem? (i) The trumpets herald you with regal glory. Epaulettes glisten and medals gleam. (2mks) (ii) The prize presented on some stolen silver. A maggot riddled remnant of a once serene world. (2mks) (e) Apart from irony, which other stylistic device has been used in the poem? (2mks) (f) Identify one thematic concern of the poem. (3mks)
Read the poem below and then answer the questions that follow. (20 marks)
A tax driver on death bed. (by timothy wangusa).
When with prophetic eye I peer in to the future I see that I shall perish upon this road Driving men that I do not know This metallic monster that I now dictate, This docile elaborate horse, That in silence seems to simmer and strain Shall surely revolt some tempting day. Thus u shall die: not that I care For any man’s journey, Nor for proprietors gain Nor yet for the love of my own. Not for these do I attempt the forbidden limits. For those deft the traffic – man and the cold cell, Risking everything for the little little more.
They shall say, I know, who pick up my bones ‘Poor chap, another victim to the ruthless machine” concealing my blood under the metal.
Questions. a) What is this poem about? (3 marks) b) What is the attitude of the persona toward his fate? (2 marks) c) With illustration identify the persona in the poem. (2 marks) d) What is the irony in the poem? (2 marks) e) With illustrations identify and comment on any other two stylistic devices used in the poem. (6 marks) f) Comment on the following line. ‘poor chap, another victim to the ruthless machine? (2 marks) g) How will the persona’s death come about? (2 marks) h) Give the poem another title. (1 mark)
Your Cigarette Burnt the Savannah Grass.
Come Listen to a boiling pot torch its heart and tell me What do you hear? the sun sent down sowers of it that burnt to cinder your eddying conscience the earth at the touch of your fingers cracked Colour melts at your stare Orange white blurred and all are the same to you Your cigarette burnt the savannah grass The scorpion bit me and I cried. Charles Owuor
i) Identify and illustrated any three appeals the persona puts across to his adversary (3 marks) ii) What is the subject matter of this poem? (3 marks) iii) Identify and explain any three aspects of style and explain their functions. (6 marks) iv) Explain the meaning of the following lines. (4 marks) (a) ‘Come Listen to a boiling pot’ (b) ‘ the sun sent down showers of it that burnt to cinder your eddying conscience! (v) What is the mood of the poem? (2 marks) (vi) What is the persona’s attitude towards his adversary? (2 marks)
Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow:
The village well.
By the well, Where fresh water still quietly whisper As when I First accompanied Mother and filled my baby gourd, By this well, Where many an evening its clean water cleaned me; This silent well Dreaded haunt of the long haired Musambwa Who basked In the mid-day sun reclining on the rock Where I now sit Welling up with many poignant memories; This spot, Which has rung with the purity of child laughter; This spot, Where eye spoke secretly to responding eye; This spot, Where hearts pounded madly in many a breast; By this well, Over-hung by leafy branches of sheltering trees I first noticed her I saw her in the cool of red, red evening I saw her As if I had not seen her a thousand times before By this well My eyes asked for love, and my heart went mad. I stuttered And murmured my first words of love And cupped With my hands, the intoxication that were her breasts In this well, In the clear waters of this whispering well, The silent moon Witnessed with a smile our inviolate vows The kisses That left us weak and breathless. It is dark.
It is dark by the well that still whispers. It is darker It is utter darkness in the heart that bleeds By this well Where magic has evaporated but memories linger. Of damp death The rotting foliage reeks, And the branches Are grotesque talons of hungry vultures, For she is dead The one I first loved by this well.
Questions: (i) Who is the persona in this poem? (2 marks) (ii) What is the significant of the well to the persona? (4 marks) (iii) Identify imagery in the poem. (2 marks) (iv) Explain the meaning of the following lines as used in the poem. (a) Dreaded haunt of the long haired Musambwa. (2 marks) (b) I saw her in the cool of a red, red evening. (2 marks) (c) It is dark by the well that still whispers. (2 marks) (v) Comment on the change of mood in the last two stanzas. (4 marks) (vi) What is the attitude of the persona towards death? (2 marks)
Old and New
She went up the mountain to pluck wild herbs, She came down the mountain and met her former husband, She knelt down and asked her former husband, “What do you find your new wife like?” “My new wife, although her talk is clever, Cannot charm me as my old wife could, In beauty of face there is not much to choose, But in usefulness they are not at all alike, My new wife comes in from the road to meet me, My old wife always came down from her tower.* My new wife is clever at embroidering silk; My old wife was good at plain sewing. Of silk embroidery one can do an inch a day; Of plain sewing, more than five feet. Putting her silks by the side of your sewing, I see that the new will not compare with the old.” Anonymous 1 st Century B.C.
a. What is the poem about? (3 marks) b. With illustrations identify one similarity and difference in the two wives. (4 marks) c. Comment on any two poetic devices used in the poem. (6 marks) d. Explain the meaning of the following lines. “My new wife, although her talk is clever, cannot charm me as my old wife” (3 marks) e. Identify aspects of social life noticeable in the poem. (3 marks) f. What is the tone of the poem? (3 marks)
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
That other life (by everett m standa).
I have only faint memories Memories of those days when all our joyful moment In happiness, sorrow and dreams Were so synchronized That we were in spirit and flesh One soul; I have only faint memories When we saw each other’s image everywhere; The friends, the relatives, The gift of flowers, clothes and treats, The evening walks where we praised each other, Like little children in love; I remember the dreams about children The friendly neighbors and relatives The money, the farms and cows All were the pleasures ahead in mind Wishing for the day of final union When the dreams will come true On that day final union We promised each other pleasures and care And everything good under the sun As a daily reminder that you and me were one forever.
QUESTIONS a) What does the day of the final union mean to the persona? (3 marks) b) What faint memories does the persona have, according to the poem? (3marks) c) What is the persona’s attitude towards their marriage? (2marks) d) Explain the following expressions as used in the poem
(i) Happiness, sorrow and dreams were so synchronized………… (2marks) (ii) ……. praised each other like children in love (2 marks) (iii) All were pleasures ahead in mind. (2marks) e) Identify two aspects of style used in this poem and explain their effectiveness. (4 marks) f) What is the mood of the poem (2 marks)
Read the poem bellow and answer the question that follows
My grandmother by elizabeth jennings.
She kept an antique shop-or it kept her. Among Apostle spoons and Bristol glasses, The faded silks, the heavy furniture, She watched her own reflection in the brass Salvers and silver bowls, as if to prove Polish was all, there was no need for love. And I remember how I once refused To go out with her, since I was afraid. It was perhaps a wish not to be used Like antique objects .Though she never said That she was hurt, I still could feel the guilt Of that refusal, guessing how she felt. Later, too frail to keep a shop, she put All her best things in one long, narrow room. The place smelt old, of things too long kept shut, The smell of absences where shadows come That can’t be polished. There was nothing then To give her own reflection back again. And when she died I felt no grief at all, Only the guilt of what I once refused. I walked into her room among the tall Sideboards and cupboards-things she never used But needed: and no finger-marks were there, Only the new dust falling through the air.
a) Identify the persona in the above poem. (2mks) b) In note form, summarize what each stanza is talking about (4mks). c) Identify and briefly explain the use of any two images in the poem (4mks) d) What does the persona feel towards the subject matter? (2mks) e) What do the following lines mean in the poem? (2mks) “too frail to keep a shop”
“Only the new dust falling through the air” f) Describe the tone the persona uses in the poem above (2mrks) g) Explain the paradox in the line: (2mks) -things she never used But needed: h) Explain the persona’s sense of guilt? (2mrks)
Read the poem below then answer the questions that follow.
Riding chinese machines.
There are beasts in this city they creak and they crank and groan from first dawn when their African-tongued masters wake to guide them lax and human-handed through the late rush when they‘re handled down and un-animated still as we sleep, towering or bowing always heavy We pour cement through the cities towns, through the wild onwards, outwards like fingers of eager hands stretched across the earth dug in The lions investigate and buried marvel rumbles squeezed for progress By Liyou Mesfin Libsekal
Questions (a) Briefly describe what the poem is about. (3mks) (b) Explain how the poet feels towards the beasts in the city. (2mks) (c) Identify two poetic devices employed by the poet in the poem. (4mks) (d) Explain the irony of the type of development described in the poem (3mks) (e) Explain the meaning of the following lines in the poem. (4mks) i) When their African-tongued masters wake to guide them. ii) The lions investigate and buried marvel rumbles squeezed for progress. (f) Identify and explain one theme tackled in the poem. (2mks) (g) Explain the significance of the title to the poem. (2mks)
I know what the caged bird feels, alas! When the sun is bright on the upland slopes; When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass And the river flows like a stream of grass; When the first bird sings and the first bud opes, And the faint perfume from its petals steals – I know what the caged bird feels! I know why the caged bird beats its wing Till its blood is red on the cruel bars; For he must fly back to his perch and cling When he rather would be on the branch a –swing; And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars And they pulse again with a keener sting – I know why he beats his wing! I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore, When he beats his bars and would be free; It is not a song of joy or glee, But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core, But a plea, that upward to heaven he fings – I know why the caged bird sings! (Adapted from the poem by Laurence Donbar in ‘American Negro Poetry’ edited by ArnaBomtemps. New York: Hill and Waug 1974)
Questions a) Explain briefly what the poem is about. (3 marks) b) What does the poet focus on in each of the three stanzas? (6 marks) c) How would you describe the persona’s feelings towards the caged bird? (4 marks) d) What can we infer about the persona’s own experiences? (3 marks) e) Identify a simile in the first stanza and explain why it is used. (2 marks) f) Explain the meaning of the following lines: (i) And the faint perfume from the petals steals (1 mark) g) Supply another suitable title for this poem. (1 mark)
Read the oral poem below and then answer the questions that follows;-
The owner of yam peels his yam in the house’s: A neighbour knocks at the door The owner of yam throws his yam in the bedroom: The neighbour says, “I just heard A sound, ‘kerekere’, that is why I came,” The owner of the yam replies, “That was nothing, I was sharpening two knives.” The neighbour says again, “I still heard Something like ‘bi’ sound behind the door.” The owner of the yam says, “I merely tried my door with a mallet.” The neighbour says again, “What about his huge fie burning on your hearth?” The fellow replies, “I am merely warming water for my bath.” The neighbour persist, “Why is your skin all white, when this is not the Harmattan season?’ The fellow is ready with his reply, I was rolling on the floor when I heard the death of Agadapidi.” Then the neighbour says, “Peace be with you.” The owner of the yam start shut, “There cannot be peace Unless the owner of food is allowed to eat his own food!”
Questions. (a) Briefly explain what the poem is about. (2 marks) (b) What does the neighbor hope to achieve by being so persistent? (3 marks) (c) Using illustrations, describe any two character traits of the owner of the yam. (4 marks) (d) Identify the ideophones words in the poem. (2 marks) (e) How do we know that the neighbour is observant? (3 marks) (f) Describe the tone of the owner of the yam. (1 mark) (g) The neighbour says, “peace be with you.” Why is this statement ironic? (3 marks) (h) What lesson can we learn from this poem? (2 marks)
BUILDING THE NATION
Today I did my share In building the nation I drove a permanent Secretary To an important urgent function In fact a luncheon at the Vic. The menu reflected its importance Cold Bell beer with small talk, Then friend chicken with niceties
Wine to fill the hollowness of the laughs Ice-cream to cover the stereotype jokes Coffee to keep the PS awake on return journey. I drove the Permanent Sectretary back. He yawned many times in the back of the car Did you have any lunch friend? I replied looking straight ahead And secretly smiling at his belated concern That I had not, but was smiling! Upon which he said with a seriousness That amused more than annoyed me, Mwananchi, I too had none! I attended to matters of state Highly delicate diplomatic duties you know, And friend, it goes against my grain, Causes me stomach ulcers and wind. Ah, he continued, yawning again, The pains we suffer in buiding the nation! So the PS had ulcers too! My ulcers I think are equally painful Only they are caused by hunger, Not sumptuous lunches! So two nation builders Arrived home this evening With terrible stomach pains The result of building the nation – – Different ways. Henry Barlow
1. Identify two voices in the poem (2 mks) 2. Explain what the poem addresses (4 mks) 3. Identify and illustrate the use of any two poetic devices uses in the poem and explain their effectiveness ( 6 mks) 4. Describe the tone in the poem (2 mks) 5. How would you describe the attitude of the permanent secretary towards the persona?(2 mks) 6. Describe the rhyme scheme in stanza one (2 mks) 7. i) “He yawned many times in the back of the car.” Add a question tag (1 mk) ii) “ I drove the permanent secretary back.” Write in passive voice
ORAL LITERATURE
Read the oral piece below and answer the questions that follow, blood iron and trumpets.
Blood iron and trumpets Forward we march (others fall on the way) Blood iron and trumpets We shall hack kill and cure Blood iron and trumpets Singers of the datsun blue Forward we drive breaking the records Blood iron and trumpets Let bullets find their targets and the earth be softened Blood iron and trumpets Let the dogs of war rejoice And the carrion birds feed We are reducing population sexplosion Blood iron and trumpets The uniformed machines are around Put on your helmet iron and rest Blood iron and trumpets Only through fire can be baptized to mean business So once again Blood iron and trumpets
We shall always march along Blood iron and trumpets Blood iron and trumpets Blood alone
(a) Classify the oral piece above (2 Marks) (b) What are the functions of the oral piece above? (3 Marks) (c) Identify two features of oral poetry evident in the oral item. (3 Marks) (d) What two issues is this oral poem talking about? (4 Marks) (e) Cite one social and one economic activity of the community from which this oral poem is taken (f) Who would be the most suitable audience for the oral poem? Give reasons for your answer
(g) “The uniformed machines are around” Explain the meaning of this statement. (1 Mark) (h) Describe the mood of the poem. (2 Marks)
Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow
Second olympus.
From the rostrum they declaimed On martyrs and men of high ideals Whom they sent out Benevorent despots to an unwilling race
Straining at the yoke Bull dozers trampling on virgin ground In blatant violation They trampled down all that was strange And filled the void With half digested alien thoughts They left a trail of red Whatever their feet had passed Oh, they did themselves fine And struttled about the place Self proclaimed demi- gods From a counterfeit Olympus One day they hurled down thunder bolts On toiling race of earthworms They might have rained own pebbles To pelt the brats to death But that was beneath them They kept up the illusion That they were fighting foes Killing in the name of high ideals At the inquest they told the world The worms were becoming pests Moreover, they said They did not like wriggly things Strange prejudice for gods.
Questions 1) Who is being talked about in this poem? Give evidence. (2 marks) 2) With two evidences, discuss the poet’s general attitude towards the subject of the poem.(3 marks) 3) What do you understand by the following three lines? “they trample down all that was strange And filled the void with half digested alien thoughts?” 4) Who are reffered to as “toiling race of earthworms” and why? (3 marks) 5) Discuss two stylistic devices used in the poem. Give their effectiveness 6) Explain the significance of the title. (2 marks) 7) What is the tone of the poem? (1 mark)
Read the poem below and answer the questions below.
Advise to my son.
The trick is, to live your days as if each one may be your last (for they go fast, and young men lose their lives in strange and unimaginable ways)
but at the same time, plan long range (for they go slow : if you survive the shattered windshield and burning shell you will arrive at our approximation here below or heaven or hell) To be specific, between the poeny and the rose plant squash and spinach, turnips and tomatoes; beauty in nectar and nectar, in desert saves but the stomach craves stronger sustenance than the homed vine. therefore, marry a pretty girl after seeing her mother; speak truth to one man, work with another; and always, serve bread with your wine. But son, Always serve wine (Peter Meinke)
a) Who is the speaker in the poem. Illustrate your answer. 2marks b) In what circumstances do many young people die? Illustrate your answer from the poem.
c) What do heaven and hell symbolize? 2marks d) Identify items in the poem that represent life’s necessities on one hand and life’s luxuries on the other. 2marks e) Identify and illustrate the use of the paradox in the poem. 3marks f) What does the persona mean by ‘marry a pretty girl after seeing the mother”?2marks g) The stomach craves stronger sustenance.(Rewrite using (What”) 1mark h) Give two meanings of each of the following words. 2marks -Last -Fast i) Give the meaning of the last two lines 2marks
THE BEARD By Priscovia Rwakyaka
In the pulpit he swayed and turned Leant forward, backward To the right; to the left His solemn voice echoed Lowly the congregation followed,
“Do you love your neighbor?’ Meekly they bow at his keen eye. Now examining a grey head Heaving under her sobs His heart leapt assured- “Her sins weigh on her!” So with her he chats outside; ‘Weep not child you are pardoned.” “But, sir, your beard conjured up The spirit of my dear goat!”
Questions (a) Identify and describe two personas in the poem. Illustrate your answer. (4mks) (b) Relate the title of the poem to what actually happens in this poem, giving specific examples. (4mks) (c) Identify and illustrate any two styles &vident in the poem. (4mks) (d) The mood of the last four lines of the poem is embarrassing. How true is this? (3mk) (e) Identify one pair of rhyming words (lmks) (f) Explain the meaning of the following lines: i) “His heart leapt assured” (2mks) ii) “Her sins weigh on he?’ (2mks)
Argument with God
My child was struggling for life in hospital. And I,worried tense and tired. Sat in silent prayer: In violent silence,arguing with my God. God I said, Why do you allow him to suffer so? Why him all the time? Why? God was silent! Not a word from him. Not a word
May be.I thought. God is angry with me. I’ll appease my God; Try and be good at least Surely God would then respond. God,I pleaded. Please God. To be good is hard. But I’ll try. But My child must live. Live free from pain: God You know how I love him, don’t you? Don’t you?Don’t you?DON’T YOU? But God was dumb: Like my child. Then u I said to myself. God is just. I’ll appeal for justice. God,I called. Though you are silent, I am sure you hear me.
QUESTIONS 1. Who is the persona in this poem? (2 mks) 2. What is happening in the poem? (2 mks) 3. Why are the words in Line 27 written in capital letters.DONT YOU? (2 mks) 4. What is the mood in the poem? ( 2 mks) 5. Give an instant of irony in the poem. (3 mks) 6. Identify and illustrate other three stylistic devices in the poem. (6 mks) 7. What do the following lines mean. (2 mks) “Though you are silent, I am sure you hear me”.
ANSWERS TO ALL POEMS
1.song of agony.
a) The persona is a worker(Give 2) b) Desperation is the subject matter in this poem. The persona and others are desperate in that when they go for contract work (in the diaspora) there is no hope of coming back. They might die never to see their people and property again. This is shown in ‘which of us will die?’ c) Rhetorical questions-‘which of us will come back? ’which of us will die?’ Effect-Help to show the state in which the persona is .He fears of never returning home. Involve the audience to feel the situation the persona is in.Draws sympathy from the audience. Repetition: ‘which of us’ which of us will come back? Effect: Emphasizes the subject matter, i e. the desperation and the fear in the persona. Helps in building the mood. Helps to reflect the attitude of the speaker towards contract work. Alliteration:’ Rivers run’ Effect: Helps to show far away and difficult the contract workers used to go and work (4 marks) d) Show how the persona and the others suffer in the poem. Illustrate your answer.(4 mks) Mental suffering-they keep wondering whether they will ever go back home to see their loved ones and property. Fear-go to work but fear they might never return home alive. Isolation-they are cut out from their families for prolonged periods.(6 marks) e) Pessimistic-persona doesn’t see any future in his life if he’s to go for the contract work. He is not sure of ever coming back. Nostalgic- there’s the longing to come back after they go for contract work to see his wife and property. Sad-the mood is saddening that the workers are likely to die or never come back. Might be many had died or never came back. f) Is the title of this poem suitable? Explain(3 mks) Yes. It sums up the mental agony that persona is undergoing. They go for the contract work far away and stay for long or never come back. g) Identify and explain one economic activity practiced by the persona’s community.(2 mks) Cattle keeping or working Line 7 ‘Not being my ox’ (cattle keeping) The persona is going to work (working)
2. THE NECKLACE
a) How relevant is the title of the poem above? (2 marks)
The title “Necklace” is relevant because necklace is round and it is normally worn by people (1 mark).in the poem, the tyre used to burn the victim is round-shaped (1 mark) b) Describe the character of the executioners in the poem (2 marks) The executioners are cruel/inhuman/brutal/callous/insensitive (1 mark) Once they finish the execution, they resume their normal duties as if nothing has happened/they brutally murder the victim NB: Award 0 marks for identification without illustration c) What was needed to carry out the execution? (3 marks) – The firestone tyre (1 mark), petrol in blackened tin (1 mark) and ignites in numerous hands (1 mark) d) Explain the difference in the use of the word “form” in stanza one and stanza three (2 marks) The word “form” in stanza one refers to the victim before he was burned (1 mark) while in stanza three it refers to the carcass/corpse of the victim (1 mark) e) (i) Who is the persona ? (1 mark) – The persona is an observer or a citizen at a market place (1 mark) NB:Do not accept the use of “I” as the persona without adequate qualifier justifying the personality of the “I” (ii)What deters the persona from getting closer to the scene of action? (1 mark) – The persona is deterred by fear / frightened to get closer to the scene of the brutality (1mark) f) Explain the meaning of the following phrases as used in the poem (3 marks) i) Smell of sizzling flesh – The burning of the human body ii) Each participant ready and anxious –willing not forced to execute iii) Witnessed to an unwritten law – saw the people carry out mob justice which is illegal g) What mood is portrayed in the poem? (2 marks) The mood is tense (1 mark) – Fearful of inching any further/cold shocks transmitted down (1 mark) NB: Accept a related qualifier for mood and any appropriate illustration if not provided herein Do not award marks for identification without illustration h) Paraphrase the last stanza (4 marks) The people who had set the man ablaze leave (1 mark) as normal business of selling, buying and cheating resumes (1 mark).The policemen arrive (1 mark) and ferry away the remains of the victim(1 mark)
3. POETRY (20 MARKS) WEDDING EVE
1. The wedding eve is supposed to be a time of joy happiness and anticipation. The persona however, is riddled with doubts and apprehension(1 mk) 2. the speaker has organized the wedding but he is not sure whether or not to take the oath to love forever. He is doubtful whether the relationship will last 3. the speaker’s attitude towards the relationship is one of doubt and apprehension(1mk) 4. -doubtful should I or should I not/will she continue to love me. – fearful apprehensive fears to take the marriage vows. – suspicious – the speaker is not sure of the lovers commitment.
– The rhetorical question in the poem helps to bring out the speaker’s doubts about the relationship and about the commitment of his would – be wife 5. the imagery of the plane is quite appropriate .Being in a plane might be fun but it is also very risky; you could easily lose your life if the place crashes. Being in a doubtful relationship is like being in faulty plane 6. -The relationship is compared to a game of chess in that the two will try to out-do (1mk) each other. The relationship is seen to be like a competition (1mk) “leaving the naked me “is an expression of desolation and hopelessness. If he were to be left he would feel naked and useless
a) The speaker is an observer who explores through the life of prisoners/inmates1 1 x 1 mk b) The poem is talking about the life1 in prison which is oppressive1 1 x 2 mks c) -Irony1 – nice fragrance of ammonia – Rhyme1 – consignment oppressive – confinement offensive – refinement – Personification1 – torturous bulb stare vacantly at him1 – Alliteration1 – torching, torturous d) -The cold bites their bones and they chatter their teeth from the chill.1 -The smell is offensive with fresh human dung. 1 – Vermins bite the inmates unsparingly1 1 x 3mks e) The inmate is in prison because of a certain consignment 1 that he either stole or got lost under his care.
f) Regretful1 – he reflects about the consignment that landed him in the cells1 Thoughtful – he (the fresh inmate) sits thoughtfully. Agonizing – he agonises at the long time 1 that he will be in prison. The clock ticks too slowly. g) i) That resulted/led to his confinement1 ii) The inmates do everything including long calls in the cell. “The gent invites”. 2x 1 = 2mks h) The steel door suggests that the security was tight1 and the inmates could not escape1 2 x 1 = 2mks
5. The Courage That My Mother Had
a) The poem is about someone whose mother has died 1 The mother left a golden brooch as gift upon her death 1 she really wishes the mother could have left behind her courage 1 She believes the mother does not need courage in death but she badly needs. She however treasure the golden brooch 1 1 x any four points = 4mks b) Female 1 the mother left her a golden brooch that she wears 1 2mks c) The speaker wishes the mother had left behind her courage 1. However, it cannot be fulfilled because the mother is dead 1 3mks d) Courageous 1 – the courage that my mother had / the speaker wishes that the mother would have left behind her courage instead of taking with her to the grave 1 Id =
1, illust = 1 e) Metaphor 1 – mother is compared to a rock and granite 1 Simile 1 …… the courage like a rock 1 Id = 1 x 2, illust = 1 x 2 4mks f) Admiration / love / respect 2 – the speaker admires her mother for her courage / her love and respect for her mother are shown in the way she values the brooch and the way she thinks of her mother as a rock and a granite Identification of attitude = 2mks, illust. = 1mk
6.THE PAUPER
i. The persona is an observer/bystanderü1 etc who is able to see the peoples suffering and how different members of the society react to him ii. – Infested with jiggers-nursing the jiggers that shrivel your bottomü – Caked feet – and when you trudge on the lorny pads – Shining ribs – your ribs and bones reflecting the light – Infested with Gee- squashing lice between your nails – Cleans nails with dry saliva – Emaciated and caking skinü – Crouches in beautiful verandaü (4 x 1) iii. Use of simileü1 like a baby newly born to an old womanü1 to bring out the special relationship between the pauper and the jiggers iv. Repetition – pauper, pauperü Rhetorical questions- dared to forget your piteous fate Hyperbole- your ribs and bones reflecting light Irony- pauper crouching in beautiful verandas of beautiful cities and beautiful people Sarcasm – and your MP with a shining head and a triple chin will mourn your fate in a supplementary question at question time v. Critical/sarcastic and your mp with a shining head and a triple chin will mourn your fate in a supplementary question at question time (2 mks) vi. Themes – Poverty – the paupes cleaning his nails with dry saliva, infested with suffering lice and jiggers and crouches in beautiful verandas – Poor Leadershipü1- the MP gives lip service to the plight of the pauper by mourning his fate in a supplementary question at question time vii. Emaciated – thin/weak Crouching-squatting Gullied like the soles of modern shoes – with big crack
a) (N.B.: This may take two approaches: The plot approach and the thematic approach) The Plot Approach i) They meet and marry
ii) A pale child is born iii) The man denies responsibility iv) They separate/divorce v) They both die vi) The child is left with no inheritance/there is no next-of-kin/the boy roams the streets (Any 4 points each 1mk = 4mks) The Thematic Approach i) Immorality ii) Deception iii) Irresponsibility iv) Promiscuity v) The plight of street children (Identification of theme = 2mks, Illustration = 2mks, two illustrations per theme each 1mk =2mks or 1 illustration and 1 explanation = 2mks) b) The mother is unreliable/unreliable/untrustworthy/immoral/unfaithful/deceitful/dishonest/promiscuous/treacher ous/traitorous She wants the man to accept responsibility for a child that he obviously has not fathered. The man is black while the child is white. – She is secretive – She is irresponsible/uncaring/unconcerned – \she leaves no inheritance for the child. She has not introduced the child to any of his kin. – Calculating/cunning/scheming – makes the man think he is the father until the child is born (1mk for identification, 1mk for illustration. Any two traits =4mks) c) i. disclaimed – denied/refused/disagreed/did not agree/disowned (1mk) ii. The mother’s husband is not the biological father of the child. This infuriated him for being cheated. (1mk) d) i. We have a pale child from a black father (3mks) ii. An illegitimate child from a legitimate marriage iii. The birth of a child should consolidate a marriage but this one leads to a break up. iv. The child who has done no wrong is declared an out-cast (Any 1 point each 3mks = 3mks.) e) Attitude – Pities/pitying/sympathetic/piteous/compassionate. The persona recognizes that the poor boy suffers because of other people’s mistakes. He refers to the boy as a ‘’poor child’’, ‘’casualty’’ and says he is ‘’hardly ten’’. (Any 1 point each 3mks = 3mks.) f) – All that glitters is not gold (2mks) – hurry hurry has no blessing(s) (2mks) – Look before you leap (2mks) – Marry in haste, repent at leisure (2mks) – when two bulls fight, it is the grass that suffers (2mks) – As you make your bed, so must you lie on it. (2mks)
8. Oral poetry
(a) Love song (1 Mk) – The persona explains his experience. With his love a companionship that has gone sour. (b) Warning/cautioning those intending to get married against infidelity or unfaithfulness. Encourages young people to be patient in their struggle to secure a job. (4 Mks) (c) Repetition – “I was” Personification – My heart was telling me. Direct translation – “I bought myself a beautiful girl” Direct address – “ so heart you were deceiving me” Moral lesson – “people are untrustworthy” Do not over trust a friend (d) It is about a man who married her beloved. (bought a beautiful girl”) The marriage doesn’t last as the bride engages in extra-marital affairs. (2 Mks) (e) Contemptuous/hating – The singer doesn’t like people who are untrustworthy. Patient – After a brief struggle I got my job. Pessimistic – There was no look in this word. (Any other relevant (1 Mk). – Identification (1 Mk) – Illustration. (2 x 2 = 4 Mks) (f) Trading to get money. Farming – meat/Banana. (2 x 2 = 4 Mks)
9. The earth does not get fat. It makes an end- Of those who wear the head plumes We shall die on the earth. The earth does not get fat. It makes an end of those who act swiftly as heroes. Shall we die on the earth? Listen O earth. We shall mourn because of you. Listen O earth. Shall we all die on the earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end of The chiefs. Shall we die on earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end Of the women chiefs. Shall we die on earth?
Listen o earth. We shall mourn because of you. Listen O earth. Shall we all die on earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end Of the nobles. The earth does not get fat It makes an end of the royal women.
Shall we die on earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end of the common people. Shall we die on the earth? The earth does not get fat. It makes an end of all the beasts Shall we die on the earth? Listen you who are asleep, who are left tightly closed in the land. Shall we all sink Into the earth? Listen O Earth the sun is setting tightly. We shall enter into the earth. We shall not enter into the earth.
(From: 'The Heritage Of African Poetry')
a) What is the poem about?
b) Who is the persona in the poem? (2mks) c) Identify and illustrate any two features of style used in the poem? (4mks) d) What is the tone of the persona in the poem? (2mks) e) What in the poem shows that death is indiscriminate in its manifestations? (2mks) f) Describe the political setting of the community from which the poem originates. (2mks) g) What is the mood of the poem? (2mks) h) Explain what the expressions below mean : (3mks) i) The earth does not get fat . ii) Those who wear the head plumes iii) Earth the sun is setting tightly answers
a) The poem is about the rampages of death (1mk) it is cruel (1mk) and indiscriminate (1mk) / It’s about how the earth does not get fat after swallowing chiefs, nobles, beasts and common people b) the persona is an observer a potential victim of death c) -Repetition e.g “Listen O earth…” the earth does not get fat – Personification – “the earth does not get fat” – Direct address – “listen O earth – Rhetorical questions – shall we all die on earth? d) Desperation – “shall we all sink” e) All die: nobles, beasts, chiefs, common people f) Chieftaincy – they were led by a chief g) Sombre /sad “we shall mourn because of you?”
i) People continue to die (be buried) ii) Leaders /rulers iii) Eminent death/nearing end of life/apparent death
1. He/she is an African who has never been to Africa, but knows quite a lot about it Eg …….. I have never seen you NB: 1mk identification 1mk for illustration 2. It is about slavery /of the Africans in their own land where they toil. Sweat in slavery and they do not resist but one seen to be lying down in the weight of humbleness 3. 1. i) Personification e.g. i) Africa is seen as the back that bends, lies down under the weight of humbleness ii) ……………… the blood of your sweat …………………toil …………slavery iii) Patience with stubbornness. 2. Symbolism The trembling back stripped red symbolizes torture. 3. Repetition Africa my Africa Africa …………Africa Is African ……….your Africa iv) Alliteration eg your black blood spilt over the fields No marks for illustrations without identification 1mk for identification, 1mk for illustration Alliterated sound must be underlined 4. Angry /accusatory Angry: he is angry because Africans blood and the sweat of the Africans irrigates the fields without any benefits to them (Africans) Accusatory: he accuses the Africans for not doing anything about their plight eg are you the back….. On the roads of noon? 1mk for identification 1mk for illustration NB: no mark for illustration without identification 5. a) It implies that many Africans lives have been lost through ruthless killings by the whites. b) It shows the attachment and the pride that the persona feels about Africa /he has a strong sense of attachment to Africa. 6. isn’t it?
NB: i) Comma after the statement must be fixed. if not, no mark ii) Question mark is mandatory, if missing no mark. 7. i) Seriously – should be an adverb ii) Strong, not easily hurt iv) To work very hard /doing something difficult
10.THE SMILING ORPHAN
a) The persona is an observer who tells the story of the deceased and the smiling orphan and the mourners. He/she uses the third person “She sat have ….. they said. …. When she died….. they came.” Identification – 1 mark Illustration – 1 mark Total marks = 2 marks b) The poem is about a woman who was sick and hospitalized for five months. – And was never visited by relatives who claimed they were busy. – Later, the woman dies and ironically, the relatives come to her funeral in large numbers vowing that they cannot miss the burial. – During the funeral, her only daughter (who had stayed) with her in hospital) seems unmoved and the relatives start backbiting her saying she is hardhearted. Total marks 4 c) The title ‘The smiling orphan’ is very effective in relation to what has been described in the poem. It has been used in reference to the illiterate daughter who had stayed in hospital with the mother for five months but now is perceived as not being in mourning by the other mourners. This makes her smile at their hypocrisy. She is an orphan now that her mother is dead. Any two points = 2 marks d) Loving/caring– She sat by her mother’s side throughout the five months the mother was hospitalized. Responsible– She takes care of her sick mother when other people/relatives and even her brother gave excuses of unavailability. Identification – 1 mark Illustration – 1 mark No mark for illustration without identification and Vice versa. e) Repetition– They came — To illustrate the fact that the mourners arrived for the funeral in large numbers. Rhetoric questions– Who would look after their homes? Was it crucial their presence? Reveals the attitude of the mourners at the beginning, that they were indifferent/not bothered. Hyperbole stanza (8) …. Their tears sock their garments. Enhances the satire ….. That the mourners cry much and we know that their grief is not genuine. They are hypocritical. Ellipsis 2 nd last stanza. Enhances suspense, allows imagination, and reveals the feelings of the orphan/the strain she’s been under etc. 1 mark for identification 1 mark for illustration
1 mark for illustration on the effective of the aspect of style so identified. Any other plausible style with illustrations and effectiveness. No mark for identification. Without illustrations. f) Sad/melancholic/somber/sorrowful. The poem captures the loss of a loved one. 1. The orphan is mourning her mother/She sat by her mother/she sat by her mother crying and praying to God perhaps to save her mother dies. Identification – 1 mark Illustration – 1 mark Total marks = 2 marks g) i) Their tears were not genuine/they were hypocritical. ii) She felt relieved – she had unburdened her grief (with her lever there’s no condemnation)
11.‘STILL I RISE’
1. ‘Still I rise’ is a poem about the history of the African – American people’s defiance1 towards the oppression meted to them as slaves and blacks1. The subject matter can also be universal notion of triumph/defiance of downtrodden in oppressive regimes. Then persona talks of I’m Black Ocean, leaping and wide. Also talks of him/her being the dream and the hope of the slave. 2. The speaker is hated passionately; you may kill me with your hatefulness. The speaker and his/her likes the segregated financially (resource wise) the speaker writes of ”I walk like I’ve got oil wells” pumping in my living room. (life) The speakers in the whereabouts (life) are misrepresented twisted and even falsified to negate his/her existence/status. 3. Attitude of triumph/optimism/hope. Optimistic attitude/hopeful attitude. The persona talks of ‘rising’ I’ll rise amidst all these setbacks. She describes herself as the black ocean, leaping and wide…… meaning that she sees herself mighty and strong like an ocean. 4. Imagery 1. Similes: but still, like dust, I’ll rise-shows how easily she will rise; cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines, digging in my own backyard shows that through her oppressors might think they have ended her by subjecting her to poverty, still she walks like she has all the wealth in the world! 2. Metaphors; I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, welling and swelling I bear. This powerful metaphor reveals the overcoming oppression/the strength of the speaker as a black person/the positivity. 5. i) Rhetorical questions. Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom? These and other questions prod the readers to deeply consider the strength/positive energy/hope that the speaker possesses. ii) Repetition I’ll rise Still I’ll rise The above phrases have been repeated severally to highlight the speaker’s optimism 6. a) ‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines’ this shows her happiness that is expected to be possessed by extremely wealthy. Though she has been. b) ‘But still, like dust, I’ll rise’ describes the ease at which she will rise. Almost effortlessly! c) I am a black ocean, leaping and wide. Describes the strength/the night that she possesses as a black woman.
12.I WENT TO CHURCH.
a) The poem is about a person who has gone to church to pray. He prays for friends and foes to living and the dead. He had committed adultery with the soldier’s wife. He is remorseful or apologetic and asks for forgiveness. b) He is religious/pious – goes to church to pray – “To go and pray again” He is immoral/promiscuous – commits adultery with the soldier wife “While I shot hot life into his wife” c) i) Repetition – “I went and prayed” ii) Alliteration – friends and foes live long Fighting for iii) Imagery (metaphor) – “I shot hot life into her wife” d) i) The speaker engages in sexual affairs and impregnates the soldier wife. ii) He asks God to preserve his life so that he can go often to pray in in church. e) i) Apologetic/remorseful/reconciliatory. Asks God for forgiveness. ii) Prayerful – “That I live long to go and pray again”
13.THE PRESS
a) – Discrimination. The ministers son is accorded medical attention while the less fortune are neglected e.g. Tina and Kasajja’s only child. – Callousness / insensitivity The medical stuff lacks concern for the patient to get up or leave the line. – Negligence Tina’s bed is infested with maggots and her eyes are oozing blood. Kisajja’s only child died due to the negligence, in both cases, medical stuff gives very flimsy reasons for not attending to the patients. – Injustice / misuse of power.
The judge dismisses a rape case because seven years old victim failed to testify. Any 3 (1 mk identification, 1mk illustration) 2×3=6mks b) i) Use of rhetorical questions. – How come it was not whispered? – So was is the mountain deal? ii) Use of hyperbolic questions. – Mountain deal – making a big of an ordinary situation. – Boiling news – Hot news or breaking news. In both cases the persona is criticizing the media. It gives exaggerated attention to the minister’s son’s minor illness at the expense of the deserving cases. iii) Metaphor – Lioness of a nurse iv) Satire The last stanza underscores the persona treats it as a tipsy talk of a drunk yet poet is ridiculing the injustice meted out to the less fortuned.
1mk identification, 1mk illustration = 2 mks 2×3=6mks c) Bitter / angry / sarcastic or satirical The persona is disheartened by the hypocrisy of the press. It lacks neutrality and focuses on the bog people only. 1 mk identification , 1 mk explanation
d) The title is relevant: The poet is castigating the press for its partiality and lack of commitment to expose social injustice; practiced in the society yet the press is duty bound to produce and release free and fair news. (2 mks) e) The press is supposed to equally cover all the citizens and not to be biased. Here the press gkives news yet the news are biased against people. (2 mks) f) Crawled – infested Ushered – dismissed / cancelled
14.Their City
a) – dissatisfied city resident.
Illustration – ‘City in the sun without any warmth. – an ordinary city resident’ “We have stolled through the desert streets” (any 1 x 2 = 2 mks) b) – a city resident Pwho sees the rich enjoying their lifeP and the poor struggling to survive. (3 mks) c) It emphasisesP on the exclusion of ordinary residents of the city from the prestigious life of the rich and the fact that the ordinary residents are aware of this. (2 mks) d) – Inequality – the rich are living a high class life, (heavy lunch, car etc) while the poor are struggling (snoring in the cold wind)
– Poverty – The poor do not have shelters, they sleep in cold winds of the night. (2 x 2 = 2 mks) e) – They are anxious because they are living a fake life e.g driving hire purchase cars.(2 mks) f) – People who are so poor they don’t even look like human beings. They are struggling to survive. (2 mks) g) – Pretentious – looking important – hire purchase car. – Uncaring – don’t care about the poor – just think of themselves. They live lavishly while some people have
nowhere to sleep. – Conceited / proud / vain – looking over gold rimmed glasses. – looking important. (Any 1 illustrated – 2 mks)
h) Satirical sarcastic 2 mks identification 1 mk for illustration Illustration. – City in the sun – Looking important – Thickset direction – Reading a speech
15. Western civilization
a) The persona describes the house in which a worker lives. The nuclei is a shanty, which have cracks. The worker does a monotonous job of breaking rock the whole day. b) i) Irony: – Western civilization is ironical since the lining conditions of the “he” in the poem do not suggest civilization but misery and suffering.
– The “he” in the poem is grateful to die though normally death is feared / no onelikes dying. ii) Repetition: “breaking rock” // shifting rock (accept any other that or appropriate. I mk for identification, 1 mk for illustration. No mark for identification without illustration) c) The repetition P 1 used in the stanza suggests that the work is monotonous / boring / uninteresting d) Food : “he” dies of hunger. Clothes: “a mat … is enough …” suggests that he lacks clothes / bedding to keep himself warm. Shelter” “he” lives in a shanty – “sheets of tin … rags complete … landscape.” e) The “he” is happy to die for death brings to an end all his problems. f) Poverty the “he” sleeps in a shanty, sleeps on a mat and dies of hunger.
Exploitation: The “he” engages in hard labour throughout the day but the fact that he lacks basic requirements suggests that he is underpaid. g) The “he” in the poem looks older than he really is because of the strenuous and miserable life that he leads. h) Starvation.
16. Beggar in a three piece
(a) A delegate from a third world countryP who has gone to seek for funds / aid from the I.M.F, World Bank or a developed country to alleviate famineP in his or her country. “My rusty inter – Nation Begging bowl ..”P “The death of food … rendered my people thin.” (3 mks) (b) The poem talks about misplaced priorities usuallyexhibited by the leadership in the under developed countries.P The leadership concentrates on how they can waste funds on expensive clothing and luxurious flightsP when in actual sense the citizens are dying of hunger.P The donors decline to assist because of misplaced priorities.P (4 mks) (c) The leadership of under developed countries insensitivity to people’s pressing needs is satinzed. P The leaders concentrate on being on expensive flights and dressing in imported garments while the people are hungry.P “But sir, … ./ But your suit is beautiful / honestly.”P The leaders only concentrate on what benefits them at the expense of the country men; they risk death because of extravagant leaders.P (4 mks) (d) Sarcastic / Satirical / Bitter.P The tune is used to bring out satire on the leaders / irony of the leader’s lifes as opposed to their subjects.P Bitterness brings out the insensitivity of the leaders to the plights / problems of the common people.P (3 mks) (e) – The aid he / she is supposed to get would hav been misused or embezzled by leaders.P “Has denied me a fortune” – The countrymen are likely to die of starvation.P “And my countrymen, life.” – Donors fell that the borrower is extravagant.P “In a Parisian Textile.” (3 mks) (f) i) He boarded a big plane that cruised at top speed.P ii) Though expensively dressed, he/she feels uncomfortable about being extravagant while the countrymen suffer.P iii) They entirely depend on nature for their existence.
17. White child meets black man
(a) A meeting between a black man and a young white girl. √1mk
The young girl has probably not seen a black man before√1mk and she is amazed. √1mk It exposes the ignorance that exists between races. √1mk The man allows the child to examine him / the mother drags the girl away before she fully satisfies her curiosity. √1mk (any 3×1 = 3mks) (b) Her reaction makes him feel as if she did not consider him a human being. √1mk Illustration: “No fur no scales no feathers” √1mk He is friendly / understanding. √1mk Illustration: “I turned with hello” √1mk “Hello I smiled again and watched” √1mk He does not condemn her√1mk / He accepts girl’s reaction as innocent curiosity. Illustration “Just a life silhouette” / “As I watched them birds were singing” √1mk (Award 2 marks for the reaction of the white and 2 marks for how the persona felt) (4mks) (c) Both are: Shocked – The mother is horrified but the girl’s eyes get wider but not her lips. The girl is genuine / sincere / innocent while the mother is prejudiced / discriminative / contemptuous / hostile. Illustration: The girl, “is his tummy black?” The mother is horrified “grasped her hand and swung towards the crowd.” (3 marks comparison and 3 marks contrast) (d) Similes√1mk – “I like a giraffe and she a mouse.” Shows enormous contrast in size between the persona and the girl. “She stood as lovely as light.” Shows how much the persona was impressed by her sincere innocent curiosity. Metaphor√1mk – Just as a silhouette, wild and strange and compulsive. To the persona, the child was completely incapable of becoming reconciled to the fact that this was a human being. Metaphor portrays mental conflict. √1mk Hyperbole√1mk – “No fur, no scales no feathers ..” Deliberate exaggeration to show the immensity of the child’s dilemma, she’s never seen such an animal or a bird. √1mk (Any 1 identified trait and illustration = 2 x 2 = 4mks) (e) That: Life must go on despite the racial differences / racial prejudices. √1mk Nature is not a man. √1mk Nature stays in harmony while man, with ability to reason, behaves senselessly. √1mk
18.The Twist
a) A young man goes out for a dance in a town at night√1. He meets many girls of different types and wins one for the twist dance√1. He admires the girl’s dance moves and desires her√1. b) i) Sense of sight- “like this” – seen sitting down. (1 mark) ii) Sense of feeling – “feel your belly twist” iii) Sense of hearing- “jukebox hiss” iv) Sense of touch- “try to hold her” Any 3 x 1 = 3 marks(id ½ illustration ½ ) c) Themes. – social interaction- persona meets a girl and befriends her. – people interacting in the twist dance. – Twist dance/ dance – there is a twist dance on in the shanty town. (Any 1 theme- id 1mk, illustration 1 mk) d) Attitude – admiration/adoration- “really did the twist” see the belly twist – the persona is attracted by the appearance and dancing prowess of the girls.
(Any 1, id 1mk, illustration 1mk)
e) Rhyme- down under miss twist Town thunder hiss wrist Repetition- …like this, twist Onomatopoeia – hiss, thunder. Alliteration – black…brown Assonance- hunger…thunder (Any three, id 1 mk, illustration 1 mk) f) – He found a girl √1 – Managed to dance with her √1 g) i) A girl who was neither brown nor black (1 mark) ii) Listen to the last strains of the music and still crave for more (1 mark) (Total 2 marks)
19.DEATH OF MY FATHER
a) The persona is a child (1mk). ‘My father’s dead life still lives me.’ (1mk) b) The poem talks about the abject poverty in which the persona’s family lives under (1mk). / The struggle for survival by the parents which is hereditary (1mk). ‘I am my father, my son’. However, the persona is optimistic that through him, his father’s dreams and aspirations will be fulfilled (1mk). ‘I will awaken his sleepy hopes and yearnings’. (1mk) (2mks for the explanation and 1mk for the illustration) (3 marks). c) Sarcastic, scornful, smile (1mk) – it brings out his father’s suffering. /shows the persona’s sarcasm on his father’s state (1mk).
Squatted in a sickly mud house (1mk)- it emphasizes the abject poverty in which the persona’s family lived under(1mk). The student must identify the alliteration to score
d) Irony. ‘He built colonial mansions but squatted in a sickly mud house.’ It shows the poverty in which the persona’s father lived. Metaphor. ‘Sand-paper hands.’ It is a sign of the tough life the persona’s father has gone through. /The struggles he has gone through. Repetition. ‘I did not mourn for him.’ It emphasizes the persona’s optimism. Sarcasm. ‘His sweat was his ointment and perfume.’ Shows the hard manual work the late father did. Contrast. ‘He built colonial mansions but squatted in a sickly mud house.’ ’ It shows the poverty in which the persona’s father lived. (Accept any other relevant style; Identification+ illustration 1mk, comment 1mk) (4marks) e) He wants to fulfill his father’s dreams of freedom and happiness (2mks). ‘His dreams of freedom and happiness had become my song (1mk).’/ He is hopeful or optimistic that he will awaken his father’s hopes and dreams (2mks). ‘I will awaken his sleepy hopes and yearnings’(1mk) (3marks) f) A carpenter. ‘He fashioned dining tables, chairs, wardrobes’/ ‘The hammer, the saw and the plane were his tools’(1mark) g) i) The rough hands were a sign /testimony of the tough life/suffering the persona’s father had gone through due to poverty. ii) He looks older than he actually was. iii) He will fulfill his father’s plans or wishes or ambitions. h) Sarcastic. ‘He built colonial mansions but squatted in a sickly mud house.’ (2mks) Disdainful, the persona is extremely contemptuous of the kind of life the father lived. ‘with his children huddled….
20. The Gourd of Friendship.
a) The poem is about how human beings √1 have made many discoveries √1 yet they have not discovered a way to make friendship with their friends work √1 by finding out what they like √ 1 3mks b) They help us see how we have lost curiosity as a result of discoveries (line 1) They also help us see how mass media and communication have made us lose communication and knowledge (line 3-4) The other one challenges us to know how we can get the way to the hearts of our brothers to know what they like and thus continue in friendship (line 11) (identification effect √ ½ √ ½) 3mks
c) The tone of the poem is a concerned tone, a satirical one / critical tone in that we have lost communication in mass media and lost curiosity in discovery (identification 2mks, Illustration 1 mk) 3mks
d) i) Satire √1 – we are mocked for losing curiosity in our neighbours and brothers though we are making discoveries in other areas √ ii) Paradox √ – you never know your aspiration until you have seen others disillusionment √1 4mks e) i) The persona is worried about failure to have urge to invent what pleases our brothers and neighbours √2 2mks ii) No effort has been made to find a way to the brother’s or neighbour’s heart 2mks f) The persona thinks relationships have suffered since people are not willing to discover what pleases their brothers or friends √1 2mks The title is appropriate since the persona tries to wonder in the poem what has affected friendships and how they can be contained as content is contained in a gourd √1
21.Theme for English B
(a) black man in America / African-American student- “I am the only coloured student in (no mark without illustration) (b) racism- he is discriminated based on skin colour education- African-Americans acquire education but in an indiscriminately manner (c) somber, solemn, serious- the black student is in a class dominated by white students ‘'sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be part of me.” (d) wants to prove that he is just like others, his colour notwithstanding. (e) Contemplative/introspective- the persona is examining the difficult issues he is undergoing. (f) “Harlem, I hear you.” (g) Similarities- both are human and have same needs. Differences- they are from different races (black and white) Note: there should be clear indication of similarities and differences (h) an uneasy one/not close to one another. There is mutual respect / tolerance because they are really part of each other. (i) is it really that simple? (no mark if question mark is missing) Neither you nor 1 want to be part of each other. (no mark if the two pronouns i.e. you and I are interchanged)
22.THE WAR LORD
(a) The poem talks about an army that is approaching a village and the things that are done by the army – cutting, thrushing, slashing etc. The reaction of the people is that of subservience, for they are barren, bleak, blackened, shattered, sterile, and stricken.
(b) The poet is contemptuous towards the warlord. The warlord’s actions are condescending and the poet doesn’t admire what they do. (c) The separated words reveal the kneejerk decisions made that aim at destruction e.g. cut, thrust, plunge etc. they mimick the destruction meted on the people by the members of the warlord’s army. (d) As the warlord strives to concur, he destroys what he/she desires to concur. The praises he gets are as a result of coercion that is why it is ‘shrill.’ (e) (i) Glory awaits the warlord – with regal glory and glistering epaulettes. (ii) Through the warlord is overjoyed by all the “success” the people concurred are unhappy their voices are sharper and sharper. Metaphor – ‘A maggot riddled remnant of a once serene world.’ Effects of war The citizens groan under the atrocities committed by the warlord and his/her army – The plunder, rape, castration, torture, killing etc have devastating effects on the citizens.
23.A TAX DRIVER ON DEATH BED. (By Timothy Wangusa)
a) It is about a taxi driver who predicts his death due to careless driving. (3 mks) b) A resigned / pessimistic attitude – The taxi drive predicts that his death will be caused by an accident and he accepts it. (2 mks) c) The persona is a taxi driver. The title (2 mks) d) The tax driver predicts that his death will result from a road accident yet he is still doing the job. (irony must be brought out clearly) e) Alliteration. – ‘That in silence seems to simmer and strain. (1 mk) It enhance rhythm / musically making the poem memorable and interesting. (1 mk) Metaphor – Metallic monster – to refer to the taxi as a monster to show that the taxi will lead to his death just as a monster eats its prey. f) To mean that the will be part of the statistics of those who have perished through road accident. (2 mks) g) A road accident through overspeeding. (1 mk) Attempt the forbidden limits. (1 mk) h) Any relevant / appropriate title. (1 mk)
24.Your Cigarette Burnt the Savannah Grass.
(i) The persona appeals for three things. Sight – “colour melts at your stare” Touch – touch in heart Hearing – “listen to the boiling pot” (3 mks) (ii) The subject matter of the poem.
– The persona making an invitation to his foe / adversary. – Accuses him for being the cause of discomfort he’s experiencing. – Persona is offended by the adversary and suffering – in pain. (e.g colour melts your taste) (3 mks) (iii) Aspects of style.
(a) Rhetorical question – “What do you hear”?
– Provocable to readers’ / audience feeling.
(b) Personification – ‘touch its heart’ – the boiling pot is personified to have a heart. (c) Imagery – metaphor ‘boiling pot’ (6 mks) (iv) (a) The persona calls / invites his adversary to come and experience the trouble / discomfort that he has caused. (b) It implies an incitement that has resulted to betrayal of his disappearing conscience. (4 mks) (v) Desperate/ hopelessness / disillusion (mood) – “The earth at the touch of your fingers cracked”
the scorpion bit me and I cried.” (2 mks)
(vi) Attitude – Dislike / disdainful / unforgiving. – The persona feels betrayed his adversary.
25.THE VILLAGE WELL
(i) The persona is a male lover – he says, ‘By this well —- I first noticed her’ (ii) The significant of the well to the persona. – Obtained fresh water from it when he was young. – He met his beloved by the well. – He has fond memories for it “—– memories linger” – He used the water to clean himself – where many an evening its clean water cleaned me. (iii) Imagery – Personification The silent moon witnessed Still waters still quietly whispers (iv) (a) Dreaded haunt of the long haired Musambwa – means the persona is being haunted by the fond memories of his lover (Musambwa) who is now dead. (b) I saw her in the cool of a red, red evening – means he saw her in the evening when the sun was setting.
(c) It is dark by the well that still whispers – means that there is no hope and that nothing is interesting by the well now that she is no longer there. (v) The mood in the first six stanzas is nostalgic because of the fond memories of the good times he had with his loved one. However, in the last two stanzas, the mood is sad because his beloved is dead and what remains are sad memories. (vi) The persona’s attitude towards death is disgusting – of damp death, the rotting foliage reeks.
26. Old and New
(a) The poem is about a woman that had been married but now divorced 1 She meets a man who had been her husband 1and enquires how the man is fairing with his new wife 1 in response her former husband concludes that there’s not much to admire in the new wife as there was in the old 1 (any 3×1= 3marks) (b) With illustrations identify one similarity and difference in the two wives. (4 marks) (i) Both are beautiful 1 in beauty of face there’s not much to choose 1 (ii) The old wife was more hardworking than the new one 1 The new wife can only do an inch a day of silk embroidery but the old one would do more than five feet 1 (Accept any plausible differences) (c) (i) Repetition 1 eg. Husband, she, my new wife etc 1 creates rhythm/memorability / musicality 1 (any of the three effects 1 mk) (ii) Alliteration 1 went ……. Wild herbs 1
mountain …… met cannot …… could
Creates rhythm/memorability/musically (iii) Assonance 1 will …….wilty 1 (iv) Consonance 1 down …….. mountain Creates rhythm/memorability/musically 1 (Identification and illustration to score) (d) His present wife maybe more educated/learned but he doesn’t find her pleasant or attractive in her talk/she doesn’t interest him with her discussion 2 (e) – Divorce and remarriage are allowed ……Her former husband ……My new wife 1
– Women kneel down before men as a sign of respect …..’She knelt down…..1 – Women’s duties involve collecting herbs, sewing and embroidery 1 (f) Ironical 1 ….. the new will not compare with the old. 1
27.THAT OTHER LIFE
a) The day of “final union” reminds of joy / peace / pleasure and care they promised
each other. (Any three = 1 mk each) b) The persona has faint memories of joyful moments / when they felt like one / when they saw each other’s image everywhere / and loved each other like little children. c) The persona is regretful (1 mk) he feels that they’ve not lived unto the promises they made to each other. (1 mk) d) i) The persona and partner felt happy in spite of happiness or sorrow ( 1 mk ) for both had one hope in life , to be happy and united in purpose.
ii) They were innocent about their feelings towards making each other feel loved / flattered. (2 mks) iii) The persona hoped for a life of prosperity. (1mk) loaning money / farms / cows.
(3 mks) e) Repetition – ‘I have only faint memories’ The repetition emphasizes the persona’s feelings of regret. Simile – ‘We praised…like little children in love’ – brings out the sense of deep love they had for each (1mk) f) The mood of the poem is nostalgic (1 mk) and regretful (1 mk) 28. My grandmother by Elizabeth Jennings a) The persona is a grandchild√ “My grandmother” √ b) -Stanza 1: describers her grandmother√ -Stanza 2: describes the incidence which course guilt√ -Stanza 3: shows her grandmother in retirement√ -Stanza 3: after her grandmother has died, the poet reflect on her grandmother’s life and her own memories√ c) Images used include: -Simile- like antique objects√, to show persona’s objection to the way he was treated by the grandmother√ -Metaphor-The smells of absences √; the place smelt old√ d) The persona feels indifferent√ towards his grandmother. “and when she died I felt no grief at all” √ e) Too old to look after the shop – Symbolic of her death and absence√ f) The persona uses a regretful tone. √ He said “I still could feel the guilt Of that refusal, guessing how she felt’’√ g) It means that the grandmother was attached to the things she had but she didn’t really use them. √ They did not have any value to her apart from being attached to them. √ h) The persona feels guilt for having failed to accompany his/her grandmother out √because he/she didn’t want to be used as one of the antique item. √
29. Riding Chinese Machines
(a) The poem is about how the natural habitat has been invaded by development by the Chinese. Buildings and roads have made the natural habitat to give way. (3mks) (b) He / she hates the beasts – he / she says that they crank and creak and groan. (c) Alliteration – crank and creak. Personification – buried marvel rumbles. (d) The development talked about is destructive – in the process towers and roads, the environment is destroyed. (3mks) (e) (i) The machines are driven by the locals – Africans. (2mks) (ii) The wildlife’s habitat is destroyed by the new development.
(f) Environmental degradation – The natural habitat is cleared to pave way for the new roads and buildings. Neo-colonialism – these are new masters who have the locals as subjects. (any one theme 2mks) (g) The title is ironic – it portrays whatever is going on in the text as enjoyable yet the destruction is negative. There is no enjoyable destruction. (2mks) 30. Sympathy a) The poem is about a bird that is caged .It is confined and denied freedom .It cannot enjoy the ordinary pleasure of nature – the sunshine ,the breeze and the perfume from flowers . The bird struggles to liberate itself but hurts itself in the process (any 3 points x1)3mrks b) 1 st stanza –alienation –the bird is alienated from all that is natural and desirable, feelings of nostalgia for days when he /she enjoyed freedom . 2rd stanza –freedom describes attempts by the bird to escape .The struggle is painful, efforts to escape are met with brutality. 3 rd stanza –Prayer – focuses on prayer .Other means have not yielded results. The bird appeals for intervention from other sources perhaps a superior force will liberate it . (6mrks )(2 per stanza ) (3×2) c) Sympathetic – Sympathies with the caged bird Alas expresses pity, graphic description of the birds feeling elicits pity from the reader Empathetic – He keeps saying “I know what caged birds put himself /herself in the shoes of the bird Hopeful –One day the caged bird will experience freedom (any 2×2)=4mrks (Identifications without illustration no mark )
d) He himself /herself had suffered at the hand of the cruel oppressors ‘denied freedom, tortured .He may have also suffered physical &psychological injury .He condemns those who conspire to subject others to a life of slavery and misery e.g. Detention ,Imprisonment and confinement (3mrks) e) “The river flows like a stream of glasses” Shows what the bird yearns for but cant have . River represents a life of freedom, stands for natural beauty that the caged bird is denied. f i) Means that the flowers produce a sweet smell that gives much joy but the caged bird cant access such luxury. Other birds out there enjoy the perfume (1mrks) g) The caged bird prayer for the freedom (1mrk) (any other relevant –award)
(a) The poem is about an encounter between two neighbours during famine. One of them has food that he stubbornly refuses to share with his hungry ‘brother’. (b) The neighbour hopes that by being persistent, the owner of the yam will relent and give him some. Although the owner denies everything, the neighbour shows him he knows that he (the owner) is refusing to own up the truth when it is so obvious. The neighbour also hopes to prick his “friend’s” conscience. He hopes that guilt will force the owner of the yam to share the yam.
(c) The owner of the yam is:- (i) Mean / selfish – inspite of the efforts the neighbour makes, he refuses to share his food. (ii) Innovative /schemer / creative – He formulates quick answers to counteract what his neighbour says. (d) The ideophones words are “kerekere” and “bi”. (e) The neighbour is very observant because he notices things like fire and associate it with the meal the owner wants to prepare. He also notices the owner’s “skin” is “all white” of course the whiteness is from the yam peelings. The owner of the yam refutes everything. But the owner is not fooled. (f) Bitter, dismissive – There cannot be peace … (g) The statement “Peace be with you” is ironic because the neighbour is probably being sarcastic. He cannot be wishing somebody who has denied him food peace. He has made the owner of the yam guilty. A person with a guilty conscience is unlikely to have peace.
(h) We learn that we should share what we have with the needy. When we don’t, we cannot have peace with ourselves or others.
32. BUILDING THE NATION
a) 2 voices in the poem i) The driver who drives the Ps to the luncheon. “I drove a permanent secretary.” ii) The Ps “ I attended to matters of state.” NB. Must identify and illustrate to score 2mks
No mark for identification alone b) The poem is about a driver who drives a permanent secretary to an important function” which turns out to be a luncheon where different meals are served , but the driver is not given any hence he goes home hungry while the Ps is overfed c) Poetic devices i) Ryme – Nation / function, friend/ ahead, grain, again e.t.c Effectiveness – Enhances rhythm ii) Alliteration – Cold Bell beer ………………. coffee to keep the Ps ……………… Effectiveness – musically/ rhythm iii) Repetition – building the nation Effectiveness – Enhances rhythm / musicallity Any other relevant answer NB: Identify, illustrate and give effectiveness in order to score (3 mks) d) Tone is satirical/sarcastic – The writer scorns the duties performed by the Ps in the guise of building the nation. The Ps only goes to luncheons to eat yet claims to be building the nation. e) Contemptous/spiteful/ condescending. The Ps refers to his driver as “Mwananchi” f) Rhyme scheme a b c b d Irregular one cannot predict the next pattern h) didn’t he ? i) The permanent secretary was driven back. (by me)
33. Oral poetry
a) War song-we shall kill hack and cure b) To encourage the warriors as they prepare to leave for war To praise the warriors as they go to war the uniformed machines Used to intimidate the enemy-repetition of blood c) Repetition- blood iron and trumpets Direct address- singers of the datsunblue, forward we drive breaking records Direct translation- let the bullets find their targets d) War- let the dogs of war rejoice victory- forward we drive breaking records e) social activity: going to war-‘dogs of war’ Economic activity: blacksmithing-the mention of iron f) Warriors preparing for war as it is being sand to inspire and encourage them
g) The statement means that the army which is as efficient as a machine is around h) Mood is tensed/ of anxiety-only through fire
34. SECOND OLYMPUS
a) Colonialists.√ “……with half digested alien thought”√ “……they hurled down thunderbolts on a toiling race of earth worms.” 1 x 2 b) Bitterness; the poet talks with irony and sarcasm to show his contempt.√ 1 x 2 “…..strange prejudice for gods.”√ “…..self proclaimed demi- gods.”√ “…..martyrs and men oof high ideals.”√ “……benevorent despots to an unwilling race.” Any 1 x 1 mark c) The aliens destroyed√ everything that was not important to trhem.√ And put up their own things.√ They destroyed cultures and traditions and introduced theirs. 1 x 3 d) It referred to African √ slaves who worked very hard on their lands√ and soil. They worked on the soil for too long like earthworms.√ 1 x 3 i) Metaphor “worms were becoming pests.” To emphasize the fact though√ the Africans were minor compared to the whites, they caused destruction and resisted the colonial rule. ii) Irony √ “….strange prejudice for good” to show the colonialists’ hypocrisy√ iii) Sarcasm √” ….self proclaimed demi- gods” to laugh √ at their proclaimed superiority’ e) The disrespects√ for gods. The white have proclaimed themselves gods. 1 x 2 f) Sarcastic tone.√ “strange prejudice for gods” 1 x1
35. Advise to my son
a) A parent √1- says ‘but son.’√1 b) –motor accidents√1- allude to windshield √1 (belongs to a car) – war√ 1 – bursting shell √ 1 (after explosion of bombs) c) Heaven- good/ positive experiences in life hell- horrible things we may encounter. d) Spinach √ ½ turnips ½ desert√ ½ tomatoes√ ½ squash√ ½ and bread√ ½ – necessities Peony√ ½ nectar√ ½ wine√ ½ and rose√ ½ -luxuries e) He advises the son on one hand to live each day to the fullest as if were his last and on the other hand he advises him to plan for future . f) Don’t be deceived by the appearances, later on thiongs could change. Know her (pretty girl) background before marrying her. g) What the stomach craves is stronger sustenance h) Last- endure/ stay for long time past or previously fast- to forgo food to move quickly
i) The son is advised to have fun/ luxurious life.
20 thoughts on “Poetry with answers (Over 100 poems, questions and answers)”
I went through almost all the poems and the poems are interesting.It is a good material for School children.
How can I download papers and answer Because I’m interested to get poetry and question plus answers
This is wander full assistance for secondary students
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Also for death is a witch isn’t there
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No answers to tell if the learner is right or not
I liked the work.Some poems are well elaborated
How can i download the papers and answers(they are very good and intresting poems bravo!)
I didn’t see the answers for the poem…. ARGUMENT WITH GOD
This good for as the students, it has good poems and summarised answers,it’s wow!…superb
It’s hard to come by knowledgeable people for this topic, but yousound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
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My Computer Ate My Homework
From the book When the Teacher Isn't Looking
My computer ate my homework. Yes, it’s troublesome, but true. Though it didn’t gnaw or nibble and it didn’t chomp or chew.
It digested it completely. It consumed my homework whole, when I pressed the Shift and Enter keys instead of Shift-Control.
It devoured my hours of typing, every picture, chart and graph, and it left me most unsettled when I thought I heard it laugh.
I would guess it was a virus, or it could have been a worm, that deleted every bit but didn’t prompt me to confirm.
I suppose I might have pressed Escape instead of pressing Save, but, regardless, my computer now will never misbehave.
For I found a good solution and I smiled to hear the crash, when I chucked it out the window and it landed in the trash.
— Kenn Nesbitt
Copyright © 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Reading Level: Grade 6
Topics: School Poems , Science and Technology Poems
Poetic Techniques: Anthropomorphism & Personification , Imagery , Narrative Poems
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Science News
Your last-minute guide to the 2024 total solar eclipse.
Millions of people are inside the path of totality in the United States for the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. Cities in the path are making plans to celebrate the event, like erecting giant eclipse glasses.
SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images
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By Karen Kwon
April 5, 2024 at 12:00 pm
For many living in North America, April 8 will be a day to remember for years to come.
The moon is going to travel between the sun and Earth, blocking the fiery ball from our view in the middle of the day, causing a total solar eclipse ( SN: 1/4/24 ). Tens of millions of people in the path of totality will experience up to 4.5 minutes of darkness, nearly two minutes longer than the 2017 Great American Eclipse . People not in the path of totality will still get to enjoy the partial blockage for at least a few minutes or longer, depending on their location.
Here are answers to some of the biggest questions about watching this incredible event.
When and where can I watch the eclipse?
The sun’s shadow is scheduled to enter North America via the west coast of Mexico around 12 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. The path of totality then continues diagonally across the continental United States, hitting states such as Texas, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio and New York, Vermont and Maine. It creeps into Canada via Ontario and Quebec, before finally exiting through Newfoundland and Labrador at about 5:15 p.m. Newfoundland Daylight Time.
This interactive map from NASA can help you prepare for your eclipse viewing. Search and click on your location, and a pop-up panel will inform you of the spot’s weather and the exact times of the solar eclipse’s progression.
What are eclipse glasses and where can I get them?
Wearing proper eyewear is essential. Regular sunglasses will not protect you when you look directly at the sun ( SNE: 4/27/17 ). And you do not want to stare at the sun with naked eyes; that can damage your eyes. Therefore, you need to get your hands on eclipse glasses if you have not already done so.
It might be too late for you to order a pair from an online retailer. Plus, the American Astronomical Society issued a warning on counterfeit and fake eclipse glasses that are sold on the internet. It posted lists of trusted manufacturers and vendors that sell pairs that are ISO certified, which ensures safety. Both webpages can also be helpful when checking the validity of the glasses that you already own.
Fear not if you have not secured eclipse glasses. Big-box stores such as Lowe’s Home Improvement might still have some in stock. You might also be able to pick up a free pair of eclipse glasses at a library, museum or Warby Parker store .
What if I don’t get a pair of eclipse glasses in time?
There are still several ways to observe the eclipse. One of the easiest ways is to use a strainer or a colander — or any object with holes , really — to observe the object’s shadow. You can also cross your fingers so they look like a waffle to create holes if you’re in a pinch. It might feel less exciting than watching the sun itself, but it is still pretty cool to see the shadows going from their original shapes to crescents as the moon overtakes the sun. You can also devise your own pinhole camera if you are feeling crafty.
There will also be plenty of livestreams. U.S. National Science Foundation will stream one from Dallas . NASA will offer several , including one in Spanish and another with a telescope feed. The agency will also broadcast the launch of three rockets during the eclipse to study how the dimming of the sun affects Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Other science projects will also offer live feeds. One example is the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project , which will send weather balloons to observe the atmospheric perturbations during the eclipse. Participating teams plan to stream the views from the edge of space .
Are there cool science phenomena to watch out for?
If you happen to look away from the sun, you may notice a perceived shift in color occurring on Earth ( SN: 4/1/24 ). Blues and green will become more noticeable, while reds become dark or even black. And because the sun will be close to its solar maximum, people might be able to see petal-like streams or a large puff of gas shooting away from the star’s surface ( SN: 1/4/24 ).
For more eclipse stories, our student magazine Science News Explores prepared a special issue for young eclipse watchers, and our publisher Society for Science collected resources , ready for you to browse.
How can I take good pictures of the solar eclipse using a smartphone?
You can place a solar filter or an extra pair of eclipse glasses in front of the smartphone’s lens to photograph the partial eclipse. But make sure to remove the filter during the totality. Also, don’t forget to turn of the camera’s flash. Space.com has an eight-step guide for acing the shots.
Are there any cool citizen science projects that I can participate in?
There are a few that are still taking volunteers. One is SunSketcher. Using the SunSketcher app to capture images of the sun will help scientists to study the bright spots called Baily’s beads that appear before and after totality. Download the app on your phone and start running it at least five minutes before the total eclipse to contribute.
The Eclipse Soundscapes Project will collect sound data to study how eclipses affect life on Earth. It might be too late to sign up to become a data collector, but you can still participate by becoming a data analyst .
When is the next total solar eclipse?
There will not be a total eclipse in the United States and Canada for another 20 years. But if you’re up for travel, other countries will experience totality before 2044 ( SN: 4/4/24 ) . For example, Spain will be on the path of totality in 2026 and 2027, China and Japan in 2035, and Australia in 2028, 2030, 2037 and 2038.
And stay tuned for coverage from our astronomy writer Adam Mann, who will be on-site near Dallas with some scientists studying — and experiencing the wonder — of this total solar eclipse.
More Stories from Science News on Science & Society
What Science News saw during the solar eclipse
During the awe of totality, scientists studied our planet’s reactions
Protein whisperer Oluwatoyin Asojo fights neglected diseases
How a 19th century astronomer can help you watch the total solar eclipse
Timbre can affect what harmony is music to our ears
Not all cultures value happiness over other aspects of well-being
‘Space: The Longest Goodbye’ explores astronauts’ mental health
‘Countdown’ takes stock of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile
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Science Homework. From the book Revenge of the Lunch Ladies. for I wouldn't tell a lie. that you gave us yesterday. and went slithering away. and terrorized the cat. with a horrid glorping noise. and gobbled all my toys. and digested every plate.
1. Science by Martin Dejnicki. "Everything works, because of science.". 2. Butterfly Poem by Mr. R. "Two blue wings flapped by my eye…". 3. Science is Like Writing by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. "The sun made a rainbow on my book.".
Five Rhyming Poems About Science 1. The Dance of Science "` In the cosmic dance, we take a stance, Every discovery, not just by chance. Through the universe, we advance, In the name of science, we enhance. By Dan Higgins, 2024 "` 2. The Experiment "` Every question begins a new journey, As science spins, in an endless tourney.
"Sonnet to Science" is an early poem by Edgar Allan Poe, composed in 1829 and published in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems. The poem's speaker laments the impact of science on art and creativity, suggesting that science is only interested in "dull realities" and evidence-based observations—as opposed to the wondrous journeys undertaken by the creative imagination.
when my mother called my name. I looked up at the clock. and it was time to go to bed. I didn't get my homework done; just other stuff instead. I hope my teacher listens. to the cause of my inaction. It's really not my fault the world. is just one big distraction.
Famous Children Poem. Making homework stew is not quite what the teacher had in mind. This funny children's poem shows what can happen when we mishear something. Famous poet Kenn Nesbitt writes humorous poetry for children, and he served as the Children's Poet Laureate from 2013-2015.
Questions for Discussion and Writing 1. What characteristics make this poem a sonnet? 2. Whom is the speaker addressing, and what literary devices does the speaker employ in doing so? Describe the speaker's tone. Cite specific details to support your interpretation. 3. In what sense does science "alter all things" (line 2)? 4.
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I cannot turn my science homework in and this is why: I messed up the assignment that you gave us yesterday. It burbled from its test tube and went slithering away. It wriggled off the table, and it landed with a splat, convulsed across my bedroom floor and terrorized the cat. It shambled down the staircase with a horrid glorping noise.
Here are ten of the very best poems about science, technology, and machinery. Edgar Allan Poe, ' Sonnet - To Science '. Poe was greatly interested in science, and among his literary achievements is a long prose-poem-cum-essay, Eureka, which is subtitled in some editions of Poe's work 'An Essay on the Material and Spiritual Universe ...
Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Marvellous Homework and Housework Machine Questions & Answers. This poem is written by Kenn Nesbitt. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions & answers of Science and Technology in Our Lives, The Olympics and Uncle Podger Hangs a Picture so, you can go through these posts as well.
Get personalized homework help for free — for real. Join for free. Brainly is the knowledge-sharing community where hundreds of millions of students and experts put their heads together to crack their toughest homework questions.
Question 5: What does the tree mean by 'going to bed'? Answer: 'Going to bed' refers to the falling of the leaves from the tree to the ground. Question 6: Who are Yellow, Brown and little Red in the poem? Answer: In the poem, Yellow, Brown and little Red are the names of the leaves. The names indicate the colour of each leaf. The colours of leaves convey that it is autumn.
answers. a) The poem is about the rampages of death (1mk) it is cruel (1mk) and indiscriminate (1mk) /. It's about how the earth does not get fat after swallowing chiefs, nobles, beasts and common. people. b) the persona is an observer. a potential victim of death. c) -Repetition e.g "Listen O earth…".
With current subjects, with unknown teachers, with new classrooms it's stressful enough for young people to be focused. That's why students choose homework help discord, a place to discuss all difficulties online and solve problems. With guidance and support of experts it's easier to understand unknown topics and work on self-improvement.
a. There are more bees on flowers in untended fields than on flowers in gardens. b. Bright pink flowers will attract more bees than bright orange flowers.... View Answer. Einstein's theory of relativity and Newton's theory of gravity are good examples of scientific theories because they are _____ in nature.
A KS2 literacy worksheet looking at question and answer poems. A KS2 literacy worksheet looking at question and answer poems. ... Thousands of English, maths & science printable and interactive resources; ... homework gnome.
Beyond tone, a poet's attitude toward his or her subject reveals to us a poem's: A. theme. B. structure. C. subject. D. diction. View Answer. A theological argument offered by Donne in "Death Be Not Proud" may be summarized as: A. the human essence is immortal. B. life is illusion. C. death cannot be overcome.
One is by Christina Rosetti and the other is by Robert Louis Stevenson. The poems are followed by a series of multiple choice questions aligned with various strands of the CCSS Grade 3 English Language Arts Standards for Reading. Those strands are: RL.3.1 -- Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly ...
The Bells Questions and Answers - Discover the eNotes.com community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on The Bells
A 24/7 free Science homework AI tutor that instantly provides personalized step-by-step guidance, explanations, and examples for any Science homework problem. Improve your grades with our AI homework helper! ... StudyMonkey will give you an answer in seconds—multiple choice questions, short answers, and even an essays are supported!
From the book When the Teacher Isn't Looking. My computer ate my homework. Yes, it's troublesome, but true. Though it didn't gnaw or nibble. and it didn't chomp or chew. It digested it completely. It consumed my homework whole, when I pressed the Shift and Enter keys. instead of Shift-Control.
Here are answers to some of the biggest questions about watching this incredible event. When and where can I watch the eclipse? The sun's shadow is scheduled to enter North America via the west ...