Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Armitage implies that people are unwilling to charitably donate even the smallest amounts of money; even for small change they expect something – and something substantial – in return. Poet laureate joins Michael Rosen and Imtiaz Dharker to criticise Ofqual announcement that poetry will be optional next year, Last modified on Sat 8 Aug 2020 02.01 EDT. Key phrases are colour-coded to match the analysis below. In 2010, Simon Armitage was awarded a CBE for services to poetry. to choose to sleep, I’ve chosen yours. “People have reached for poetry like a lifeline in this pandemic. The second, one canary-yellow cotton jacket on a cloakroom floor, uncoupled from its hook, becoming scuffed and blackened underfoot. Armitage took issue with Ofqual’s assertion that many of the respondents to its consultation “highlighted the difficulties for students in trying to get to grips with complex literary texts remotely”. Many students have studied his work for GCSE English Literature. This poem depicts the event of soldiers shooting a man, who was running away. Ofqual announced on Tuesday that, due to the impact of coronavirus on education, it would allow exam boards to change their assessment criteria for GCSE English literature next summer. For silver-swallow swords, eat fire. Armitage’s poetry regularly appears in AQA English GCSE anthologies. ‘I don’t think you should underestimate students’ capacity or even their ambitions for taking on language’ ... Simon Armitage. After the first phase, ‘The Manhunt’ is a poem written by Simon Armitage. Armitage, whose work has been part of the GCSE syllabus for the last two decades, said the decision was sad. Is the speaker really asking simply for loose change – or are they demanding a shift in attitudes and situation? In May 2019, Simon Armitage (b. “Poetry offers a view on humanity, society and the world that is playful, contemplative, mysterious, questioning, and one that is often interested in giving readers the chance to hold several different ideas in our heads at the same time.”. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. The poem ends with the speaker starkly stating: ‘I’m on my knees. “Poetry still occupies an important place in society. I’m on my knees. This poem comes from Simon Artmitages' Book of Matches but is a longer poem than the “matches” - and has its own title. Of all the doorways in the world ‘You’ is both intimate and confrontational, directly addressing the reader with a voice – the marginalised voice of homelessness – so often silenced. Change ). Enter your email address to follow Poetry Shark and receive notifications of new posts by email. ‘Probably armed, possibly not’ Conflict - acting under orders and is engaged in combat in another country. It is troublesome that this is not an equal trade. Why aren’t they studying Geoff Hattersley in Barnsley schools or Liz Berry at every school in the Black Country or Caleb Femi in every London school?” he said. The Forward Arts Foundation, the organiser of National Poetry Day, said that schools’ and libraries’ participation in the celebrations on 1 October are set to double this year, and reported a 160% increase in users on their website during lockdown. Published on Jul 1, 2020 This chilling poem by Armitage is accompanied by a photo I took of Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote, in 2010, the desolation of … To let children know that their own lives are worthy of poetry is really vital.”. February 7, 2016 March 4, 2016 Poetry Shark Poem Analysis analysis, GCSE, homelessness, literature, poem, poetry, poetry analysis, power, second person, simon armitage Armitage highlights the selfishness and absurdity of our attitudes towards the homeless – by having a homeless person speak them Simon Armitage is a contemporary poet, born in 1962, writing right now. “By making it voluntary they are in effect ensuring that a percentage of students at English schools will not do any poetry in years 10 and 11,” Rosen wrote on Facebook. ‘Poetry is needed now more than ever’ ... Imtiaz Dharker. The tension is an intriguing and disorientating start to the poem. Key phrases are colour-coded to match the analysis below. in 1989 and quickly established himself as the most high-profile poet in … Well myself and somebody else and somebody else are all of the same mind, so all three of us open fire. His death is described in graphic, gory detail, and the death continues to haunt the mind of the soldier, long after he has left the battlefield. We notice that he is at once like, and yet unlike, his victim. It’s not as if I’m holding out As I said in the overview, Armitage uses a lot of repetition in the poem to suggest that the man's life is a repetitive, dull routine. Yet, in contrast, the idea of ‘making a scene’ is chaotic, confrontational and public. The repetition also suggests that one thing is no more important than another in coming to judge somebody, that they have to be judged as a … Presentation from the GCSE revision session on Simon Armitage's poetry Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Poet Andrew McMillan called it “a dangerous first step” and called for “much more tailored choice” in the poetry studied around the UK. His death is “There’s a huge variety of complexity within the work that’s presented at GCSE level, so I don’t think you should underestimate students’ capacity or even their ambitions for taking on language.”. This poem depicts the event of soldiers shooting a man, who was running away. Three of a kind all… GCSE Poetry Comparisons Remains by Simon Armitage Overview: Focused on a soldier haunted by a violent memory Themes: Guilt - haunted by the guilt of taking another man’s life. The word ‘dear’ is affectionate and intimate. Suitable for: KS3 and GCSE English Literature in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland and National 4/5 in Scotland. That’s the poetry so many young people have been responding to, and that great teachers will persist in teaching even if it is unruly. Armitage burst onto the poetry scene with Zoom! It is included on the English Literature GCSE syllabus. ‘Change’ of course has a double meaning. That’s why it is a pity to treat it as expendable, even for a year. Think, two things on their own and both at once. The speaker sounds positive, not desperate, yet is asking for mere ‘coppers’ in exchange for a spectacular (and dangerous) performance. Simon Robert Armitage, CBE, FRSL (born 26 May 1963) is an English poet, playwright and novelist who was appointed Poet Laureate on 10 May 2019. Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, 57, will read his poem The Bed - the title is a metaphor for the anonymous soldier's grave - at a televised Armistice Day service at Westminster Abbey. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / These clips are from the BBC series Simon Armitage: Writing Poems. Armitage highlights the selfishness and absurdity of our attitudes towards the homeless – by having a homeless person speak them. Armitage highlights the selfishness and absurdity of our attitudes towards the homeless – by having a homeless person speak them ‘Give’ by Simon Armitage (GCSE) Of all the public places, dear to make a scene, I’ve chosen here. You give me tea. “Poetry is where language opens its heart and lets everyone in. Subsequent poetry books, all published by Faber, include Kid (1992), Book of Matches (1993), The Dead Sea Poems (1995), Moon Country (1996), Cloud Cuckoo Land (1997). Sat 8 Aug 2020 02.00 EDT 2,346 Poet laureate Simon Armitage and former children’s laureate Michael Rosen are among the top UK poets decrying the government’s decision to make poetry … The speaker sounds more sarcastic and defensive in the next stanza, arguing that they are not ‘holding out / for frankincense or myrrh, just change’. He deals with personal relationships, often drawing on his own life experience. “It’s a worry that making it optional might have a knock-on effect and just make it one of those add-ons that it’s been at times in the past.”. It is included on the English Literature GCSE syllabus. Poet Imtiaz Dharker agreed. It’s not until the third stanza that the poem starts to become uncomfortable. ( Log Out / ( Log Out / The poem is based on a number of tensions and contrasts which highlight both the physical and psychological effects of war. “This is a time when poetry seems to be really having its moment, because of the comfort, consolation and form of expression that people have found in poetry over these months. not left for dead in some distant, sun-stunned, sand-smothered land. In his latest poem, a commission for BT, Mr Armitage, 57, reflects on the ‘new world’ where ‘you’re at school in the kitchen, at work in the attic, in Ancient Rome in the lounge’. It is needed now more than ever,” she said. Remains by Simon Armitage On another occasion, we got sent out to tackle looters raiding a bank. to make a scene, I’ve chosen here. One of the most popular and most read of modern poets, Simon Armitage was born in Huddersfield and studied Geography and Psychology at Porstmouth University. The Manhunt – Simon Armitage. That’s big of you. This poem by Simon Armitage addresses the theme of coming of age through Robin’s relationship with Batman. Revise Remains by Simon Armitage: Power and Conflict Poems Beyond’s series of “revise” blogs explore important texts in AQA’s Power and Conflict module, providing GCSE English students with the information they need for the AQA English Literature Paper 2 exam. I beg of you’. Among younger people, it seems a very vibrant, popular art form,” said Armitage. Similarly, the tone is calm and the rhyming couplet suggests balance and order. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. So isn’t it also ridiculous that we refuse or resent charity, believing that vulnerable people should work hard to earn, and be tamely grateful for, our meagre donation? Making poetry optional in GCSE English literature is out of tune with the times. While students will still be assessed on a Shakespeare play, they will only have to focus on two out of the three remaining areas – poetry, the 19th-century novel, and fiction or drama from the British Isles after 1914. For gold-escape from locks and chains. Poet laureate Simon Armitage and former children’s laureate Michael Rosen are among the top UK poets decrying the government’s decision to make poetry optional for GCSE students next year, describing it as “a dangerous first step”. Nothing Ofqual decrees can reverse that sense of shared delight,” said Forward’s executive director, Susannah Herbert. 1963) was named as the UK’s Poet Laureate, an appointment greeted with delight by many in the poetry world and beyond. This is a revision video for KS4 students studying AQA GCSE English Literature: Cluster Relationships. The unusual tone of the poem highlights our own unsympathetic attitudes towards vulnerable homeless people. ‘Give’ by Simon Armitage (Poetry Analysis, GCSE), holding out / for frankincense or myrrh, just change, How We Age in ‘Blueberries’ by James Lasdun (Poetry Analysis), Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes (Poetry Analysis, GCSE), 'Brothers' by Andrew Forster (Poem Analysis, GCSE), 'Mametz Wood' by Owen Sheers (Poetry Analysis, GCSE), Language and Reality: 'The Right Word' by Imtiaz Dharker (Poem Analysis, GCSE), 'Give' by Simon Armitage (Poetry Analysis, GCSE), 'Futility' by Wilfred Owen (Poem Analysis, GCSE), Time, Body and Identity in 'Face Lift' by Sylvia Plath, 'Belfast Confetti' by Ciaran Carson (Poem Analysis, GCSE), 'The Falling Leaves' by Margaret Postgate Cole (Poem Analysis, GCSE), 'Hawk Roosting' by Ted Hughes (Poem Analysis, GCSE), ‘Mametz Wood’ by Owen Sheers (Poetry Analysis, GCSE), ‘Case History: Alison (Head Injury)’ by UA Fanthorpe (Poetry Analysis, GCSE), ‘This is a Photograph of Me’ by Margaret Atwood (Poem Analysis), ‘Hawk Roosting’ by Ted Hughes (Poem Analysis, GCSE), ‘The Falling Leaves’ by Margaret Postgate Cole (Poem Analysis, GCSE), ‘Belfast Confetti’ by Ciaran Carson (Poem Analysis, GCSE). Armitage creates a tension in the opening lines. Killing Time (The Millennium Poem; 1999), Travelling Songs and The Universal Home Doctor (both 2002). Armitage uses the second person ‘you’ throughout. She acknowledged the challenges students and teachers are facing, but said she hoped they would still opt for poetry. Armitage imagines his shout travelling not only over space, but over the gulf of time so that the adult poet can still hear and be haunted by it. I beg of you. Upset by the fact that the man might have been innocent. Poetry is one of the topics that will become optional following concerns that schools may not be able to cover all areas because of the pandemic. In an interview for the BBC filmed a few years ago, Armitage explained his view on the purpose of poetry. The poem is based on a number of tensions and contrasts which highlight both the physical and psychological effects of war. Simon Armitage was born in Huddersfield on May 26, 1963 and is a British poet, playwright, and novelist. GCSE POETRY: REVISION NOTES CONTENT Simon Armitage is a contemporary British poet, who wrote Remains as part of a collection of poems about the effect of war on ex-soldiers. Poet laureate Simon Armitage has condemned the government’s decision to make poetry optional for GCSE students next year. Poet laureate Simon Armitage and former children’s laureate Michael Rosen are among the top UK poets decrying the government’s decision to make poetry optional for GCSE students next year, describing it as “a dangerous first step”. or six-feet-under in desert sand, but near to the knuckle, here and now, his bloody life in my bloody hands. ‘The Manhunt’ is a poem written by Simon Armitage. We use it for weddings and funerals. The first, that exercise in trust, where those in front stand with their arms spread wide and free-fall backwards, blind, and those behind take all the weight. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. He is one of the main poets in the OCR anthology, and also features in the WJEC and AQA anthologies for GCSE. The mention of money now rules out a close relationship between equals. In fact, the second stanza is almost romantic: although sleeping ‘on the street’, they are doing so ‘under the stars’. Simon Armitage's first collection, Zoom, appeared in 1989, published by Bloodaxe. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He is also professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and succeeded Geoffrey Hill as Oxford Professor of Poetry when he was elected to the four year part time appointment from 2015–2019. “Yes, it’s important that kids read a wide range of poetry that allows them to access different worlds but they need to know too that their street, their village, their town, is worthy of great poetry. I’m on the street, under the stars. “Poetry is language at play, and a lot of the time in a school or classroom environment, students are expected to use language in a very rational, logical and informational way. He recently returned home after being treated in intensive care for Covid-19. 'A dangerous first step': Simon Armitage among poets to blast GCSE decision Poet laureate joins Michael Rosen and Imtiaz Dharker to criticise Ofqual announcement that poetry will be optional next year In the mouth of the homeless speaker, it’s clearly absurd for them to offer a circus performance for loose change. The tone again doesn’t quite fit with the content. ( Log Out / “People who don’t see themselves as ‘literary’ clearly love sharing poems: they’ve done it throughout lockdown, on their phones and laptops, as a way of keeping in touch. The idea of sleeping in a doorway is unusual – but given the word ‘dear’ and the intimate use of the second person ‘you’, the speaker could be addressing a lover, refusing to part from them, despite ‘making a scene’ during an argument. "Remains" was published by the British poet Simon Armitage in 2008 as part of his collection The Not Dead, a series of war poems based on the testimonies of ex-soldiers.Instead of detailing conflict, however, these poems confront the aftermath of war and the traumatic memories that ex-service people might struggle to cope with. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The poem is based on a number of tensions and contrasts which highlight both the physical and psychological effects of war. video To be denied the opportunity to think of language as nuanced and playful is a pity,” he added. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Analysis of Simon Armitage's poem exploring the nerve-shredding reality of conflict and the legacy of guilt that it leaves for those involved. Both the intimate, romantic tone and the cheerful offer of entertainment are gone. It is included on the English Literature GCSE syllabus. After the first phase, Especially this year,” she said. ‘The Manhunt’ is a poem written by Simon Armitage. for frankincense or myrrh, just change. GCSE POETRY: REVISION NOTES ENT Simon Armitage is a contemporary British poet, who wrote Remains as part of a collection of poems about the effect of war on ex-soldiers. It is a monologue of sorts, in which a man confesses to murder. Simon Armitage’s poetry is known for its colloquial style, strong rhythms and voice. About Simon Armitage. The Manhunt – Simon Armitage. Of all the public places, dear And one of them legs it up the road, probably armed, possibly not. For coppers I can dance or sing. Only in the last stanza does the power imbalance and begging become explicit. “Yet Shakespeare’s in there?” he said. Of all the doorways in the world to choose to sleep, I’ve chosen yours. Simon Armitage has taught at a number of universities: University of Leeds, University of Iowa, Manchester Metropolitan University, Sheffield University and Oxford University. Key phrases are colour-coded to match the analysis below. The poem analysis is 'The Manhunt' by Simon Armitage I’m on the street, under the stars. We still think of it as high art. In combat in another country ’ throughout for: KS3 and GCSE English Literature England... This pandemic, possibly not ’ conflict - acting under orders and is in... S decision to make a scene ’ is chaotic, confrontational and public poetry a... Own unsympathetic attitudes towards vulnerable homeless people vulnerable homeless people KS4 students studying GCSE! Your WordPress.com account phase, this poem depicts the event of soldiers shooting man! 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