General Discussion

[General_Unknown]

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phep wrote:

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I know a lot of people who did that exact same paper. Lemme guess, the other question was something about Half-Caste? lol. Most of the people I know did it with 2 scavengers or nothings changed I think. Are you actually from Bradord? Because If so It must be the same paper all over the country

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I remember that

A little too much.....

Excuse me
standing on one leg
I'm half-caste

Explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when picasso
mix red an green
is a half-caste canvas/
explain yuself
wha u mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when light an shadow
mix in de sky
is a half-caste weather/
well in dat case
england weather
nearly always half-caste
in fact some o dem cloud
half-caste till dem overcast
so spiteful dem dont want de sun pass
ah rass/
explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean tchaikovsky
sit down at dah piano
an mix a black key
wid a white key
is a half-caste symphony/

Explain yuself
wha yu mean
Ah listening to yu wid de keen
half of mih ear
Ah looking at u wid de keen
half of mih eye
and when I'm introduced to yu
I'm sure you'll understand
why I offer yu half-a-hand
an when I sleep at night
I close half-a-eye
consequently when I dream
I dream half-a-dream
an when moon begin to glow
I half-caste human being
cast half-a-shadow
but yu come back tomorrow
wid de whole of yu eye
an de whole of yu ear
and de whole of yu mind

an I will tell yu
de other half
of my story

John Agard

[rancidpunk]

The poetry studies in GCSE has certainly changed since my time. Comes across as badly written prose than anything actually poetic.

[Moshii]

Definitely wasn't in our poetry book at GCSE time; I remember scouring through the book looking for something which wasn't dire.

My favourite one was To His Coy Mistress. It was filthy!

Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
We would sit down and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love's day;
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the Flood;
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow.
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast,
But thirty thousand to the rest;
An age at least to every part,
And the last age should show your heart.
For, lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at lower rate.

        But at my back I always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
Thy beauty shall no more be found,
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song; then worms shall try
That long preserv'd virginity,
And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust.
The grave's a fine and private place,
But none I think do there embrace.

        Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may;
And now, like am'rous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour,
Than languish in his slow-chapp'd power.
Let us roll all our strength, and all
Our sweetness, up into one ball;
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Thorough the iron gates of life.
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.
 

We had John Agard come into our school and go through Half Caste with us. I thought it was a bit of a pants poem. We did a workshop with him and had to write poetry about colours or something, so I scribbled out five lines about the colour blue. He said it was great. Being a poet's easy 

Message Edited by Moshii on 13-11-2009 08:50 AM

[WJB1]

I think I've still got my AQA GCSE English (2005) book with those poems in somewhere.  I don't really get the point of poetry, although I do briefly find a few interesting, I'm a sciency person, not one of those arty farty types.  We went to a 'poetry live' thing in year 11, it had Simon Armitage, Carole Anne Duffy, John Agard, Benjamin Zephaniah (Libraryology FTW) and a few others.  Once they'd read a poem we got to ask questions and a person in my year asked Simon Armitage something along the lines of 'Do you specifically write poetry to make students suffer, or is that just a side effect?'  Everyone laughed but he answered the question quite well.