GRADE 12

ENGLISH HOME
L ANGUAGE
Poetry
workshop
 LIST OF GRADE 12 POEMS 2024

1. Sonnet 130 William Shakespeare 7. This Winter Coming Karen Press

2. The child who was shot dead… Ingrid Jonker 8. Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox
3. At a Funeral Dennis Brutus 9. The Morning Sun is Shining Olive Schreiner
4. Poem of Return Jofre Rocha 10. It is a beauteous evening… William Wordsworth
5. Talk to the Peach Tree Sipho Sepamla 11. Fern Hill Dylan Thomas
6. Prayer to Masks Léopold Sédar Senghor 12. The Shipwreck Emily Dickenson
 LIST OF POEMS

1. Sonnet 130 William Shakespeare 1. This Winter Coming [Apartheid] Karen Press
2. The child who was shot dead…[Apartheid] Ingrid Jonker 2. Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox
3. At a Funeral [Apartheid] Dennis Brutus 3. The Morning Sun is Shining Olive Schreiner
4. Poem of Return [ Colonisation- ](Angolan) Jofre Rocha 4. It is a beauteous evening… William Wordsworth
5. Talk to the Peach Tree [Apartheid] Sipho Sepamla 5. Fern Hill Dylan Thomas
6. Prayer to Masks[Colonisation] SenegalLéopold Sédar Senghor 6. The Shipwreck Emily Dickenson
REQUIREMENTS OF THE POETRY SECTION AND
GENERAL COMMENTS
➢Teach all 12 poems.
➢Never encourage learners to spot poems.
➢ Learners should make wise choices. They should utilise the reading time to
read all the poems. Then based on how knowledgeable they are in answering
the questions, they need to make their choice.
➢Remind them that the poetry section is 30 marks:
➢Question 1: POETRY ESSAY (PRESCRIBED POEM) [10]
➢Question 2,3 and 4: Contextual Poetry Questions ( PRESCRIBED POEMS)[10x3]
➢Question 5: Unseen Poem (CONTEXTUAL AND COMPULSORY) [10]
➢Leaners must answer 2 prescribed poems of the 4 poems that are set and 1
Unseen Poem which is compulsory. The Poetry essay is not compulsory.
 ESSAY
QUESTION
LOOK AT THE KEY WORDS IN THE
QUESTION.
 UNPACK THE ESSAY QUESTION/STATEMENT/BRIEF
• The important elements which are the focus of the Poetry essay - STRUCTURE,
DICTION , TONE and IMAGERY - must be related to the statement that needs to be
addressed. All elements of the question must be addressed for the essay to be
pitched in the skilful and exceptional category of the rubric.
• Teach learners to read the question/statement carefully and ensure that their essay
addresses the key words in the question or statement. Discourage paraphrasing
and lifting from the poem; an analysis of the poem is expected.
• TEACH the structure of the poetry essay as you would do for the Literary essay in
the NOVEL and DRAMA sections. You can use the SWIFT Method to mediate this.
Ensure that the essay has a thesis statement. A body that consists of 2 to 3
paragraphs and a conclusion.
• Ensure learners know the difference between a/an Shakespearian/ Elizabethan
sonnet and a Petrarchan sonnet/Italian sonnet.
• Learners must know if the poem is an Apartheid poem or a protest against
colonisation.
THE POETRY
ESSAY RUBRIC
THE POETRY ESSAY RUBRIC
Step 1 Analyse the question/statement STRUCTURE OF THE
• Paragraph 1 POETRY ESSAY
• Formulate a thesis statement based on the question/statement Plan your essay.
• Ensure that you use synonyms to show that you understand what the question requires.
Use a mind map
A quick point form can be used
Step 2 Focus on Diction and Imagery Brainstorming
• Paragraph 2 SWIFT-
• Using the diction(words) and /or imagery in the poem address the question or
statement. Focus on how the diction reflects the tone and /or mood linked to the
question/statement of the brief. Ensure that you are engaging in a argument or/ and
S- SENSE
discussion or explanation.
• Pay attention to language. Sentence structure, punctuation and vocabulary must use
W- WORDS/DICTION
effectively to address the question. Do not paraphrase the poem. Use linking devices to
make your essay cohesive. I- INTENTION/ IMAGERY
• Paragraph 3 (FIGURES OF SPEECH)
• Focus on structure and intension/ main idea/theme of the poem in connection with the
question/ statement of the essay. F- FORM/ STRUCTURE
T-THEME/MAIN IDEA/TONE/
Step 3 Conclusion

• Paragraph 4
• Tie up all loose end and reinforce your argument/discussion. Reinforce overall tone.
 LET’S USE A POETRY ESSAY QUESTION
▪ In the poem, Poem of Return, the speaker who is living in exile is experiencing guilt and
anguish hence his requests for when he returns.
▪ By close reference to the DICTION, IMAGERY and TONE, discuss how the above statement
is reflected in the poem. Your response should take the form of a well-constructed essay of
250–300 words (about ONE page).
▪ Thesis Statement: The speaker in the Poem of Return contemplates his return to his
home country. This is someone who has had to flee his country of birth because of
political strife and therefore he experiences guilt and anguish when he thinks of his
return. He describes his host country as a 'land of exile and silence'. He lists the
things he missed while he was away and his guilt about ‘escaping’ whilst his fellow
citizens suffered.
 BODY: DICTION &IMAGERY
▪ The speaker makes it clear that he is in exile and the word ‘silence’ suggests that being far away
from his home country is quite an isolating and lonely experience for him. His instruction to the
reader is 'do not', the diction here creates a commanding and assertive tone. This imperative tone
together with the word ‘silence’ evokes the anguish that the speaker feels in his isolation. The
instruction to not bring him 'flowers' is again to reinforce this feeling of anguish and pain.
Flowers are generally associated with celebration and in this instance he does not see himself as a
hero deserving of any sort of praise or celebration. The speaker is feeling a sense of guilt for fleeing
his country during a time of unrest while the majority of others had to stay behind to fight the
colonialist system.
▪ The rest of the poem lists all the things the speaker has missed about home and what he would
rather have than flowers. In line 3, the speaker requests, 'Bring me rather all the dews' ,
figuratively, here, the 'dews' refer to the moisture from the tears of the Angolan people. In line 4,
rather than flowers, the speaker wants the 'tears of dawn which witnessed dramas'. He here shows
that in his isolation, he wants to be connected to the pain and suffering that his people are
experiencing while he is safe in exile. Each new day in Angola starts with the 'tears' from the
'dramas' that are 'witnessed'. These 'dramas' may be a reference to colonisation, exile, loss,
violence and trauma as a result of the guerrilla warfare that ordinary Angolan people have to face
every day.
 DICTION AND IMAGERY AND TONE
▪ The repetition of the instruction 'Bring me' (line 3,5,7, and 11) is an indication for his desperate need
to know what is happening in his hometown. The speaker requests that he is brought 'the immense
hunger for love'. The speaker wants the human connection he has missed - perhaps, love from
friends, family and his longing for his home country. Along with the 'hunger for love', the
speaker requests the 'plaint of tumid sexes'. These lines reflect the speaker’s heightened awareness
of his isolation which bring him anguish. His yearning for home and belonging is intense and is
brought to a climax as he is excluded from the beauty of being intimate with a loved one.
▪ In line 7, the speaker requests that he is brought the 'long night of sleeplessness'. The idea that the
'night' is described as 'long' could be a reference to how the pain and anguish of the guerrilla warfare
in Angola has continued for an extended period of time. People are worried about the safety of their
loved ones in this time of war and unrest, hence ‘sleeplessness’. He wants to rather be tortured by
those images. The long nights of sleeplessness are filled with 'mothers mourning'. Many
mothers would be grieving for their sons who are at war, in prison or in exile. These mothers' arms are
described as 'bereft of sons'. In this case, mothers have been deprived or robbed of their sons due to
the war and political unrest. What we can surmise from the speaker is that rather than receiving
flowers upon his return from exile in Portugal to Angola, he would rather want to connect with and
understand those who have suffered because of the conflict.
STRUCTURE, STYLE, DICTION

▪ The double negative ‘no, do not’ and the anaphora – the repetition of the command
'Bring me' is a wholehearted emphasis on how the speaker does not feel deserving
of flowers, celebration or the title of a hero upon his return. This diction creates an
authoritative, forceful tone. The speaker requests 'only, just this'. This
redundancy/tautology emphasises his insistence/sincerity of wanting only one thing
that he needs in his pursuit of justice. Again reinforcing his anguish and guilt of not
being in his motherland to be part of the struggle.
▪ The repetition of the first two lines of the poem in line 10 and 11 is to emphasise
that the poet’s return to Angola is not something to be celebrated. Being in exile was
not a pleasant personal experience for the speaker. However, he acknowledges that
his hardship is nothing like those people who were left behind in Angola. We can
assume that the reason why he does not want flowers and a celebration upon his
return is because he feels a sense of guilt at being able to escape the war and
political unrest hence he only feels the need to acknowledge the pain and hardship
of the people who were left behind.
CONCLUSION AND TONE MADE EXPLICIT.

▪ To conclude, the speaker makes it clear that he is not a

hero and should not be treated as one. He asserts that the
real heroes are the ones who stayed and fought against
oppression. The poet is writing about the lost
opportunities, mourning and sadness brought about by
colonialism, exile and war.
▪ The tone throughout the poem includes: sadness, loss,
guilt, regret and anger.
▪
 CONTEXTUAL
QUESTION
LOOK AT THE KEY WORDS IN THE
QUESTION.
 EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL EXAM QUESTIONS
Account for the use of the word./Explain the use of the word in the context of the poem (2)
The connotative and denotative meaning must be unpacked to answer this question and a reason
must be given or the word must be unpacked. For the second mark, connotative meaning of the word
must be discussed in the context of the poem.
Identify and explain the mood conveyed in these lines. (2)
A mood word must be given which is grounded in the line referenced. A discussion of that mood word
must show understanding of how mood/ atmosphere is created in the lines.
Comment on how the final stanza/speaker’s tone reinforces the central idea of the poem. (3)
Candidates must engage with the stanza referenced./A tone word is needed and a comment on the
elements of the final stanza or the tone must be commented on in connection with the main message
of the poem.
Critically discuss the effectiveness of the image in the context of the poem/stanza/lines. (3)
Teach learners to identify the elements of the imagery - is it a comparison, sound device or contrast -
then explain the effectiveness, significance and appropriateness of it. How it is working to convey its
meaning and importance in context will lead to a comment?
thank you