Title: ___________

LO: ______________________________________

Tuesday 19
th
June 2012
Were going to read a poem
today.

As I reveal it to you line by line, I
want you to try to guess the title.

Itll get easier as the poem goes
on.
Whats that fluttering in a breeze?
Its just a piece of cloth
that brings a nation to its knees.

Whats that unfurling from a pole?
Its just a piece of cloth
that makes the guts of men grow bold.

Whats that rising over a tent?
Its just a piece of cloth
that dares the coward to relent.

Whats that flying across a field?
Its just a piece of cloth
that will outlive the blood you bleed.

How can I possess such a cloth?
Just ask for * ****, my friend.
Then blind your conscience to the end.

Starting Point
Go back and fill in todays title: Flag by John
Agard.
In your exercise books, draw a large outline of a
flag. Write down on the flag everything that you
connect with it.
You could jot down words and themes.
Speak to your partner. What are the key
similarities and differences between what you
have all written?
One person from each table to feed back to the
group.
In a different colour, in the flag write down all
the things you think the poem suggests a flag
is. If you have similar ideas already, underline
those in the new colour.
Does this poem have a positive or negative
view of flags and the role they can play?
Consider the final line of the first stanza.
that brings a nation to its knees

The meaning here is ambiguous. Can
anyone remember what that means?


Keyword: ambiguous where there isnt a
definite meaning, but two or more possible
meanings.
Write the following line in your
books:
Its just a piece of cloth
that brings a nation to its knees.
What are the possible interpretations of this
line? Write a PEE paragraph in your books
exploring the ambiguity of this line.
P + Ev: The opening stanza of Flag is ambiguous
because
Ex: One way of interpreting the line is
However, it could also mean
What it means
The poem uses the flag as a symbol of
patriotism. Through a series of questions
and answers, it highlights the power of this
symbol, a symbol of national pride. The flag
can inspire loyalty and great bravery (the
imagery suggests this happens in wartime)
but in the poems final stanza, Agard throws
out a challenge: does patriotism lead us to
commit immoral acts?

Choose one of these
flags and explain what
it means to you.
Bill Hicks Burn the Flag
What is the point Bill Hicks is making about
flag-burning?
Do you agree or disagree with him?
(Note: there are some rude words in this clip.)
Plenary

Go back and fill in your LO: what do you think
the LEARNING objective of todays lesson was?
Try to avoid saying what we did and focus on
what we learnt.