Literature Component - POEM

 Teacher’s Notes

Section D of the 1119 English paper focuses on the literature component and carries 20 marks. The literature component is not as difficult as it seems. By now, students should be familiar with the four poems. Students need to know and understand all of them well. Do not focus on a few selected ones as it is difficult to pinpoint which poem will be tested.

Students are required to answer structured questions on one poem. They will be tested on their understanding of the poem and  they are also required to give their opinion to issues raised. One way to prepare them for the exam for poems is to paraphrase the poem, making sure they understand all the difficult words.

Student’s Tips

·    Read and understand all the poems

·    Pay close attention to the language used by the writer to convey his ideas and thoughts.

·    With the poems, make sure you understand the literal/denotative meaning  as well as the    

    figurative/connotative meaning. The former is the dictionary meaning, while the latter is  

    the inferred or implied meaning.

·   There is no harm in knowing some of the common literary devices (metaphors, similes,   personification, onomatopoeia) employed in the poems.

·    Remember, the answers to the first three questions on the poem  can  be found in the

    extract given. The fourth question is usually a personal response question and the      

    answer must be logical. This means you need to know the poem to tackle this  

    question. (This is where engaging with the texts is important). You must engage with   

    them on a personal level. If you are able to respond to the texts by bringing in your own  

    knowledge and experiences, you will be able to have a better understanding of them.

·  Do discuss the texts with your teacher and friends. Do not be upset if your interpretation is  different from someone else’s. Remember, no two people will have exactly the same  

 interpretations. What is important is that you should be able to prove your interpretations  

   with textual evidence