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This is Poetry Ordinary Level 2020 Videos
Hummingbird
Watch the video carefully. Identify two ways in which its representation of this distant time is similar to Lawrence’s and two ways in which it is different.
The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room
How would you describe the atmosphere of the crowd? What are they talking or complaining about? Do you imagine that they will take action to get what they want? What form do you imagine this action taking?
She dwelt among the untrodden ways
Video 3 features a performance of this poem by the Divine Comedy. Before you watch the video, try to anticipate the musical choices the band might have made in setting the poem to music. Do you imagine the music will be upbeat or slow, cheerful or melancholic? Which instruments do you think will be deployed?
It is a beauteous evening
What thoughts or feelings did the video inspire? Did you feel awe and wonder? Did you experience a sense of peace and calm? Or did you find the scenes uninspiring and dull? Give reasons for your answers.
Skating
Describe the sounds that the skates produce on the ice. Is a pleasant or unpleasant sound? Give a reason for your answer. Describe the appearance of the sun’s light on the ice as the skater moves across the surface of the frozen lake? How doers the light seem to behave when the skater is in motion?
Funeral Blues
What are the ‘Blues’? Watch the video below and write a paragraph describing your impression of this musical form. Identify three emotions that this music evokes or expresses.
Death and the Post Office
Watch the video below. Why are rural post offices being closed? How do those who working in the post offices feel about these closures? What opinions are expressed by those who avail of the services of the rural post offices?
If Love was Jazz
Watch Video 8, which features a band playing improvisational jazz. Then answer the following questions:
Do you enjoy this music? Why or why not?
Does this music strike you as a good soundtrack for a love story? Explain your answer.
Daffodils
Watch Video 9, which contains a scene from the movie Dead Poets Society. Carpe diem, or ‘seize the day’, is a wonderful motto by which to live. Would you agree that the poet, in describing the brevity of our lives, is essentially urging us to seize the day? Give reasons for your answer.
The Cadillac in the Attic
Watch Video 10. Which find struck you as most remarkable and unexpected? Give a reason for your answer.
Bull Walrus
Watch Video 11. What impression of walruses do you get from the video? Are these creatures graceful or uncouth, beautiful or ugly?
Cealtrach
Watch Video 12. Were you aware that such places existed in Ireland? Write a paragraph describing your emotional response to learning about these desolate locations and the customs and attitudes they involved.
My Father, Long Dead
Watch Video 13. How would you describe the bird’s behaviour in this video? Do you think that this would be an easy bird to see or spot in the Irish countryside? Give a reason for your answer.
The Sun
This video shows Benjamin Zephaniah reading another of his poems, ‘Money’, on a busy street in Newcastle. After watching the video carefully, answer the following questions:
• Based on this poem, what do you think the poet considers to be important in life? Give a reason for your answer.
• Do you think it was an effective decision to have the poet walk towards the camera? What effect does this have on the experience of watching the video and listening to the poem? Explain your answer.
• Describe the poet’s performance. Do you enjoy this style of delivering poetry? Give a reason for your answer.