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This Is Poetry (OL 2019) videos: Alternative course

W.H. Auden: Funeral Blues
Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Kubla Khan
Martin Dyar: Death and the Post Office
Randolph Healy: Frogs
Robert Herrick: To Daffodils
Rachel Loden: Memo From the Benefits Department
Benjamin Zephaniah: The Sun


W.H. Auden: 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.



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Samuel Taylor Coleridge: KUBLA KHAN

This video depicts actor Benedict Cumberbatch reading the poem. What kind of atmosphere does this reading create? Does it suggest that ‘Kubla Khan’ will be a serious poem or a light-hearted one, or does it suggest a different atmosphere entirely?



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Martin Dyar: 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?



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Randolph Healy: FROGS

This video depicts the life-cycle of frogs. Did you learn anything new? Which aspect of the frog’s life-cycle struck you as most interesting or noteworthy? How would you characterise your reaction to the frogs presented in the film? Did you find them pleasant or unpleasant, attractive or disgusting?



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Robert Herrick: TO DAFFODILS

This video 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.



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Rachel Loden: MEMO FROM THE BENEFITS DEPARTMENT

Watch the video below. Pick three adjectives that best describe the atmosphere of the workplace depicted in the clip. Would this be a suitable setting for the department that features in Loden’s poem? Give reasons for your answer.



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Benjamin Zephaniah: 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.



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