Answers (Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking)

Below is a photo of the bird that inspired me to pen the poem, that I had included in the earlier post, and which I am reproducing below.

My Feathered Friend

I spied thee, my feathered friend,

Pecking furiously at thy perceived foe,

Thy hard beak pounding at thy reflected self;

It too had its head thrust to the mirrored pane

With its chocolate-hued wings spread from its dark body

And red-rimmed eyes staring, unblinking, unyielding;

Aye, thy foe, postured much like thyself, was ready for battle,

Returning peck for peck with like ferocity, like enmity.

Words, if used appropriately, have the power to create pictures in your mind. Words such as `saw', `hitting', `bent forward' and `standing' only convey a general idea. There is very little that one can draw from such words; there is a lack of symbolism, emotions and/or characteristics of the protagonist.

o   The word `spied' gives one the idea that the one being viewed is unaware of being watched.

o   `Pounding' displays a greater force being exerted than a mere `hitting'. Here, one may view the action as aggressive and hence, the bird could be seen as being angry or upset.

o   `Thrust' is a beautiful word that indicates a deliberate, intentioned, attempt to push the head forward. This action allows the reader to appreciate the fact that the bird is purposely looking closely at the window pane, observing closely something that has caught its attention. It gives the bird `life' and it becomes an entity that can think, that can feel.

o    `Postured' gives one an idea that the bird has a certain attitude, a certain bearing that indicates a specific emotion. In this case, based on context, we know that the posture is aggressive, that the bird is positioning itself in a way that shows it is ready to fight.

•  What is the feeling that the bird is experiencing? Why is it feeling that way?

The bird sees another bird in the `mirrored pane' and thinks it is a foe, and hence, it feels hatred, leading to its rage against the supposed foe. It is hostile toward the bird and hence, is ready to fight it

• Is the feeling justified?

No, it is not, since what it sees in the `mirrored pane' is a reflection of itself. There is no other bird there; it is actually seeing itself on the other side.

• Can the bird's reaction be extended to the human experience?

Yes, very often, we project our feelings of animosity toward non-existing entities. We create these entities in our mind, imagining a foe where there is none. We work ourselves up in a fury when there is no reason to be furious. These entities, if we look closely, are really very much like ourselves.

• What lesson may we, as humans, derive from the bird's reaction?

The reflection of the bird in the mirror need not be an image of a foe, but it could be a reflection of the negative feelings a person may have, stemming from prejudice, arrogance or a sense of insecurity. These feelings are meaningless and unproductive. We end up harming ourselves ultimately and all for nothing, since there is no real threat.

Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking (Updated)

Read through the following poem. 

What do you get from reading the poem? 

• What is it about? 
• Is there a message? 
• Can one extend the meaning to correlate it to human behaviour?
• What is the use of imagery found in the poem?
• What is the use of selected words in the poem?

My Feathered Friend

I spied thee, my feathered friend,

Pecking furiously at thy perceived foe,

Thy hard beak pounding at thy reflected self;

It too had its head thrust to the mirrored pane

With its chocolate-hued wings spread from its dark body

And red-rimmed eyes staring, unblinking, unyielding;

Aye, thy foe, postured much like thyself, was ready for battle,

Returning peck for peck with like ferocity, like enmity.

In the next post, suggested responses to the above questions will be forwarded. Do take the time to come up with your own responses for answers can differ from individual to individual and there need not be a `correct' answer.

If you would like us to take a look at your responses, do send them to us at admin1@thepeartree.info



Guiding Questions:

My `feathered friend', with references to being `feathered', and with a `beak' and `wings' would naturally be a bird. 

• Thus, based on the other descriptions of the bird, what would be the colours that you would expect to see on the different parts of the bird's body. (An outline is given below for you to colour in the various hues adorning the bird.)

• What are effects of using words such as: 

`spied' instead of `saw'; `pounding' instead of `hitting'; `thrust' instead of `bent forward'; `postured' instead of `standing'

•  What is the feeling that the bird is experiencing? Why is it feeling that way?
• Is the feeling justified?
• Can the bird's reaction be extended to the human experience? Would some people react in a similar fashion?
• What lesson may we, as humans, derive from the bird's reaction?

Literary Appreciation: Poetry and Multiple Interpretations

My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold

By William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!

The Child is father of the Man;

And I could wish my days to be

Round each to each by natural piety.

Suggested Interpretations:

• The poet hopes that the ability to appreciate the wonders of nature, which he had at his infancy and right up to adulthood, will continue to be a part of him even when he becomes elderly. He would rather die than have this sense of awe and wonder disappear as he ages. For to him, life becomes meaningless if he were to lose interest in the natural beauty around him.
• What does a Child have that he or she can teach a Man? A Child does not have a jaded view of life. He or she is filled with curiosity and fascination for the things he or she sees around him or her. Hence, these are qualities that the Child has are important in teaching an adult, who may have gradually lost this ability, to appreciate and be filled with wonder at all that surrounds him or her.
• One could go beyond a superficial interpretation and extend the meaning of the poem to include a person having an interest in what life has to offer. The person is still able to get excited instead of seeing life as being a routine of `yeah, been there, done that!'
• If a person gets excited, then he or she lives! Otherwise, he or she is just as good as a corpse, with no purpose left in prolonging one's existence.
• The Child comes before the Man. One has to be a child before he or she grows into adulthood. Hence, the Child has the basic DNA that is passed on to the Man and which, will aid him in defining his character and his response to life. If he forgets this `father' in him, then he is forgetting the root of his existence. What is this father? And here, as was mentioned earlier, lies the secret to existing: One has to continue to be imbued with the motivation and happiness that a child brings to his or existence.

Do take a second look at the highlighted verbs above. In the next post, we will be going over the tenses and subject-verb agreement.

Creativity in Writing: A Poet's Imagination

The Sick Rose

By William Blake

O Rose, thou art sick!

The invisible worm

That flies in the night,

In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy,

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

What Blake writes about can be a simple illustration of a rose being attacked by a worm and in the process, eating away into the life of the rose. On the other hand, the poem can be a subtle enactment of a rape that occurs in the stealth of the night. The offender is unknown, preying on the victim that he chances upon. The consequences are dire for the act deals a fatal blow to the life of the victim, either in killing the victim literally or ruining the victim's life forever.

A simple illustration that can have several underlying meanings - yes, there is much we can learn from the poets' economic use of words which are at the same time graphic and layered with multiple interpretations.

Read the following poem and consider the multiple interpretations found therein.

My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold

By William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!

The Child is father of the Man;

And I could wish my days to be

Round each to each by natural piety.

The Child is father of the Man. That verse sums up what Wordsworth is trying to get across his feelings at sighting the rainbow. What do you think the poem means? Are there multiple meanings? Our sample interpretations of the above poem will be offered at the end of this week. Do keep a look-out for the suggestions.

Personification - Continued

Listen to the audio in the video below and try to imagine the picture that the poet, William Wordsworth is attempting to paint. When you are visualising, try to feel the mood and/or descriptions that the poet is aiming to get across to the listener or reader.

For our take on what we feel are the imagery and mood created in the poem, do go to The Pear Tree website

Writing Creatively I: Use of Similes

Humans have this wonderful capacity to, not only create alphabets or symbols to articulate basic observations, feelings and thoughts but also, elicit reactions and emotions in readers through the creative use of the language. 

Similes

A simile is used when one would like to make a direct comparison between two dissimilar objects. In making the comparison, `like' or `as' is used to link the two objects and to indicate that a comparison is made.

Let's  use the following poem, Oh, my love is like a red, red rose, by Robert Burns as an example:

Oh, my love's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
My love is like the melody
That's sweetly played in tune.

In the above stanza of the poem, love is compared, first, to a red rose, and then, to a melody.

Love is an abstract emotion but the comparison to a rose and then, a melody allows the poet to convey the poet's ideas about love. What characteristics of a deep red rose and sweet melody come to your mind?

In my mind, when I think of a deep red rose, I see it as a beautiful object, pleasant to the sight. The deep red also makes me think of blood and the heart, which is often used as a symbol of love in English literature, is the lifeline through which blood is pumped to the body. Hence, the poet sees his love as a pleasurable emotion that is necessary and life-enriching, filling one with agreeable sensations.

Similarly, just as music that is in tune evokes an enjoyable listening experience, the poet claims his love which has all the `notes' in place is engaging or appealing.

Now, just take a look at the following poem by William Wordsworth and identify the similes. How do the similes help the poet to describe the objects and/or feelings that he sees or experiences as he views the scenery around him? Suggested answers will be provided mid-week.

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud 

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;

A poet could not be but gay,

In such a jocund company!

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Making sense through grammar

Grammar is a system and we make sense using a known system to discover the meanings in written and spoken words. This system may develop over time or it may be created but it is one that is acknowledged by those using that particular language.

So, as in any other language, evolved or created, English too has its system of grammatical rules, conventions of usage and mechanics.

Now,  we are going to see how simple grammatical rules, mechanics and English Language usage were ignored when e.e. cummings wrote his poem, anyone lived in a pretty how town. Let's consider the first stanza of the poem.

	Unusual Use of Grammar and Mechanics
1)   anyone lived in a pretty how town	No capitalisation at the beginning; odd insertion of `how' that is usually used when asking a question
2)   (with up so floating many bells down)	The parenthesis indicates that this is an explanation, not quite a part of the main sentence. So, what would the implications of that be? Notice that the syntax, the way in which parts of the sentence are constructed.
3)   spring summer autumn winter	There are no commas to separate the seasons and no linking words to indicate a link with the beginning of the main sentence (1).
4)   he sang his didn't he danced his did	Again, linking words are not used to connect (4) with (3) and there is no punctuation to separate the ideas. Use of the possessive pronoun `his' with no explicit mention of what or who belongs to the `he'.

How would Cummings' unusual use of grammatical rules and neglect of the common usage and mechanics of the language provide us with clues that will help us to make sense of the poem?

To get at the clues, we need to have a knowledge of the grammar, mechanics and usage as is commonly followed in the English Language.

Try to work out the solutions on your own before you check the possible answers when you go into: Making Sense through Knowing Grammar, Remember, language is subjective and there could be other possible responses.

Also remember to check out our available Online Courses for students in Upper Primary and Lower Secondary or Grades 5 to 8.

Be Creative: Part 1 (Poetry)

Creative Writing: Poetry

At The Pear Tree, we do not just teach essentials, we also teach interested students how to write creatively. The following video is just one example of how our students have, in a short space of a couple of days, learnt to compose a poem. They were 12 and 13 years of age and they had no prior experience at all in composing poems. Watch the video below:

In case you are wondering about the ability of the person who taught these children how to write poetry, watch the following video that contains an original poem of the teacher.

If you would like to learn how to write creatively, be it poetry or prose, contact us today at info@thepeartree.com.sg. In Singapore, we conduct workshops, for students in other countries, we will have online creative writing courses soon.