ygUDuh ydoan yunnuhstan ydoan o yunnuhstand dem yguduh ged yunnuhstan dem doidee yguduh ged riduh ydoan

o nudn LISN bud LISN dem gud am lidl yelluh bas tuds weer goin duhSIVILEYEzum
(e.e. cummings)

ygUDuh by e.e. cummings. NCEA 3.1

FIRST UP The voice in a poem is like the narrator in a story. 1 Who is the voice in this poem (what does he do)? 2 How do you know? (Give evidence to support your assertion) PHONETIC LANGUAGE Phonetic language is written the way that it is spoken. 3 Re-write the poem in normal English 4 Where is the voice from? 5 How does the phonetic language help us to know where he is from? 6 What judgement can we make about his intelligence? 7 How does the phonetic language help us form this judgement? 8 What is the effect of using phonetic language?

PUNCTUATION e.e. cummings differs from most poets in his use of punctuation. One lesson we are taught in Year 4 is that capital letters are used for names, to start sentences and for the word I. cummings poetry varies from this (not just this poem, but many of his poems). For cummings, capital letters and punctuation marks are always used for a deliberate purpose. (Note: cummings chose to not capitalise his own name. When writing about him, we use lower-case e.e. and c.) 9 10 11 How does this use of capital letters affect the way that we read the poem? Again, what judgement does this help the reader make about the voice in the poem. How do capital letters help us to form this judgement?

IRONY When writing is IRONIC, words suggest the opposite of their meaning. Irony and sarcasm are very close in meaning. E.g. if it is raining hard outside, and someone says it is a great day for cricket, this would be ironic. 12 13 14 What opinion does the voice hold about Asian people? Provide a quote to back up what you say. What are the voices opinions on patriotism (love of your country)? Provide a quote to back up what you say. This poem is IRONIC i.e. the opinions of the voice in the story are the opposite to the poets views. How do phonetic language and capital letters help the reader to read this poem ironically? (Hint: think back to the judgements weve made about the voice). What is the link between language features and meaning in poetry?

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PARAGRAPH 16 Write a paragraph on this poem 20 lines. What is the central idea in the poem and how is this idea conveyed? (This should be a summary of the stuff youve done to this point).