The following poems, Stealing and Theme for English B are examples of monologue poems, poems that have

a specific character addressing another person. This kind of poem may or may not use rhyme. Stealing
by Carol Ann Duffy

The most unusual thing I ever stole? A snowman. Midnight. He looked magnifi ent! a tall" white mute beneath the winter moon. I wanted him" a mate with a mind as old as the sli e of i e within my own brain. I started with the head. #etter off dead than giving in" not taking what you want. He weighed a ton! his torso" fro$en stiff" hugged to my hest" a fier e hill %ier ing my gut. &art of the thrill was knowing that hildren would ry in the morning. 'ife(s tough. Sometimes I steal things I don(t need. I )oy*ride ars to nowhere" break into houses )ust to have a look. I(m a mu ky ghost" leave a mess" maybe %in h a amera. I wat h my gloved hand twisting the doorknob. A stranger(s bedroom. Mirrors. I sigh like this * Aah. It took some time. +eassembled in the yard" he didn(t look the same. I took a run and booted him. Again. Again. My breath ri%%ed out in rags. It seems daft now. Then I was standing alone among lum%s of snow" si k of the world. #oredom. Mostly I(m so bored I ould eat myself. ,ne time" I stole a guitar and thought I might learn to %lay. I ni ked a bust of Shakes%eare on e" flogged it" but the snowman was the strangest. -ou don(t understand a word I(m saying" do you? ow do you react to this speaker! "hat kind of person is he! #$ assume a he, do you!% "hat evidence is in the poem that helps you to descri&e his character! '(TE) *uffy wrote this poem &ased on a real event) her children+s snowman was stolen from her yard in England,

TH.M. /,+ .01'ISH #

#y 'angston Hughes 234536

The instru tor said" 1o home and write a %age tonight. And let that %age ome out of you*** Then" it will be true. I wonder if it(s that sim%le? I am twenty*two" olored" born in 7inston*Salem. I went to s hool there" then Durham" then here to this ollege on the hill above Harlem. I am the only olored student in my lass. The ste%s from the hill lead down into Harlem through a %ark" then I ross St. 0i holas" .ighth Avenue" Seventh" and I ome to the -" the Harlem #ran h -" where I take the elevator u% to my room" sit down" and write this %age8 It(s not easy to know what is true for you or me at twenty*two" my age. #ut I guess I(m what I feel and see and hear" Harlem" I hear you8 hear you" hear me***we two***you" me" talk on this %age. 2I hear 0ew -ork too.6 Me***who? 7ell" I like to eat" slee%" drink" and be in love. I like to work" read" learn" and understand life. I like a %i%e for a Christmas %resent" or re ords***#essie" bo%" or #a h. I guess being olored doesn(t make me 0,T like the same things other folks like who are other ra es. So will my %age be olored that I write? #eing me" it will not be white. #ut it will be a %art of you" instru tor. -ou are white*** yet a %art of me" as I am a %art of you. That(s Ameri an. Sometimes %erha%s you don(t want to be a %art of me. 0or do I often want to be a %art of you. #ut we are" that(s true9 As I learn from you" I guess you learn from me*** although you(re older***and white*** and somewhat more free. This is my %age for .nglish #. This poem is a &it more political. "hat do you know a&out relations &etween &lacks and whites in -merica! ow does this help you to understand the poem!

7riting a monologue This worksho% develo%ed from my tea hing of :Carol Ann; Duffy(s %oetry both at 1CS. and A level. &oetry taught for e<aminations an be killed by disse tion and annotation. I wanted students to e<%erien e using language in ways whi h the %oet does. In turn this would inform their own res%onses to her work. The worksho% a tivity omes at the end of a %eriod of %aired dis ussion and sharing of ideas about Duffy(s hara ters" the language she reates for them and the way she uses the language in the situations she %uts them in. 2Su h %oems ould in lude (Stealing(" (Havisham(" (/raud(" ('ike .arning a 'iving( and (The #iogra%her(.6 a6 .a h student sele ts a se%arate ard with an o u%ation or very brief hara ter des ri%tion written on it. 2.<am%les I have used in lude8 bookie! undertaker! former hild star! referee! game show host! )ilted lover! %oliti ian! gossi% olumnist and hairdresser.6 Make sure ea h hara ter has his=her own distin t vo abulary" work%la e and=or history whi h the student an draw on. .very ard should be different. 1ive the students %lenty of hoi e. Make sure you hoose a ard too and take %art in the drafting. The details on the ard an be ke%t se ret or shared with others in the grou% * de%ending on how you want to handle the writing stages. b6 Students should >ui kly om%ile list of words" %hrases" a tions" items of e>ui%ment or %ro esses" images" and %la es whi h ould be onne ted with the hara ter. .n ourage writers not to re)e t any ideas at this stage. ,n e initial ideas are written down students an make suggestions for ea h others( lists. 6 Ask students to think about why the hara ter might be s%eaking in a %oem. 7hat is the %resent situation for that %erson? 7hat ould have ha%%ened %reviously? .<%lore %ossibilities together. /or e<am%le has the referee )ust shown someone the red ard? Has the %oliti ian been involved in a s andal? .n ourage them to )ot ideas down and then to underline those with the most %otential. d6 A %eriod of intensive drafting. Students should begin to edit their lists of words and ideas from 2b6 and 2 6. .n ourage them to grou% words" link ideas together and say words aloud to test out different ombinations. As they develo% their drafts they should begin to fo us on a stru ture and think about Duffy(s senten e and line stru tures" her use of very short senten es et . e6 After twenty minutes drafting en ourage sharing of work in %rogress with a %artner. &ass the drafts on several times if they are omfortable with this. Make sure drafts are read aloud. Ask students to fo us on8 what they like about the drafts! %oints of om%arison with Duffy(s writing! two suggestions for the draft! two >uestions. f6 /urther drafting" %olishing and 2eventually6 %erforman e.