Section D

The One where Students Say “I don’t

remember the story”
 There are 4 poems to memorize
• The Living Photograph
• The Charge of Light Brigade
• A Poison Tree
• What Has Happened to Lulu?
The Living Photograph by Jackie Kay
 Stanza 1
•Lines Meaning
1. My small • The word ‘there’ refers
grandmother is tall to the old photograph.
there, • Grandmother wears a
white embroidered shirt, a
2. straight-back, white pleated skirt and flat
broderie anglaise shoes. Her hair is tied up
shirt, in a bun.
3. pleated skirt, flat • Grandmother’s eyes
shoes, grey bun, look kind.

4. a kind, old smile round

her eyes.
 Stanza 1
Lines Meaning
7. Her sharp blue eyes look • Grandmother has sharp
her own death in the blue eyes and they seem
eye. to look at death without
fear. This reveal that
grandmother is growing
old and death is
unavoidable.
 Stanza 1
Lines Meaning
5. Her big hand holds mine, • Grandmother is holding the
grandchild’s white hand in her
6. white hand in black black one. This tells us that
hand. the grandchild may be of
mixed parentage.
• White hand represents
the poet's youth, purity,
and innocence.
• Black hand represents that
the grandmother is
experienced. An old soul who
has been through a lot in life.
 Stanza 2
Lines Meaning
8. It was true after all • The look on grandmother’s
that look. face that she was
expecting death was true.
9. My tall • Grandmother became
grandmother shorter as her back
became small. grew bent with age.
10. Her back round and
hunched.
 Stanza 2
Lines Meaning
11. Her soup forgo to • The soup that did not
boil. boil reveals that the
grandmother became
forgetful and senile.
• Grandmother died. Death
12. She went to the awful is described as an ‘awful’,
place grandmothers ‘unknown’ and
go. ‘unthinkable’ place. This is
13. Somewhere clearly a child’s view
unknown, point.
unthinkable.
 Stanza 3
Lines Meaning
14. But there she is still, • The word ‘there’ refers
15. in the photo with me to the old photograph
at three, taken with the
grandmother when the
persona was three years
old.
14. the crinkled smile is
still living, • To the grandchild, the
breathing. grandmother looks alive
in the photograph.
• The memory of his/
her grandmother is
still fresh and new.
 Set 1
a. Which word in stanza 1 refers to the grandmother’s posture?
………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

b. In stanza 1, what does “white hand in black hand.” imply?

………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

c. In stanza 2, which line indicates that the grandmother’s condition was

getting worse?
………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

d. In your opinion, how can we treasure our loved ones? Suggest two ways.
i) ………….………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)
ii) …….…………………………………………………………………………… (1 mark)
 Set 2
a. In stanza 3, who are the people in the photograph?
………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

b. In stanza 1, why do you think the grandmother looks tall in the picture?
………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

c. In stanza 2, what emotion was expressed by the persona?

………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

d. Do you think it is important to keep pictures of people that we love?

Give two reasons for your answer.
Reason 1:…………………………………………………………………………… (1 mark)
Reason 2: ………………………………………………………………..…………. (1 mark)
The Charge of Light Brigade
 Set 1
a. What does the phrase ‘Rode the six hundred’ tell you about the soldiers’
mode of attack?
………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

b. In Stanza 1, where were the soldiers ordered to go to?

………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

c. In stanza 2, what does line 6 imply about the army’s policy?

………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

d. Would you obey misleading instructions given by your class monitor? Give
two reasons
for your answer.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………… (2 marks)
 Set 2
a. State the weapons of warfare mentioned in the poem.
………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

b. In stanza 2, which line tells you that a mistake was made?

………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

c. Why did the poet repeat the word ‘cannon’ in stanza 3?

………………………………………………………………………………………. (1 mark)

d. The soldiers from the Light Brigade show great sense of patriotism
during the war. Suggest two ways we can show patriotism to our country.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………… (2 marks)
A Poison Tree

By William Blake
 Stanza 1

I was angry with my friend:

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

• As the poem opens, the speaker describes how he

was angry with his friend. Bad times.
• Still, he told his friend he was angry ("I told my
wrath"), and presumably why he was angry, and
his anger disappeared. Happy days are here again!
 I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

• The speaker describes a different scenario, now.

He was once angry with his "foe" (a.k.a. his
enemy), but didn't tell him about it.
• Since the speaker did not talk about his anger ("I
told it not"), his anger got bigger and bigger ("my
wrath did grow"). 
 Stanza 2
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

• The speaker talks more about how his anger grows. He

treats this anger very much like a plant. A plant needs water
and sun in order to grow, and so apparently does his anger.
• He watered it with his "fears" and his "tears" and made sure
it got plenty of sunshine.
• Now, we know that the speaker didn't give his anger-plant
real sunshine. Instead, he gave it "smiles" and "deceitful
wiles." These are more like "fake" sunshine
• They help the plant to grow—like real sunshine would for a real
plant..
• A wile is a "crafty, cunning, or deceitful trick." "Deceitful wiles,"
then, are super-deceitful tricks (or really, really cunning traps).
The speaker suggests that he is a very deceptive person and that
he is planning something very sinister and mischievous.
Whatever it is, though, his anger seems to dig it, since those
deceitful schemes are like sunshine to it. 
• A growing plant is usually a good, positive thing, a symbol of life.
It seems ironic that a growing plant is being compared to a
growing anger. Is anger a good thing in the world of this poem?
 Stanza 3
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine,

• Because of the speaker's efforts, his plant

(anger) eventually bears ("bore") fruit: an
"apple bright." Yum!
• The enemy sees the fruit of the speaker's wrath,
and somehow he's able to recognize that it
belongs to the speaker
 Stanza 4
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

• The enemy has seen this anger-apple in the speaker's garden

• That doesn't stop the enemy from trying to steal it, though.
After he has seen the apple, the "foe" sneaks into the
speaker's garden at night. 
• The word "stole" is a past tense of the verb "steal," which in
this context means something like "sneak in secretly." This
word also suggests "steal" (like a thief steals). It seems that
the speaker is blaming his foe, or calling him a thief. 
• In the phrase "night had veiled the pole," pole
refers to the top of the earth, as in the "north
pole," but it can also mean the pole star, also
known as the North star, also known as Polaris.
It's an important star for navigation, since it's
bright and it stays pretty much fixed in the sky.
Tonight, though, the night has "veiled" it,
covered it up. This star, used in navigating folks
safely through danger, is not visible.
• Apparently, at some point in the super-dark night, the
enemy eats the apple, which ends up killing him or making
him fall asleep. It's not clear which, although the speaker is
glad to see him laid out in the garden. We're going to go
with death for the enemy here, since the speaker would
likely not be too happy if his enemy both ate his
apple and used his garden like a cheap hotel.
• Still, the word "glad" is a bit ambiguous here (it could have
more than one meaning). "Glad" could refer to the morning,
as in "the morning is glad," or it can refer to the speaker's
feelings when he sees his "foe" lying "beneath the tree."
 Set 1
1. Give another word for wrath.
………………………………………………………………………………….. (1 mark)

2. From the poem, what type of person do you think the foe is?
………………………………………………………………………………….. (1 mark)

3. In stanza 2, what does the phrase deceitful wiles mean?

………………………………………………………………………………….. (1 mark)

4. The persona was glad to see his foe outstretched beneath the tree. Do
you think this is a good attitude for teenagers? Give a reason to support
your answer.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………..... (2 marks)
 Set 2
In stanza 4, which word in the poem means star?
………………………………………………………………………………….. (1 mark)

2. In stanza 2, which phrase shows that the persona was crying?

………………………………………………………………………………….. (1 mark)

3. Why did the persona stop being angry at his friend?

………………………………………………………………………………….. (1 mark)

4. In your opinion, what might happen to someone who goes into his
or her friend’s house and steal something? Give a reason to
support your answer.
Answer : …………………………………………………………………….. (1 mark)
Reason : …………………………………………………………………….. (1 mark)
What Has Happened to Lulu?
In stanza 1, Lulu left behind an old rag-doll. The doll indicates the age
group of Lulu. What is her possible age group?
…………………………………………………………………………… (1 mark)

2. From the poem, what type of person do you think Lulu is?
…………………………………………………………………………… (1 mark)

3. In stanza 4, why does the mother tell the child that he or she was
dreaming?
…………………………………………………………………………… (1 mark)
4. In your opinion, what will happen to Lulu after she left home? Give a
reason to support your opinion.
Opinion : ……………………………………………………………… (1 mark)
Reason : ……………………………………………………………… (1 mark)
Who is I in the poem?
…………………………………………………………………………… (1 mark)

2. In stanza 3, which phrase shows that the mother is sad?

…………………………………………………………………………… (1 mark)

3. In your opinion, what would be written in the crumpled note

mentioned in Stanza 3?
…………………………………………………………………………… (1 mark)
4. If you were Lulu’s friend, what advice would you give her? Give
two advice that can prevent Lulu from running away.
Advice 1 : ……………………………………………………………… (1 mark)
Advice 2 : ……………………………………………………………… (1 mark)
2. CHARACTERS

Hannah Richard Knight

Joyce Kilmer

CHARACTERS
Mrs. Hansen Richard’s
brother
Gus Knight

Richard’s father Richard’s sister

Pa Angie

33
3. CHARACTERISTICS BRAVE
He signed a sympathy card for Hannah although
his classmates did not like to do so.

RESPONSIBLE
He always helped his Pa doing farm work. He also helped
his sister at home doing the chores.

SOFT HEARTED
Richard
Knight Richard went hunting with his father and his brother, Gus.
He purposely missed shooting the buck. He disliked
killing animals.
DETERMINED
He loved to write poems. His friends teased him as being a
sissy but he did not care. He still continued writing until his
poem was published in the Turtle Lake Weekly.

34
 MATURED
She declined the part of Lady Liberty although she won
the essay writing competition.

SENSITIVE
Hannah She cried in the hallway when someone wrote
Schermer “Dirty Huns” all over her book cover.
BEAUTIFUL
She was pretty with blue eyes and blonde hair.

35
4. PLOT 2
Important Events Richard wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. He
1 took Mr Kilmer’s address from the poetry
book that he borrowed from Mrs. Hansen.
Richard went hunting with his father and
his brother, Gus. He purposely missed
shooting the buck. He disliked killing
animals. 3
Richard signed the card for Hannah
4 Schermer although his classmates refused
to do so.
Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. He
told the news to his family during dinner.
Everyone was not excited about it.
6
Richard received the news that Mr. Kilmer
was killed in the war.
5
Richard was chosen to be Doughboy but he
turned it down. He wanted to show his 7
support to Hannah Schermer.
Richard wrote a poem as a tribute for the
late Mr. Kilmer. He sent to The Turtle Lake
8 Weekly after Hannah encouraged him.

Richard’s father read his poem in

TheTurtle Lake Weekly. Pa started telling 9
Richard about his brother, Roland who
died in the war. Richard’s poems became a regular
feature in the Turtle Lake Weekly.

36
 Questions
• Write about an important decision made by
one of the characters in the novel. With close
reference to the text, explain how it affects
the character.
 Sample Answer
In Dear Mr Kilmer written by Anne Schraff, Richard Knight made an important
decision in his life. He wrote a memorial poem for Mr.Kilmer after his death. The
poem was published in the Turtle Lake Weekly.
It has brought a change in his life . It was after Pa read Richard’s poem. The
line “a precious little world has died” had an emotional impact for Pa. He started
to open up to Richard and talk to him about his brother, Roland. Pa felt the same
way like Richard when Roland died in a war many years ago. Before this, Pa
showed no interest in Richard’s poetry and took it as a passing phase. Richard’s
decision made Pa finally understood the reason why he wrote poems. He
began to appreciate Richard’s poems and their relationship started to
become closer.
Pa even gave suggestions or corrections to Richard after reading his poems.
In short, Richard’s decision affected his father greatly and led them to a close
parent-child relationship.
 Sample questions
1. Based on the novel you have learnt, suggest a
character who shows determination in achieving
success his/her life.

2. With close reference to the text, write about a character

who needs to struggle to achieve his/her dream.

3. With reference to the novel that you have studied, write

about a good family relationship that is shown in the
novel.

4. Write about an event where courage is shown by the

main character in the novel. Explain.
Introduction
•Start with this sentence:
•Based on the novel Dear Mr. Kilmer...

•Points

Points •Evidence to support the points

•Two to three evidence (Better)

Conclusion
•Start with this sentence:
•From the novel, I learned that...[Moral values]