Sad I Ams

I am
the ring
from an empty Cola can
the scrapings
from an unwashed porridge pan
the severed arm
of last years Action man.

I am
the envelope
on which the gum is gone
the Sellotape
where you cant find the end
the toothless stapler, springless bulldog clip
the dried up liquid paper
that mars instead of mends
the stamped addressed reply
that you forgot
to send.

I am
the battery in which no charge is left
the starter motor which remains inert
the tyre on which the tread is worn
the sparking plug which shows no sign of spark
the carburettor chocked by bits of dirt
the chromium trim from which the shine has gone.

I am
a garden
overgrown with weeds
a library book
that no one ever reads
a stray
which no one thinks to feed
the piece of good advice
which no one seems to need.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM

1. The poem consists of four stanzas.
2. Each stanza consists different number of lines.
3. There is no clear rhyme scheme in the poem.
4. Stanza 1 and 4 do not rhyme while stanza 2 and 3 have some rhyme scheme.
5. The poem is about neglecting or discarding things which are of no use to us anymore.
6. The persona compares himself/herself to numerous things that are no longer needed.
7. The title Sads I Ams implies a gloomy tone to the poem.

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SUMMARY OF EACH STANZA:

In the first stanza, the poet is describes himself as the things that are usually thrown
away
because they have become useless to the owner

the ring of the can is usually thrown away after we open the can

the scrapings should be cleaned when the pans are put to wash nobody wants to keep
the dirt on the pan

And finally -when the toys arm is broken- the action figure toy becomes distorted-
next year a new action figure would become more popular.

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In the second stanza, the poet is now describing used things that cannot be used any
longer.

the envelope where the gum doesnt stick- perhaps it is an old envelope;

Sellotape that is old or not marked where the end is impossible to find;

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 stapler that has no place to attach the bullets- thus, it has become not functional;

spring -less bulldog clip: one without spring would not be able to function;

liquid paper that is dry;

and an envelope that he had already put the stamp on but had forgotten to post.

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The third stanza also describes things that have become useless to the owner.

Battery that needs to be charged- it shows that the car cannot be driven;

starter motor which does not work

tyre has no threads anymore - it becomes dangerous to drive with such tyres as they
have no grip

Spark plug that does not work-the engine of the car would not start if the plugs do not
function;

carburettor that needs to be serviced before it can be used

and chromium plating which is not shining!

In the final or fourth stanza, the poet describes things that are not paid attention to such
as:

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the garden that is not taken care of which is full of weeds-
which implies that no one has cleaned the garden;

a library book which is probably outdated that no one wants

to borrow it; an animal such as a stray dog that no one takes care of and finally good

advice that no one heeds.

SETTING
No specific time and place is mentioned.

PERSONA
The gender is not mentioned, It can be assumed that the persona is an elderly person as he
feels neglected and likens himself/ herself to various objects which has no use to anyone
anymore.

TONE AND MOOD

It is gloomy and depressing. The persona manages to evoke a feeling of sympathy in the
reader for the persona as well as the discarded things.

THEMES
1. Rejection

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2. Being neglected
3. Being forgotten
4. Feeling of uselessness

MORAL VALUES
1. Appreciating others
2. Recyling

METAPHOR
All the unwanted things the persona liken himself/herself to.

IMAGERY
All the unwanted items describe the unwanted things vividly

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News Break

Now why so loving, darling,

And why the sudden kiss?
Youd help me with some little jobs?
For goodness sake, whats this?

Your face is clean for once, dear,

Your clothes without a crease.
You saved your luncheon money?
Will wonders never cease?

No dropping of your school books,

No shrieking, childish treble.
Today you are a lamb, love,
Where yesterday a rebel.

But surely youre some stranger,

No rage or hullabaloo.
Come closer, let me look, dear,
Can this be REALLY you?

Now were you struck by lightning

Or were you stunned at sport?
Ah now I see the reason.
Youve brought your school report!
Max Fatchen

SUMMARY OF THE POEM

1. The poem has six stanzas.
2. Each stanza consists of 4 lines.
3. It has a specific rhyme abcb.
4. The rhyming words make the poem sound musical.
5. It is about a child whose behaviour changes ant the puzzled parent learnt about the reason
at the end of the poem.

SUMMARY OF EACH STANZA

In the first stanza, the parent is wondering why his childs behaviour is suddenly so
loving.The child even gives a kiss to the parent and the parent is bewildered that the child
offers help. The parent desperately wants to know the reason for the sudden change.

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In the second stanza, the parent is surprised to see the childs face neat and tidy. The
childs clothes are also neat as if it has been ironed and has no crumples.

The parent is also shocked to know that the child did not spend his money for lunch that day
as he usually does.

The parent is astonished with all the surprises that he is getting and thinks when it would all
end.

In stanza 3, the parent is surprised that his child did not drop his school books as he

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returns home.

The child does not scream or show an outburst of anger. The parent praises the child for his
good behaviour that day as the child acts like a gentle lamb when just the previous day, the
child was going against his parent.

In stanza 4, the parent feels as if the child is a stranger to him like a new person.

The child does not show any anger or any emotional disturbance. Therefore, the parent asks
the child to come closer so that he can see his child better as he wonders if that is really his
child.

That brings us to the last stanza, stanza five, where he also wonders whether his child had
been struck by lightning or injured during sports that has made him temporarily unable to
react. Finally, he understands the real reason for the change as he noticed that the child has
brought his school progress report.

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Point Of View

The first person point of view is used

Setting
No specific time frame is mentioned.
The setting is in a house.

Persona
A parents who is puzzled to see the chil's sudden changes of behaviours.

Tone and mood

It is light-hearted and humorous. The reader is fuul of curiousity at the beginning but laugh
when they read the last sentence.

Theme
1. Honesty is the best policy
2. Disobedience
3. Ulterior motive

Moral Value
1.Honesty
2. Behave well
3. Courage to face unpleasant consequences

Metaphors

The poet uses metaphor to describe the behaviour of the child. Today youre a lamb which
shows innocence and obedience when the child is compared to a lamb; and Where yesterday
a rebel which shows disobedience and defiance when the child is said to be a rebel (lines 11
and 12)

Structure, Style and Language

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The poem consists of 5 stanzas with four lines and the rhyme scheme is a, b, c, b. The style
is simple and direct. The language and choice of words used is easy to understand as we can
relate it to what a child does.

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My Hero by Willis Hall

My dad's as brave as a dad can be,

I rate him Number One,

He's not afraid of the dead of night,

Or anything under the sun.

He's not afraid of a late-night film,

Full of horrors on the telly,

And is he afraid of skeletons?

Not dad, not on your Nelly!

He's not afraid of meeting ghosts,

He'd even smile and greet 'em,

And things that scare most dads the most,

My dad could just defeat 'em.

He's not afraid of vampires,

Or a wolf-man come to get him,

If Frankenstein's monster knocked on our door,

He wouldn't let that upset him.

My dad's as brave as a dad can be,

And he's always ready to prove it.

So why, when a spider's in the bath,

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Does Mum have to come and remove it?

Pharaphrase of the poem.

Stanza 1.

The persona is very proud of his father who he feels is as brave as any other father or even
braver.In his eyes,his father is Number One as his father is fearless and not afraid of the dead
of night and anything under the sun.

Stanza 2.

The persona says his father is not afraid to watch horror movies late in the night.Horror
scenes of skeletons do not scare him or put him off watching them.

Stanza 3.

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The persona is positive his father is not afraid of ghosts and would even smile and
acknowledge them.His father dares to fight against things that most other dads are afraid of.

Stanza 4.

The persona's father will not be intimidated by horror,figures like vampires ,wolf-man or
Frankenstein's monster even if they appear at the door.

Stanza 5.

The persona says his father is as brave as a father can be an he's always keen to show it.But
when his father sees a spider,he will not touch it and mother has to come to his aid.This is

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something the persona cannot understand about his brave father.Is he really afraid of mere
spider?

Synopsis.

The persona feels his father is very brave and is not afraid of any time of the day and
anything in the world.He rates his father who watches horror movies late at night is not put
off by any horror scenes or fearful skeletons.If any ghost appears in front of his father,he will
either greet them or fight them off.Horror figures,big or small,ugly or scary looking do not
give him the creeps even if they appear at his door.However,the persona's father or his hero
has a weakness-He has a fear of spider.

Themes.

1)Respecting and looking up to someone.

2)Living up to people's expectation.
3)Believe in no one's skills and strengths.
4)Everyone has flaws or weakness.
5)Accepting people for what they are.

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6)Parent-child relationship.
7)Hero worship.

Moral Values.

A)Recognise and acknowledge our weakness.

B)Not be afraid to acknowledge our weakness.
C)Value family relationship.
D)Must set good examples.
E)Try to live up to young children's expectation.
F)Able to separate the reality from make-believe.
G)Willing to help those in trouble.

Language and Style

1. The language used by the poet is light, simpl and easy to understand.
2. It is attributive as the poet the persona talks about his parents.
3. Use of few negative sentences
4. He's not afraid of the dead of night,
He's not afraid of meeting ghosts,
He wouldn't let that upset him.
5. There are four lines per stanza.

Tone, Mood and Atmosphere

1. Direct and matter-of-fact
2. Innocence and purehearted
3. Serious
4. Pride
5. Rhyme and Rhythm
Stanza 1 - a, b, c, b
Stanza 2 - a, b, c, b
Stanza 3 - a, b, a, b
Stanza 4 - a, b, c, b
Stanza 5 - a, b, c, b

LiteraryDevices

1.Symbol
'Deadofnight'symbolizedarknessandanythingandeverythingnotfearedbythepersona's
father
'anythingunderthesun'anythingthatcanbeseenduringtheday
2.Imagery
'alatenightfilm,Fullofhorrors'signifiesaterrifyinghorrormovie
'vampires,orawolfman'givesaclearimageofhorrorfigures
'IratehimNumberOne'showsthepersona'sprideandheroworshiptowardshisfather
3.Repetition
'Mydad'sasbraveasadadcanbe,'toemphasizethepersona'sbeliefthathisfatherisa
braveman.
'He'snotafraidof..'repeatedinfourstanzastoemphasisethepersona'sfatherisbrave.
4.Assonance

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'monsterknockedonourdoor'
'He'devensmileandgreetthem'
5.Methaphor
Thepersonacompareshisfathertoasuperherowhowilltakeonghostlyorhorrorfigures.He
isahumanwhohassupernaturalcourage.
6.Alliteration
Andthingsthatscaremostdadsthemost
7.RhetoricalQuestions
'Andisheafraidofskeletons?'
'DoesMumhavetocomeandremoveit?'
8.Irony
Theironyisthatthefatherdoesnotseemtobeafraidofhorrormoviesandghoulishfigures
like'vampires'andevenFrankenstein'smonsterbutheisafraidofalittlespider.

Practices with Suggested Answer (SA)

1.How do you think the persona probably looks when he talks of his father?Choose two word
from the list given-sullen,bored,,serious,proud.
SA: Proud and serious.

2.Why does the persona use the phrase 'dead of night' to refer to the father being considered
brave?
SA: Because the father not afraid of the darkness.

3.How would a person who does not enjoy late-night horror movies react to horror scenes?
SA: Not afraid to watch horror movies.

4.Describe the father's reaction to show that he enjoys horror scenes shown over the
television.
SA: The persona's father is not afraid to watch horror movies.The scenes of skeletons do not
scare him or put him off watching them.

5.Name the object mentioned by the persona that most people are afraid of.
SA: The object mentioned by the persona that most people are afraid of is ghost.

6.What does the persona say his father will do?

SA: The persona says his father is not afraid of ghosts and would even smile and
acknowledge him.

7.What does the persona says his father will do if he sees something which other fathers are
scare of?
SA: The persona's father would even smile and acknowledge if he sees seomething are scare
of.

8.If the persona's father is not afraid of gholish figures,what will he do if one of those appears
at his door?
SA: The persona's father will not be intimidated if one of the appears at his door.

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9.Why do you think the persona's father is always ready to prove to his son that he is brave?
SA: Brave as father can be and always keen to show it.

10.How does the persona feels about his father and his fear to spider?
SA: He is confused.

11. In Stanza 1,which expression shows the persona's pride in his father?
SA: I'll rate him Number 1.

12. What does the persona's father enjoy doing at night?

SA: The persona's father enjoy watching horror movies at night on the television.

13.What literary device is used for the line 'And is he afraid of skeletons'?
SA: Rhetorical question.

14. The persona compares his father with other fathers.What is the comparison?How does the
persona feel about it?
SA: Comparison: The persona's father is not scared of the things that scare most dads.
The persona is proud of his father.

15. How does the persona show confidence in his father in the event his father sees a ghost?
SA: The persona's father is not scared and would smile and greet to the ghost.

16. Explain the character trait portrayed bye the persona's father.
SA: Not scared of ghost.

17. List the ghoulish figures as mentioned by the persona.

SA: Vampire,Wolf-man and Frankenstein monster.

18. What moral value have you learned from the poem?Would you recommend the poem to a
friend?Give a reason for this.
SA: Yes.Because we could get some good examples for our lives.

19. What does the expression 'dead of night' normally imply?Why do you think the persona
uses this expression.
SA: The dead of night shows the spirit of the father towards the darkness and his braveness.

20. What does the word 'skeletons' bring to mind?Why does the persona mention this?
SA: The skeletons is a scary figures who only has bones and no flesh.Because the skeletons
has a scared-looking.

21. According to the persona,what would his father do if he meets someone or something that
challenges his pride or abilities.
SA: The persona's father is doing his best to challenged it to uphold his reputation and pride.

22. Parents should set good examples for their children.Do you agree with this?Do you think

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the persona's father sets good examples of behaviour for the persona?If so,how does he do
this?Give one examples.
SA: Parents are the leader in the family.He make everything for the happiness.

23. In Stanza 5,what does the line 'And he's always ready to prove it' imply about the parent-
child relationship?
SA: Father knows now highly the child think of him so he will do anything to leave up to that
standard.

24.What are the 'things' that the persona feels 'Scare most dads the most' but not his dad?
SA: The 'thing' is ghost.

25: What does 'hero worship' means?How is this portrayed in the poem?
SA; The person you admire for the braveness of the father.

26: The persona's father or hero has a weakness.What is the weakness?How and why do you
think the persona feels?Why should he feel this way?
SA: i)Weakness:Scared of spiders.
ii)Feeling:Weird because his father is not afraid of ghosts figures but scared of spiders.

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What is Red?

Red is a sunset
Blazing and bright.
Red is feeling brave
With all your might.
Red is a sunburn
A spot on your nose.
Sometimes red, is a red red rose.
Red squiggles out when you cut your hand.
Red is a brick
And the sounds of a band.
Red is hotness
You get inside
When youre embarrassed
And want to hide.
Fire-cracker, fire-engine
Fire-flicker red
And when youre angry
Red runs through your head.

Red is an Indian
A Valentine heart,
The trimmings on
A circus cart.
Red is a lipstick
Red is a shout
Red is a signal
That says, Watch out!
Red is a great big
Rubber ball.
Red is the giant-est
Colour of all.
Red is a show-off,
No doubt about it
But can you imagine
Living without it?

RED

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The main theme of the poem "What is Red" by Mary O'Neill is how one colour can
PROVOKE feelings and responses. Some of these responses are cultural ("red is a fire
engine"; "red is a rubber ball") and some are real life experience ("red squiggles out when
you cut your hand").
She seems to paint the idea of the color red in every line of her poem. The sentences are
short and specific. "Red is a lipstick. Red is a shout. Red is a signal that says 'WATCH
OUT'."She repeats the specific word "red" to make impression on the colour in our grey
matter. "Red" are also unpleasant colour which potrayed embarrassment, anger and a
sunburn. The negative effects of the colour such as a show-off is mentioned and she has no
doubt about it. But can we live without red colour?"

THEMES:

1.Courage
2. Red is the warmest of all colours.
3. Positive versus Negative
4. Prosperity
5. Life and vitality

MORAL VALUES:
1. Bravery/Courage
2. Determination
3. Love
4. Positive attitude
5. Confidence

MORAL LESSONS:

1. We should have a positive attitude in our daily life

2. Have self confidence in doing everything and anything
3. Be brave/courageous in facing the challenges in life
4. We must try to control our anger or temper
5. We should not be hateful towards others
6. We must try to change our bad behaviour

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