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Year 10 - English

Analysing ideas of prejudice and perception in Femi's 'Thirteen'

'World and Lives'

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupis explore 12 of the 15 poems from the 'World and Lives' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in a thematically linked order so they can complete comparative lessons at key points in the unit.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain how Femi uses star imagery, caesuras, and structural choices to express ideas of prejudice and perception in 'Thirteen'.

Key Notes

  • Femi uses "star" imagery throughout the poem to perhaps symbolise the boy's loss of hope and opportunities.
  • The use of the extended metaphor could perhaps suggest that people often perceive the boy as different from who he is.
  • The structural progression of the poem could represent the boy's journey.
  • The use of caesuras throughout could imply that Femi wants us to continually stop and consider the effects of prejudice.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • prejudice: an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc.
  • caesura: a pause or a break in a line of verse, often marked by punctuation
  • symbolise: to represent, express, or identify by a symbol
  • extended metaphor: a metaphor that unfolds across multiple lines or stanzas of a poem

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • That the order of words in a poem is random and unimportant.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Femi uses "star" imagery throughout the poem to perhaps symbolise the boy's loss of hope and opportunities. The use of the extended metaphor could perhaps suggest that people often perceive the boy as different from who he is.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'prejudice'

an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: That the order of words in a poem is random and unimportant. Correction: The order of words creates a journey and progression through the poem which can influence the overall message.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 10 English guide library.