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Year 10 - English

Analysing ideas of uncertainty and intensity in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone'

Poetry anthology (Assessment from summer 2027)

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupis explore 11 of the 15 poems from the Eduqas poetry 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 and thematic lessons during the unit.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to analyse how Kay presents ideas of uncertainty and intensity in 'Dusting the Phone'.

Key Notes

  • Arguably, the use of sentence fragments and language such as "assault" create a sense of intensity in the poem.
  • We might interpret the personification of the phone as the speaker desperately seeking human contact.
  • Potentially, we might see the use of multiple metaphors as suggesting a sense of uncertainty.
  • Furthermore, the structure of the poem might also be seen as creating a sense of uncertainty.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • uncertainty: a situation in which something is not known or certain
  • intensity: the quality of being felt strongly
  • irrational: not using reason or clear thinking

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Using an irregular structure always creates a sense of freedom.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Arguably, the use of sentence fragments and language such as "assault" create a sense of intensity in the poem. We might interpret the personification of the phone as the speaker desperately seeking human contact.

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

a situation in which something is not known or certain.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Using an irregular structure always creates a sense of freedom. Correction: While it can create a sense of freedom, an irregular structure can also create ideas of unpredictability and uncertainty.

More Lessons In This Unit

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