Year 11 - English
Understanding ideas of identity and heritage in Robinson's 'A Portable Paradise'
World and lives poetry continued
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupis read and analyse three poems from the 'World and Lives' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. At the end of the unit, pupils analyse themes from the anthology, compare specific poems and craft a full analytical response.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how Robinson presents ideas of identity and heritage in 'A Portable Paradise'.
Key Notes
- Robinson moved to Trinidad aged four with his Trinidadian parents and then returned to England after fifteen years.
- Arguably, the title 'A Portable Paradise' can be read as an extended metaphor for the speaker's Trinidadian heritage.
- Robinson might be suggesting that our 'portable paradise' provides an internal hope when life is difficult.
- Robinson may also be referencing the struggles of migration through the poem and the pressure to integrate.
Vocabulary To Learn
- portable: light and small enough to be easily carried or moved
- heritage: the history, traditions, practices, etc. of a particular country, or society
- integration: the action or process of successfully joining or mixing with a different group of people
- metaphorical: something used symbolically to represent something else
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- That the idea of "paradise" is the same for everyone.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Robinson moved to Trinidad aged four with his Trinidadian parents and then returned to England after fifteen years. Arguably, the title 'A Portable Paradise' can be read as an extended metaphor for the speaker's Trinidadian heritage.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'portable'
light and small enough to be easily carried or moved.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: That the idea of "paradise" is the same for everyone. Correction: We all have our own concept of what "paradise" looks like and what it might mean in terms of our memories and connections to the world.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing extended responses to power and authority in Shelley and Femi's poetry Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of identity and heritage in Robinson's 'A Portable Paradise' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of nature and heritage in Nichols' 'Like an Heiress' Study Guide
- Analysing the ideas of connections in Antrobus' 'With Birds You're Never Lonely' Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of nature and identity in Robinson, Nichols, and Antrobus' poems Study Guide
- Making connections across the AQA Worlds and Lives anthology Study Guide
- Planning a response to ideas of belonging in the AQA Worlds and Lives anthology Study Guide
- Reviewing a response to ideas of belonging in the AQA Worlds and Lives anthology Study Guide
- Understanding connections in Antrobus' 'With Birds You're Never Lonely' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of inheritance and identity in Nichols' 'Like an Heiress' Study Guide
- Writing a response to ideas of belonging in the AQA Worlds and Lives anthology Study Guide
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