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Year 11 - English

Understanding the poem 'Singh Song!' by Daljit Nagra

Love and relationships poetry continued

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupis read and analyse three poems from the 'Love and Relationships' 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 and analyse the modern and Victorian poems as groups.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to effectively summarise the poem 'Singh Song!'.

Key Notes

  • The speaker works in his fathers' shop and lives with his wife and parents above the shop.
  • The speaker often neglects his work in the shop and receives complaints from customers.
  • The wife is unconventional and has an acrimonious relationship with her husband's parents.
  • The speaker and wife have a very close, loving and intimate relationship.
  • Although the poem is not autobiographical it does echo some aspects of Nagra's own life.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • dramatic monologue: a poem written in the form of speech from an individual character.
  • pun: a humorous use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or that sounds like another word.
  • first-generation immigrant: a person who was born in a different country to the one they currently live in.
  • second-generation immigrant: a person who is born in a country to a parent/parents that were not born in that country.
  • 'Punglish': a colloquial term for language that is a mixture of Punjabi and English.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Singh's wife is presented exclusively as a sweet and gentle character.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The speaker works in his fathers' shop and lives with his wife and parents above the shop. The speaker often neglects his work in the shop and receives complaints from customers.

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

a poem written in the form of speech from an individual character.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Singh's wife is presented exclusively as a sweet and gentle character. Correction: Although Singh does speak softly of his wife, she also has a fierce streak. This is shown when her eyes are described as like 'guns' and through the description of her arguments with Singh's parents.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 11 English guide library.