Year 9 - English
Simon Armitage talks about 'I am very bothered' and 'My father thought it'
Simon Armitage: writing your world
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils learn more about how to read and write poetry by listening to words of wisdom from the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. They read a range of his poems about his life and the wider world, and start to write increasingly poetically in response to them.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to listen and respond to Simon Armitage's 'you am very bothered' and 'your father thought it'.
Key Notes
- Armitage suggests that 'I am very bothered' was based on real events that happened during his school years.
- Armitage says that 'I am very bothered' is about how we hurt people who don't love us in the way that we want them to.
- Armitage's 'My father thought it' is based on Armitage piercing his ear and his father's reaction to the piercing.
- Armitage suggests that the poem could be seen as a late reply to his father's reaction.
Vocabulary To Learn
- bothered: feeling or showing agitation, worry, annoyance
- flashback: where you suddenly experience a powerful memory from a past experience
- process: to think about a difficult or sad situation so that you can gradually accept it
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Writing is purely a form of escapism.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Armitage suggests that 'I am very bothered' was based on real events that happened during his school years. Armitage says that 'I am very bothered' is about how we hurt people who don't love us in the way that we want them to.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'bothered'
feeling or showing agitation, worry, annoyance.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Writing is purely a form of escapism. Correction: For some, writing can be a way of helping to process emotions and ideas.
More Lessons In This Unit
- How Armitage writes about personal events and memories in 'Harmonium' Study Guide
- How Simon Armitage writes about climate change in 'Futurama' Study Guide
- How Simon Armitage writes about hope in 'We'll Sing' and 'Only Human' Study Guide
- How Simon Armitage writes about human connection in 'All Right?' and 'Give' Study Guide
- How Simon Armitage writes about life in 'About his person' and 'Poem' Study Guide
- How Simon Armitage writes about news and media in 'Transmission Report' Study Guide
- How Simon Armitage writes about the world in 'Resistance' and 'Out of the Blue' Study Guide
- Simon Armitage and the power of poetry Study Guide
- Writing about the self and the world with Simon Armitage Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 9 English guide library.