Slow Reader
Who wrote the poem?
Vicki Feaver
Who wrote this poem?
Benjamin Zephaniah
Who wrote this poem?
Alan Brownjohn
When I take him on my knee
with his Ladybird book
he gazes into the air,
sighing and shaking his head
Slow Reader
We are going to see the rabbit.
We are going to see the rabbit
Repetition
What is the poem about?
A mother's relationship with her son who struggles with reading.
Does this poem have any structure of rhyme or rhythm?
No - it's free verse
The poem is set ....
(place and time)
In an alternate world in the future where there is only one rabbit and one patch of grass in England
I come from a beautiful place
Where they hate my shade of skin
They don’t like the way I pray
And they ban free poetry.
We Refugees
he gazes into the air,
sighing and shaking his head
like an old man
Simile
What does this mean?
"he gazes into the air,
sighing and shaking his head"
The boy has given up on reading
Where is the contrast in each stanza?
Between the first line and the rest of the lines in each stanza
What is the poem about?
A speaker's journey to visit the last living rabbit in England, and the disappointment upon their arrival.
Sometimes it only takes a day,
Sometimes it only takes a handshake
Or a paper that is signed.
We Refugees
He toys with words,
letting them go cold
as gristly meat,
Simile
Who is the SPEAKER/PERSONA in this poem?
The mother
What images does Zephaniah conjure up in this poem?
Mention 3.
Images of violence, oppression, political betrayal, restriction.
What is the irony of this poem?
The rabbit pitying mankind, instead of the other way around.
First we shall go by escalator,
Then we shall go by underground,
And then we shall go by motorway,
And then by helicopterway,
And the last 10 yards we shall have to go
On foot.
I come from a musical place
Where they shoot me for my song
And my brother has been tortured
By my brother in my land.
Contrast
What do the images of the fish and the colt represent?
The fish is when the boy stops reading and enjoys other activities, so he "wriggles free"
The colt refers to the boy being forced to read and "shying / from the bit".
Which 3 themes does this poem represent?
Displacement
Loss
Identity
Comment on the punctuation in the second stanza (transport stanza) and its effect.
Which is here in thousands
With mounted policemen
And big loudspeakers
And bands and banners,
And everyone has come a long way.
We are Going to See the Rabbit
And the last 10 yards we shall have to go
On foot.
Run-on lines