Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

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How to Analyse An Unseen Poem (using TWISTUP)

Caitlin Jessica

159K views 5 years ago

Warm-up Questions

When you have to analyse an unseen poem, what is the hardest part for you: understanding the meaning, finding techniques, or answering the questions?
What do you think “TWISTUP” might help you do when analysing a poem?
Do you usually start with the poem or the questions first? Why?

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Start With: Word Definition

Order: Alphabetical Random

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How to Analyse An Unseen Poem (using TWISTUP)

The method and the TWISTUP mnemonic (00:00 – 03:01)

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1. According to the speaker, unseen poems usually have two interpretations. What are they?

Simple and complex
Literal and figurative
Personal and political
Historical and modern

2. What is step 2 in the four-step method?

Read the questions and note what they ask
Write a full essay answer
Apply the TWISTUP technique
Read the poem and find techniques

3. What does TWISTUP stand for?

Title, Words, Imagery, Structure, Themes and tone, Understanding, Poet’s attitude
Topic, Writing, Ideas, Sentence structure, Theme, Understanding, Purpose
Tension, Wonder, Irony, Symbolism, Theme, Unity, Pace
Title, Word class, Idioms, Style, Tone, Usage, Punctuation

How to Analyse An Unseen Poem (using TWISTUP)

Reading the example poem: literal meaning and identifying what questions target (03:01 – 07:14)

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1. In the speaker’s recap, what is the poem’s literal situation?

A young boy is very skinny because of famine and wants food that is out of reach
A child is celebrating at a festival with confetti
A doctor is helping a boy who has injured his hand
A boy is learning to play a musical instrument

2. What does the question about the capital letter in “Famine” ask the student to focus on?

Themes and tone
Title
Structure
Words (specific word choice and form)

3. Which TWISTUP category does the speaker connect to the question about “the speaker’s attitude towards the plight of the hungry”?

Structure
Imagery
The poet’s attitude
Understanding

How to Analyse An Unseen Poem (using TWISTUP)

Applying TWISTUP and answering the questions (07:14 – 17:37)

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1. What does the speaker say the metaphor “concertina chest” suggests about the boy?

He is severely skinny, with ribs protruding, showing starvation
He is recovering quickly from illness
He is strong and athletic
He is musical and enjoys instruments

2. What does the interjection “oh child” show about the poet’s attitude?

Pride
Sympathy
Confusion
Humour

3. Why is “Famine” written with a capital letter, according to the speaker?

Because it is the first word of the poem
To show it has a large presence and is a major factor in the boy’s life
To show the poet is angry at punctuation rules
Because it is a place name

How to Analyse An Unseen Poem (using TWISTUP)

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1. What is the main purpose of the TWISTUP technique in the video?

To guess the poet’s biography
To memorise the whole poem word-for-word
To translate poems into simpler vocabulary only
To organise analysis by focusing on key features like imagery, tone, and attitude

2. What advice does the speaker give about answering exam questions on an unseen poem?

Avoid quoting from the poem so your answer is original
Only write about figurative meaning because it is more advanced
Only write about literal meaning because it is safer
Use both literal and figurative meaning and support answers with evidence from the poem

3. Why does the speaker say you should read the questions before applying TWISTUP?

Because you must analyse every single TWISTUP letter in every poem
Because figurative meaning is not needed in exams
Because the title is not important for unseen poetry
Because the questions tell you which TWISTUP areas you actually need to focus on

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

How to Analyse An Unseen Poem (using TWISTUP)

Do you find it easier to start with literal meaning or figurative meaning when you read a poem? Why?
Which parts of TWISTUP (title, words, imagery, structure, themes/tone, understanding, attitude) do you use most often? Which do you usually forget?
The video says you don’t need to use every TWISTUP letter every time. How would you decide what to focus on for a specific question?
In your opinion, why can a single capital letter (like “Famine”) change the impact of a poem?