Sad I Ams - Module Lit Form I

What is a poem… A poem is a piece of writing that is written in verse form. It uses imaginative language to express feelings and ideas. It usually incorporates a literal and figurative meaning and some writing techniques, which known as literary devices such as metaphor, personification, simile, imagery and so on.

Elements of a Poem…

BACKGROUND   

Poet’s background Subject matter For whom the poem is written

SETTING  

Time Place

THEME(s) 





The speaker in the poem

MORAL VALUES 

What we can learn from the poem



Place STRUCTURE &

Main idea(s)

TONE & MOOD 

PERSONA

The persona’s voice or attitude The overall feeling of the

STYLE  

Arrangements of lines Choice of words

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SAD I AMS BY TREVOR MILLUM

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Warm-Up Questions

Sad I Ams

1. Look at the emoticon. What is the expression? ___________________________________ 2. When do you show this expression? ___________________________________ 3. Have you ever felt sad before? ___________________________________ 4. When do you feel sad? ___________________________________ 5. How do you feel when you are being neglected? ________________________________________________________________ 6. Do you still keep your old and unwanted belongings? Why? ________________________________________________________________ 7. What would you do with your unwanted things? ________________________________________________________________ 8. Look around. Is there any rubbish around you? Why do you have to throw the rubbish? ________________________________________________________________ 9. Imagine that you are a correction tape, what will happen to you in the end? Why do you think so? ________________________________________________________________ 10. What do you think about the title of the poem? ________________________________________________________________

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SAD I AMS

By Trevor Millum

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About The Author

TREVOR MILLUM Trevor Millum was born in the United Kingdom. He is a writer of poems, plays and stories for all ages, from children to adult. He is currently self-employed and has written widely on poetry, creativity and the use of information and communications technology in English. His poetry collections include A Stegosaurus is for Lifeand other animal poems and Exploding Heads Comic Strip Poems. He is an ex-English teacher and was a Director of the National Association for the Teaching of English. He has his own website called The Mouse and The Muse.

Summary Of The Poem The persona in the poem conveys his feeling of sadness and of being neglected. To express these feelings, he compares himself with several things found in the home. Some of the things are a metal ring from a drink can and food scrapings from an unwashed porridge pan which are usually discarded. Broken parts of discarded last year’s Action Man are usually thrown out too. Only envelopes with gums are useful. Sticky tapes, a stapleless stapler, a broken bulldog clip, and liquid paper are popular items in our stationery aids. However, they are only useful if they are serviceable. The same goes with parts of a car. The battery must be well-charged and the starter motor workable for the car to work well. A lifeless spark plug , a chocked carburettor and a dull chromium trim all add up to an unattractive car. The persona feels like an unkempt garden, an untouched library book, and an unfed stray on the street or an unneeded piece of good advice.

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Elements of The Poem PERSONA 1. The gender of the persona is not mentioned. However, based on comparison made, it can be assumed that the persona is an elderly person.

TONE & MOOD 1. The tone of this poem is gloomy and depressing. 2. The poem evokes a feeling of sympathy and sad especially within a family.

POINT OF VIEW 1. First person point of view as the persona talks about himself as feeling sad when he compares himself with the things surrounding him.

SETTING 1. Time Frame :No specific time frame is mentioned. The persona is simply relating his or her thoughts. 2. Place : No specific place is mentioned.

THEMES 1. Rejection  The persona compares himself with unwanted things and this suggests that he has faced rejection and feels unwanted in some ways. 2. Negligence of one’s possessions  The discarded items appear to have been thoughtlessly thrown away and forgotten which represent the persona’s feelings. 3. Feeling of uselessness  The items are considered unwanted because they appear to have run out of use and this is similar to the persona’s situation where he feels that people no longer need him. He feels unloved by family and friends. 4.Negativism about life  The persona starts to look at his life through a negative window because he feels unwanted.

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MORAL VALUES Rejectio n

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

We should be positive about our status in life. We should learn to recognise and value our abilities and possessions. We should have faith in our family. We should have confidence in ourselves. We must be grateful for what we have rather than yearn for something different.

LITERARY DEVICES 1. Metaphor  A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things without using the word “like” or “as” to make the comparison.  The entire poem consists of metaphors where the persona likens himself/herself to many unwanted things such as “the ring from the empty can ’”and “a toothless stapler ”. 2.

Imagery  The poem describes the unwanted items vividly that one is able to imagine them.  Eg : “ the scrapings from an unwanted porridge pan ”, “ the severed arm of last year’s Action Man”

3.

Repetition  Repetition of a sound, syllable, word, phrase, line or stanza is a basic unifying device in all poetry.  The word “ I am” is repeated at the beginning of every stanza to emphasize the feelings of the poet who is trying to say he is as hopeless as all the things listed.  The word “no one” is repeated in lines 5,7 and 9 in stanza four.

4.

Personification  Personification is when you give human characteristics to objects that are not human and usually the objects are not alive.  Eg: “the carburetor choked itself by bits of dirt”, “ the toothless stapler ”

5.

Assonance  Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the words that are close to each other.  Eg: “ unwashed porridge pan”, “ an empty Cola can”

6.

Alliteration  Alliteration occurs when a series of words repeat the same consonants or sounds.  Eg: “that mars instead of mends”,“the gum is gone”

7.

Symbol  “scrapings from an unwashed porridge pan” is symbolic of something left behind andutterly useless.  “theSellotape where you can’t find the end” is symbolic of the feelings of frustration. STANZA MEANING

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STANZA 1 The persona is the ring from an empty drink can, leftovers from an uncleaned porridge pan and the broken arm of last year’s action toy.

STANZA 2 The persona goes on to say that he or she is like an assortment of unwanted stationery items such as an envelope that cannot be sealed as the gum is gone, the roll of Sellotape which cannot be peeled off, an empty stapler without staples and a clip that has no spring, liquid paper that is dry and a letter that has not been sent.

STANZA 3 In this stanza, the persona likens himself or herself to various parts of a car. The persona is a battery that cannot charge, a starter motor that does not work, a bald tyre, a sparking plug with no life, a dirty carburetor and not a too shiny chromium trim. STANZA 4 In the final stanza, the persona equates himself/ herself to an overgrown garden, a book from the library that no one picks out, a hungry stray and an unheeded piece of good advice.

Paraphrase of the Poem 9

Literal Meaning In the poem, there are things that we do not want to keep or use any longer. The persona says he is comparable to disposable household things and food. The metal ring from an empty drink can, the broken part of an old toy or food scrapings from a pot which are disposed daily. Some things have no value if they are not workable or in their original state. An envelope with no gum isnot sealable. Sellotape that cannot be peeled off, a stapler without a staples, a bulldog clip without a spring or a dried-up liquid paper is of no use. The persona feels neglectedlike the stamped address reply, that the writer forgot to send out. When things are not maintained and taken care of, they become unworkable. The persona feels that way like a flat battery. A starter that cannot ignite, a bald tyre, a non-working spark plug, a dirt-choked carburettor and a dull-looking chromium trim. A car with these parts is of no use to the owner and the persona feels the same way. The persona feels like a neglected garden, a library book that is not read, a stray that is not fed or an advice that is totally ignored. Basically, he feels rejected, useless, not cared for and has no place within the family and society. The persona could be an orphan in an orphanage.

Figurative Meaning In life, some things become insignificant because they are trivial or lacking in importance. They may also become insignificant if they have no power, position or value. We can see them as things that are not worthy to be mentioned. Some of these may just be things that are small in size or not distinctive in character. Within a family, at work place, and even in a society, a person may feel unwanted and unneeded in different ways. One feels that one is disposable if one feels like an unloved member of a family or an unproductive worker in a workplace or an orphan in orphanage. There is no self-worth as one can be got rid of whenever the opportunity arises. A person who is not contributing to the growth of a family or society may feel unwanted. One may even be ignored or side-lined even if one is willing to try again. A family can grow well and prosper only if every member plays his or her part. Each and every member must be nurtured and encouraged or inspired to make this contribution. So, one should not be complacent and let things slide if one does not want to be overlooked and left to one’s devices. This is the time when one should wake up and work or one will definitely be neglected.

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Practice 1 Match the pictures withthe lines from the poem. 1.

a. the severed arm of last year’s Action Man

2.

b. the envelope on which gum is gone

3.

c. the ring from an empty Cola can

4.

d.

springless bulldog clip 5.

e. the scrapings from an unwashed porridge pan

6. f.

the sellotape where you can’t find the end

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7.

g.

the toothless stapler 8.

h. the stamped addressed reply that you forgot

9.

i.

the battery in which no charge is left 10.

j. the sparking plug which shows no signand spark

11.

k.

the dried-up liquid paper

12.

l. the tyre on which the tread is worn

13.

m.

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the starter motor which remains inert

14.n. a garden overgrown with weeds 15.

o.

a library book that no one ever reads

16.

p.

the carburettor choked by bits of dirt

17.

q.

a piece of good advice which no one seems to need

18.

r.

the chromium trim from which the shine has gone

19.

s.

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a stray which no one thinks to feed

Practice Write True or False for the following statements.

1. Most drink cans are attached with a ring for opening them. 2. We remove the scrapings from the pan before washing

it.

3. The arm from a toy had fallen off. 4. It is more convenient to use envelopes that have no gum. 5. A bulldog clip that has no spring can be used. 6. A car cannot be started without a starter motor. 7. Liquid paper is used to underline important facts. 8. Strays depend on food scraps given out by kind people. 9. A library book that is not read dis uninteresting.

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10.Good advice are normally ignored.

Practice 3 Find words in the poem that have the meanings below.

1. blocked 2. leftovers 3. guidance 4. filth 5. damages 6. vacant 7. response 8. sparkle 9. fixes 10.old 11.disappeared 12.being cut off

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13. to give food 14. unable to move 15. an animal that has no owner

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Practice Based on the poem, match the words in column A to the rhyming words in Column B. Then read the words aloud.

Column a

Column b

1. arm

a. feed

2. clip

b. gone

3. dirt

c. farm

4. Man

d. reads

5. need

e. shirt

6. worn

f.

7. weeds

g. pan

8. spark

h. twice

9. gum

i.

trip

10.advice

j.

shark

lump

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Practice 5

Complete the circle map things mentioned in the

with unwanted I-think poem.

Unwanted Things

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Practice 6 Complete the crossword puzzle below.

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Practice Match the adjectives with nouns in the poem. The lists of words are given in the table below. i-think

Nouns

: liquid paper, cola can, action man, stapler, scrapings,

Adjectives

: unwashed, empty, toothless, severed, dried-up

Adjective s Nouns

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Practice 8 Read the text below. The first line is correct. For the remaining lines, there is ONE error in each line. The errors have been underlined for you. Write ONE WORD to correct the error in the space provided. An example has been given. The correct word must not change the meaning of the sentence.

The persona in the poem tell of his feelings of sadness and being neglected. To express these feelings, he compares (1)himselves to several things found in the home. The metal ring from a drink (2) cans and food scrapings from (3) a unwashed porridge pan are usually discarded. Broken parts (4) in discarded last year’s Action Man are usually thrown out too. Only (5)envelope with gum are useful. Sticky tapes, a staplelessstapler, a broken bulldog clip and liquid paper (6)were popular items in our collection

e.g. tells a) ________ b) ________ c) ________ d) ________ e) ________

of(7)stationary aids. However, they are useful if they are serviceable. The

f) _________

same (8) go for parts of a car. The battery must be well – charged and the

g) ________

starter motor workable for the car to (9)works well. A lifeless sparking plug,

h) ________

(10)an choked carburetor and a dull chromium trim all add to make the car

i) ________

unattractive. The persona feels like an unkempt garden, an untouched

j) ________

library book and an unfed stray on the street or an unneeded piece of good advice.

Practice

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Fill in the blanks with the words found in the poem. Refer to the pictures given.

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The persona in the poem tells off his feeling of sadness and be neglected. To express these feelings, he compares himself with several things that found in the home. The (1)__________

from a drink can and food (2)____________

from an unwashed porridge pan are usually discarded. (3)__________ parts of discarded last year’s Action Man are usually thrown out too. Only(4)_____________

with gums are useful. Sticky tapes, a stapleless

stapler, a broken(5)_____________

clip, and liquid paper are popular items in

our stationery aids. However, they are useful if they are serviceable. The same goes with parts of a car. The battery must be well-charged and the(6)_________

workable for the car to work well. A lifeless sparkling

plug , a hocked carburettor and a dull chromium trim all add to make the car unattractive. The persona feels like an unkempt garden, an untouched library ( 7 )___________

and an unfed ( 8 )_____________

on the street

or unneeded piece of good advice.

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Practice 10 Match the following phrases to the correct literary devices. Write the answers in the space provided.

‘ the Sellotape where you can’t find the end’ ‘the toothless stapler’ ‘the gum is gone’ ‘the springless bulldog’ ‘that mars instead of mends’ ‘scrapings from an unwashed porridge pan’

Alliteration

1. 2.

Personafication

1. 2.

Symbol

1. 2.

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Practice 11 Get into groups of four. Give three ways we can show our appreciation to the elderly. Share with i-think the class.

How to Show Appreciation to the Elderly

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Practice 12 Have you ever felt unwanted? In about 50 words, write about a situation when you feltunwanted. Describe what happened and how you felt at that time.

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__________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

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CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Test yourself….

1. Who is the poet? ______________________________________________________ 2. How many stanzas are there in the poem? ______________________________________________________ 3. Do you think the title is suitable to the poem? Why? _____________________________________________________ 4. What is the main idea of the poem? _____________________________________________________ 5. Give one moral value that you have learntfrom the poem. ______________________________________________________ 6. Do you like the poem? Why? ______________________________________________________ 7. Describe the poem in one word. ______________________________________________________ 8. How is the poem related to your own life? ______________________________________________________ 9. What can you do with your unwanted things? ______________________________________________________ 10. If you see a stray animal, what would you do? ______________________________________________________ 11. Why do you think no one has ever read books from the library? ______________________________________________________ 12. How do you reuse tyres? ______________________________________________________

PT3 PRACTICES

I am the ring from an empty Cola can the scrapings from an unwashed porridge pan the severed arm from the last year’s Action Man 28

Practic e stanza 1 Read 1 of the poem carefully.

Then answer the following

questions. a. In stanza 1, what does the pesona compare himself with? ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________( 1 mark) b. Where do we find the things mentioned in this stanza? ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________(1 mark) c. Why do you think the porridge pan is

dirty?

__________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________( 1 mark) d. What could have caused the arm of Action Man to be severed? Give two possible

reasons.

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

Practice 2 Read stanza 2 of the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.

I am the envelope on which the gum is gone the sellotape where you can’t find the end

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the toothless stapler, springless bulldog clip the dried-up liquid paper the mars instead of mends the stamped addressed reply that you forgot to send

a. In stanza 2, why can’t the envelope be sealed? ___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________( 1 mark) b. State the literary device used for the phrase ‘the gum is gone’. ____________________________________________________________( 1 mark) c. How would people feel if they could not find the end of Sellotape? _________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ (1 mark) d. What is the main characteristic of the things mentioned in the poem that makes the persona relate to it? Why would he feel this way? i. ii.

The main characteristic: _____________________________________________________(1 mark) Reason: _____________________________________________________(1 mark)

Practic Read stanza 3 of the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.

I am 30

the battery in which no charge is left the starter motor which remains inert the tyre on which the tread is worn the sparking plug which shows no sign of spark the carburettor choked by bits of dirt the chromium trim from which the shine has gone

a.In stanza 3, what happened to the carburettor? ____________________________________________________________( 1 mark) b. How do we describe the battery that has no

charge left?

_____________________________________________________________ ( 1mark) c. Why is the tyre discarded? _____________________________________________________________(1 mark)

d. What should we do to the things that we do not want anymore? Give two possible suggestions. Suggestion 1: ________________________________________________( 1 mark) Suggestion 2: ________________________________________________( 1 mark)

Practic Read stanza 4 of the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions.

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I am a garden overgrown with weeds a library that no one ever reads a stray which no one thinks to feed the piece of advice which no one seems to need

a.

In which age group do you think the persona is in? ___________________________________________________________( 1 mark)

b. If you see a stray animal, what would you

do?

___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________( 1 mark) c. What does the phrase ‘the piece of good advice which no one seems to need’ mean? ___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________(1 mark) d.

List down two moral values that you have learned from the poem. Moral value 1: ____________________________________________________________(1 mark) Moral value 2: ____________________________________________________________(1 mark)

Practic Read the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions. a.Who most probably owned the Action Man? 32

_____________________________________________________________(1 mark) b. In stanza 2, what category of things is mentioned by the persona? _____________________________________________________________(1 mark) c. What does the persona mean when he said that he is like the garden with overgrown weeds? __________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________( 1 mark d. Who do you think the persona is? Give a reason for your answer. __________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________(2 marks)

Practic Read the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions. a. In stanza 1, which word tells us that the arm of the Action Man is broken? ______________________________________________________________(1 mark) b. Give the meaning of the word ’inert’? ______________________________________________________________(1 mark) c. Why do you think no one wants to take the advice? _____________________________________________________________(1 mark) d. What evidence would you give to say that the pesona could be an orphan?

__________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________( 2 marks)

Practic 33 HOTS

Read the poem carefully. Then answer the following questions. a. What do people do with used things around the house that they do not need any longer ? _______________________________________________________________(1 mark) b. In stanza 2, what has happened to the stamped addressed reply? _______________________________________________________________(1 mark)

c.

Why do you think no one has ever read the library book? _______________________________________________________________(1 mark)

d. Explain the line ‘that mars instead of mends’. How do we prevent liquid paper from drying-up? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________(2 marks)

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ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

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ACTIVITY 1 Create A Poem 1. 2. 3. 4.

Divide students into 4 groups. Each group is given an item such as a pencil, a hand phone, a television etc. Each group has to compose a one-stanza poem based on the item given. Each group presents their poem.

Notes for teacher: 1. This activity can be done in pairs or in a group. 2. Teacher combines the stanzas and create a new poem 3. Teacher can ask students to write a poem similar to ‘ Happy I Ams’ Example: Imagine that you are an object. Write a happy poem about it. Use the example below as a guide:

Line 1: Who am I? Line 2: How do I look? Line 3: Who uses me? Line 4: Why do they use me?

I am the pencil with red and blue stripes used among the students to write in their books

ACTIVITY 2 Choral Speaking 1. Teacher forms students into four groups. 35

2. Each group is given one stanza of the poem ‘Sad I Ams’. 3. Each groups is required to perform a choral speaking. 4. Each group has to create interesting actions based onthe stanza be it the items mentioned in the stanza, sound of the items or any creative actions. 5. Each group presents in the class. Notes for teachers: 1. This activity can be done in groups or as a whole class activity. 2. Teacher can ask the students to combine their choral speaking groupsand present as one. 3. Students are encouraged to add in any elements of choral speaking to make it interesting such as repetition and sound effects.

ACTIVITY 3 Recycle And Reuse 1. Students are required to find one unwanted thing that they do not want to keep or to use any more. 2. Ask the students to recycle or to reuse the item and present it in the class. Notes for teachers: 1. This activity can be done individually, in pairs or in groups. 2. Students are encouragedto be creative or innovative. 3. Display those items in the class.

Answers Practice 1 Practice 1 Practice 1 1. c

2. e

3. a

4. b

5. f 36

6. g

7. d

8. k

9. h

11.

l

12.

m

13.

j

14.

p

16.

n

17.

o

18.

s

19.

q

10.

i

15.

r

Practice 2 1. True

2. True

3. True

4. False

5. False

6. True

7. False

8. True

9. False

10. ue

Tr

Practice 3 1. choked

6. empty

11.

gone

2. scrapings

7. reply

12.

severed

3. advice

8. shine

13.

feed

4. dirt

9. mends

14.

inert

5. mars

10.

15.

stray

worn

Practice 4 1. c

2. i

3. e

4. g

5. a

6. b

7. d

8. j

9. f

10.

h

Practice 5 1. the ring

2. the scrapings

3. the severed arm of last year’s action Man

4. envelope

5. sellotape

6. stapler 37

7. bulldog clip

8. liquid paper

9. stamped address reply

10.

11. starter motor

12.

tyre

13. sparking plug

14.

carburettor

15.

chromium trim

16.

garden

17.

stray

18.

library books

19.

advice

battery

Practice 6 1. rejection

2. Trevor (space) Millum

3. need

4. reply

5. advice

6. feed

7. four

8. reuse

9. man

10. tion

personafica

13.

gloomy

11.

comparison

12.

mars

Practice 7 ADJECTIVES

NOUNS

unwashed

scrapings

empty

Cola can

toothless

stapler

severed

Action Man

Dried up

Liquid paper

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Practice 8 1. himself

2. can

3. an

4. of

5. envelopes

6. are

7. stationery

8. goes

9. a

Practice 9 1. ring

2. scrapings

3. broken

4. envelopes

5. bulldog

6. car

7. book

8. stray

Practice 10 Alliteration

1. ‘the gum is gone’ 2. ‘that mars instead of mends’

Personafication

1. ‘the toothless stapler’ 2. ‘the springless bulldog’

Symbol

1. ‘ the Sellotape where you can’t find the end’ 2. ‘scrapings from an unwashed porridge pan’

Practice 11 1. Pay a visit to the old folk’s home and spend time with them. 2. Celebrate International Day for Older Persons with them. 3. Do activities with senior member of your own family such as walking at the park or reading to them. 4.Celebrate birthdays and anniversary with senior member of your own family such as your grandparents. (accept any logical answers)

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Practice 12

Accept any logical answers

PT3 PRACTICES

Practice 1 a. He compares himself with the ring of a drink can, scrapings from a porridge pan and the broken part of a discarded toy. b. These things can be found in the household. c. It has not been washed and has leftovers in it. d. The two reasons are it could have been pulled out by a child playing with it and the toy could have been faulty.

Practice 2

a. The gum is gone. b. Alliteration c. They would feel frustrated d. i. Main characteristic is that they are disposable and unwanted things. ii. Perhaps the persona feels unwanted too.

a.It is filled with dirt. b. The battery is flat c. It is discarded because the tread has worn out d. i. Recycle and reuse ii. Give to the one in need (accept any possible answers)

Practice 3 Practice 4

a. Teenager/old people/elderly people b. I will keep it as a pet/ I will take the stray to the animal shelter/I will feed the stray. (accept any possible answer). c.Advice that is useful but tends to be ignored by people. d. Choose any two of these: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

We should be positive about our status in life. We should learn to recognize and value our abilities and possessions. We should keep faith with our family. We should have confidence in ourselves. We must be grateful for what we have rather than yearning for something different. 6. We must show our appreciation to those who have helped us

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Practice 5

a. A child b. Stationery c. He feels neglected. d. I think the persona is an elderly person who feels unwanted. This is because the persona associates himself with many old and unwanted things.

Practice 6

a. Severed b. It means to be without motion or power/ not working c. Perhaps because the persona is an elderly person and has oldfashioned opinion about things. d. The persona has made extreme comparisons which is not likely to happen within a family. As an orphan it is possible for the persona to feel unwanted, unloved and neglected.

Practice 7

a. They will keep/ throw/ recycle the things. b. It has been forgotten c. Perhaps the book is not interesting. d. Liquid paper that is dry will dirty rather than erase the writing that is being cleaned. The liquid paper pen should be capped at all times when not in use.

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