Activity 1

In the poem the poet/persona compares himself to mainly things found in the
house. Refer to the poem and fill in the things that the persona/poet compares
himself to in each stanza.
Stanza 1
I.
II.
III.

The _____________ from a drink can

The ______________ from a pan
The loose _______________ from an old toy

Stanza 2
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.

An ______________ with no gum

A roll of ______________________ which cannot be peeled of
A stapleless _______________________
A broken ________________________ clip
Dried-up _______________________
An unsent ________________________

Stanza 3
The poet/persona compares himself to:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.

A
A
A
A
A
A

flat ____________________
broken down _____________________________
bald ______________
lifeless ___________________________
dirty _____________________________
dull _______________________________

Stanza 4
The poet/persona compares himself to:
I.
II.
III.
IV.

An
An
An
An

unkempt ___________________
untouched ______________________________
unfed ____________________________
unheeded piece of good____________________________

Synopsis/ Summary
The persona says that he is comparable to things that are
__________________________ garbage that is thrown out from homes like the
__________________ ring from a drink can, _______________ scrapings from a pan and
a ______________________arm of an old toy. He is like ___________________ quality
stationery : a _______________________ envelope, an _____________________
sellotape, a ______________________ stapler a _______________________ bulldog clip,
_________________ liquid paper and an _______________ letter. The persona feels
__________________ like a __________ battery, ______________________ starter motor, a
____________________ sparking plug, a __________________ carburetor and a
_________________ chromium trim. He also feels _____________________ like an
________________________garden, an ________________________ library book, an
____________________ stray and an ________________________ piece of good advice
Activity 2

1) Setting
The poam is set in an ordinary household. The persona feels like some of
the broken down things we see in the house.
2) Point of view
This poem is written in the __________________ person point of view. The
persona talks about himself as feeling ___________ and
______________________ like some of the ________________________/ broken
things in the house.
3) Themes/ Messages
a. Feelings of being __________________/neglected/unloved.
b. Losing ones _____________________/self esteem/ self confidence in life
4) Moral values
a. We should be ________________ about our status in life.
b. We should have feel _______________ in ourselves.
5) Tone and Mood
Tone The persona is ______________ and _________________ about feeling
unwanted/ neglected/unloved/ignored.
Useless/valueless.
Mood- The poem is _____________/depressing/negative.
6) Structure, Style and Language
a. The poem consist of _______________ stanzas.
b. It does _______________have fixed rhyme schemes.
c. The style is ____________ and direct. It describes how
_____________/depressed the poet/ persona feels as he feel
____________________/ neglected/ unloved/ignored/useless/valueless.
d. The language is ________________ and _______________ to understand.
7) Poetic devices/ Literary Devices
a. Symbol
It has both literal and ___________________ meaning.
Eg: Scrapings from an unwashed porridge pan (stanza 1 L4-5) is
symbolic of something left behind and _________________.
Eg The sellotape where you cant find the end (Stanza 2 L4-5) is
symbol of something that is____________ functional.
b. Repetition
The repetition of a sound, syllable, phrase, line or stanza is the
poets way of _____________________ something to the readers.
Eg The words I am is repeated to give emphasis to the personas
strong feeling of _______________
Eg The word no one is repeated in Stanza 4 L5,7,8 is to give
emphasis to the personas feelings of
________________________/neglect/being ignored.

c. Pun
It is a form of word ___________________. It has two or ________________
meanings.
Eg the sparking plugno sign of spark (stanza 3 L45) is a play of
the word spark. The poet is supposed to be ____________________ like
a spark plug which helps start the car engine but he is not any
longer.

d. Metaphor
It is a figure of __________________ that compares two things that
have something in ______________.
Eg: The persona feels that is a piece of good advice (stanza 4
L8) or a good ________________ but no one seems to need it.
e. Personification
It is an object that is given ______________ characteristics/ qualities.
Eg: the carburetor choked by bits of dirt (stanza 2 L6). The
carburetor is personified like a person who is ____________________
and dying.
Eg: the toothless stapler (stanza 2 L6). The stapler is
personified like a person with no ________________.
f. Assonance
It is repetition of ____________________ sounds in words that are close
to each other.
Eg: unwashed porridge pan
eg : an empty cola can
g. Alliteration
It is a series of words repeating the same _____________________ or
sounds.
Eg: that mars instead of mends
Eg: the gum is gone