New
New
Year 11
AQA

Understanding the poem 'Singh Song!' by Daljit Nagra

I can effectively summarise the poem 'Singh Song!'.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Understanding the poem 'Singh Song!' by Daljit Nagra

I can effectively summarise the poem 'Singh Song!'.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The speaker works in his fathers' shop and lives with his wife and parents above the shop.
  2. The speaker often neglects his work in the shop and receives complaints from customers.
  3. The wife is unconventional and has an acrimonious relationship with her husband's parents.
  4. The speaker and wife have a very close, loving and intimate relationship.
  5. Although the poem is not autobiographical it does echo some aspects of Nagra's own life.

Common misconception

Singh's wife is presented exclusively as a sweet and gentle character.

Although Singh does speak softly of his wife, she also has a fierce streak. This is shown when her eyes are described as like 'guns' and through the description of her arguments with Singh's parents.

Keywords

  • Dramatic monologue - a poem written in the form of speech from an individual character.

  • Pun - a humorous use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or that sounds like another word.

  • First-generation immigrant - a person who was born in a different country to the one they currently live in.

  • Second-generation immigrant - a person who is born in a country to a parent/parents that were not born in that country.

  • 'Punglish' - a colloquial term for language that is a mixture of Punjabi and English.

This poem is written in 'Punglish' - it may benefit from a video of the poet reading his work directly to highlight the dialect in which it is written.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of 'Singh Song!' by Daljit Nagra which can be found in the AQA 'Love and Relationships' Anthology.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sexual content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
'Walking Away' is thought to be semi-autobiographical. Who did Cecil Day-Lewis write the poem for?
Correct answer: his son
his father
his grandfather
Q2.
Which of these key ideas would you not associate with 'Letters from Yorkshire'?
distance
nostalgia
friendship
Correct answer: bereavement
longing
Q3.
Barrett Browning wrote 'Sonnet 29' during the Victorian era. This society was known for being...
Correct answer: patriarchal
patronising
patented
Petrarchan
petulant
Q4.
When did the Romantic period occur?
17th - 18th century
Correct answer: 18th - 19th century
19th - 20th century
20th - 21st century
Q5.
In 'Eden Rock', the "light" shining through the mother's hair presents her as kind and gentle because it could symbolise that she has...
a light within her.
positive thoughts about her family.
happiness in her heart.
Correct answer: an angelic glow about her.
hope for her child
Q6.
Which word in the title 'Before You Were Mine' is a possessive pronoun?
Before
You
Were
Correct answer: Mine

6 Questions

Q1.
The poem 'Singh Song!' is written by Daljit...
Correct Answer: Nagra
Q2.
Daljit Nagra was born in the UK but his parents were born in India. As such he is a ...
first-generation immigrant.
Correct answer: second-generation immigrant.
third-generation immigrant.
Q3.
The poem 'Singh Song!' is a ...
ballad.
Correct answer: dramatic monologue.
sonnet.
haiku.
Q4.
Starting with the first, put these events from the poem 'Singh Song!' in chronological order.
1 - Introduces the speaker who runs one of his dad's shops.
2 - When no one is around he locks up and goes upstairs to see his wife.
3 - They share food and make love.
4 - His customers grow frustrated calling it the 'worst' shop in the town.
5 - He hears his wife upstairs, where she runs a dating site.
6 - His wife wears both Western and Punjabi dress and argues with his parents.
7 - At night Singh and his wife visit the shop alone and exchange romantic comments.
Q5.
Andeep said 'It seems to me that Singh's father doesn't really trust him'. What evidence from 'Singh Song!' could best support this?
Correct answer: The fact that Singh's dad has many shops but Singh only runs 'one'.
The fact that Singh's wife often argues with his parents.
The fact that Singh's wife wears Western and Punjabi dress.
The fact that Singh's wife runs a dating website.
Q6.
Which of the below are reasonable themes of the poem 'Singh Song!'?
Correct answer: Generational conflict
Correct answer: Immigration and assimilation
Correct answer: Romantic love
Nature and the natural world
Prejudice and immigration