Analysing ideas of prejudice and perception in Femi's 'Thirteen'
I can explain how Femi uses star imagery, caesuras, and structural choices to express ideas of prejudice and perception in 'Thirteen'.
Analysing ideas of prejudice and perception in Femi's 'Thirteen'
I can explain how Femi uses star imagery, caesuras, and structural choices to express ideas of prejudice and perception in 'Thirteen'.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Femi uses “star” imagery throughout the poem to perhaps symbolise the boy’s loss of hope and opportunities.
- The use of the extended metaphor could perhaps suggest that people often perceive the boy as different from who he is.
- The structural progression of the poem could represent the boy’s journey.
- The use of caesuras throughout could imply that Femi wants us to continually stop and consider the effects of prejudice.
Keywords
Prejudice - an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc.
Caesura - a pause or a break in a line of verse, often marked by punctuation
Symbolise - to represent, express, or identify by a symbol
Extended metaphor - a metaphor that unfolds across multiple lines or stanzas of a poem
Common misconception
That the order of words in a poem is random and unimportant.
The order of words creates a journey and progression through the poem which can influence the overall message.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the AQA World and Lives anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
