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Year 10
AQA

Comparing liminality, physicality and voice in AQA Worlds and Lives poetry

I can explain and compare how Mundair, Berry, and Femi express concepts of liminality, physicality and voice.

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Year 10
AQA

Comparing liminality, physicality and voice in AQA Worlds and Lives poetry

I can explain and compare how Mundair, Berry, and Femi express concepts of liminality, physicality and voice.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Both Mundair and Berry place their speakers in a liminal space.
  2. Arguably, through this liminality, their intention could be to show the connection between place and identity.
  3. Both Mundair and Femi present the uncomfortable physical experience of discrimination.
  4. Both Femi and Berry consider ideas of voice and agency to comment on the experience of minorities.

Keywords

  • Liminal - occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold

  • Threshold - the place or point of entering or beginning

  • Physicality - involvement of bodily contact or activity

  • Agency - the ability to act autonomously and freely

  • Transition - the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another

Common misconception

The content of the poem matters more than who is speaking in the poem.

The voice we hear in a poem is incredibly important for the meaning as it could show us who the poet deems as important or perhaps they are making a comment on who has agency in society.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Comparing liminality, physicality and voice in AQA Worlds and Lives poetry, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You might like to look at extended quotations from the poems to support the learning in this lesson.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the AQA World and Lives anthology for this lesson.

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is physicality related to?
Correct answer: bodily contact or activity
mental stimulation and inspiration
emotional stability and reassurance
Q2.
Which of the following is an accurate summary of Mundair's 'Name Journeys'?
The speaker is celebrating her journey from India to Manchester.
Correct answer: The speaker is exploring the struggle of her migration.
The speaker is explaining the effects of her migration to her daughter.
Q3.
Which of the following is an accurate summary of Berry's 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955'?
The subject is asking the Quaker about her experience of migration.
Correct answer: The Quaker is asking the subject about their experience of migration.
The subject is arguing with the Quaker about their experience of migration.
Q4.
Arguably, what is the intention in Femi's 'Thirteen'?
Correct answer: to symbolise the lack of hope and opportunities for young black men
to represent the effects of under-funding on institutions such as the police
to comment on the rising crime rate in city areas such as London
Q5.
What do the words "cornered" and "dislodged" have in common?
they suggest a sense of comfort
Correct answer: they suggest a sense of discomfort
they suggest a sense of being off balance
Q6.
The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another is called a...
Correct answer: transition
destination
reprieve
transistor

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The words "dislodged" and "alongside" from Mundair's 'Name Journeys' and Berry's 'On an Afternoon Train from Purley to Victoria, 1955' suggest the speakers feel...
settled in their new home
Correct answer: unstettled in their new home
anger at the treatment in their new home
Q2.
The words "stumble" and "cornered" from Mundair's 'Name Journeys' and Femi's 'Thirteen' imply...
the speakers feel at home in their surroundings
Correct answer: the speakers feel physically uncomfortable in their surroundings
the speakers feel emotionally uncomfortable in their surroundings
Q3.
The place or point of entering or beginning is called the...
Correct Answer: threshold
Q4.
In Femi's 'Thirteen', the officer "told" the primary school children that they were "stars" - what does this suggest in the poem?
Correct answer: He is in a position of power since he influenced the children's education.
He likes children and wants to work with them more.
He didn't like the subject from the moment he saw him as a child.
Q5.
The ability to act autonomously and freely is called having...
Correct Answer: agency
Q6.
Occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold is known as...
Correct answer: liminal
temporal
theoretical