LITERATURE_MODULE_F1_1_pdf

KINTA UTARA DISTRICT LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
FORM 1

Graphic Novel

20,000 League under the Sea

Poem

News Break
Sad I Ams

Short Story
Fair’s Fair

PANEL OF WRITERS

PN.FAUZIA BT. MOHD SULTAN
GURU CEMERLANG BAHASA INGGERIS

SMK KG. PASIR PUTIH

PN.AISHAH BT. MOHD HAMDAN
GURU CEMERLANG BAHASA INGGERIS

SMK RAJA PEREMPUAN BAINUN

PN. NOOR AZIRA BT. MAT NOR
GURU BAHASA INGGERIS
SMK TASEK DAMAI

EN. MOHANA RAM MURUGIAH
GURU CEMERLANG BAHASA INGGERIS
SMK PEREMPUAN METHODIST, IPOH

PN. JAYANTHI KARUPPAN
SISC+ PPD KINTA UTARA

PN.VIJAYALACHEMY A/P SUBRAMANIAM
SISC+ PPD KINTA UTARA

EN.JOEL JAACOB A/L M.K JAACOB
SISC+ PPD KINTA UTARA

PN. JULIANA BT. SHAHARUM
SISC+ PPD KINTA UTARA

PN. MARY STELLA A/P SANTHANASAMY
SISC+ PPD KINTA UTARA

PN. CHEAH YET THANG
SISC+ PPD KINTA UTARA

PANEL OF EDITORS
PN. CHEAH YET THANG
PN. JAYANTHI KARUPPAN

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
EN.MOHANA RAM MURUGIAH

- Table of Contents -

Graphic Novel Page 1

20,000 Leagues under the Sea Page 19
Page 27
Poetry
Page 44
News Break
Sad I Ams

Short Story

Fair’s Fair

Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Author

 Jules Gabriel Verne
 French writer
 referred to as the founding father of science fiction
 born on 8th February 1828 in Nantes, France
 father, Pierre Verne is a lawyer and mother, Sophie is from a military family
 oldest of five children
 studied law
 married Honorine de Viance in 1857
 very interested in travels, geography and engineering
 died in 1905
 other books ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ and ‘Journey To The Center of The Earth’

Synopsis

This story is about a strange sea monster that is said to be attacking ships at sea and destroying
them. Professor Arronax is invited to head a mission to seek and destroy this creature. He
accepts the invitation and takes his manservant, Conseil along. Once he is aboard the Abraham
Lincoln, Aronnax has the company of Ned Land, a very skillful harpooner. After three months
at sea, they were almost giving up on the mission when Ned Land spotted the ‘monster’. Only
after harpooning he realizes that it is a machine. The monster rams the ship and Aronnax is
thrown overboard. Conseil jumps in to save him and the three of them end up on the deck of
the Nautilus. They meet Captain Nemo who is very hospitable but tells them they can never
leave the Nautilus. The Professor agrees because of his curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
Then their voyage begins. They hunt in the Forest of Crespo Island. They are attacked by
cannibals during one of their expeditions. They travel the Indian Ocean and visit the pearl
fisheries. Here Captain Nemo saves a pearl diver from a shark and then has to be saved himself
by Ned. Captain Nemo then shows them the Vigo Bay, where he gets his gold from old
wrecked ships filled with treasure. According to Captain Nemo, he uses the treasure to help
oppressed people fight for their freedom. The Professor is also taken to see the lost city of
Atlantis after which they set for the South Pole. They encounter some problems there but
Captain Nemo’s determination helps them get through it. While sailing north of England, the
Nautilus is attacked by an unknown ship but Captain Nemo sinks the ship. Professor Aronnax
is horrified and decides to escape. Finally they manage to get into a boat to escape.
Unfortunately the Nautilus is caught in the Maelstrom, a deadly whirlpool. Professor Aronnax,
Ned Land and Conseil end up in a fisherman’s cottage. The fate of the Nautilus and its crew
remains unknown.

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Settings
 from 1866 to 1868
 on Nautilus, a submarine vessel designed by Captain Nemo
 other settings are Island of New Guinea, Ceylon, Arabian Sea, Vigo Bay, South Pole,
 Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean and Red Sea

Point of View

 first person point of view
 story told through the observations and experience of the narrator

Exposition Plot
Rising Action  Three men go on a mission aboard the Abraham Lincoln to

Climax search for a mysterious sea creature that causes havoc at sea.
Falling Action  Two huge waves caused by the strange monster causes a crash

Resolution and throws them overboard and they end up on the Nautilus.

 The men go through many different events while travelling on
the Nautilus.

 Each event shows a different side of Captain Nemo.
 Nonetheless they make several attempts to escape.

 The climax of the story is the major turning point that decides
the outcome of the plot.

 In this story, the turning point is when the Professor decides
that they must escape.

 This decision is made after the incident where the ship is
trapped in a kind of ice tunnel.

 A warship fires at the submarine and Captain Nemo retaliates
by attacking it back.

 The ship sinks before Professor Aronnax’s eyes and they all
decide it’s time to escape from the ship.

 Ned comes up with a plan.
 When the opportunity to escape comes finally, they escape in a

boat that’s bolted to the Nautilus.
 Nautilus is caught in the Maelstrom.
 Fortunately they are saved but no one knows what happens to

the Nautilus.

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Captain Nemo Professor Aronnax
 antagonist  narrator
 commander of Nautilus  forty-year-old former medical doctor
 formerly an engineer
 scientific genius turned scientist and lecturer at the
 designed the Nautilus himself museum of Paris
 mysterious man easily angered yet has  expert on undersea life
 heads an expedition aboard the America
a lot of self-control Frigate Abraham Lincoln
 mission is to track and get rid of the
mysterious sea monster
 in the beginning, his curiosity on the
wonders of the sea overtook his desire
for freedom but after the accident at the
South Pole, he wanted to escape

Characters

Conseil Ned Land
 very skillful in harpooning
 Professor’s manservant  known as the ‘prince of harpooners’
 very loyal  loses temper easily
 doesn’t ask questions  saves Aronnax from drowning
 brave and selfless  saves Captain Nemo from the shark
 dives into the sea to save the Professor  very bold
 attempts to escape from the Nautilus
when he falls in
several times

Minor Character

Captain Farragut

 StCylaeptain of the Abraham Lincoln

It’s a very straightforward book. Writer uses simple language and allows much to the
imagination of the readers.

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

 Nemo ( Allegory) Language
 The Nautilus ( Symbol)

Nemo is a very appropriate name for The submarine is a symbol of strength
and power, Captain Nemo considers
someone as mysterious as Captain himself a very powerful man. The fact
Nemo. It is Latin for ‘no one’. Captain that he built the Nautilus and
Nemo doesn’t want anyone to know his considers it invincible symbolizes his
existence; therefore ‘Nemo’ tells the own power and strength.

story of a man who is no one and has

no ties with the outer world.

Man’s Quest for Themes
Exploration The main theme in this novel is mankind’s need for exploration and
adventure. Professor Aronnax accepts the invitation to join the mission
Freedom because of his curiosity and the need to explore the truth behind the
mysterious sea monster. Captain Nemo takes the Nautilus to strange places
Man Versus where no man would dare to venture into. For example, a coral cemetery,
Nature pearl fisheries, Arabian tunnel, lost city of Atlantis and even the South
Pole. He travels under and on the surface of the sea because of his interest
for adventure and to explore new places.
Captain Nemo may be a free man but his freedom is only within Nautilus.
On the other hand, Professor Annorax, Ned Land and Conseil too enjoy the
similar kind of freedom. They are free to roam the Nautilus and explore the
undersea world but they can’t leave the Nautilus. They are all prisoners
within the freedom of the Nautilus. In the beginning, Arronax’s curiosity to
see the real wonders of the ocean makes him give up the idea of leaving the
ship. Later, he realizes nothing is worth his freedom and attempts to escape
the Nautilus. As for Ned Land, he has always wanted to leave the ship.
Although Captain Nemo feels he has defied nature with his powerful
creation, many events show that he is still under the forces of nature. The
shark attack and the whirlpool events are clear examples of nature being
more powerful. Nemo builds the submarine to create his own world.
However, it is obvious that he still depends on the nature for his food. Even
the electricity needed to run his submarine comes from the processed sea
water.

Moral Values

We must not play god We must respect and appreciate nature

We must respect everyone’s need for freedom We must abide by the law

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Activity 1
Choose the most suitable characteristics for each character. Provide textual evidence for each trait.

Character Characteristics Textual Evidence
a.
Professor a.
Arronax b. b.
a.
Captain Nemo a. b.
c.
b. d.
a.
c. b.

d. c.
a.
Ned Land a. b.

b.

Conseil c.
a.
b.

courageous bold calm short-tempered
selfless kind scientific genius
determined curious
loyal courageous
good
harpooning

skills

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Activity 2

Complete the story wheel in simple words. The beginning has been done for you.

Professor Aronnax gets an
invitation to head an
expedition to seek and
destroy a strange sea
monster

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Activity 3

Choose any one event that you are reading in the story. Write 5 sentences about it. Rewrite the
sentences in a paragraph using appropriate sentence connectors. Write the setting of the event in the
speech bubble.

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Activity 4
Rewrite these dialogues into indirect speech. Use the character’s name.

“No, but it’s my duty to serve
you.”

1.
“I am not a civilised man. I have broken all
ties with the civilised world on land. I don’t
obey its rules. I make my own rules…”

2.

“But sir, don’t you think that this
wealth doesn’t belong to you, it belongs

to the men from other countries.”

3.

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

“Perhaps we can signal them, and
maybe then they will understand

that we are friends.”

4.
“The captain must have put
something in our food to make

us sleepy.”

5.

“Oh no! Run fast! Fast! We are
being attacked by the savages.”

7. 6.

PPD Kinta Utara “It will never happen, as you have
stumbled on a secret, which the world
should never know! So, I can’t permit

you to go back.”

9

Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

“Our chance has come! I went up on
deck and made out some land about

twenty miles to the east. Meet us
near the boat at ten tonight!”

8.

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Activity 5 EFFECT

Write the cause and the effect of the event stated.
CAUSE

1.
a chain of ice mountains

2. Professor Aronnax felt drowsy, Ned
and Conseil fell into a deep sleep.
Ned hits the creature with the
3. harpoon and there is a terrible

crash…

4. An enormous iceberg turned over Captain Nemo rams the warship
5. from below where it is not
6. protected.

The bolts broke and the boat was
thrown in

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Activity 6
Compare and contrast the two characCteOrMs bPeAloRwE .AWNDritCeOinNTthReAsSpTace provided.

Professor Aronnax Captain Nemo

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Activity 7

STORY BINGO

WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR EACH GROUP?
 A- MARKERS
 B- QUESTIONS
 C- 4 NUMBER BOARDS
 D- NUMBERED TILES (1-32)

HOW DO YOU PLAY THE GAME?
 Put the numbered tiles in a pouch.
 Each member of the group takes turn to pick a number and tells her/his number out aloud.
 Whoever has the number on her/his board will answer the question for that number.
 Upon getting the answer right he/she will place a marker over that number on the number
board.
 Anyone who completes all the numbers on her/his number board will shout ‘Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’ and becomes the winner.

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

A. MARKERS

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

B. QUESTIONS

1. How many children does Captain Nemo have?
2. What is the whirlpool called?
3. When was the sea monster first sighted?
4. What was the Professor’s first guess about the giant creature?
5. Who is Professor Aronnax’s manservant?
6. What’s the name of the ship for the expedition?
7. What is the name of the submarine?
8. What is the alphabet engraved on all the crockery?
9. What is Ned Land’s nickname?
10. Where was the underwater forest?
11. Which animal is shot in the underwater forest?
12. What kind of people lived on the island of New Guinea?
13. What happened to Ned and Conseil after eating the food served in the cell?
14. What is Ceylon famous for?
15. What was the East Indian diver looking for?
16. What attacked the East Indian diver?
17. What was the weapon Captain Nemo had with him when he tried to save the diver?
18. How did Ned save Captain Nemo from the shark?
19. Where is the graveyard of the old wrecked ships that were filled with treasure?
20. What is the name of the ruined crumbled town underwater?
21. Where was the ice tunnel?
22. Who said that after coming into Nautilus one is not allowed to leave it?
23. What did Professor Aronnax take with him just before he escaped from the Nautilus?
24. How did the three men plan to escape?
25. Why did Professor Aronnax want to leave Nautilus?
26. Where did the professor regain consciousness?
27. How was the Nautilus powered?
28. Food for the Nautilus crew comes from the ….
29. Why did the Ned and Conseil run for their lives off the New Guinea Island?
30. Who did not join in the underwater land hunting trip?
31. How long did they have before the oxygen supply was depleted?
32. What animal was caught and roasted at the New Guinea Island?

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

C. NUMBER BOARDS

2 27 5 8

23 11 29 14

1 46 28

9 31 21 18

17 19 20 10

25 3 13 30

7 16 22 24
26 12 15 32

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

D. NUMBERED TILES

12345678

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

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Graphic Novel 20,000 Leagues under the Sea

Activity 8
Fill in the sections with events from the novel to show the different parts of the story.

CLIMAX

RISING ACTION FALLING ACTION
EXPOSITION RESOLUTION

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POETRY NEWS BREAK

What is a poem?

A poem is a piece of writing that usually has figurative
language and that is written in separate lines that often have a
repeated rhythm and sometimes rhyme.

The Author

Maxwell Edgar Fatchen or Max Fatchen (3 August Born 3 September 1920
1920 – 14 October 2012) was an Australian journalist Adelaide, South
and children's writer. Fatchen spent his childhood on Australia
an Adelaide Plains farm at Angle Vale. He learned to
drive a team of Clydesdale horses and did part of his High Died 14 October
School studies at home, driving his horse and buggy in 2012 (aged 92)
once a week to Gawler High School to get his papers Gawler, South Australia
corrected. Later he entered journalism as a copy boy and
after five years in the Australian Army and Royal Occupation Author
Australian Air Force during World War II became a
journalist with The News and later The Advertiser.. He Nationality Australian
wrote 20 books; his novels appear in seven countries and
his poetry throughout the English-speaking world. He Notable Walkley Award (1996)
wrote for children in the primary school group. Three of awards
his books have received commendation in the Children's
Book of the Year Award. He was made a Member of Spouse Jean Wohlers (m. 1942)
the Order of Australia in 1980, the Advance Australia
Award for literature in 1991, the Walkley Award for
journalism in 1996 the Primary English Teaching
Associations Award for children's poetry in 1996 and the
SA Great Award for Literature in 1999 and the
2003 Centenary of Federation Medal for service to the
community in journalism, poetry and writing for children.
He died on 14 October 2012 in his sleep.

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POETRY NEWS BREAK

Explanation of Stanzas

 The mother is surprised that her child

STANZA 1 suddenly comes back home and kisses her.

Now why so loving, darling, The child has even offered to help his/her

And why the sudden kiss? mother to do house chores.
You’d help me with some little jobs?

For goodness sake, what’s this?

STANZA 2  It is the first time that the mother could see
Your face is clean for once, dear. that her child comes back home from
school wearing school uniform which is
Your clothes without a crease. still neat and clean, and with clean face.
You saved your luncheon money? She/He even saves her/his pocket money
which is given to buy lunch.
Will wonders never cease?

STANZA 3  Being an active child, he/she always drops
No dropping of your school books, his/her school books once entering the
house. He/She does not even care to check
No shrieking, childish treble. the homework given by the teachers, in
Today you are a lamb, love, fact prefers to do his/her own activities.
But on that day, the child comes back
Where yesterday a rebel. home from school with a good manner.
Putting his/her books nicely and becomes
so good and nice.

STANZA 4  The mother, being surprised, could not
But surely you’re some stranger, believe that is her child because he/she acts
totally different from before. No jumping
No rage or hullabaloo. and playing here and there. The mother
even asks her child to come closer to her to
Come closer, let me look, dear, really understand the changing of his/her
behavior.
Can this be REALLY you?

STANZA 5  The changing in his/her behavior is so
obvious that the mother thought that it
Now were you struck by lightning might be because of an incident that gives
her child that great impact. It is not long
Or were you stunned at sport? after that, that the mother realizes that her
Ah… now I see the reason. child suddenly becomes well-mannered
because he/she brings back his/her school
You’ve brought your school report! report!

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POETRY NEWS BREAK

Synopsis

The persona is surprised that her child suddenly came back home and kissed her. The
child has even offered to help the persona to do household chores. It was the first time
that the persona could see that her child came back home from school wearing school
uniform which was still neat and clean, and with clean face. She/He even saved his/her
pocket money which was given to buy lunch. Being an active child, he/she always
dropped his/her school books once entered the house. He/She did not even care to check
the homework given by the teachers; in fact he/she preferred to do his/her own activities.
But on that day, the child came back home from school with a good manner. Putting
his/her books nicely and became so good and nice. The persona, being surprised, could
not believe that was her child because he/she acted totally different from before. No
jumping and playing here and there. The persona even asked her child to come closer to
her to really understand the changing of his/her behaviour. The change in his/her
behaviour was so obvious that the persona thought that it might be because of an incident
that gave the child a great impact. It was not long after that, that the persona realized that
the child suddenly became well-mannered because he/she brought back his/her school
report.

Themes  Having ulterior motives.
 Being honest to your parents.
Setting  Parents should be mindful of their children’s behaviour.
 Inside a house, where a child comes back from school and
Point of View
Moral Values/Message the persona is waiting for the child to come back as usual.
 First person point of view. The persona is observing the
Tone/Mood
Imagery child from her perspective.
 Being honest to the parents.
Rhetoric question  Funny, Happy
Metaphor
 No rage or hullabaloo
 For goodness sake, what’s this?
 Today you are a lamb, love.

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POETRY NEWS BREAK

Activity 1

Pair work. Write the meaning of the sentences based on what you understand from the stanza that
you have studied.

STANZA MEANING

Now why so loving, darling,

And why the sudden kiss?
You’d help me with some little jobs?

For goodness sake, what’s this?

STANZA MEANING

Your face is clean for once, dear.
Your clothes without a crease.

You saved your luncheon money?
Will wonders never cease?

STANZA MEANING

No dropping of your school books,
No shrieking, childish treble.
Today you are a lamb, love,
Where yesterday a rebel.

STANZA MEANING
MEANING
But surely you’re some stranger,
No rage or hullabaloo. 22

Come closer, let me look, dear,
Can this be REALLY you?

STANZA

Now were you struck by lightning
Or were you stunned at sport?
Ah… now I see the reason.

You’ve brought your school report!

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POETRY NEWS BREAK

Activity 2

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words or expression from the poem.

The child reaches home and he hugs and kisses the persona (1) ________. The child

offers to rehaeslopn her with (2) _________. She nios ratagkeeonr haublalcakbalaonod wonders to herself,
(3)______s_tu_n_n_e, dwhat’s this? The child looks like ascdhifofoelrebnotopkesrson, as the child’s face is clean

for once afnodr cglooothdensesasresa(4k)e __________. The childwhiathsosuatvaedcrheiass/heer luncheon money. Looking

lovingly shrieking

at the child with a puzzled look, she marvels that the child does not drop his/her (5)
some little jobs school report

__________ and displays a quiet behaviour, there is no (6) __________ as the child was a lamb

compared to the day before when he/she was a rebel. The persona is sure the person standing in

front of her showing (7) __________ must be a stranger. She looks at the child closely and
thinks he/she might be having concussion or is (8) __________. Ah… then she sees the

(9) _________, the child has brought back his/her (10) __________. As she says, wonders will

never cease.

reason no rage or hullabaloo
stunned school books
for goodness sake without a crease
lovingly shrieking
some little jobs school report

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POETRY NEWS BREAK

Activity 3

Based on the poem “News Break” by Max Fatchen, answer the following questions.

1. In stanza 1, what act did the child do that surprises the persona?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. In stanza 2, what do you think the child usually uses the money for?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. In stanza 3, why did the persona use the word ‘lamb’ to describe her child?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. In stanza 4, why did the persona think that her child is a stranger?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. In stanza 5, why did the school report have totally transformed the child into someone else?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. If you were to show your school report to your parents, how would you behave? Why?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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POETRY NEWS BREAK

Activity 4
Fill in the blanks with the moral values you have learned from the poem .

____________
__________

_______-
________

NEWS BREAK

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POETRY NEWS BREAK

Activity 5

Fill in the bubbles with adjectives from the poem which can describe the child.

ADJECTIVES

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POETRY SAD I AMS

By: Trevor Millum

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POETRY SAD I AMS

Trevor Millum has published several books of poetry for children including Warning – Too Much
Schooling Can Damage Your Health, A Stegosaurus is for Life and other animal poems and, in
collaboration with Bernard Young, Double Talk.

His poems also appear in many children’s anthologies. Trevor has also published many short
stories and one novel The Curious Case of Dr. Mann. Trevor co-edited Psychopoetica for many
years and is the resident poet on the Teach it website.

In addition to raising money through sonnet-writing marathons, he writes educational materials,
books and articles on ICT, creativity and English.

The poem is about the feeling of sadness. The title itself foreshadows a profound sense of
sadness felt by the persona and this is emphasized by the word ‘Ams’, which is
deliberately used to depict the plural form.

Every now and then we may experience sadness. In this poem, the poet wants us to
experience the idea of sadness through the ‘eyes’ and images of the things we may
neglect or discard in our lives. The poet invites us to think about their feelings as
neglected, overused, damaged or discarded items. He draws inspirations from these
forgotten or unusable items to help us relate to the subject of sadness and the plight of
inanimate things. What would they say if they are given a voice? How do we feel if we
are neglected or unwanted? These are the questions that the poet wants us to think about
when reading this poem.

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POETRY SAD I AMS

STANZA MEANING
1
The persona is feeling sad. He associates his feelings to discarded
items like the ring pull of an empty Cola can, the scrapings of an
unwashed porridge pan and the severed arm of an Action Man.
These items are regarded as unimportant and because of that they
are thrown away. The persona laments on this feeling of neglect.

The persona’s sense of sadness and helplessness are represented by
the objects like the envelope on which the gum is gone, the
Sellotape where its end cannot be found, the stapler without
2 staples, the bulldog clip without a spring, the dried-up liquid paper
that makes more mess and the stamped addressed reply which is
never sent. These objects are considered insignificant, as they are
unable to function as they should be.

The persona feels worthless. He connects himself to things like the
battery with no charge left, the starter motor which does not move,
the tyre which is worn out, the spark plug which does not give
3 spark, the dirty carburettor which is filled with dirt and the
chromium trim which does not shine. These things are worthless as
they do not function anymore and their shelf life has expired.

The persona feels neglected. His feeling is comparable to the
unattended garden that is full of weeds, the unread and untouched
library books, the abandoned and hungry stray and the piece of
4 good advice that no one ever listens to. These items are left
unnoticed as no one bothers to pay attention to them. The persona
feels dejected over such treatment.

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POETRY SAD I AMS

Time : The present
Place :
in a trash bin, in a kitchen, in an eatery, in a playroom, in a living hall, in a study room,
in an office, in a pencil case, on the study table, in the school, in a school bag, in a
drawer, in a car workshop, in a garden, in the library, on a street, in the mind

The persona is a person who is overwhelmed by sadness. He is either a person who is dejected,
neglected, forgotten, unwanted or even unloved. He desired to be useful, attractive and loved again.

The poem is written in the first person point of view

 Sadness and desolation 30
 Perception of worthlessness
 Nostalgic and regretful when people neglected or rejected him.

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POETRY SAD I AMS

1. Dealing with Sadness.

 The experience of sadness by the persona in the poem is projected through the
objects, which are thrown away, neglected, rejected, overlooked or abandoned by
people.

 It is natural for human to feel sad at times for various reasons. However, it is
important not to be consumed by sadness and let it ruin our lives. We need to control
this emotion and to allow happiness to flow in.

2. Neglect, Abandonment and Rejection.

 All objects should be treated with care, love and respect.
 There are people who are careless and indifferent towards things. They casually

throw away old and unwanted things without caring about the people or the
environment.
 The old, weak, infirm and disabled are sometimes neglected by the society. These
less fortunate people may be voiceless or not loud enough to be heard but they have
feelings too. They want to be cared and be a part of a living, thriving and vibrant
society.

3. The Importance of Recycling

 We should open our eyes and see the potentials in all things.
 Some of the humble, old, unused and unwanted things can be reused or recycled into

something new and useful.
 With a little creativity, we can create wonderful things, which could be in different

forms and be sold.
 Objects, which are lifeless and lack lustre, can be brought to life again and be turned

into something productive and valuable.
 By practicing the 3R Concept : Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, we are giving nature a

helping hand in preserving our environment.

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POETRY SAD I AMS

1. Show Love, Compassion and Kindness towards Others.

 We must be kind and compassionate to others
 Everything in this world has some use and purpose. They served us according to their

nature and make. So, treat them with love, compassion and kindness when it is old, hurt or
less attractive.

2. Cherish The Things That You Have and Make Good Use of Them.

 All the items mentioned in the poem are neglected by their owners. However, many do
not realise that they have not utilise the items to its potential. The items are still be of
value if we really give a thought about it.

3. Be More Sensitive and Respect the Feelings of Others

 Humans and animals must be treated with dignity and respect
 They must not be thoughtlessly discarded.

4. We Must Think Positively

 We must think positively at all times.
 We must not have doubts about our self-worthiness when we get neglected or rejected by

others.

5. Be Vigilant and Creative in Recycling Efforts

 In order to save the environment, it is important for use to find ways to reduce, reuse and
recycle goods.

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POETRY SAD I AMS

Form & Structure:

 Free verse, written in four stanzas.
 Inconsistent rhyming pattern.
 Varying line lengths.
 Repetition of “I am”.

Literary Devices:

 Metaphor
Comparing himself to those neglected or discarded items to highlight the element of

sadness.

 Personification
The neglected or abandoned objects are given human characteristics and feelings.

 Imagery
The poet uses visual images to paint pictures in our minds as we read the poem.

 Irony
- The irony of a piece of good advice that would normally be taken heed is ignored and

neglected.

- The irony of having a battery without power

- The irony of having books in the library but no one reads them.

 Alliteration
Some words in the sentences begin with the same consonant sound or letter.

 Rhythm
The rhythm is created by using the repetitive words of “ I am”.

 Rhyme
End rhyme is used in the poem.

For eg. - can – pan

weeds – reads

feed - need

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POETRY SAD I AMS

ACTIVITY 1: Finding Synonym

The word search below contains the synonyms for the word ‘sad’. Find all the hidden words in this
word search. You can use a highlighter to identify them or circle the words as the sample given.

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POETRY SAD I AMS

ACTIVITY 2: Dealing with Emotions

We experience various emotions every day. Complete the tasks below and ponder about how you deal with
this particular emotion.

1. Draw a sad face. 2. What kind of a feeling is
sadness?

Comfortable

Uncomfortable

Neutral

3. What are three things that make you feel sad? 35

i) ___________________________________________________
ii) ___________________________________________________
iii) ___________________________________________________

4. Think of the time when you felt sad.
i) How did it feel in your body?
________________________________________________
ii) What thoughts did you have?
________________________________________________
iii) What did you do at that time?
________________________________________________

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POETRY SAD I AMS

5. What are the things you could try to make you feel happy or less sad?

i) __________________________________________________
ii) __________________________________________________
iii) __________________________________________________
iv) __________________________________________________
v) __________________________________________________

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POETRY SAD I AMS

E MODULE BACYTJIJVSITEYC3O: NADTAellR-tYaleSCHOOL TEACHERS] Sad I Ams

Fill in the blanks with the words found in the poem. You can fill in more than one word in each blank space.
Use the pictures given to guide you.

ET 3

nks with theThweopredrssonfaouinntdheinpotehmetaplkoseambo.uRt heisfeferetliongtshoef psaidcnteusrseasndgibveeinng.

neglected. He expresses these feelings by comparing himself to several

things found at home. The metal (1) ………… from a drink can and food (2)

ersona in the…p…o…e…m……te…llsfroomf hainsufneweaslihnegd spoorrfidsgeadpanneasres uasnuadllybdeisicnagrdende, gaslected. To
they do not serve any purpose. Broken parts of last year’s

e feelings, h(3e)..c...o...m....p...a...r..e...s...harime ussueallflyttohroswenvoeurtatolot.hings found in the home. The

………… from a drink can and food (2) ………………..

ashed porridge pan are usually discarded. Broken parts of discarded last

………….. The (4) ........................ will be useful if it could be sealed with gum. Other stationery items
such as, sticky tape, (5)....................... equipped with staples, (6) ........................ clip and
liquid paper are only worth keeping if there are serviceable.

(3) are usually thrown out too. Only (4) …………………...

with gum aTrhee suasmeefiudel.a Saptpiclieksytotapaprtes,ofaa tcoaro. tThhlee(s7)s...(.5...)...............................m..u..s.t.b..e..w.ell-charged and, the

starter motor must be workable in order for the car to run well. A lifeless sparking plug, a
choked (8) ...................... and a dull chromium trim will make the car lose its value.

…………………… clip and liquid paper are popular items in our

stationary aids. However, they are useful if they are serviceable. The same

s of a car. PPD (K7i)n…t a…U…t a…r a ………….. 37

The must be well-charged

er motor workable for the car to work well. A lifeless sparking plug, a choked

POETRY SAD I AMS

The persona feels worthless and unwanted like an unkempt (9) ................ , an untouched
library book and an unfed (10) .................. on the street or an unheeded piece of good advice.

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POETRY SAD I AMS

ACTIVITY 5: Enrichment – Let’s Get Creative

Trevor Millum has wonderfully expressed the persona feelings through a poem. Let us write an ‘I am’ poem
to express a different emotion using the template below. You could refer to the sample ‘I Am Poem’ prepared
by a student your age.

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POETRY SAD I AMS

Sample ‘I Am Poem’ :

I Am Poem

I am frightened.
I wonder what these people are thinking.
I hear people shouting at me.
I see soldiers beside me.
I want this to end.

I am terrified.
I pretend I am already in heaven.
I feel blood and sweat on my face.
I touch the painful wound
I worry that I may not survive.
I cry thinking about my family back home.

I am scared.
I understand I have to die.

I say, “Father, forgive these people.”
I dream I am not here.
I try to understand people who hate me.
I hope that I can make it through.

I am horrified.

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