Poems English Form 2

English Form 2 Poems

Poems

Poem: My Hero

All About the Poet

Willis Hall

 Born on 6 April 1929 in Hunslet, Leeds.
 Married a total of four times. The first three marriages ended in divorce.
 English playwright and radio and television writer.
 Attended local council schools as well as Cockburn High School.
 After graduation, he worked as a factory worker, a trawler hand and an amusement park

attendant.
 During national service in Malaya, he wrote plays for Chinese children.
 These plays were broadcast on Radio Malaya.
 Wrote his first play, ‘The Disciplines of War’, which was about British soldiers ambushed in the

Malayan jungle.
 Partnered writer, Keith Waterhouse, in adapting Waterhouse’s novel, ‘Billy Liar’ (1959).
 Formed the company ‘Waterhall Productions’ with Waterhouse.
 Together, they produced more than 250 scripts for theatre, film and television.
 Wrote more than a dozen children’s books like ‘Henry Hollins and the Dinosaur’.
 Wrote a musical about the scarecrow Worzel Gummidge and others based on the books

‘Treasure Island’ and ‘The Wind in the Willows’.
 Wrote the script for the successful project, ‘Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure’ (1996).
 Died of esophageal cancer on 7 March 2005 at his home in Ghyll Mews, Ilkley in West Yorkshire.

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English Form 2 Poems

My Hero
Willis Hall

My dad’s as brave as a dad can be, Vocabulary Chamber

I rate1 him Number One, 1 judge

He’s not afraid2of the dead of night3, 2 feeling fear or worry
Or anything under the sun4. 3 very late at night
4 any place or anywhere
5 happening late at night
6 a series of moving pictures shown in a cinema
or on television, movie
He’s not afraid of a late-night5 film6, 7 things that are very shocking or frightening
8 television
Full of 7 on the telly8, 9 the frame of bones supporting a human or an

horrors

And is he afraid of skeletons9? animal body
10 there is no possibility of that (humorous),
10 not on your life
11 short form of them (informal)
Not dad, not on your Nelly!

12 frighten
13 beat, win against someone in a fight, etc.
14 dead people who come back to life and suck
He’s not afraid of meeting ghosts, blood from other people at night
He’d even smile and greet ‘em11,
And things that scar1e2 most dads the most, 15 catch, take hold of
16 an invention that cannot be controlled by

the person who created it, especially when it

My dad could just defea1t3 ‘em. causes harm that the inventor did not intend
17 make someone worried, unhappy, angry
18 show that something is true
19 get rid of

He’s not afraid of vampire1s4, tivity

Or a wolf-man come to ge1t5 him, AcPAK-21 Recite Poems
If Frankenstein’s monste1r6 knocked on our door,
He wouldn’t let that upse1t7 him. Task

✿ Turn to page 74. Read the poem aloud to

students.
✿ Divide students into groups of four or five.

✿ Ask each group to recite the poem with the

My dad’s as brave as a dad can be, correct stress, intonation, pronunciation
and rhythm.

And he’s always ready to prov1e8 it. ✿ Next, get students to recite any poem about
their 'hero'. It can be any of their family

So why, when a spider’s in the bath, members, a teacher, a neighbour or a
stranger. They can use the poem 'My Hero'

Does Mum have to come and remov1e9 it? as a guide.
✿ Select the group that can recite the poem

well.

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English Form 2 Poems

Understanding the Poem

Synopsis The poem is about the persona’s dad. His dad is his hero, always as brave as a dad
Literal Meaning can be. He rates his dad as Number One because he is not afraid of darkness nor
anything in the world. He is not afraid of watching horror films on television late
at night. Nor is he afraid of skeletons. When he meets ghosts, he will smile and
greet them. Anything that most dads are frightened of, the persona’s dad could
just defeat them. The persona’s hero is so brave that he is not afraid of vampires
or a wolf-man coming to attack him. He will not be upset if a Frankenstein’s
monster comes to knock on their door. His dad is always ready to prove his
bravery or courage, but somehow or other the persona’s dad has his weakness.
He is afraid of spiders and whenever he finds one in the bath, the persona’s mum
has to come to his rescue.
With pride, the persona first recounts how heroic his father is. However,
the rhetorical question in the last two lines shows the persona’s curiosity and
puzzlement because the heroic father is afraid of a spider.

 Stanza 1
This stanza tells us that the persona admires his dad very much. For him, he

would rate his dad as Number One, which means he is the best. He says such
as his dad is not afraid of darkness or anything under the sun (anything for
that matter).
 Stanza 2
The persona tells us more about his dad. According to him, his dad is not
afraid of watching horror films on television late at night. Moreover, he is
not afraid of horror scenes of skeletons, too. The phrase ‘not on your Nelly’
is used to emphasise the bravery of the persona’s dad.
 Stanza 3
The persona goes on to say that his dad is not even afraid of ghosts. He would
smile and greet them if he comes across them. There are many things that
would frighten most dads but the persona’s dad would just defeat them.
 Stanza 4
The persona’s dad is not afraid of vampires or a wolf-man who comes to
attack him. He is also not in the least bothered if Frankenstein’s monster
comes knocking on the door.
 Stanza 5
The persona’s dad is indeed very brave and he is always eager to prove how
brave he is. However, the persona wonders why the heroic dad is afraid of a
spider in the bath and needs the persona’s mum to throw away the spider in
the bath.

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English Form 2 Poems

Elements of the Poem

Setting  Place – not specified; only the bathroom is mentioned.
Persona  Time – the present
Themes
 The persona is an intelligent and observant child.
Moral Values/  The persona is the ‘voice’ in the poem – ‘I’ and ‘my’ of the poem.
Messages
 Bravery
Tone The persona refers to his dad as ‘My Hero’. This is because his hero is brave
Mood
Language enough to handle horrors, monsters, vampires and ghosts. Even when a
wolf-man comes along, he is not in the least frightened.
 Human weakness
The persona’s hero can be so brave that he can deal with monsters, vampires,
ghosts and a wolf-man. He is also not afraid of the darkness and horrors, and
he is always ready to prove it. But a hero can have his own weakness, too. In
this case, the persona’s hero is afraid of a spider in the bath. He would call for
the persona’s mum to remove it. No one is invincible – even the brave ones
have a phobia or two.

 We must be brave when faced with adversity
We must face challenges in life bravely, as in the poem, where the persona’s

hero is not afraid of anything under the sun, be it ghosts, darkness, monsters,
vampires, skeletons or a wolf-man.
 We must learn to accept human weakness/ flaw
Human beings have their own weakness no matter how brave, strong or
powerful they may be. In the poem, the persona’s hero deals with monsters
and whatever horrors calmly. But a hero he may be, he has his weakness. He
is not afraid of monsters, vampires and ghosts which many people would be
afraid of, but when it comes to a little spider in the bath, the persona’s mum
has to help him out. We must learn to accept that all human beings have
their own weakness. Also, we are all humans and no one is perfect. Thus, we
must not be afraid to admit our faults and weaknesses.

 The tone is one of admiration as the poet describes his dad’s bravery. It is
a monologue as the poet rattles on about admiring his dad’s bravery that
matches none.

 There is a shift of tone (with a touch of irony and humour) in the last stanza.
It springs a surprise that the poet’s dad, who is as brave as he is, could still
be very afraid of a spider in the bath.

The general emotion or feeling in the poem is light and playful. Dad may pretend
to be heroic in all the fantasies about monsters and vampires but in reality, he is
not that brave. He has a fear of spiders.

 Language is simple. The use of words like ‘dead of night’, ‘late-night’,
‘skeletons’, ‘Frankenstein’s monster’, ‘vampires’, etc. convey to the readers
how brave the poet’s dad is.

 The use of the creature ‘spider’ gives us the impression that the poet’s dad
has his weakness too, even though he may be very brave.

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English Form 2 Poems

Enrichment [1 mark]
[1 mark]
Read the poem below carefully. Then, answer questions (a) – (d). [1 mark]
My Hero

My dad’s as brave as a dad can be,
I rate him Number One,
He’s not afraid of the dead of night,
Or anything under the sun.
He’s not afraid of a late-night film,
Full of horrors on the telly,
And is he afraid of skeletons?
Not dad, not on your Nelly!
He’s not afraid of meeting ghosts,
He’d even smile and greet ‘em,
And things that scare most dads the most,
My dad could just defeat ‘em.
He’s not afraid of vampires,
Or a wolf-man come to get him,
If Frankenstein’s monster knocked on our door,
He wouldn’t let that upset him.
My dad’s as brave as a dad can be,
And he’s always ready to prove it.
So why, when a spider’s in the bath,
Does Mum have to come and remove it?

Willis Hall

Consolidation 1

(a) In Stanza 1, which phrase shows that the persona thinks his father is the best?

(b) In Stanza 3, what would the persona’s dad do when he meets ghosts?

(c) In Stanza 4, why does the persona use the words ‘vampires’ and ‘wolf-man’?

KHBOATTS

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English Form 2 Poems

( d) In Stanza 5, what does it imply about human beings? Give two reasons for your response. [1 mark]
KHBOATTS (i) [1 mark]

(ii)

Consolidation 2

(a) In Stanza 2, what films are shown on the television late at night?

[1 mark]

(b) In Stanza 4, how would the persona’s dad react when a Frankenstein’s monster knocks on their door?
[1 mark]

(c) In Stanza 5, what is the persona’s dad afraid of?

[1 mark]

(d) The persona rates his father as Number One.
HKBOATTS How would you rate your father? Give a reason for your response.

Response : [1 mark]

Reason :

[1 mark]

Consolidation 3 [1 mark]
[1 mark]
(a) What is the poem about?
[1 mark]
( b) Who do you think Frankenstein is?
[1 mark]
HKBOATTS [1 mark]

(c) In Stanza 5, what puzzles the persona?

KHBOATTS

(d) The persona admires his dad by penning his heroic acts in a poem.
HKBOATTS State two ways in which you admire your dad.

(i)
(ii)

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English Form 2 Poems

Poem: What Is Red?

All About the Poet

Mary O’Neill

 She was born in 1906 in New York City.

 She was died of heart failure on January 2, 1990, in Yuma (Ariz.) Regional
Medical Center. She was 84 years old.

 Educated at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, Western Reserve University in
Cleveland and the University of Michigan, USA.

 Was involved in advertising, journalism and writing.

 She was an advertising copywriter in Cleveland before becoming a freelance
writer.

 Became a partner in her own advertising agency.

 Was a popular poet and children’s author.

 Her books include the acclaimed books of verse ‘Hailstones and Halibut
Bones’, ‘People I’d Like to Keep’ and the distinguished ‘Saints: Adventures
in Courage’.

 In ‘Hailstones and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Color’, she wrote poems
about colours. The poems explore the fascinating world of colours and its
relationship with the other senses. The poem ‘What is Red?’ is from this
acclaimed and much-loved collection. The book was used as a supplementary
text in schools in the United States and abroad.

 After the death of her husband, John, she joined the Peace Corps in 1970,
and taught journalism and writing for several years in Ghana and Costa
Rica.

 She is survived by two daughters, a stepson and four grandchildren.

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English Form 2 Poems

What Is Red? Activity
Mary O’Neill
PAK-21 Brainstorming and Stretch to Sketch

Red is a sunset Vocabulary Chamber
Blazing1 and bright2. 1 extremely hot
Red is feeling brave 2 strong in colour, noticeable
With all your might3. 3 strength, power, force
Red is a sunburn4 4 a condition in which your skin is red and sore
Spot5 on your nose.
Sometimes red because you have spent too much time in the sun
Is a red red rose. 5 a small mark on a person’s skin
Red squiggles6 out 6 curves and twists in a way that is not regular
When you cut your hand. 7 shy, ashamed
Red is a brick 8 extra things which improve the appearance of
And the sound of a band.
Red is hotness something, decorations
You get inside 9 a movement or sound that gives information, a
When you’re embarrassed7
And want to hide. message, a warning, etc.
Fire-cracker, fire-engine 10 warn someone of danger or an accident that seems
Fire-flicker red —
And when you’re angry likely to happen
Red runs through your head. 11 most important
Red is an Indian, 1 2 behaves in a way intended to attract attention

A Valentine heart.
The trimmings8 on
A circus cart.
Red is a lipstick
Red is a shout
Red is a signa9l
That says: ‘Watch ou1t0!’
Red is a great big
Rubber ball.
Red is the giantes1t1
Colour of all.
Red is a show-o1f2f,
No doubt about it —
But can you imagine
Living without it?

8

English Form 2 Poems

Understanding the Poem

Synopsis The poem is about the persona’s fascination for the colour red. The persona also
Literal Meaning relates her everyday happenings to the colour red; what she sees, what she feels
and what she experiences.

Colours have great effects on our lives. We see colours every day and
everywhere. In this poem, red is a strong and energetic colour. It is a colour of
beauty like the sunset. Red is a symbol of bravery, as in ‘Red is feeling brave with
all your might’. Red is a symbol of blood, as in ‘Red squiggles out when you cut
your hand’. Everywhere the colour red stands out. The symbolisms of red appeal
to the reader’s sense of sight, hearing and touch.

The persona depicts the colour red in terms of feelings (embarrassment,
anger), smell (blood), touch (sunburn, lipstick), hearing (signal, shout), vision
(red rose, sunset), and other sensory images in imaginative ways. The colour red
is impressive and is widely used. These have made red seemingly an arrogant
colour.

Finally, the persona poses the question – can we live without the colour red?
Red is the sunset on the horizon, blazing in all its brightness. Red is a symbol of
bravery in all its might. The sunburned spot on one’s nose is also red. Blood is
red too. Red appears when you cut your hand. Brick is red. The sound of a band
is red too, in that it is loud. Red is hotness when someone is angry but red is
blushes when someone wants to hide his embarrassment. Fire-cracker and fire-
engine are all fire-flicker red. The colour red is found in its natural state in many
things, and many things and situations are associated with or tinged with it.
The poet continues to showcase the colour red. She pinpoints that we have
the Red Indian. Red is associated with a Valentine heart for red is a symbol of
passion, of the heart, of love and everything loving and lovely. Red is everywhere;
the trimmings of the circus cart, lipstick and a signal of danger.
Red is a great big rubber ball. Red is the brightest colour as it stands out
among others. What would the world be if there is no red?

Elements of the Poem

Persona  The persona is probably a child or a very young person.
Themes  Her favourite colour is most likely red.
 The persona thinks about the colour red in everything that she sees and

does.

 God’s creation
God has created the colour red to make the world bright, beautiful and

colourful. On the other hand, He has also created the colour red as to show of
anger, passion, bravery and embarrassment.
 Appreciation of the surroundings
The colour red has made our surroundings a difference. Appreciate what the
colour red has to offer to each and every one of us.
 Colours make our life interesting
Without colours, our life would be bland. Colours lend wonder and splendour
to our spectacular world.

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English Form 2 Poems

Moral Values/  Appreciate God’s creation
Messages We need to appreciate God’s creation of the colour red. There are so many

Tone things in this world that have that colour. Without the colour red, the
Mood world would be a dull, placid and monotonous place. The poet shows an
appreciation for the colour red in the poem by connecting the colour to a
Language spectrum of physical and non-physical things.
 Be sensitive to colours, especially to red
We must be sensitive to colours because they can be a warning of ill health,
emotion and danger. For example, a red light is a signal to stop and to
allow other vehicles to pass. Red is associated with feelings of anger. Red
is a popular colour for the decorative balls and Santa Claus outfits during
Christmas and is of prosperity during Chinese New Year.

Comfortable and light, and soothing to know that the world is splashed with red.

 Evokes the feeling of happiness and passion in the reader. The use of the
colour red symbolises lots of feelings. It creates a very pleasing awareness of
the colour red in our everyday surroundings.

 A mixture of feelings is expressed through the poem:
♦ Blazing and bright – cheerfulness
♦ Red is feeling brave – bravery
♦ When you cut your hand – physical pain
♦ the sound of a band – audio
♦ When you’re embarrassed – embarrassment
♦ when you’re angry – anger
♦ Watch out – shock
♦ Red is a show-off – pride

 The poem has 36 lines but is not divided into stanzas.
 The language used is simple and straightforward.
 The ends of even numbered lines rhyme.
♦ bright / might (lines 2 and 4)
♦ nose / rose (lines 6 and 8)
♦ hand / band (lines 10 and 12)
♦ inside / hide (lines 14 and 16)
♦ red / head (lines 18 and 20)
♦ heart / cart (lines 22 and 24)
♦ shout / out (lines 26 and 28)
♦ ball / all (lines 30 and 32)
 An imagery is a word which creates pictures in the mind of the reader.
♦ Visual image – Red is a sunset, Red is a sunburn, spot on your nose
♦ Audio image – the sound of a band, Fire-cracker, fire-engine
 Personification – Red is personified in lines 33 and 34. The poet gives red

the quality of a human by calling the colour a show-off (a person who likes
to boast how rich or beautiful the person is).
 Rhetorical question – The one rhetorical question which ends the poem in
the last two lines makes us think about how dull our world would be if the
colour red is not around.

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English Form 2 Poems

Enrichment

Read the poem below carefully. Then, answer questions (a) – (d).

What is Red?

Red is a sunset And when you’re angry
Blazing and bright. Red runs through your head.
Red is feeling brave Red is an Indian,
With all your might. A Valentine heart.
Red is a sunburn The trimmings on
Spot on your nose. A circus cart.
Sometimes red Red is a lipstick
Is a red red rose. Red is a shout
Red squiggles out Red is a signal
When you cut your hand. That says: ‘Watch out!’
Red is a brick Red is a great big
And the sound of a band. Rubber ball.
Red is hotness Red is the giantest
You get inside Colour of all.
When you’re embarrassed Red is a show-off,
And want to hide. No doubt about it —
Fire-cracker, fire-engine But can you imagine
Fire-flicker red — Living without it?

Mary O’Neill

Consolidation 1

(a) Why is the word ‘Red’ repeated many times in the poem? [1 mark]

KHBOATTS [1 mark]
[1 mark]
( b) ‘Red is an Indian,

KHBOAT TS A Valentine heart.
The trimmings on
A circus cart.’
What is the feeling expressed in the four lines above?

(c) ‘Red is a signal
That says: ‘Watch out!’’
What do the lines above mean?

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English Form 2 Poems

(d) Do you like this poem? Give a reason for your response.

KHBOATTS Response : [1 mark]

Reason :

[1 mark]

Consolidation 2

(a) List one thing the poet thinks about when she sees red.

[1 mark]

( b) When does our skin turn red?

[1 mark]

(c) What human emotions are associated with the colour red?

[1 mark]

(d) What would happen if there is no red? Give a reason for your response.

KHBOATTS Response : [1 mark]

Reason :

[1 mark]

Consolidation 3 [1 mark]

(a) Name an element of nature that is red in appearance.

(b) ‘When you’re embarrassed
And want to hide.’
What does the poet want to convey in the two lines above?

[1 mark]

(c) State one thing that uses red as a symbolism of welcome. [1 mark]

HKBOATTS

( d) The poet has successfully conveyed to her readers the significance of red in their lives.
KHBOATTS Do you agree? Give a reason for your response.

Response : [1 mark]

Reason :

[1 mark]

12

ANSWERS

Poems Consolidation 2

Poem: My Hero (a) A sunset, a sunburned spot, blood, a Red Indian, a Valentine
heart, a brick (Choose any one)
Enrichment
(b) When we suffer from sunburn.
Consolidation 1 (c) Anger and embarrassment
(d) Response : The world would be a very dull, discoloured
(a) “I rate him Number One”
(b) He would smile and greet them. place.
(c) To emphasise his dad’s bravery as most fathers would be Reason : This is because red is the brightest and most

afraid of vampires and wolf-men. (Any suitable answer) beautiful colour among all. Red is a show-off
(d) (i) Human beings are brave when faced with monsters and and can be noticed from afar. (Any suitable
answer)
horrors.
(ii) Human beings have their own weakness./ It is not wise Consolidation 3

to pretend and boast of qualities that we have or do not (a) The sunset/ A red rose
have. (Any suitable answer) (b) When a person is embarrassed, there will be flushes of

Consolidation 2 red on his face. This is the red that he wants to hide from
others.
(a) Horror films/ Horror fiction (c) Red carpet
(b) He would not be stirred at all./ He would not be intimidated. (d) Response : Yes, I agree.
(c) He is afraid of spiders. Reason : The poet has successfully used imagery that
(d) Response : I would rate my father as Number One too.
Reason : He is the most caring and responsible father appeals to the reader’s senses, for instance,
the red sunset. The reader could imagine the
for he is always with us for dinner no matter red bright and blazing sunset. (Any suitable
how busy he is. (Any suitable answer) answer)

Consolidation 3

(a) It is about how brave the persona’s father is.
(b) He is most probably a scientist.
(c) The persona wonders how his dad can be so brave about

the most scary things yet he is so afraid of a little spider in
the bath.
(d) (i) Designing a birthday card.
(ii) Composing a song./ Baking a cake./ Cooking a meal.
(Choose any two)

Poem: What Is Red?

Enrichment

Consolidation 1

(a) To show the significance of the colour in our lives. (Any
suitable answer)
(b) Amusement/ Happiness (Any suitable answer)
(c) It means there is danger, so be careful.
(d) Response : Yes, I do.
Reason : This is because the poet has brought to my
attention that red is such a wonderful colour
for it has created such an immense effect on
our lives.
(Any suitable answer)

A1