Analysing ideas of prejudice and perception in Femi's 'Thirteen'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Femi uses star imagery, caesuras, and structural choices to express ideas of prejudice and perception in 'Thirteen'.
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.
Teacher tip
You might like to have the students map out some of the structural progression on their copies of the poem.
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
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A metaphor is...
Q2.Which of the following is an accurate summary of Femi's 'Thirteen'?
Q3.What is a caesura?
Q4.Which piece of contextual information is accurate for Femi's poetry?
Q5.Which of the following is a connotation of "star"?
Q6.Which of the following images suggests a lack of hope?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Throughout 'Thirteen' there is an extended metaphor of a...
Q2.To represent, express, or identify by a symbol is known as to...
Q3.Throughout the poem 'Thirteen', the image of the "star" changes from a "star", to a "supernova" to "black holes" - what might this indicate?
Q4.An unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc. is known as...
Q5.Starting with the first, put these words from the poem 'Thirteen' in the order they appear.
Q6.In the poem 'Thirteen', what is the significance of ending on the image of a black hole?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing ideas of prejudice and perception in Femi's 'Thirteen', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing ideas of prejudice and perception in Femi's 'Thirteen', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the 'World and Lives' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.