English literature poetry

• Eponynmous character
• Only towards end of poem do we realise he is imaginary
• Brendon dies when narrator's mother and reader discover he is imaginary
• Party autobiographical, regular form
• elegymournful or sombre rememberance of the dead - sometimes associated with funerals 
• elegy for Brendon or loss of childhood/innocence
• there is a diminishing effect towards the end of the poem, where the lines of the final two stanzas are shorter, which may reflect the exposure and death of Brendon Gallacher

Ozymandias - also explores the difference between illusion and reality

Casehistory Alison - has a similar sense of loss

The Horse Whisperer - both look back on past, have regretful tone, both narrators have a secret that they keep from others, but in Bendon Gallacher the illusion is over when the secret is revealed, whereas in The Horse Whisperer he keeps his secrets, both poems have a strong emotional bond within them - between the narrator and Brendon Gallacher, and between the horse whisperer and his horses.

The Clown Punk - strong impression of charcter with vivid description, twist at the end of both poems, clown punk is real although brendon isn't

• dramatic monologue
• middle line of each stanza is noticeably longer than others - shape poem like heart monitor
• short sentences, either because of condition or to take time
• juxtaposition
• present alison admires past self but pities her too
• strong sense of bitterness
• refers to herself as seperate person through third person, to contrast past and present
• title is ironic because alison knows few details about past self
• title reduces her to medical record, clinical and simple
• loss of self, life is fragile, shouldn't judge on how people appear
• something that universaly affects everyone is that one day we might look back on a photo of our former selves and wonder who we've become
• hopelessness, jealousy, sadness

My Last Duchess: example of monologue where person speaks directly to us, looking back at picture/painting

The Clown Punk: similar charcter that has been frozen in time

On a Portrait of a Deaf Man: deals with cruel loss, past/present scenarios - both described differently, reader experiences empathy in both poems, both deal with death

The Ruined Maid: uses the idea pof contrasts similarly in an effective way

The Hunchback In the Park: both deal with figures that are isolated in some way, disability as central theme, both warn against judging on appearance, reader feels sympathy 

• imagery and vocabulary used paint vivd image of character
• poet makes reader reflect on punk's rebellions
• the poem shows us the punk has made unwise decisions 
• theme shows how the intention to be intimidating has become comic
• the punk's tattoos give him an identity that he cannot escape, it's washed his brain
• he has been frozen in time
• no sympathy shown, presented as an irrelevant figure, only when tattoos become "sad"
• title is mimicking, clown can remove disguise whilst he can't
• single stanza of 24 lines, lines are pentameters 
• it is striking that although the tattoo ink is "indelible", the image of the clown punk can be washed away with windscreen wipers and rain in the minds of the children on the back sea

Give: deals with someone on the fringes of society, both characters make a scene by getting to close to an audience

The hunchback in the park: also shows children reacting with fear of an unusal stranger

Casehistory: is also about someone who is trapped in the past

Horse whisperer: both bring us face to face with an unusual character and let us learn something about them, focus on physical detail, suggestion of change over time

• armitage creates a powerful atmosphere is desperation
• poem cleverly brings together two separate worlds
• significant links with the details of the christmas story/relating to jesus
• the appearance of the homeless person is an unwelcome intrusion: 'make a scene'
• the sentences are short and words represent ordinary everyday language, strong desperation shown in third verse
• title- does he want money or sympathy/understanding
• change - does he want money or change in society
• regular form, five stanzas - surprises reader voice is educated? five stanzas like 3 fingers of outstretched hand
• irony makes us feel ashamed
• 'dear' makes us closer than we think to homeless, patronising, uncomfortable atmosphere

The Horse Whisperer: another example of an outsider who is rejected by society

The Ruined Maid: also explores the things people are prepared to do to survive

Checking Out Me History: is another poem which calls for change in attitudes 

Les Grand Seigneurs: both poems use fantastical and dramatic images - sword swallowing and castles and knights, both have ironic tone with some black humour, give is more challenging of the reader

Singh Song!: challenge to society's stereotypical views, both directly address reader, both use repeated sentence structure but with different affect 

• John agar uses an identifiable and distinctive voice that reflects his culture and background 
• poem makes us question our own assumptions about british history
• he argues that without a proper history a person has no proper identity
• structured as a song - makes it more accessible, educating without didacting, performance poetry
• repetition of 'dem' juxtaposes him against all of them, gives reader impression he's been told many times
• mimicks british history/eurocentric view
• descriptions of key people contain metaphors that are not found anywhere else
• knowledge is control, if you can control the knowledge that people have of their heritage you can control them, agard is saying to fight it like mary seacole who defied the british
• three characters associated with light and nature

Casehistory Alison: example of what happens when someone loses contact with their past

Give: both challenge the status quo, narrator is strong and direct in both, The tone in each poem is different: in give the tone is sarcastic, with a sense of hopelessness; whereas in checking out me history the tone is confident and aims to bring about change

Les Grand Seigneurs: both use historical imagery to make their points; both use fantastical imagery to subvert a message, both show change in power balance between narrator and other characters, narrator of LGS does not manage to carve her own identity

• poem has a strong distinctive voice which reflects on her experience
• complex range of metaphors used to explore her viewpoint of men/women relationships
• title translates to the great lords, which adds to understanding of poem, ironic compared to first three verses - men are patronising and foolish
• title establishes atmosphere of medieval world, men protect her - 'peach' high quality
• structure is used to reflect her changing relationship with men
• the poem offers us surprising insights as to how circumstances change us as people
• in the presence of men the speaker is sheltered from reality, they are described as a castle
• like birds they were desperate ti make themselves attractive to find a mate, they were entertaining and she enjoyed their attention, they filled every part of her world: the air, water and the earth
• her status changed instantly the moment she married, only rhyme used here 'wedded and bedded', less rich imagery compared to before

The Ruined Maid: is also about a woman whose life is defined by her relationship with men

Singh Song: also about relationships though singh song describes deep love, both women in poems are strong individuals who have a strong old over the men, both have elevated descripton - in les grands seigneurs metaphors to describe men are ridiculous, in singh song shop is turned into romantic bcakdrop

Medusa: both have unexpected take on relationships and in both husbands are less than perfect, both contain black humour - more intense in medusa, Both poems use an extended metaphor to drive the poem - in les grands seigneurs there is metaphor of courtly love, and in medusa the myth itself is a metaphor for a jealous woman.

• repetition of 'he' and 'his' outs Brendon Callacher at the centre of the poem, especially after use to start 6 our of first 8 lines
• doesn't use conventional rhyme, every line ends with letter 'r'
• 'Brendon Gallacher' always appears at the end of a line, suggesting the insistent repetition of a child and longing to keep illusion alive
• Brendon Gallacher is presented as glamorous figure, e.g. irish rather than scottish
• pathetic fallacy is used when he died, 'pouring' to reflect tears or omnious atmosphere
• the vivid late physical description makes him seem more alive and gives imapct to his death
• picture created is romantic and slightly dangerous, cat burgular - sensitive and skilful
• juxtaposition between fantasy and reality to get sense of escapism