-NiE ,
15 FEBRUARY 2017
11
Under false pretences
ADVANCED Poem
THE possible consequences of harbouring unresolved feelings of bitterness or anger are portrayed in the poem A Poison Tree. In the first two lines, the persona relates how his feelings of anger towards a friend are resolved after they talk it over. However, when he is angry with someone he considers his enemy, he does not approach him immediately. Instead, he bottles it inside until the resentment takes root and grows into something poisonous. He harbours his resentment and secretly plots his foe’s downfall while pretending that nothing is wrong, hence putting on a false front of friendliness. The unsuspecting person is fooled by the deceit and is finally destroyed.
NiE Activity 2
Creative thinking
Critical thinking l Identify
l Reason
Problem solving
l Imagine l Connect l Brainstorm l Invent
Communicating Read the poem and complete the activities.
l Oral
l Recreate l Present
Collaborating
l Written
l Contribute l Attain goal respectfully l Compromise
Activity A
A Poison Tree I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I watered it in fears, Night and morning with my tears; And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright; And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine, And into my garden stole When the night had veiled the pole: In the morning glad I see My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.
The persona talks about how he tries to hide his true feelings. Have you ever felt like the person in the poem? Have there been instances in your own life where you didn’t want to let someone know that you were upset by what he had said or done? In groups of four, use pictures from The Star to create a scene of two or more people having a conversation. In
speech balloons, write down what they are saying aloud. Exchange papers with another group. You will now have to add thought bubbles to each person. Fill them with thoughts of resentment towards the other people around them. Finally, hand the paper back to the original group and read the destructive “thoughts”. Complete this activity on a sheet of A4 paper.
He is so good-looking. I wish I had a boyfriend like him.
Oh no, another evening spoilt! Why does she have to be here?
– William Blake
Glad to see both of you are getting on so well.
It’s really great that you could join us today, Sue.
Activity B There may be times when we are unhappy with the service or treatment we have received from a certain party. However, we are not able to express it personally to the person(s) involved. Sometimes we grumble or complain about the annoying and inconsiderate habits of other people in public places but we don’t tell them about it. Therefore, no further steps are taken. One way we can express our dissatisfaction against the inconsiderate behaviour of the public is by writing to the editorial section of a newspaper. On the right is a letter written to The Star by someone who is fed up of litterbugs strewing cigarette butts everywhere. Read the excerpt.
Litterbugs are a pain in the butt
THEY are strewn all over whenever these people converge at stalls or anywhere else for a chit-chat. I am referring to the cigarette butts and ashes on the ground or floor left by smokers. Ashtrays may be provided but they are ignored. Smokers are mostly litterbugs. We often see them tossing their cigarette butts into the drains, on the five-foot ways while walking, and on the roads and highways while driving. – Views, The Star, Dec 27, 2016
In groups of four, discuss what you think the person writing the letter must have felt. What did he hope to achieve by writing the letter? Think of one form of behaviour in public that is inconsiderate and that affects other people negatively. Write a letter to The Star to express your feelings about this. Take turns to read your letters out to the class and discuss with your teacher the possibility of mailing them to The Star.