IGCSE English Literature: Paper 1 | How To Get Full Marks In Unseen Poetry + Free Revision Sheet!

Summary

The video script provides a detailed guide on how to approach and answer questions on unseen poetry exams, using the poem 'Brendan Gallagher' as an example. It emphasizes the importance of spending time reading and planning the response, focusing on the poem's form, structure, and language. The script suggests a four-paragraph structure using the PEEL method (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) to effectively analyze and discuss the poem. It also highlights the need to demonstrate an understanding of language, form, and structure to achieve high marks in the exam.

Takeaways

• 📝 Unseen poetry exams require analyzing a poem never seen before, necessitating careful reading and planning within the 35-minute allocation.
• ✍️ The exam question focuses on the presentation of the character Brennan Gallagher, with attention to descriptive skills, language choice, form, and structure.
• 🔍 A structured approach involves spending the first 10 minutes on reading and planning, aiming for at least three or four paragraphs of analysis.
• 📈 The essay should include a balance of quotations from the beginning, middle, and end of the poem to demonstrate a comprehensive analysis.
• 📊 One paragraph should be dedicated to discussing the poem's form, such as quatrains or free verse, and another to structure, including sentence types and listings.
• 💡 Language analysis is crucial, touching on AO2 skills, which involve illustrating awareness and understanding of language form and structure.
• 📚 Model answers should employ the PEEL method (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) to effectively address the exam question and showcase analytical skills.
• 🌟 The poem's structure, including the use of quintains and repetition, reflects the predictability and importance of the relationship between the speaker and Brennan Gallagher.
• 😔 The revelation of Brennan Gallagher as an imaginary friend at the poem's end highlights the theme of solitude and the sudden, harsh realization for the speaker.
• 📝 Practicing unseen poetry questions is encouraged to improve, and students should try answering the provided example question to refine their skills.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the transcript?

The main focus of the transcript is to discuss how to approach and answer an Unseen Poetry exam, specifically for the January 2022 exam, and how to write a model answer for a poem by Brendan Gallagher.

How much time is recommended to spend on reading and planning for the Unseen Poetry section?

It is recommended to spend the first 10 minutes of the 35 minutes allocated to the Unseen Poetry section on reading and planning.

What is the significance of the poem's title, 'Brendan Gallagher', in the context of the exam question?

The title 'Brendan Gallagher' is significant because it indicates that the poem is about this character and the speaker's relationship with him. It also highlights the importance of this individual to the speaker, as the poem is named after him.

What is the recommended structure for the essay response in the Unseen Poetry exam?

The recommended structure for the essay response is to have at least three or four paragraphs, with one paragraph dedicated to form, another to structure, and one or two paragraphs dedicated to language analysis.

What does AO2 refer to in the context of the exam, and why is it important?

AO2 refers to the assessment objective that tests the student's ability to illustrate awareness and understanding of language form and structure. It is important because it helps students to maximize the amount of marks they can get in the exam.

How does the speaker in the poem 'Brendan Gallagher' feel about Brendan's family background?

The speaker seems to be sympathetic towards Brendan's family background, as they mention his family being poor and his father being a cat burglar, indicating a sense of pathos and concern for Brendan's situation.

What is the turning point or 'Volta' in the poem, and how does it affect the presentation of Brendan Gallagher?

The turning point or 'Volta' in the poem is when the speaker's mother reveals that there is no such person as Brendan Gallagher at the address mentioned. This sudden shift changes the presentation of Brendan from a real person to an imaginary friend, leading to a dramatic ending.

How does the use of alliteration in the poem contribute to the overall effect?

The use of alliteration, such as in the repetition of 'Brendan Gallagher' and the description of his features (spiky hair, impish grin), emphasizes the importance of this character to the speaker and adds to the poem's rhythm and musicality.

What is the significance of the poem's structure, with five quintain stanzas?

The structure of the poem, with five quintain stanzas, creates a sense of predictability and regularity. However, this predictability is disrupted by the unexpected twist at the end, which serves to heighten the impact of the poem's conclusion.

How does the poem 'Brendan Gallagher' use pathetic fallacy to convey the speaker's emotions?

The poem uses pathetic fallacy by describing the rain ('when it was pouring') to reflect the speaker's mood when they learn the truth about Brendan. The weather mirrors the speaker's sadness and the dramatic shift in their emotional state.

What is the final revelation about Brendan Gallagher, and how does it affect the reader?

The final revelation is that Brendan Gallagher is an imaginary friend and never existed. This unexpected twist can lead to a feeling of shock and sadness for the reader, as they realize the depth of the speaker's loneliness and the loss of their cherished friend.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to Unseen Poetry Exam Strategy

The paragraph introduces the strategy for approaching an Unseen Poetry exam, specifically for the January 2022 exam. It emphasizes the importance of practice, particularly with the poem 'Brendan Gallagher' by K, and outlines the time allocation for the exam section, suggesting 35 minutes in total with the first 10 minutes dedicated to reading and planning. The speaker advises aiming for at least three or four paragraphs in the response, with a focus on different parts of the poem, such as the beginning, middle, and end. The paragraph also highlights the significance of analyzing form, structure, and language to demonstrate AO2 skills, which involve illustrating an understanding of language, form, and structure in the context of the unseen poem.

05:02

🌟 Analyzing the Poem's Structure and Language

This paragraph delves into the specifics of analyzing the poem's structure and language. The speaker points out the poem's title and its significance, noting the juxtaposition of the fathers' backgrounds and the use of repetition to emphasize the importance of the character, Brendan Gallagher. The paragraph continues to discuss the structural techniques used in the poem, such as alliteration and the use of asterisks to denote unfamiliar words. It also touches on the poem's narrative, highlighting the friendship between the speaker and Brendan, the latter's troubled family background, and the eventual revelation of Brendan's non-existence. The speaker encourages readers to look out for these elements when analyzing the poem.

10:05

📊 Examining Form and Structure in Detail

The paragraph focuses on the form and structure of the poem, identifying it as a series of five quintain stanzas with a predictable pattern. It discusses the use of possessive pronouns to show the close relationship between the speaker and Brendan Gallagher and how the repetition of Brendan's name throughout the poem serves to dominate the speaker's life. The paragraph also explores the impact of the poem's structure, which is disrupted at the end, signifying a shift in the narrative. The speaker plans to incorporate these observations into their response, ensuring they address the question's requirement to discuss language form and structure.

15:05

🔄 The Turning Point and Poem's Progression

This paragraph discusses the turning point in the poem, marked by the repetition of 'one day' and the intrusion of the speaker's mother, who questions the existence of Brendan Gallagher. The paragraph highlights the use of pathetic fallacy and the climactic moment when the speaker is forced to confront the reality of Brendan's non-existence. It emphasizes the shift in the poem's mood and the reader's realization that Brendan was an imaginary friend. The speaker plans to use this analysis to demonstrate their understanding of the poem's structure and language, as well as the emotional impact on the reader.

20:05

🎓 Concluding Thoughts on the Poem's Impact

The final paragraph summarizes the speaker's approach to the poem's conclusion, where the realization of Brendan Gallagher being an imaginary friend is presented as a shocking and melancholic event. The speaker discusses the use of listing and alliteration to portray the harshness of this realization for the narrator and the reader. The paragraph concludes by reiterating the importance of addressing the question's focus on how the writer presents Brendan Gallagher, including the use of language, form, and structure. The speaker encourages listeners to practice answering the question using the provided poem to improve their unseen poetry analysis skills.

Keywords

💡Unseen Poetry

Unseen Poetry refers to poems presented to students in an exam setting, which they have not encountered before. The purpose is to assess their analytical and interpretive skills in dealing with new material. In the provided script, the speaker discusses strategies for answering exam questions related to an unseen poem called 'Brendan Gallagher'. This emphasizes the students' need to quickly understand and analyze the poem under exam conditions.

💡Model Answer

A Model Answer is a sample response provided to demonstrate ideal answers to exam questions. The speaker outlines how to write a model answer for the January 2022 unseen poetry exam, offering a structured guide on how to dissect the poem and present a comprehensive analysis, covering aspects like language, form, and structure to maximize scoring potential.

💡PEEL Paragraph

PEEL stands for Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link. It is a structured approach to writing paragraphs in academic essays that helps ensure clarity and logical progression of ideas. In the script, the speaker advocates using the PEEL structure to organize the essay response to the unseen poetry, emphasizing how each paragraph should systematically address a specific aspect of the poem and link back to the main question.

💡AO2 Skills

AO2 refers to an assessment objective in English literature exams that focuses on analysis of language, form, and structure. The speaker in the script mentions AO2 to highlight the need for students to demonstrate understanding of these elements in their responses to unseen poetry, correlating directly with scoring well in the literature exams.

💡Form and Structure

Form and structure in poetry refer to the physical layout of the poem (form) and the organizing principle of textual elements (structure). The speaker discusses analyzing the poem's layout, stanza arrangement, and rhythmic structure to provide insights into the poet's method and purpose, an essential part of answering the unseen poetry question effectively.

💡Volta

A Volta is a turn or shift in the thought or argument of a poem, typically seen in sonnets but applicable to other forms as well. The script refers to a Volta as a crucial turning point in 'Brendan Gallagher', where the narrative perspective shifts dramatically, marking a change in the tone and direction of the poem. Identifying and analyzing a Volta is vital for understanding the dynamics of the poem's message.

💡Pathetic Fallacy

Pathetic fallacy is a literary device where the environment or weather mirrors the emotional state of the characters. In the script, the term is used to describe how the weather conditions ('pouring rain') in the poem 'Brendan Gallagher' emphasize the climactic and emotional shift occurring as the truth about Brendan’s existence is revealed.

💡Imaginary Friend

In the context of the poem 'Brendan Gallagher', the term 'imaginary friend' is revealed towards the end when the speaker learns that Brendan does not actually exist. This concept is crucial as it shifts the poem from a literal to a metaphorical exploration of childhood, loneliness, and imagination, providing deep insights into the psychological state of the narrator.

💡Language Analysis

Language analysis in literature exams involves examining the choice of words, use of figurative language, and overall linguistic style to interpret the author’s intentions and the text’s emotional and thematic depth. In the script, the speaker emphasizes the importance of language analysis in understanding and articulating the effects of the poem on the reader and its relation to the exam question.

💡Reader Effect

Reader effect refers to the impact a text has on its audience, particularly in terms of emotional response or the intellectual challenges it presents. The script discusses how understanding and articulating the reader effect in the unseen poetry exam can help students demonstrate deeper comprehension and analytical skills, connecting the poem's elements to its overall impact on the reader.

Highlights

The discussion focuses on how to approach an Unseen Poetry exam, specifically how to write a model answer for the January 2022 exam.

The poem 'Brendan Gallagher' is used as an example for practicing unseen poetry analysis.

Students should allocate around 35 minutes for this part of the exam, which is worth 20 marks.

The strategy involves spending the first 10 minutes reading, planning, and selecting terms and examples from the poem.

Aim for at least three or four paragraphs in the response, with quotations from the beginning, middle, and end of the poem.

One paragraph should be dedicated to discussing the form of the poem, such as quatrains or free verse.

Another paragraph should focus on structure, such as sentence types and listings.

Language analysis should be the focus of at least one paragraph, illustrating awareness and understanding of language, form, and structure.

The PEEL paragraph technique (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) is recommended for structuring the response.

Keywords from the exam question should be used directly in the answer to demonstrate understanding of the task.

The poem 'Brendan Gallagher' is revealed to be about an imaginary friend, with a significant shift in the narrative towards the end.

The use of repetition, alliteration, and pathetic fallacy are highlighted as key techniques in the poem's structure.

The poem's form, with five quintain stanzas, establishes a sense of predictability that is disrupted by the unexpected ending.

The writer's presentation of Brendan Gallagher shifts from a close friend to a figment of the speaker's imagination.

The realization of Brendan being imaginary is portrayed as a melancholic and abrupt 'death', leaving the speaker in solitude.

The model answer provided demonstrates how to integrate complex analysis within the PEEL framework for effective essay writing.

Students are encouraged to practice answering unseen poetry questions to improve their skills and understanding.

Transcripts

so let's discuss how to approach the

Unseen poetry exam and more specifically

how to write a model answer for the

January

2022 exam okay so remember as I've

mentioned we're going to look at Unseen

poetry and more specifically how to

answer the question that appears in this

paper more specifically the poem that

you're going to be given for this paper

especially if you want to practice and I

would definitely suggest practicing

these questions is it's called Brendan

Gallagher okay so this is Brendan

Gallagher or Brendan Gallagher all right

I'm not that great with the

pronunciation of the surname however

this is a poem that appears okay and

remember that in terms of context you're

not supposed to have ever seen this film

before okay this is the whole point and

the whole nature of unseen poetry we've

never seen these poems before now let's

quickly talk about technique before I

show you how to write a model response

for this particular exam question now as

I mentioned in my introduction to unseen

poetry remember you've got around 35

minutes that you should allocate to this

part of the question it's worth 20 marks

how do you approach this question

firstly remember that you need to spend

the first 10 minutes of your 35 minutes

reading and planning and selecting uh

the different terms and the different

examples that you're going to take from

The Unseen poem as I mentioned you want

to aim for at least three or four

paragraphs so for responsive essay

paragraphs meaning you want to take a

quotation from the beginning two

quotations from the middle you know

early middle maybe later middle and then

something from the end okay what you're

doing especially when you take that

approach for your different paragraphs

is you're showing your examiner and your

teacher that you're not lazy you've read

through the entire poem and you're also

now selecting different parts of the

poem to analyze and to discuss allocate

one of your paragraphs of course talking

about form form relates to standard

types okay so for example is the poem

laid out in quatrains is a poem laid out

in you know five stanzas is it written

for instance in free verse and so on

also of course dedicate at least another

paragraph make it say a structure

paragraph So This is where you're

talking about things like sentence types

you're talking about things like listing

and of course dedicate another paragraph

to language analysis okay remember this

is all touching on your ao2 skills okay

ao2 means are you able to illustrate an

awareness and an understanding of

language form and structure when you're

approaching an unseen poetry question

for me I would suggest trying to do this

four times okay so for instance let's

say you have one paragraph dedicated to

form one paragraph dedicated to

structure and then say two on language

or one paragraph in form two in

structure one a language however you

want to mix it and chop and change it

try to just make sure you write enough

okay I would suggest minimum should be

three paragraphs or ideally so of course

in my model response I'm going to show

you how to write four detailed and

really really good

um pure paragraphs for Auntie and poetry

final thing is the approach as I've

mentioned will be the peel paragraph of

structure Point evidence explanation

link Point means you're answering the

question directly using keywords from

the question evidence is you're just

taking a bit of evidence or quotation

from the poem explanation this is where

you now show your awareness of form and

structure this is where you go into

analytical depth this is also where you

talk about reader effect and of course

link is you're linking it back to the

question also in your link you can

mention reader effect so now that we've

got a bit of this background let's have

a look at how to answer this particular

exam paper and I will show you a model

answer that I've prepared and I'll walk

you through it

so let's discuss how to approach this

particular exam question now when

answering this question remember as I

mentioned you will be presented with the

poem that you've never seen before and

then you need to answer a question based

on this poem now as I mentioned I have

pre-prepared this question and also of

course a model response so I'm going to

walk you through what my process would

be as I'm reading and answering this now

of course make sure you always have your

highlighter handy as well as the pen

that you're going to be using to write

your response now let's have a look at

the question first okay within this

question as you can see here I've

already highlighted the keywords okay so

I actually sat it and wrote it out as if

I were in your shoes as a student doing

my exams okay so here you ask explore

how the writer presents Brennan

Gallagher in this poem and your answer

you should consider the right to

descriptive skills choice of language

form and structure remember of course

language form and structure this is your

ao2 okay remember this question test

your ability to express this as

assessment objective okay so the more

ao2 and the more kind of language points

you can rack up the more Four Points the

form points you can rack up and the more

structure points you can note that of

course you are really positioning

yourself in terms of getting you really

positioning yourself well in terms of

maximizing the amount of marks that you

can get okay so let's quickly read

through this poem

I'll show you what I would highlight and

of course I'm going to show you the

model response that I have prepared so

let's have a look read the following

poem Brennan Gallagher for my brother

Maxi okay so all of this is included

within the title and it's in parenthesis

in Brackets okay

he was seven

and I was six my Brendan Gallagher

he was Irish and I was Scottish my

Brendan Gallagher

his father was in prison he was a cat

burglar my father was a Communist Party

full-time worker so now here we can see

that the speaker is juxtaposing the

different dads

he had six brothers I had none my

Brendan Gallagher so of course as we can

see here even in the first verse there's

this constant reference to this Brendan

Gallagher okay so this constant use of

repetition which is a structural

technique

makes us as readers really focus on this

particular individual okay this

individual is so important that even the

poem is titled after his name so let's

have a look at the second verse

he would hold my hand and take me by the

river where we talk about his family

being poor so he comes from a troubled

poor family

he gets mum out of Glasgow when he got

older a wee holiday someplace nice here

we can see that there's little Asterix a

star which means and of course also

those little asterisks here a star which

means that these are words that you're

not expected to be familiar with so hair

cat burglar means a thief who climbs

buildings to gain entry and we is a

Scottish language or Scottish dialect an

informal Scottish dialect meaning small

so he says he will take his mom out of

Glasgow and he got older a little

holiday a wee holiday someplace nice

someplace far

I told my mom about Brendan Gallagher so

now the speaker is talking about how you

know he's so proud of this friend he'll

tell his mom all about him

how his mom drank and his daddy was a

cat burglar and she'd say why not have

him run to dinner the mom is now

wondering hey why don't you have him run

to visit us you know you love this guy

so much and talking about him you know

his mom drinks and his dad is a cat

burglar you know we fight him around

no no I'd say he's got big holes in his

trousers I like meeting him by the burn

in the open air burn means a small River

or stream so here actually what's

interesting is even if the speaker seems

really obsessed with this Brennan

Gallagher actually they're hiding them

from the mom okay so there's also maybe

an element of embarrassment here so

they're saying no no no you know he's

he's really poor he's got big holes in

his trousers so obviously already this

should strike you as a reader as a

little bit bizarre you know you're so

obsessed with this person yet you're

embarrassed to show them to your mom

I like meeting him by the burn in the

open air a small river by the Stream

then one day after we'd been friends for

two years one day so here is repeated in

the fourth verse one day after we've

been friends with two years one day when

it was pouring so this is pathetic

fallacy the rain and I was indoors my

mom says to me

I was talking to Mrs Moore who lives

next door to your Brennan Gallagher do

you say his address was 24 Nova

she says there are no gallikas at 24

Nova

interesting so now there's a shift here

the speaker is being told this person

there's no one that lives in the address

that you're saying he lives in that

Brendan Gallagher he doesn't live in

this address

there never have been any Gallaghers

next door

and he died then

my Brendan Gallagher flat out on my

bedroom floor his spiky hair his impish

grin his funny flapping ear oh Brendan

my Brendan Gallagher so now of course

this the first three verses are really

powerful in showing this close

relationship that the speaker has with

this Brendan Gallagher however I think

this inter this kind of last two verses

are really interestingly since that

there's a sudden shift right so as a

reader you're supposed to maybe perhaps

be a little bit surprised because it

seems like you know this person is

obsessed with this Brendan Gallagher it

seems like they're best friends and then

suddenly firstly it's really strange

that they refuse to introduce this

person but then at the end we find that

there is no such person as a gallica and

then suddenly this person dies once the

mom outwardly uh recognizes that there

is no Brennan Gallagher so then we

realize actually this is an imaginary

friend and of course even here where

there's this repetition of one day one

day when it was pouring

this is really powerful because up until

this stage right

we're only seeing the speaker's

perspective uh the speaker and Brennan

Gallagher were in their own world and

then suddenly an outsider the mom comes

in asks about Brendan does a little bit

of digging around and then finds that

this Brendan actually there is no

Brennan Gallagher so this repetition

could serve

as a turning point in the poem okay

because it's one day suddenly okay so

this speaker is really happy about this

relationship and then suddenly it shifts

right after we've been friends for two

years this repetition which is a turning

point we call it in poetry a Volta

meaning there's a sudden shift first

three verses it's all about Brendan

Gallagher they're in this kind of you

know close friendship the mom is asking

they're saying why don't you have him

around this person's coming off of his

kisses and then suddenly the mom

outwardly tells the speaker hey there's

no such person as a Brendan Gallagher

and then suddenly this really dramatic

ending okay so here there's all of this

as sezura that's used here he died then

and then we have this listing of all

these features of Brennan Gallagher his

spiky hairs in fish green is funny

flapping air and we can see here that

perhaps the mum outwardly recognizing

that there is no such person as Brennan

Gallagher right

um maybe that amounts to the death of

this person's imaginary friend and of

course we're even told that something

terrible is going to happen here because

the speaker and the poet of course uses

pathetic fallacy

the weather reflecting the mood and of

course and in this case is the mood of

the speaker the speaker is really really

sad okay so what I'll probably think

about is firstly in terms of form we've

got one two three four five verses okay

so this is form

you have five verses or stanzas all of

which are five lines okay so here these

are these verses are written in what we

call Quinn

teens okay so a quintane is just a five

line stanza and it's really regular

right so of course there's some kind of

predictability that's established but

then suddenly that that sense of

predictability is completely disrupted

by the end of course as I mentioned uh

what I'll probably also talk about is

this use of my Brendan Gallagher even

for example the possessive pronoun my

shows the speaker is so close to Brendan

right they really love this guy you know

this is their best friend and then we

also can see here where the speaker is

saying look um you know with meat where

we'd talk about Brendan's family being

poor right and we've got alliteration

here

and you know um we can also see that

Brendan supposedly comes from a fairly

troubled background because the mum

drank too much whilst the dad was a cat

burglar right so of course here we can

also see even through these repetitions

his and his

of these pronouns that Brendan comes

from a fairly troubled background

however

as the poem progresses there's a turning

point and then suddenly we realize

actually this Brendan doesn't exist he's

totally made up by the speaker so

probably when I'm answering this I'm

probably selecting something from the

beginning two things from towards the

middle and then something from the end

when structuring my response and of

course I will not I will ensure to not

lose sight of the question just to

reiterate the question asked to discuss

how the writer presents Brendan

Gallagher and you've got to talk about

language form and structure so let's

have a look at a model response that are

prepared using the four paragraph

structure and also the peel paragraph

technique Point evidence explanation

link and I'll show you how you can layer

in some really complex points using such

a simple framework so let's begin with

the first paragraph to begin with

the writer presents burning gallica as

playing a pivotal role an important role

in the speaker's life

it's clear that Brendan is a close

friend and companion that's my opening

Point as you can see here I've made sure

that I'm alluding back to the question

how the writer presents Brennan

Gallagher but equally I've developed

that point right so I'm basically saying

Brennan is really important in the

speaker's life of course they keep on

repeating them and their name and what

we can gather is that this is a close

friend and companion let's have a look

at the first e in my peel paragraph the

evidence

the narrator makes repeated reference to

my Brennan Gallagher and each quintanes

now making a point about form and each

quintane in all five stanzas mentions

him okay so here I've talked about

Brendan Gallagher the evidence but also

I've mentioned form here's now my

explanation and in my explanation this

is why I'm going to add technique

the Russia's repetition structure of

Brendan Gallagher to show how the

speaker's life is dominated by their

friend the possessive pronoun this is

now a language technique as you can see

here what I've done is I'm adding I'm

layering in lots of stuff okay so I'm

actually killing lots of birds with one

stone rather than just saying that I'm

only going to keep structure for one

paragraph I've literally added a little

bit of each okay you can do that but of

course if you want to keep it even more

simple and just keep like say for

example just one structure Point here

you can do that too okay but I'm just

showing you what it takes to really

write a grade eight grade nine level

okay try and add some of that

information but weave it in in a nice

and sophisticated way so let's look over

the um explanation so this is now the

second e the rice is a repetition of

Brendan Gallagher to show how the

speaker's life is dominated by their

friend the possessive friend on my

illustrates how attached and devoted

they are to this individual

okay this is the poet's surname okay so

this is Jackie K so I'm going to say

either the poet the writer or I could

also talk about the surname k

uses a tight predictable poetic

structure this is a form Point as the

poem is written in five stanzas which

are quintanes and this reflects the

structure and predictability the

relationship offered the speaker all of

this is my explanation and my

explanation what have I done I've

included language form and structure

discussion but equally I've also talked

about how this structure the form really

reflects the relationship that the

speaker enjoys with Brandon Gallagher's

now here's my link back hence Brendan

Gallagher is presented as a crucial

character the speaker is committed to

their friendship this is now me linking

back to the question and ensuring that I

use keywords from the question to show

The Examiner that I totally understand

what I'm supposed to be talking about

let's now move on to the second point in

or rather the second pill paragraph

where I make an additional point

moreover as the poem progresses Brendan

Gallagher's life is portrayed as being

troubled although he was only seven we

can see he had a difficult life as his

family was impoverished again I've

started off by making a point relating

it to the question and of course also

I've included just a little bit of

information here showing that he's

really young to be going through all of

these problems let's have a look at the

evidence

the narrator admits to going where we

will talk about his family being poor

his mother drank and his father was a

cat burglar I've included my evidence

taken from now towards the middle of the

poem okay so I've mentioned the idea

that they were poor and the mom drinking

and the dad being a cat burglar as you

can see I'm making my way through the

poem

here's my explanation

K uses alliteration language to

emphasize how much Brendan is confined

confided in the speaker about being poor

confided means you're talking you know

your inner most thoughts your deepest

thoughts to somebody

the verb dranks and I'm zooming in on

one particular word creates a strong

sense of pathos which means sympathy

within the readers and I'm mentioning

reader effect

who worries that Brendan was exposed to

terrible things at a young age that's my

explanation of added technique

alliteration I've also zoomed in one

word and also talked about reader

effects now here's my link consequently

the writer presents Brendan's life as

being full of troubles the speaker

evidently sympathizes with him as they

look like they want to comfort him

here's my link back to the question once

more I'm making sure that I'm talking

about the keywords within the question

how's Brennan Gallagher shown and

presented within this poem okay never

lose sighted the question as I mentioned

now I've taken something from kind of

early in the middle I'm not going to

probably talk about something from

towards hair later in the middle okay

I'm walking and progressing through the

poem so here we've got now the Volta the

Turning Point Volta is a really powerful

structural device to point out if you do

see a key Point within the poem that

shifts so now let's have a look at my

third peel paragraph

nonetheless as the pain progresses the

writer begins to cast out about Brendan

Gallagher the speaker's mother is

presented as an intrusive Outsider who

asks unwelcome questions that serve as a

turning point in this poem that's my

opening Point let's have a look at the

evidence

the narrator remembers evidence one day

after would be in France for two years

one day when it was pouring so now

that's my evidence here's my explanation

K's repetition of one day structure is

ominous and it acts as a Volta a turning

point which is structure

the pathetic fallacy pathetic fallacies

language which informs us it was pouring

is climactic it's really important it's

the climax of the poem

the narrator is forced to step out of

the small world they have built around

my Brendan and they are forced to talk

to another person about their friends

and now that's my explanation of really

packed in lots of interesting structural

observations but also I've gone one step

further and basically said look

um now this is my interpretation as

somebody that's just read this poem okay

um what I'm basically trying to

interpret and this is what you want to

now start factoring in into your writing

take it one step further and think okay

if they add something like you know one

day this sudden Turning Point what's

that supposed to do in my perspective

it's supposed to take this speaker out

of their own world and suddenly they now

realize they're forced to confront like

the actual outside world the mum is

forcing them to do this here's my link

as a result Brennan Gallagher is

suddenly presented as a questionable

figure to us as readers we begin to

sense the character the speaker's

reluctance to talk about Brendan to

their mother here's my link back to the

question now that I've written three

people paragraphs something from the

beginning two things from the middle I'm

now going to select something from the

end of course this is a sudden

unexpected shift okay suddenly Brennan

Gallagher doesn't exist and this is

supposed to be I would argue at least

for me when I was reading this I found

it quite surprising and really shocking

definitely something I didn't anticipate

I thought Brendan was a real person so

let's have a look at the fourth point

finally the as a poem concludes we are

astounded to realize that Brennan

Gallagher is a figment of the speaker's

imagination

the writer presents Brennan Gallagher as

an imaginary person who never existed

here's my opening point or rather my

final opening point

when the speaker is forced to accept

that Brendan does not exist they admit

his might evidence he died then his

spiky hair his grin his funny flapping

hair

that's my evidence here's my explanation

K combines listing structure with

alliteration language

to portray how harsh and sudden this

surrealization was for the narrator

the childlike adjectives impish and

funny so now I'm zooming in on

particular words are especially which

means sad for us as well as a speaker

the mother's affirmation that the no

Gallaghers is disquiet is a disquieting

Revelation

disquieting means really shocking really

troubling Revelation okay so it's a

disquieting Revelation this

acknowledgment that he was imaginary

amounted to the death of Brendan's

Persona and we are devastated for the

speakers now hey I'm talking about

reader effect let's have a look at the

link back to the question thus the

writer presents the melancholic the sad

and abrupt death of Brennan Gallagher we

are shocked to realize he is the

speaker's imaginary friend and we're sad

as his death leaves the speaker in

solitude and isolation so that concludes

the fourth and final pill Point relating

to this poem so as I mentioned guys make

sure when you are answering this

question you need to demonstrate your

ao2 skills within your different essays

try to also separate your points out and

my approach and my suggestion in terms

of approaching this question is pick

something from the beginning something

from the middle or two things if you're

going for the four peel paragraphs and

then something from the end so what I'm

going to do is I'm going to read this

through one last time I'm not going to

make any pauses so that you can just be

clear what this essay is about

to begin with the writer presents

Brandon Gallagher as playing a pivotal

role in the speaker's life it's clear

that Brendan is a close friend and

companion the narrator makes repeated

references to my Brendan Gallagher and

each quintane in all five standards

mentioned him

the watch uses repetition of Brennan

Gallagher to show how the speaker's life

is dominated by their friend the

possessive pronoun my illustrates how

attached and devotions they are to this

individual

K uses a tight predictable poetic

structure as the poem is written in five

standards which are quintanes and this

reflects the structure and

predictability this relationship offered

the speaker

hence Brennan Gallagher is presented as

a crucial character the speaker is

committed to their friendship

moreover as the poem progresses Brendan

Gallagher's life is portrayed as being

troubled although he was only seven we

can see he had a difficult life as his

family was impoverished poor the

narrator admits to going where we would

talk about his family being poor his

mother drank and his father was a cat

burglar K uses alliteration to emphasize

how much Brendan confided in the speaker

about being poor the verb drank creates

a strong sense of pathos within the

reader who worries that Brennan was

exposed to terrible things at a young

age consequently the writer presents

Brendan's life as being full of troubles

the speaker evidently sympathizes with

him as they look like they want to

comfort him nonetheless as the poem

progresses the water begins to cast out

about Brendan Gallagher the speaker's

mother is presented as an intrusive

Outsider who asks unwelcome questions

that serve as a turning point in the

poem

the narrator remembers one day after

we'd been friends for two years one day

when it was pouring

Kay's repetition of one day is ominous

and it acts as a vaulter the pathetic

fallacy which informs us it was pouring

is climactic the narrator is forced to

step out of the small world they have

built around my Brendan and they're

forced to talk about another or to talk

to another person about their friend

as a result Brennan Gallagher is

suddenly presented as a questionable

figure to us as readers we begin to

sense the speaker's reluctance to talk

about Brendan to their mother

finally as the parent concludes we're

astounded to realize that Brendan

Gallagher is a figment of the speaker's

imagination

the writer presents Brandon gallica as

an imaginary person who never existed

when the speaker is forced to accept

that Brennan does not exist they admit

he died then his spiky hair his grin his

funny flapping ear

K combines listing with alliteration to

portray how harsh and sudden this

realization was for the narrator the

childlike adjectives impish and funny

are especially poignant for us as

readers as well as a speaker the

mother's affirmation that there are no

gallachas is a disquieting Revelation

this acknowledgment that he was

imaginary amounted to the death of

Brendan's Persona and we are devastated

for the speaker thus the writer presents

a melancholic and abrupts death of

Brendan Gallagher we are shocked to

realize he is the speaker's imaginary

friend and we're sad as his death leaves

the speaker in solitude and isolation

and that concludes how to answer and how

to approach this particular exam

question my suggestion is literally

download this paper and try and answer

it for yourself that's the best way to

improve when it comes to unseen poetry

thank you so much for listening