Poetry – JSS1 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

Poetic language is the careful choice of words a poet uses to create mental pictures for the reader. In this lesson, students study the language of “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat”, a poem by Edward Lear published in 1871. They read the poem and pick out words that make them see images in their minds.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• read the poem “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” with understanding;
• name the writer of the poem;
• pick out words and phrases in the poem that create mental pictures;
• point out lines in the poem that are repeated.

What is poetic language?

Study the use of language in the poem below.

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat:
They took some honey,
and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!”

Contemporary Illustrator: Donna L. Derstine

Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh! let us be married;
too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?”

They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?”
Said the Piggy, “I will.”
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand on the edge of the sand
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

The Owl and the Pussycat, 1871, by Edward Lear

Evaluation

1. Highlight words that provoke mental pictures.
2. Find the lines in the poem that are repeated.

Assignment

Choose one stanza of the poem. Write down the words in it that help you picture the scene.