John Agard Have a copy of the poem in front of you To be successful What is the poem about What is the poem about The poem questions the purposes and value of a flag Agard explores the causes of conflict is it the flag or human beings ID: 286620
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Slide1
‘Flag’
John Agard
Have a copy of the poem in front of you
To be successful…Slide2
What is the poem about?Slide3
What is the poem about?
The poem questions the purposes and value of a flag.
Agard
explores the causes of conflict – is it the flag or human beings?Flags are important symbols – they can unite a nation, but they can also create conflict. Slide4
What happens in the poem?
The speaker explores how flags can affect people.
In the first stanza, the flag is merely ‘fluttering in the breeze’.As the poem continues – it becomes a symbol of military power ‘flying over a field’.
The speaker ends with a warning to the reader - a flag can be a dangerous thing. Slide5
What does the poem mean?
The poem suggests that a flag can:
Control countriesMotivate peopleOutlive generationsUnite a nation
On the other hand, the poem
warns
that a flag can:
Take away freedom of choice
Destroy individual identity
Make our consciences go ‘blind’Slide6
‘Flag’
John Agard
Have a copy of the poem in front of you
To be successful…
How does the author use
language
,
structure
and
form
in the poem?Slide7
How does the author use language and imagery in the poem?Slide8
How could we describe the voice?
The speaker could be
:
-Attracted by the flag’s power to ‘bring a nation to it’s knees’-A pacifist – rejecting the need to ‘bleed’ for a flag.
-
Urgent
Written in the present tense.
-
Rational
‘It’s just a piece of cloth’
-
Bitter
‘that will outlive the blood you bleed’.
Who do you think they are?Slide9
‘fluttering’
‘unfurling’
‘rising’
‘flying’
Agard
uses a range of verbs to explore the movement of the flag.
The verbs become
more active
as the poem progresses. This mimics a flag being raised. The words also warns that a flag’s power to move people can also increase. By the time the flag is ‘flying’, ‘blood’ is being spilt. Slide10
‘a piece of cloth’
The Flag itself is a key image
The art of making flags from symbolic images is the ancient art of heraldry.Slide11
‘brings a nation to it’s knees’
… or
military aggression
Suggests an almost religious devotionSlide12
How does the author use structure and form in the poem?Slide13
The poem appears simplistic and clear on the surface – but we can read deeper meanings. In this way, the poem
reflects the heraldic imagery of most flags
.
Agard
breaks the pattern
in the final stanza to
emphasise
the final warning.
The poem has a
simple, regular, format
.
The
rhyme scheme
reinforces this pattern.