Edwin Morgan

Scottish Poetry
 Edwin Morgan
• Who is Edwin Morgan?

• What do we know about him?

 Edwin Morgan
• Edwin Morgan was born on 27 April, 1920, in Glasgow.

• He attended Rutherglen Academy and the High School of

Glasgow, before studying English at Glasgow University.

• During the Second World War he registered as a

conscientious objector, before serving in the Royal Army
Medical Corps, mainly in the Middle East.

• He resumed his studies in 1946, and the following year

began lecturing in English at Glasgow University. His first
books – original poems and translations – appeared in 1952.
 Edwin Morgan
• Morgan is commonly recognised as one of the
most important poets in modern Scottish
literature.
• In 1999, Morgan was made the first Glasgow Poet
Laureate. In 2004, he was named as the first
Scottish national poet: The Scots Makar.
• One of the reasons he is so popular is because
his work is so vast ranging – he was an
experimental poet who wrote about many different
topics and who used many different forms of
poetry to express his ideas.
 Good Friday
1. What is the poem about?

2. What stands out for you most about this

poem? What do you find most interesting
about it?
 Good Friday
1. Where and when is the poem set?
2. Why is the man, who speaks to the poet, on
the bus?
3. How does the writer use language to show the
man is drunk? Comment on two separate
features of language.
4. What contrasts are made between the poet
and the drunk man?
5. What does the layout at the end of the poem
show us?
 Glasgow
Brainstorm all the words you associate
with Glasgow.

To what extent is the drunk man a

stereotypical Glaswegian?
 The poet/speaker
What is the poet/speaker’s attitude towards the man.
Choose one of the options below:

 Angry at him
 Disinterested
 Dislikes him
 Amused by him
 Finds him interesting
 It’s hard to tell

Be ready to explain your answer.

Consider the following statement:

“I was born in Glasgow and have lived most

of my life there, and whatever image the
city has to the outside world, to me it
underlies and pervades my feeling at a
deep level of identification and sympathy."
(Edwin Morgan)

Does it help us understand the poet’s

attitude to the drunk man?
 Language techniques
The poet’s use of word choice,
colloquial language and sentence
structure are key techniques in helping us
understand the poem.

They create a very vivid picture of the

situation and the character the poet is
describing.
 Word choice
1. What does the poet’s use of “lurches” suggest
about the way the bus is moving?
2. The man “flops” beside the poet. What does
this tells us about his movements? Why does
he move this way?
3. Why do you think the man uses the words
“wee drink”?
4. Look at the rest of the poem. What other words
and phrases give us an impression of the
drunk man?
 Sentence structure
Morgan uses sentence structure to show the
man is drunk – the poem is almost a monologue
as the poet only uses his own words at the start
and the end.

Task:
Read over the drunk man’s dialogue.
What do you notice about the sentence
structure? Think about punctuation, sentence
length, etc.
What does it convey to us about the man?
 A few more pointers…
1. Look at the end of the poem. How does
the writer’s word choice make it clear
that the drunk man is not completely out
of control/that he can look after himself?
2. What is the mood at the end of the
poem? Explain your answer.
3. The drunk man says that the working
man is “bliddy ignorant.” Do you think the
poet/poem agrees with this idea?
 ‘Trio’ by Edwin Morgan
Read the poem with your teacher and
answer the following in groups:
1. When and where is the poem set? Use a
quotation to support your answer.
2. What would you say is the mood of the
poem? Provide evidence for your answer.
3. Why is the poem called ‘Trio’?
4. In what way do the ‘Trio’ described link to
the Christmas/Christian story?
Orpheus

Orpheus was a legendary

musician, poet, and prophet in
ancient Greek mythology.

The major stories about him are

centred on his ability to charm all
living things and even inanimate
objects like stones with his music.
 Trio –– lines 1-14 –
Analysis and Evaluation
1. Consider the poet’s use of the present tense. Why is it
effective?

2. What are the trio carrying? What do these items

represent? What feeling do we associate with them?

3. “Their breath rises in a cloud of happiness.” Why is this

phrase unusual? What is the effect?

4. Identify the two similes in this section and comment on

what they suggest. How do they add to the joyful mood?

5. Pick out any other words and phrases the poet uses to
create this mood.
 Trio – lines 15-20
6. “The vale of tears is powerless before
you.” What does the poet mean when he
uses this metaphor?
7. How is the same idea continued later in
this section? Quote and comment.
 Final stanza
1. Look at the last stanza – do you notice
anything unusual about the sentence
structure?
2. Another simile is used in this section. Copy it
down and then comment on its meaning.
3. What is the mood at the end of this poem?
Explain your answer.
4. Can you see any similarities between this
poem and the last poem – e.g. content,
themes, language, layout?
 Discussion
• Now you have read and analysed the
poem. Discuss the following:

• What are the key themes/messages of the

poem?
• What does the poet want to make us think
about?
• List as many as possible.
 Group Discussion
• The poem deals with the themes of
Christmas and its meaning: religion,
friendship, joy and love.
• You are now going to take part in an
assessed group discussion on the topic of
Christmas and its meaning.

English: Creation and Production,

Outcome 2.
Literacy: Outcome 4
Group Discussion – Success Criteria

 Take turns to talk, listen carefully to others and acknowledge

the chairperson.
 Explain your opinions with evidence/give reasons.
 Support the ideas of others by expanding on their points.
 Challenge others and argue against (refute) their points.
 The language you use should be appropriate for the topic
and (when appropriate) should be used to create an effect –
e.g. emotive language or repetition to persuade others.
 Vary the tone of your voice and use appropriate body
language (e.g. eye-contact, gesture) depending on whether
you are making a point, listening to someone else, etc.
 In the Snack-bar
• Having read and analysed two of Morgan’s poems,
it’s now time to use the skills you have learned
independently.

• You will be given a set of questions on an unseen

Morgan poem called ‘In the Snack-bar.’

• Answer the questions in as much detail as possible.

• English Analysis and Evaluation: Outcome 1
• Literacy: Outcome 1
 In the Snack-bar
• Read ‘In the Snack-bar’ again with your teacher
then discuss the following questions.

1. What is the poem about.

2. What emotions does the poem make us feel and
why?
3. Why do you think the poet wrote this poem?
What themes/ideas does he want to highlight to
the reader.
 Group Task: Annotation
• Working together, highlight all the language
techniques the poet uses.
• Alliteration
• Simile
• Metaphor
• Onomatopoeia
• Word choice
• Repetition
• Punctuation
• Any other effective sentence structure – e.g.
listing, sentence length, etc.

26
 ‘In the Snack-bar’
In this poem the poet uses various
language techniques to highlight the
nature of the disabled man’s situation.

As well as being able to identify these

techniques, you should be able to
comment on their effects. What do they
help to show the reader?
 Word choice
Find and comment on the following examples of
word choice. Why did the writer use these
words? What do they help to show?

• Slithering
• Clatter
• Looming
• Shambles
• Uncouth
• Clinical gleam
• He asks doubtfully
• Contraption
 Imagery
• What do the following examples of
imagery help us understand?

• “like a monstrous animal caught in a tent.”

• A few yards of floor are like a landscape.”
• “His water is thin and slow, an old man’s
apology for living.”
• “His hands like wet leaves stuck to the half
–white stick”
 Sentence Structure
• The poet also uses a number of other structural
techniques, which we can call sentence
structure. These include –
• repetition
• listing
• long and short sentences
• effective punctuation.

• Task: You should have already highlighted

examples of these. Now comment on what they
help to convey to the reader.
 The last stanza
Look at the last stanza. What is it that the
poet find most harrowing about the man’s
situation? Use evidence to support your
answer.
 Hyena
• Before you read the poem discuss with
your group what you think of when you
think of a hyena.

• What is their stereotypical reputation?

How are they often presented in stories?
For example, Disney’s ‘The Lion King’?
 Hyena
How is the poem meant to make us feel?
 Hyena
• The poem is written from the hyena’s point
of view. Rewrite the first verse using
personal pronouns ‘he’ or ‘she’ instead of
‘I’.

• What difference does this make to the

poem? Does it give it less or more impact?
Try to explain your opinion.
 Hyena
1. Look at stanza one. How is the setting built
up? What kind of place is described?

2. What qualities would a creature need to

survive in this kind of landscape?

3. Why does the poet keep using the simile

“like Africa” in stanza two?

4. What does the metaphor, “I am a ranger”

suggest about the hyena and his lifestyle?
African Veldt - Setting
African Veldt - Setting
African Veldt - Setting
 Hyena – Stanza three
1. “When the moon pours hard and cold on the
veldt.” What does this metaphor suggest
about the African countryside at night?

2. What impression is given of the setting in

this stanza? Use evidence to support your
answer.
3. The hyena howls at the moon. What
impression does this give of him?
 Hyena – Stanza four
1. How does the writer use word choice to
show the difference between the hyena
and the lion (an animal we commonly
admire)?
2. In this stanza the poet comments on a
common image or misconception we have
of the hyena – as sly because it looks like
it is laughing. What does the poet try to
show us about the hyena?
 Hyena– final stanza
1. What does the final stanza show us? What is it a
list of? How does it help to build tension?

2. At the end the poet shows us that the hyena is

not the killer. How does he use language to do
this.

3. How are we meant to feel about the hyena at the

end of the poem? Explain your answer.

4. What point does the poet make about our bodies

after death at the end of the poem?
 Annotation
Now go through your poem and highlight
and comment on any language techniques
used by the poet. These might be
examples we have already discussed or
new examples you have found.
 Winter
Like ‘Trio’ this poem deals with the topic of
winter . However, it has a very different
mood.

In your groups decide what the mood of this

poem is.

What lines/words/ideas helped you decide

the mood of the poem?
 Winter
1. Look at lines 1-12. How does the poet
give the idea of time passing, of the
seasons going by and the years passing?

Quote any lines or phrases you can find

which show this idea.
 Winter
1. Why do you think the swan leaves when
ice appears?
2. How does the poet show us the winter ice
getting thicker and stronger?
3. The idea of everything being cold and
dead is contrasted with the liveliness of
the skaters. How does the writer use
word choice to show the skaters bringing
the pond to life?
 Winter
Straight after the liveliness of the skaters
we are told that the sound and energy
fades off:

Fades off, goes, the scene, the voices fade,

the line of trees, the woods that fall, decay
and break, the dark comes down, the shouts
run off into it and disappear. (lines 15-18)
 Look at lines 15-18
How do these lines convey the idea of
death and decay?

Pick out any words and phrases which

suggest death and decay.
 Lines 19 - 24
1. What tells us we are now in the modern day?
2. The poet still sees winter as a symbol of
death. What arrives and puts out all the
light?
3. The writer uses an example of imagery to
show how all consuming and lonely he thinks
the cold and darkness of winter can be.
Copy the imagery down. What type of
imagery is this?
 The ending of the poem
“ and on this paper I do not know
about the grey dead pane
Of ice that sees nothing and that nothing sees.”

In group discuss the ending of the poem.

What doesn’t the poet know at the end?
What does winter seem to symbolise for the
poet?
 The poet’s use of colour
• The poet uses colour throughout the poem
to symbolise both life and death.

• Highlight any examples of this.

 Symbolism
• The swan is a symbol of life – it leaves when winter arrives
but it also relates to death when it’s described as a ghost.

• Winter is also symbolic of death – as is the cold ice,

darkness and the fog the poet describes.

• However, although the poem is about death. It’s also

about rejuvenation – it’s not permanent – summer will
come again.

• The poem is about the cycle of life and death.

 Compare this poem with ‘Trio’
1. What do they have in common?
2. In what way are they different?
3. Which do you like the best and why?
Read this poem with your teacher then read
the poem again in your groups.

This is possibly the most challenging poem

we have read.

In general, what does the poem seem to be

about? What clues helped you work this
out?
• The poem is about the physical creation of
Scotland – the land forming long before man was
on the Earth.
• “There is no beginning.” – Morgan starts with
this short sentence to emphasise there is no way
you can say exactly when the idea of Scotland as
a nation came into existence.
• It is something that happened slowly and
gradually – you can’t put a time/date on it.
• However, it started with the creation of our land –
which is what he describes in his poem.
• We know he is talking about Scotland as
Morgan refers to two Scottish islands
Staffa and Lewis.
• The poem is also taken form a series of
poems called ‘Sonnets from Scotland’.
• This is the first poem in the series – the
beginning of Scotland.
Lewis
Lewis
Staffa
Staffa
 Lewis and Staffa
• Lewis and Staffa are both islands off the west
coast of Scotland.
• Staffa is of particular geological interest because
of its basaltic columns, which were formed as a
result of the cooling of flows of lava as they came
into contact with colder bedrock and then were
exposed to Scotland's weather.
• When we look at the pictures of Staffa and Lewis
- as oppose to the images of Glasgow we have
considered – we can begin to imagine Scotland
in its early stages of formation.
 Volcanic formations
• You could watch this quick video to help
you understand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=RMtuTfAqAbo
 The Great Glen
• The poet also refers to
the Great Glen.

• The Great Glen stretches

for 117km from coast to
coast across the
Highlands, linking the
main centres of Fort
William and the regional
capital of Inverness.
 Drumlin
• A drumlin is an oval or elongated hill
believed to have been formed by the
streamlined movement of glacial ice
sheets across rock debris. The name is
derived from the Gaelic word druim
(“rounded hill,” or “mound”) and first
appeared in 1833.
 Ben
The word ben comes from the Gaelic Ben
is Beinn meaning a mountain, a hill or a
pinnacle.

Think of Scottish mountains – e.g. Ben

Nevis, Ben Macdui, etc.

Ben Nevis ►►
 The voice
• The speaker in the poem is the voice of Scotland. When the
voice says ‘We saw Lewis laid down’ – he is talking about
Scotland as a nation, a collective.

• The poem uses the first person pronoun we to include the

speaker but also to include all of us. We all make up
Scotland along with the actual physical land of Scotland.

• He is trying to make us see that Scotland is not just about

the people in it – it’s about the land we live on too.

• He’s trying to show us that the land is a lot greater than us.
We’re just a part of the great cycle of the Earth.
 Slate
1. What does the poet mean when he says, “We
saw Lewis laid down”?
2. What does the poet mean by, “Watched long
seas plunder faults”?
3. Comment particularly on the use of the word
plunder? What do we usually think of when we
hear this word?
4. “Drumlins blue as bruises were grated off like
nutmegs.” What technique is the poet using here?
What does it say about the power of the glaciers?
5. What does the poet mean by “the rough back”?
 Enjambment
• Enjambment is the continuation of a
sentence or clause over a line-break.

• The poet uses enjambment at the end of

line 6. This gives the line two different
meanings.

• Say the lines out loud with a partner and try

to identify the two different meanings.
 Slate
1. In lines 7 -10 the poet tries to give the
impression of the land changing as time
passes. What helps to shape the land as
time passes?
2. What feature(s) of sentence structure
does the poet use to show this change?
3. How does the poet’s word choice show
the violence of the weather and sea?
 Slate
Sonnets usually have a turning point or
change in subject.

The change in this sonnet comes in line

11. What is introduced in line 11 that has
not yet been referred to?
 Man
• Yes, it’s us – mankind. We didn’t exist yet. The
poet uses the line –
“Memory of men! That was to come.”

• In the first part of the poem – (lines 1-10) man

doesn’t exist yet. However in line 11 man is
introduced.
 Lines 11-14
The poet again uses enjambment in this
section. Where does he use it? What
words does it emphasise?
 Lines 11-14
In the last line the poet tells us that when
man arrived they “threw walls to the sky.”

What does the word choice of “threw”

suggest about man’s treatment of the
earth?

Why do you think the poet calls a

rainbow’s glory “sorry” once man arrives?
 Last line
• “Their heels kicked flint, chalk, slate.”
• The last line is a list which reminds us what
our world is made of and what we tread over
everyday.
• It reminds us that we kick these materials out
of our way – but Morgan wants to put us in our
place and show us that the earth has been
around a lot longer than us and it will survive
longer than us.
• That’s why man only has 4 lines of the poem!
 Form
• The poem takes the form of a sonnet.
• Sonnets are usually 14 lines long.
• They often have a turning point, or change in
tone or topic – often called the volta.
• Sonnets are usually written in iambic pentameter
– 10 syllables per line.
• Sonnets are often written as a way of paying
reverence to something/someone –e.g. A lover.
• In this case the poet is paying reverence to
Scotland.
 Form
Copy the first four lines of the poem in your
jotter.

Now underline each syllable.

Now go through the poem and see if you

can see a rhyming scheme.
 Edwin Morgan
• You have now studied all the poems you
might be asked about in the National 5 exam.

• Trio
• Good Friday
• In the Snack-bar
• Hyena
• Winter
• Slate