Form 2 English Literature / Cempaka School, Cheras.
Lesson : 13 (two periods)
Week : 41
Language Skill : English Literature
Topic : I Wonder by Jeannie Kirby (Poem)
Source : Literature Component for Secondary Schools : A Collection of Poems, Short
Stories and Drama for Form 1 to Form 2. (PSSD)
Class : Form 2 ( AER, AQUA, TERRA)
Teacher : Prof. Dr. David Ngin Sian Pau
Objectives :-To review literal meaning, persona, point of view, setting, theme, structure,
rhyme scheme, tone, mood, language, imagery, poetic devices, personification,
alliteration, moral values of the poems.
Persona : Guessing the persona. Tell as many appropriate words as possible to guess
who the persona really is. e.g. intelligent, amazing, wonderful, curious, etc.
And finally put all the words in sentences. (15 minutes)
Literal Meaning : Literal meaning of I WONDER. Students must write this down .
A child wonders about the nature, asks why the grass is green whereas
there are other colors and why the wind is invisible. The child continues to
ponder the person who teaches the birds to build nest and the trees to stop
growing. He or she also wonders where the other part of the moon is when
the moon is in crescent shape. He or she proceeds to question about the
person who makes the stars shine and how the lightning flashes about. The
child keeps on asking who colors the rainbow and puts the clouds high in the
sky. He or she cannot get the answers, thus, directs the questions to the other.
Lastly, the child wonders why the father does not tell him or her if he knows
the answers. (15 minutes)
Language&Style : The poem is written in six verses. Each verse consists of two lines called a
couplet. The poet uses aa, bb, cc, dd, ee, ff as the rhyme scheme. This means
the last words in each couplet rhyme, e.g. 'green-seen', nest-rest', 'round-
found'. Each verse ends with a question. The poet uses imagery and
alliteration to bring the poem to life.
Literary Device: Imagery
The poet used familiar images that we can visualize to describe the different
aspects of Nature. We see "the trees to take a rest" (line 4), "who lights the
stars" (line 7), "who paints the rainbow in the sky" (line 9) and "hangs the fluffy
clouds" (line 10) which show images accompanied by human activities. In line
10, the phrase 'fluffy clouds" evokes the image of soft and light clouds that give
us the image of how the soft clouds are like. In our senses of touch, we can
compare the clouds with a cotton wool or a kitten.
Literary Device : Alliteration
Alliteration refers to the repeated use of consonants. "green grass" and "told
the trees to take" are written in alliteration which captures the interest of
children when they read them. (15 minutes)
SETTING : Place: By understanding of the poem, we can figure out that the persona is
outside the center of a city or maybe in a village where he can see the
clouds, sky, grass and the nature with a quiet surrounding.
Time : The time starts with a bright day and it continues through a clear night,
the time the persona can see the moon and stars. It goes on to the time
of a stormy, thundering and rainy day, and the poem ends after the rain
when he sees the rainbow in the sky. (10 minutes)
THEMES : The wonder of nature (10 minutes)
The theme of the poem is about how a child wonders about the nature.
The Beginning Point of Knowing the Creator
Among all the occurrences of creation in this universe, there are countless
number of things that we don't normally understand how, that generates to
begin thinking about the creator in the mind of a child, a human being. The
persona of this poem also starts thinking about the creation of green grass,
lightning flash, crescent moon, fluffy clouds and rainbow that forces him to
think of how he wonders about the creator. The creation generally beyond
our capability and imagination as a human being.
Message : Learn How To Think Like The Persona At Least (10 minutes)
Even in our day to day life and work, we should be like the persona at the
least, and we should be able to think about the creation. We have to learn
thinking about the creation positively that we also may appreciate the creator.
Why can't we think about the nature and appreciate it even as the eyes of the
persona, an innocent child can?
Moral Value : Gratitude And Respect (10 minutes)
We should know how to be grateful and learn to respect the nature by looking
into our surroundings and the nature.
Knowing Our Duty: It is our duty to protect and to care for the wonderful
things around us. This is one of the moral values that every one should try to
have.
Tone & Mode : The poem has a light tone and conveys a child's curiosity. It shows that the
persona is amazed by the things he witnesses and wants to know more.
(10 minutes)
Students Task : Work in pairs. Take down all the notes. Ask questions if you have any.
Read the questions below and give short responses. ( pair work)
1. What is the title of the poem?
2. What is a couplet?
3. Why do you think that "Dad won't tell ..." the answers?
4. Mention one activity which birds do.
5. What hangs up in the sky so high?
6. Where is this poem set?
7. What is the surname of the poet?
©Dr.David Ngin Sian Pau