Monday 22 October 2012

The Clown Punk

Simon Armitage
Well, the Room 101 assessments have stopped and now we're onto poetry. At this point in time, we're studying Simon Armitage's poem 'The Clown Punk'.

See, poetry can be like Marmite. You either love it or you hate it. And, whilst I loathe Marmite, I am fond of some poetry. I like Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, Sarah Kay and Christina Rossetti. I think that poets are some of the most incredible people ever and I think it takes a lot of talent to write a real poem (which, after taking part in Slam Jam I've learnt is harder than it looks). So for me this is a pretty fun topic.

A Visual of the Clown Punk
'The Clown Punk' focuses around the message that "you shouldn't judge a book by its cover" and explores the idea of isolation. We looked at how the poet uses writing techniques to gain sympathy from the audience.

One thing I noticed is that throughout the poem powerful imagery is used. An example of this is when it says the Clown Punk was 'towing a dog on a rope.' The use of the word 'towing' suggests that he was literally dragging the dog along, giving the impression that the dog didn't want to follow him. The idea that even man's best friend wants nothing to do with him emphasises the fact that the Clown Punk truly is alone, and that evokes sympathy from the reader. 

I found a useful website that gives you a lot of information on this poem as well on Armitage that will hopefully help you revise for the impending exam!  http://www.helpmewithenglish.co.uk/page_2087187.html



The Poem
Ellen 

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