Prime Time 7, Coursebook plus Semester Self-checks

First impressions a) Read the poem “New York” again: What is unusual about the poem’s form? b) What image does the lyrical I have of the city? Scan the poem for particularly significant words or phrases that create a certain image of New York. Tip Typical features of a poem • • A poem is an artful arrangement of words and sounds creating a world that touches the recipient’s feelings. • • It employs carefully chosen words to create images in the recipient’s mind. • • It is usually shorter than a prose narrative; much is not spelt out in detail, but inferred or associated by the recipient in the process of reading or listening. • • Poems are often only descriptive; they give impressions rather than actions, but may have characters and a plot. • • A kind of narrator (the so-called “lyrical I”) acts as a medium between author and recipient. • • Form is much more important than in a prose narrative; often the lines are arranged in a rigid structure according to metrical rules. • • Stylistic devices used in poetry are rhyme, rhythm, metre, repetition, figures of speech (e.g. comparison/simile: one thing is likened to another by the use of the words “like” and “as” – strong as a lion), imagery (i. e. language which represents feelings, thoughts or ideas – love is a rose) and atmosphere. • • Language may even be there for its own sake. T Working with the text a) This poem plays with antitheses. You can find many word pairs which are almost complete opposites, e. g. hell (line 6) – paradises (line 11). Go through the poem and find more such pairs. What is their function? b) What opinion about New York do people who live outside often express and how does the lyrical I react? Find examples in the text. c) What metaphors (see tip on page 45), comparisons and images does the lyrical I use to describe the city and its people? d) Explain what the lyrical I means by “you have to be an expert to live here”. e) What makes New Yorkers so special according to the lyrical I? f) What do you think Field’s motives were for writing his poem? My hometown Edward Field writes about his hometown. Make a mind map to brainstorm ideas about your own hometown and give a five-minute presentation in class. Writing: A report An international online tourist board for teenagers has asked students from all over Europe for information about the different regions as the aim is to publish the “European Youth Travel Guide”. You decide to hand in a report to the agent of the tourist board. In your report you should: • describe the types of accommodation available in your area • suggest day trips, excursions or outdoor activities for tourists • explain what there is to see and do for teenage tourists Divide your report into sections and give them headings . Write around 250/400 words . 3  4  5  6  41 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv