Starter quiz
- What is the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather' about?
- someone exploring the grandfather's attic after their death
- someone reminiscing about climbing up their grandfather's body as a child ✓
- someone climbing a mountain with their grandfather
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- How does the speaker feel at the beginning of the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather'?
- excited but nervous
- safe and secure ✓
- worried for their safety
- exhausted but triumphant
- sad and lonely
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- A ______ is when you compare two things using 'like' or 'as'.
- 'simile' ✓
- Which examples below are a metaphors?
- The teacher was like a dragon.
- The teacher was a dragon. ✓
- The teacher shouted as loudly as a lion.
- The teacher was mean.
- The teacher roared at the class, her eyes blazing with fury. ✓
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- Which of the quotations from the middle of the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather' show the speaker is becoming worried about the risks of their climb?
- "old brogues, dusty and cracked"
- "the glassy ridge of a scar"
- "I rest for while in the shade, not looking down" ✓
- "the slow pulse of his good heart"
- "I change direction, traverse along his belt"
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- When a writer repeatedly draws on the same metaphorical comparison throughout a text, we call it an ...
- repetition.
- alliterative phrase.
- extended metaphor. ✓
- extended noun phrase.
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Exit quiz
- Which of the following words means 'experiencing conflicting emotions about something or someone'?
- ambiguous
- ambivalent ✓
- artificial
- antipathy
- apathetic
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- What is juxtaposition?
- when a writer compares two things using 'like' or 'as'
- using three short sentences, one after another
- two contrasting ideas that appear next to each other ✓
- two or more words found next to each other that start with the same sound
- giving human characteristics to an inanimate object
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- How does Waterhouse use an extended metaphor in 'Climbing My Grandfather'?
- He compares climbing his grandfather's body to climbing a mountain. ✓
- He compares climbing a mountain to climbing his grandfather's stairs.
- He uses lots of different similes and metaphors throughout the poem.
- He compares his grandfather to a range of natural landscapes.
- He recounts a story his grandfather told him as a child.
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- Which of these best describes the structure of 'Climbing My Grandfather'?
- The poet uses lots of little stanzas.
- The poet uses one unbroken stanza. ✓
- The poet uses four stanzas, each four lines long.
- The poet uses five stanzas, each of which follow an ABAB rhyme scheme.
- The poet uses six stanzas, each one a different length.
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- The speaker in 'Climbing My Grandfather' is ambivalent towards reminiscing about their childhood. It could be suggested that they view their childhood memories as ...
- exciting but dangerous.
- sad but necessary.
- calming but difficult to remember.
- comforting but painful. ✓
- confusing but pleasant.
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- Match each language technique to the correct example in the quotes from 'Climbing My Grandfather'.
- juxtaposition⇔"easy scramble" ✓
- extended metaphor⇔"his thick hair (soft and white at this altitude)" ✓
- symbolism⇔“I can only lie watching clouds and birds circle” ✓
Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Waterhouse use an extended metaphor to compare climbing a mountain with reflecting upon the past.
- Waterhouse uses imagery to convey the precarious and multifaceted nature of the climb and remembering a loved one.
- Waterhouse juxtaposes the comfort derived from the 'grandfather memory' with the painful process of reminiscing.
- Waterhouse uses imagery to create a peaceful and tranquil final image of the grandfather.
- The single, unbroken stanza could reflect the unending process of grieving for a loved one.
Common misconception
Ambivalence means you do not care either way (similar to indifference).
Ambivalence is when someone has mixed or conflicting feelings about something or someone.
Keywords
Extended metaphor - the repeated use of the same metaphorical idea throughout a text
Ambivalent - experiencing conflicting emotions about something or someone
Precarious - a situation that is unstable, risky or dangerous
Juxtaposition - two contrasting ideas that appear next to each other
Stanza - a group of lines in a poem that function like a poetic paragraph
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