Read Roald Dahl’s poem “The Pig” with pupils. Why is the poem funny? Why is it serious? How does rhyme help us enjoy it?
Pupils could read chapter 6 of Dick King-Smith’s The Sheep-Pig and think about how the author uses the way his characters speak to illustrate their personalities.
Study Part I of Tennyson’s “Lady of Shalott”. How do sound and imagery help to convey the poet’s vision of the medieval countryside?
Read the opening chapter of Animal Farm by George Orwell, and discuss how the author balances the anthro-pomorphosis of the animals, and his knowledge of their animal behaviour, to seize the reader’s interest. Are students convinced by Old Major’s argument? Can they see the parallel that Orwell is aiming at?
Students should read section XIV of Maiden no More in Tess of the D’Urbervilles and consider how Hardy uses his intimate knowledge of the practice of harvesting, and delay in the narrative, to reveal the altered Tess.
