Читать книгу English for Life Reader Grade 9 Home Language - Elaine Ridge - Страница 4

Pre-reading
1.	How do you react to cockroaches? What do you know about them?
During reading
2.	An ode is written to praise someone or something. Is this what the poem does?

Ode to cockroaches

Philip de Vos

Cockroaches are marvellous

Cockroaches are clean

Cockroaches are lovable

and never ever mean –

And yet in all the media

and each encyclopedia

you’ll very often find

that these creatures are maligned.

They're also so hygienic:

their mothers preen and wash them.

I really can’t comprehend

why we should want to squash them.

I beg of you: Please don’t despise

a creature with such soulful eyes:

a creature that’s so clever –

its kind goes on forever.

I’ll be more categoric,

these bugs are prehistoric.

They’ve been around

for many years,

yet all they get

are jeers and sneers

and never once a friendly word

from poets, bards or sonneteers.

They say the day is coming

when an awful BOMB will fall,

and trees and sky will disappear

In one big mushroom ball.

And in our empty houses

when we have gone away

will be delighted cockroaches

who’ll stay and stay and stay …

bards – poets

categoric – clear and specific

maligned – people have said unpleasant things about them that are not true

preen – to dress, or clean, very carefully

Post-reading
3.	This poem has not been divided into stanzas but it is in distinct sections. It has a clear rhyme pattern. The first four lines are abab. The next four have a different pattern. The third section of four lines has the same pattern as the first. Then there are two six line sections. Work out the rhyme scheme of the whole poem. Then consider the effect of the sections and of the change from four to six lines.
4.	The speaker seems to be urging us to see the virtues of cockroaches. How serious is he do you think? Explore some of the clues in the poem.
5.	How accurate do you think the facts are that the speaker gives about cockroaches? Explain your answer.
6.	What is the central message about cockroaches in this poem? Try to write your answer in one sentence.
7.	What sort of bomb explodes into a huge mushroom shape? Why would our houses be empty after such a bomb fell?
8.	In the second last line the speaker refers to “delighted” cockroaches. Why would the cockroaches be delighted?
9.	Has this poem changed your response to cockroaches in any way? Explain why or why not.