Turning Disappointment into an Art

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imagesT47GFYL0The England football team have been a major disappointment, but they have inspired the more able students to write poetry.

Our More Able and Talented day at Newcastle University was a great success. The students in attendance from Tanfield School, North Durham Academy and South Shields Community School were a credit to their schools.

The events on the day were designed to introduce them to the techniques associated with analysing unseen poetry in preparation for their English Literature GCSE. We used war poems and the link to football to analyse cultural identity, conscience, patriotism and pride. The plan was to link the1914 WW1 Anniversary, with the football because it was the 24th June and England were due to play their final World Cup group match against Costa Rica. We had not even considered that this would be their final match, and that they would underperform in the first two matches so badly that it wouldn’t even count!! National pride in relation to English football was not going to be inspirational in any positive way!

Our discussions extended to Empire, the symbolism of the flag. We also discussed the poverty in Brazil, in contrast to the riches clearly evident in football. The role of God in relation to conscience in war, and through football. These are all higher order thinking concepts that the students embraced and discussed. They then went on to use such concepts in their own poems.

The ‘severe disappointment’ expressed by some of the students about England’s performance led to some thoughtful reflection in the poetry they produced! In the short time that they had, it is brilliant to see the thoughtfulness and creativity of such young students, and it shows how much potential they have. For young students to reveal their emotions in such a way, takes maturity as well as intellect.
My favourite lines are from the poem ‘Football, full of..’ By Adam, Emma and Emily from South Shields Community School:

‘Mumbling the national anthem,
like they have already lost the dream.’

They have summarised exactly what was wrong with the England team and their approach to the tournament, especially when you contrast this with the passion of some of the other countries.

All of the poems showed technical skill and an understanding of the topic. After a great deal of deliberation, our team at Everything English decided on the following poems as the winners.
Please take the time to read the winning poems:

Pride

The feeling of jubilation
Tingling through our bones,
As we explore the joys of celebration
Families go wild in their homes

They stand as a representation
For all that can be heard
We come together as a nation
All out passion transferred

We look to them as inspiration
Leaders before our eyes
For they provide us with motivation
As a country will rise

As it approaches the finishing line,
The final and the end,
We return back to normal,
For the title we defend

Alex Bowden and Katie Jones (Tanfield School)


Better Spent

Football;
A game of sport,
some fun,
Poverty,
Slums, disease,
guns.

The players kick,
the homeless beg.
Could the money not be spent
somewhere else instead?

The poverty grows,
as nationalism surmounts,
A child is lost, with each
raising flags.

The stadium stands,
as another family starves.
Which footballer
will cover the cost?

It’s a lot of money,
to spend on a sport
with all the needy and ill.
Can’t the money be better spent,
on the needy in Brazil?

Katie Coverdale – South Shields Community School

What’s the point?

People shouting,
People cheering,
All for one team.

Crazed fans,
Obsessed fans,
All for one team.

It unites,
But makes fights,
So, what’s the point?

Paid millions
To run across a field
People pay billions,
To see that field.

It unites,
But makes fights,
So, what’s the point?

Poverty starts to rein the land,
Homeless and hungry,
It’s time to make a stand,
Tourists take the money.

It unites,
But makes fights,
So, what’s the point?

Why pay so much for one sport?
There’s people out there who need more support.

Hannah Watson North Durham Academy

Ignorance

Where did the money go?
It was spend on this area.
While poverty breaks families,
For mum, it destroys her.

Millions spent to pay their wage,
Playing games for an age,
To pay their super-star lifestyle,
To win a pointless title.

Children are vulnerable and dying,
He shoots.. ooh! It’s a miss,
The suffering’s cries are drowned out by football
Oh, this ignorance is a bliss.

Alex Fryer – North Durham Academy

A very well done to all of our poets, they were a pleasure to be with, and they show great potential and we hope that the university experience will inspire them to continue in their studies at university level.
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