Monday 16 May 2011

Seeing Stars by Simon Armitage

·         These poems have been called prose poems or story poems. How do they differ from normal poems? Are they poems or mini stories? Did you find this a satisfying form? If not why not?
·         Were there poems that you felt were more poems than others/or more stories than poems?
·         Did you think “Seeing Stars” was an apt title for the book? What does the title suggest?
·         Have you read anything else by Simon Armitage? If so how did this collection compare?
·         Some of the poems seem to be comic monologues or prose pieces but they have a turn or change near to the end where the poem becomes more serious or magical - “The English Astronaut” for example. Does this make them more like poems?  What effect do you think this change has on the reading of the poem? Is it effective?
·         It has been said that these pieces are more performance pieces than page poems – would you agree with this?
·         What do you think the poem “My Difference” is about? What do you think the difference is that the narrator refers to?
·         Which was your favourite/least favourite poem in the collection? Why?