‘The Sound Collector’

‘The Sound Collector ’ by Roger McGough

All about ‘The Sound Collector’

Roger McGough is a well-known and much-loved poet, playwright and author. He has written over fifty books of poetry. You may have come across his poems in primary school. This particular poem highlights the joy of everyday sounds around the house.

The Sound Collector A stranger called this morning Dressed all in black and grey Put every sound into a bag And carried them away The whistling of the kettle The turning of the lock The purring of the kitten The ticking of the clock The popping of the toaster The crunching of the flakes When you spread the marmalade The scraping noise it makes The hissing of the frying pan The ticking of the grill The bubbling of the bathtub As it starts to fill The drumming of the raindrops On the windowpane When you do the washing-up The gurgle of the drain The crying of the baby The squeaking of the chair The swishing of the curtain The creaking of the stair A stranger called this morning He didn’t leave his name Left us only silence Life will never be the same©The Educational Company of Ireland

READING

1 Summarise the poem in the form of a short newspaper headline. 2 What time of the day did the sound collector call? 3 Why did the poet choose to dress the sound collector in black and grey? 4 Did you like the poem? Why? Why not? 5 List the onomatopoeic words in this poem. Which use of onomatopoeia is your favourite in the poem and why? 6 Why do you think the poet chose to have no punctuation in this poem? 7 Edit the poem by adding a descriptive adjective before the nouns at the end of each sentence in the lines below. The first one is completed as an example for you. The gurgle of the hungry drain The crying of the baby The squeaking of the chair The swishing of the curtain The creaking of the stair 8 Is this poem similar in any way to any other text you have studied? 9 Practise making poetry notes by creating a set of notes for this poem in your activity book (see page 60). ACT IVITY COMMUNICATING 1 If you had to be deprived of one of your senses for a week, which sense would you choose and why? 2 If you could have one super sense, what would it be and why? 3 Listen to a reading of this poem: edco.ie/ds2e After listening, complete the response quad in your activity book (see page 61). Then share your thoughts with your partner. 4 Create and perform a dramatic version of this poem as a small group. You could use many different elements of performance, such as costume, lighting and props. However, the most important element of this poem’s performance should be the sound. You could use instruments, household objects, a sound effects app or the voices of those in your group to create the sounds in the poem, for example: whistling, scraping and ticking. ACT IVITY ©The Educational Company of Ireland

WRITING

Write a poem entitled ‘The Taste Collector’, where a mysterious stranger calls to your house and collects and takes away all the tastes in your house.

Writing Tips Begin by brainstorming all of the possible things in your house that have a taste, for example: toothpaste, oranges, tea. You could start your poem with the same line as in ‘The Sound Collector’ and end your poem with the same line.

‘Base Details’ by Siegfried Sassoon

PRE-READING: DIARY EXTRACT

Read this first-hand account of a soldier fighting in the trenches during the First World War. Dear Diary, 1st July 1916, written on the western front It is July 1st, 1916, the start of the Battle of the Somme. We had to go out of the trenches and walk into No-Man’s-Land. I can’t believe I’ve survived! The aim of this battle is to draw German forces away from the Battle of Verdun, where the French forces are suffering severe losses. We are going to get out of the trenches and charge to the enemies, just like our commanders ordered us to do. We can’t do anything about it. It’s their orders and I bet they wouldn’t care if I died. They’ve got plenty of soldiers. In fact, 60,000 died today. How can they just forget and think like nothing has happened? There is the constant smell of death. The constant feeling of getting bombed. It was a really horrible sight, seeing so many men die in just a few seconds. I remember praying that I would survive just before going over the top. I should’ve prayed for my friends. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I wish I never joined the army. Those posters were nothing but lies. I wish I was back home to my family and not in this ghastly place. I can feel it will get much more worse. This is only the first day anyway. James 1 How does the soldier feel about his commanders? 2 Why does the soldier feel powerless? 3 Does the soldier regret joining the army? 4 List three features of this piece of writing that lets you know it is a diary entry.

Greeting Informal and conversational

Expresses innermost thoughts and feelings Sign off

Personal pronouns: use of ‘I’ and ‘we’ Date Reference to the place ©The Educational Company of Ireland

PRE-READING: CHALLENGING VOCABULARY

Write two sentences using the word ‘petulant’ that show you understand the word.

Petulant Example: He is a petulant child and often throws a tantrum when he doesn’t get his own way. Synonyms: ill-tempered, cross, sullen, moody, irritable, grouchy Definition: childishly sulky or bad-tempered PRE-READING: COMMUNICATING 1 Watch a reading of this poem: edco.ie/8er5 Then watch it again. 2 When you have watched the performance twice, complete the personal response quad in your activity book (see page 61). 3 Then, share your thoughts and ideas with your partner. 4 Think about how you would make a video of this poem. Who would you cast as the actor reading the poem? How would you design the set? What props would you use? What sound effects would you use? ACT IVITY All about ‘Base Details’ Siegfried Sassoon was an English gentleman and a poet. He served in the English army during the First World War and saw first-hand the horrors and grim realities of war. He was renowned for his bravery on the battlefield and won a number of awards through his service. However, following a time of recovery from illness back in England, Sassoon refused to return to the front and was sent to a military hospital to recover from what the army referred to as his mental-health difficulties.©The Educational Company of Ireland