It has been wonderful to hear the pulsing rhythm of poetry emanating from various corners of the school. Year 10s received feedback directly from the author of a poem they analysed, Spanish students produced beautiful recitals, students worked with Ms Haase to create a display in Pohádka café inspired by Larkin’s ‘The Trees’ and there is still time to enjoy the poetry/art project displayed in Pohádka.

Alison Brackenbury had this to say about students’ writing:
“It is truly difficult to write well about a poem in a short period of time. You have to appreciate the technical devices the poet is using, which are not surface decorations but vital ways to direct and move the poem’s reader. You also have to understand the feelings and events the poem brings to you. What is the particular effect of this poem? (Although you may be reading silently, you need to hear the poem’s lines, and their echo in your own mind.)

Does the poem create its own particular world while you are reading it? And does it leave you moved, or with a deeper understanding of anything it describes? I am really impressed by the way in which you have tackled these questions, and how deeply you have understood, and reacted to the poem, although you had limited time. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to read all you have written. I hope you will read many more poems in the future, and will listen equally well to the echo of their voices.”

Read her poem here.