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Jay Bernard's poetry collection 'Surge' (2019)
Unit Description:
In this module we will read Jay Bernard's T. S. Eliot Prize winning poetry collection, 'Surge' (2019) and explore the work from the perspective of Readers, Writers, Texts, as our first 'Area of Exploration'. It is a highly contemporary work which will give us an opportunity to get to grips with what counts as exciting British literature today. it will also show us how writers can use real historical documentary evidence, in this case, from the archives of the New Cross Fire, as well as the more current documentation of the Grenfell Tower disaster, to create experimental 'intertextual' poetry.
Key Quote:
"Many questions emerged not only about memory and history, but about my place in Britain as a queer black person. This opened out into a final sense of coherence: I am from here, I am specific to this place, I am haunted by this history but I also haunt it back." (Bernard, Author's Note')
TOK Link:
Knowledge and History: How do we construct knowledge of the past through literature?
Surge engages with historical events like the New Cross Fire (1981) and the Grenfell Tower disaster (2017). However, Bernard does not present these as neutral historical records but instead reinterprets history through poetic form, blending memory, emotion, and archival material.
This raises a TOK question: To what extent does literature provide a more truthful account of history than factual records?
Historical records claim objectivity but often reflect biases or omissions. Bernard’s poetry, on the other hand, offers an affective, experiential truth—one that centers marginalized voices and challenges official narratives.
ATL:
Thinking Skills
Analyzing how Bernard uses poetic form, language, and intertextuality to engage with historical events, such as the New Cross Fire and Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Evaluating the role of memory, trauma, and identity in the collection.
Comparing Surge to other works that explore historical injustice through poetry.
Communication Skills
Articulating responses to Surge in class discussions and written analyses.
Exploring how Bernard’s use of voice and perspective challenges dominant historical narratives.
Presenting interpretations of key poems with textual evidence.
Social Skills
Engaging in peer discussions about how Surge resonates with different cultural and historical contexts.
Respecting and considering differing interpretations, particularly on topics of race, justice, and collective memory.
Collaborating on presentations or group analyses of the collection.
Self-Management Skills
Organising close reading notes on themes, motifs, and stylistic choices in Surge.
Managing time effectively to balance individual reading, research, and discussion preparation.
Reflecting on personal responses to the collection and refining interpretations over time.
Research Skills
Investigating the historical events that Surge engages with, including the New Cross Fire (1981) and its aftermath.
Examining Bernard’s influences, including archival materials and spoken-word traditions.
Assessment: Assessments for this unit are geared around developing skills for the Individual Oral and Paper 1.
Assignment 1: Contrasting Perspectives on a Poem: we will create our own contrasting interpretations of a poem which will demonstrate how the same poem can be read from a dominant, negotiated and oppositional reading
Assignment 2: Focused Analysis Presentation: we will develop our literary analysis skills by taking time to thoroughly break down the allusions, connotations, and overall meaning of a chosen single line of verse as the basis for an in class presentation.
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