Comparisons “I Wanna Be Yours” - HRSBSTAFF Home Page

Comparisons
“I Wanna Be Yours” by John Cooper Clarke
I wanna be your vacuum cleaner
breathing in your dust
I wanna be your Ford Cortina
I will never rust
If you like your coffee hot
let me be your coffee pot
You call the shots
I wanna be yours
I wanna be your raincoat
for those frequent rainy days
I wanna be your dreamboat
when you want to sail away
Let me be your teddy bear
take me with you anywhere
I don’t care
I wanna be yours
I wanna be your electric meter
I will not run out
I wanna be the electric heater
you’ll get cold without
I wanna be your setting lotion
hold your hair with deep devotion
Deep as the deep Atlantic ocean
that’s how deep is my emotion
Deep deep deep deep de deep deep
I don't wanna be hers
I wanna be yours
“Stop all the Clocks” by W. H. Auden
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the
public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton
gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was
wrong.
The stars are not wanted now: put out every
one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

1. Look at the poem, “I wanna be yours.” In this poem, the poet uses unusual objects to describe is
love.
a. Select two quotations which show unusual objects.
b. Why do you think the poet chose these items? What is he trying to say about his love?
2. The last two lines of the poem say, “I don’t wanna be hers/I wanna be yours.” What do you
think this tells us about the relationship?
3. a. How would you describe the poet’s attitude in this poem? Choose one word.
- angry - humourous - forceful - mournful -hopeful
b. Find one quotation from the poem which supports your choice.
4. ‘I wanna be yours’ has a fast rhythm to encourage you to read it quickly. How does the poem
achieve this?
5. Look at the poem ‘Stop all the Clocks.’ What has happened to the person he is writing about?
Find evidence to support your answer.
6. This poem says,
‘He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song.’
How has the poet used language/words to suggest that this person was important to them?

7. How can you tell that ‘Stop all the Clocks’ was written before ‘I wanna be yours’?
8. Look at these quotations from ‘Stop all the Clocks’ and analyse the effects of these words.
a) Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.
b) The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
c) Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
9. Think about the language, punctuation, rhythm and rhyme of both poems.
a. Write down ne similarity between the poems.
b. Write down one difference between the poems.
10. “Both theses poems are love poems with a twist.” Do you agree with this statement or not?
Explain your view and refer to the poems to support your answer.
GCO 7: [Students will] respond critically to a range of texts, applying their understanding of language,
form, and genre
7.1 recognize the similarities and differences in form, structure, and ideas of texts
7.2 recognize how artful language and structures of genre and text can influence the reader or viewer
1 All questions
should have been
attempted.
Little
understanding is
evident.
2 All questions may have
been attempted. Evidence
should have been used
where requested.
Superficial understanding is
evident.
3 All
questions have
been answered.
Evidence is
superficial.
Understanding
is evident.
4Questions
have been
answered.
Evidence is clear.
Good
understanding is
evident.
5 Questions have
been thoroughly
answered. Evidence is
specific and detailed.
Understanding
demonstrates insight.