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Matariki Imagery Exploration

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Matariki Imagery Exploration

Read the poem twice. Look for words that help you picture, hear or feel the scene. Then use evidence from the poem to explain your ideas. Matariki is understood and celebrated in different ways by iwi and communities; this poem offers one imaginative scene, not a single account for everyone.

The Winter Sky

The frost has stitched the paddock white, and breath makes clouds that drift from sight. Above the ridge, the night unfolds— a deep-blue cloak sewn through with gold. Matariki lifts into view, seven sparks in a velvet blue. The sleeping hills hold still and listen; the stars above the rooftops glisten. A window glows. A kettle sings. Warm hands pass bowls and stories round. Outside, the stars keep watch in silence; inside, old hopes find a new sound.

Explore the poet’s imagery

Imagery is language that helps a reader picture, hear, feel, taste or smell a scene.

1.In the first stanza, what does the frost seem to do? Choose the phrase that creates this image.

It stitches the paddock white.
It paints the hills green.
It warms the rooftops.
It hides the stars.

2.Find one example of a sound image in the poem. Copy the words and name what a reader might hear.

3.The poet calls the night sky “a deep-blue cloak sewn through with gold”. What are the gold details, and what does the cloak comparison help you picture?

4.Match each phrase to the sense it most strongly appeals to.

“breath makes clouds”
“A kettle sings”
“Warm hands”

Touch
Sight
Hearing

5.True or false? The poem describes the stars as noisy. Use a detail from the poem to support your answer.

TrueFalse

6.Complete the idea: The phrase “the night unfolds” makes the night seem as if it is .

7.The poem moves from the cold outdoors to warmth indoors. Copy one detail from each setting, then explain how this contrast affects the mood.

8.What might “old hopes find a new sound” suggest about the stories shared inside? Give one possible interpretation and a clue from the poem.

9.Write two new lines for the poem. Include one vivid comparison using “like” or “as” and one detail that appeals to a sense. Underline or identify both choices.