Llwybrau

‘Llwybrau’ is a poem that explores how family history can help shape personal identity.

• The key characters in the poem are the poet (the narrator), and her grandparents.
• The poem focuses on the themes of identity, diversity, family, culture, belonging, and memory.

This guide will show you how to explain your ideas about the poem, using evidence from the text and your own experiences.

This poem explores many important themes that are relevant to young people today.

Identity - Hunaniaeth

The poem explores how our identity is shaped by family, language, culture and personal experiences. The poet reflects on her heritage and how the experiences of previous generations influence who she is today.

Key quote:

Heb y loced, ro’n i’n berson gwahanol –
gallwn i wedi dysgu Portiwgaleg,
neu fynd i’r eglwys ar ddydd Sul,
ond nawr, ro’n i jyst yn fi.

Diversity - Amrywiaeth

The poem celebrates diversity and shows how different cultures, languages, traditions and experiences can come together to shape who we are.

The poet reflects on her family's journey from Cape Verde to Wales and demonstrates how a person can belong to more than one culture at the same time. The poem celebrates difference as something that enriches identity and inspires pride.

Key quote:

rwy’n meddwl amdanoch chi,
yn dechrau bywyd newydd yma yn y 40au.
Mam-gu yn mesur ffa coffi yn y siop,
yn codi llond llaw ac yn anadlu,
yn cofio’r bwthyn bach ar yr ynys
heb ddŵr na thrydan
y mynyddoedd a’r môr glas

Family - Teulu

Family is one of the most important themes in the poem. The poet reflects on her grandmother and grandfather and the important role they played in her life. Their memories continue to influence her even after they are gone.

Key quote:

Mam-gu, Tad-cu, ydych chi’n falch ohona i nawr? Rwy’n cyffwrdd fy ngwddf lle bu’r loced yn hongian ac yn meddwl amdanoch chi

Culture - Diwylliant

The poem explores how the poet's cultural heritage helps shape her identity. The poem helps us learn about the poet's family and culture. The poet's grandparents are from Cabo Verde, and they speak a different language (Portugese) and eat different foods compared to those from a typical family living in Wales in the 1940s.

Key quote:

Ac efallai, os dw i’n canolbwyntio,
wna i’ch ffeindio chi,
yn dilyn y llwybrau roeddech chi’n arfer cerdded.
Chi, yn mesur ffa coffi,
coginio tomatos,
hymian emynau

Memories - Atgofion

The loss of the heart-shaped locket causes the poet to reflect on the past. Memories help her reconnect with important people and moments from her childhood.

Key quote:

Gwisgais y loced ar fy mhen-blwydd yn ddeg oed.
Ac yn y diwedd, ar ôl y chwilio, a’r poeni,
roedd rhaid penderfynu
fod y loced ar goll.
Dim ond yr atgofion oedd ar ôl.

Understanding what the characters do, why they behave in certain ways, and how they affect other characters will help you explain events in the poem and give your own opinions.

Try to compare the characters' actions and experiences with your own views and experiences, using examples from the text to support your ideas.

‘Llwybrau’ focuses on y bardd (the poet) and her Mam-gu and Tad-cu (grandmother and grandfather).

Y bardd

• The narrator and central figure in the poem.
• Reflects on the memories of her Mam-gu (grandmother) and her Tad-cu (grandfather).
• Loses a heart-shaped locket that was given to her by her grandparents.
• Questions whether her family would be proud of her.
• Uses memories to understand her identity more deeply.

Mam-gu and Tad-cu

• Originally from Cape Verde.
• Their memories, traditions and experiences are important to the poet.
• Represent family history and cultural heritage.
• Appear through the poet's memories and reflections.
• Significant figures in the poet's life.
• Represent family support, guidance and belonging.
• The poet continues to think about them and seek their approval.

Writers use a range of literary techniques to create effects, develop characters and communicate ideas. It is important to learn what these techniques mean and what they are called in Welsh.

Here are a few examples of literary techniques that appear in ‘Llwybrau’:

Idiomau

An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of the words.

The poem contains no clear or obvious examples of idiomau.

Ansoddeiriau

Adjectives are descriptive words used to give more information about a person, place or thing.

Examples:

• bach(small)
• hen(old)
• glas(blue)
• fanila(vanilla)

Effect:

Creates a clearer picture for the reader and makes memories feel more vivid and realistic.

Deialog

Dialogue is conversation between characters.

The poem does not contain any direct dialogue. Instead, the poet thinks about the questions she would ask her grandparents if they were alive today. This allows the reader to understand her emotions and the strong connection she still feels with her family.

Example:

• Mam-gu, Tad-cu, wnes i'ch siomi chi?
  Ydych chi'n falch ohona i nawr?

Effect:

Reveals information about characters, relationships and events in the poem.

Cymhariaeth

A comparison describes one thing by comparing it to something else.

The poem contains no clear or obvious examples of cymhariaeth.

Synhwyrau

Writers use sensory language to appeal to sight, sound, smell, taste or touch.

Examples:

• papur wal pinc ac aur,
  tomatos a reis yn coginio,
  hufen iâ fanila,

[Gweld, Clywed, Arogli, Blasu = See, Hear, Smell, Taste]

• Rwy’n cyffwrdd fy ngwddf lle bu’r loced yn hongian

[Cyffwrdd = Touch]

Effect:

Helps the reader imagine the poet's memories and feel as if they are experiencing them alongside her.

Tafodiaith

Dialect refers to regional words or expressions used by characters.

Example:

South Walian dialect – Tafodiaith de Cymru:

• Mam-gu
• Tad-cu
• nawr

Effect:

Makes characters sound authentic and realistic and you learn where in the world the characters are from.

Amser y ferf

Verb tenses shows when an action takes place. The main tenses used in the poem are the past tense and present tense.

Examples:

Past tense – Y gorffennol:

• Dywedodd pawb(Everyone said)
• Gwisgais(I wore)
• roedd rhaid penderfynu(had to decide)
• meddyliodd hi(she thought)
• lle bu'r loced(where the locket had been)

Present tense – Y presennol:

• rwy'n meddwl amdanoch chi(I think about you)
• Ydych chi'n falch ohona i nawr?(Are you proud of me now?)

Effect:

Helps the reader understand when events are happening and can influence the pace of the poem.

Rhestru

Listing occurs when several words, phrases or ideas are grouped together.

Example:

• Chi, yn mesur ffa coffi,
  coginio tomatos,
  hymian emynau,
  ac yn aros i fy nghroesawu i adref.

Effect:

Emphasises important information and can create pace or intensity.

Here are some useful key words to help you respond to questions about the text.

• cerdd – poem

• bardd – poet

• cymeriad(au) – character(s)

• technegau – techniques

• effaith – effect

• cymhariaeth – comparison

• idiomau – idioms

• ansoddeiriau – adjectives

• synhwyrau – senses

• deialog – dialogue

• amser y ferf – verb tense

• tafodiaith – dialect

• rhestru – listing

• thema – theme

• themâu – themes

• hunaniaeth – identity

• amrywiaeth – diversity

• teulu – family

• diwylliant – culture

• atgofion – memories

• dyfyniad – quotation / quote

• ydy / nac ydy – yes / no

• oes / nac oes – yes / no

• cywir / anghywir – correct / incorrect

• gwahanol – different

• balch – proud

• ar goll – lost

• dysgu – learn

• mesur y ffa coffi – measuring the coffee beans

• anadlu – breathe / smell

• cyffwrdd – touch

• canolbwyntio – concentrate

• ffeindio – (to) find

• dilyn llwybrau – follow paths

• chwilio – search

• poeni – worry

• eglwys – church

• bywyd newydd – new life

• bwthyn bach – small cottage

• trydan – electricity

• mynyddoedd – mountains

• gwddf – neck

• personoliaeth – personality

• Cymro – Welsh man

• Cymraes – Welsh woman

• Cymraeg – Welsh language

• tipyn – a little bit

• yn rhugl – fluently

The sentence patterns below are examples of language that can be used when discussing the poem. You could use other sentence patterns and vocabulary as well.

Remember to draw on the wider range of sentence patterns and vocabulary you have learned when responding or offering your analysis of the text.

In the film about ‘Llwybrau’ above, there are two questions at the end that are linked to the themes of the poem:

1. Meddylia am bwy neu ble rwyt ti’n teimlo’n agos atynt, neu ble rwyt ti’n ‘perthyn’?

2. Wyt ti’n ystyried dy hun yn Gymro neu’n Gymraes? Meddylia am resymau dros dy ateb.

As the film explains, strong personal responses should be based on what happens in the poem.

Start by referring to the ‘manylion’ (details), ‘digwyddiadau’ (events), ‘cymeriadau’ (characters) and ‘disgrifiadau’ (descriptions) in the poem.

Then, explain your own thoughts and opinions, making links to your own experiences or observations where appropriate.

Let's look at how to plan and write an effective response to the first question:

Meddylia am bwy neu ble rwyt ti’n teimlo’n agos atynt, neu ble rwyt ti’n ‘perthyn’?

Always try to start your response by linking it back to the poem. For example:

Then, think about a person or place that is important to you, and where you feel most connected or that you truly belong.

For our example below, we will focus on a place we feel connected to – Cymru. Of course, you could choose any place in the world.

Alternatively, if you decide to respond to the ‘pwy’ (who) part of the question, you could write about someone who is important to you, such as a family member, a friend or even a pet. The most important thing is to choose a person or place that means something special to you.

Here’s an example of a great response discussing Cymru:

To bring the ‘perthyn’ (belonging) element in, you could add:

Let’s review the response so far:

This is now a very strong response.

✓ It refers to the poem.
✓ You’ve expressed an opinion and backed it up with a reason.
✓ You referred to your own experience.

How could we make it even better?

You could add a sentence to discuss why the feeling of ‘perthyn’ (belonging) is important. For example:

Let’s consider the second question asked at the end of the film:

Wyt ti’n ystyried dy hun yn Gymro neu’n Gymraes? Meddylia am resymau dros dy ateb.

• Start your response again by referring to the poem:

✓ This is telling us her grandparents are not from Wales originally so the fact she refers to them using Welsh names says something about the poet’s Welsh identity.

• Next, we need to express an opinion and back it up with a reason.

Two useful sentence patterns which could be used here are:

For this example, we’ll use “Fel”:

• Now, let’s move on to referring to your own experience:

This is how our example has built up so far:

This is a strong response, but can we improve it yet further?

• Why not finish with a question?

This would need to be a question you’ve created yourself - not a repeat of the original question. For example:

In terms of the language you should use, it’s always good to use different sentence patterns and a range of suitable words. Look back at the vocabulary and sentence pattern sections if there were any used in these examples that you didn’t recognise.

Test your knowledge of the poem ‘Llwybrau’ with these flashcards.

Remember that you will need to answer all the questions in your assessment in Welsh.

Think about how you would answer these questions in Welsh before you flip each card to reveal the answers: