Y Daith

‘Y Daith’ is a poem about Welsh identity, culture, belonging and relationships.

• The main characters are Angharad, Gemma and Sophie.
• Explore how Angharad's attitudes towards the Welsh language and culture change throughout the poem.

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

Welsh language - Yr iaith Gymraeg

The poem explores how Angharad develops a stronger sense of Welsh identity. At the beginning she is not confident speaking Welsh, but by the end she is using Welsh more regularly, and enjoying Welsh culture.

Key quotes:

Agwedd Angharad ar ddechrau’r gerdd – Angharad's attitude at the beginning of the poem:

“Ych. Ma’ mam yn gwrando ar Radio Cymru eto.
Radio hen bobol. Mae hi wastad yn stico Cymraeg mlaen.
Iaith hen bobol.”

Agwedd Angharad ar ddiwedd y gerdd – Angharad's attitude at the end of the poem:

Mae’n snapchatio Gemma yn Gymraeg
(tra bod Radio Cymru 2 ymlaen)

Identity - Hunaniaeth

The poem explores Angharad's journey of self-discovery and her developing sense of Welsh identity. At the beginning of the poem, she lacks confidence in speaking Welsh and feels disconnected from Welsh culture.

However, through her experiences at the Eisteddfod and her interactions with Gemma and Sophie, she begins to appreciate the Welsh language, Welsh music and her place within Welsh culture.

By the end of the poem, Angharad is more confident, proud of her identity and willing to use Welsh in her everyday life.

Key quotes:

Angharad considers Gemma to be Welsh, but doesn’t consider herself as 'Welsh' as her friend.

Mae Gemma’n ynys o Gymreictod
yng nghanol môr o negeseuon
Saesneg yn ffôn Angharad.

After the Eisteddfod, Angharad sees everything differently and considers herself to be more in tune with this aspect of Welsh culture and her cynefin:

Mae’n fore braf ym Mhonty.
Sleifia’r haul drwy’r llenni
i gyfarch Angharad gyda gwên.
A gwêl ei thref mewn ffordd
wahanol.

Welsh culture - Diwylliant Cymru

The Eisteddfod, Welsh music and the Welsh language are central to the poem. Angharad discovers new aspects of Welsh culture and begins to appreciate them.

Key quotes:

Fel diferion glaw yn plymio i Afon Taf,
glania miloedd o leisiau ac acenion Cymraeg
ym Mhonty.

Falle bod rhywbeth am y busnes Eisteddfod ’ma,

Ond yno’n y babell daw Dom a Lloyd
i’r llwyfan a’u lleisiau’n llawn
cyffro gan rapio rhythmau
nad yw Angharad wedi eu clywed
yn Gymraeg o’r blaen.

Sense of place / Belonging - Cynefin / Perthyn

Initially Angharad feels disconnected from Pontypridd but gradually sees her local area differently. The poem encourages readers to appreciate where they come from.

Key quotes:

Teimladau Angharad ar ddechrau’r gerdd – Angharad's feelings at the beginning of the poem:

Dim ond goddef Pontypridd mae Angharad yn ei wneud,
gan freuddwydio am adael rhyw ddydd.”

Teimladau Angharad ar ddiwedd y gerdd – Angharad's feelings at the end of the poem:

Cofia eiriau’r gerdd yna o’r ysgol
nad oedd hi wedi ei deall
tan nawr…
“Ni allaf ddianc rhag hon…”

“Ma Ponty mor lysh!”

Relationships / Friendship - Perthnasau / Cyfeillgarwch

Gemma supports Angharad and encourages her to visit the Eisteddfod. Angharad also develops a relationship with Sophie.

Key quotes:

ond mae Gemma’n ffrind da
ac mae ffrindiau go iawn
yn brin.

Wrth y bar, dyma’r ferch â’r llygaid
llawn sêr yn troi ati mewn acen
ryfedd.

Arweinia’r sgwrs at y gusan orau erioed…

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.

The three key characters in ‘Y Daith’ are Angharad, Gemma and Sophie.

Angharad

• The main character in the poem.
• Lives in Pontypridd.
• Is not confident speaking Welsh at the beginning of the poem.
• Uses social media.
• Changes her attitude towards the Welsh language and Welsh culture.
• Meets Sophie at the Eisteddfod.

Gemma

• Angharad's best friend.
• Speaks Welsh fluently.
• Is proud of her Welsh identity.
• Encourages Angharad to go to the Eisteddfod.

Sophie

• Comes from North Wales.
• Speaks Welsh confidently.
• Meets Angharad at the Eisteddfod.
• Helps Angharad become more confident.
• She and Angharad develop a relationship, and share a kiss.

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 ‘Y Daith’:

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:

• tawel(quiet)
• glawog(rainy)
• llawn cyffro(full of excitement)

Effect:

Creates a clearer picture for the reader and helps develop characters and settings.

Deialog

Dialogue is conversation between characters.

Example:

• “Tisho diod? Be’ gymi di? Sophie dw i”
  “Gaf fi hwnna plîs… Diolch”
  “Acan o fan hyn di hwnna?
  ti’n dod o Bonty?”

Effect:

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

Cymhariaeth

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

Example:

• fel tylwythen deg ar doriad gwawr.

[fel tylwythen deg = like a fairy]

Effect:

Helps the reader visualise ideas and understand descriptions more clearly.

Synhwyrau

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

Examples:

• miloedd o leisiau
• lleisiau’n llawn cyffro

[Clywed = Hear]

Effect:

Makes the poem more vivid and engaging and helps you image how it would be at the Eisteddfod.

Tafodiaith

Dialect refers to regional words or expressions used by characters.

Example:

South Walian dialect – Tafodiaith de Cymru - Angharad:

• “Ponty’n ameising? Ody e?!”

North Walian dialect – Tafodiaith gogledd Cymru - Sophie:

• “Tisho diod? Be’ gymi di? Sophie dw i”

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 two main tenses used in the poem are the present tense and the conditional tense.

Examples:

Present tense – Y presennol:

• Ma’ mam yn gwrando ar Radio Cymru eto.(Mum is listening to Radio Cymru again.)

Conditional / future tense – Yr amodol / dyfodol:

• bydd yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol
  yn galw yn nhref Pontypridd ym mis Awst y flwyddyn nesaf…
  (the National Eisteddfod will be in Pontypridd in August next year…)

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:

• Falle America. Neu Awstralia. Neu Sbaen.

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

• yr iaith Gymraeg – the Welsh language

• hunaniaeth – Identity

• diwylliant – culture

• cynefin – area / sense of place

• perthyn – belonging

• dyfyniad – quotation / quote

• ydy / nac ydy – yes / no

• oes / nac oes – yes / no

• cywir / anghywir – correct / incorrect

• gwrando ar – listen (to)

• clywed – hear

• goddef – tolerate

• breuddwydio – (to) dream

• hen bobl – old people

• agwedd – attitude

• cymreictod – Welshness

• neges – message

• negeseuon – messages

• lleisiau – voices

• acenion – accents

• prin – rare / scarce

• cusan – a kiss

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 ‘Y Daith’ above, there are two questions at the end that are linked to the themes of the poem:

1. Wyt ti’n meddwl ei bod hi’n bwysig siarad Cymraeg os wyt ti’n byw yng Nghymru?

2. Sut wyt ti’n teimlo am ble rwyt ti’n byw, a sut mae hynny wedi dylanwadu ar y person wyt ti heddiw?

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:

Wyt ti’n meddwl ei bod hi’n bwysig siarad Cymraeg os wyt ti’n byw yng Nghymru?

When planning a response, it’s important to work out which sentence patterns you may need to use. We’re going to focus on a positive response here:

Let’s begin creating our response.

Remember to link your answer to the poem. For example, you could start by saying:

Then, decide what your opinion is. Do you agree that speaking Welsh is important for people who live in Wales, or do you disagree? Once you have chosen your viewpoint, think of reasons and examples that support your answer.

You can then strengthen your argument by referring to your own experience of using the language. For this example, we’re going to add detail to our positive response:

Excellent, now you could add a sentence to really make your answer stand out. Why not add a fact about the language and/or offer advice?

• Fact:

• Advice:

Let’s put it all together, and review the full answer:

This is a strong, effective personal response, because:

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

Spend time considering the language and content of the response. The use of different sentence patterns makes the work far more interesting, so do spend time revising different patterns.

Let’s now move on to the second question:

Sut wyt ti’n teimlo am ble rwyt ti’n byw, a sut mae hynny wedi dylanwadu ar y person wyt ti heddiw?

To make this answer as detailed as possible, remember to follow a similar structure as the one followed in your previous answer:

✓ Refer to the poem.
✓ Give your opinion and explain why.
✓ Relate it to your own experience.
✓ Add detail - give advice, add a fact.

This is a challenging question as it has two parts, so let’s concentrate on the first part to begin with:

· Sut wyt ti’n teimlo am ble rwyt ti’n byw… ?

Remember, always start by linking it to the poem. For example you could begin with:

That's a great start, as it refers to the poem and you’ve also expressed your opinion on your area.

Now, let’s think of a response to the second part of the question:

· … a sut mae hynny wedi dylanwadu ar y person wyt ti heddiw?

Refer to your own experiences here:

Why not add a fact about the area where you live? You could say something about what's in your area:

You could also add a question to finish your response off effectively, such as:

Let’s put it all together to see how the full, detailed response would look:

Remember, always try to create detailed responses.

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 ‘Y Daith’ 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: