Viewing entries from category: Poetry Analysis
Lit Poetry Guides »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Guides to poetry by Duffy, Armitage and Pre-1914 Poets
Task: You will work in pairs to produce a revision guide to one of the following poems (I will tell you which one). It must be suitable for use by other Year 11s. The aim of this is both to help you to revise the poems for your English Literature examination, and for you, as a class, to produce a pack of revision guides. This task must be complete by the end of today’s lesson.
Poems to cover:
Duffy
Anne Hathaway
Before You Were Mine
Havisham
Stealing
Armitage
Mother, any distance
...
A Teaching Guide for Poetry from Different Cultures GCSE English Paper 2 »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, Different Cultures & Traditions, Poetry from Different Cultures, Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Poetry from Different Cultures
This teaching guide for high-ability students is designed as a self-contained unit which can be used to prepare for the AQA A Paper 2 Section A question on the poetry from different cultures in the Anthology.
Let us remind ourselves of the assessment objectives addressed by this section. Candidates are required to demonstrate their ability to:
(i) read, with insight and engagement, making appropriate references to texts and developing and sustaining interpretations of them;
(iv) select material appropriate to...
[ read full article ] »GCSE English Paper 2 – Poems from Different Cultures Is this an A* Essay? Why? »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, Different Cultures & Traditions, Poetry from Different Cultures, Poetry, Students' Work, Students' Essays, Writing, Essays, Poetry Analysis, Exemplar Materials
Compare the ways an event is described in ‘Blessing’ with the ways an event is described in ‘Island Man’.
Imtiaz Dharker and Grace Nichols are both clearly concerned with issues of identity and clashing cultures when exploring the main events in their poems ‘Blessing’ and ‘Island Man’. Despite the fact that Dharker originates from Pakistan, and Nichols from Guyana, each seems able to use similar poetic techniques to get to grips with wider issues beyond the apparently mundane occurrences in their poetry.
The concept of identity is...
[ read full article ] »Romeo and Juliet | The Charge of the Light Brigade »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, WJEC GCSE, WJEC GCSE English Literature, Drama, Romeo & Juliet, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Tennyson, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Plays, Writing, Drama Analysis, Poetry Analysis
Guide Navigation
Alfred Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade
Overview and Context
Written following the disastrous 1854 Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, this poem can be read as both jingoistic and as highlighting the horrors of war. Whilst Tennyson was Poet Laureate at the time and might have been expected to produce patriotic poetry, there is a...
[ read full article ] »Romeo and Juliet | Futility »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, WJEC GCSE, WJEC GCSE English Literature, Drama, Romeo & Juliet, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Owen, Futility, Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Plays, Writing, Drama Analysis, Poetry Analysis
Guide Navigation
Wilfred Owen’s Futility
Overview and Context
Futility is one of the 5 poems that WW1 poet Owen had published during his lifetime. Composed most likely in Ripon – though perhaps in Scarborough – this lyric is set against the First World War, a kind of macrocosm when placed against the feud in Verona in Romeo and Juliet. It explores the...
[ read full article ] »Romeo and Juliet | Sonnet 43 »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, WJEC GCSE, WJEC GCSE English Literature, Drama, Romeo & Juliet, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Browning, Sonnet 43, Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Plays, Writing, Drama Analysis, Poetry Analysis
Guide Navigation
Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43
Overview and Context
Browning wrote a 44 sonnet series about her love for her fiancé Robert Browning which was never intended for publication. It was entitled Sonnets from the Portuguese with the title stemming from the epithet ‘my little Portugee’ Browning used for her. Sonnet 43 is a Petrarchan sonnet...
[ read full article ] »Romeo & Juliet | To His Coy Mistress »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, WJEC GCSE, WJEC GCSE English Literature, Drama, Romeo & Juliet, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Marvel, To His Coy Mistress, Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Plays, Writing, Drama Analysis, Poetry Analysis
Guide Navigation
Andrew Marvel’s To His Coy Mistress
Overview and Context
The poem might be viewed as a literary exercise in logic as much as a ‘love’ poem’. Marvell’s speaker uses a tripartite structure to follow his argument to its conclusion, effectively forming a ‘syllogism’.
This poem is also a prime example of the ‘sex-death’ juxtaposition...
[ read full article ] »A Guide to Romeo and Juliet »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, WJEC GCSE, WJEC GCSE English Literature, Drama, Romeo & Juliet, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Browning, Sonnet 43, Marvel, To His Coy Mistress, Owen, Futility, Tennyson, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Plays, Writing, Drama Analysis, Poetry Analysis
Guide Navigation
Love and Conflict
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare explores several themes but perhaps the twin themes of love and conflict were uppermost in his mind when he conceived and wrote the play. At GCSE, the play is often used as part of a controlled assessment task in which students explore the presentation of one of these themes and compare it with...
[ read full article ] »A Guide to Thomas Hardy’s Poems | Aspects of Narrative »
Categories: Courses, A Level, AQA A Level, AQA A Level English Literature B, LITB1, GCSE, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Hardy, Writing, Poetry Analysis
The following guide would be useful for AQA LITB1, Aspects of Narrative but also for many other A level (and GCSE) units, where Hardy’s poems might be studied.
- Neutral Tones
- The Darkling Thrush
- At Castle Boterel
- The Voice
- Drummer Hodge
- In Church
- The Oxen
To many, Hardy is a genius, worthy of the highest respect as a technician in his poetry: a poet able to move his readers deeply often by his portrayal of ordinary people and events, both rendered special by the manner of his telling; to others, his technical ability is never...
[ read full article ] »A Guide to William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience »
Categories: Courses, A Level, GCSE, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Blake, Songs of Innocence and Experience, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Associated Resources
- Blake - Innocent Sweep.ppt
- Blake - Experience Sweep.ppt
- Blake - Holy Thursday.ppt
Introducing William Blake
Abstract
The course discussed in these notes is designed as a short course of enrichment and development of skills of poetry analysis based in a personal response to pairs of poems from the Songs of Innocence and Experience.
It is not designed to cover too many of the poems, but rather to spark interest and enthusiasm.
It can be used as part of a cross-curricular activity and benefits from a high level of...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | The Man and the Echo »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was written in 1938, just before Yeats’ death.
Structure
The poem is written as a conversation between the man and an echo. It is composed of rhyming couplets which is the simplest rhyme form.
Stanza 1
The word ‘Alt’ is a rocky fissure at Knocknarea, County Sligo. The phrase ‘broad noon has never lit’ suggests a dark, secluded place. This is an alliterative phrase ‘shout a secret to the stone’ ; ‘shout’ suggests a public declaration but by shouting at ‘the stone’ the man keeps his secret while making...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewicz »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was written in 1927. The people mentioned in the title are Eva Gore-Booth (1870-1926) and Constance Markiewicz (nee Gore-Booth) (1868-1927). They were childhood friends of Yeats.
Structure
The poem has 3 stanzas with 10 or 12 lines. There is no regular rhyme scheme in the poem which may reflect the fact that Yeats is writing about friends; this is a personal poem and not the place for the formal or structured.
Stanza 1
‘Lissadell’ is a late Georgian house, home of the Gore-Booths, in County Sligo. The description...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | Among School Children »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was written after a visit by Yeats in his capacity as a Senator to St Otteran’s School, Waterford in 1926. The school was run on Montessori principles.
Structure
The poem is 8 stanzas long with 8 lines per stanza. It is also written in ottava rima, a verse form Yeats used in Sailing to Byzantium. The subject matter is appropriate for this verse form – the changing face of man and mortality.
Stanza 1
Yeats walks through the school in the company of Mother Philomena who ran the school. He lists the children’s activities...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | Leda and the Swan »
Categories: Courses, A Level, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem can be seen in reference to The Second Coming; it describes a moment that represented a change of era in Yeats’ model of gyres. But where Yeats’ poem The Second Coming represents the end of modern history, Leda and the Swan represents something like its beginning; the rape of Leda by Zeus resulted in the birth/hatching of Clytemnestra, Helen, Castro and Polydeuces (Castor and Polydeuces were war gods) and this brought about the Trojan War which in turn brought about the end of the ancient mythological era and the birth of...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | Sailing to Byzantium »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was written in 1926 and first published in 1928. Yeats wrote in a draft script for a 1931 BBC broadcast:
I am trying to write about the state of my soul, for it is right for an old man to make his soul, and some of my thoughts about that subject I have put into a poem called Sailing to Byzantium. When Irishmen were illuminating the Book of Kells, and making the jewelled ‘croziers’ in the National Museum, Byzantium was the centre of European civilization and the source of its spiritual philosophy, so I symbolize the...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | The Second Coming »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
The poem was written in 1919 in the aftermath of the First World War. Richard Ellman and Harold Bloom suggest the text refers to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Bloom argues that Yeats takes the side of the counter-revolutionaries and the poem suggests that reaction to the revolution would come too late. Early drafts also included such lines as: “And there’s no Burke to cry aloud no Pitt,” and “The good are wavering, while the worst prevail.” (Wikipedia)
Yeats intended The Second Coming to describe the current historical moment –...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | Easter 1916 »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was written as a reaction to the Easter Rising of 23-29 April 1916.
It was written in September 1916 when Yeats was staying with Maud Gonne MacBride at Les Mouettes, Calvados. In it he records his reactions to the Easter Rising in Dublin, when the city centre was occupied by a force of around 700 members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, led by Patrick Pearse, and members of the Citizen Army, led by James Connolly. They held out for 6 days – 15 of their leaders were sentenced by courts martial and executed between 3rd...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | The Fisherman »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was first published in 1916. The Fisherman is presented as the ‘ideal man’ with his country skills; he is also a symbol for Ireland – where Yeats believes the ideal man ‘exists’. It draws a contrast between Yeats’ ‘ideal Irishman’ and the real man of his contemporary Ireland. Yeats was a skilled fly fisherman and used this knowledge to develop the character of the fisherman.
Structure
The poem is written as a single stanza with a regular ABAB rhyme scheme, 3 stresses per line.
The word ‘him’ refers to...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | An Irishman Foresees His Death »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was first published in 1919. It is widely believed to be a tribute to Major Robert Gregory, the only child of Lady Gregory; he joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1916 and was shot down in 1918 over Italy.
Structure
This is a 16 line poem written in iambic tetrameter (4 quatrains of alternating rhymes). The title reflects the reality of life for airmen in WWI. This may have happened to many people fighting during wars: they know their death is approaching but there is little they can do about it. There is no real sense of...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | The Wild Swans at Coole »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was first published in 1917 when Yeats was 52 in a collection of the same name. The setting is in Coole Park, Galway, the home of Lady Gregory. Lady Gregory was a patron and friend of Yeats and he first visited her home in 1897.
Structure
The poem has 5 stanzas each 6 lines long and is written roughly in iambic pentameter; 1st & 3rd lines = tetrameter, 2nd, 4th & 6th lines trimester, 5th line pentameter. Pattern of stresses 434353. This is very precise and links with the precision of the subject matter – events are...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | The Cold Heaven »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was published in 1914 at the start of World War One. It is about remorse over failure in love and the fear that this remorse will continue after death as a purgatorial punishment. This could be said to have links with the ‘guilt’ which is felt particularly by Irish Catholics. Some commentators have said that the failed love was for Maud Gone, but it doesn’t really matter for the readers’ understanding of the poem.
Structure
This poem is 1 stanza long, a total of 12 lines. There is a regular rhyme scheme with all the...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | September 1913 »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
This poem was first published, unsurprisingly, in 1913 and was inspired by the dispute over the Lane art gallery in Dublin; Hugh Lane wished to present his collection of French paintings to Dublin but there was disagreement about whether the City should provide or pay for a gallery to house them.
Structure
4 stanzas, 8 lines in each. The last 2 lines of each stanza form the refrain. A regular rhyme scheme is used which shows the control that Yeats’ displays in much of his poetry.
Stanza 1
The use of ‘you’ means the Irish people...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | The Stolen Child »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Context
First published in 1886 when Yeats was 21. This poem is set in County Sligo where Yeats spent part of his childhood; some actual locations mentioned illustrate Yeats’ fond reminiscing about his childhood – Yeats has a tendency to romanticise childhood.
The poem also illustrates Yeats’ interest in Irish mythology – the story of a child abducted by ‘faeries’. This feeds into many cultures’ fears of loss of children; also the story of changeling children (a human child abducted and replaced with faery child).
There is a...
[ read full article ] »W.B. Yeats Poetry | An Introduction »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
William Butler Yeats
Yeats was born into a strongly Protestant family in 1865 in the Irish and largely Roman Catholic city of Dublin; Yeats was the son of Susan Pollexfen and John Butler Yeats; his mother was a member of a wealthy milling and shipping family; his father was originally a barrister but later followed his other son into painting.
He was educated at Godolphin School, Hammersmith and High School, Dublin. He studied at School of Art, Dublin and developed an interest in mystic religion and the supernatural. Yeats identified himself...
[ read full article ] »A Guide to Selected Poems of W.B. Yeats »
Categories: Courses, A Level, EDEXCEL A Level, EDEXCEL A Level English Literature, 6ET04, OCR A Level, OCR A Level English Literature, F661, WJEC A Level, WJEC A Level English Literature, LT1, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Yeats, W.B. Yeats, Writing, Poetry Analysis
1. Specifications & Assessment Objectives
2. An Introduction
3. The Stolen Child
4. September 1913
5. The Cold Heaven
6. The Wild Swans at Coole
7. An Irishman Foresees His Death
8. The Fisherman
9. Easter 1916
10. The Second Coming
11. Sailing to Byzantium
12. Leda and the Swan
13. Among School Children
14. In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewicz
15. The Man and the Echo
Working with Poetry »
Categories: Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Teaching Ideas, Teaching Ideas & Skills Development, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Many specifications require students to work with poetry, whether that’s developing familiarity with particular works of poetry, responding effectively to unseen poems, or (often) both. Simply ‘going through’ a poem in class is not possible for every text students will need to work with during the course. Sometimes a particular approach is the obvious one to take because of the demands of the specification, but often a poem simply needs to be read and its meaning discussed. This collection includes ways of introducing a poem that...
[ read full article ] »Compare the ways in which Duffy and Larkin use language to create a sense of isolation »
Categories: Courses, A Level, AQA A Level, AQA A Level English Language & Literature A, ELLA4, Exemplars, Exemplar Materials, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Duffy, Mean Time, Larkin, Whitsun Weddings, Students' Work, Students' Essays, Teaching Ideas, Teaching Ideas & Skills Development, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Associated Resources
- Compare the ways in which Duffy and Larkin use language to create a sense of isolation.doc
- Teacher version with comments - Larkin and Duffy - Isolation.doc
- Using exemplar essays to improve students’ work
Both Duffy and Larkin use language in their poetry to express how it feels to be isolated, or to be on the outside of society. The poems I have chosen here present this theme in different ways, providing examples of different ways in which the poets work. Larkin often offers us the persona of an outsider, but is not...
[ read full article ] »Compare the ways in which Plath and Duffy use language to convey the theme of anger »
Categories: Courses, A Level, AQA A Level, AQA A Level English Language & Literature A, ELLA4, Exemplars, Exemplar Materials, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Duffy, Mean Time, Plath, Ariel, Students' Work, Students' Essays, Teaching Ideas, Teaching Ideas & Skills Development, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Associated Resources
- Compare the ways in which Plath and Duffy use language to convey the theme of anger.doc
- Teacher Notes on D grade essay.doc
- Using exemplar essays to improve students’ work
Both Plath and Duffy express attitudes towards the theme of anger, through the use of language. Both poets’ ideas though are conveyed in different ways. Plath expresses her emotions through reference from her own experiences which have given her inspiration, but with Duffy, she uses the persona of other people to explore deeper meaning and...
[ read full article ] »Compare the ways in which Larkin and Duffy use language to explore relationships »
Categories: Courses, A Level, AQA A Level, AQA A Level English Language & Literature A, ELLA4, Exemplars, Exemplar Materials, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Duffy, Mean Time, Larkin, Whitsun Weddings, Students' Work, Students' Essays, Teaching Ideas, Teaching Ideas & Skills Development, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Associated Resources
- Compare the ways in which Larkin and Duffy use language to explore relationships.doc
- Teacher Notes on C grade essay.doc
- Using exemplar essays to improve students’ work
Both poets Philip Larkin and Carol Ann Duffy write about relationships. Using different language techniques, they can show how they portray their feelings towards them. The poems I have chosen to show this are “Valentine” and “Disgrace” by Duffy and “Self’s the Man” and “Talking in Bed” by Larkin.
Duffy’s poem titled “Valentine”...
[ read full article ] »Compare the ways in which Plath and Duffy use language to convey a sense of childhood »
Categories: Courses, A Level, AQA A Level, AQA A Level English Language & Literature A, ELLA4, Exemplars, Exemplar Materials, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Duffy, Mean Time, Plath, Ariel, Students' Work, Students' Essays, Teaching Ideas, Teaching Ideas & Skills Development, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Associated Resources
- Compare the ways in which Plath and Duffy use language to convey a sense of childhood.doc
- Teacher version with comments - Plath and Duffy - Childhood.doc
- Using exemplar essays to improve students’ work
Plath and Duffy both explore the theme of childhood in their poetry from different angles. In the poems selected here, Duffy presents childhood as a memory: vague and tantalising in Beachcomber and specific and threatening in Welltread, while Plath presents childhood by exploring the development of an unborn child and...
[ read full article ] »Compare the ways in which Plath and Larkin use language to convey ideas of violence »
Categories: Courses, A Level, AQA A Level, AQA A Level English Language & Literature A, ELLA4, Exemplars, Exemplar Materials, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Larkin, Whitsun Weddings, Plath, Ariel, Students' Work, Students' Essays, Teaching Ideas, Teaching Ideas & Skills Development, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Associated Resources
- Compare the ways in which Plath and Larkin use language to convey ideas of violence.doc
- Teacher version with comments - Plath and Larkin - Violence.doc
- Using exemplar essays to improve students’ work
Violence is an aspect which is clearly present in some of Plath and Larkin’s poetry, but each conveys this theme in different ways and forms. Larkin tends to express his ideas about society by means of a persona different to himself, which he does in the two poems selected here, using violent imagery and connotations to...
[ read full article ] »AQA GCSE English Literature | Student Guide to Poetry Essays »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Essays, Poetry Analysis
This new EnglishEdu guide is aimed at GCSE English and English Literature students in Year 11 and, although based on poetry, it contains much of value regarding general essay writing skills and the use of the key essay writing “P.E.E / P.Q.C” technique.
Its strength perhaps is that it is based on an average student’s writing rather than that of a top grade student, as is often the case with published exemplars. This, it is hoped, will allow students of a variety of abilities to feel comfortable with the essay and not feel belittled by...
[ read full article ] »AQA GCSE Literature Anthology Poems: The Clown Punk - Simon Armitage »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, AQA GCSE English B, AQA GCSE English B (Mature), AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, Different Cultures & Traditions, Poetry from Different Cultures, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Trial, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Click on the link below to download Jo Winwood’s PPT on The Clown Punk by Simon Armitage.
The Clown Punk.pptx
The Clown Punk.ppt
This resource is relevant to the following courses:
AQA GCSE English spec code 4700
AQA GCSE English Language spec code 4705
AQA GCSE English Literature spec code 4710
The anthology can also be used for Controlled Assessment in the following:
AQA English Literature Unit 5: Exploring Poetry
AQA English Unit 3: Understanding and producing creative texts
AQA English Language Unit 3: Understanding spoken and...
AQA GCSE Literature Anthology Poems: Medusa - Carol Ann Duffy »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, AQA GCSE English B, AQA GCSE English B (Mature), AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, Different Cultures & Traditions, Poetry from Different Cultures, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Click on the link below to download Jo Winwood’s PPT on Medusa by Carol Ann Duffy.
Medusa.pptx
Medusa.ppt
This resource is relevant to the following courses:
AQA GCSE English spec code 4700
AQA GCSE English Language spec code 4705
AQA GCSE English Literature spec code 4710
The anthology can also be used for Controlled Assessment in the following:
AQA English Literature Unit 5: Exploring Poetry
AQA English Unit 3: Understanding and producing creative texts
AQA English Language Unit 3: Understanding spoken and written texts and writing...
AQA GCSE Literature Anthology Poems: Horse Whisperer - Andrew Forster »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, AQA GCSE English B, AQA GCSE English B (Mature), AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, Different Cultures & Traditions, Poetry from Different Cultures, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Click on the link below to download Jo Winwood’s PPT on Horse Whisperer by Andrew Forster.
Horse Whisperer.pptx
Horse Whisperer.ppt
This resource is relevant to the following courses:
AQA GCSE English spec code 4700
AQA GCSE English Language spec code 4705
AQA GCSE English Literature spec code 4710
The anthology can also be used for Controlled Assessment in the following:
AQA English Literature Unit 5: Exploring Poetry
AQA English Unit 3: Understanding and producing creative texts
AQA English Language Unit 3: Understanding spoken and...
AQA GCSE Literature Anthology Poems: Checking Out Me History - John Agard »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, AQA GCSE English B, AQA GCSE English B (Mature), AQA GCSE English Literature A, AQA GCSE English Literature B, Different Cultures & Traditions, Poetry from Different Cultures, Hot Entries, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Click on the link below to download Jo Winwood’s PPT on Checkin Out Me History by John Agard.
Checkin Out Me History.pptx
Checkin Out Me History.ppt
This resource is relevant to the following courses:
AQA GCSE English spec code 4700
AQA GCSE English Language spec code 4705
AQA GCSE English Literature spec code 4710
The anthology can also be used for Controlled Assessment in the following:
AQA English Literature Unit 5: Exploring Poetry
AQA English Unit 3: Understanding and producing creative texts
AQA English Language Unit 3:...
Poetic Techniques Stealing and My Last Duchess »
Categories: Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Trial, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Poetic Techniques used in Stealing and My Last Duchess
Write examples of the poetic technique on the left from the two poems.
There may be just one example or several. Include as many as you can.
Leave the space blank if there are no examples of the technique in the poem.
Download
Poetic Techniques Stealing and My Last Duchess.doc
How To Write Lit Poetry Essays Sample Intro Stealing and My Last Duchess »
Categories: Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Compare how the reader is made to feel disturbed by the speaker’ words and actions in one poem by Carol Ann Duffy and one poem from the Pre-1914 Poetry Bank.
Chosen poems
‘Stealing’ (Stealing) – Duffy
‘My Last Duchess’ (MLD) – Pre-1914
Your sample introductions are a big improvement on the introductions you were writing earlier in the term, so well done.
However, you now need to consider how to improve them further. These are the things to avoid:
- Don’t tell me what you’re going to do – just do it
- Don’t spend ages...
Anne Hathaway & Sonnet 130 Comparison Grid »
Categories: Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Shakespeare, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Comparative Analysis
Complete the following grid in as much detail as possible. Try to include different interpretations. If you’re not sure have a guess – but make sure you can back up your ideas from the text. Make sure that as well as finding the techniques, you comment on their effects/significance.
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Anne Hathaway Sonnet 130 Comparison Grid.doc
Sonnet 130 Collapsed »
Categories: Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Shakespeare, Writing, Poetry Analysis
a and any are as be belied black breasts breath but by cheeks compare coral damasked delight dun eyes false far from go goddess grant ground grow hairs hath have head hear heaven her i if in is know like lips love mistress more music my never no nothing on perfumes pleasing rare red reeks roses saw see seen she snow some sound speak such sun than that the then there think to treads walks well when white why wires with yet
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Sonnet 130 Collapsed.doc
Poetic Techniques Anne Hathaway and Sonnet 130 »
Categories: Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Shakespeare, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Poetic Techniques used in Anne Hathaway and Sonnet 130
Write examples of the poetic technique on the left from the two poems.
There may be just one example or several. Include as many as you can.
Leave the space blank if there are no examples of the technique in the poem.
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Poetic Techniques Anne Hathaway and Sonnet 130
How To Write Lit Poetry Essays Sample Intro AH and Sonnet 130 »
Categories: Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Shakespeare, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Compare how attitudes to loved ones are presented in one poem from the Pre-1914 Poetry Bank and one poem by Carol Ann Duffy.
Chosen poems
‘Anne Hathaway’ (AH) – Duffy
‘Sonnet 130’ (Sonnet) – Pre-1914
Your sample introductions are a big improvement on the introductions you were writing earlier in the term, so well done.
However, you now need to consider how to improve them further. These are the things to avoid:
- Don’t tell me what you’re going to do – just do it
- Don’t spend ages building up to a point – just make...
How To Write Lit Poetry Essays Sample Intro Hitcher and On My First Sonne »
Categories: Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Compare how death or the threat of death is presented in the poems you have studied.
Choose two poems from List A and two from List B.
List A
Havisham (Duffy)
Education for Leisure (Duffy)
Hitcher (Armitage)
November (Armitage)
List B
On my first Sonne (Jonson)
The Laboratory (Browning)
The Man He Killed (Hardy)
My Last Duchess (Browning)
Chosen poems
‘Hitcher’ (Hitcher) – Armitage
‘On My First Sonne’ (OMFS) – Jonson
Your sample introductions are a big improvement on the introductions you were writing earlier...
How To Write Lit Poetry Essays Sample Intro Havisham and Kid »
Categories: Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Compare how relationships are presented in one poem by Simon Armitage and one poem by Carol Ann Duffy.
You should compare:
- what the relationships are
- how the poets use form, structure and language to present the relationships.
Chosen poems
‘Havisham’ (Hav) – Duffy
‘Kid’ - Armitage
Your sample introductions are a big improvement on the introductions you were writing earlier in the term, so well done.
However, you now need to consider how to improve them further. These are the things to avoid:
- Don’t tell me what you’re...
How To Write Lit Poetry Essays Intro Before You Were Mine and Homecoming »
Categories: Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Compare how memories are presented in ‘Homecoming’ by Simon Armitage and ‘Before You Were Mine’ by Carol Ann Duffy.
Chosen poems
‘Homecoming’ (Home) – Armitage
‘Before You Were Mine’ (BYWM) – Duffy
Your sample introductions are a big improvement on the introductions you were writing earlier in the term, so well done.
However, you now need to consider how to improve them further. These are the things to avoid:
- Don’t tell me what you’re going to do – just do it
- Don’t spend ages building up to a point – just...
Sonnet 130 and On My First Sonne »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Shakespeare, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Sonnet 130
William Shakespeare
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; 1
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white, 5
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound; 10
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress when she walks...
Poetic Techniques Mother Any Distance and The Laboratory »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Poetic Techniques used in Mother, any distance and The Laboratory
Write examples of the poetic technique on the left from the two poems.
There may be just one example or several. Include as many as you can.
Leave the space blank if there are no examples of the technique in the poem.
Poetic Techniques MAD and Lab.doc
Mother Any Distance »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, Different Cultures & Traditions, Poetry from Different Cultures, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
a acres an anchor any at back base bedrooms below between breaking centimetres climb come distance doors empty endless fall feeding fingertips floors fly give greater hands has hatch help i inch kite ladder last leaving length line loft me measure metres mother of on one-hundredth opens or out pair pelmets pinch point prairies reach recording reporting requires second single sky something space-walk span spool stairs still tape than that the then through to towards two unreeling up us walls where windows with years you your zero-end
Mother...
[ read full article ] »Mother, Any Distance and The Laboratory »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, Different Cultures & Traditions, Poetry from Different Cultures, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
A Teaching Guide to Pre-1914, Duffy and Armitage Poems
‘Mother, any distance’ and ‘The Laboratory’
The presentation of women in ‘Mother, any distance’ and ‘The Laboratory’
This teaching guide is one of 4 guides which cover between them the 12 Key Poems for AQA A GCSE English Literature for Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage and the relevant Pre-1914 poems (Higher Tier).
As pupils must compare a particular theme, idea or approach in the poems in the examination, these guides are centred on a particular theme which is relevant to...
[ read full article ] »Mother, Any Distance and The Laboratory Comparison Grid »
Categories: Courses, GCSE, AQA GCSE, AQA GCSE English A, Different Cultures & Traditions, Poetry from Different Cultures, Poetry, Analysing Poetry, Writing, Poetry Analysis
Comparative Analysis
Complete the following grid in as much detail as possible. Try to include different interpretations. If you’re not sure have a guess – but make sure you can back up your ideas from the text. Make sure that as well as finding the techniques, you comment on their effects/significance.
Comparison Grid.doc
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AQA GCSE Literature Anthology Poems: The Clown Punk - Simon Armitage »
Click on the link below to download Jo Winwood’s PPT on The Clown Punk by Simon Armitage.
This resource is relevant to the following courses:
AQA GCSE English spec code 4700
AQA GCSE English Language spec code 4705
AQA GCSE English Literature spec code 4710
The anthology can also be used for Controlled Assessment in the following:
AQA English Literature Unit 5: Exploring Poetry
AQA English Unit 3: Understanding and producing creative texts
AQA English Language Unit 3:...
Poetic Techniques Stealing and My Last Duchess »
Poetic Techniques used in Stealing and My Last Duchess
Write examples of the poetic technique on the left from the two poems.
There may be just one example or several. Include as many as you can.
Leave the space blank if there are no examples of the technique in the poem.
Download
Poetic Techniques Stealing and My Last Duchess.doc
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