temporary.

of time. Art has the power to preserve elements of human existence, but it is also only also is it but existence, human of elements preserve to power the has Art time. of

POWER - Human civilisations and achievements are insignificant compared to the passing the to compared insignificant are achievements and civilisations Human - POWER •

than those he ruled. he those than

ruler in the land - nobody else could compete with him. He also thought he was better was he thought also He him. with compete could else nobody - land the in ruler

ARROGANCE - The inscription shows that the ruler believed that he was the most powerful most the was he that believed ruler the that shows inscription The - ARROGANCE •

what he did. he what

PRIDE - The ruler was proud of what he'd achieved. He called on other rulers to admire to rulers other on called He achieved. he'd what of proud was ruler The - PRIDE •

Feelings and attitudes in the poem are: poem the in attitudes and Feelings

ANGRY LANGUAGE: The tyranny of the ruler is suggested through aggresive language. aggresive through suggested is ruler the of tyranny The LANGUAGE: ANGRY

nature has ruined the statue, showing that nature and time have more power than anything else. anything than power more have time and nature that showing statue, the ruined has nature

power. However his power has been lost and is only visible due to the power of art. Ultimately, art. of power the to due visible only is and lost been has power his However power.

LANGUAGE OF POWER: The poem focuses on the power of Ozymandias, representing human representing Ozymandias, of power the on focuses poem The POWER: OF LANGUAGE

to overturn social and political order. political and social overturn to

achievement. Shelley's use of irony reflects his hatred of oppression and his belief that it is possible is it that belief his and oppression of hatred his reflects irony of use Shelley's achievement.

und tte a b se a a ybl o te eprr ntr o pltcl oe o human or power political of nature temporary the for symbol a as seen be can statue ruined

IRONY: There's nothing left to show for the ruler's arrogant boasting or his great civilisation. The civilisation. great his or boasting arrogant ruler's the for show to left nothing There's IRONY:

Ozymandias - II Shelley Bysshe Percy - Ozymandias 2 of 30 of 2

1 of 30 Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley I

The poem is about:

• The narrator meets a traveller who tells him about a statue standing in the middle of the desert. • It's a statue of a king who ruled over a past civilisation. His face is oroud and he arrogantly boasts about how powerful he is in an inscription on the statue's base. • However, the statue has falled down and crumbled away

Form, structure and language etc.:

FORM: The poem is a sonnet, with a turning-point (volta) at line 9 like a Petrarchan sonnet. However, it doesn't follow a regular sonnet rhyme scheme, prehaps reflecting the way that human power and structures can be destroyed. It uses iambic pentameter, but this is also often disrupted. The story is about a second-hand account, which distances the reader even further from the dead king.

STRUCTURE: The narrator builds up an image of the statue by focusing on different parts of it in turn. The poem ends by describing the enormous desert, which helps to sum up the insignificance of the statue.

not able (or even trying) to help themselves. help to trying) even (or able not

also to blame - they're trapped by their own attitudes. They apear hopeless because they're because hopeless apear They attitudes. own their by trapped they're - blame to also

HOPELESSNESS - The 'mind-forged manacles' suggest that the people themselves are themselves people the that suggest manacles' 'mind-forged The - HOPELESSNESS •

the people in power, who could do something to change things but don't. but things change to something do could who power, in people the

mentions 'every black'ning church' and 'palace walls', suggesting he's especially angry at angry especially he's suggesting walls', 'palace and church' black'ning 'every mentions

ANGER - Emotive language and repetition show the narrator's anger at the situation. He situation. the at anger narrator's the show repetition and language Emotive - ANGER •

Feelings and attitudes include: attitudes and Feelings

remains.

CONTRASTS: These are used to show how evertrhing is affected and nothing pure or innocent or pure nothing and affected is evertrhing how show to used are These CONTRASTS:

the visual and aural. and visual the

first stanza is about what he sees, the second what he hears, and the last two stanzas combine stanzas two last the and hears, he what second the sees, he what about is stanza first

USE OF THE SENSES: The poem includes the depressing sights and sounds of the city - the - city the of sounds and sights depressing the includes poem The SENSES: THE OF USE

emphasise the number of people affected, and to show how society needs to change. to needs society how show to and affected, people of number the emphasise

powerful, emotive words and images to reinforce the horror of the situation. Repetition is used to used is Repetition situation. the of horror the reinforce to images and words emotive powerful,

RHETORIC: The narrator uses rhetorical language to persuade you of his point of view - he uses he - view of point his of you persuade to language rhetorical uses narrator The RHETORIC:

London - II Blake William - London 4 of 30 of 4

3 of 30 London - William Blake I

The poem is about:

• The narrator is describing a walk round the city of London. • He says that everwhere he goes, the people he meets are affected by misery and despair. • This misery seems relentles. No one can escape it - not even the young and innocent. • People in power (like Church, the monarchy and wealthy landowners) seem to be behind the problems, and do nothing to help the people in need.

Form, structure, language etc.:

FORM: This is a dramatic monologue - the first-person narrator speaks passionately and personally about the suffering her sees. The ABAB rhyme scheme is unbroken and seems to echo the relentless misery of the city. The regular rhythm could reflect the sound of his feet as he trudges around.

STRUCTURE: The narrator presents relentless images of downtrodden, deprived people. The first two stanzas focus on people he sees and hears, before the focus shifts in stanza three to the institutions he holds responsible. The final stanza returns to looking at people, showing how even newborn babies are affected.

the event. His thoughts and dreams are still troubled by what he's experienced. he's what by troubled still are dreams and thoughts His event. the

REFLECTION - The poem ends with the narrator reflecting on how he's been changed by changed been he's how on reflecting narrator the with ends poem The - REFLECTION •

a feeling of awe and respect for nature, but he's also scared by it. by scared also he's but nature, for respect and awe of feeling a

FEAR - Nature is shown to be more powerful than a human being. The narrator is left with left is narrator The being. human a than powerful more be to shown is Nature - FEAR •

confidence in himself and the world around him is shaken by this one event. one this by shaken is him around world the and himself in confidence

OFDNE Te artr el cmotbe n i cnrl o tr wt, u his but with, start to control in and comfortable feels narrator The - CONFIDENCE •

Feelings and attitudes are: attitudes and Feelings

effect on him. on effect

by the 'huge and mighty forms' of nature he's glimpsed. The experience has a lasting, haunting lasting, a has experience The glimpsed. he's nature of forms' mighty and 'huge the by

FEARFUL LANGUAGE: The narrator is far less confident at the end of the extract. He's troubled He's extract. the of end the at confident less far is narrator The LANGUAGE: FEARFUL

the mountain appears. The narrator comes to understand how powerful natuer is. natuer powerful how understand to comes narrator The appears. mountain the

DRAMATIC LANGUAGE: The initial glimse of threatening language becomes more intense after intense more becomes language threatening of glimse initial The LANGUAGE: DRAMATIC

view of himself and his place in the world. He gives the impression of feeling powerful. feeling of impression the gives He world. the in place his and himself of view

CONFIDENT LANGUAGE: The narrator appears sure of himself at first - almost arrogant in his in arrogant almost - first at himself of sure appears narrator The LANGUAGE: CONFIDENT

The Prelude: Stealing the Boat - William Wordswort William - Boat the Stealing Prelude: The 6 of 30 of 6

5 of 30 The Prelude: Stealing the Boat - William Wordswort

The poem is about:

• The extract begins on a summer evening when the narrator finds a boat tied to a tree. He unties the boat and takes it out on the lake. • Initially the narrator seems happy and confident and he describes a beautiful scene. A mountain appears on the horizon and the narrator is afraid of its size and power. • He turns the boat around and goes home, but his view on nature has changed.

Form, structue and language etc.:

FORM: This extract is a first person narrative. It sounds personal and describes a turning point in the poet's life. The use of blank verse (unrhymed verse in iambic pentameter) makes it sound serious and important, and the regular rhythm makes it sound like natural speech.

STRUCTURE: There are three main sections in the extract. In the first the tone is fairly light and carefree. There's a distinct change when the mountain appears - the tone becomes darker and more fearful. In the final section, the narrator reflects on how the experience has changed him.

BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE: The poem begins with a series of pretty, pastoral images of nature.

over the Duchess when she was alive. was she when Duchess the over

POWER - The Duke enjoys the control he has over the painting. He didn't have this power this have didn't He painting. the over has he control the enjoys Duke The - POWER •

else.

JEALOUSY - He couldn't stand the way the Duchess treated him the same as everyone as same the him treated Duchess the way the stand couldn't He - JEALOUSY •

PRIDE - The Duke is very proud of his possessions and his status. his and possessions his of proud very is Duke The - PRIDE •

Feelings and attitudes are: attitudes and Feelings

STATUS: Status is really important to the Duke. He cares about how others see him. see others how about cares He Duke. the to important really is Status STATUS:

listener and what the poet allows us to read between the lines the between read to us allows poet the what and listener

often have more sinister meanings for the reader. There's a gap between what the Duke tells his tells Duke the what between gap a There's reader. the for meanings sinister more have often

DRAMATIC IRONY: The things the Duke says about the Duchess seem quite innocent, but they but innocent, quite seem Duchess the about says Duke the things The IRONY: DRAMATIC

expensive artworks. expensive

Duchess. He saw her as another of his possessions, to be collected and admired, just like his like just admired, and collected be to possessions, his of another as her saw He Duchess.

POWER AND OBJECTIFICATION: The Duke felt the need to have power and control over the over control and power have to need the felt Duke The OBJECTIFICATION: AND POWER

another artwork. another

confession, before the identity of the visitor is revealed, and the Duke moves on to talking about talking to on moves Duke the and revealed, is visitor the of identity the before confession,

in talking about the Duchess instead of just describing the art. The poem builds toards a kind of kind a toards builds poem The art. the describing just of instead Duchess the about talking in

STRUCTURE: The poem is framed by the visit to the Duke's gallery, but the Duke gets caught up caught gets Duke the but gallery, Duke's the to visit the by framed is poem The STRUCTURE:

My Last Duchess - II Browning Robert - Duchess Last My 8 of 30 of 8

7 of 30 - Robert Browning I

The poem is about:

• The Duke proudly points out the portrait of the Duchess (his former wife) to a visitor. • The Duke was angered by the Duchess' behaviour - she was friendly towards everyone and he was annoying that she treated him just like anyone else. • He acted to stop the Duchess' flirtatious behaviour, but he doesn't say how he did this. There are strong hints that he had her murdered. • The Duke and his guest walk away from the painting and the reader discovers that the Duke's visitor has come to arrange the Duke's next marriage.

Form, structure and language etc.:

FORM: The poem is a dramatic monologue written in imabic pentameter. This reinforces the impression that the Duke is in conversation with his visitor. The rhyming couplets show the Duke's desire for control, but the enjambment suggests that he gets carried away with his anger and passions. This creates a picture of a somewhat unstable characted, whose obsessing with power is unsettling.

HORROR - There's a suggestion that the narrator is horrified by the violence of the battle. the of violence the by horrified is narrator the that suggestion a There's - HORROR •

the speaker portrays them as heroes for doing this. doing for heroes as them portrays speaker the

PATRIOTISM - The men followed the orders because of their duty to their country, and country, their to duty their of because orders the followed men The - PATRIOTISM •

recognise their bravery and appreciate their sacrifice. their appreciate and bravery their recognise

obeyed orders even though they knew death was likely. He thinks that the world should world the that thinks He likely. was death knew they though even orders obeyed

ADMIRATION - The narrator admires the bravery and sacrifice of the men because they because men the of sacrifice and bravery the admires narrator The - ADMIRATION •

Feelings and attitudes: and Feelings

setting.

strong sense of the violence of the battle, adn uses sounds to create a vivd, noisy, hellish noisy, vivd, a create to sounds uses adn battle, the of violence the of sense strong

VIOLENT LANGUAGE - The narrator chooses powerful verbs and adjectives to give a give to adjectives and verbs powerful chooses narrator The - LANGUAGE VIOLENT •

remembered.

men's bravery. Respectful language shows how the narrator feels the soliders should be should soliders the feels narrator the how shows language Respectful bravery. men's

EOC AGAE Avrs ie bll' n vrs ie cagn epaie the emphasise 'charging like verbs and 'boldly' like Adverbs - LANGUAGE HEROIC •

involved, with the references to them summarising the story of the battle. the of story the summarising them to references the with involved,

of 'six hundred' at the end of each stanza reinforces the idea of the large numbers of men of numbers large the of idea the reinforces stanza each of end the at hundred' 'six of

REPETITION - Repetition creates a sense of impending doom and inevitablity. Reptition inevitablity. and doom impending of sense a creates Repetition - REPETITION •

The Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson Alfred - Brigade Light the of Charge The 10 of 30 of 10

9 of 30 The Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson

The poem is about:

• The poem describes a disastroud battle between British cavalry (soliders on hourse back) and Russian forces during the Crimean War. (1853-1856) • A misunderstanding meant the Light Brigade were ordered to advance into a valley surrounded by enemy soliders • The cavalry were only armed with swords, whereas the Russian soldiers had guns. The Light Brigade were virtually defenceless against their enemies, and many of them were killed.

Form, structure and language etc:

• FORM - The poem's narrated in the third person, making it seem more like a story. The regular relentless rhythm creates a fast pace, imitating the cavalry's advance and the energy of the battle. Rhyming couplets and triplets drive the poem forwards, but the momentum is broken by unrhymed lines, which could mirror the horses stumbling and soldiers falling. The overall lack of rhyme scheme hints at the chaos of war. • STRUCTURE - The poem tells the story of the battle in chronological order, from the charge of the men in the first three stanzas, to the battle in the fourth and the retreat in the fifth. the final stanza is shorter and summarises the heroism of the brigade.

nothing they can do to change it. The poem offers little hope of a future for the men. the for future a of hope little offers poem The it. change to do can they nothing

HOPELESSNESS - The soliders are helpless against the power of nature are there is there are nature of power the against helpless are soliders The - HOPELESSNESS •

and waiting but 'nothing happens' and the men are left to think about their deaths. their about think to left are men the and happens' 'nothing but waiting and

BOREDOM - There's a sense of fustration at their situation - they are 'worried', 'watching' 'worried', are they - situation their at fustration of sense a There's - BOREDOM •

there.

and exhaustion and fatigue. Thinking about home is painful for men as they're not welcome not they're as men for painful is home about Thinking fatigue. and exhaustion and

SUFFERING - There are reminders of the real, physical pain that the soldiers experience, soldiers the that pain physical real, the of reminders are There - SUFFERING •

Remember the feelings and attitudes in the poem: the in attitudes and feelings the Remember

in the war. the in

PERSONIFICATION - Nature is repeatedly personified, making it seem the real enemy real the seem it making personified, repeatedly is Nature - PERSONIFICATION •

vivid and distressing. and vivid

onomatopoeia and carefully chosen verbs add to the bleak mood and make the description the make and mood bleak the to add verbs chosen carefully and onomatopoeia

of the men's pain, the awful weather and the lack of hope for the soliders. assonance, soliders. the for hope of lack the and weather awful the pain, men's the of

BLEAK LANGUAGE - The poem includes lots of bleack imagery to remind the reader the remind to imagery bleack of lots includes poem The - LANGUAGE BLEAK •

such dreadful conditions, and whether there's any point to their suffering. their to point any there's whether and conditions, dreadful such

QUESTIONS - The poem uses rhetorical questions to ask why the men are exposed to exposed are men the why ask to questions rhetorical uses poem The - QUESTIONS •

trenches and the absence of change. of absence the and trenches

stanza ends with the same words as the first one, reflecting the monotomy of life in the in life of monotomy the reflecting one, first the as words same the with ends stanza

STRUCTURE - The poem has eight stanzas, but there's no real progression - the last the - progression real no there's but stanzas, eight has poem The - STRUCTURE •

Exposure - II Owen Wilfred - Exposure 12 of 30 of 12

11 of 30 Exposure - Wilfred Owen I

The poem is about:

• Soliders in the trenches of World War I are awake at night, afraid of an enemy attack. • However, nature seems to be their main enemy - it's freezing cold, windy and snowing. • The men imagine returning home, but the doors there are closed to them. They believe that sacrificing themselves in the war is the the only way of keeping their loved ones at home safe. • They return to thinking about their deaths in the icy, bleak trenches.

Form, structure, language etc.:

• FORM - The poem's written in the present tense, using the first person plural (eg: 'our', 'we', 'us'). This collective voice shows how the experience was shared by soldiers across the war. Each stanza has a regular rhyme scheme (ABBAC), reflecting on the monotonous nature of the men's experience but the rhymes are often half-rhymes (eg: 'snow' and 'renew'). The rhyme scheme offers no comfort or satisfaction - the rhymes are jagged like the reality of the men's experience and reflect their confusion and fading energy. Each stanza ends with a half line, leaving a gap which mirrors the lack of activity or hope for the men.

to finish. Nature is presented as a powerful, relentless force. relentless powerful, a as presented is Nature finish. to

HELPLESSNESS - The people can't do anything about their fear except wait for the storm the for wait except fear their about anything do can't people The - HELPLESSNESS •

frightening.

FEAR - This sense of security soon changes to fear, as familiar things change and become and change things familiar as fear, to changes soon security of sense This - FEAR •

for the storm. the for

SAFETY - The first part of the poem shows that the community feels safe, and prepared and safe, feels community the that shows poem the of part first The - SAFETY •

Feelings and attitudes: and Feelings

wind and waves. and wind

nature, and the poem also uses assonant and sibilant sounds to reflect the noise of the of noise the reflect to sounds sibilant and assonant uses also poem the and nature,

USE OF SOUNDS - Forceful sounds (eg: blast) are used to demonstrate the strength of strength the demonstrate to used are blast) (eg: sounds Forceful - SOUNDS OF USE •

storm.

eahr ad esnfcto cmiig o mhss te agr n efcs f the of effects and danger the emphasise to combining personification and metaphors

VIOLENT IMAGERY - The storm is described in violent, often warlike terms, with similes, with terms, warlike often violent, in described is storm The - IMAGERY VIOLENT •

'you'.

DIRECT ADDRESS - The narrator involves the reader in his fear by speaking directly to directly speaking by fear his in reader the involves narrator The - ADDRESS DIRECT •

Storm on the Island - II Heaney Seamus - Island the on Storm 14 of 30 of 14

13 of 30 Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney I

The poem is about:

• The narrator describes how a community thinks it's well-prepared for a coming storm. • As the poem goes on, their confidence starts to disappear as the storm develops. The power and the sounds of the storm are described. • The ending of the poem describes the fear as the storm hits the island.

Form, structure, language etc.:

• FORM - The poem is written in blank verse, which mirrors the patterns of everyday speech and makes the poem sound like part of a conversation. The first person plural ('we') is used, showing how this is a collective, communal experience. The poem is all one stanza - it's compact and sturdy, like the houses. • STRUCTURE - The poem shifts from security to fear. 'But no:' seems to be a turning point (volta), with the slow pace of the monosyllabic phrase and the caesura reflecting the last moments of calm before the storm. • CONTRASTING DESCRIPTIONS OF SAFETY AND FEAR - The narrator uses a lot of words to do with safety and security at the beginning of the poem. The tone changes though, and the sense of danger increases as familiar things become frightening during the storm.

questioning what he's doing there at all. at there doing he's what questioning

OFSO - h slir s hscly ioinae b te ufr, u h' also he's but gunfire, the by disorientated physically is soldier The - CONFUSION •

noble motive. noble

overriding emotion in battle. The soldier is driven forward by fear rather than any more any than rather fear by forward driven is soldier The battle. in emotion overriding

TERROR - The poem challenges patriotism and shows how desperate terror becomes the becomes terror desperate how shows and patriotism challenges poem The - TERROR •

Feelings and attitudes: and Feelings

by war. by

image of the 'yellow hare' reminds the reader of how the natural world is also damaged also is world natural the how of reader the reminds hare' 'yellow the of image

a 'field' and 'threshing circle' show the natural, agricultural setting of the war. The painful The war. the of setting agricultural natural, the show circle' 'threshing and 'field' a

NATURAL IMAGERY - The repeated references to the 'green hedge' and the mention of mention the and hedge' 'green the to references repeated The - IMAGERY NATURAL •

emphasiste the horror and physical pain of the charge, and also to question the point of war of point the question to also and charge, the of pain physical and horror the emphasiste

IUAIE AGAE Te om nlds oefl iuaie agae to language figurative powerful includes poem The - LANGUAGE FIGURATIVE •

sounds of war. This helps to strongly convey the sense of confusion and fear. and confusion of sense the convey strongly to helps This war. of sounds

VIOLENT IMAGERY - There is some shocking imagery which brings home the sights and sights the home brings which imagery shocking some is There - IMAGERY VIOLENT •

Bayonet Charge - II Hughes Ted - Charge Bayonet 16 of 30 of 16

15 of 30 Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes I

The poem is about:

• The poem focuses on a single solider's experience of a charge towards enemy lines. It describes his thoughts and actions as he tries to stay alive. • The solider's overriding emotion and motivation is fear, which has replaced the more patriotic ideals that he held before the violence began.

Form, structure, language etc.:

• FORM - The poem uses enjambment and caesura, and has lines of uneven length. This creates an irregular rhythm, which mirrors the soldier struggling to run through the mud. The narrator uses the pronoun 'he' rather than naming the soldier to keep him anonymous. It suggest that he is a universal figure who could represent any soldier. • STRUCTURE - The poem starts in media res (in the middle of the action) and covers the solider's movements and thoughts over a short space of time. The stanza sees the soldier acting on instinct but time seems to stand still in the second stanza, when the soldier begins to think about his situation. In the final stanza, he gives up his thoughts and ideals and seems to have lost his humanity.

the speaker acknowledging that he has blood on his hands - he knows he's guilty. he's knows he - hands his on blood has he that acknowledging speaker the

by thoughts of the man, and wondering whether he was armed or not. The poem ends with ends poem The not. or armed was he whether wondering and man, the of thoughts by

GUILT - The speaker can't get the memory of the killing out of his mind. He is tormented is He mind. his of out killing the of memory the get can't speaker The - GUILT •

just thrown into a lorry and 'carted off'. 'carted and lorry a into thrown just

the tone at the start of the poem is anecdotal. He's shot without warning, and his body is body his and warning, without shot He's anecdotal. is poem the of start the at tone the

NONCHALANCE - Initially, there's a very casual attitude towards the death of the man - man the of death the towards attitude casual very a there's Initially, - NONCHALANCE •

Feelings and attitudes: and Feelings

speaker's mind. speaker's

REPETITION - Words are repeated to reflect the way that the killing is repeated in the in repeated is killing the that way the reflect to repeated are Words - REPETITION •

language also trivalises the man's death. man's the trivalises also language

hc hls ae h pe sud oe ie oen tlig soy Hwvr this However, story. a telling someone like more sound poem the make helps which

COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE - The first four stanzas have a lot of chatty, familiar language, familiar chatty, of lot a have stanzas four first The - LANGUAGE COLLOQUIAL •

time - they had become part of his everyday life. everyday his of part become had they - time

of war, but also shows how desensitised to violence and deather the speaker was at the at was speaker the deather and violence to desensitised how shows also but war, of

that his 'guts' have spilt onto the ground.The imagery reminds the reader of the horrors the of reader the reminds imagery ground.The the onto spilt have 'guts' his that

GRAPHIC IMAGERY - The man's death is described in gory detail, with the implication the with detail, gory in described is death man's The - IMAGERY GRAPHIC •

Remains - II Armitage Simon - Remains 18 of 30 of 18

17 of 30 Remains - Simon Armitage I

The poem is about:

• A group of soldiers shoot a man who's running away from a bank raid he's been involved in. His death is described in graphic detail. • The soldier telling the story isn't sure whether the man was armed or not - this plays on his mind. • He can't get the man's death out of his head - he's haunted by it.

Form, structure and language:

• FORM - There's no regular line length or rhyme scheme, making it sound like someone telling a story. The speaker starts with the first person plural ('we'), but changes to first person singular ('I') and the poem becomes more personal, sounding more like a confession. In the final couplet both lines have the same metre - this gives a feeling of finality and hints that the guilt will stay with the soldier. • STRUCTURE - The poem begins as if it's going to be an amusing anecdote, but it quickly turns into a graphic description of a man's death. There's a clear volta (turning point) at the beginning of the fifth stanza, where the soldier's tone, thoughts and emotions are changed by his guilt.

feels and the freedom and excitement her son experiences. son her excitement and freedom the and feels

FREEDOM - The poem shows the contrasting perspectives between the loss the mother the loss the between perspectives contrasting the shows poem The - FREEDOM •

when their loved ones go to war. to go ones loved their when

effect on her. The poem focuses on the bravery and restraint of the people left behind left people the of restraint and bravery the on focuses poem The her. on effect

FEAR - The mother is anxious and fearful for her son's safety. Her anxiety has a physical a has anxiety Her safety. son's her for fearful and anxious is mother The - FEAR •

school allude to a different kind of loss that the mother has previously experienced. previously has mother the that loss of kind different a to allude school

the changes. There are hints that the son may even be dead. References to the son starting son the to References dead. be even may son the that hints are There changes. the

LOSS - The mother acts as if she's lost her son - she is struggling to move on and accept and on move to struggling is she - son her lost she's if as acts mother The - LOSS •

Feelings and attitudes: and Feelings

family life. family

DOMESTIC IMAGERY - The images of war are mixed with poignant images of home and home of images poignant with mixed are war of images The - IMAGERY DOMESTIC •

reader question whether he is still alive. still is he whether question reader

danger that he's in. References to 'Armistice Sunday' and the 'war memorial' make the make memorial' 'war the and Sunday' 'Armistice to References in. he's that danger

WAR IMAGERY - Images of war and violence symbolise the son's new identity and the and identity new son's the symbolise violence and war of Images - IMAGERY WAR •

wind', but this can't replace her son. her replace can't this but wind',

she can't touch or hear him. She touches other things and listens for his voice 'on the 'on voice his for listens and things other touches She him. hear or touch can't she

USE OF THE SENSES - The mother's separation from her son is emphasised by the way the by emphasised is son her from separation mother's The - SENSES THE OF USE •

Poppies - Jane Weir II Weir Jane - Poppies 20 of 30 of 20

19 of 30 Poppies - Jane Weir I

The poem is about:

• A mother describes her son leaving home, seemingly to join the army. • The poem is about the mother's emotional reaction to her son leaving - she feels sad, lonely ans scared for his safety. • She describes helping him smarten his uniform ready to leave. After he leaves, she goes to places that remind her of him, desperately trying to find any trace of him.

Form, structure and language etc.:

• FORM - The first-person narrative means that the reader gets a strong impression of the mother's emotions. There is no regular rhyme or rhythm, which makes it sound like the narrator's thoughts and memories. Long sentences and enjambment give the impression that the narrator is absorbed in her own thoughts and memories, whilst caesurae show how she tries to hold her emotions together. • STRUCTURE - The poem is chronological, describing preparations for the son leaving, his departure and then what the mother does afterwards. However, the time frame is ambiguous - memories of the son's childhood and intermingled with memories of him leaving, and they're often not clearly distinguised.

suffering children. suffering

ANGER - The poem ends with a sense of anger at the people who don't care about the about care don't who people the at anger of sense a with ends poem The - ANGER •

from his 'ordinary' life in England. in life 'ordinary' his from

he can do his job. The words 'finally alone' and 'impassively' suggested he's also detatched also he's suggested 'impassively' and alone' 'finally words The job. his do can he

DETATCHMENT - The photographer is detatched from his emotions in the war zones so zones war the in emotions his from detatched is photographer The - DETATCHMENT •

with the 'ordinary' pain back home. back pain 'ordinary' the with

emotional pain of the woman who's lost her husband. The horrific pain of war is contrasted is war of pain horrific The husband. her lost who's woman the of pain emotional

AN Te htgah dpc ra pi (A ude aois) n tees lo the also there's and agonies') hundred ('A pain real depict photographs The - PAIN •

Feelings and attitudes: and Feelings

think about the subject. the about think

Duffy tries to represent the true horror of conflict in her work in order to make the reader the make to order in work her in conflict of horror true the represent to tries Duffy

horrors of war seen by the photographer and captured in his photos. Like the photographer, the Like photos. his in captured and photographer the by seen war of horrors

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE - The poem is full of powerful, emotive imagery, which reflects the reflects which imagery, emotive powerful, of full is poem The - LANGUAGE EMOTIVE •

but is deeply affected at home. at affected deeply is but

only '***** / with tears' at the pain. Ironically, the photographer is detached in the war zones war the in detached is photographer the Ironically, pain. the at tears' with / '***** only

photographer visits. The grieving widow is compared with people in England whose eyes whose England in people with compared is widow grieving The visits. photographer

CONTRASTS - The poem presents 'Rural England' as a contrast to the war zones the zones war the to contrast a as England' 'Rural presents poem The - CONTRASTS •

of ceremony to his actions. his to ceremony of

photographer priest conducting a funeral when he's developing the photos - there's a sense a there's - photos the developing he's when funeral a conducting priest photographer

EIIU IAEY Te eeecs o eiin ae t on ams a i the if as almost sound it make religion to references The - IMAGERY RELIGIOUS •

War Photographer - II Duffy Ann Carol - Photographer War 22 of 30 of 22

21 of 30 War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy I

The poem is about:

• A war photographer is in his darkroom, developing pictures that he's taken in war zones across the world. Being back in England is a big contrast - it's safe and calm compared to where he's been. • A photo begins to develop, and the photographer remembers the death of the man, and the cries of his wife. • The final stanza focuses on the people in england who will see his photographs in their Sunday papers. The speaker thinks that they don't really care about the people and places in the photographs.

Form, structure, language etc.:

• FORM - The poem has four stanzas of equal length and a regular rhyme scheme - it is 'set out in ordered rows' like the photographer's spools, echoing the case that the photographer takes over his work. The use of enhambent reflects the gradual revealing of the photo as it develops. • STRUCTURE - The poem follows the actions and thoughts of the photographer in his dark room. There's a distinct change at the start of the third stanza, when the photographer remembers a specific death. In the final stanza, the focus shifts to the way the photographer's work is received.

where human constructions are less premanent and important. and premanent less are constructions human where

FREEDOM - The speaker imagines a world that breaks free of some of these restrictions these of some of free breaks that world a imagines speaker The - FREEDOM •

references to money, religion, nature, pride and governments ('capitals'). governments and pride nature, religion, money, to references

OTO - h pe mnin dfeet hns ht oto hmn ie tee are there - life human control that things different mentions poem The - CONTROL •

Feelings and attitudes in the poem are: poem the in attitudes and Feelings

human lives are built up in layers, in up built are lives human

'tissue' originally meant something that had been woven, which reinforces the idea that idea the reinforces which woven, been had that something meant originally 'tissue'

and humans - both tissue paper and human tissue are fragile, but powerful. The word The powerful. but fragile, are tissue human and paper tissue both - humans and

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TISSUE - The homonyms of 'tissue' creates a link between paper between link a creates 'tissue' of homonyms The - TISSUE OF TYPES DIFFERENT •

humans.

Man-made constructions like buildings and borderlines are compared with the creation of creation the with compared are borderlines and buildings like constructions Man-made

LANGUAGE ABOUT CREATION - There are lots of references to things being created. being things to references of lots are There - CREATION ABOUT LANGUAGE •

objects.

see and understand, it can move through and beyond boundaries and it can break through break can it and boundaries beyond and through move can it understand, and see

LANGUAGE ABOUT LIGHT - Light is presented as a positive force - it enables people to people enables it - force positive a as presented is Light - LIGHT ABOUT LANGUAGE •

Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker II Dharker Imtiaz - Tissue 24 of 30 of 24

23 of 30 Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker I

The poem is about:

• The first three stanzas talk about the importance of paper as a means of recording our history. • Stanzas four to six focus on the paradox that paper is fragile, yet it still controls our lives. • The final thirteen lines look at creating things, particularly human life. Life is more complex and precious than other things we create. It's also temporary, but forms part of a bigger and ongoing story.

Form, structure, language etc.:

• FORM - The poetic voice is elusive, with the focus on humanity in general rather than a specific person or speaker. The lack of regular rhythm or rhyme and the enjambment across lines and stanzas gives the poem a freedom and openness, reflecting the narrator's desire for freedom and clarity. The short stanzas mean that the poem is built up in layers, just as it suggests human life is. • STRUCTURE - There are three main parts to the poem, moving through ideas about history, human experience and the creation of human life. The final, single line stands out and focuses the reader on their own identity and how it's created.

remove the sense of threat. of sense the remove

seems to have to protect her old city. The poem ends with 'sunlight', but this doesn't entirely doesn't this but 'sunlight', with ends poem The city. old her protect to have to seems

but the speaker chooses to ignore these things. She is threatened in her new city, and city, new her in threatened is She things. these ignore to chooses speaker the but

THREAT - There are suggestions that the city has been invaded or taken over by a tyrant, a by over taken or invaded been has city the that suggestions are There - THREAT •

which is partly fulfilled by the city appearing to the seaker in the final scene. final the in seaker the to appearing city the by fulfilled partly is which

hears will change her view of it. There's a sense of yearning for the city and the past,, the and city the for yearning of sense a There's it. of view her change will hears

NOSTALGIA - The speaker's positive memories of the city are unwavering - nothing she nothing - unwavering are city the of memories positive speaker's The - NOSTALGIA •

Feelings and attitudes include: attitudes and Feelings

the city in human terms emphasises the stength of the speaker's love for it. for love speaker's the of stength the emphasises terms human in city the

stanza, it appears to the speaker, lies down and then later takes her dancing. Describing dancing. her takes later then and down lies speaker, the to appears it stanza,

PERSONIFICATION - The city is initially personified as being 'sick with tyrants'. In the final the In tyrants'. with 'sick being as personified initially is city The - PERSONIFICATION •

suggest a vitality to the city. the to vitality a suggest

the speaker's feeling that it's a beautiful, positive place. The repeated link with 'sunlight' with link repeated The place. positive beautiful, a it's that feeling speaker's the

LANGUAGE ABOUT LIGHT - The city is described in bright, colourful terms, emphasising terms, colourful bright, in described is city The - LIGHT ABOUT LANGUAGE •

vocabulary' that's been 'banned'. been that's vocabulary'

hr' te es ta te pae i dfig h atoiis y cesn hr 'child's her accessing by authorities the defying is speaker the that sense the there's

that the city may not be as perfect as the speaker remembers it. In the second stanza, second the In it. remembers speaker the as perfect as be not may city the that

LANGUAGE OF CONFLICT - Vocabulary associated with war, invasion and tyranny shows tyranny and invasion war, with associated Vocabulary - CONFLICT OF LANGUAGE •

The Emigrée - Carol Rumens II Rumens Carol - Emigrée The 26 of 30 of 26

25 of 30 The Emigrée - Carol Rumens I

The poem is about:

• The speaker talks about a city in a country she left as a child - she has a purely positive view of it. • The city seems to be under attack and unreachable, but in the third stanza it appears to the speaker. An unknown 'They' accuse and threaten the speaker, but she still sees the old city in a positive way. • The city may not be a real place - it could represent a time, person, or emotion that the speaker has been forced to leave.

Form, structure, language etc.:

• FORM - The poem is written in the first person, with three eight-line stanzas but no regular rhythm or rhyme scheme. The first two stanzas contain lots of enjambment, but there's more end-stopping in the final stanza. This reflects the speaker's feeling of confinement in her new 'city of walls'. • STRUCTURE - The speaker's memory of the city grows and solidifies as the poem moves on - the city becomes a physical presence for the speaker in the final stanza. Each stanza ends with 'sunlight', reinforcing the fact that the speaker sees the city in a positive light.

with the pilot. the with

regret and loss. The repetition in lines 9 and 41 of 'he must have' also hints at her empathy her at hints also have' must 'he of 41 and 9 lines in repetition The loss. and regret

REGRET - The pilot's daughter's words in the final stanzas are tinged with a sense of sense a with tinged are stanzas final the in words daughter's pilot's The - REGRET •

again.

SHAME - The reaction of the pilot's wife is one of deep shame - she never speaks to him to speaks never she - shame deep of one is wife pilot's the of reaction The - SHAME •

in his duty to his nation. his to duty his in

shown in their reaction to his return - they treat him as if he's dead because he has failed has he because dead he's if as him treat they - return his to reaction their in shown

pilot has the chance to fly 'into history'. The patriotism of his family and neighbours is neighbours and family his of patriotism The history'. 'into fly to chance the has pilot

PATRIOTISM - The opening stanza is full of suggestions of patriotic pride and duty - the - duty and pride patriotic of suggestions of full is stanza opening The - PATRIOTISM •

Feelings and attitudes: and Feelings

Hearing the daughter's voice emphasises the impact of war on specific family. specific on war of impact the emphasises voice daughter's the Hearing

DIRECT SPEECH - The addition of direct speech makes the poem seem more personal. more seem poem the makes speech direct of addition The - SPEECH DIRECT •

one of the main triggers for his actions. his for triggers main the of one

emphasise the beauty and power of nature. The pilot's daughter hints that this beauty was beauty this that hints daughter pilot's The nature. of power and beauty the emphasise

AUA IAEY Smle, eahr ad eald ecitos r ue to used are descriptions detailed and metaphors Similies, - IMAGERY NATURAL •

though he chose not to die. to not chose he though

he's treated when he returns to his family is ironic because they act as if he's dead, even dead, he's if as act they because ironic is family his to returns he when treated he's

IRONY - There are ironic reminders of how the pilot has abandoned his mission. The way The mission. his abandoned has pilot the how of reminders ironic are There - IRONY •

Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland II Garland Beatrice - Kamikaze 28 of 30 of 28

27 of 30 Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland I

The poem is about:

• The poem opens with a kamikaze pilot setting off on his mission. Kamikaze pilots were specially trained Japanese pilots who were used towards the end of World War II. They flew their planes on suicide missions into enemy ships - it was seen as a great honour to serve your country in this way. • It becomes clear that the pilot turned around and didn't complete his mission - his daughter imagines that this was because on the way he saw the beauty of nature and remembered his innocent childhood. • The pilot was shunned when he got home - even his family acted as if he wasn't there.

Form, structure, language etc.:

• FORM - The poem is mostly narrated in the third person using reported speech of the pilot's daughter, but her voice is heard directly in the elater stanzas. The absence of the pilot's voice shows that he's been cut off from society, and the use of the third person emphasises the distance between pilot and daughter. • STRUCTURE - The first five stanzas form one sentence which covers an account of the pilot's flight as the pilot's daughter imagines it. The end of the sentence represents the plane landing, and the final two stanzas deal with the fallout of the pilot's actions.

CELEBRATION - At the end he says he will embrace his own identity in a positive way. positive a in identity own his embrace will he says he end the At - CELEBRATION •

in history. in

their achievements and wants to tell their stories to show the important role they played they role important the show to stories their tell to wants and achievements their

ADMIRATION - He respects the Caribbean figures he describes in the poem. He admires He poem. the in describes he figures Caribbean the respects He - ADMIRATION •

culture. He was unaware of his heritage even though it's an important part of who he is. he who of part important an it's though even heritage his of unaware was He culture.

ANGER - The narrator's angry because the education system didn't teach him about his about him teach didn't system education the because angry narrator's The - ANGER •

Remember the feelings and attitudes in the poem: the in attitudes and feelings the Remember

figures from his Caribbean heritage should feature in the teaching of history. of teaching the in feature should heritage Caribbean his from figures

in his background and the use of standard English in likes 46-49 emphasises that the that emphasises 46-49 likes in English standard of use the and background his in

communicating history. The use of Caribbean phonetic spellings creates a sense of pride of sense a creates spellings phonetic Caribbean of use The history. communicating

rl rdto o rctn per aod n tlig tre, hc ae sd s wy of way a as used are which stories, telling and aloud poetry reciting of tradition oral

repetition, strong rhythms, chanting and phonetic spellings. This links the poem to the to poem the links This spellings. phonetic and chanting rhythms, strong repetition,

ORAL POETRY FEATURES - The narrator uses techniques from oral poetry, such as such poetry, oral from techniques uses narrator The - FEATURES POETRY ORAL •

awareness of your own identity. own your of awareness

his true heritage hidden from him. Images of light are positive because they suggest an suggest they because positive are light of Images him. from hidden heritage true his

METAPHORS OF VISION AND BLINDNESS - The narrator says that his education kept education his that says narrator The - BLINDNESS AND VISION OF METAPHORS •

Checking Out Me History - II Agard John - History Me Out Checking 30 of 30 of 30

29 of 30 Checking Out Me History - John Agard I

The poem ia about:

• The narrator is talking about his identity and how it links to his knowledge of history. • He was taught about British history but wasn't taught about his Caribbean roots. He lists famoud figures from history and questions why he doesn't know about people from other cultures who did great things. • He mentions men and women from diverse backgrounds who should be celebrated. • At the end, he says he's going to create his own identity based on his heritage.

Form, structure, language etc.:

• FORM - The narrator uses a mixture of stanza forms, suggesting he's breaking the confining language rules he's been taught. The Caribbean history stanzas have shorter lines and more broken syntax than the British history stanzas - this emphasises them and makes them seem more serious. The rhyme schemes are also different - the British stanzas have lots of simple rhymes, making them sound childish. • STRUCTURE - The poem alternates between historical and fictional figures from Caribbean and British culture, emphasising the differences between them. The British figures are skipped over quickly, with little respect, whereas the Caribbean figures are covered in more detail.