Wjec Gcse - Anthology poetry

• Main themes - 'The Manhunt'

  War, Love, Conflict, Relationships, Memory, Change, Transformation, Hardships
• Context - 'The Manhunt'

  -Simon Armitage worked on a documentary on permanently injured soldiers and their lives.

  
  

  -This poem is about the perspective of the wife of a soldier who has sustained injuries at war and has returned home.

  
  

  -The husband was shot and now has PTSD, he and his wife are rebuilding their relationship.
• Language - 'The Manhunt'

  'Frozen river which ran through his face'

  
  

  -Suggests cold and numb, suggesting

  his mental state and relationship with wife.

  -Could also mean a 'river of tears', emphasising emotion.

  
  

  'Handle and hold' 'Mind and attend'

  
  

  -References to careful treatment of husband's injured body, also suggests cares for mental state.

  
  

  'Grazed heart'

  
  

  -Could mean physically, as the bullet passed his heart.

  -Could mean mentally, as he is depressed and has PTSD.

  
  

  'Foetus of metal beneath his chest'

  
  

  -Contrast, delicate new life with violence and destruction from the bullet.

  
  

  'Unexploded mine buried deep in his mind'

  
  

  -She recognises that the pain is not physical, but mental.

  
  

  'Only then did I come close'

  
  

  -Almost completed her search into the husband's trauma, after acknowledging his suffering.

  
  

  -Shows development in their relationship.
• Structure - 'The Manhunt'

  -As you go through the poem, they become closer emotionally as she 'explores' him.

  
  

  -Unrhyming couplets creates a sense of fragmentation, represents the husband's physical and mental state.

  
  

  -The poem explores each physical injury in isolation, emphasising how hurt he is as each must be explained in detail.
• Poetic techniques and punctuation - 'The Manhunt'

  Metaphors and Figurative language

  
  

  -Used in place or facing the harsh reality of emotions, so they describe his injuries with metaphors instead.

  -Used throughout the poem.

  
  

  Enjambmemt

  
  

  -Discovery new injuries throughout the poem.

  
  

  -Shows the continuing journey/search of the husband.

  
  

  Juxtaposition

  
  

  -Emphasises feelings of love and pain.

  -Delicate imagery used alongside violence and destruction, contrast.

  
  

  Full stop at the end of physical injuries

  
  

  -She starts to look deeper, into the mental trauma of the husband instead.

  
  

  Full stop at the end of the poem

  
  

  -End of her search.
• Main ideas and meaning - 'The Manhunt'

  -The Wife is supporting and carefully exploring her husband's physical injuries as a result of war.

  
  

  -She identifies that the root of his problems are in his mind.

  
  

  -Shows the long term effects and strain on relationships caused by war injuries.
• Best poems to compare with - 'The Manhunt'

  Dulce

  -About the negative effects of war, mentally and physically.

  
  

  A Wife in London

  -The Wife's perspective of the effects of war.
• Main Themes - 'Sonnet 43'

  Love, Relationships, Beauty, Religion
• Context - 'Sonnet 43'

  -Romantic poets influence.

  
  

  -Wrote 44 sonnets to her husband before marriage.

  
  

  -She eloped with her husband, to escape her dismissive father.

  
  

  -In 1850, many in England were religious.

  
  

  -Poet suffered with a life long illness.
• Language - 'Sonnet 43'

  'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.'

  
  

  -Opens with a rhetorical question addressed to the husband, throughout the poem, she is answering it.

  
  

  -Could show how easy it is to 'count the ways' , showing how much she loves him.

  
  

  'depth, breadth and height'

  
  

  -Loves him in all forms and dimensions, showing how deep her love is for her husband.

  
  

  'to the level of every day's most quiet need'

  
  

  -She would do anything for him, day or night. She will meet to his needs.

  
  

  'with my childhood's faith'

  
  

  -She loves him with the blind faith of a child, or perhaps shows enthusiasm and excitement.

  
  

  'with the breath, smiles, tears of all my life'

  
  

  -Loves him through all, sadness and happiness.

  -Could be an oxymoron - tears filled with joy.

  
  

  'better after death'

  
  

  -Eternal and everlasting love.

  
  

  'Praise' 'God' 'Grace'

  
  

  -Religious ideas used throughout, could she be comparing her lover for God to her love for her lover?

  
  

  -Gentle language is used throughout, as it is a love poem.
• Structure - 'Sonnet 43'

  -Rhyming pattern throughout, showing how her love is constant and consistently there for her husband.

  
  

  -Like a traditional sonnet with 14 lines, but otherwise does not follow the rules of how a sonnet should be written. This could show how she broke the rules to elope with her lover.

  
  

  -First octave (lines 1-8), show theme of poem.

  -Sestet (lines 9-14), show emotional change in poem.
• Poetic techniques and punctuation - 'Sonnet 43'

  'I love..' is repeated

  
  

  -Emphasises her love throughout the poem, showing how she will forever love him.

  
  

  Enjambmemt

  
  

  -Shows how her love is never ending, and keeps flowing.

  
  

  Capital letters are used on several words

  
  

  -To show importance and significance of each word.

  
  

  Lots of punctuation used

  
  

  -To show her enthusiasm and excitement, breaks up the lines to bring excitement.

  
  

  Ends on a '!'

  
  

  -Shows excitement
• Best poems to compare with - 'Sonnet 43'

  She walks in beauty

  -About a strong powerful love.

  
  

  Cozy Apologia

  -About a powerful love for their significant other.

  
  

  Valentine

  -A deep love, not materialistic.
• Main ideas and meaning - 'Sonnet 43'

  -Shows intense nature of Browning's love for her husband to be.

  
  

  -She answers the question at the beginning on the poem, by outlining the ways in which she loves him.
• Main themes - 'London'

  Grief, Memory , Hardships, Place
• Context - 'London'

  -Blake rejected the church for not helping the poor.

  
  

  -He also disliked the government, as he opposed the Charter Act.

  
  

  -Written in the Georgian era, change was happening, but poverty also struck.

  
  

  -French revolution was happening overseas, Blake believed in this as he was against the harsh government.
• Language - 'London'

  'Charter'd street' 'Charter'd thames'

  
  

  -Reference to Charter Act, it spilt up land and degrades people's freedom.

  -Blake disagreed with this.

  
  

  'Hapless soldier's sigh'

  
  

  -References to the French revolution going on at the time, shows how the London soldiers are depressed.

  
  

  'Marks of weakness, marks of woe'

  
  

  -No one his happy in London, they are depressed and weak against the government and poverty.

  
  

  'Mind forg'd manacles'

  
  

  -Depression and mental illness restrict them, they are bound to poverty and a bad life.

  
  

  -Literally means chained.

  
  

  'Every black'ning church appalls'

  
  

  -Church is greedy and corrupt, does not help the poor.

  
  

  'The youthful harlot's curse'

  
  

  -STD, could relate to child prostitution.

  -Could also mean that the poor are doomed for failure.

  
  

  'The marriage hearse'

  
  

  -Showing misery in something that is supposed to be happy.

  
  

  'In every infant's fear'

  
  

  -Child labour and poverty, widespread.
• Structure - 'London'

  -Rhyme scheme is constant, showing how poverty and sadness is everywhere and never ends.

  
  

  -4 evenly split stanzas, represents the charter act.

  
  

  -Perhaps the shape of the poem could resemble the Thames River?

  
  

  -Each stanza is about something different, showing how he is walking through the streets.

  
  

  -Lines are the same length - monotonous and always the same.
• Poetic techniques and punctuation - 'London'

  Oxymoron

  
  

  -'Marriage hearse', shows inevitable misery in something that is supposed to be happy.

  
  

  Rhythm

  
  

  -Like a walking pace to show Blake walking through London.

  
  

  Repeats 'every'

  
  

  -To show depression and sadness is everywhere you go.
• Best poems to compare with - 'London'

  Living space

  -About poverty and place.

  
  

  Dulce

  -About suffering and hardships, also helplessness of people.

  
  

  Afternoons

  -Everyday life
• Main ideas and meaning - 'London'

  -Blake talks about the widespread suffering in London, particularly of the poor.

  
  

  -There is suffering in adults who cry and die young, and also children who are forced to work dangerous jobs.

  
  

  -He blames the church and government, who do not take action against this.
• Main themes - 'The soldier'

  War, Love, Death, Beauty, Religion
• Context - 'The Soldier'

  -Written in 1914, at the start of WW1, to share ideas about honour and sacrifice.

  
  

  -Shows how people feel before going to war.

  
  

  -Propaganda.

  
  

  -Written by a poet, by at the outbreak of war, Rupert joined the Royal Naval Division and died of blood poisoning.
• Language - 'The Soldier'

  'If I should die'

  
  

  -Confronting a cold, hard truth which the soldier must face, but treats is like an honour.

  
  

  'There's some corner of a foreign field that is forever England'

  
  

  -Every Soldier represents England, a part of England stays with them when they die, the sacrifice for England is worth it.

  
  

  'A richer dust concealed'

  
  

  -Referring to the remains of the soldier, they are more important than the land of the foreign country, because the remains are British.

  
  

  'A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware'

  
  

  -Referring to England as the mother who raised him.

  
  

  'All evil shed away'

  
  

  -Emphasises the soldier's goodness, as if he is innocent and pure and has done nothing wrong.

  
  

  'Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given'

  
  

  -His soul will give back what England has given to him, by making his sacrifice.

  
  

  'At peace under an English heaven'

  
  

  -His soul is at peace, his sacrifice has been rewarded.

  -He is worthy of going to an 'English Heaven'.
• Structure - 'The Soldier'

  -Split into two stanzas, the first is about dying, the second is about the afterlife.

  
  

  -Octave: Physical

  -Sestet: Spiritual

  
  

  -Title: Gives a sense of individuality, about a generic but ideal soldier.

  
  

  -Written as a sonnet, which is usually a love poem, this describes the poet's love for England.
• Poetic techniques and punctuation - 'The Soldier'

  Alliteration

  
  

  -To emphasise the repitiveness of the poem, could show how the soldier only has his mind set on one thing?

  
  

  Repetition

  
  

  -Always repeating his love for England.

  
  

  Iambic Pentameter

  
  

  -Gives a drum like beat like a marching beat.

  -Keeps the poem smooth and flowing, almost perfection.

  
  

  Personification

  
  

  -Giving England a 'gentleness' etc. to make England seem like a mother.
• Best poems to compare with - 'The Soldier'

  Dulce

  
  

  -As a contrast of opinions on war, one was written before going to war, and the other after experiencing it.
• Main ideas and meaning - 'The Soldier'

  -Men owe their country, so if they die, their remains proudly represent English territory.

  -Their soul will be pure and go to an English heaven, which is beautiful.

  -Not a proper representation of war.
• Main themes - 'She walks in beauty'

  Love, Loneliness, Nature, Beauty, Religion
• Context - 'She walks in beauty'

  -Written about his cousin's wife at a funeral who wore a black dress, he was struck by contrast between her striking youthful beauty and dark clothing.

  
  

  -During the romantic period.

  
  

  -Byron was a hopeless romantic, he had wild affairs and was a womaniser.
• Language - 'She walks in beauty'

  'She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies;'

  
  

  -She is not just a pretty face, but more of a whole beautiful presence as she is 'beauty'.

  -Comparing her to the night, which is 'cloudless', so maybe no imperfections?

  -The brightness of stars contrasts the night sky.

  
  

  'All that's best of dark and bright meet in her eyes'

  
  

  -Contrast between light and dark, she has the best of both.

  -The contrast creates perfect harmony and beauty.

  
  

  'Heaven'

  
  

  -Comparing her to the most pure and perfect place, maybe simply looking at her takes him to a place of beauty.

  
  

  'One shade the more, one ray the less'

  
  

  -The balance of the woman's beauty is seen as perfect; there are an equal number of syllables either side of the comma, showing perfect balance.

  
  

  'Nameless grace'

  
  

  -Her beauty is so hard to define that it is 'nameless'.

  -'Grace' could be a religious idea, pure and holy.

  
  

  'How pure, how dear their dwelling place'

  
  

  -She has precious, kind and valuable thoughts in her mind.

  
  

  'A mind at peace'

  
  

  -She is a good person, who is kind.

  -Everyone on earth is at peace with her.

  
  

  'A heart whose love is innocent!'

  
  

  -Byron is telling the reader that he does not want a sexual love, not believable as he has been fantasising about her throughout the poem.

  -Maybe she has never been in love before.
• Structure - 'She walks in beauty'

  -3 stanzas with equal line length and number of lines, showing how she is balanced and perfect.

  
  

  -Rhyming is consistent, every other line, shows how perfect she is.

  
  

  -The Rhythm is consistent to emphasise the woman's walk and faultless perfection.

  
  

  -Written as a lyric, meant to accompany music to highlight the reverence.

  
  

  -Describes interior more than exterior towards the end.
• Poetic techniques and punctuation - 'She walks in beauty'

  Iambic tetrametre

  
  

  -Makes the rhythm seem effortless, like her beauty.

  
  

  Repeated use of opposites and contrast

  
  

  -Byron is beyond words for her beauty, he must use the best of two extremes to describe her.

  
  

  Written in present tense

  
  

  -Shows how she will always be perfect, no matter when this is read.

  
  

  Enjambment

  
  

  -Almost as if Bryon cannot pause for breath, gushing about her.

  
  

  Alliteration

  
  

  -Brings certain words to reader's attention.

  
  

  Ends with '!'

  
  

  -Shows enthusiasm and excitement.
• Best poems to compare with - 'She walks in beauty'

  Sonnet 43

  
  

  -About a strong and powerful love.

  
  

  Cozy Apologia

  
  

  -The poet loves someone, but they cannot do anything about it.

  
  

  The Soldier

  
  

  -Strong and powerful love for England, no negatives stated, implying perfection.

  
  

  Valentine

  
  

  -Contrast, Valentine is about emotional, true love. She walks in Beauty is about love at first sight.
• Main ideas and meaning - 'She walks in beauty'

  -Exploration of both physical beauty and inner beauty.

  
  

  -Blind with lust, not genuine love.

  
  

  -He believes the girl is perfect in every way, never points out any flaws.
• Main themes - 'Living space'

  Hardships, place
• Context - 'Living space'

  -Dharker lived in India, where the slums talked about in the poem are located.

  
  

  -She wanted to raise awareness of issues like the terrible conditions of the Mumbai Slums.

  
  

  -Dharker recognises the courage of Mumbai slum residents who have moved to the city to try and improve their chances in life.
• Language - 'Living space'

  'Nothing is flat or parallel'

  
  

  -Gives a sense of chaos, emphasises the danger and instability of the under developed buildings.

  
  

  'Nails clutch at open seams'

  
  

  -Unstable and loose.

  -Nails are personified, they are reaching forward but have nothing to grip onto. They also represent faith.

  
  

  'The whole structure leans dangerously towards the miraculous'

  
  

  -'Dangerously' contrasts with the word 'miraculous', fear and awe.

  
  

  'Someone has squeezed a living space'

  
  

  -Shows further miraculous and faith.

  -The line is literally 'squeezed' inbetween two stanzas.

  
  

  'Slanted universe'

  
  

  -The bright eggs contrast against the dark universe - they stand out as white and pure against a broken, dark world.

  
  

  'Bright, thin walls of faith'

  
  

  -Hopeful, implies positivity.

  -However 'thin' suggests fragility, like an egg shell.
• Structure - 'Living space'

  -No proper structure, like how the buildings were developed.

  
  

  -First half - structure of the buildings.

  -Lines 11 onwards - presented with an image of something inside, gives hope.

  
  

  -Longest line 'whole structure leans dangerously' - suggests structure is leaning over.

  
  

  -Lines lengths are all different, emphasises instability and irregularity.

  
  

  -'Someone has squeezed a living space' - literally squeezed inbetween two stanzas.
• Poetic techniques and punctuation - 'Living space'

  Enjambment

  
  

  -Lines are spilling over into another, like how the slums are leaving over and on top of eachother.

  
  

  Metaphor

  
  

  -The people who live in poverty are fragile like the eggs in the structure.

  
  

  Irony

  
  

  -How something so fragile and easily broken (the eggs), can live in something so dangerous.

  
  

  Randomly placed punctuation

  
  

  -Unstable like buildings.