poetry 1/2

• The Manhunt author, date and title

  Simon Armitage 2008, Manhunt suggests the wife is searching for her husband she once had
• The Manhunt context

  Written from the perspective of a soldier's wife about a mentally and physically scarred soldier returning after the Bosnian War in the 1990s
• The Manhunt form

  Made up of rhyming couplets with both enjambement and endstops, the layout of the poem on the page resembles a scar
• The Manhunt - "only then would he let me trace the frozen river which ran through his face"

  The solider needs time to be comfortable and let his guard down, the "frozen river" is a metaphor for his facial scar and the word "frozen" implies he is numb
• The Manhunt - "climb the rungs of his broken ribs"

  Metaphor for the journey to find her husband again after his damage from the war
• The Manhunt - "sweating, unexploded mine buried deep in his mind"


  Metaphor for his trauma, the "unexploded mine" suggesting he must be treated with care as it could denote at any time
• Sonnet 43 author, date and title

  Elizabeth Barret Browning 1850, title suggests a traditional love poem
• Sonnet 43 context

  EBB was married to Robert Browning despite her being six years older which was frowned upon at the time, so she wrote this poem to her fiance to show the importance of true love against arranged marriage which was common at the time
• Sonnet 43 form

  Written in traditional sonnet form with 14 lines which shows whilst EBB rejects the norms of love at the time she also appreciates some traditional aspects of love
• Sonnet 43 - "the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach"

  Shows EBB has immeasurable love for Robert, the enjambent between the lines shows her love carries on and has no end, also links to the idea of transcendental love that continues after death
• Sonnet 43 - "I love thee freely"

  Adverb shows that it is not a forced marriage and the idea of choosing who to love is freeing for the soul, repetition of "I love thee" enforces the idea
• Sonnet 43 - "breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life"

  Triplet shows that love is not always perfect and can involve ups and downs as show by the tears, but lasts a lifetime
• The Solider author, date

  Rupert Brooke 1915
• The Solider context


  Rupert Brooke was a solider who died in World War One from a mosquito bite and never experienced front line and trench warfare. The poem has a positive outlook on war.
• The Soldier form


  Written in Italian sonnet form, which shows Brooke's love and admiration for his country so much so that he is willing to die for it.
• The soldier - "If I should die, think only this of me"

  The imperative command shows that Brooke wants people to only react with pride to his death. Also optimistic as it states 'if' I should die in contrast to other poems that state death is much more certain in war.
• The soldier - "dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware"


  Our country is our creator and a duty is owed to protect it, so going to war is the right thing to do. Personification of England paints her as a mothering figure which we owe and love.
• The soldier - "In hearts at peace, under an English heaven"


  Links to the opening thoughts of death but paints it in a delicate and positive light with gentle imagery throughout the final stanza. The end stop signals the final death but also peace of the solider at rest.
• She walks in Beauty author, date and title

  Lord Byron 1815, walking in beauty suggests beauty follows her and everything she does is beautiful
• She walks in beauty context


  Byron was a romantic poem who valued nature, shown in this poem. It was inspired by Byron seeing a beautiful women so is a very personal response.
• She walks in beauty form


  3 stanzas with a regular rhyming scheme which shows the consistency and perfectness of the women. The use of enjambent shows how the poetic voice cannot pause as they need to express how beautiful the women is.
• She walks in beauty - "like the night/Of cloudless climes and starry skies"


  alliteration draws the reader's attention, climes, skies and enjambent imply her beauty has not limit. The idea of cloudless shows she is clear and unpolluted, implying purity and innocence.
• She walks in beauty - "One shade the more, one ray the less"


  Antithesis between shade/ray and more/less highlights the confusion in the poetic voice's mind as he struggles to describe the women as her beauty is beyond words. It also shows her as the perfect balance between light and dark.
• She walks in beauty - 'So soft, so calm, yet eloquent'


  Triplet describes how the women is not just beautiful but also good natured, gentle and well spoken. Caesura implies the overwhelming effect she has.
• Living Space author, date and title

  Imtiaz Dharker 1997, the title suggests that it is not a home and purely just a place to exist
• Living space context


  The poems describe the slums of Mumbai and the poem is used to spread awareness that the media often hide, especially around poverty.
• Living space form


  The irregular structure, caesura and enjambent show the dangerous and inconsistent structure of the slums
• Living space - "There are just not enough straight lines."


  Shows that life in the slums are not straight forward, life is challenging living in such awful conditions
• Living space - 'Nails clutch at open seams'


  Personification shows the nails are struggling to hold on, but are desperate to keep the place together.
• Living space - "slanted universe, gathering the light into themselves"


  The "eggs" show faith and perseverance even in difficult conditions, like the slanted universe which shows the unsteady structure of the slums.
• As Imperceptibly as Grief author, date and title

  Emily Dickinson, 1890, the title immediately has thoughts of death, grief and loss
• As imperceptibly as grief context


  Central message is that change is always there even when we don't notice it, and nature will not openly interfere with human life. Dickinson is familiar with the idea of grief as she lived by a graveyard and suffered with loss from a young age. As Dickinson was reclusive, she had the time to observe the little changes often missed in a busy life.
• As imperceptibly as grief form


  The use of dashes throughout the poem enhance the slow and thoughtful mood, like summer slowly fading.
• As imperceptibly as grief - "Too imperceptible at last to seem like Perfidy"


  Summer leaves so slowly it is almost unnoticeable which prevented feelings of betrayal, and shows that nature and grief moves on despite what happens
• As imperceptibly as grief - 'A courteous, yet harrowing Grace"


  Whilst summer moving on is upsetting, it does it in a polite way and the religious imagery of Grace shows that season changes are Gods plan and therefor should be respected.
• As imperceptibly as grief - "Our summer made her light escape"


  Our involves the reader and makes summer going seem like a universal problem, the word escape suggests that summer was trapped before and that the moral thing to do is to let it move on, like grief.
• Cody Apologia date, author and title

  Rita Dove, 2004, the title means a defence of cosiness which suggests comfort
• Cozy Apologia context


  Dove depicts a contented relationship against the background of hurricane Floyd that killed 100 people, dedicated to her husband Fred
• Cozy Apologia form


  Stanza one and three both have different rhyming schemes, whilst in stanza two it breaks down which represents the disruption of the storm. The use of enjambements and caesura shows the storms disruptions of regular life.
• Cozy apologia - 'I could pick anything and think of you"

  All mundane items reminder her of him as he is her whole world, shows deep connection and presents love as consuming