y10 mock - poetry

• 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

  rhyming couplets with enjambment and endstops. the layout on the page resembles a scar
• the manhunt: "only then would he let me trace the frozen river which ran through his face"

  the soldier 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: context

  poet (ebb) was married to robert browning, although she was six years older than him which was frowned upon at the time, so she wrote this poem to him to show the importance of true love against arranged marriage which was common at the time
• sonnet 43: form

  written in traditional sonnet form (an octave and a sestet) which shows how ebb rejects the norms of love at the time, but she also appreciates some traditional aspects of love
• sonnet 43: "i love thee"

  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 shown by the tears, but lasts a lifetime
• the soldier: context

  rupert brooke was a soldier who died on the way to world war one from a mosquito bite and never experienced front line and trench warfare. the poem has a positive outlook on war
• the solder: 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: "dust whom england bore, shaped, made aware"

  england is his 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 he owes and loves
• 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 soldier at rest
• she walks in beauty: context

  lord byron was a romantic poet who valued nature. he was inspired by seeing a beautiful woman (his cousin's wife) and the poem is a very personal response
• she walks in beauty: form

  3 stanzas with a regular rhyme scheme which shows the consistency and perfectness of the woman. enjambment shows how the poetic voice cannot pause as they need to express how beautiful the woman is
• she walks in beauty: "like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies"

  alliteration draws the reader's attention. climes, skies and enjambment imply her beauty has no limit. "cloudless" implies 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 speaker's mind, he struggles to describe the woman has her beauty is indescribable. it also shows how she has the perfect balance between light and dark
• she walks in beauty: "so soft, so calm, yet eloquent"

  triplet describes how the woman is not just beautiful, but also good natured, gentle and well spoken. caesura implies the overwhelming effect she has
• as imperceptibly as grief: context

  emily dickinson is familiar with the idea of grief as she lived by a graveyard and suffered with loss from a young age. because dickinson was a recluse, 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 prevents feelings of betrayal and it shows that nature and grief move on despite what happens
• as imperceptibly as grief: "a courteous, yet harrowing grace"

  while summer moving on is upsetting, it does it in a polite way and the religious imagery of grace shows that season changes are god's plan and therefore should be respected
• as imperceptibly as grief: "our summer made her light escape"

  "our" includes the reader and makes summer leaving 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
• valentine: context

  carol ann duffy's poetry often challenges the societal norms. she is a lesbian so she could be showing how untraditional relationships can be
• valentine: form

  the poem has an unconventional form that does not follow a set structure, which shows how relationships do not fit one way and can be different
• valentine: "not a red rose or a satin heart"

  dismissive of tradition, instead suggesting an onion which shows the complex layers of love
• valentine: "blind you with tears like a lover"

  onions make people cry just like relationships do, and love can be sad in reality
• valentine: "possessive and faithful, as we are, for as long as we are"

  whilst love does not last forever, it is an emotional and deep experience
• a wife in london: context

  hardy was very critical of war and highlights the effect of war on those left at home. shows a soldier writing back a letter received after he died to make the death look more personal
• a wife in london: form

  split into "the tragedy" and "the irony," use of enjambment throughout shows the flooding of emotions
• a wife in london: "like a waning taper"


  like a candle going out, foreshadows death
• a wife in london: "he - has fallen -"

  dashes mimic the text on a telegram. direct language shows that there is no care for this turning point in the wife's life
• a wife in london: "in the summer weather and of new love"

  pathetic fallacy contrasts to the reality of smog, the new love implies a child on the way which shows the harsh reality of fatherless children in the war
• hawk roosting: context

  hughes was an anthropologist who tried to show a hawk's natural way of thinking
• hawk roosting: form

  equal and consistent stanzas of four lines show the hawk's steadiness and control
• hawk roosting: "between my hooked head and hooked feet"

  "hooked" emphasizes the sharpness of the hawk's body, showing it's violent nature
• hawk roosting: "now i hold creation in my foot"

  sense of omnipotence and being god-like, the hawk owns all beings and creation adapts to his liking
• hawk roosting: "no arguments assert my right"

  dictatorship, believes in his own superiority and thinks he has unchallenged control
• afternoons: context

  larkin's poetry has been described to be pessimistic and cynical and he looks at family life and social class post world war 2
• afternoons: form

  no rhyme scheme, gaps between the stanzas could represent the emotional distance between husbands and wives