Aqa Gcse English Literature 9-1 Notes

Poetry notes
Storm on the Island
Stormont
Name for the Parliament of Northern Ireland.
What is the effect of making the title of the poem start with STORMONT?
It's blatantly clear that the poem is political.
What is the effect of storm "ON THE ISLAND"?

The storm is only on the island, its a huge nothing.
What language technique is spread across the poem Storm on the island?
An extended metaphor. If you stop fearing the storm-The other side of Christianity, the
storm will not destroy you.
What language techniques are used in

"Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate.
This wizened earth has never troubled us"?(2)
Sibilance of S sounds emphasises the sinister mood.
Consonance shows the harsh conditions the island faces
What is the irony in "wizened" in

This wizened earth has never troubled us"?
It's like the earth is wise, but is spelt wrong. Also suggests that its 'shrivelled'
What is the effect of saying "sink walls"

When we BUILD our identities as Protestant/catholic we are actually sinking our
experiences as defining ourselves as a religion. Juxtaposition in context
What is saying "you" and "fear" suggesting

"So that you listen to the thing you fear
Forgetting that it pummels your house too."? What is the poet criticising in the fear?
The poet is referring both to Protestant and catholics as "you" to minimise idea of
division.
The fear is relatable to both sides. They are just afraid of each other. The violence
created by fear is just as destructive to both sides.
The poet is criticising the retaliative nature in the two sides.
What language technique is used in "fear"

Forgetting that it pummels your house too."? What is this suggesting?
A Fricative.-Something that makes you bear your teeth, threatens the other.
The poet is angry at the people that they are listening to their own fear instead of the
poet's wisdom.
What language technique is used in

"You might think that the sea is company,
Exploding comfortably down on the cliffs"? Why is this done?
Personification of the sea.
The sea is presented as company to us.
The poet does this to juxtapose the perception of the Irish that the conflict is all that
matters. But it's actually not the case.
What is the language technique in "Exploding comfortably"

Exploding comfortably down on the cliffs"? What is this referencing to? What is the poet
suggesting?
There is juxtaposition used.
This refers to the bombs that catholics and Protestants used against each other.
The people are becoming comfortable with the constant violent, they're "down on the
cliffs" but will affect them.
What is the moral lesson shown in

"Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear."?
There is nothing to be afraid of. Catholics and Protestants are so similar but only have a
different history.
What is saying "strange" in

"Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear." Implying?
Who could it be targeted at?
It could be targeted at northern Irelanders who know nothing else than this hatred
against other religions. The
What does "nothing" allude
"Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear."?(2)
What could the Poet be implying?
-There is nothing to fear of the 'other side'
-Death-The huge nothing if you don't believe in God. The Poet could be implying that
Christianity is the issue.
Charge of the Light Brigade
What is the form of the poem? (SOTI)

5 line stanzas
Last stanza is 4 lines.
Provides emphasis on the last line.
What structural technique in the final two lines of SOTI?

A half-rhyming couplet. "Fear" and "air".
What technique is used in COTLB rhythm?

Dactyl-Stressed unstressed unstressed
Why is dactyl rhythm used?

-Gives the poem the rhythm of a song.
-Celebrates soldiers
What language feature is in "Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward"? What
effect does it have?
Anaphora- Repetition of phrases
-Effect of soldiers on horseback
What language technique is in "Valley of death"? What does it suggest?

Allusion to Psalm 23. Reference to the bible.
-Suggests that it isn't actually murder to fight in war as god is 'on our side'.
-Suggests that soldiers will be accepted into heaven. War is just.
What does the repetition of "Half a league" emphasise?

It emphasis the danger the soldiers are in. Slows down time, they are likely to die as
they are exposed to death for so long.
What language technique is there in "Theirs but to do and die"?
Alliteration. Shows that their death is inevitable.
What does the "and" in "do and die" suggest? What is Tennyson's opinion?
People normally use "or". Tennyson uses "and" to show that there is no escape and
they still continue for the sake of their country.
-Tennyson is celebrating the British soldiers.
What happens to the rhythm in "while// All the world wondered"? What word does it
rhyme with significantly previously?
Dactyl is disrupted. He is disrupted by this thought.
-It rhymes with 'blundered', which is emphasised.
-Their sacrifice is glorious so the world is celebrating it. OR The world is wondering why
men are sacrificed. <-This one is subliminal.
What effect does repeating "All the world wondered" in the final stanza have on the
reader?
Doesn't let them get away without questioning what happened. Tennyson could not
have an intention to question what happened, it could be subconscious but could also
be fully intended to undermine the patriarchy.
What verbs are "Honour"-anaphora in final stanza?(+context)

Imperative verbs-Forced on the reader. Forces them to celebrate the brigade.
-Newspapers were starting to criticise the leadership behind the Brigade. The poet was
appointed by the queen so had to be patriotic and celebrate the Brigade. This is ironic
because he's also trying to follow order even if it not be what he wants, just like the
brigade.
Remains
What is the form of the poem?

Monologue
What is the form of the opening?

In media res
What is the significance of saying "on another occasion"?(3)

-Means its not the first
-He has saved it till last since is had the worst psychological effect.
-Lots of soldiers are affected by these experiences.
What is the significance of saying "sent out"? What does it foreshadow?

War is like a punishment, using terminology used at school. It's a type of expulsion.
It foreshadows how he's "sent out" of his own identity.
What structural feature is used in "I see every round as it rips through his life-" (5)
-Previously he says "I swear", you can imagine him cursing at himself.
-This is the Volta.
-He moves from we to I.
-It's in the present tense which suggests he always replays it in his mind.
-Round suggests cyclical structure in his memory.
What language features are used in "One of my mates goes by

And tosses his guts back into his body"?(3)
Colloquial language which juxtaposes the horror. Sibilance of "tosses" and "guts"
emphasis his casual action.
What language feature is NOT used in "One of my mates goes by

And tosses his guts back into his body". Why is this significant?
It's not a metaphor, "tossing guts" is being sick. This alludes that the soldier is sick
remembering his actions.
What language feature is used in "And the drink and the drugs won't flush him out-"?
What view is Armitage presenting ?(2)
Repetition. Emphasises the amount of drugs, implying the sheer want he has to remove
this memory.
Armitage is presenting that all soldiers are affected through repetition.
Metaphor.
The use of "flush" implies exposing enemies to eliminate the threat.
There is an allusion to excrement, which implies disgust to the situation. His disgust
could also be directed towards what he did, and he feels self-disgust.
What is the structural feature in "but near to the knuckle, heard and now, his bloody life
in my bloody hands."? Why is this significant?
Rhyme with sand and land.
It doesn't end with a rhyming couplet. Ends with discordance-sound doesn't fit. Doesn't
even rhyme with sand and land which shows lack of control.
What is the literary allusion in "his bloody life in my bloody hands"? What does this
imply?
Alludes to Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's hands. Looter = Duncan/King. Consequence
of killing looter will be just as tragic as what happened to Macbeth (his death). He
possibly commits suicide.
What happens to the pronouns at the end of remains: "his bloody life in my bloody
hands"? What are the hopes/tragedies of this?
Perhaps he has accepted responsibility in an attempt to move on. Maybe he's stopped
drugs now and is trying to get better and understand what he's done.
Guilt is centered onto him. Motive for self destruction.
What are implications that he will not commit suicide?

Emphasis on "here" and "now"
What are implications that he will commit suicide?

He's collected all guilt as a 'final statement'.
"Here" and "now" can imply a separation from his memory.
What does "near to the knuckle mean"?(2)

Breaking a taboo of soldiers not being brave.
Near the knuckle is a fist, and will continue fighting
Kamikaze

"He father embarked at sunrise
With a flask of water, a samurai sword"?
What does this present and reflect?
Sibilance-Presents peace and reflects the peace found in death.
Why is "sunrise" said in

With a flask of water, a samurai sword"?(2)
Sun is symbolic in Japan.
And Divine Image.
What does "water" imply in
Water implies baptism and purity.
What is the first stanza of Kamikaze? What does the break after show?
What had happened-Context for the reader
The break shows the mother thinking about what to say.
What similie is used to describe the fish?(quote)

What are the two interpretations from the similie?
"Like a huge flag waved first on way
Then the other in a figure of eight,"
-Fish represent life
-On the other hand Fish represent sacrifice that pilot must make for his country
What does the "figure of eight"

In
Represent?(3)
The Pilot living immortaly as a hero.
The pilot dies, his death would be immortal.
The physical direction the pilot faces to go back home.
What are the two interpretations of Kamikaze?

The father lives a living death
The daughter has changed his death for her children, to allow them to have a
grandfather.
What quote suggests that the daughter doesn't want her father's living death?
"-yes, grandfathers boat"
Her father is recognised to her children.
What does describing whitebait as "loose silver" in

"The loose silver of white air and once
A tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous."
Alllude to?
It alludes to a biblical story. Silver has always been a symbol of betrayal, as Judas
betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Whitebait symbolises the pilot's betrayal to the country.
What could "dark prince" in

Refer to?(2)
The dark prince could be the Japanese monarchy sending men to death.
The father is the "dark prince", but he's also muscular and dangerous as his daughter
has welcomed him back into the family.
What does "Only we children still chattered and laughed" suggest?

The children were happy to have their father back.
What does "gradually" in

"Till gradually we too learned
To be silent"
Suggest? (Kamikaze)
It felt unnatural for the children to adjust to not acknowledging their father. It reflects the
daughter's perspective when she got older.
What does "wondered" in

"And sometimes, she said, he must have wondered
Which had been the better way to die."
Suggest?
She has never spoken to her father about his experience because it's too painful"
What could "which had been the better way to die"

Suggest?
-The family has permanently ostracised the father.
-His death only lasted whilst his wife was alive (-yes grandfathers boat)
Why is the chronology of who's talking to who in Kamikaze so complicated? (Structure)

To reflect the complex, damaging culture.
How does the fathers relationship with his grandchildren reflect Japans recovery from
two bombs?
The fathers relationship with his grandchildren improve, due to effort from his daughter.
The Japanese also put in effort which led to their recovery.
What could Garland be implying as an advantage of war?
It allows culture to change and improve-fathers improved relationship with his
grandchildren
What is the form of Kamikaze? What's the effect(2)?

Free verse.
It's natural speech from the mother to her children, like a narrative with a moral at the
end of it.
Reflects how the family didn't give the father form/identity.
What's the effect of 6 line stanzas in Kamikaze?

The mothers attempt to create an identity for her father.-Establishing him as a
grandfather.
Checking out me history
What viewpoint is expressed in

"Dem tell me
Dem tell me
Wha dem want to tell me"? What language technique achieves this?
The seperation/contrast between 'Dem' and 'Agard'.
Anaphoria achieves this.
What is the effect of the form in Checking out me history?

Makes it almost childish. Teach the children about black history.
What does Agard criticise in this poem?

He criticises how the education is unintentionally racist.
How does Agard overcome the British education system?

He speaks in his own dialect.
What does the repetition of "me" in

"Dem tell me
Dem tell me
Wha dem want to tell me" mean?
It doesn't just mean him. It represents all immigrants from Africa or Afro Caribbean
islands.
What does "Bandage up me eye with me own history" suggest?

The education system has suggested that he is damaged, so therefore bandaged.
Bandage also suggests that its temporary, so his eye will heal. The people aren't
hopeless.
What homophone is used in

"Bandage up me eye with me own history"? What idea does this present?
Homophone of eye and I. Idea that his own identity is also bandaged.
Why has Agard been 'bandage'd up?

He has only been given the negative side of his own history.
What is the form in the opening of COMH?(effects?(2))

A
A
A
A
Childish but repetitive and restrictive
What is the form when speaking about black history? What is the emphasis of this?
Free verse.
Emphasis of personal freedom being linked to cultural freedom.
What is the effect of having "Toussaint" before "Napoleon"

"Toussaint
A slave
With vision
Lick Back
Napoleon"?
What is Agard telling us.
Shows that slave was more powerful than a dictator in Europe.
He is telling us that although the poem is small, its taking on a massive subject. He will
be like Toussaint.
What was the myth put about Caribs? (Context)

"Dem tell me bout Columbus and 1492
But what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks too" What is Agard trying to tell us?
Caribs were supposedly cannibals, with no evidence according to European settlers.
Agard is trying to give us a feeling of guilt. And our own eyes have also been bandaged
up.
What is the effect of saying "Caribs and Arawaks" in

But what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks too"?
People don't know about them. Shows their erasure.
Mary Seacole
Jamaican nurse who was refused the right to work with Nightingale
Why did Agard choose these particular historical figures?

As a parallel for what he wants to achieve.
What is the effect of referring to Mary Seacole as

"A healing star"?
How is Agard's intention paralleled in this?
She is someone who peacefully guides us.
He also wants to peacefully guide us.
How were stars chosen?

Stars were chosen by Zeus if they were a histotrical figure. Mary Seacole is also a star
chosen by Agard.
What is the Volta in

"But now I checking out me own history
I carving out me identity"?
Agard now feels empowered by his ancestors. He wants other Afro Caribbean people to
also feel empowered.
What is the effect of the metaphor

"I carving out me identity"
In
He is presented as a sculptor. Finding your ancestry is art, like his poem. Art must be
beautiful and change our perspective.
Conflict: (Checking out me history)
Past
People
Nature
Place
-Conflict between past and present
-Conflict between British and British immigrant populaion
-Conflict against human nature being bandaged.
-Conflict between Caribbean and Europe.
What is the effect of the final rhyming couplet

A sense of a happy, fulfilled ending.
War Photographer
What is the form of War Photographer in the opening? What is the effect of this, what is
Duffy's intention?
Starts with trochaic meter on the first line
Then changes to Iambic meter on the second line
-The effect that it is unsettling
-Intention is to unsettle us
What is the language technique used in "In his dark room he is finally alone with spools
of suffering set out in ordered rows"? What does it make the reader question?
Symbolism of darkness.
-Questions if the intention of the photographer is dark, and what the moral purpose of
the war photographer is. Is he a dark person or only recording dark events.
What effect does "finally" in "he is finally alone" have? What does it challenge?
Suggests that the war photographer is pleased about being alone. He doesn't like
humanity, because of what he saw.
-It challenges our expectations of who he is.
What double meaning is in "spools" of "with spools of suffering set out in ordered
rows."?
-Spools is a technical term used in photography.
-Each photo comes with suffering
What language technique is used in "spools of suffering"?
Sibilance. It is a soft sinister sound which shows that what he's doing is sinister.
What is the semantic field in the opening of war photographer? (+quotation) What image
does this give? What does it make the reader question?
Semantic field of a graveyard. "Set out in ordered rows".
-An image of a photographer making his money through other peoples death.
-Is it just his job/His job is to prevent more death by exposing it?
What structural feature is used in

"a priest preparing to intone a Mass.
Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass."? What's the purpose of this?
A half-rhyming couplet.
Unsettles the reader
What is the difference in lines in

'a priest preparing to intone a Mass.
Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass."?
First is trochaic
Second is iambic
What is the language technique in "priest preparing"?

What does this link to?
Alliteration of plosives sounds is used.
This links to how these people died.
What is the irony in "a priest preparing to intone a mass"?

The Photographer is described like a priest. A priest would help the soul into heaven.
However the photographer is doing nothing of the sort and Duffy is using this ironically
as she thinks god doesn't exist, as nothing of this sort would happen.
What structural technique is used in "Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh."? What is important
about this?
Listing. Gradually, the conflict gets further from home and larger.
"All flesh is grass" biblical meaning. Why is this tragic?

Biblical reference - human life is transient and brief whereas the word of God is eternal
-Shows how human beings are treated no more than...vegetables?
Why could the war photographer be thinking negative thoughts? Why is this ironic?
Show that death no longer has the power to shock him.
This is ironic, because he wants the newspaper reader to feel the pain of death to stop
war even though he cannot feel that pain.
What are the language techniques used in "a half-formed ghost"?(2)

-Metaphor, as the person is half developed
-Semantic field of death. Reminder that the person is dead.
What is interesting about

"He remembers the cries
of this man's wife, how he sought approval"?
What structural technique is used?
He is now focusing on the living wife of the dead. Like he's seeking approval from the
wife to ask if he can take the photo, however the approval isn't received. Questions
ethics of if it's preventing war/completelytaking away identity.
Cries is used at the end of the line to emphasise her deviation
What structural technique is used in "The reader's eyeballs prick with tears between the
bath and pre-lunch beers"? What is the effect of this?
Internal rhyme. Makes the lines feel jolly. Irony.
How is Duffy criticising readers in "The reader's eyeballs prick with tears between the
bath and pre-lunch beers"?
The "prick" is tiny, and isn't fully formed. No full emotion.
The tears are washed away with a bath and getting drunk, it's ignored or perhaps
deliberately drugged to not face the reality of war.
Why is the poem ultimately tragic?

The war photographer only hopes to be alone, as his only aim to stop war is ignored by
prelunch beers.
What structural techniques are used in

"From the aeroplane he stares impassively at where
He earns his living and they do not care."(2)
Why is this ironic?
Final rhyming couplet. Sense of completeness.
It's ironic because there is nothing complete about what the photographer feels.
Troaic and iambic meter.

What is ambiguous about
He earns his living and they do not care." ?
What is Duffy's message?
What's the final irony?
Is he staring at Britain as he leaves to go back to war?
Is he staring at war he's leaving to return to Britain?
Ultimately, his stare is impassive so the war photographer is destroyed by his role.
The final irony is that feeding this emotion is how he earns his living.
The Prelude
What is pantheism?
Belief that God is found in everything
What type of poet was Wordsworth?

Romantic poet
Contrast in "One summer evening (led by her) I found a little boat tied to a willow tree"
OPENING
-Her is nature, who has led him to steal the boat. He is not responsible.
-Willow is sad.-Foreshadows sadness
-Contrast in Happy summer evening and sad willow.
Illusion in "The horizon's utmost boundary; far above Was nothing but that stars and the
grey sky"
All boundaries we place in our lives are illusions as once we reach them the horizon
changes. Idea of Romanticism in that there's so much more to life.
Idea of Boundary in "nothing but the stars and the grey sky"(2)
-Christianity is another idea of boundary. It determines what you can or cant do. We
should set our own morals on our own natures.
-Sky offers endless possibilities but stars can offer a boundary in 'fate'. He then steals
the boat, which goes against what society expects.
What does the mountain represent? "And growing still in stature the grim shape towered
up between me and the stars, and still,"
-His conscience in committing a moral crime.
"My brain worked with a dim and undetermined sense of unknown modes of being"
He couldnt stop thinking about committing a crime. Pantheism- God is accusing him of
acting in a way he shouldn't.
Why is there a conflict in moral choices?

God made his brain "dim", but the goddess nature led him to the boat too.
Ideas in "Of unknown modes of being"

-He's getting a "dim" understanding that he can choose who he wants to be despite
what society says.
-Idea of incest, he had a close relationship with his sister. Society frowned upon it.
-He was sexually active before he got married. Society frowned upon it. - Noted in his
autobiography
What is Wordsworth suggesting about morals?

-We don't need Christianity to teach us what is right and wrong, we can learn from
nature.
"Were a trouble to my dreams"

-Wordsworth exploring sexuality and his desires.
-He can only explore his sexuality in his dreams.
-He can only explore his relationship with his sister in his dreams.
What effect does the form of the Prelude have?

-You should express yourself freely without any boundaries.
-Pentameter. Iambic and tetrameter makes it unsettling like his experiences.
What language features are important in this poem?

The ones describing Wordsworths internal landscape. Not the external landscape. This
is why I focus essay on symbolism and not simile/metaphor/personification.
What is the structure of the Prelude? (+ context) has

Free verse. Recreates natural speech, this was an intimate poem written to himself.
London
What form is London?

-Dramatic monologue
-ABAB
What effect does the form of London have?

-Like a poem written for children.
-It's a political poem, so must be memorable in a way that children can remember it.
"I wander thro' each charter'd street"-3 interpretations

-It's mapped so is useful
-Blake dislikes urbanisation and the expansion of the cities.
-Everything is owned by authorities. Streets make people poorer.
What structural feature in "I wander thro' each charter'd street?"

-Contrast, we can be free in London if we face it in a different way.
What language features in "The mind forg'd manacles I hear"? (2)

-Alliteration=Memorable
-Manacles=Metaphor. We are owned by author orities. But we have done this to
ourself-The hierarchy is real because people at the bottom respect people above.
What does "forg'd" mean?

The hierarchy is a fake way of looking at the world, and he will show us a new way.
What parts of society is Blake criticising?

-The Church
-The Palace
Points of "Every blackening Church appalls"

-Buildings are literally getting covered in soot.
-The church should help side with the helpless, it's against Christ and is now part of the
authority.
"Appalls" (Double meaning)

-Church should be shocked by chimney-sweepers being exploited.Church doesn't
actually try to help the church. Attacks them for their complacency.
-A 'pall'. A cloth put over a coffin. Churches are black as they are wearing a pall so are
dead. Church has turned away from Christ's teaching.
"Runs in blood down palace walls"-Context

-Hints to the French Revolution. All monarchy was executed.
-He implies that what happened in France is very likely to happen in our own country.
-Society is so corrupt that poor will rise up and kill the monarchy. Should be the end of
the poem...
"And blights with plagues the marriage hearse"-Context

-Blake married an illiterate wife and taught her to be an equal partner.-Was a feminist of
his time. He is not criticising marriage.
What/Who is Blake criticising:"And blights with plagues the marriage hearse"

-Blake is criticising men of killing off their marriages by having sex with prostitutes.
"Harlots curse"
-Plague=STD. Wives die and disabled children become stigmatised.
-Criticise society that creates an economy in young women being forced to become
prostitutes and having men who don't worry that those women are being exploited.
What is the biggest criticism in London? ALSO THE VOLTA

The behaviour of men. Marriage vows are seen as lesser than men.
Ozymandias
What parts make up a sonnet?

Octave and a sestet
Why does Shelley use enjambment?

To make it ordinary speech.-Shelley wants to distance himself from previous famous
poets . (Romanticism)
What does "Nothing beside remains" mean? (+context)

Shows how temporary political power is. Links to dictatorship and tyrants and after the
Napoleonic wars where a dictator was defeated by the British.
Why does Shelly use sonnet form?

-Shelly attacks Ozymandias for his "self love". He's hubristic.
What kind of sonnet is ozymandias?

A Petrarchan sonnet, ABBA which is then rejected. Shelley is asserting his own
individuality.
What is Romanticism?
A movement which cultivated individualism, reverence for the natural world, idealism,
physical and emotional passion and an interesting the mystic and supernatural.
What does "A sneer of cold command" criticise and celebrate?

Critical of the cruelty in dictatorship, and celebrated democracy.
What language technique is used in "King of Kings" ?

A biblical allusion. Jesus is the opposite of a dictatorship. This shows how Ozymandias
is corrupt and anti Christian.
What does "Colossal wreck" contextually refer to?

references the colossus of Rhodes. It's now completely destroyed which emphasises
the temporary nature of History.
Why was Ozymandias written?

In response to an exhibition of Ramesses II which was brought to London. It was a
competition with his friend Horace. (Horace wrote in Shakespearean form)
What is Shelley's intention?(Ozymandias)

He's talking about the survival of art: "wrinkled lip". He's celebrating the sculptors art
over the temporary dictatorship of Ozymandias. Him writing the poem is asking if his
poem will outlive the statue.
Why is Shelley writing his poem ironic?

He's also trying to make something that will last forever: "Look on my Works, ye Mighty,
and despair!". His new sonnet form is an attempt to stand out.
What does Shelly suggest about artists?

Artists share the dictatorial qualities of Ozymandias.
What traditional descriptive technique does Ozymandias lack?

Metaphors/similies
What language feature is used in "The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed"
The only use of personification.
-The subject is ambiguos
-Is the hand ozymandias mocking his people, or is it the sculptors hand that's mocking
ozymandias.
-Is the dictator owning the heart? Or is it a supernatural reference that he fed of peoples
admiration? Is it the heart of the sculptor that's exploiting the dictator?
-Is Shelley exploiting Ozymandias in the same way?
What does Shelley ignore?

The fact that ozymandias does have a legacy. He's exploiting ozymandias by changing
the facts to suit his poem. "Heart that fed"
What language technique is used In ?"Cold command"

8tet. Alliteration of harsh 'c' sound shows the harshness of his personality.
What language features are used in "Round the decay"?

6tet. Assonance "lone and level sands stretch far away ". Drawn out sounds show that
sands stretch far but the dictator does not. Will Shelley's own poetry last?
The Emigree
Who is the narrator of the emigree ?

A construct
What does the "there was" in

"There once was a country... I left is as a child
But my memory of it is sunlight-clear"
Suggest?
Suggests that the city no longer exists.
What is the reoccurring image in the Emigree?

Sunlight
What does the word "branded" allude in

"It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants,
But I am branded by an impression of sunlight."? What could Rumens be suggesting?
Alludes forced ownership. She cant escape her childhood memories.
Rumens is suggesting that we are all branded by our childhood memory.
What does the impression of sunlight in

But I am branded by an impression of sunlight."
Suggest?
Hope for her own life or hope for her old country.
What could "child's vocabulary" mean in
"That child's vocabulary I carried here
Like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar."?(2)
-Her childhood innocence.
-Her actual language.
How can her childhood city be located in

Like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar."?
Hollow doll=Russian doll
USSR-East of Berlin Wall.
What does ''hollow doll" in

Like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar."
Suggest? (other than ancestry)
Dolls suggest memories aren't really real and "hollow" suggests her childhood
perspective is unclear.
How does Rumens' opinion change throughout the poem?

She realises her view may have been "hollow" across the course of the poem.
What does "spills a grammar"

In "That child's vocabulary I carried here
Suggest?
She tries to cling onto her language, even if it means her childhood perspective is also
clung to her.
What's the language technique used in

"It lies down in front me, docile as paper;
I comb its hair and love its shining eyes"?
Personification.
What does "docile as paper" in

"It lies down in front of me, docile as paper;
I comb its hair and love its shining eyes" suggest?
Her poetry itself is a way to re-establish that city in her memory to lie "down in front of
me"
What does "I comb its hair and love its shining eyes."
In
I comb its hair and love its shining eyes"
Suggest?
It implies that the memory of the city is a pet, and although she is loving she is also
controlling.
The shining eyes suggests that the eyes aren't seeing eyes and she's therefore making
up
How is a sense of loneliness created?

Idea of her "loving it's shining eyes" but the city not able to love her back
What is the Volta of the emigree?(quote)

"My city hides behind me. They mutter death,
And my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight."
Who could the "they" in

And my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight." Be?
-The tyrants in the new city reaching out to her.
-Us, the people who she has come to and prevent her from settling.
What does the narrator feel going back to her memory of the city does?
Helps preserve her memory for her and others.
What does her "shadow" in

And my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight." Prove?(2)
It's proof that her upbringing was positive to her.
-Could also be tragic, as it follows "death"-the tyrants getting her. However its worth it
for the evidence of positivity.
What could the poem be about?(2)

-A last testament before she is killed
-Teach people to value her experiences. Celebration of culture.
What is the form of the Émigré? What does it emphasise?

No set form. 8, 8, 9.
The 9th line adds a positive ending instead of "death".
Poppies
What symbolism is in
"Spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade
Of yellow bias binding around your blazer"? Who is it referring to?
There is a symbolism of pain.
The mothers pain at her son leaving/Her sons pain in death.
What is Jane Weir?

She's a clothes maker
What does blockade in

Of yellow bias binding around your blazer"
Mean?
A blockade is something that cuts off supplies in war.
What is the significance of "blazer" in

Of yellow bias binding around your blazer"?
Weir has not had a son who has gone off to war, so it needs to be relatable to her.
What is the mother grieving?

Her sons death/Her sons childhood innocence in leaving.
What could be the reason her son is leaving?

Her son may be leaving because of her.
What does "blackthorns of your hair" in

"Blackthorns of your hair. All my words
Flattened, rolled, turned into felt,"
Suggest?
Her son chose a hairstyle that would physically prevent her from touching it. He's
'prickly' to her.
How does the mother respond do the "blackthorns"? (Quote)

She's "Flattened, rolled, turned into felt". Her words are flattened and her emotions
aren't exposed.
Why are the mother's words "slowly melting"?

Reflects that her words don't have proper meaning, as her son doesnt understand her.
Why does
"threw it open,
the world overflowing
like a treasure chest"
Not make sense?
Doesn't sound like someone is going to war. Sounds like someone is searching for
experiences-Maybe her son is going to war and she's trying to empathise?
Who does the bird represent in

"After you'd gone I went into your bedroom,
Realeasing a song bird from its cage"?
The bird represents the son.
The bird also represents the poet. The poet can write a 'song' based on her experience.
What is the significance of the direct address in

"You" focuses on the son. Asking him to focus back on the day
How is the imagery positive in

"The dove pulled freely against the sky,
An ornamental stitch, I listened, hoping to hear
Your playground voice catching on the wind."
Showing a sense of freedom for the son and mother, idea of treasure chest.
How is the mother connected to the son in

Her sons freedom = ornament
The ornament has created a stitch between the mother and son connecting them.
What is the poem about? (2)

-Son going to war.
-Motherhood, and the idea of letting go.
What happens to the theme of war?

The theme of war disappears throughout the poem. It's ultimately about letting go of a
child to new opportunities.
What is the form of Poppies? What is the effect of this?

Free Verse.
Like the mother is figuring out her own feelings.
What does the Dove do in the bible?

The dove comes back with an olive branch, indicating the tragedy is over.
What does the dove symbolise? How could this be used ironically.
There's no tragic ending.
The mother could be desperate for a happy ending for an alive son.
Tissue
What language technique is in

"Paper that lets the light
Shine through, this
Is what could alter things."?
Semantic field of religion. Light shining is Christian/Muslim.
What is the extended metaphor in 'Tissue'?

Metaphor that tissue paper is skin.
What is the story of this poem?

The story is about acceptance and convincing the reader that we are all the same
despite what's on the outside.
What is the homophone in

Shine through, this
Is what could alter things."? What is the purpose of this?
Alter->Altar in a church
Convince Christian readers of similarities in Islam and Christianity.
What is the aim of the poet?

The aim is to "alter things"-The perspective of her readers and the different cultures.
What is the purpose of the tissue on the back of the Qur'an?

To protect it.
Why does the poet refer to the Koran? What are reasons that she does not?
"The back of the Koran, where a hand
Has written in the names and histories"
The poet refers to the Koran to show similarities with Christianity and Islam-Names and
Histories-Ancestry
She doesn't show the Koran to show Muslim beliefs.
Why is there a focus on the hand in

Has written in the names and histories"?(2)
The hand could be symbolic of something we all have.
Mentioning the hand puts us back in touch with our history
What is a map typically symbolic of?

"Maps too. The sunshine's through
Their borderlines"
The separation of countries and the idea of conflict over borders.
What is the metaphor in

Their borderlines"?
The metaphor of the sunlight shows the division is an illusion. We are in reality the
same.
What biblical illusion is in

Their borderlines"? What does this show?
Biblical illusion of God due to the sun. (Both in Islam and Christianity)-This ultimately
shows equality through gods omnipotence.
Why are maps also referred to as tissue?
Their borderlines"
Maps are referred to as tissue to show how fragile they are, and are just social
constructs.
What language is the poet using in

"Find a way to trace a grand design
With living tissue"? What image does this create?
Language of building.
It shows the poet designing something with living tissue/people, which is "grand"=big
due to different cultures combined.
Wh at does "find a way" mean in

With living tissue"?
Shows that its difficult to create a world for different cultures.
What is the double meaning of "trace" in

"Trace" means tracing ancestry and tracing art. Tracing ancestry goes back to the same
people=we are the same.
What does the metaphor in

"And thinned to be transparent,
Turned into your skin." Suggest?
The paper is thinned, so the borders between cultures are easy to break through.
Why is there an idea of transparency in

Turned into your skin."?
Making the tissue transparent lessens the image we have of others and makes us see
others for their true selves. They are no longer a threat.
What does the final part of

Turned into your skin." Mean?
It means that she wants everyone to have the same transparency as her.
What is the poet's request in this poem?
Acceptance of Islam, as the intended audience is likely Christian.
What is the language feature in

Turned into your skin.?
Alliteration of Transparent + Turned.
Assonance of thinned and into.
What is the form of tissue? What does this mean?

Free verse. Acts as natural speech to get us to change our mind about Islam.
What is the structure of tissue?

There is 4 lines and then a Volta with 1 line "turned into your skin".
Bayonet Charge
What are the structural features of

"Suddenly he awoke and was running- raw
In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy," (OPENING)?
And what is authors point of view?
In media res.
War is like an unnatural wakening from a dream.
Enjambment and repetition of "raw"-Shows how painful war is emotionally.
What is "raw" a homophone of?

("Suddenly he awoke and was running- raw
In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy,")
"raw" is a homophone of roar. Like he has woken up into terror.
How can war be contrasted with real life? + quotes

Due to speed. "Running"
Sentence never ends in poem
He isn't protected by khaki, it is making him hot.
What does "raw-seamed" in ""Suddenly he awoke and was running- raw
In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy," mean?(literally/metaphorically)
The raw seam is where the lice/fleas are.
War has caused the rawness, and what is meant to protect him fails to do so.
What does "his sweat heavy" mean in

In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy,"?
He's not sweating a lot, but he's so desperate to escape that his own sweat is too heavy
and slows him down in his perspective
What is the language technique used in

"Bullets smacking the belly out of the air-"? What effect does it have? What is the irony
in this?
Use of personification. Creates a comical effect, he's amused that he's not being hit by
the bullets.
The irony is that if the bullet hits his belly, he will die and nature will remain unaffected.
What does "He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm;" show? What language
technique is used.
The "numb" shows him trying to suppress his feeling and him slowing time down.
Assonance in lugged and numbed. Slowing time down.

8 lines
7 lines
8 lines
No clear form.
Mixture of iambic and Trochaic meter.-Like there's no natural rhythm to the run of the
man.
What is the second stanza introducing? (+quote)

His thoughts:
"In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations
Was he the hand pointing that second? He was running"
What is the effect of using

While running?
It's like he's stopped and his main idea is dawned upon him.
What does "cold" show in "In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations
Was he the hand pointing that second? He was running"?
What is significant about saying "the nations" after?

"Cold" suggests a lack in a good upper power.
Saying "the nations" show his immediate recognition that he shouldn't have joined the
forces for patriotic reasons.
What does "was he the hand pointing that second?" In "In what cold clockwork of the
stars and the nations
Was he the hand pointing that second? He was running"? Show?(2)
How every second, a man is slaughtered.
He could be commenting on the Britons want you poster's pointing hand.
What does "cold clockwork" suggest in terms of death?

Death is unstoppable
What does the third stanza introduce?

Description of his surroundings.
What could the hare be symbolising in

"Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame
And crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide"? Why is it ironic? What does that
show?
The hare could be symbolising the slowness of time in how it "rolled" and "crawled".
Hares are always referred to as fast. Shows how soldiers go 'mad' in war and
misinterpret time.
What does "threshing" imply in

And crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide"?
A Thresher cuts down corn. This is a common biblical image of how life is meaningless.
What does "circle" imply in

Implies that war is a never ending circle. This is set in WW2.
What does "threw up" imply in

And crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide"?(2)
Hare came from nowhere
Soldiers are sick.
What is this a whole image for?

And crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide"
This is an image of how war is unnatural as hare is unnatural as it is
"yellow"-vomit/cowardice/joy?-> points out how nature is unfree.
What is
"King, honour, human dignity, etcetera
Dropped like luxuries" meaning?
War strips us down to our basic human form.
What are the ideas in

Dropped like luxuries"
King=Patriotism Counting to nothing
Honour= Honourable death counts to nothing
Etcetera = These are ridiculous.
What is The poet expressing the importance of? (ENDING)

The importance of just living without social construct.
Meanings of "His terror's touchy dynamite"

-His own terror will kill him-better interpretation
-Internal explosion-He can't think straight. (Doesn't fit with moment of clarity)
What is the significance of saying "touchy" in "his terror's touchy dynamite"?

Could be referring to father's own experiences, as the son has experience of how the
father is 'touchy'. PTSD
My Last Duchess
What is the form of My Last Duchess?
Dramatic monologue. No one else talks which suggests Duke's self importance.
Why is My Last Duchess written in rhyming couplets? (FORM)

-Creates the illusion of wholeness. The idea of partnership, however there is a clear
dominance in the male partner.
-Suggests that the speech is heavily rehearsed. Shocking because he almost says that
he killed her which shows how highly he thinks of himself over the law. Browning is
showing the dangers of men's power in the patriarchal society.
How does Duke try to disguise his rehearsal? (STRUCTURE)

He speaks in enjambment. Suggests that he's hiding that he's rehearsed it.
What does the "last" in my last duchess suggest?(3)

-Alludes her death.
-Suggests she's the last on the list so far
-He's married more than one/executed more than one.
How are frescos made?

Paint on plaster one day before it dries.
What does painting the duchess on the fresco/ "painted on the wall" suggest?
-He had to have her painted quickly so she's killed quickly
-She must be killed quickly, so art must be done quickly hence on fresco.
Irony in "Looking as if she were alive"

After her painting she would be killed
What is the interpretation from "Twas not her husband's presence only, called that spot
of joy into the Duchess' cheek"?
-Duke was there when painting was pained, so she couldnt have been flirting with Fra
Pandolf
-So there is no sexual jealousy.
Who is Fra Pandolf?

A painter who did a portrait of the last Duchess
What does Fra come from?

"Friar"=Monk. Very unlikely to have an affair with her.
What symbolism is used in"Spot of joy"?
"Spot" implies guilt. But she is only guilty of taking joy in life.
What is the difference between the duke and duchess?

Duchess takes joy in life "Spot of Joy.
Duke doesn't take joy in life, but takes joy in objects.
What does "as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody's
gift" suggest about the duchess?
Also what language feature is used?
She hasn't learnt her place in the patriarchy and class system. She doesn't care about
status.
-Juxta position of anybody's gift with Duke's name.
What is the structural feature of "Somehow-I know now how-as if she ranked" imply?
One of 2 11 syllable lines in the poem. He has lost control. Browning is almost making
fun of his dependence on status.
What are implications of "Then all smiles stopped together"?

-He killed her and another man, potentially someone she had an affair with.
-Or she just smiled too much.
What does Duke think in "but Who passed without much the same smile?"
-Duke thinks that Duchess is only paying the same respect that everyone else does.
-"passed" suggests he had no interest in her, no sexual interest. She's always been a
possession.
What could Browning be suggesting in the lack of Duke's sexual interest?

-He's only interested in possession.
What is "passed" a euphemism for in "but who passed without much the same smile?"
Passed could mean died. Maybe she even died whilst smiling? Shows the suddenness
of her death.
What language feature is in "Then all smiles stopped together"?

Metaphor for death
What does the Duke represent? How? (Context)

Duke represents the nobility.
Instead of talking to his wife he has her executed.
Lack of respect for lower class men and especially women.
What is a dowry (in My Last Duchess)? What's Brownings opinion on this?

a sum of money given by the wife's family to the husband upon marriage.
Browning disapproves that women are still treated as possession.
What does Neptune represent in My Last Duchess?

Duke's perspective of himself. Godlike and powers over life and death.
What does the sea-horse represent?

The last Duchess and the New duchess who he hopes to tame.
What language feature is in "Notice Neptune, though, taming a sea-horse, thought a

rarity."? What does this say about society.
Metaphor.
-Ultimately men are gods and women are tamed my husbands.
What powers did Neptune receive? (1)What does this mean in the poem?(2)
He received powers to introduce horses into the world.
-Neptune only created sea-horses in this painting. Shows that he was inferior.
-The "White mule" duchess rides on-In life, Dunchess was far greater as the Duke was
unable to create her.
What's the last word of the poem? Why is this significant?

"Me!"
Shows egomaniacal he is.
What is significant about the Duke's name?

It's never mentioned. Shows how insignificant it is. Whereas artists name is mentioned
several times-Shows how he defines himself only with property.
Exposure
Opening quote of exposure

"Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us...
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent..."
What does the quote "Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us...
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent..." suggest about nature?
It's nature turning against mankind as a divine punishment.
What structural technique is used in "Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds
that knive us...
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent..."? What does it show from the
poet?
Assonance. The 'i' sound slows down the poem, which means the poet is making the
exposure last for a long time.
What is the effect of having 12/13 syllable lines? (STRUCTURE)

The lines slow down the poem. It mimics the length of time that the men are exposed to
these terrible conditions for.
What is the significant of using half rhymes? "Silent" "salient"

It's unsettling, there's no neat solution.
What happens to expectations during war?

Expectations turn upside down. The "night is silent" but that keeps the soldiers awake
as they think the enemies are sneaking up on them.

"Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army
Attacks once more in ranks of shivering ranks of grey"?
Personification. Nature is arming itself and is better equipped than the soldiers.
Pathetic fallacy. The "Melancholy army" could reflect the sadness of the soldiers but
also the reluctance of the nature.

Repetition of "ranks" suggests the endless suffering faced by the soldiers.
What are the features of "So we drowse, sun-dozed, Littered with blossoms trickling
where the blackbird fusses. - Is it that we are dying?" From?
The blossom is from the snow
The bird sound is from the wind
What is the significant of "sun-dozed," "littered" and "blackbird fusses" in "So we
drowse, sun-dozed, Littered with blossoms trickling where the blackbird fusses. - Is it
that we are dying?"? What does this criticise?
"Sun-dozed" is a threat as he cant fall asleep. Nature is using it ironically to make him
sleep so nature can attack him. It is the true enemy
The use of "littered" suggests its rubbish
Even the summer memory is irritating to Owen.
CRITICISES the effect of war on soldiers.
What are the interpretations from "Therefore, not loath, we lie out here; therefore were
born, For love of God seems dying."?(2)
Country may be turning away from Christianity, due to the masses being killed.
There is a double meaning in "lie". People realise that there is no patriotic nature in
fighting for your country.
What is the metaphor in "Therefore, not loath, we lie out here; therefore were born, For
love of God seems dying."? (+context)
"For love of God seems dying"
If we actually loved God, we couldnt go to war due to "Thou shall not murder".
Owen trained to be a pastor prior to the war, this poem attacked the Christian faith.
What can you say about death in "Pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice,
But nothing happens"?(2)
Their death was soon. They hadn't fought long enough to to be significant-Hense
"half-known"
Soldiers had not got to know each other because they didn't want to form emotional
attachments
What is said in the metaphor "all their eyes are ice" in "Pause over half-known faces. All
their eyes are ice,
Body is literally frozen.
Burial party's eyes are frozen as they are no longer able to empathise as they've seen
so many dead bodies.
What is the homophone of "eye' in "eyes are ice"? Why is this significant?
The homophone is I. This means that their identity has become ice, and are unable to
feel.
Although Owen says "But nothing happens", what could he really want to happen?
-A battle is better than this incessant cold
-He wants a political solution to the war to happen.
-Could be a call of release from war through death.
What is the form of exposure?

4 line stanzas with another short line at the end.
What is the significance of the form of exposure?

Owen wants reader to be appalled by the conditions by having the extra line of criticism.
Owen criticises against war- Or maybe just wants soldiers to be warm.Storm on the
Island
Stormont
Name for the Parliament of Northern Ireland.
What is the effect of making the title of the poem start with STORMONT?
It's blatantly clear that the poem is political.
What is the effect of storm "ON THE ISLAND"?

The storm is only on the island, its a huge nothing.
What language technique is spread across the poem Storm on the island?
An extended metaphor. If you stop fearing the storm-The other side of Christianity, the
storm will not destroy you.

This wizened earth has never troubled us"?(2)
Sibilance of S sounds emphasises the sinister mood.
Consonance shows the harsh conditions the island faces
What is the irony in "wizened" in

It's like the earth is wise, but is spelt wrong. Also suggests that its 'shrivelled'
What is the effect of saying "sink walls"

When we BUILD our identities as Protestant/catholic we are actually sinking our
experiences as defining ourselves as a religion. Juxtaposition in context
What is saying "you" and "fear" suggesting

Forgetting that it pummels your house too."? What is the poet criticising in the fear?
The poet is referring both to Protestant and catholics as "you" to minimise idea of
division.
The fear is relatable to both sides. They are just afraid of each other. The violence
created by fear is just as destructive to both sides.
The poet is criticising the retaliative nature in the two sides.
What language technique is used in "fear"

Forgetting that it pummels your house too."? What is this suggesting?
A Fricative.-Something that makes you bear your teeth, threatens the other.
The poet is angry at the people that they are listening to their own fear instead of the
poet's wisdom.

Exploding comfortably down on the cliffs"? Why is this done?
Personification of the sea.
The sea is presented as company to us.
The poet does this to juxtapose the perception of the Irish that the conflict is all that
matters. But it's actually not the case.
What is the language technique in "Exploding comfortably"

Exploding comfortably down on the cliffs"? What is this referencing to? What is the poet
suggesting?
There is juxtaposition used.
This refers to the bombs that catholics and Protestants used against each other.
The people are becoming comfortable with the constant violent, they're "down on the
cliffs" but will affect them.
What is the moral lesson shown in
"Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear."?
There is nothing to be afraid of. Catholics and Protestants are so similar but only have a
different history.
What is saying "strange" in

"Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear." Implying?
Who could it be targeted at?
It could be targeted at northern Irelanders who know nothing else than this hatred
against other religions. The
What does "nothing" allude

"Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear."?(2)
What could the Poet be implying?
-There is nothing to fear of the 'other side'
-Death-The huge nothing if you don't believe in God. The Poet could be implying that
Christianity is the issue.
The Charge of the Light Brigade
What is the form of the poem? (SOTI)

5 line stanzas
Last stanza is 4 lines.
Provides emphasis on the last line.
What structural technique in the final two lines of SOTI?

A half-rhyming couplet. "Fear" and "air".
What technique is used in COTLB rhythm?

Dactyl-Stressed unstressed unstressed
Why is dactyl rhythm used?

-Gives the poem the rhythm of a song.
-Celebrates soldiers
What language feature is in "Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward"? What
effect does it have?
Anaphora- Repetition of phrases
-Effect of soldiers on horseback
What language technique is in "Valley of death"? What does it suggest?

Allusion to Psalm 23. Reference to the bible.
-Suggests that it isn't actually murder to fight in war as god is 'on our side'.
-Suggests that soldiers will be accepted into heaven. War is just.
What does the repetition of "Half a league" emphasise?

It emphasis the danger the soldiers are in. Slows down time, they are likely to die as
they are exposed to death for so long.
What language technique is there in "Theirs but to do and die"?

Alliteration. Shows that their death is inevitable.
What does the "and" in "do and die" suggest? What is Tennyson's opinion?
People normally use "or". Tennyson uses "and" to show that there is no escape and
they still continue for the sake of their country.
-Tennyson is celebrating the British soldiers.
What happens to the rhythm in "while// All the world wondered"? What word does it
rhyme with significantly previously?
Dactyl is disrupted. He is disrupted by this thought.
-It rhymes with 'blundered', which is emphasised.
-Their sacrifice is glorious so the world is celebrating it. OR The world is wondering why
men are sacrificed. <-This one is subliminal.
What effect does repeating "All the world wondered" in the final stanza have on the
reader?
Doesn't let them get away without questioning what happened. Tennyson could not
have an intention to question what happened, it could be subconscious but could also
be fully intended to undermine the patriarchy.
What verbs are "Honour"-anaphora in final stanza?(+context)

Imperative verbs-Forced on the reader. Forces them to celebrate the brigade.
-Newspapers were starting to criticise the leadership behind the Brigade. The poet was
appointed by the queen so had to be patriotic and celebrate the Brigade. This is ironic
because he's also trying to follow order even if it not be what he wants, just like the
brigade.
Remains
Monologue
What is the form of the opening?

In media res
What is the significance of saying "on another occasion"?(3)

-Means its not the first
-He has saved it till last since is had the worst psychological effect.
-Lots of soldiers are affected by these experiences.
What is the significance of saying "sent out"? What does it foreshadow?

War is like a punishment, using terminology used at school. It's a type of expulsion.
It foreshadows how he's "sent out" of his own identity.
What structural feature is used in "I see every round as it rips through his life-" (5)
-Previously he says "I swear", you can imagine him cursing at himself.
-This is the Volta.
-He moves from we to I.
-It's in the present tense which suggests he always replays it in his mind.
-Round suggests cyclical structure in his memory.
What language features are used in "One of my mates goes by

And tosses his guts back into his body"?(3)
Colloquial language which juxtaposes the horror. Sibilance of "tosses" and "guts"
emphasis his casual action.
What language feature is NOT used in "One of my mates goes by

And tosses his guts back into his body". Why is this significant?
It's not a metaphor, "tossing guts" is being sick. This alludes that the soldier is sick
remembering his actions.
What language feature is used in "And the drink and the drugs won't flush him out-"?
What view is Armitage presenting ?(2)
Repetition. Emphasises the amount of drugs, implying the sheer want he has to remove
this memory.
Armitage is presenting that all soldiers are affected through repetition.
Metaphor.
The use of "flush" implies exposing enemies to eliminate the threat.
There is an allusion to excrement, which implies disgust to the situation. His disgust
could also be directed towards what he did, and he feels self-disgust.
What is the structural feature in "but near to the knuckle, heard and now, his bloody life
in my bloody hands."? Why is this significant?
Rhyme with sand and land.
It doesn't end with a rhyming couplet. Ends with discordance-sound doesn't fit. Doesn't
even rhyme with sand and land which shows lack of control.
What is the literary allusion in "his bloody life in my bloody hands"? What does this
imply?
Alludes to Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's hands. Looter = Duncan/King. Consequence
of killing looter will be just as tragic as what happened to Macbeth (his death). He
possibly commits suicide.
What happens to the pronouns at the end of remains: "his bloody life in my bloody
hands"? What are the hopes/tragedies of this?
Perhaps he has accepted responsibility in an attempt to move on. Maybe he's stopped
drugs now and is trying to get better and understand what he's done.
Guilt is centered onto him. Motive for self destruction.
What are implications that he will not commit suicide?

Emphasis on "here" and "now"
What are implications that he will commit suicide?

He's collected all guilt as a 'final statement'.
"Here" and "now" can imply a separation from his memory.
What does "near to the knuckle mean"?(2)

Breaking a taboo of soldiers not being brave.
Near the knuckle is a fist, and will continue fighting
Kamikaze

What does this present and reflect?
Sibilance-Presents peace and reflects the peace found in death.
Why is "sunrise" said in

With a flask of water, a samurai sword"?(2)
Sun is symbolic in Japan.
And Divine Image.
What does "water" imply in

Water implies baptism and purity.
What is the first stanza of Kamikaze? What does the break after show?
What had happened-Context for the reader
The break shows the mother thinking about what to say.
What similie is used to describe the fish?(quote)

What are the two interpretations from the similie?
-Fish represent life
-On the other hand Fish represent sacrifice that pilot must make for his country
What does the "figure of eight"

In
Represent?(3)
The Pilot living immortaly as a hero.
The pilot dies, his death would be immortal.
The physical direction the pilot faces to go back home.
What are the two interpretations of Kamikaze?

The father lives a living death
The daughter has changed his death for her children, to allow them to have a
grandfather.
What quote suggests that the daughter doesn't want her father's living death?
"-yes, grandfathers boat"
Her father is recognised to her children.
What does describing whitebait as "loose silver" in

Alllude to?
It alludes to a biblical story. Silver has always been a symbol of betrayal, as Judas
betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Whitebait symbolises the pilot's betrayal to the country.
What could "dark prince" in

Refer to?(2)
The dark prince could be the Japanese monarchy sending men to death.
The father is the "dark prince", but he's also muscular and dangerous as his daughter
has welcomed him back into the family.
What does "Only we children still chattered and laughed" suggest?

The children were happy to have their father back.
What does "gradually" in

"Till gradually we too learned
To be silent"
Suggest? (Kamikaze)
It felt unnatural for the children to adjust to not acknowledging their father. It reflects the
daughter's perspective when she got older.
What does "wondered" in

Suggest?
She has never spoken to her father about his experience because it's too painful"
What could "which had been the better way to die"

Suggest?
-The family has permanently ostracised the father.
-His death only lasted whilst his wife was alive (-yes grandfathers boat)
Why is the chronology of who's talking to who in Kamikaze so complicated? (Structure)

To reflect the complex, damaging culture.
How does the fathers relationship with his grandchildren reflect Japans recovery from
two bombs?
The fathers relationship with his grandchildren improve, due to effort from his daughter.
The Japanese also put in effort which led to their recovery.
What could Garland be implying as an advantage of war?

It allows culture to change and improve-fathers improved relationship with his
grandchildren
What is the form of Kamikaze? What's the effect(2)?

Free verse.
It's natural speech from the mother to her children, like a narrative with a moral at the
end of it.
Reflects how the family didn't give the father form/identity.
What's the effect of 6 line stanzas in Kamikaze?

The mothers attempt to create an identity for her father.-Establishing him as a
grandfather.
Checking out me history
What viewpoint is expressed in

"Dem tell me
Dem tell me
Wha dem want to tell me"? What language technique achieves this?
The seperation/contrast between 'Dem' and 'Agard'.
Anaphoria achieves this.
What is the effect of the form in Checking out me history?

Makes it almost childish. Teach the children about black history.
What does Agard criticise in this poem?
He criticises how the education is unintentionally racist.
How does Agard overcome the British education system?

He speaks in his own dialect.
What does the repetition of "me" in

"Dem tell me
Dem tell me
Wha dem want to tell me" mean?
It doesn't just mean him. It represents all immigrants from Africa or Afro Caribbean
islands.
What does "Bandage up me eye with me own history" suggest?

The education system has suggested that he is damaged, so therefore bandaged.
Bandage also suggests that its temporary, so his eye will heal. The people aren't
hopeless.
What homophone is used in

"Bandage up me eye with me own history"? What idea does this present?
Homophone of eye and I. Idea that his own identity is also bandaged.
Why has Agard been 'bandage'd up?

He has only been given the negative side of his own history.
What is the form in the opening of COMH?(effects?(2))

A
A
A
A
Childish but repetitive and restrictive
What is the form when speaking about black history? What is the emphasis of this?
Free verse.
Emphasis of personal freedom being linked to cultural freedom.
What is the effect of having "Toussaint" before "Napoleon"

"Toussaint
A slave
With vision
Lick Back
Napoleon"?
What is Agard telling us.
Shows that slave was more powerful than a dictator in Europe.
He is telling us that although the poem is small, its taking on a massive subject. He will
be like Toussaint.
What was the myth put about Caribs? (Context)

But what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks too" What is Agard trying to tell us?
Caribs were supposedly cannibals, with no evidence according to European settlers.
Agard is trying to give us a feeling of guilt. And our own eyes have also been bandaged
up.
What is the effect of saying "Caribs and Arawaks" in

But what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks too"?
People don't know about them. Shows their erasure.
Mary Seacole
Jamaican nurse who was refused the right to work with Nightingale
Why did Agard choose these particular historical figures?

As a parallel for what he wants to achieve.
What is the effect of referring to Mary Seacole as

"A healing star"?
How is Agard's intention paralleled in this?
She is someone who peacefully guides us.
He also wants to peacefully guide us.
How were stars chosen?

Stars were chosen by Zeus if they were a histotrical figure. Mary Seacole is also a star
chosen by Agard.
What is the Volta in

Agard now feels empowered by his ancestors. He wants other Afro Caribbean people to
also feel empowered.
What is the effect of the metaphor

"I carving out me identity"
In
He is presented as a sculptor. Finding your ancestry is art, like his poem. Art must be
beautiful and change our perspective.
Conflict: (Checking out me history)

Past
People
Nature
Place
-Conflict between past and present
-Conflict between British and British immigrant populaion
-Conflict against human nature being bandaged.
-Conflict between Caribbean and Europe.
What is the effect of the final rhyming couplet

A sense of a happy, fulfilled ending.
War Photographer
What is the form of War Photographer in the opening? What is the effect of this, what is
Duffy's intention?
Starts with trochaic meter on the first line
Then changes to Iambic meter on the second line
-The effect that it is unsettling
-Intention is to unsettle us
What is the language technique used in "In his dark room he is finally alone with spools
of suffering set out in ordered rows"? What does it make the reader question?
Symbolism of darkness.
-Questions if the intention of the photographer is dark, and what the moral purpose of
the war photographer is. Is he a dark person or only recording dark events.
What effect does "finally" in "he is finally alone" have? What does it challenge?
Suggests that the war photographer is pleased about being alone. He doesn't like
humanity, because of what he saw.
-It challenges our expectations of who he is.
What double meaning is in "spools" of "with spools of suffering set out in ordered
rows."?
-Spools is a technical term used in photography.
-Each photo comes with suffering
What language technique is used in "spools of suffering"?

Sibilance. It is a soft sinister sound which shows that what he's doing is sinister.
What is the semantic field in the opening of war photographer? (+quotation) What image
does this give? What does it make the reader question?
Semantic field of a graveyard. "Set out in ordered rows".
-An image of a photographer making his money through other peoples death.
-Is it just his job/His job is to prevent more death by exposing it?
What structural feature is used in

"a priest preparing to intone a Mass.
Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass."? What's the purpose of this?
A half-rhyming couplet.
Unsettles the reader
What is the difference in lines in

'a priest preparing to intone a Mass.
Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh. All flesh is grass."?
First is trochaic
Second is iambic
What is the language technique in "priest preparing"?

What does this link to?
Alliteration of plosives sounds is used.
This links to how these people died.
What is the irony in "a priest preparing to intone a mass"?

The Photographer is described like a priest. A priest would help the soul into heaven.
However the photographer is doing nothing of the sort and Duffy is using this ironically
as she thinks god doesn't exist, as nothing of this sort would happen.
What structural technique is used in "Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh."? What is important
about this?
Listing. Gradually, the conflict gets further from home and larger.
"All flesh is grass" biblical meaning. Why is this tragic?

Biblical reference - human life is transient and brief whereas the word of God is eternal
-Shows how human beings are treated no more than...vegetables?
Why could the war photographer be thinking negative thoughts? Why is this ironic?
Show that death no longer has the power to shock him.
This is ironic, because he wants the newspaper reader to feel the pain of death to stop
war even though he cannot feel that pain.
What are the language techniques used in "a half-formed ghost"?(2)

-Metaphor, as the person is half developed
-Semantic field of death. Reminder that the person is dead.
What is interesting about

"He remembers the cries
of this man's wife, how he sought approval"?
What structural technique is used?
He is now focusing on the living wife of the dead. Like he's seeking approval from the
wife to ask if he can take the photo, however the approval isn't received. Questions
ethics of if it's preventing war/completelytaking away identity.
Cries is used at the end of the line to emphasise her deviation
What structural technique is used in "The reader's eyeballs prick with tears between the
bath and pre-lunch beers"? What is the effect of this?
Internal rhyme. Makes the lines feel jolly. Irony.
How is Duffy criticising readers in "The reader's eyeballs prick with tears between the
bath and pre-lunch beers"?
The "prick" is tiny, and isn't fully formed. No full emotion.
The tears are washed away with a bath and getting drunk, it's ignored or perhaps
deliberately drugged to not face the reality of war.
Why is the poem ultimately tragic?
The war photographer only hopes to be alone, as his only aim to stop war is ignored by
prelunch beers.

He earns his living and they do not care."(2)
Why is this ironic?
Final rhyming couplet. Sense of completeness.
It's ironic because there is nothing complete about what the photographer feels.
Troaic and iambic meter.
What is ambiguous about

He earns his living and they do not care." ?
What is Duffy's message?
What's the final irony?
Is he staring at Britain as he leaves to go back to war?
Is he staring at war he's leaving to return to Britain?
Ultimately, his stare is impassive so the war photographer is destroyed by his role.
The final irony is that feeding this emotion is how he earns his living.
The Prelude
What is pantheism?
Belief that God is found in everything
What type of poet was Wordsworth?

Romantic poet
Contrast in "One summer evening (led by her) I found a little boat tied to a willow tree"
OPENING
-Her is nature, who has led him to steal the boat. He is not responsible.
-Willow is sad.-Foreshadows sadness
-Contrast in Happy summer evening and sad willow.
Illusion in "The horizon's utmost boundary; far above Was nothing but that stars and the
grey sky"
All boundaries we place in our lives are illusions as once we reach them the horizon
changes. Idea of Romanticism in that there's so much more to life.
Idea of Boundary in "nothing but the stars and the grey sky"(2)
-Christianity is another idea of boundary. It determines what you can or cant do. We
should set our own morals on our own natures.
-Sky offers endless possibilities but stars can offer a boundary in 'fate'. He then steals
the boat, which goes against what society expects.
What does the mountain represent? "And growing still in stature the grim shape towered
up between me and the stars, and still,"
-His conscience in committing a moral crime.
"My brain worked with a dim and undetermined sense of unknown modes of being"
He couldnt stop thinking about committing a crime. Pantheism- God is accusing him of
acting in a way he shouldn't.
Why is there a conflict in moral choices?

God made his brain "dim", but the goddess nature led him to the boat too.
Ideas in "Of unknown modes of being"

-He's getting a "dim" understanding that he can choose who he wants to be despite
what society says.
-Idea of incest, he had a close relationship with his sister. Society frowned upon it.
-He was sexually active before he got married. Society frowned upon it. - Noted in his
autobiography
What is Wordsworth suggesting about morals?

-We don't need Christianity to teach us what is right and wrong, we can learn from
nature.
"Were a trouble to my dreams"

-Wordsworth exploring sexuality and his desires.
-He can only explore his sexuality in his dreams.
-He can only explore his relationship with his sister in his dreams.
What effect does the form of the Prelude have?

-You should express yourself freely without any boundaries.
-Pentameter. Iambic and tetrameter makes it unsettling like his experiences.
What language features are important in this poem?
The ones describing Wordsworths internal landscape. Not the external landscape. This
is why I focus essay on symbolism and not simile/metaphor/personification.
What is the structure of the Prelude? (+ context) has

Free verse. Recreates natural speech, this was an intimate poem written to himself.
London
What form is London?

-Dramatic monologue
-ABAB
What effect does the form of London have?

-Like a poem written for children.
-It's a political poem, so must be memorable in a way that children can remember it.
"I wander thro' each charter'd street"-3 interpretations

-It's mapped so is useful
-Blake dislikes urbanisation and the expansion of the cities.
-Everything is owned by authorities. Streets make people poorer.
What structural feature in "I wander thro' each charter'd street?"

-Contrast, we can be free in London if we face it in a different way.
What language features in "The mind forg'd manacles I hear"? (2)

-Alliteration=Memorable
-Manacles=Metaphor. We are owned by author orities. But we have done this to
ourself-The hierarchy is real because people at the bottom respect people above.
What does "forg'd" mean?

The hierarchy is a fake way of looking at the world, and he will show us a new way.
What parts of society is Blake criticising?

-The Church
-The Palace
Points of "Every blackening Church appalls"

-Buildings are literally getting covered in soot.
-The church should help side with the helpless, it's against Christ and is now part of the
authority.
"Appalls" (Double meaning)

-Church should be shocked by chimney-sweepers being exploited.Church doesn't
actually try to help the church. Attacks them for their complacency.
-A 'pall'. A cloth put over a coffin. Churches are black as they are wearing a pall so are
dead. Church has turned away from Christ's teaching.
"Runs in blood down palace walls"-Context

-Hints to the French Revolution. All monarchy was executed.
-He implies that what happened in France is very likely to happen in our own country.
-Society is so corrupt that poor will rise up and kill the monarchy. Should be the end of
the poem...
"And blights with plagues the marriage hearse"-Context

-Blake married an illiterate wife and taught her to be an equal partner.-Was a feminist of
his time. He is not criticising marriage.
What/Who is Blake criticising:"And blights with plagues the marriage hearse"

-Blake is criticising men of killing off their marriages by having sex with prostitutes.
"Harlots curse"
-Plague=STD. Wives die and disabled children become stigmatised.
-Criticise society that creates an economy in young women being forced to become
prostitutes and having men who don't worry that those women are being exploited.
What is the biggest criticism in London? ALSO THE VOLTA

The behaviour of men. Marriage vows are seen as lesser than men.
Ozymandias
What parts make up a sonnet?

Octave and a sestet
Why does Shelley use enjambment?

To make it ordinary speech.-Shelley wants to distance himself from previous famous
poets . (Romanticism)
What does "Nothing beside remains" mean? (+context)

Shows how temporary political power is. Links to dictatorship and tyrants and after the
Napoleonic wars where a dictator was defeated by the British.
Why does Shelly use sonnet form?

-Shelly attacks Ozymandias for his "self love". He's hubristic.
What kind of sonnet is ozymandias?

A Petrarchan sonnet, ABBA which is then rejected. Shelley is asserting his own
individuality.
What is Romanticism?
A movement which cultivated individualism, reverence for the natural world, idealism,
physical and emotional passion and an interesting the mystic and supernatural.
What does "A sneer of cold command" criticise and celebrate?

Critical of the cruelty in dictatorship, and celebrated democracy.
What language technique is used in "King of Kings" ?

A biblical allusion. Jesus is the opposite of a dictatorship. This shows how Ozymandias
is corrupt and anti Christian.
What does "Colossal wreck" contextually refer to?

references the colossus of Rhodes. It's now completely destroyed which emphasises
the temporary nature of History.
Why was Ozymandias written?

In response to an exhibition of Ramesses II which was brought to London. It was a
competition with his friend Horace. (Horace wrote in Shakespearean form)
What is Shelley's intention?(Ozymandias)

He's talking about the survival of art: "wrinkled lip". He's celebrating the sculptors art
over the temporary dictatorship of Ozymandias. Him writing the poem is asking if his
poem will outlive the statue.
Why is Shelley writing his poem ironic?

He's also trying to make something that will last forever: "Look on my Works, ye Mighty,
and despair!". His new sonnet form is an attempt to stand out.
What does Shelly suggest about artists?

Artists share the dictatorial qualities of Ozymandias.
What traditional descriptive technique does Ozymandias lack?
Metaphors/similies
What language feature is used in "The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed"
The only use of personification.
-The subject is ambiguos
-Is the hand ozymandias mocking his people, or is it the sculptors hand that's mocking
ozymandias.
-Is the dictator owning the heart? Or is it a supernatural reference that he fed of peoples
admiration? Is it the heart of the sculptor that's exploiting the dictator?
-Is Shelley exploiting Ozymandias in the same way?
What does Shelley ignore?

The fact that ozymandias does have a legacy. He's exploiting ozymandias by changing
the facts to suit his poem. "Heart that fed"
What language technique is used In ?"Cold command"

8tet. Alliteration of harsh 'c' sound shows the harshness of his personality.
What language features are used in "Round the decay"?

6tet. Assonance "lone and level sands stretch far away ". Drawn out sounds show that
sands stretch far but the dictator does not. Will Shelley's own poetry last?
The Emigree
Who is the narrator of the emigree ?

A construct
What does the "there was" in

"There once was a country... I left is as a child
But my memory of it is sunlight-clear"
Suggest?
Suggests that the city no longer exists.
What is the reoccurring image in the Emigree?

Sunlight
What does the word "branded" allude in

But I am branded by an impression of sunlight."? What could Rumens be suggesting?
Alludes forced ownership. She cant escape her childhood memories.
Rumens is suggesting that we are all branded by our childhood memory.
What does the impression of sunlight in

But I am branded by an impression of sunlight."
Suggest?
Hope for her own life or hope for her old country.
What could "child's vocabulary" mean in

Like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar."?(2)
-Her childhood innocence.
-Her actual language.
How can her childhood city be located in

Like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar."?
Hollow doll=Russian doll
USSR-East of Berlin Wall.
What does ''hollow doll" in

Suggest? (other than ancestry)
Dolls suggest memories aren't really real and "hollow" suggests her childhood
perspective is unclear.
How does Rumens' opinion change throughout the poem?

She realises her view may have been "hollow" across the course of the poem.
What does "spills a grammar"

In "That child's vocabulary I carried here
Suggest?
She tries to cling onto her language, even if it means her childhood perspective is also
clung to her.
What's the language technique used in
I comb its hair and love its shining eyes"?
Personification.
What does "docile as paper" in

"It lies down in front of me, docile as paper;
I comb its hair and love its shining eyes" suggest?
Her poetry itself is a way to re-establish that city in her memory to lie "down in front of
me"
What does "I comb its hair and love its shining eyes."
In
I comb its hair and love its shining eyes"
Suggest?
It implies that the memory of the city is a pet, and although she is loving she is also
controlling.
The shining eyes suggests that the eyes aren't seeing eyes and she's therefore making
up
How is a sense of loneliness created?

Idea of her "loving it's shining eyes" but the city not able to love her back
What is the Volta of the emigree?(quote)

And my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight."
Who could the "they" in

And my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight." Be?
-The tyrants in the new city reaching out to her.
-Us, the people who she has come to and prevent her from settling.
What does the narrator feel going back to her memory of the city does?
Helps preserve her memory for her and others.
What does her "shadow" in

And my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight." Prove?(2)
It's proof that her upbringing was positive to her.
-Could also be tragic, as it follows "death"-the tyrants getting her. However its worth it
for the evidence of positivity.
What could the poem be about?(2)

-A last testament before she is killed
-Teach people to value her experiences. Celebration of culture.
What is the form of the Émigré? What does it emphasise?

No set form. 8, 8, 9.
The 9th line adds a positive ending instead of "death".
Poppies
What symbolism is in
Of yellow bias binding around your blazer"? Who is it referring to?
There is a symbolism of pain.
The mothers pain at her son leaving/Her sons pain in death.
What is Jane Weir?

She's a clothes maker
What does blockade in

Of yellow bias binding around your blazer"
Mean?
A blockade is something that cuts off supplies in war.
What is the significance of "blazer" in

Of yellow bias binding around your blazer"?
Weir has not had a son who has gone off to war, so it needs to be relatable to her.
What is the mother grieving?

Her sons death/Her sons childhood innocence in leaving.
What could be the reason her son is leaving?

Her son may be leaving because of her.
What does "blackthorns of your hair" in

"Blackthorns of your hair. All my words
Flattened, rolled, turned into felt,"
Suggest?
Her son chose a hairstyle that would physically prevent her from touching it. He's
'prickly' to her.
How does the mother respond do the "blackthorns"? (Quote)

She's "Flattened, rolled, turned into felt". Her words are flattened and her emotions
aren't exposed.
Why are the mother's words "slowly melting"?

Reflects that her words don't have proper meaning, as her son doesnt understand her.
Why does
"threw it open,
the world overflowing
like a treasure chest"
Not make sense?
Doesn't sound like someone is going to war. Sounds like someone is searching for
experiences-Maybe her son is going to war and she's trying to empathise?
Who does the bird represent in

The bird represents the son.
The bird also represents the poet. The poet can write a 'song' based on her experience.
What is the significance of the direct address in

"You" focuses on the son. Asking him to focus back on the day
How is the imagery positive in

Showing a sense of freedom for the son and mother, idea of treasure chest.
How is the mother connected to the son in

Her sons freedom = ornament
The ornament has created a stitch between the mother and son connecting them.
What is the poem about? (2)

-Son going to war.
-Motherhood, and the idea of letting go.
What happens to the theme of war?

The theme of war disappears throughout the poem. It's ultimately about letting go of a
child to new opportunities.
What is the form of Poppies? What is the effect of this?

Free Verse.
Like the mother is figuring out her own feelings.
What does the Dove do in the bible?

The dove comes back with an olive branch, indicating the tragedy is over.
What does the dove symbolise? How could this be used ironically.
There's no tragic ending.
The mother could be desperate for a happy ending for an alive son.
Tissue
What language technique is in

Shine through, this
Is what could alter things."?
Semantic field of religion. Light shining is Christian/Muslim.
What is the extended metaphor in 'Tissue'?
Metaphor that tissue paper is skin.
What is the story of this poem?

The story is about acceptance and convincing the reader that we are all the same
despite what's on the outside.
What is the homophone in

Shine through, this
Is what could alter things."? What is the purpose of this?
Alter->Altar in a church
Convince Christian readers of similarities in Islam and Christianity.
What is the aim of the poet?

The aim is to "alter things"-The perspective of her readers and the different cultures.
What is the purpose of the tissue on the back of the Qur'an?

To protect it.
Why does the poet refer to the Koran? What are reasons that she does not?
Has written in the names and histories"
The poet refers to the Koran to show similarities with Christianity and Islam-Names and
Histories-Ancestry
She doesn't show the Koran to show Muslim beliefs.
Why is there a focus on the hand in

Has written in the names and histories"?(2)
The hand could be symbolic of something we all have.
Mentioning the hand puts us back in touch with our history
What is a map typically symbolic of?

Their borderlines"
The separation of countries and the idea of conflict over borders.
What is the metaphor in

Their borderlines"?
The metaphor of the sunlight shows the division is an illusion. We are in reality the
same.
What biblical illusion is in

Their borderlines"? What does this show?
Biblical illusion of God due to the sun. (Both in Islam and Christianity)-This ultimately
shows equality through gods omnipotence.
Why are maps also referred to as tissue?

Their borderlines"
Maps are referred to as tissue to show how fragile they are, and are just social
constructs.
What language is the poet using in

With living tissue"? What image does this create?
Language of building.
It shows the poet designing something with living tissue/people, which is "grand"=big
due to different cultures combined.
Wh at does "find a way" mean in

Shows that its difficult to create a world for different cultures.
What is the double meaning of "trace" in

"Trace" means tracing ancestry and tracing art. Tracing ancestry goes back to the same
people=we are the same.
What does the metaphor in

Turned into your skin." Suggest?
The paper is thinned, so the borders between cultures are easy to break through.
Why is there an idea of transparency in
Turned into your skin."?
Making the tissue transparent lessens the image we have of others and makes us see
others for their true selves. They are no longer a threat.
What does the final part of

Turned into your skin." Mean?
It means that she wants everyone to have the same transparency as her.
What is the poet's request in this poem?

Acceptance of Islam, as the intended audience is likely Christian.
What is the language feature in

Turned into your skin.?
Alliteration of Transparent + Turned.
Assonance of thinned and into.
What is the form of tissue? What does this mean?

Free verse. Acts as natural speech to get us to change our mind about Islam.
What is the structure of tissue?

There is 4 lines and then a Volta with 1 line "turned into your skin".
Bayonet Charge
What are the structural features of

In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy," (OPENING)?
And what is authors point of view?
In media res.
War is like an unnatural wakening from a dream.
Enjambment and repetition of "raw"-Shows how painful war is emotionally.
What is "raw" a homophone of?

"raw" is a homophone of roar. Like he has woken up into terror.
How can war be contrasted with real life? + quotes

Due to speed. "Running"
Sentence never ends in poem
He isn't protected by khaki, it is making him hot.
What does "raw-seamed" in ""Suddenly he awoke and was running- raw

In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy," mean?(literally/metaphorically)
The raw seam is where the lice/fleas are.
War has caused the rawness, and what is meant to protect him fails to do so.
What does "his sweat heavy" mean in

In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy,"?
He's not sweating a lot, but he's so desperate to escape that his own sweat is too heavy
and slows him down in his perspective
What is the language technique used in

"Bullets smacking the belly out of the air-"? What effect does it have? What is the irony
in this?
Use of personification. Creates a comical effect, he's amused that he's not being hit by
the bullets.
The irony is that if the bullet hits his belly, he will die and nature will remain unaffected.
What does "He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm;" show? What language
technique is used.
The "numb" shows him trying to suppress his feeling and him slowing time down.
Assonance in lugged and numbed. Slowing time down.

8 lines
7 lines
8 lines
No clear form.
Mixture of iambic and Trochaic meter.-Like there's no natural rhythm to the run of the
man.
What is the second stanza introducing? (+quote)

His thoughts:
What is the effect of using

While running?
It's like he's stopped and his main idea is dawned upon him.
What does "cold" show in "In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations
Was he the hand pointing that second? He was running"?
What is significant about saying "the nations" after?

"Cold" suggests a lack in a good upper power.
Saying "the nations" show his immediate recognition that he shouldn't have joined the
forces for patriotic reasons.
What does "was he the hand pointing that second?" In "In what cold clockwork of the
stars and the nations
Was he the hand pointing that second? He was running"? Show?(2)
How every second, a man is slaughtered.
He could be commenting on the Britons want you poster's pointing hand.
What does "cold clockwork" suggest in terms of death?

Death is unstoppable
What does the third stanza introduce?

Description of his surroundings.
What could the hare be symbolising in

And crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide"? Why is it ironic? What does that
show?
The hare could be symbolising the slowness of time in how it "rolled" and "crawled".
Hares are always referred to as fast. Shows how soldiers go 'mad' in war and
misinterpret time.
What does "threshing" imply in

A Thresher cuts down corn. This is a common biblical image of how life is meaningless.
What does "circle" imply in

Implies that war is a never ending circle. This is set in WW2.
What does "threw up" imply in

And crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide"?(2)
Hare came from nowhere
Soldiers are sick.
What is this a whole image for?

And crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide"
This is an image of how war is unnatural as hare is unnatural as it is
"yellow"-vomit/cowardice/joy?-> points out how nature is unfree.
What is
Dropped like luxuries" meaning?
War strips us down to our basic human form.
What are the ideas in

Dropped like luxuries"
King=Patriotism Counting to nothing
Honour= Honourable death counts to nothing
Etcetera = These are ridiculous.
What is The poet expressing the importance of? (ENDING)

The importance of just living without social construct.
Meanings of "His terror's touchy dynamite"
-His own terror will kill him-better interpretation
-Internal explosion-He can't think straight. (Doesn't fit with moment of clarity)
What is the significance of saying "touchy" in "his terror's touchy dynamite"?

Could be referring to father's own experiences, as the son has experience of how the
father is 'touchy'. PTSD
My Last Duchess
What is the form of My Last Duchess?

Dramatic monologue. No one else talks which suggests Duke's self importance.
Why is My Last Duchess written in rhyming couplets? (FORM)

-Creates the illusion of wholeness. The idea of partnership, however there is a clear
dominance in the male partner.
-Suggests that the speech is heavily rehearsed. Shocking because he almost says that
he killed her which shows how highly he thinks of himself over the law. Browning is
showing the dangers of men's power in the patriarchal society.
How does Duke try to disguise his rehearsal? (STRUCTURE)

He speaks in enjambment. Suggests that he's hiding that he's rehearsed it.
What does the "last" in my last duchess suggest?(3)

-Alludes her death.
-Suggests she's the last on the list so far
-He's married more than one/executed more than one.
How are frescos made?

Paint on plaster one day before it dries.
What does painting the duchess on the fresco/ "painted on the wall" suggest?
-He had to have her painted quickly so she's killed quickly
-She must be killed quickly, so art must be done quickly hence on fresco.
Irony in "Looking as if she were alive"

After her painting she would be killed
What is the interpretation from "Twas not her husband's presence only, called that spot
of joy into the Duchess' cheek"?
-Duke was there when painting was pained, so she couldnt have been flirting with Fra
Pandolf
-So there is no sexual jealousy.
Who is Fra Pandolf?

A painter who did a portrait of the last Duchess
What does Fra come from?

"Friar"=Monk. Very unlikely to have an affair with her.
What symbolism is used in"Spot of joy"?

"Spot" implies guilt. But she is only guilty of taking joy in life.
What is the difference between the duke and duchess?

Duchess takes joy in life "Spot of Joy.
Duke doesn't take joy in life, but takes joy in objects.
What does "as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody's
gift" suggest about the duchess?
Also what language feature is used?
She hasn't learnt her place in the patriarchy and class system. She doesn't care about
status.
-Juxta position of anybody's gift with Duke's name.
What is the structural feature of "Somehow-I know now how-as if she ranked" imply?
One of 2 11 syllable lines in the poem. He has lost control. Browning is almost making
fun of his dependence on status.
What are implications of "Then all smiles stopped together"?

-He killed her and another man, potentially someone she had an affair with.
-Or she just smiled too much.
What does Duke think in "but Who passed without much the same smile?"
-Duke thinks that Duchess is only paying the same respect that everyone else does.
-"passed" suggests he had no interest in her, no sexual interest. She's always been a
possession.
What could Browning be suggesting in the lack of Duke's sexual interest?

-He's only interested in possession.
What is "passed" a euphemism for in "but who passed without much the same smile?"
Passed could mean died. Maybe she even died whilst smiling? Shows the suddenness
of her death.
What language feature is in "Then all smiles stopped together"?

Metaphor for death
What does the Duke represent? How? (Context)

Duke represents the nobility.
Instead of talking to his wife he has her executed.
Lack of respect for lower class men and especially women.
What is a dowry (in My Last Duchess)? What's Brownings opinion on this?

a sum of money given by the wife's family to the husband upon marriage.
Browning disapproves that women are still treated as possession.
What does Neptune represent in My Last Duchess?

Duke's perspective of himself. Godlike and powers over life and death.
What does the sea-horse represent?

The last Duchess and the New duchess who he hopes to tame.
What language feature is in "Notice Neptune, though, taming a sea-horse, thought a

rarity."? What does this say about society.
Metaphor.
-Ultimately men are gods and women are tamed my husbands.
What powers did Neptune receive? (1)What does this mean in the poem?(2)
He received powers to introduce horses into the world.
-Neptune only created sea-horses in this painting. Shows that he was inferior.
-The "White mule" duchess rides on-In life, Dunchess was far greater as the Duke was
unable to create her.
What's the last word of the poem? Why is this significant?

"Me!"
Shows egomaniacal he is.
What is significant about the Duke's name?

It's never mentioned. Shows how insignificant it is. Whereas artists name is mentioned
several times-Shows how he defines himself only with property.
Exposure
Opening quote of exposure

"Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us...
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent..."
What does the quote "Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us...
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent..." suggest about nature?
It's nature turning against mankind as a divine punishment.
What structural technique is used in "Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds
that knive us...
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent..."? What does it show from the
poet?
Assonance. The 'i' sound slows down the poem, which means the poet is making the
exposure last for a long time.
What is the effect of having 12/13 syllable lines? (STRUCTURE)

The lines slow down the poem. It mimics the length of time that the men are exposed to
these terrible conditions for.
What is the significant of using half rhymes? "Silent" "salient"

It's unsettling, there's no neat solution.
What happens to expectations during war?

Expectations turn upside down. The "night is silent" but that keeps the soldiers awake
as they think the enemies are sneaking up on them.

Personification. Nature is arming itself and is better equipped than the soldiers.
Pathetic fallacy. The "Melancholy army" could reflect the sadness of the soldiers but
also the reluctance of the nature.
Repetition of "ranks" suggests the endless suffering faced by the soldiers.
What are the features of "So we drowse, sun-dozed, Littered with blossoms trickling
where the blackbird fusses. - Is it that we are dying?" From?
The blossom is from the snow
The bird sound is from the wind
What is the significant of "sun-dozed," "littered" and "blackbird fusses" in "So we

drowse, sun-dozed, Littered with blossoms trickling where the blackbird fusses. - Is it
that we are dying?"? What does this criticise?
"Sun-dozed" is a threat as he cant fall asleep. Nature is using it ironically to make him
sleep so nature can attack him. It is the true enemy
The use of "littered" suggests its rubbish
Even the summer memory is irritating to Owen.
CRITICISES the effect of war on soldiers.
What are the interpretations from "Therefore, not loath, we lie out here; therefore were
born, For love of God seems dying."?(2)
Country may be turning away from Christianity, due to the masses being killed.
There is a double meaning in "lie". People realise that there is no patriotic nature in
fighting for your country.
What is the metaphor in "Therefore, not loath, we lie out here; therefore were born, For
love of God seems dying."? (+context)
"For love of God seems dying"
If we actually loved God, we couldnt go to war due to "Thou shall not murder".
Owen trained to be a pastor prior to the war, this poem attacked the Christian faith.
What can you say about death in "Pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice,
Their death was soon. They hadn't fought long enough to to be significant-Hense
"half-known"
Soldiers had not got to know each other because they didn't want to form emotional
attachments
What is said in the metaphor "all their eyes are ice" in "Pause over half-known faces. All
their eyes are ice,
Body is literally frozen.
Burial party's eyes are frozen as they are no longer able to empathise as they've seen
so many dead bodies.
What is the homophone of "eye' in "eyes are ice"? Why is this significant?
The homophone is I. This means that their identity has become ice, and are unable to
feel.
Although Owen says "But nothing happens", what could he really want to happen?
-A battle is better than this incessant cold
-He wants a political solution to the war to happen.
-Could be a call of release from war through death.
What is the form of exposure?

4 line stanzas with another short line at the end.
What is the significance of the form of exposure?

Owen wants reader to be appalled by the conditions by having the extra line of criticism.
Owen criticises against war- Or maybe just wants soldiers to be warm.
Lord of the flies
What does Lord of the Flies mean?

Lord of the Flies means "devil" in hebrew.
What is a microcosm?
A microcosm is a smaller example of the whole world
How is this island a microcosm?

It is a microcosm because it highlights inequality and unfairness for select groups of
people.
What did Golding believe about people and evil?

Golding believes that evil is inside everyone. He believes this because he went to war
and saw that everyone was capable of it.
How can Jack's group be linked to Nazi soldiers?

Jack's group were loyal to him as the Nazi soldiers were fiercely loyal to Hitler. Both
groups blindly follow the leader without question.
What did the British fear in the 1950s?

The British feared a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union.
What is mutually assured destruction?

Mutually assured destruction meant that if one country was destroyed, the one country
would retaliate with a bomb. This was the case with the Soviet Union and Britain.
How was mutually assured destruction presented in the novel?

Mutually assured destruction was presented when the fire at the end destroyed the
island. Jack's tribe would have not survived without the officer from the navy.
What happened to the class system in the 1950s?

The lower and upper class began to mix. 1% was upper class and had 99% of the
country's wealth.
What was the education of the upper class like?

The Upper Class would be educated at prestigious schools such as Eton.
How are social divisions presented in the novel?

Piggy is the smartest, but is ignored due to his social status.
Jack assumes that being the choir leader should make him chief.
How did Rationing affect food in the novel?

Rationing affected food alot as the boys were obsessed with hunting and availability of
meat, which was rationed in WW2.
What does Ralph represent in the novel?

Ralph represents democracy, order, civilisation and fair leadership.
What is Ralph's focus in the novel?

Ralph's main focus is building shelters and maintaining a signal fire.
How does Ralph's leadership attract and eventually gets rid of the other boy's attention?
The boy's are initially accepting of Ralph as a leader, as they believe he has their best
interests at heart. However, as the boys become savage, they turn away from him. This
is him metaphorically turning away from civilisation.
How does Ralph avoid evil?

Ralph loses control of the boys, but he never fully gives into the evil within him. Follows
his own beliefs.
When is Ralph's 'Dark side' presented?

Ralph takes part in the killing of Simon. "Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a
handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh".
Shows that not everyone is perfect. (thought Simon was king)
When is Ralph's honesty presented?

After killing Simon he says "Don't you understand, Piggy? The
How was the island split in the end?

The island was split into morality and savagery, Ralph being the only one on the moral
side.
Quote that says Piggy is loyal

"the true wise friend we call Piggy"
Quote that says Piggy remains civilised

"He was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow"
What did Piggy's hair act as a metaphor for?

Piggy's hair acted as a metaphor for the wildness he could have faced but didn't.
What Qupte showed that Piggy believes in law and order?

The quote "I thought they wanted the conch" when Jack attacked Ralph's camp shows
that he thinks the conch (law and order) is the most valuable thing on the island.
When is Piggy's evil shown?

When Piggy takes part in the crazed dancing and killing of the "pig"-Simon.
How is piggy used to show the nature of humans?

The nature of humans is shown when Golding uses Piggy to show how some people
treat those that are different.
What does the death of Piggy represent?

The death of piggy represents the vulnerability of civility in society. It also symbolises
the moment when the other boys descend completely into society.
Ralph's determination
"I'm chief. I'll go. Don't argue."
Ralph's bravery
"Ralph picked up his stick and prepared for battle."
Ralph's fairness
"The choir belongs to you, of course."
Ralph's honesty
"We'd talk but we wouldn't fight a tiger. We'd hide"
Piggy's intelligence
"What intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy."
Piggy's logic
"the true, wise friend called Piggy."
Jack's arrogance
"I ought to be chief".
Jack's pride
"the freckles on Jack's face disappeared under a blush of mortification".
Jack's violence
"I cut the pig's throat"
Jack's controlling demeanor

"What d'you mean by not joining my tribe?"
Simon's kindness
"Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach".
Simon's perceptiveness
"maybe there is a beast...maybe it's only us"
Simon's solitude
"He...glanced swiftly round to confirm that he was utterly alone"
Roger's Merciless attitude

"Roger sharpened a stick at both ends"
Roger's cruelty
"You don't know Roger. He's a terror"
What quote shows jacks arrogance

""I ought to be chief," said Jack with simple arrogance, "because I'm chapter chorister
and head boy. I can sing C sharp.""
What does jack not have an understanding of?

Jack doesn't have an understanding of leadership. He expects to be elected leader just
based on his singing ability.
What symbolises Jacks descend into savagery?

When Jack encouraged wearing uniform-painting faces. Unable to kill pig-kills animals
and people
What were warning signs of jacks violence?

Jack "giggle and flecked" the other boys with blood. This shows that murder had
become a game.
"began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling" foreshadows his loss
of humanity
What quote shows that jack believed that he can act how he wants?
"Jack planned his new face... he looked in astonishment no longer at himself but at an
awesome stranger."
when
What quote shows simons appreciation for solitude?

"He turned his back on this and walked into the forest with an air of purpose".
What is simons understanding about the beast?

Simon believes that the "beast" is within the boys. It is their own actions that cause
them to descend further into evil.
What quote shows that Simon is (physically) weak?

he was "always throwing a faint"
what action showed simons true morality?

the lord of the flies warned Simon that he would be killed if he exposed the truth, but he
risked it nonetheless. This shows his true goodness. Ironically, he was killed by the evil
nature he wanted to warn the boys about.
What foreshadows Rogers future violence, but also shows that he was civilised at one
point?
When roger was "watching the littluns". Although he attempts to attack them, he feels
guilty abotu it.
Why is everyone scared of roger?

Everyone, including people on the same side are scared of roger because he has no
mercy and enjoys the power he has to hurt others.
What is disturbing about roger killing piggy?

Roger kills piggy with ease. "Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all
his weight on the leaver."
What did roger completely destroy?

Roger completely destroys all civilisation, law, order, and intelligent reasoning when he
kills piggy.
How does roger link to ww2?

Roger is likened to hitlers secret police who enforced his laws through violence and
intimidation. This violence could be Goldings interpretation of society if Germany had
won.
Jekyll and Hyde

How are women and femininity expressed in the novella?
-Absense of women in book.
What does the Maid say which suggests women were blood thirsty?
"Never (she used to say with streaming tears, when she narrated that experience),
never had she felt more peace with all men"
Most readers would have been women as they had the leisure time. He thinks they
would be delighted by the murder.
What does the Maid say which shows embellishments women made/
"Under which the bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway.
At the horror of these sights and sounds, the maid fainted." The murder is exaggerated
and the maid was delighted so didn't faint.
What is the quote about women which is critical of them?

"many women of different nationalities passing out; key in hand, to have a morning
glass"
-Women are lifeless
-Funny/Misogynistic?
What's the quote about Hyde's housekeeper which suggests that women are just like
men?
" an Ivory faced and silvery-haired old woman open the door she had an evil face
smoothed by hypocrisy; but her manners were excellent."
-Women are just like men

Evil can be seen on her face but not on jekyll's
What is the quote said by Hyde's housekeepers which makes fun of the female reader?
"A flash of odious it appeared upon the woman's face. "Ah!" Said she, "he is in trouble!
What has he done?"
-Again making fun of female reader, it's exactly what the reader is trying to find out
-reader personified in this
How is Hyde's appearance an indication of evil?

"(Hyde) none the less natural to me because they were the expression, and bore the
stamp, of lower elements in my soul"-jekyll
-Inside if Jekyll is evil but that is only noticed in Hyde's appearance.

-Stevenson refuses to tell us Hyde's facial structure. A way to say that good and evil is
not determined by appearance.
What quote of Jekyll shows that the story is not Christian?

"The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a
blackness about his eyes."
-on the surface it appears to be a Christian story, but it seems to also make fun of
Victorian conventions.
What's the quote that makes fun of Christians?

"This was the shocking thing; that the slime of the pit seemed to utter cries and voices;
that the amorphous dust gesticulated and sinned; that what was dead, and had no
shape, should usurp the offices of life.
deliberate use of complex language to poke fun at peoples belief in heaven and hell.
-points out that he doesn't really believe in hell but only uses to mock/please them
What quote shows the house as a metaphor?

"wore a great air of wealth and comfort, though it was now plunged in darkness."
What quote shows the house as a hidden identity?

"for even in the houses the fog began to lie thickly, and there, close up to the warmth,
sat Dr Jekyll, looking deadly sick."
-Fog even comes in the house

-Evil and respectability is unclear
What quote shows Hyde's side of the house?

"A certain sinister block of building thrust forward it's fable on the street"
What quote about Hyde's side of the house show the consequences of evil?
"marks of prolonged and sordid negligence"
-if you don't pay attention to evil instincts, they will take over.
What quote about Hyde's side of the house shows original sin?
"schoolboy had tried his knife on the mouldings"
everyone is evil.
Original sin?
How does the novella tackle drug taking?

"Shook the very fortress of identity"
-Novel could be read as a warning against drug taking.

-Drugs exposes truth.
-drug taking is advantage to writers as it exposes their identity.
What does Stevenson think about friendship?

"I have buried one friend today," he thought: "what if this should cost me another?'
-Stevenson is Asking why friendship still so secretive
How does Stevenson compare friendship with reputation?

"I preferred the elderly and discontented doctor, surrounded by friends."
-friendship is so much more important than reputation
Does Stevenson believe that there is good and evil?

"I chose the better part and was found wanting in the strength to keep to it"
-we lack the strength to keep good.

-original sin?
-is society right? Or are we just doing things human and natural?
What does Stevenson say about the theme of Evolution

"Troglodyte"
-Evil is akin to evil that ancestors experienced

-victorians thought that humans were simply just better than apes.
-no evolution in morals.
-we can evolve back to an ape like state.
"Animal within me licking the chops of memory"
-the animal is linked to evil to a Christian reader.

What quote shows the duality of man in morals?
"man is not truly one, but truly two"
-we all have 'good' and 'bad' actions
What quote shows the permanence of duality?

"Polar twins"
-we cannot get rid of evil.
What quote shows that Hyde was being unjustly treated?

"He trampled the girl calmly"
-you don't get a chance to see what Hyde actually does

-the girl was the one running into him
-clear that peers wanted to murdered him.
-after he was in confinement in Jekyll, the Carew murder occurred
What quote shows the restrictions of duality on society?

"Unknown but innocent freedom of the soul"
"braced and delighted me like wine"
-we take away our own freedom by introducing so many rules.

-Stevenson leaves Britain after to find other place to live
-Christian reader happy as evil=addictive (wine quote)
What quote suggests homosexuality in Jekyll and Hyde?

“The more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask”
-implied that Jekyll and Hyde are in relationship at beginning of novel

Jekyll being blackmailed
What quote suggests that Utterson is closeted?

Dreams about "where his friend lay asleep"
"He must rise and do it's bidding"

-Utterson also forced to suppress homosexual desires.
-All characters are also unmarried.
-the tragedy of the novel is that people aren't accepted for who they are
Euphemism
Repression and homosexuality(3)

"Black Mail, i suppose; and honest man paying through the nose for some of the capers
of his youth."
-for Victorian audience the only inference from blackmail would be homosexual
relations.
Macbeth
Hamartia
Fatal flaw
What's the quote that shows that Macbeth doesn't have a cause to act on his ambition?
'I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.
What's the quote that Macbeth says to his wife to be his 'spur'? Why does this quote
suggest this?
What does the quote foreshadow?
'My dearest partner of greatness'
Because it suggests that women=men, a persuasive technique
How they both die
What quote suggests Banquo's ambition? Why?

"say which grain will grow and which will not,
Speak then to me"
He wants to know what he will get
What quote suggests Banquo may have been more ambitious than Macbeth?Why?
What is Shakespeare suggesting with this?
"I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters:
To you they have show's some truth."
-He's so ambitious, he dreamt of the weird sisters even before he met them.
-All good men can be destroyed by ambition.
What quote shows Banquo's willingness to hide Macbeth's act of treason? Why?
"Still keep My bosom franchised and allegiance clear,
I shall be counsell'd"
He will follow what Macbeth does, in order for Macbeth to reign long enough so that his
son will one day become king.
What does Macbeth saying "cleave to my consent" suggest?(2)

-Be a loyal friend
-Support murder
What quote suggests that the witches ambition is love? Why?

"A wayward son, spiteful and wrathful, who, as others do, Loves for his own ends, not
for you"
The witches turn to witchcraft to fill the missing hole of love, as they are viewed as
unloveable creatures.
Do the witches receive their ambition? What does Shakespeare imply?

Macbeth comes back as he loves their prophecies. But he does only love them for 'his
own ends'.
-How women do want love and understanding, but they only get arranged marriage and
political alliances.
How does Lady Macbeth achieve her masculinity? (+ quote)

By becoming more cruel
'Fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty!'
What quote is a metaphor for what society does to women? Why?

"Come to my woman's breasts, and take my milk for gall"
-If women do want to achieve any power, they have to behave in ways that are
'unnatural'.
What does Macbeth say which goes against cruelty being proportional to masculinity?
What is Shakespeare suggesting from this quote?
"I dare do all that may become a man - who dares do more is none".
-It is a small step from honourable savagery in battle to savagery in the rest of life.
What could be the real tragedy of the story?
The patriarchy. Men are forced to behave in a much more ruthless way.
Who is the main audience of the play? How does this affect Shakespeare's writing?
-King and nobility
-He needs to be careful writing about good kingship
How and when is Malcolm initially presented as a bad king?

When Macduff's family is slaughtered he says "Dispute it like a man"
Macduff replied "I shall do so. But I must also feel it as a man"-Shows an alternate
perspective of what masculinity should be
How and When is Malcolm presented as a good king/ model of masculinity?

After Siward's son dies. Siward is delighted that his death was noble. Malcolm says
"He's worth more sorrow And that I'll spend for him". Masculinity is compassionate.
What is Shakespeare's hidden message to king James in Malcolm at the end of the
play?
This is what a king should be like. Important because he doesn't want James to be a
tyrant against the catholics.
Why was the court against James as king?

-They had to hide Catholicism
-Didn't believe he was the legitimate heir as he wasn't Elizabeth's son.
What quote shows Duncan's legitimacy as king?

"His virtues will plead like angels"
What quote shows Shakespeares warning to the court? How?

"We but teach
Bloody instructions, which
Beating taught, return
To plague the inventor"
Killing James won't lead to a better world. If the gunpowder plot had succeeded, there
would not have been peace.
How does Shakespeare explore the consequences of being the wrong kind of king?
Act 4 scene 3
Malcolm: "I should cut off the nobles for their lands,"
You could be this king, but it wont do any good
How is Banquo's cunningness and bravery implied? How is this a message to King
James?
"He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour To act in safety"
-Don't make rushed decisions against the catholics
How does Shakespeare try to encourage king James to act greatly?

"What will the line stretch out to the crack of doom?"
-Implies that James' descendants will last on the throne forever,
What are Shakespeares aims?

-Prevent a rebellion against King James
-Stop king James from becoming a vicious leader.
Why does Macbeth think about his future before he dies?(+ quote)
"And that which should accompany old age,
As honour love, obedience, troops of friends,
I must not look to have"
-Shows King James what he risks losing if he acts as a tyrant.
(Is Shakespeare a catholic?)
What is Banquo's dream a sign of? (2)

-Supernatural power
-Ambition taking over Banquo's mind. His mind fracturing
What is the first sign of Macbeth's mind fracturing? (+ quote)

What are the points Shakespeare is making from this? (2)
(Dagger) "Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight"
-Going against morality will destroy your mind
-How we invent alternate realities to justify our mind. "It's pointing me the way that I
need to go".
What voice does Macbeth hear?

"Sleep no more!"
-It's not a voice, it's his mind warning him of the consequences of committing a vile act.
What is the significance of Banquo's ghost(+quote)

It's a product of Macbeth's damaged mind. It's damaged by breaking the constructs of
morality.
Lady Macbeth-"I tell you yet again, Banquo's buried"
What is the significance of Lady Macbeth sleep walking? (+quote)
"Here's the smell of the blood still"
Her mind fracturing isn't a cause of her going against her better nature, it's society that
has forced her to do that. She needs to be a man to not have a fracturing mind.
She is becoming Macbeth in this quote. Her mind is taking on Macbeth's mind because
it's so fractured.
What is the significance of Macduff seeing his wife and children's ghosts? (+quote)
"My wife and children's ghosts will haunt me still"
Guilt damages his mind
How is Shakespeare's presentation of psychology of guilt a message to James?

Acting against better nature will manifest in a broken mind = guilt.
What are the 3 fates of classical literature?

3 women
A virgin, a mature woman, and an old crone.
What does Macbeth say for fate and against free will?
"If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir."
How are the prophecies not so supernatural?

-Camoflauging your army wasn't that unusual.
"Great Burnham wood to high Dunsinane hill"
-Macduff didn't turn up to the banquet and fled to England.
"Beware Macduff"
-Being born from a Caesarian would not make your mother less of a woman
"No man born of woman"
What ultimately leads Macbeth to be killed by Macduff?

Macbeth's free will. He chooses to believe in fate. His death isn't the result of fate, it's
what he ultimately chose.
What is Shakespeares belief of fate?

Fate does not exist. Life is led by choices, this can be shown in his extraordinary life
from a village to a playwright.
What is a quote of violence breeding violence

"Blood will have blood"
"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?"
Quotes that Reality is ambiguous (2)

"Fair is foul and foul is fair"
"When the battle's lost and won"
Quote about fooling yourself

"This castle hath a pleasant Seat" -Duncan
What biblical reference does Shakespeare make about fooling yourself

"Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell."-Became Satan.
God didn't see it coming.
What political reason did Shakespeare have to be fascinated about the ambiguity of
reality?
The idea of Catholics-Traitors being everywhere is in the front of everyone's mind.
"There's not art to find the mind's construction in the face"
What quote was a direct reference to the medal that King James had produced? (King
as flower, plotters as snake)
"Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it" Celebrates his survival of the
gunpowder plot.
remove his suspicion as a potential plotter.
Why did Shakespeare feel vulnerable to political assassination?

He grew up with Marlowe, who was killed for atheism.

Aqa Gcse English Literature 9-1 Notes

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Poetry notes

Storm on the Island

What is the effect of storm "ON THE ISLAND"?

What language techniques are used in

What is the irony in "wizened" in

What is the effect of saying "sink walls"

What is saying "you" and "fear" suggesting

What language technique is used in "fear"

What language technique is used in

What is the language technique in "Exploding comfortably"

What is the moral lesson shown in

What is saying "strange" in

Charge of the Light Brigade

What is the form of the poem? (SOTI)

What structural technique in the final two lines of SOTI?

What technique is used in COTLB rhythm?

Why is dactyl rhythm used?

What language technique is in "Valley of death"? What does it suggest?

What does the repetition of "Half a league" emphasise?

What verbs are "Honour"-anaphora in final stanza?(+context)

What is the form of the poem?

What is the form of the opening?

What is the significance of saying "on another occasion"?(3)

What is the significance of saying "sent out"? What does it foreshadow?

What language features are used in "One of my mates goes by

What language feature is NOT used in "One of my mates goes by

Guilt is centered onto him. Motive for self destruction.

What are implications that he will not commit suicide?

What are implications that he will commit suicide?

What does "near to the knuckle mean"?(2)

Near the knuckle is a fist, and will continue fighting

What language technique is used in

Why is "sunrise" said in

What similie is used to describe the fish?(quote)

What does the "figure of eight"

What are the two interpretations of Kamikaze?

What does describing whitebait as "loose silver" in

What could "dark prince" in

What does "Only we children still chattered and laughed" suggest?

What does "gradually" in

What does "wondered" in

What could "which had been the better way to die"

Why is the chronology of who's talking to who in Kamikaze so complicated? (Structure)

What is the form of Kamikaze? What's the effect(2)?

Reflects how the family didn't give the father form/identity.

What's the effect of 6 line stanzas in Kamikaze?

Checking out me history

What viewpoint is expressed in

What is the effect of the form in Checking out me history?

What does Agard criticise in this poem?

How does Agard overcome the British education system?

What does the repetition of "me" in

What does "Bandage up me eye with me own history" suggest?

What homophone is used in

Why has Agard been 'bandage'd up?

What is the form in the opening of COMH?(effects?(2))

What is the effect of having "Toussaint" before "Napoleon"

What was the myth put about Caribs? (Context)

What is the effect of saying "Caribs and Arawaks" in

Why did Agard choose these particular historical figures?

What is the effect of referring to Mary Seacole as

How were stars chosen?