Thetis: Activities

Stanza 1 Rhymes and Half Rhymes

Can you locate examples of rhymes and half rhymes in the first stanza? What is the effect of
different types of rhymes at different points in this stanza? Which connections and contrasts
do the rhymes help to emphasize?

 This stanza contains an allusion to a saying – a bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush. How is this saying relevant to this poem?
Stanza 2 Allusions
This stanza contains several allusions. Find out where they are from and explain them:

Shouldered the cross

An albatross

Up the hill

To follow a ship

I felt my wings clipped

 What is the effect of personification in the final line (‘the crossbow’s eye’)?

Stanza 3 Humour
What is humorous – or creates a humorous effect – about the following phrases and lines?

So I shopped for a
suitable shape

Size 8. Big mistake.

My charmer’s lap

Rhymes and half

rhymes
  Do you think the tone of the stanza changes? Can you pinpoint this change and
describe the new tone?

Stanza 4 Diction
In this stanza, Thetis tries to disguise herself as a carnivore, hoping to pass unseen in a world
full of violence and aggression. Look at the individual words in this section, and note down
their connotations?

Words Connotations Words Connotations

 What is the double meaning of ‘Twelve bore’? Why is this an effective way to end
this stanza?
Stanza 5 Rhythm and Meter
Scan the following lines and phrases to discover their meters:

I sank

Through the floor of the earth

To swim

In the sea

Over the waves

The fisherman came

With his hook and his line and his sinker

 How would you describe the poem’s prevailing meter? What is the effect of this
meter? At what points does the poem not adhere to its metrical pattern? Can you
see anything significant at these moments?
Stanza 6 Non-Lexical Features
Find examples of all the following non-lexical features and comment on their effect in this
stanza:

Non-lexical feature Example Comment

Allusion

Asyndeton / list

Anaphora

Alliteration

End-stopping

Colloquialism

 What is a taxidermist? How is this idea significant to the poem?

Stanzas 7 and 8 Metaphor
Find a metaphorical phrase that suggests the following:

Worthless words

Feeling insubstantial

The need to affirm

one’s identity

Desire

Impervious to harm

 ‘I changed, I learned, turned inside out’ – what are your thoughts on the end of the
poem. What has Thetis learned to do? What does this success involve? What does it
cost her? Is there more than one way of responding to the end of the poem?