You will need the GCSE English Literature anthology: Past and present to complete this work pack

The Basics:

1. You need to know all 15 of the ‘Love and Relationships’ poems in depth to prepare yourself

for the exam.

2. Make sure you read and reread each poem and consider your own ideas about them.

3. In the exam you will be given one poem from the ‘Love and Relationships’ cluster and the

question will ask you to choose another poem with a similar theme to compare this to.

4. You need to be able to write about the two poems and consider comparisons of:

Form

Structure

Language

Themes

This work pack will help you to build on your knowledge from your English lessons to revise and

develop your skills in analysing and comparing poetry.

Section B: Love and Relationships Poetry

When We Two Parted

Winter Swans

Climbing My Grandfather

Singh Song!

Porphyria's Lover

Follower

Letters from Yorkshire

Love's Philosophy

Walking Away

Eden Rock

Neutral Tones

Sonnet 29

The Farmer's Bride

Before You Were Mine

Mother Any Distance

‘When We Two Parted’ by Lord Byron

In 1816, Lord Byron wrote a poem about Lady Frances Wedderburn Webster. Byron was in

love with her and was reportedly having an affair with her. However, she was also

reportedly having an affair with the Duke of Wellington. This poem was written after the

relationship between Byron and Webster had ended and tells us how he felt.

1. Why is his heart only ‘half broken’ on line 3 (linked to 4)?

2. How does the speaker’s lover respond to their parting in line 5 and 6?

3. ‘This’ on line 8 refers to the point that the speaker is writing the poem. How have his

feelings changed since he split up with his lover?

4. What could the ‘dew’ in line 9 show?

5. How is the speaker feeling about his lover in line 13?

6. Is his lover feeling the same way as him, referring to line 14?

7. Why does he feel ‘shame’ when he hears her name in line 15 and 16?

8. Why is he name a ‘knell’ to him (17-18)?

9. How do his feelings change in this stanza?

10. How do you know?

11. Why does he have to ‘grieve’ in silence (25)?

12. What does the final line suggest?

Tone

A tone of despair is created through the negative and hopeless language throughout

the poem.

Find 3 examples of despairing language. How does it link to the ideas of the poem?

Imagery

There are images to do with coldness throughout the poem. Find 3 examples of

language related to cold. Why does Byron use this type of language?

Repetition

Line 2 and 32 are exactly the same. What is the effect of this?

Q: Does the speaker regret the relationship he had with the woman?

‘Love’s Philosophy’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley

This poem was written by Percy Bysshe Shelley and focuses on how nature always comes in

pairs and that it is only natural to pair up.

When this was written, society had strict rules on how it expected people to behave. The

Romantics (a group to which Shelley belonged) believed that we were making rules for

things too complicated and we should follow nature’s lead.

1. What pairs of natural things are discussed? Why?

2. What does he mean by line 5?

3. What does he mean by the question on line 7-8?

4. What pairs of natural things are discussed? Why?

5. How do the verbs in stanza 2 change from stanza 1?

6. What does the metaphor on line 11-12 mean?

7. What does the final line mean?

Imagery

There are verbs to do with things uniting or coming together throughout the poem. Find one

example. Why has Shelley used this technique?

There are romantic verbs used throughout the poem. Find one example. Why has Shelley

used this technique?

There are words connected to religion used throughout the poem. Find one example. Why

has Shelley used this technique?

Q: Does the speaker’s lover want to kiss him? How do you know?

‘Porphyria’s Lover’ by Robert Browning

This poem was written by Robert Browning and is a dramatic monologue about a man who

kills his lover (Porphyria).

Porphyria’s Lover was written in the Victorian Era when there were strict rules about how

men and women were expected to behave. Porphyria is a respectable woman who is having

a relationship with a man who she is not married to. He knows that their happiness cannot

last forever, so he kills her to preserve a perfect moment.

In Victorian times, women were often seen as possessions of men. What in this poem shows

that the man thinks of Porphyria as his possession?

1. What kind of mood does the weather create (1-4)?

2. What kind of person is Porphyria (6-9)? How do you know?

3. What shows that the two characters are lovers (16-21)

4. What does line 25 show about his attitude to Porphyria?

5. Why does he think his love’s all in vain (29)?

6. What does he realise for the first time on line 33?

7. What does line 36 show about his attitude to Porphyria?

8. What is unusual about the description of the murder (37-42)?

9. How does he react after the murder (44-51)?

10. What do you think the last line might mean?

Imagery

How does Browning use pathetic fallacy? Does it change once Porphyria arrives?

Look at the different ways Porphyria’s hair is described. Why is it mentioned so many times?

Look at the descriptions of Porphyria before an after her death. Do they become more or

less positive? What effect does this have?

Q: How does Browning create an impression of a madman?

‘Sonnet 29’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

This poem was written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to her husband Robert Browning

It wasn’t intended for publication but he thought her sonnets were well written so

encouraged her to publish them. It means they are very personal in the way that they are

written.

What clues are there in the poem that this is written to somebody specific?

1. What is she saying about her thoughts towards her husband between line 1-4?

2. How does she feel about these thoughts (5-6)?

3. What does she mean by the final line?

Form

Barrett Browning uses a sonnet form which is 14 lines, with each line being 10 syllables long.

Does she always stick to this? Why might she not follow this rule?

Imagery

Underline words or phrases to do with trees. Why might she use this imagery?

‘Neutral Tones’ by Thomas Hardy

This poem was written by Thomas Hardy in 1867. It explores the memory of a relationship

ending.

The word neutral has two meanings:

a) Without bias or emotion

b) Pale and washed out colours

Which of these definitions do you think Hardy was using?

1. Why is the poem set in winter (line 1)?

2. What atmosphere is creates in the first stanza? How do you know?

3. What do you think is meant by the simile on lines 5 and 6?

4. What do you think is meant by lines 7 and 8?

5. What is the effect of line 9?

6. Why is her grin ‘like ominous bird a-wing’?

7. What does the beginning of this stanza tell us about the timing of the rest of

the poem?

8. How does he think of this memory?

Imagery

There are lots of images to do with nature. Underline them and look at how he talks about

nature. What impression do they give?

Tone

Underline examples of negative words. Do you think this poem is neutral?

How does the tone of this poem link to the theme of memories?

‘The Farmer’s Bride’ by Charlotte Mew

This poem was written by Charlotte Mew in the C19th. It is about a farmer who marries a

young woman, but she seems scared and unhappy in the marriage.

In Victorian times, it was common for women to have little choice in who they married.

Marriages were rarely about love and more about money, security and reproduction.

What shows that the man had more choice than the woman?

1. What does line 1 show about the power in the relationship?

2. What kind of lead up to the wedding have they had (2-3)?

3. What is the effect of the simile on line 6?

4. What is the effect of ‘little frightened fay’ on line 8?

5. What happens in this stanza?

6. What does the simile on line 15 tell us?

7. What is the Farmer upset or disappointed by in this stanza?

8. How does she feel about men? How do you know?

9. How does the farmer describe his wife (30-33)?

10. What does he mean by the question at the end of line 33?

11. How does Christmas time feel to the farmer (40-41)?

12. What are the Farmer’s feelings in the final stanza? How do you know?

Form

This is written as a dramatic monologue from the Farmer’s point of view. What is the effect

of only hearing one side?

Imagery

There are lots of similes that link the woman to an animal. Underline as many as you can

find. Why does the writer use these kind of similes?

Language

The farmer uses colloquial (everyday) language. What effect does this have on the poem?

‘Walking Away’ by Cecil Day Lewis

This poem was written by Cecil Day-Lewis in 1956. It focusses on the feelings that a father

has when his son is starting to grow up and need him less.

Is the speaker positive or negative about his child growing up? How do you know?

1. What does the first line show about the boy?

2. What do you think is meant by the simile on line 4 and 5?

3. What do you think that the metaphor on line 8 means?

4. What do you think is meant by line 10?

5. What do you think the simile on line 12 means?

6. Line 13 is quite awkward in it’s phrasing- why do you think this is?

7. What do you think is meant by the metaphor on line 14-15?

8. How does the father feel about this separation? How do you know (16-17)?

9. What is the message of the final 2 lines?

Imagery

There are lots of images that relate to nature. Underline them in the poem. What do you

think is the effect of these images?

Language

There is a lot of language linked to separation. Underline them in the poem. What does this

suggest?

Structure

There is some enjambment in this poem. Find one example and explain its effect.

Q: Is the poet more positive or negative about letting his son ‘walk away’?

‘Letters From Yorkshire’ by Maura Dooley

This poem was written by Maura Dooley. It focusses on the relationship between the

speaker and an unspecified man. We know they don’t live near each other but keep in touch

through letter writing.

Is the speaker positive or negative about her communication with the man? How do you

know?

1. Why does the man write to the speaker in stanza 1?

2. What does the metaphor on line 3 tell us about his emotions?

3. What do you think line 5 means?

4. What is the difference between their lifestyles (6-7)?

5. What does the rhetorical question on line 9 show about how she views her life?

What does the guessed answer on line 10 reveal?

6. What does the metaphor on line 12 show about her view of his letters?

7. What is the message of the final stanza?

Structure

There is enjambment (where a sentence continues beyond the line) between some of the

lines. Identify where this happens. What is the effect?

Focus on the enjambment between line 6 and 7. Why do you think the writer has used it

here?

Narrative

What is the narrative style of the poem? Does this change? Why?

Q: Do you think the writer is happy with her life as it is or would prefer to live in Yorkshire,

in a similar way to the man in the poem? Why do you think this?

‘Eden Rock’ by Charles Causley

This poem was written by Charles Causley and published in 1988. The narrator is imaging his

parents, who have now died, when they were young again. They encourage him to cross the

river.

Do you think this is a real memory or a metaphor for something else? Why do the parents

call to the speaker?

1. What does ‘same’ on line 2 and ‘still’ on line 4 tell us?

2. What do you notice about the description of his mother and father (2-9)? What is

the effect of the description?

3. What are they doing in stanza 3?

4. What do they want the boy to do (19)? What could this also mean?

Tone

The poem uses a lot of half- rhyme. What kind of tone does that create?

Structure

The poet has created a line break before the final line. What effect does this have on that

line? Does anything else make that line stand out?

What is the effect of the enjambment between line 16 and 17?

Language

There is the effect of the present tense used for most of the poem?

‘Follower’ Seamus Heaney

This poem was written by Seamus Heaney in 1965. It is set on the Irish farm where his father

lived and worked. It shows how the speaker respected his father when he was a child but

this appears to change in the final lines.

How do we know that the speaker looks up to his father?

1. Which phrase in stanza 1 shows that Heaney is proud of his father?

2. What in stanza 3 shows us that Heaney’s Father was good at his job?

3. What impression to you get of Heaney in stanza 4-5?

4. What do you think is meant by the last two lines?

Language

There is a lot of technical language in this poem. Identify some of this language. What effect

does it have on the poem?

There are number of words and phrases to do with following (literally and metaphorically).

Identify them and explain why they have been used.

Structure

What is the effect of the enjambment between lines 4 and 5 and lines 22 and 23.

Q: Do you think Follower is more positive or negative? Why?

‘Mother Any Distance’ by Simon Armitage

This poem was written by Simon Armitage. It focuses on the relationship between a mother

and their child from the child’s point of view. It uses the metaphor of a mother helping their

child measuring their house to explain their relationship.

How does the child feel about their mother? How do you know?

1. What do the metaphors on line 4 show about the speaker’s new home?

2. What could the line in line 7 represent?

3. Why does he refer to his mother as ‘Anchor’ (7)?

4. Who is the ‘kite’ (7)? How do you know?

5. What happens on line 10?

6. How does the mother respond (12)?

7. What does he realise at the end?

Language

There is a lot of language associated with measurements. Underline these. Why do you

think Armitage has used them?

There are number of words and phrases to do with empty space. Identify these

words/phrases. What effect do they have?

Structure

What is the effect of the single word sentences on line 8?

‘Before You Were Mine’ by Carol Ann Duffy

This poem was written by Carol Ann Duffy. It is about a girl looking through photos of her

mother before she was born and she imagines what her life would be like. She also

compares what her mother is like now with how her mother appeared then.

What does the speaker think about their mother? How do you know?

1. What does the speaker mean by line 1?

2. What happens to her mother in line 9/10?

3. What is the speaker remembering in line 12? Why are the shoes called ‘relics’?

4. What is the speaker remembering in line 16/17?

5. How does the speaker feel about her mother in the final stanza?

Structure

Each stanza focusses on a new memory or image of her mother. Label each stanza with an

image of her mother (like she is looking through a photo album). What is the effect of this

structure?

What tense is the poem in? What effect does this have?

Language

Underline the positive language associated with her mother. What does this tell us about

how she thinks of her mother?

Look at the voice of the speaker. What effect do the speaker’s comments have?

Q: In this poem, the speaker talks about her mother as a possession. Which other

poems do the same? Do they do it in the same way?

‘Winter Swans’ by Owen Sheers

This poem was written by Owen Sheers. It is about a couple that are walking near a

lake. They are not speaking. Watching swans feed seems to bring them closer

together.

What tells us that the couple are struggling at the beginning of the poem? What tells

us that they have reconciled?

1. What is suggested by line 1?

2. What is the effect of the word ‘skirted’ on line 6?

3. What happens in stanza 3?

4. What could line 12 suggest about the couple?

5. How has the ground changed in line 16 from how it was described in

stanza 2? What might this suggest?

6. What does the final couplet suggest?

Language

Underline all references to pairs. Why is this a focus of the poem?

Identify words or phrases that are connected to winter or the weather. Why has Sheers set

the poem at that time?

This poem uses a number of metaphors. Identify two and explain their effect.

Structure

Why is the final stanza a couplet?

What is the effect of the second person narrative?

‘Singh Song! By Daljit Nagra

This poem was written by Daljit Nagra. It is about a man who runs his father’s shop but

doesn’t do a good job because he wants to spend as much time as possible with his new

wife. Nagra is exploring traditional stereotypes but showing how younger generations are

trying to move away from them.

What evidence can you find of him moving away from traditional stereotypes?

1. What does Singh do when nobody is at the shop (4-5)?

2. What do they do in stanza 2?

3. What do the customers complain about in stanza 3?

4. What do we find out about his wife in stanza 4? How is this different from the usual

stereotype?

5. What is unusual about his wife’s behaviour in stanza 5? How do we know he is proud

of this?

6. What do the metaphors on line 28-29 show us about his wife?

7. How is his wife’s appearance between 30-33 different from the stereotypical Sikh

woman?

8. Why is Singh letting his shop go to ruin (as we see line 35-42)?

9. What do they do once the shop is closed (43-50)

10. What do the final lines (51-end) show us about their relationship?

Language

The poem is written phonetically so that the speaker sounds more ‘Punglish’ (a mixture

between Punjabi and English). What is the effect of this?

The speaker uses language related to romance to show his feelings towards his wife,

although these are sometimes unexpected. Identify 2 phrases and explain their effect.

Structure

The poem cycles between a number of stanza patterns, ending with 2 line conversation

between husband and wife. Why does the poem end in this way?

‘Climbing My Grandfather’

by Andrew Waterhouse

This poem was written by Andrew Waterhouse. It is about the speaker learning more about

their Grandfather, perhaps physically and mentally. He does it carefully like he is climbing a

mountain.

Why do you think the speaker compares their Grandfather to a mountain?

1. What is suggested by line 1?

2. What is the effect of simile on line 9-10?

3. Why is the speaker gentle on line 12?

4. What is the effect of ‘firm’ and ‘loose’ on lines 13 and 16?

5. What does the final line tell us?

Language

There are many references to climbing. Underline them and explain why the writer has used

them.

There are also many references to mountains. Underline them and explain their effect.

There are many references to his Grandfather’s age. Find examples and explain their effect.

Form

Why is the poem all one stanza?

Now use the Miss Hanna Loves Grammar YouTube Channel

to revise each poem.

Use this check grid to assess how ready you are for the exam:

I can identify the key themes in each poem

I can identify the context of each poem

I can identify 5 quotations from each poem

I can remember 5 quotations from each poem

I can analyse the poetic devices in each poem

I can explain the structure of each poem

I know which poems to compare with each other

I can compare the poems across a range of ideas