AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE 2015 Poems Past and Present Anthology

1. AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE 2015Poems Past and Present Anthology

2. Assessment Objectives AO1: Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: • maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response • use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations AO2: Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate. AO3: Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written. AO4: Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.

3. 1 hour 45 minute exam • 64 marks • 40% of GCSE Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th century novel Section A Shakespeare: students will answer one question on their play of choice. They will be required to write in detail about an extract from the play and then write about the play as a whole. • Paper 1: • What’s assessed: • Shakespeare Play • (Macbeth) • 19th Century Novel • (A Christmas Carol) • How it’s assessed: • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes • 64 marks • 40% of GCSE Section B 19th Century Novel: students will answer one question on a novel of choice. They will be required to write in detail about an extract from the novel and then to write about the novel as a whole. • 2 hour 15 minute exam • 96 marks • 60% of GCSE Paper 2: modern texts and poetry Section A Modern Texts: students will answer one essay question from a choice of two on their studied modern prose or drama. • Paper 2: Modern Texts and Poetry • What’s assessed: • Modern Prose or Drama Text • The Poetry Anthology • Unseen Poetry Section B Poetry: students will answer one comparative question on one named poem printed on the paper and one other poem from their chosen anthology cluster. • How it’s assessed: • Written exam: 2 hours 15 minutes • 96 marks • 60% of GCSE Section C Unseen Poetry: Students will answer one question on one unseen poem and one question comparing this poem with a second unseen poem.

4. When We Two Parted- Byron What kind of relationship could this represent? What are the ways they could have ‘parted’? Mini Starter Consider the title of the poem in your pairs… When we two parted What do you expect the tone of the poem to be? Why? CHALLENGE: Explore multiple possibilities/ interpretations of meaning? (Grade 7/8/9 skill) Should: Explore and consider multiple interpretations of the poem. (AO1/AO2) Could: Analyse the language, form and structure of the poem. (AO2) Must: Understand and be able to thoughtfully explain the meaning and main themes of the poem. (AO1)

5. Context THINK & PAIR Does the notion of an ‘affair’ alter our opinions/predictions made about the title? SHARE Knowing this context, why do we think Byron may have written this poem? Lord Byron (1788-1824) was an English poet and one of the most famous members of the Romantic movement. This poem is said to be about his love affair with Lady Frances Webster. Not only was she a married woman, but she was also the wife of one of his friends. Later, after their affair ended, Byron learned of Lady Frances’ new affair with the Duke of Wellington.

6. First Impressions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZYyMHEx6eA Begin to annotate your poem with a key focus on understanding the meaning of each stanza: As you read/listen consider: • Who is he talking about? • What has happened? • How much do we know/can deduce on our initial reading?

7. Interpreting implied meaning: Inference ‘Thy vows are all broken, And light is they fame;’ ‘I hear thy name spoken, And share in its shame.’ ‘Long, long shall I rue thee, Too deeply to tell.’ ‘They name thee before me- A knell to mine ear;’ ‘They know not I knew thee, Who knew thee too well;’ ‘A shudder comes o’er me-’ Select three of the following quotations. For each consider two/three interpretations that could be made:

8. This could mean they had nothing to say to each other any more, but it also hints that their relationship was secret. He addresses his former lover directly, which makes the poem feel more personal. This contrasts with the use of “They” in stanza – this hints at a bond between the narrator and his lover which keeps them separate from others This could suggest that they weren’t properly in love with each other. However, it’s clear that the narrator was deeply affected by their parting, so perhaps he’s accusing his lover of only being half in love with him. He could also be referring to himself as “Half” of the couple, meaning that he’s broken-hearted and his former lover isn’t. When we two parted In silence and tears, Half broken-hearted To sever for years, Pale grew thy cheek and cold, Colder thy kiss; Truly that hour foretold Sorrow to this. This violent imagery suggests that the parting was painful and traumatic for the narrator. Enjambment emphasises the link between past and present-this shows how his sorrow is ongoing. The narrator describes his lover like a corpse. This suggests that her feelings for him have died. Repetition of the harsh ‘k’ sound emphasises coldness.

9. The cold dew on the narrator’s forehead reflects the coldness between him and his lover. The poem switches to talk about the present. Links to broken hearts in stanza 1 The dew of the morning Sunk chill on my brow-- It felt like the warning Of what I feel now. Thy vows are all broken, And light is thy fame; I hear thy name spoken, And share in its shame. He hears people talking about the affairs his former lover is having – this is painful for him. Her reputation is damaged (“light” suggests weak and flimsy) because people know about the affairs. He feels he’s involved in her “shame” because he also had an affair with her Alliteration of ‘sh’ sound links to silence

10. Rhetorical question emphasises how deeply he felt for her-he can’t bear to hear that she’s having affairs with other men. He hears people talking about the affairs his former lover is having – this is painful for him. The narrator repeatedly addresses his former lover directly, creating the impression that he’s still preoccupied by her-this shows how her actions continue to upset him They name thee before me, A knell to mine ear; A shudder comes o’er me— Why wert thou so dear? They know not I knew thee, Who knew thee too well-- Long, long shall I rue thee, Too deeply to tell. Metaphor suggests that her name sounds like a death knell to him-it reminds him of the death of their relationship. He doesn’t just feel sadness-he also regrets their relationship. He’s silent because he’s incapable of expressing his pain-not just because of the need for secrecy. Repetition emphasises how long he’ll feel regret.

11. He mourns their relationship like a death Because no-one knew they were lovers, he can’t talk about his pain. In secret we met— In silence I grieve, That thy heart could forget, Thy spirit deceive. If I should meet thee After long years, How should I greet thee?— With silence and tears. Accusatory language suggests that he is angry. The poem switches to thinking about the future Repetition from stanza 1 emphasises secrecy and sorrow-he’s still hurting and is unable to move on.

12. Poem Dictionary Sever-separate Foretold- predicted or foreshadow Fame- reputation Knell- the sound of a bell rung slowly to mark a death Rue- to feel regret or sorrow over something.

13. What is the poem about? The narrator recalls the day he and his lover parted – she didn’t seem to have any affection for him anymore. He believes the sadness that he felt then foreshadowed the sadness he feels in the present. Although time has passed, even hearing her name affects the narrator deeply. He hears people talking about her affairs with other me, and he feels hurt by her actions. He thinks that he’ll always feel hurt – if he meets her again he’ll act just the same as when they parted. Byron may have been writing about Lady Frances Webster-it’s rumoured they had a relationship while she was married to a friend of Byron’s. She apparently went on to have an affair with the Duke of Wellington.

14. Feelings and Attitudes in the poem The narrator mourns the end of the relationship as though it’s a death. The narrator seems angry that his lover has broken promises and is having affairs with other men. He imagines greeting her with silence and tears, suggesting he wants her to see how much she’s hurt him. He regrets their relationship because of the way things turned out.-he suffered a lot.

15. What is your personal response? • Which syllables are stressed in the second stanza? What is the effect of this? • Why do you think the poet used language to do with the cold in this poem? • What impression do you get of the speaker’s former lover? Do you think this is likely to be fair?

16. Themes The narrator in ‘Neutral Tones’ is also affected by a painful memory of losing his lover, and expresses this loss in terms of death. In contrast, the narrator of ‘Walking Away’ comes to terms with a painful memory.

17. ANALYSING YOUR POEM Voice Tone Ballad Sonnet Free verse Dramatic monologue Symbolism Alliteration Assonance Juxtaposition Oxymoron S.M.I.L.E Simile Extended Metaphor Personification Rhyming Couplet Enjambment Emotive Language Repetition

18. Reflection: SMILE Paragraph • This suggests… • This infers… The poet was trying to convey • The use of the word… implies that… • The writer wanted to suggest… • The connotations of this word are… Word Bank • Point: Topic sentence with an adjective. • Evidence: Quotation- try to embed it in the sentence. • Explain: Select a keyword- why does it stand out? What is the effect on the reader? • Language Analysis- Analyse what the word suggests & how it links back to the adjective.