english literature wjec eduqas gcse poetry anthology

who wrote the manhunt?

simon armitage

the manhunt summary

the wife traces the physical and mental damage on her soldier husband who has returned from war in Bosnia

the manhunt quotes

- passionate nights and intimate days

- damaged, porcelain collar bone

- foetus of mental beneath his chest

the manhunt structure

rhyming couplets which slowly disintegrate

the manhunt context

inspired by the experiences of a soldier and his wife (eddie and laura beddoes)

who wrote sonnet 43?

elizabeth barrett browning

sonnet 43 summary

poet's intense love for her future husband

sonnet 43 quotes

- how do i love thee?

- being and ideal grace

- with the passion put to use in my old griefs

sonnet 43 structure

iambic pentameter, rhythm of natural speech

sonnet 43 context

married to her husband against her tyrannical father's will

who wrote london?

william blake

london summary

industrialisation and modernisation damaging nature and people

london quotes

- i wander thro' each charter'd street

- chimney-sweeper's cry

- how the youthful harlot's curse

london structure

first person, iambic tetrameter, regular rhyme scheme

london context

poet had radical social and political views - questioned church teachings

who wrote the soldier?

rupert brooke

the soldier summary

promoting the sacrifice for England if a soldier should die in ww1

the soldier quotes

- if i should die, think only this of me

- a dust whom england bore

- in hearts at peace, under an english heaven

the soldier structure

written as a sonnet which glorifies the subject

the soldier context

poet himself died while serving the royal navy in 1915 from sepsis

who wrote she walks in beauty?

lord byron

she walks in beauty summary

byron is struck by the unusual beauty of a woman in black at a ball

she walks in beauty quotes

- of cloudless climes and starry nights

- in every raven trees

- a heart whose love is innocent

she walks in beauty structure

uses enjambment to emphasise the speaker cannot pause for breath, iambic tetrameter

she walks in beauty context

had many romantic relationships, possible inspired by his half-sister

who wrote living space?

imtiaz dharker

living space summary

the poverty and living conditions in the shanty towns and slum areas of mumbai, india

living space quotes

- nothing is flat or parallel

- these eggs in a wire basket

- bright, thin walls of faith

living space structure

uneven lines and enjambment represent the slum structures toppling over each other

living space context

poet deals with themes of identity and the role of women in contemporary society, asia's largest slum is in mumbai

who wrote as imperceptibly as grief?

emily dickinson

as imperceptibly as grief summary

dickinson's initial regret about the passing of time and the changing of seasons

as imperceptibly as grief quotes

- the summer lapsed away

- as twilight long begun

- into the beautiful

as imperceptibly as grief structure

four stanzas representing four seasons, dashes show her fractured state of mind

as imperceptibly as grief context

poet lived a solitary life, rarely leaving her home, only eight of her poems published in her lifetime

who wrote cozy apologia?

rita dove

cozy apologia summary

dove's love for her husband

cozy apologia quotes

- this lamp, the wind-still rain

- oddly male: big bad floyd

- still, it's embarrassing

cozy apologia structure

references to drastic weather in each stanza foreshadowing the calm before the storm, juxtaposition of the title, apologia - speech to defend something, cozy - warm and inviting

cozy apologia context

poet's marriage was not 'ordinary' as they both came from different backgrounds, she apologised but is 'cozy' with her choices

who wrote valentine?

carol ann duffy

valentine summary

the unusual valentine's gift of an onion

valentine quotes

- not a red rose or a satin heart

- i give you an onion

- take it

valentine structure

personal in first person, short stanzas echo the layers of an onion, stuttering feel

valentine context

refers to valentine's day when couples give and receive gifts (such as roses), it is now much more commercialised, modern, feminist poet

who wrote a wife in london?

thomas hardy

a wife in london summary

a wife waiting for news from her soldier husband in the boer war

a wife in london quotes

- she sits in the tawny vapour

- like a waning taper

- and of new love that they would learn

a wife in london structure

separated into two subtitled stanzas, regular rhyme scheme

a wife in london context

refers to the boer war in south africa

who wrote death of a naturalist?

seamus heaney

death of a naturalist summary

a young boys fascination with frogspawn

death of a naturalist quotes

- punishing sun

- miss walls would tell us how

- poised like mud grenades

death of a naturalist structure

clear divide between childhood and adulthood, stanza two faces the reality of growing up

death of a naturalist context

poet brought up in a rural part of northern ireland, extended metaphor for the loss of childhood innocence

who wrote hawk roosting?

ted hughes

hawk roosting summary

written from the point of view of a hawk as he sits at the top of a wood

hawk roosting quotes

- i sit in the top of the wood

- i kill where i please

- the sun is behind me

hawk roosting structure

first two stanzas - physical superiority, stanzas 3 and 4 - power of nature, final two stanzas - justification

hawk roosting context

poet's poems often emphasise the scheming and savagery of animal life after studying archaeology and anthropology at cambridge university from a scholarship, hawk - hitler?

who wrote to autumn?

john keats

to autumn summary

the richness and wonders of the autumn season

to autumn quotes

- seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness

- ripeness to the core

- soft-dying day

to autumn structure

an ode written in iambic pentameter, first stanza - celebration of autumn, second stanza - speaks to the season directly, third stanza - change

to autumn context

romantic poet wrote poem as he suffered tuberculosis, emphasised his deep appreciation of the power and beauty of nature

who wrote afternoons?

philip larkin

afternoons summary

young mothers watching their children as they play on the swings

afternoons quotes

- summer is fading

- behind them, at intervals

- unripe acorns

afternoons structure

three regular stanzas, enjambment representing the fast paced life they are living now

afternoons context

poet lived a restricted life as a librarian and never married or travelled abroad, his melancholic work observed everyday life and relationships

who wrote dulce et decorum est?

wilfred owen

dulce et decorum est summary

a gas attack in the trenches at the end of ww1

dulce et decorum est quotes

- like old beggars under sacks

- thick green light

- guttering, choking, drowning

dulce et decorum est structure

direct address, blank verse with choppy lines representing the unexpected events out at war

dulce et decorum est context

poet fought in the war and was writing from experience, the last line was used in war propaganda and originally written by horace

who wrote ozymandias?

percy bysshe shelley

ozymandias summary

the ruined statue, found in a desert, of a once great and powerful king

ozymandias quotes

- i met a traveller from an antique land

- half sunk, a shattered visage lies

- look on my works, ye mighty and despair!

ozymandias structure

second person to emphasise lost and distant power, disrupted sonnet form is ironic, he doesn't truly want the love of people, only their admiration and submission

ozymandias context

poem reflects the poet's radical views, came from a wealthy family and was in line to inherit both riches, expelled from oxford for writing about atheism, father disinherited him

who wrote mametz wood?

owen sheers

mametz wood summary

french farmers find the remains of welsh soldiers in ww1 when ploughing their fields

mametz wood quotes

- china plate of a shoulder blade

- broken bird's egg

- broken mosaic of bone

mametz wood structure

stanza 1 - land, stanza 2 and 3 - bones and people, stanza 4 - land, stanza 5 and 6 - bones and people, stanza 7 - land, bones and people

mametz wood context

title of the poem was a place where the battle of the somme was fought in 1916 during ww1, one of the bloodiest battles of history

who wrote excerpt from the prelude?

william wordsworth

excerpt from the prelude summary

wordsworth describes skating on a frozen lake just as night is falling

excerpt from the prelude quotes

- the twilight blaz'd

- hiss'd, wheeled, flew

- the orange sky of evening died away

excerpt from the prelude structure

no clear stanzas, first 3 lines focus on the winter scene, lines 4-15 focus on the excitement of the games, final lines concern the melancholy around the countryside

excerpt from the prelude context

one of the most famous poets in the history of english literature, his birthplace (lake district) had a huge influence on his writing, imagery from the natural world is evident in this poem used by romantic poets