English Poems igcse mocks

The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument - Main Idea

The human body creates life with astonishing precision; the mind/spirit is too clumsy to replicate or understand it.

The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument - Themes

Creation and Life, Limits of Intellect, Feminine Power, Nature vs. Reason, Precision vs. Bluntness

The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument - Structure and Form

Free verse, enjambment, no fixed rhyme or meter, 3 stanzas showing shift in focus

The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument - Tone

Wondrous, reflective, philosophical, amazed

The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument - Key Evidence

Lexical field: “intricate”, “precision”; biological imagery of body parts; contrast with abstract nouns like “desire” and “pain”

He Never Expected Much - Main Idea

An old man reflects on his life, glad he had low expectations, which spared him from disappointment.

He Never Expected Much - Themes

Expectations vs. Reality, Resignation, Aging and Reflection, Nature’s Neutrality, Disillusionment = Peace

He Never Expected Much - Structure and Form

Lyrical poem, ABAB CDCD EFEF rhyme scheme, iambic rhythm, dramatic monologue with personification of the world

He Never Expected Much - Tone

Calm, reflective, resigned, philosophical

He Never Expected Much - Key Evidence

“The world said…”; tone of acceptance; advice from youth proved wise in old age

Ozymandias - Main Idea

All power fades with time; even the greatest rulers are forgotten and their legacies destroyed.

Ozymandias - Themes

Transience of Power, Hubris, Power of Nature, Irony, Art Outlives Power

Ozymandias - Structure and Form

Sonnet (14 lines), mix of Petrarchan and Shakespearean rhyme schemes, mirrors brokenness of legacy

Ozymandias - Tone

Ironic, detached, reflective, aggressive

Ozymandias - Key Evidence

“Look on my works…” (irony), “colossal wreck”, “lone and level sands” = nature’s dominance over man

The Man with Night Sweats - Main Idea

A man suffering from illness (AIDS) mourns the loss of his health and strength; faces mortality with fear and sorrow.

The Man with Night Sweats - Themes

Mortality, Loss of Strength, Fear and Vulnerability, Masculinity and Identity, AIDS Crisis

The Man with Night Sweats - Structure and Form

Quatrains, ABAB rhyme, iambic pentameter, enjambment, stable form contrasts with emotional chaos

The Man with Night Sweats - Tone

Raw, mournful, restrained, personal

The Man with Night Sweats - Key Evidence

“Shield” metaphor cracked; shift from past (“adored”) to present (“wrecked”); first-person intimacy

The City Planners - Main Idea

The poem critiques the artificial perfection of suburbia and the repression of nature and individuality by city planning.

The City Planners - Themes

Artificiality vs. Nature, Control & Conformity, Repression, Perfection as Madness, Environmental Critique

The City Planners - Structure and Form

Free verse, enjambment, irregular stanzas, first-person speaker

The City Planners - Tone

Sarcastic, critical, ironic, disapproving

The City Planners - Key Evidence

“Pedantic rows”, “sanitary trees”, “insane faces”; contrast of perfection with “cracks” and “bruises”

Funeral Blues - Main Idea

The speaker mourns the death of a loved one, expressing deep grief and hopelessness for the future.

Funeral Blues - Themes

Grief and Loss, Love, Emptiness, Death as Finality, Isolation

Funeral Blues - Structure and Form

4 quatrains, AABB rhyme, elegy, progression from public mourning to private despair

Funeral Blues - Tone

Mournful, dramatic, sorrowful, hopeless

Funeral Blues - Key Evidence

“Stop all the clocks” (imperatives), “my North, my South…” (hyperbole), “pack up the moon…” (metaphor for despair)