igcse edexcel english lit poetry anthology

“If-” structure/form

• Iambic pentameter but odd lines are extrametrical except the first - creates momentum for the content in the line to be more memorable

• There is a fixed rhyme scheme and stanza length - sustained to advocate for rigidity and behavioural consistency

• Repetition of “If” is conditional and reflects stocism

• Repeated lines make it a list to show the extent the audience must go to to be stoic/balanced

“If-” voice

• second person direct address “you” makes advice universal until the when the speaker specifies it is “son”

• father figure advises son on ideal values of victorian stoicism and masculinity

“If-” figurative language

• Juxtaposition of ideas like “walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,” evokes the balance for which the poet advocates.

• tricolon “heart and nerve and sinew” is a polysyndeton and adds rhetorical power

“Prayer Before Birth” structure/form

• structure becomes more disorganised which reflects the world and despair of persona

• dramatic monologue

• repetion of “I am not yet born”