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The Manhunt - Simon Armitage
Contemporary poem
Originally aired as part of a Channel 4 documentary, Forgotten Heroes: The Not Dead. In the film, the poem is read by Laura, the wife of Eddie Beddoes, who is the subject of the poem. He served as a peace-keeper in Bosnia before being discharged due to injury and depression.
Armitage wrote the poem after interviewing veterans returning from war and as a means of exploring the psychological impact on those who survived intense trauma.
Sonnet 43 - Elizabeth Barret Browning
The poem is autobiographical.
Part of a series of sonnets for her lover Robert Browning, which she only showed him after their marriage.
Elizabeth’s father had forbidden their relationship, but they continued it in secret and eventually married.
Browning thought they were so good that she should publish them; however, they were deeply intimate and this was a bit much for a prudish Victorian audience especially as they were written by a woman.
Therefore, they were published as translations of a Portuguese poet and called Sonnets from the Portuguese.
London - William Blake
The writer came from a humble background, but was able to attend art school and became an engraver.
He is viewed as an early Romantic poet and had radical political views, influenced by the French Revolution where the monarchy was overthrown by the people of France.
His most famous work is Songs of Innocence and Experience. London comes from Songs of Experience, which focus on the negative aspects of life. In this poem, he illustrates the effects of modernity on people and nature, through the discussion of dangerous industrial conditions, child labour, prostitution and poverty.
The Soldier - Rupert Brooke
The poem is idealistic.
The writer was a young, untested soldier, who had attended public school and was Cambridge educated. Athletic and called “the handsomest young man in England,” he was part of the Bloomsbury group of authors and becoming known for his poetry.
He wrote this poem at the start of the First World War as part of a series of sonnets and Winston Churchill admired its selfless patriotism.
Brooke wrote idealistically about the war. He had not seen action and was never to. After embarking for war, he contracted blood-poisoning from a mosquito bite and died on French hospital ship.
The poem has become a symbol for a lost generation of youth.
She Walks in Beauty - Lord Byron
The writer was an English Romantic poet described as, “mad, bad and dangerous to know.” However, this poem is more restrained and lyrical in nature.
It comes from a series of poems called Hebrew Melodies (religious pieces set to music) which reflects the almost sacred adoration within the poem.
The poem was said to be inspired by Mrs Anne Wilmot, wife of Byron’s first cousin. He was struck by her beauty when he saw her at party, and the next morning the poem was written. Like many Romantic poets, he appreciated beauty and to him she epitomises aesthetic beauty. The poem is an emotive tribute to her perfection.
Living Space - Imtiaz Dharker
The writer was born in Pakistan, raised in Glasgow and now lives in Britain and India. Her poetry often explores life in India and the difficult conditions in which the poorest live.
This poem describes a typical dwelling place in the over-crowded slums of Mumbai (although she doesn’t state this explicitly – so it could be any ramshackle dwelling).
On the one hand, the poem highlights the precariousness of such homes. More significantly, however, it praises them as an expression of the miraculousness of life, seeing this living space as evidence of human resourcefulness and determination.
As Imperceptibly As Grief - Emily Dickinson
The writer lived in Massachusetts, USA, 1830-86.
She was a recluse, so did not leave the house often.
Before she wrote this poem several family members and friends had died.
While she wrote this pom, she was caring for her sick mother.
She did not write her poems to be published, but rather for herself.
Cozy Apologia - Rita Dove
Autobiographical
It is set against the arrival of Hurricane Floyd, a powerful storm which hit the east coast of the USA in 1999.
The writer is American and married to the writer Fred Viebahn (probably the “Fred” in the poem)
Valentine - Carol Ann Duffy
The poet likes to break conventions and in her poem she is criticising society’s views of being materialistic.
Her poetry is often feminist in its themes and approach.
She is an openly LGBTQ+ writer.
A Wife in London - Thomas Hardy
The poet was also a novelist – so was a storyteller.
The poem is probably related to the Boer War when 22,000 British soldiers died (as it was written at that time), but the fact she is ‘a’ wife reflects the tragedy of how many lives were lost during many wars.
Death of a Naturalist - Seamus Heaney
The poet’s four year old brother died in a car accident when Heaney was a young boy. The death affected him badly and many of his poems are about loss of innocence.
He grew up on a farm in Northern Ireland and many of his poems reflect his upbringing.
In 1966, the year the poem was written, he became a father for the first time.
Hawk Roosting - Ted Hugues
Ted Hughes was Poet Laureate until his death in 1984 and wrote many poems about the natural world.
Hughes said the poem wasn’t about cruelty – he just wanted to show a hawks ‘natural way of thinking’
To Autumn - John Keats
The poet was a romantic poet and wrote a lot about nature and the natural world.
He died at the age of 25, he was worried that he would leave no lasting impression on the world – this poem could be his attempt to leave his mark and be remembered.
Afternoons - Philip Larkin
The poet’s poetry celebrates the ordinary details of day to day life
Larkin never married, had children or even left the UK in his whole life
Dulce et Decorum Est - Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Owen was killed in action on 4 November 1918 exactly one week (almost to the hour) before the signing of the Armistice, which ended the First World War.
His mother received the telegram informing her of his death on Armistice Day, as the church bells were ringing out in celebration.
Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley
A romantic poet and wrote a lot about the power of nature.
He was considered to be a ‘radical’ and the poem reflects this side of his character. He is writing about the dangers of thinking you are invincible, a timeless message.
Another name for Ozymandias is Ramses II, and he was a powerful Egyptian pharaoh.
Mametz Wood - Owen Sheers
Named after one of the bloodiest battles of World War One. As part of the first Battle of the Somme in 1916, soldiers of the Welsh division were ordered to take Mametz Wood, the largest area of trees on the battlefield.
The 38th Welsh Division lost 4,000 men during the attack which lasted five days. The poet grew up in Wales and wrote the poem in 2005 as he felt their bravery and sacrifice was never really acknowledged.
Remains were still being uncovered in 2016.
Excerpt from The Prelude - William Wordsworth
The poet was one of the first and most influential of the Romantic era.
The Prelude is nostalgic in its thoughts about his childhood and the intense feelings of delight he experienced when he was walked or, as a child, played in the countryside.
He spent a lot of time outside as he had a difficult homelife. He was a keen ice-skater.
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