Literature and Poetry Revision Flashcards

Task 1: Context and Author Background

• Create a fact sheet or mini-poster about Emily Brontë’s life and the historical context of Wuthering Heights.
• Include:
  • Victorian social class
  • Gender roles
  • Brontë family background
  • Publication context (1847)
  • How isolation influenced the themes.
• Add a short paragraph answering:
  • How do the historical and personal elements of Brontë’s life reflect in the novel’s characters or setting?

Task 1: Context and Author Background - Answers

• Key Points to Include:
  • Emily Brontë (1818–1848):
    • Lived a reclusive life in Yorkshire, England.
    • Published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell.
  • Historical Context:
    • Victorian England (rigid class system, patriarchy)
    • Women's limited rights
    • Industrialization and rural decay
  • Connection to Novel:
    • Isolated moor setting reflects Brontë’s own life
    • Themes of social class and rebellion mirror societal struggles
    • Heathcliff as an outsider may reflect Brontë’s empathy toward the marginalized

Task 2: Personal Response & Social Pressures

• Write a paragraph (300–400 words) comparing how Nelly, Edgar, and Isabella cope with hardship, and link it to your own experience or observations.
• Use: “When have I felt societal pressure? Did I conform or rebel? How does that mirror the choices made by Edgar or Isabella?”
• Include 3 short quotations from the novel that show their struggle.

Task 2: Personal Response & Social Pressures - Answers

• Key Expectations:
  • Nelly: Conforms to social order, often judgmental, moral center
  • Edgar: Tries to uphold dignity/status, struggles with emotion vs. duty
  • Isabella: Initially naïve, then rebellious, eventually escapes
  • Personal Link: Insightful, honest reflection on pressure, choices, or identity
• Quotations (examples):
  • Nelly: “I am seldom otherwise than happy while watching in the chamber of death.”
  • Edgar: “I cannot live without my soul.”
  • Isabella: “I gave him my heart, and he took and pinched it to death.”

Task 3: Gothic Genre Features

• Create a gothic checklist and apply it to Wuthering Heights. Use these features:
  • Setting, Atmosphere, Supernatural, Madness, Revenge, Death, Romance, Isolation.
• For each, find one scene or quote that illustrates it.
• Optional creative extension: Design a movie poster for Wuthering Heights using gothic imagery.

Task 3: Gothic Genre Features - Answers

• Checklist Should Include (with examples):
  • Setting: Wuthering Heights – dark, stormy, remote
  • Atmosphere: Claustrophobic, eerie
  • Supernatural: Catherine’s ghost
  • Madness: Heathcliff’s obsession
  • Revenge: Heathcliff’s life goal
  • Death: Multiple tragic deaths (e.g., Frances, Catherine, Linton)
  • Romance: Passion vs. social marriage (Catherine + Edgar)
  • Isolation: Physical (moors), emotional (characters)

Task 4: Hindley’s Transformation

• Construct a psychological profile of Hindley Earnshaw after Frances’ death.
  • Timeline: 3 key turning points in his mental and emotional decline
  • Mind map: Emotions → Actions → Consequences (on Heathcliff & Catherine)
• Write a 1-paragraph explanation of how Brontë uses Hindley’s decline to comment on revenge, power, and social collapse.

Task 4: Hindley’s Transformation - Answers

• Psychological Profile Key Points:
  • Before: Proud, jealous, insecure
  • Frances’ Death: Catalyst for alcoholism, neglect
  • After: Abusive, cruel to Heathcliff, loses control of estate
• Impact on Others:
  • Heathcliff: Uses Hindley’s weakness for revenge
  • Catherine: Torn between family loyalty and love
• Thematic Insight:
  • Brontë uses Hindley to explore grief, revenge, downfall of the gentry, power decay

Task 5: Isabella’s Elopement & Victim Blaming

• Debate-style task: Write a two-sided argument:
  • Was Isabella to blame for her suffering, or was she a victim of societal and familial expectations?
• Include reference to Edgar’s reaction and how it reflects 19th-century gender norms.

Task 5: Isabella’s Elopement & Victim Blaming - Answers

• Balanced Argument Key Ideas:
  • Victim Blaming Evidence:
    • Edgar disowns her, sees her as foolish rather than abused
    • Society expects women to obey, blames them for being misled
    • No empathy for her suffering under Heathcliff
  • Alternative Perspective:
    • Isabella made a romantic but reckless choice
    • Could be seen as naive or rebellious without foresight
  • Strong Response Will:
    • Use evidence (e.g., “Is Heathcliff a man to be trusted?”)
    • Recognize complexity: societal standards, family betrayal

Task 6: Venn Diagram – Edgar vs. Heathcliff

• Complete a Venn Diagram:
  • 2 differences per character
  • 2 key similarities in the overlap
• Then write a 100-word paragraph explaining how their traits represent the civilization vs. nature in the novel.

Task 6: Venn Diagram – Edgar vs. Heathcliff - Answers

• Heathcliff (Left Circle)
  • Dark, brooding, passionate
  • Seeks revenge
• Similarities (Middle)
  • Love Catherine deeply
  • Protective of family
• Edgar (Right Circle)
  • Refined, cultured, gentle
  • Represents social order

Task 7 – Fill in the blanks

• Catherine Earnshaw's internal conflict after her marriage to Edgar Linton arises because she feels satisfied with her social elevation but secretly longs for the __ she shared with Heathcliff.
• Heathcliff’s attitude toward the younger generation of the Earnshaw and Linton families contrasts with his treatment of the elder generation in that he seeks to and the younger generation to exact revenge.
• In Wuthering Heights, Nelly Dean’s biased and sometimes narration distorts the reader’s perception of Heathcliff, making him seem more than he may truly be.
• Isabella Linton’s marriage to Heathcliff serves as a tool for Heathcliff to extend his against the family, particularly Edgar.
• Hindley Earnshaw’s mistreatment of Heathcliff after Mr. Earnshaw’s death is motivated by the fact that Heathcliff serves as a constant reminder of his father’s __, leading Hindley to punish him as an act of rebellion.

Task 7 – Fill in the blanks - Answers

• Catherine Earnshaw's internal conflict after her marriage to Edgar Linton arises because she feels satisfied with her social elevation but secretly longs for the wild, untamed love she shared with Heathcliff.
• Heathcliff’s attitude toward the younger generation of the Earnshaw and Linton families contrasts with his treatment of the elder generation in that he seeks to manipulate and control the younger generation to exact revenge.
• In Wuthering Heights, Nelly Dean’s biased and sometimes unreliable narration distorts the reader’s perception of Heathcliff, making him seem more villainous than he may truly be.
• Isabella Linton’s marriage to Heathcliff serves as a tool for Heathcliff to extend his revenge against the Linton family, particularly Edgar.
• Hindley Earnshaw’s mistreatment of Heathcliff after Mr. Earnshaw’s death is motivated by the fact that Heathcliff serves as a constant reminder of his father’s favoritism, leading Hindley to punish him as an act of rebellion.

Task 8 – Essay Writing

• Nelly Dean’s role as narrator and servant
  • Loyalty vs. interference
  • Reliability of narration
  • Emotional involvement in other characters’ lives

1. Key Themes to Revise

• Write a short paragraph (5–7 sentences) analysing the quote:
  • “I won’t give you a chance of envying me; I’ll try to break their hearts by breaking my own.”
• Questions:
  • Who says this and in what context?
  • Why might this line reflect themes of emotional manipulation or sacrifice?
  • How could Nelly Dean relate this line to her own actions in the novel?

2. Quote Analysis Task

Task 8 – Essay Writing - Answers

1. Key Themes to Revise

• Narrative bias: Nelly is a key narrator, but she is subjective.
• Social class & duty: As a servant, she is bound by loyalty, yet she often crosses professional boundaries.
• Control & manipulation: She withholds information and shapes outcomes through storytelling.
• Emotional complexity: She is emotionally involved in many events and relationships.

2. Quote Analysis Task

• Quote: “I won’t give you a chance of envying me; I’ll try to break their hearts by breaking my own.”
• Example Answer:
  • This quote is spoken by Isabella Linton, but it reflects a deep emotional manipulation and sense of personal suffering. It highlights how characters in the novel often act out of pain, revenge, or emotional imbalance. Nelly Dean, though not the speaker, shows similar traits: she often inflicts pain while believing she is doing the right thing. Her actions (e.g., not delivering Cathy’s letters to Linton) sometimes cause emotional harm under the guise of protection. The quote could symbolise Nelly’s indirect emotional control over others.

Task 8 – Essay Writing

3. Character Chart – Nelly Dean

• Fill in the table below with evidence from Wuthering Heights:

Task 8 – Essay Writing

4. Practice Paragraph

• Write one PEEL paragraph (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) answering this question:
  • To what extent is Nelly Dean responsible for the suffering of others in Wuthering Heights?
• Try to include:
  • A clear argument
  • A quotation from the novel
  • Reference to the quotation given in the original question if possible

5. Agree/Disagree Spectrum

• Draw a line with the two opposing views at each end:
  • Totally Loyal ————————————— ————————————————— Totally Interfering
• Put Nelly somewhere on the line based on your current opinion, and write a short sentence explaining why.

Task 8 – Essay Writing - Answers

4. Example PEEL Paragraph

• Point: Nelly Dean is partly responsible for the emotional turmoil many characters experience in Wuthering Heights.
• Evidence: For instance, she withholds Cathy’s letters from Linton and does not inform Edgar of the growing relationship between the two.
• Explanation: This interference leads to confusion and heartbreak for Cathy, and arguably contributes to the eventual toxic marriage. Her actions, while presented as protective, often have serious consequences.
• Link: Like the quote “I’ll try to break their hearts by breaking my own,” Nelly seems to believe that her suffering or silence is noble, even as it causes harm to others.

Task 8 – Essay Writing - Answers

5. Agree/Disagree Spectrum

• Position example: 🔵 ——————————————🔴 Mostly loyal (🔵) but also occasionally interfering (🔴)
• Explanation: Nelly is loyal in the sense that she remains with the family through generations and hardship. However, her frequent meddling and storytelling often do more harm than good, suggesting that while she believes she’s helping, she’s often interfering in ways that are morally questionable.

Task 9

Question 1: Hindley, Nelly, and Hareton

• Task: One-Sentence Precision Writing
• Write one well-developed sentence that clearly:
  • Explains what the decision reveals about Hindley’s character (e.g., neglect, irresponsibility, grief)
  • Shows the impact on his relationship with Hareton
  • Use at least one piece of evidence or phrasing from the novel to support your analysis.
• Peer review: Swap sentences with a classmate. Highlight where the sentence shows cause and effect, and underline the embedded quote or reference.

Task 9 - Answers

Question 1: Hindley, Nelly, and Hareton

• Key Ideas for Answer:
  • Hindley’s decision shows his emotional detachment, negligence, and inability to parent due to grief and alcoholism.
  • Nelly becomes more of a mother to Hareton than Hindley ever becomes a father.
  • This sets up Hareton’s early emotional neglect and eventual bond with Heathcliff, who manipulates him.
• Example of a High-Level Sentence:
  • Hindley’s decision to leave Hareton in Nelly’s care reflects his descent into grief-stricken irresponsibility and emotional withdrawal, signaling his failure as a father and foreshadowing Hareton’s lack of guidance and vulnerability to Heathcliff’s influence.

Task 10

Question 2: Love, Revenge, and Abuse

• Task: Thematic Connections Chart + Paragraph
• Part 1 – Theme Chart: Create a chart with the following headings:
  

  Theme	Character(s)	Affected	Key Event	Result on Identity/Relationships
  Examples to include:

  • Love: Catherine and Heathcliff – passionate but damaging
  • Revenge: Heathcliff’s treatment of Hareton, Linton – generational harm
  • Abuse: Hindley’s treatment of Heathcliff; Heathcliff’s treatment of Isabella
• Part 2 – Reflective Response: Write a paragraph answering: Is love in the novel ultimately redemptive or destructive? Support with:
  • One positive example (e.g., Cathy and Hareton's healing love)
  • One negative (e.g., Heathcliff and Catherine’s obsessive love)

Task 10 - Answers

Question 2: Love, Revenge, and Abuse – Thematic Connections

• Short Paragraph – Key Points:
  • Destructive Love: Heathcliff and Catherine’s intense love leads to jealousy, suffering, and revenge.
  • Example: Catherine’s famous quote – “I am Heathcliff” – shows passion, but it ruins lives.
  • Redemptive Love: Cathy (Catherine’s daughter) and Hareton’s relationship represents healing and forgiveness.
  • Conclusion: The novel shows that while love can destroy, true redemption is only possible through forgiveness, not obsession.
    Theme | Character(s) | Key Event | Result on Identity/Relationships
    -----|-----|-----|-----
    Love | Heathcliff & Catherine | Catherine marries Edgar, breaking Heathcliff’s heart | Love becomes obsessive and destructive
    Revenge | Heathcliff | Seeks revenge on Edgar, Hindley, and their children | Becomes cruel, manipulative, damages next generation
    Abuse | Hindley → Heathcliff | Heathcliff is degraded to servant after Mr. Earnshaw's death | Fosters his resentment, shapes his pursuit of power

Task 11

Question 3: Class, Heathcliff, and Modern Solutions

• Task: Literary & Real-World Synthesis Essay
• Task Steps:
  • Compare the Class Structures:
    • Use a T-chart:

Task 11 - Answers

• T-Chart – Key Comparisons:

Task 11 - Answers

• Key Points:
  • UBI (Universal Basic Income):
    • Pros: Reduces poverty, gives dignity, may empower social outsiders
    • Cons: Expensive, risk of inflation, doesn’t address systemic bias
  • Wealth Redistribution:
    • Pros: Reduces inequality, offers fairer opportunity
    • Cons: Politically divisive, may discourage innovation (some argue)
• Short Argument – Key Ideas:
  • Heathcliff’s desire for revenge is driven by humiliation and exclusion due to class.
  • He gains wealth, but not acceptance — shows money alone doesn't erase class barriers.
  • Modern Solution Viewpoint Example:
    • While wealth redistribution might reduce economic inequality, it would also need to be paired with education, social acceptance, and legal reform to truly address the systemic exclusion faced by figures like Heathcliff.

Task 1 Poetry Mind Map

• Create a mind map titled “What is Poetry?”
• Include key elements such as structure, form, sound devices, emotion, and purpose.

Task 2

Harlem Renaissance & Jazz Poetry (Langston Hughes)

1. Define & Describe

• Write a paragraph each on:
  • What was the Harlem Renaissance?
  • What is Jazz Poetry?
  • How was Langston Hughes involved in both?

2. Influence Chart

• Create a two-column chart:
  • Column 1: Influence of the Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Poetry then (1920s–30s)
  • Column 2: Influence now (modern poetry, spoken word, hip hop, etc.)

Task 2 - Answers

What was the Harlem Renaissance?

• The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement that took place during the 1920s in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. It was a period when African American writers, musicians, artists, and thinkers celebrated Black culture, challenged racial stereotypes, and contributed to the development of a distinct African American identity in arts and literature. The movement is known for its influence on jazz music, visual arts, theater, and poetry.

What is Jazz Poetry?

• Jazz poetry is a style of poetry influenced by the rhythms and improvisational nature of jazz music. It incorporates elements like syncopation, free verse, repetition, and musicality. Jazz poets often experiment with sound and rhythm, creating an energetic, spontaneous, and flowing structure. Langston Hughes is one of the most notable poets associated with this style. His poetry often reflects the improvisational and expressive qualities of jazz, capturing the spirit of African American culture.

How was Langston Hughes involved in both?

• Langston Hughes was one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance and is considered one of the pioneers of Jazz Poetry. During the Harlem Renaissance, he wrote poems, essays, and plays that portrayed the everyday lives of African Americans, focusing on their struggles, joy, and resilience. Hughes was greatly influenced by jazz music, and his poetry often mirrors the rhythms and cadences of jazz. His works, like “The Weary Blues” and “Jazzonia,” are clear examples of Jazz Poetry, where the musicality of the language reflects the vibrancy and energy of jazz music. Hughes being labelled as a Harlem Renaissance poet restricted him.

Task 2 - Answers

Task 3

• Read each poetic excerpt carefully.
• For each example, do the following:
  • Identify and label at least two sound devices (e.g., alliteration, assonance, consonance, rhyme, rhythm, onomatopoeia).
  • Identify and label at least one meaning device (e.g., metaphor, simile, imagery, personification, symbolism, tone, theme).
  • Explain briefly (1–2 sentences) how each device contributes to the poem’s overall effect or meaning.

Task 3

• “So, boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.”
• “The apparition of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a wet, black bough.”
• “I have been one acquainted with the night. I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.”
• “I have looked down the saddest city lane. I have passed by the watchman on his beat And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.”
• “I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet When far away an interrupted cry Came over houses from another street,”

Task 3 - Answers

1. “So, boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.”

• Sound Devices:
  • Alliteration: "Don't you" (repeated "d" sound) and "step" and "steps" (repeated "s" sound).
  • Consonance: "finds it's kinder hard" (the "r" sound in "hard").
• Meaning Devices:
  • Colloquialism: The informal tone suggests a personal, conversational approach.
  • Tone: The tone is advisory and cautionary, suggesting a struggle or difficulty.

Task 3 - Answers

2. “The apparition of these faces in the crowd:Petals on a wet, black bough.”**

• Sound Devices:
  • Alliteration: "faces" and "crowd" (repeated "f" and "c" sounds).
  • Consonance: "wet" and "black" (repeated "k" sound).
  • Internal rhyme: "faces" and "bough" (repetition of long vowel sounds).
• Meaning Devices:
  • Metaphor: "Petals on a wet, black bough" compares human faces to fragile petals on a tree, symbolizing fleeting beauty and impermanence.
  • Imagery: Vivid visual image of faces and petals, evoking feelings of transience.

Task 3 - Answers

3. “I have been one acquainted with the night.I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.”

• Sound Devices:
  • Assonance: "rain" and "back in rain" (repetition of long "a" sound).
  • Rhyme: "night" and "rain" have a soft internal rhyme quality in this context.
• Meaning Devices:
  • Personification: The "night" is treated as something one can be "acquainted" with, giving it human-like qualities.
  • Theme: The theme of loneliness and isolation is emphasized by the repeated imagery of night and rain.

Task 3 - Answers

4. “I have looked down the saddest city lane.I have passed by the watchman on his beat. And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.”

• Sound Devices:
  • Alliteration: "saddest city lane" (repetition of the "s" sound).
  • Consonance: "watchman" and "beat" (the "t" sound).
• Meaning Devices:
  • Imagery: Vivid description of a "saddest city lane," invoking feelings of despair and isolation.
  • Symbolism: The watchman could symbolize surveillance or the inescapability of duty or fate.
  • Tone: The tone is melancholic and regretful.

Task 3 - Answers

5. “I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet. When far away an interrupted cry, Came over houses from another street,”

• Sound Devices:
  • Onomatopoeia: "sound of feet" (mimics the noise of footsteps).
  • Alliteration: "stood still" (repeated "s" sound).
• Meaning Devices:
  • Symbolism: The interrupted cry could symbolize a moment of distress or a cry for help that cannot be fully understood or answered.
  • Imagery: The image of a cry from another street evokes a sense of distance and emotional separation.
  • Theme: The theme of loneliness or separation is reflected through the distant cry.

Task 4 - Information

• A Terza Rima is a poetic form consisting of tercets, or three-line stanzas, with a specific rhyme scheme: ABA BCB CDC, and so on. In this structure, the end-word of the second line in each tercet serves as the rhyme for the first and third lines of the next tercet. This interlocking rhyme pattern creates a flowing, interconnected effect throughout the poem.

Task 5

• Discuss why Frost’s poem is nameless and genderless. Consider the possibilities such as his intention to make it universal, his uncertainty about the subject, or his desire to conceal the identity of the victim.
• Analyze the meter used in "Acquainted with the Night" and explain how it contributes to the overall tone and rhythm of the poem.
• Describe the structure of a stanza that consists of six lines, and explain its significance in poetry.

Task 5 - Answers

• Why is Frost’s poem nameless and genderless?
  • Answer: Frost likely made the poem nameless and genderless to make it universal and open to a broader interpretation. By not specifying gender or a name, the poem could resonate with more people and reflect a more general, human experience.
• “Acquainted with the Night” is written in:
  • Answer: Regular Iambic Pentameter. The poem follows the rhythm of iambic pentameter, which is a meter consisting of five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables.
• A stanza that consists of 6 lines is called:
  • Answer: A Sestet. A sestet is a six-line stanza commonly found in sonnets, often serving as the final six lines in a Petrarchan sonnet.

Task 6

• What is modernism?
• How did it impact poetry?
• Give an example from the poems you have studied

Task 6 - Answers

• Modernism transformed poetry by breaking traditional forms and structures, emphasizing free verse, fragmented narratives, and individual subjectivity. Poets like T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound rejected conventional rhyme and meter, focusing instead on ambiguity, symbolism, and exploring the complexities of modern life.

Task 7

• Analyze the different metaphors in the poem: ’O Captain my Captain’
  • Ship:
  • Captain:
  • Trip:
  • Mourning:

Task 8

• Explain what tone in poetry refers to, and analyze how a poet’s choice of tone can influence the reader’s interpretation of a poem. Provide examples from a specific poem to support your explanation.

Task 9 - Language & Symbolism in Literature

Task 1: Definition Practice

• Define the term colloquialism in your own words. Use a dictionary definition first, then rewrite it in a simpler way.

Task 2: Literary Purpose Exploration

• List three reasons why an author might use colloquial language in a literary text.

Task 3: Complete the table

Task 10 – Mother to Son

• In a short paragraph, explain the symbolic meaning of the stairs:
  1. What challenges are represented by the stairs?
  2. How does the stairway reflect the speaker’s life experience?
  3. Why is this an effective metaphor?