Poetry Exam Revision

Poetry Exam

Students will have the opportunity to:

• study a selection of 15 poems to develop their ability to analyse and comment on an unseen poem

• study one collection of poems on a theme from the Edexcel Poetry Anthology

• analyse the impact of style, language, structure and form

• explore the writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings

Overview of exam

Students will study the following key features of poetry:

• voice• imagery• language choice• rhyme and rhythm• tone and mood• form and structure

They will understand how the writer uses these key features to present ideas, themes and settings.

Exam

Part A Unseen Poem• One part question• Poem has not been taught

to the group• Similar to poems and poets

studied in anthology• Need to show general

comprehension of the poem

Part B Anthology Poems• Two part question• Part 1 focuses on one

selected poem from ‘Relationships’ section in anthology

• Part 2 will give two choices, only needs to answer one– Compare selected poem to

another selected poem– Compare selected poem to a

poem of student’s choice

You can look over the following poems in your anthology in preparation for the Unseen

1. Sonnet 116 – William Shakespeare2. Nettles – Vernon Scannell3. 04/01/07 – Ian McMillan4. Exposure – Wilfred Owen5. Your Dad Did What? – Sophie Hannah6. The Class Game – Mary Casey7. The Drum – John Scott8. City Jungle – Pie Corbett9. Our Town with the Whole of India! – Daljit Nagra10. London – William Blake11. The Stone Hare – Gillian Clarke12. I Shall Paint My Nails Red – Carole Satyamurti13. The Penelopes of my homeland – Choman Hardi14. Do not go gentle into that good night – Dylan Thomas15. Remember – Christina Rossetti

Approaching the Unseen

Always S.M.I.L.E.!!!!!!

Structure, Meaning, Imagery, Language, Effect

If you comment and link the above back to the question, that will show your overall understanding of the poem.

Part B Practice Questions

Answer 2(a)

2 (a) Explore how the writer conveys his attitudes towards remembered love in ‘Song of Last Year’s Wife’. Use evidence from the poem to support your answer. (15 marks)

Answer EITHER 2(b)(i) OR 2(b)(ii)

2 (b)(i)Compare how the writers explore different ideas about love in ‘Kissing’ and ‘Song for Last Year’s Wife’.

Use evidence from the poems to support your answer.You may include material you used to answer 2 (a) (15 marks)

OR

2 (b)(ii) Compare how the writers of ‘Song for Last Year’s Wife’ and one poem of your choice from the ‘Relationships’ collection reflect on loving relationships.

Use evidence from the poems to support your answer.You may include material you used to answer 2 (a) (15 marks)

Explain how Shel Silverstein presents the subject of a messy room.

Messy Room

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!His underwear is hanging on the lamp.His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.His workbook is wedged in the window,His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.His books are all jammed in the closet,A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,His vest has been left in the hall.And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.Whosever room this is should be ashamed!Donald or Robert or Willie or--Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear,I knew it looked familiar! Shel Silverstein

What should we see in the papers?

1. Positives and negatives of the motorway2. Personification of the motorway3. Use of sensory details4. Structure- no rhyme scheme5. Use of metaphoric language 6. Imagery of the road7. Tone- Sarcastic humour8. Use of onomatopoeia 9. Creation of movement

Practice Unseen Questions

Explore how the writer presents her ideas about twentieth century war in ‘August 6, 1945’.

Use evidence from the poem to support your response.

OR

Explore how the writer presents her ideas about her identity in ‘I Shall Paint My Nails Red’.

Use evidence from the poem to support your response.

Poetry Practice

Explore how Hannah presents her ideas about an unfaithful relationship in ‘Rubbish at adultery.’

Use examples from the poem to support your response

Can you find evidence in your response on the following?

• Hannah’s presentation of the man• Hannah’s presentation of the narrator’s wishes• The narrator’s use of vocabulary to show anger• Hannah’s presentation of the reality of a secret

relationship• Hannah’s use of irony and humour to mock the

man• How the writer uses structure and form to

present her ideas

Poetry Comparison PracticeConsider the following:

- Language: the words and images or techniques used in both- Structure: the shape, rhyme and rhythm- Viewpoint: the writer’s attitude to the subject of the poem

Explain how the writer of ‘Our Love Now’ presents different thoughts and feelings about relationships from those given in ‘Valentine’.

Essay example‘Our Love Now’ describes the end of a relationship, by saying

that it ‘it leaves damage in its wake which can never be repaired.’ It is as if the story represents an argument and the poem suggests that the damage caused by it has ruined the relationship. The writer reflects the seriousness of the situation by using different images connected with change and ending with a violent story. Words such as ‘damage’ and ‘wake’ suggest the destruction and damage done.

However, in ‘Valentine’ we are presented with one main central image that reflects the relationship with the line ‘Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips possessive and faithful.’

The image of an onion reflects love as a mixture of positive and negative attributes. Its strong kiss is ‘faithful’ but there is also the sense that it could overpower the lover. Like ‘Our Love Now’ the writer ends the poem on a very strong violent final image. The strong words ‘knife’ and ‘forever dead’ highlighting the abrupt ending of the relationship.