desolate, harsh, and without hope or cheer

unwelcoming and unfavourable, providing little or no comfort

destined to end in failure, tragedy, or misfortune

broken into parts or pieces; lacking unity, cohesion, or continuity

joined or integrated, creating a cohesive and harmonious whole

Identifying how poets convey heartbreak in natural settings

English

In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of love and relationships. In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'Single Poet Study: Maya Angelou', pupils explore how Angelou uses her poetry to present strong relationships to people and place. In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry', pupils analyse how a variety of different relationships have been presented across time.

Poetry anthology: first study

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

'Winter Swans', 'Neutral Tones' and 'When We Two Parted' all describe fragmented relationships. Which of these poems ends with a hopeful portrayal of romantic love. 

Which of these poems focus on how someone's perceptions of their partner can change after a relationship has ended?

An effective way to plan and structure an analytical paragraph is to use a single paragraph {{   }}.

explains the specific focus of the analytical paragraph

sums up everything the paragraph has discussed

shows that you know what happens in the poem

Read through the question and identify the question focus.

Choose another poem to compare with the one in the question.

Identify the key ideas in each poem and explore how they compare to each other.

Analyse how the writers use language, form and structure to convey the key ideas

Put the below steps in chronological order to show how you would answer a comparative analysis question. 

Oxymoron implies the partner's perception of their lover has changed

Pathetic fallacy symbolises the fragmented relationship

Visceral verb suggests the speaker now feels shame and regret

Match each of these quotations to the correct analytical statement.

Which of the following poems is about an illicit extramarital affair?

Which of these poems are set in a natural landscape?

Which of these are examples of comparative language?

We would use the word 'however' to show the __________ between two things.

"our hands, that had, somehow /  swum the distance between us"

"The smile on your face was the deadest thing"

"I hear thy name spoken and share in its shame"

Match up each of these key quotations to the correct poem.

It is part of a collection that deals with fragmented relationships

The poem's pessimistic tone is characteristic of the this poet's work

The poet was known for having many illicit extramarital affairs

Match each poem to the correct piece of contextual information.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Adult supervision recommended

Starter Quiz