Understanding the poem 'Storm on the Island'

English

In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of power and conflict. In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils explore how poets presents the atrocities of World War One through their poetry. In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry', pupils analyse how a variety of different wars have been presented through poetry.

In this unit, pupis explore 12 of the 15 poems from the 'Power and Conflict' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in three groups, and they pause after each group to compare how those poems present common themes.

Poetry anthology: first study

Historic or outdated representations of people that may portray inequality or injustice.

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

How does Heaney present nature in 'Storm on the Island'?

The conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland between the 1960s-1998 was known as...

the poem is a reflection of the power of nature

the poem reflects the destruction of nature on the island

the poem can be seen as a reflection of the conflict in Northern Ireland

Which two interpretations are most commonly explored in relation to 'Storm on the 'Island'?

What might the pronoun "we" used in 'Storm on the Island' suggest about the poem?

a metaphor for a natural disaster Ireland had faced.

a metaphor the political storm that raged in Northern Ireland.

a metaphor for Heaney’s familial conflict in the 1960s.

The ‘Storm’ in the title 'Storm on the Island' can be read as…

In 'Storm on the Island', Heaney uses a semantic field of __________ to describe nature in the poem.

a comparison between two things using 'like' or 'as'

a direct comparison between two things which goes across multiple lines

{{}} is information which allows us to understand the social, historical or cultural background of a text. 

the repetition of a vowel sound at the start of closely connected words

the repetition of a consonant sound at the start of closely connected words

the repetition of the 's' sound at the start of closely connected words

a war between two groups of people in the same country

What might be the definition of a civil war? 

A {{}} is a group of words closely related in meaning.

What connotations might we have of the word 'island'?

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision recommended

Introduction

What will you need for this lesson?

Are you ready to learn?

Equipment

Content guidance

Supervision

Worksheet