If thou must love me: Writing about Sonnet 14

If thou must love me: Writing about Sonnet 14

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In this lesson, we will consolidate everything we have learnt about sonnets so far and write about Elizabeth Barrett-Browning's use of language and structure in 'Sonnet 14'.

Licence

This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.

Loading...

9 Questions

Q1.
Barrett-Browning was always sure about Browning's love for her.
Correct answer: False
True
Q2.
In Sonnet 14, she told Browning not to love her for
Her favourite books
Her lovely long hair
Correct answer: Her smile
Q3.
A paraphrase of 'a trick of thought' is an interesting idea.
False
Correct answer: True
Q4.
'pity's wiping my cheeks' is an example of
Alliteration
Assonance
Correct answer: Personification
Simile
Q5.
She compares herself to a 'creature' to suggest that
Browning doesn't care about her
Correct answer: Browning might see her as a pet rather than a real woman
She is ugly and monstrous
She is weak and needy
Q6.
Sonnet 14 is a Petrarchan sonnet
False
Correct answer: True
Q7.
The rhyme scheme of the sestet is
CCDCCD
Correct answer: CDCDCD
CDCDEE
CDECDECDE
Q8.
The volta can be found in
Line 11
Correct answer: Line 13
Line 14
Line 8
Q9.
Enjambment is used to suggest that
She is afraid that their love won't last
She is unable to think of anything else to say
Their love is based on important things
Correct answer: Their love will flow freely and last forever

9 Questions

Q1.
Barrett-Browning was unhappy that her father was a slave owner.
False
Correct answer: True
Q2.
Barrett-Browning was always sure about Browning's love for her.
Correct answer: False
True
Q3.
Barrett-Browning called her sonnets 'Sonnets from the Portuguese' because
She had found Portuguese poems and translated them.
Correct answer: She wanted to protect their privacy.
The poems were published in Portugal before they were published in England.
Q4.
Barrett-Browning was conflicted about her love because of
Correct answer: Her age, her health, her beliefs
Her father, her brother, her mother
Her looks, her wealth, her family
Q5.
'pity's wiping my cheeks' is an example of
Alliteration
Assonance
Correct answer: Personification
Simile
Q6.
Sonnet 14 is a Petrarchan sonnet
False
Correct answer: True
Q7.
The rhyme scheme of the sestet is
CCDCCD
Correct answer: CDCDCD
CDCDEE
CDECDECDE
Q8.
The volta can be found in
Line 11
Correct answer: Line 13
Line 14
Line 8
Q9.
Enjambment is used to suggest that
She is afraid that their love won't last
She is unable to think of anything else to say
Their love is based on important things
Correct answer: Their love will flow freely and last forever

Lesson appears in

UnitEnglish / The sonnet through time: 'If thou must love me', Barrett-Browning

English