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Year 8

Exploring William Carlos Williams's poem 'The Hunters in the Snow'

I can write an ekphrastic poem inspired by Bruegel's 'The Hunters in the Snow' and William Carlos Williams's poem of the same name.

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Year 8

Exploring William Carlos Williams's poem 'The Hunters in the Snow'

I can write an ekphrastic poem inspired by Bruegel's 'The Hunters in the Snow' and William Carlos Williams's poem of the same name.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. William Carlos Williams's 'The Hunters in the Snow' is an ekphrastic poem.
  2. An ekphrastic poem is a poem which describes a piece of art, and is inspired by it.
  3. Each of Williams's seven stanzas refers to something in Pieter Bruegel’s painting 'The Hunters in the Snow'.
  4. Bruegel's 'The Hunters in the Snow' depicts a rural scene in winter.

Keywords

  • Depict - to portray in a picture or to describe in writing.

  • Ekphrastic - a poem which describes a piece of art, and is inspired by it.

  • Dejected - depressed, downcast.

  • Rural - the countryside.

Common misconception

Williams didn't use any methods in his poem because he is just describing a painting.

Every word in a poem is carefully selected. Williams could have made any number of choices about what he depicted in terms of focus, structure, tone and language. We can explore these methods, and add layers of meaning to the painting.

Consider how you will read 'The Hunters in the Snow'. How many times will you read the poem? Who will read the poem and how? Are there words that your pupils will need a glossary for?
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' by William Carlos Williams from the 1991 Collected Poems: 1939-1962, Volume II published by New Directions.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we learn about a number of different artists and poets. Match each person to something we know about them.
Correct Answer:Pieter Bruegel ,16th century painter

16th century painter

Correct Answer:Williams Carlos Williams ,20th century American poet

20th century American poet

Correct Answer:W.H. Auden ,20th century British poet

20th century British poet

Q2.
In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at some poems by Williams Carlos Williams. Williams carefully selects the adjectives in his poems. Which of the following are adjectives?
winter
Correct answer: sturdy
Correct answer: icy
skaters
picture
Q3.
In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at some poems by Williams Carlos Williams. He uses a simile in one of them. What is a simile?
when one or more words begin with the same letter
repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences
when you don't use any punctuation in a line of poetry
Correct answer: a method of comparison using 'like' or 'as'
Q4.
In the unit 'Myths and Legends', we look at a poem called 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus' by Williams Carlos Williams. Williams doesn't use any punctuation in this poem which increases the …?
enjambment
rhyme
Correct answer: pace
understanding
stanzas
Q5.
In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at a poem called 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus' by Williams Carlos Williams. What type of poem is it?
sonnet
Correct answer: ekphrastic
ballad
myth
legend
Q6.
In the unit 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we look at some poems by Williams Carlos Williams. Williams uses enjambment in every line of these poems. What does this mean?
each line of poetry ends in a full stop
his poem is inspired by a piece of art
his poem describes a piece of art
Correct answer: his poem doesn't use any punctuation
his poem has the same title as the painting it describes

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Williams Carlos Williams poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths, legends and stories that inspire) is an ekphrastic poem. Why is it an ekphrastic poem?
It doesnt use any punctuation.
Correct answer: It was inspired by a piece of artwork.
It has the same title as a painting.
Correct answer: It describes a painting.
It includes enjambment throughout.
Q2.
Williams Carlos Williams poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths and Legends) describes a number of things in Pieter Bruegel's painting of the same name. Match the item to how Williams describes it.
Correct Answer:mountains,icy

icy

Correct Answer:hunters,sturdy

sturdy

Correct Answer:bonfire,huge

huge

Correct Answer:bush,winter-struck

winter-struck

Q3.
A pupil said of Pieter Bruegel's painting 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths, legends and stories that inspire): "The hunters look dejected". What does the word dejected mean?
unsuccessful
bloodthirsty
angry
Correct answer: depressed
returning
Q4.
Match each stanza of William Carlos Williams poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths, legends and stories that inspire) to its focus.
Correct Answer:Stanza 1,the mountains

the mountains

Correct Answer:Stanza 2,the hunters

the hunters

Correct Answer:Stanza 3,the broken sign above the inn

the broken sign above the inn

Correct Answer:Stanza 4 and 5,the bonfire and the women around it

the bonfire and the women around it

Correct Answer:Stanza 6,the skaters

the skaters

Correct Answer:Stanza 7,a bush

a bush

Q5.
Pieter Bruegel's painting 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths, legends and stories that inspire) depicts a winter scene which means it is of the countryside, rather than a city, town or urban area.
Correct Answer: rural
Q6.
Williams Carlos Williams's poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' (Myths and Legends) doesn't uses any punctuation. We would describe each line of his poem as ...
Correct Answer: enjambed