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Year 11
AQA

Analysing the ideas of connections in Antrobus' 'With Birds You're Never Lonely'

I can explain how Antrobus uses language, form and structure to express ideas of connections and the contrast between nature and the urban world in ‘With Birds You’re Never Lonely’.

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Year 11
AQA

Analysing the ideas of connections in Antrobus' 'With Birds You're Never Lonely'

I can explain how Antrobus uses language, form and structure to express ideas of connections and the contrast between nature and the urban world in ‘With Birds You’re Never Lonely’.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Antrobus’ use of colour imagery suggests nature is full of life and energy.
  2. Antrobus’ use of personification implies nature is able to form connections while man-made objects are not.
  3. The use of fragmented couplets could suggest that the speaker has yet to form a connection but that they desire one.
  4. The cyclical structure could show how the speaker’s journey has transformed the way they think about nature and mankind.
  5. The final line could be a critique of how humans perceive their relationship with nature.

Common misconception

That "black" and "white" imagery always relates to ideas of absence and emptiness.

While "black" and "white" imagery can signal a sense of absence and emptiness, we could also interpret them as showing strength and purity.

Keywords

  • Couplet - a pair of successive lines of verse, typically rhyming and of the same length

  • Conceptualise - form a concept or idea of (something)

  • Fragmentation - the action or process of breaking something into small parts

  • Cyclical - occurring in cycles; recurrent

  • Pensive - deeply or seriously thoughtful, often with a tinge of sadness

You might wish to share a summary of the poem before you begin your analysis if the pupils are unfamiliar with the poem.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the AQA World and Lives anthology for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is the definition of a cyclical structure?
a story told in chronological order
Correct answer: a story where the narrative occurs in cycles
a story told from a third-person omniscient narrator
Q2.
Which of the following is an accurate summary of Antrobus' 'With Birds You're Never Lonely'?
The speaker finds comfort in the modern, urban world.
Correct answer: The speaker finds the modern, urban world an isolating experience.
The speaker finds nature solely intimidating and overwhelming.
Q3.
Which of the following denotes a sense of lifelessness?
Correct answer: grey
white
yellow
Q4.
The continuation of the meaning of a line of poetry over onto the next is called ...
Correct Answer: enjambment
Q5.
Something "sturdy" is something ...
Correct answer: solid.
fragile.
Correct answer: strong.
unsound.
Q6.
The word "stumbling" contributes to the idea that the speaker of Antrobus' 'With Birds You're Never Lonely' had a __________ experience in nature.
Correct answer: profound
disturbing
dull
tentative

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
A pair of successive lines of verse, typically rhyming and of the same length is a ...
Correct answer: couplet.
volta.
sonnet.
stanza.
Q2.
Something "fragmented" means something ...
whole.
Correct answer: broken.
fragile.
sturdy.
Q3.
Which of the following quotations, taken from 'With Birds You're Never Lonely', conveys a sense of warmth onto nature?
"endless"
"sturdiness"
Correct answer: "sun-syrupped"
"chirped"
Q4.
Feeling "pensive" means feeling ...
confident.
Correct answer: thoughtful.
distracted.
Q5.
In 'With Birds You're Never Lonely', Antrobus uses couplets that do not rhyme and that are not the same length. How could we interpret this?
Correct answer: The speaker is searching for a sense of completeness.
The speaker has underlying a sense of completeness.
The speaker senses nature feels incomplete.
Q6.
Though there is arguably a cyclical structure, 'With Birds You're Never Lonely' exhibits a shift in which of the following from the beginning to the end?
speaker
Correct answer: mood
Correct answer: perspective