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Year 11
AQA

Exploring Romantic poems in the 'Love and Relationships' anthology

I can explain how poets reflect the tropes of Romanticism.

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New
New
Year 11
AQA

Exploring Romantic poems in the 'Love and Relationships' anthology

I can explain how poets reflect the tropes of Romanticism.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Romanticism arose from a conflicted time for society.
  2. Romanticism prioritised ideas of revolution, inspired by France.
  3. Romanticism focuses on subjective individual experiences.
  4. Romanticism displays affinity with or appreciation of nature.

Common misconception

Students might think Romantic poems are only about love and beauty.

Romantic poems also explore deep emotions, the sublime in nature, individualism and sometimes darker themes like sorrow and longing, reflecting the complexity of human experience.

Keywords

  • Romanticism - a cultural movement of the 18th and 19th centuries emphasising emotion, nature, and individualism

  • Trope - a common theme or device used repeatedly in literature or art

  • Affinity - a natural liking or connection to something or someone

  • Convention - a traditional or widely accepted way of doing something

  • Revolution - a significant change or overthrow of a system, often in politics or society

If you have previously explored the 'Gothic' with students it may be worth using this in your initial discussions setting out what 'Romanticism' is and the crossover it has with certain parts of the 'Gothic' movement.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Students will need access to the AQA 'Love and Relationships' anthology for Learning Cycle 2's Practice Task.

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.
What is a proper noun?
a word used to describe a concrete noun
a word that shows the position or location of an object or person
a word used to replace someone's name
Correct answer: the name of a specific person, place, thing, or entity, typically capitalised
Q2.
Why is it important to consider the wider historical context of a literary text in your analysis?
Correct answer: awareness of society's beliefs/attitudes can shape our interpretations
it can help us to understand archaic (old-fashioned) words and phrases
it shows that we know the text really well and makes our analysis more detailed
it isn't important - literary analysis should focus only on the text
Q3.
Match each of these poems from the AQA Love and Relationships anthology to the person who wrote them.
Correct Answer:'Follower' (1966),Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney

Correct Answer:'Love's Philosophy' (1819),Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Correct Answer:'Singh Song!' (2007),Daljit Nagra

Daljit Nagra

Correct Answer:'Sonnet 29' (1850),Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Q4.
What is emotive language?
language that uses minimal detail, often conveying information in a concise way
language that describes concepts or ideas rather than tangible objects or events
language aiming to stimulate strong reactions by being deliberately challenging
Correct answer: words or phrases chosen to evoke strong feelings or reactions in the reader
Q5.
Which of the following are examples of first-person pronouns?
Correct answer: I
You
He
They
Correct answer: We
Q6.
What is being described here: 'A traditional or widely accepted way of doing something.'?
Correct Answer: Convention, a convention, conventions

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
When did the Romantic period occur?
1500-1600s
1600-1700s
Correct answer: 1700-1800s
1800s-1900s
Q2.
Complete the missing word: 'Romantic literature often focused on __________ experience.'
shared
Correct answer: individual
community
romantic
Q3.
Complete the missing word: 'Romantic literature often emphasised an affinity with __________.'
love
conflict
Correct answer: nature
progress
family
Q4.
Which of the below are common tropes of Romanticism?
respect for institutional power
Correct answer: affinity for the natural world
Correct answer: dramatic and passionate emotions
Correct answer: priority of individualism and self-expression
a focus on love
Q5.
Which of the below poems from the 'Love and Relationships' anthology can be considered 'Romantic'?
Correct answer: 'Porphyria's Lover' (1836)
Correct answer: 'When We Two Parted' (1817)
'Singh Song!' (2007)
'Before you were mine' (2003)
Q6.
Look at the opening of Byron's 'When We Two Parted': "When we two parted, In silence and tears, Half broken-hearted, To sever for years". What Romantic tropes does this opening contain?
Correct answer: dramatic and passionate emotions
Correct answer: focus on the individual
affinity for nature
a break with convention
revolutionary ideals