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Year 10
AQA

Analysing the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather' by Andrew Waterhouse

I can analyse how Waterhouse uses language and structure to convey the complexity of reminiscing about a lost loved one.

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New
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Year 10
AQA

Analysing the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather' by Andrew Waterhouse

I can analyse how Waterhouse uses language and structure to convey the complexity of reminiscing about a lost loved one.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Waterhouse use an extended metaphor to compare climbing a mountain with reflecting upon the past.
  2. Waterhouse uses imagery to convey the precarious and multifaceted nature of the climb and remembering a loved one.
  3. Waterhouse juxtaposes the comfort derived from the 'grandfather memory' with the painful process of reminiscing.
  4. Waterhouse uses imagery to create a peaceful and tranquil final image of the grandfather.
  5. The single, unbroken stanza could reflect the unending process of grieving for a loved one.

Keywords

  • Extended metaphor - the repeated use of the same metaphorical idea throughout a text

  • Ambivalent - experiencing conflicting emotions about something or someone

  • Precarious - a situation that is unstable, risky or dangerous

  • Juxtaposition - two contrasting ideas that appear next to each other

  • Stanza - a group of lines in a poem that function like a poetic paragraph

Common misconception

Ambivalence means you do not care either way (similar to indifference).

Ambivalence is when someone has mixed or conflicting feelings about something or someone.

Consider using a visualiser to display the poem in order to model what good annotations look like. This is a great way ensure that pupils are able to overcome presentation challenges and annotate effectively.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need two different coloured pens or highlighters and access to the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather' by Andrew Waterhouse. This can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.

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).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather' about?
someone exploring the grandfather's attic after their death
Correct answer: someone reminiscing about climbing up their grandfather's body as a child
someone climbing a mountain with their grandfather
Q2.
How does the speaker feel at the beginning of the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather'?
excited but nervous
Correct answer: safe and secure
worried for their safety
exhausted but triumphant
sad and lonely
Q3.
A is when you compare two things using 'like' or 'as'.
Correct Answer: simile
Q4.
Which examples below are a metaphors?
The teacher was like a dragon.
Correct answer: The teacher was a dragon.
The teacher shouted as loudly as a lion.
The teacher was mean.
Correct answer: The teacher roared at the class, her eyes blazing with fury.
Q5.
Which of the quotations from the middle of the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather' show the speaker is becoming worried about the risks of their climb?
"old brogues, dusty and cracked"
"the glassy ridge of a scar"
Correct answer: "I rest for while in the shade, not looking down"
"the slow pulse of his good heart"
"I change direction, traverse along his belt"
Q6.
When a writer repeatedly draws on the same metaphorical comparison throughout a text, we call it an ...
repetition.
alliterative phrase.
Correct answer: extended metaphor.
extended noun phrase.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following words means 'experiencing conflicting emotions about something or someone'?
ambiguous
Correct answer: ambivalent
artificial
antipathy
apathetic
Q2.
What is juxtaposition?
when a writer compares two things using 'like' or 'as'
using three short sentences, one after another
Correct answer: two contrasting ideas that appear next to each other
two or more words found next to each other that start with the same sound
giving human characteristics to an inanimate object
Q3.
How does Waterhouse use an extended metaphor in 'Climbing My Grandfather'?
Correct answer: He compares climbing his grandfather's body to climbing a mountain.
He compares climbing a mountain to climbing his grandfather's stairs.
He uses lots of different similes and metaphors throughout the poem.
He compares his grandfather to a range of natural landscapes.
He recounts a story his grandfather told him as a child.
Q4.
Which of these best describes the structure of 'Climbing My Grandfather'?
The poet uses lots of little stanzas.
Correct answer: The poet uses one unbroken stanza.
The poet uses four stanzas, each four lines long.
The poet uses five stanzas, each of which follow an ABAB rhyme scheme.
The poet uses six stanzas, each one a different length.
Q5.
The speaker in 'Climbing My Grandfather' is ambivalent towards reminiscing about their childhood. It could be suggested that they view their childhood memories as ...
exciting but dangerous.
sad but necessary.
calming but difficult to remember.
Correct answer: comforting but painful.
confusing but pleasant.
Q6.
Match each language technique to the correct example in the quotes from 'Climbing My Grandfather'.
Correct Answer:juxtaposition,"easy scramble"

"easy scramble"

Correct Answer:extended metaphor,"his thick hair (soft and white at this altitude)"

"his thick hair (soft and white at this altitude)"

Correct Answer:symbolism,“I can only lie watching clouds and birds circle”

“I can only lie watching clouds and birds circle”