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Year 10
AQA

Analysing the poem 'Eden Rock' by Charles Causley

I can explore how Causley presents an uncanny reunion between the speaker and their parents.

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Year 10
AQA

Analysing the poem 'Eden Rock' by Charles Causley

I can explore how Causley presents an uncanny reunion between the speaker and their parents.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Causley uses biblical and mythical imagery to suggest his parents are in the afterlife.
  2. Causley uses ethereal imagery to depict his mother as an angelic figure.
  3. Causley uses precise sensory imagery to make the moment of reunion seem like a memory.
  4. Causely uses an ambiguous resolution to leave the nature of the reunion a mystery.
  5. Effective analysis writing is nuanced because it includes multiple interpretations of the text.

Keywords

  • Ethereal - characterised by a delicate, otherworldly, or heavenly quality

  • Biblical imagery - images that reference bible stories

  • Sensory imagery - vivid descriptions invoking the five senses

  • Pluperfect tense - a verb tense which shows that one thing happened before another thing

  • Nuanced - subtly different aspects or details, often with underlying complexity

Common misconception

You should decide on one main interpretation of text and focus on that in your analytical writing.

Effective analytical writing often includes multiple interpretations of a text and careful consideration of the wider context.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing the poem 'Eden Rock' by Charles Causley, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Print off copies of the feedback to learning cycle two and have students annotate WWW/EBI onto this response before doing the same to their own.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You will need access to the poem 'Eden Rock' by Charles Causley. This can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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.
Which is the best synonym for the word 'uncanny'?
Correct answer: mysterious
ordinary
predictable
nostalgic
Q2.
Which of the following is the best definition of the verb 'to reunite'?
to separate angrily
Correct answer: to meet once more
to ignore pointedly
to run away
Q3.
What does it mean to say you have made a valid point?
presented a forceful argument
Correct answer: provided evidence for a clear point
offered a controversial interpretation of a text
made a statement that relates only slightly to the topic
Q4.
A complex response to literature is one where __________.
the reader summarises the main details of a text
Correct answer: the reader explores multiple layers of meaning
the reader argues forcefully against the writer's message
the reader focuses on the social and historical context of the text
Q5.
Which of the following words belongs in the following sentence: Causley's relationship with his parents is described evocatively but not precisely. This creates __________ in the poem.
clarity
darkness
Correct answer: ambiguity
honesty
Q6.
Which of the following is the best synonym for the word 'symbolise'?
Correct answer: represent
mimic
destroy
recommend

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
If we say that something is "ethereal" we mean that it is __________.
Correct answer: delicate and otherworldly
fragile and mysterious
radiant and mystical
ordinary and down to earth
Q2.
Which of the following sentences uses the pluperfect tense?
Correct answer: She had decided to take a break.
They will have finished the project by tomorrow.
He is reading a book.
We have been waiting for hours.
Q3.
Which of the following are credible connotations of the word Eden?
Correct answer: paradise
misery
apple tree
Correct answer: temptation
weakness
Q4.
In Greek mythology, the strip of water dividing the world of the living from the underworld is called the...
Correct Answer: River Styx, Styx
Q5.
In 'Eden Rock', the parents are beckoning to the speaker. How might you interpret the verb 'beckons'?
Correct answer: It is both imperious and inviting.
It is both aggressive and dismissive.
It is both excitable and dramatic.
Q6.
Which of the following best explains how, in 'Eden Rock', the speaker's mother is presented as angelic?
the way she stands near her husband
the way she lays out the picnic
Correct answer: the way her head seems to glow
the reference to the dog