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Year 10
AQA

Analysing the poem ‘Letters from Yorkshire’ by Maura Dooley

I can analyse how Maura Dooley presents the emotional effects of a long-distance relationship.

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New
New
Year 10
AQA

Analysing the poem ‘Letters from Yorkshire’ by Maura Dooley

I can analyse how Maura Dooley presents the emotional effects of a long-distance relationship.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Dooley uses metaphors to convey how the speaker yearns to have a closer relationship with the natural world.
  2. Dooley uses natural imagery to romanticise the man’s life in a rural setting.
  3. Dooley uses rhetorical questions to convey the moral value the speaker attaches to the natural world.
  4. Dooley's use of tercets could mimic the brief and fleeting nature of the communication between the pair.
  5. Dooley’s use of personal pronouns could mirror the ‘back and forth’ nature of their communication.

Common misconception

The speaker of the poem has unrequited romantic feelings for the man and yearns to be with him.

This is only one interpretation of the poem. Alternatively, the reference to "romance" in L.5 could imply that the speaker romanticises the natural world that she is so distanced from in her urban landscape and yearns to return to nature.

Keywords

  • Tercets - stanza of three lines in a poem, often forming a complete thought or unit

  • Alliteration - repetition of initial sounds in close succession for poetic or rhetorical effect

  • Romanticise - portraying something in an idealised or overly sentimental manner, often distorting reality

  • Inadequate - insufficient or lacking in quality, quantity or capability to meet requirements or expectations

  • Fleeting - brief or transient, passing quickly, often used to describe moments or experiences

Once you've introduced both interpretations of the text, split the class into groups and hold a formal debate with each team using evidence, contextual knowledge and analytical arguments to argue that their interpretation is a more convincing one.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to the poem 'Letters from Yorkshire' by Maura Dooley. This can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.

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 pronoun?
a word that shows how or when an action took place
a word used to describe a noun
a word which signifies that time has moved forward
Correct answer: a word used to replace or stand in for a specific person or thing
a word which shows the location or position of something
Q2.
Match each of the personal pronouns to the correct example.
Correct Answer:1st person personal ,I

I

Correct Answer:1st person plural,we

we

Correct Answer:2nd person personal ,you

you

Correct Answer:2nd person possessive,your

your

Correct Answer:3rd person personal ,he

he

Correct Answer:3rd person plural,they

they

Q3.
What is a lapwing?
a car part
Correct answer: a type of bird found on farmlands
a type of bird found in cities
an industry term used by journalists
a way of riding a bicycle
Q4.
Complete the sentence about the context of 'Letters from Yorkshire': Dooley spent time living in the so this could be a reflection of her longing to return to a natural setting.
Correct Answer: countryside, country side, country
Q5.
In 'Letters from Yorkshire', the relationship between the speaker and her friend is ambiguous; it could be , meaning there's no romance, or there could be underlying romantic feelings.
plateauing
Correct answer: platonic
pleasant
casual
illicit
Q6.
Which of these verbs are used to describe the speaker of 'Letters from Yorkshire'?
digging
planting
Correct answer: feeding
clearing
pouring

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does the word 'romanticise' mean?
woo somebody; date them with the intention of starting a romantic relationship
rewrite modern literature so it uses conventions from the Romantic movement
Correct answer: portray something in an idealised or overly sentimental manner
show commitment to a lover by marrying them
persuade someone to enter into an illicit affair with you
Q2.
What does fleeting mean?
a way that birds fly, moving up and down to make use of heat thermals
a way of digging the soil to promote seed growth
the feeling of emptiness that follows time spent with a loved one
a long, drawn out relationship that is slow-burning
Correct answer: brief or transient, passing quickly, often used to describe moments
Q3.
In 'Letters from Yorkshire', which adjective does Dooley use to show how the speaker views the man's life in the natural world?
similar
different
alien
Correct answer: other
repetitive
Q4.
How does Dooley emphasise the connection between the speaker and her friend in the last line of 'Letters from Yorkshire'?
The adjective "icy" emphasises the bleakness in the distance between them.
Correct answer: The noun "souls" implies there is a spiritual connection between them.
The noun "messages" implies they are always talking to each other.
Correct answer: The first person plural pronoun "we" groups them together as similar figures.
The verb "tap" suggests they devote their energy to writing these letters.
Q5.
In 'Letters from Yorkshire', Dooley alternates between first and second person to shift the focus between the speaker and her friend.
Correct Answer: pronouns, pronoun
Q6.
In line 9 of 'Letter from Yorkshire', Dooley uses a rhetorical question. The speaker questions whether her life has less than the man from Yorkshire. Which word is missing from the statement?
money
joy
loneliness
empathy
Correct answer: moral value