Identifying how poets reflect desire in natural settings
I can identify similarities and differences between ‘Sonnet 29’, ‘Love's Philosophy’ and ‘Letters from Yorkshire’.
Identifying how poets reflect desire in natural settings
I can identify similarities and differences between ‘Sonnet 29’, ‘Love's Philosophy’ and ‘Letters from Yorkshire’.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Shelley, Barrett-Browning and Dooley use natural imagery in their poems to depict an idealistic view of love and desire.
- Shelley, Barrett-Browning and Dooley convey an element of distance in the speaker’s relationship in their poems.
- Both Shelley and Barrett-Browning convey sexual desire within romantic relationships through natural imagery.
- Dooley is the only poet to depict an ambiguous and seemingly platonic relationship.
- Both Shelley and Dooley indicate that their speaker’s desire remains unfulfilled by the end of their poems.
Common misconception
Shelley's poem presents a purely positive view of love.
Interspersed among his speaker's overblown philosophical descriptions focused around the beauty of natural symmetry, it's possible to read an element of frustration that the speaker's feelings of desire are unrequited.
Keywords
Desire - intense longing or craving for something or someone
Ambiguous - unclear or open to interpretation; having more than one possible meaning
Yearning - deep longing, often associated with emotional desire
Intellectual - characterised by rational thinking and knowledge
Unfulfilled - desires, goals, or expectations not met; lacking satisfaction
Equipment
You will need access to 'Sonnet 29' (Barrett Browning), 'Love's Philosophy' (Shelley) and 'Letters from Yorkshire' (Dooley). They can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
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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