Understanding 'Winter Swans' by Owen Sheers
I can explain how Sheers presents a change in the speaker’s romantic relationship with another person.
Understanding 'Winter Swans' by Owen Sheers
I can explain how Sheers presents a change in the speaker’s romantic relationship with another person.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Sheers depicts a relationship which is initially fragmented as the couple are physically and emotionally separated.
- By the end of the poem the couple have salvaged their relationship and are reunified.
- The inconsistent form followed by a final couplet could mirror the changing status of the relationship.
- The setting at the start of the poem reflects the couples despairing and hopeless emotions.
- The poem is from a wider collection entitled 'Skirrid Hill' which means 'shattered mountain'.
Common misconception
Form and structure are the same thing.
Form deals with the 'poetic rules' that govern a poem and helps us to categorise it along with other similar poems whereas structure deals with how the ideas in the poem are ordered and organised.
Keywords
Fragmented - broken into pieces; lacking togetherness or unity
Unified - formed or integrated into a whole; cohesive or combined
Hope - an optimistic expectation; a longing for a positive outcome
Despair - overwhelming sadness; a loss of hope
Salvageable - something that can be saved or repaired
Equipment
You will need access to the poem 'Winter Swans' by Owen Sheers. 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).
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
Broken into pieces; lacking togetherness or unity
Formed or integrated into a whole; cohesive or combined
An optimistic expectation; a longing for a positive outcome
Overwhelming sadness; a loss of hope
Something that can be saved or repaired