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Year 10
Edexcel

Analysing the poem ‘What Were They Like?’ by Denise Levertov

I can explain how Levertov uses language, form and structure to express her viewpoint.

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Year 10
Edexcel

Analysing the poem ‘What Were They Like?’ by Denise Levertov

I can explain how Levertov uses language, form and structure to express her viewpoint.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are many juxtaposed images of beauty and destruction in the poem.
  2. The past tense highlights what is lost in war.
  3. The poem ends in the present tense, creating a sense of continued loss.
  4. The poem is written in free verse which could represent the lack of harmony and peace war brings.
  5. Levertov uses symbolism and repetition to emphasise the contrast between life before and after the war.

Keywords

  • Juxtaposition - placing two or more things side by side, contrasting them for emphasis or effect

  • Free verse - a style of poetry that does not follow a specific rhyme scheme, meter, or other traditional poetic conventions

  • Harmony - a pleasing combination of elements (e.g. sounds, colours) which result in a sense of unity or balance

  • Culture - the shared customs, beliefs, practices and social institutions of a particular group of people or society

  • Chemical warfare - use of chemical substances (such as napalm or Agent Orange) to injure or kill enemy forces or civilians

Common misconception

This poem takes a retrospective view on the Vietnam War, looking back on the devastation many years later.

The poem is set in an alternate future, set after the Vietnam War had ended (and the US had won). It was actually first published in 1968, while the conflict was still ongoing. The war didn't end until 1975.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing the poem ‘What Were They Like?’ by Denise Levertov, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

As you explore the links between the juxtaposed images in learning cycle 1, write any linked words (e.g. "stone", "blossom"/"bud") on flash cards or on the board and mind-map words or phrases we associate with these symbols.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You need access to a copy of ‘What Were They Like?’ by Denise Levertov. This can be found in the Edexcel Poetry Anthology (we will be using the ‘Conflict’ cluster).

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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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.
What is juxtaposition?
comparing two unlike things using 'like' or 'as' to create a vivid image
a word/phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences
Correct answer: placing two or more things side by side to emphasise their differences
a word that imitates or suggests the sound it represents
Q2.
Select the verbs below which are in the present tense.
was
Correct answer: jumps
Correct answer: sing
smashed
Correct answer: is
Q3.
What is free verse?
a poem with a strict rhyming and rhythmic pattern
a poem with a strict rhyming pattern but no set rhythm
a poem with a strict rhythmic pattern but no rhyme scheme
Correct answer: a poem with no rhyming or rhythmic pattern
Q4.
How many speakers does the poem 'What Were They Like?' have?
one
Correct answer: two
three
four
Q5.
Complete this sentence: 'The poet of 'What Were They Like?', Denise Levertov, was ...
a photographer who was sent to photograph the Vietnam War.
a sociologist who was passionate about the stories people tell about themselves.
a frontline soldier during WWI who wrote about her own experiences of war.
Correct answer: an active and passionate campaigner against the Vietnam War.
Q6.
Which of the following quotations from 'What Were They Like?' is repeated multiple times throughout the poem?
"Had they an epic poem?"
"There is an echo"
"laughter is bitter"
"It is silent now."
Correct answer: "It is not remembered"

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does 'harmony' mean?
a piece of music, based on a historical piece of art
more than one person singing together
two contrasting elements found near or next to each other
Correct answer: a pleasing combination of elements which result in a sense of unity or balance
Q2.
Why does Levertov frequently use repetition and symbolism in her 'answers' to each 'question' in the second stanza of 'What Were They Like?'
Correct answer: to imply that war has changed symbols of joy to symbols of sadness and grief
her poem has a repeated chorus which emphasises her overall message
to suggest that history continually repeats itself
to imply that history is figurative and can always be rewritten
Q3.
In 'What Were They Like?', Levertov uses references to heat damage, describing things as "burned" and "charred". How could this link to the wider context of the poem?
She could be linking to harsh weather conditions in Vietnam.
She could be referring to the forest fires that regularly occur in Vietnam.
Correct answer: She may be referencing the napalm firestorms which injured and killed millions.
She may be linking to the flamethrowers used by anti-communist forces.
Q4.
What is juxtaposition?
a situation where two ideas or actions are in conflict with each other
Correct answer: placing two or more things side by side, contrasting them for emphasis or effect
a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses for emphasis
a style of poetry that does not follow a specific rhyme scheme or rhythm
Q5.
How does the final line of 'What Were They Like?' convey a continued sense of grief and loss?
It uses repetition to show how little is remembered of Vietnamese culture.
Correct answer: It shifts to the present tense to imply that the grief is still ongoing.
It uses a rhetorical question to emphasise how unnecessary the war was.
It shifts to the past tense to reflect on everything that was lost in the war.
Q6.
Which of these quotations from 'What Were They Like?' conveys a sense of hope that remnants of Vietnamese culture have remained?
"It was not remembered."
"A dream ago, perhaps."
Correct answer: "There is an echo yet"
"Who can say?"