New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Analysing how Bridges presents nature and belonging in 'Clear and Gentle Stream'

I can explain how Bridges uses language and structure to express his viewpoint.

New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Analysing how Bridges presents nature and belonging in 'Clear and Gentle Stream'

I can explain how Bridges uses language and structure to express his viewpoint.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Personification also helps to create a connection between the poet and the river - creates a sense of belonging.
  2. The use of onomatopoeia arguably creates an immersive, meditative atmosphere.
  3. Bridges' use of sibilance could mimic the flow of water to create a calm atmosphere.
  4. The cyclical structure may mimic the speaker's continual return to the stream.
  5. The regular rhyme might represent the unity and harmony between the speaker and nature.

Common misconception

Sibilance is only used to create a sinister atmosphere.

The repetition of 's' sound could also create a calming, soothing sound.

Keywords

  • Belonging - a feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group

  • Immersive - seeming to surround the reader so they feel completely involved

  • Meditation - a way of becoming calm and relaxed

  • Sibilance - repetition of the hissing sound 's' in nearby words

  • Onomatopoeia - words that imitate the natural sound associated with their meaning

It would be useful to recap Bridges' 'Clear and Gentle Stream' before the lesson.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the Edexcel Belonging anthology for this lesson.

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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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is the accurate summary of Bridges' 'Clear and Gentle Stream'?
The speaker is mourning the loss of their favourite place in nature.
Correct answer: The speaker is celebrating their lifelong connection to nature.
The speaker is showing someone else their favourite place in nature.
Q2.
'Attribution of human characteristics to non-human things' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: personification
Q3.
'Repetition of the hissing sound "s" in nearby words' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: sibilance
Q4.
When a text begins and ends in the same place or on the same phrases it's known as a structure.
Correct Answer: cyclical, circular
Q5.
A regular rhyme scheme can be interpreted as suggesting which of the following?
a sense of chaos
Correct answer: a sense of peace
a sense of unpredictability
Correct answer: a sense of control
Q6.
'Words that imitate the natural sound associated with their meaning' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: onomatopoeia

6 Questions

Q1.
'A feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: belonging
Q2.
Match the quotation from Bridges' 'Clear and Gentle Stream' with the technique.
Correct Answer:"her brightening moon",personification

personification

Correct Answer:"the deep bell hums",onomatopoeia

onomatopoeia

Correct Answer:"the proud swans stray",sibilance

sibilance

Q3.
'A way of becoming calm and relaxed' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: meditation, meditate
Q4.
The use of sibilance in Bridges' 'Clear and Gentle Stream' arguably creates a __________ atmosphere.
sinister
Correct answer: peaceful
apathetic
Q5.
In Bridges' 'Clear and Gentle Stream', the rhyme scheme could mimic the flow of .
Correct Answer: water, the stream, the water
Q6.
'Seeming to surround the reader so they feel completely involved' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: immersive, immersed