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Year 10
Eduqas

Understanding 'Cozy Apologia' by Rita Dove

I can explain what I think 'Cozy Apologia' is about and support my opinion with evidence.

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Year 10
Eduqas

Understanding 'Cozy Apologia' by Rita Dove

I can explain what I think 'Cozy Apologia' is about and support my opinion with evidence.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. ‘Cozy Apologia’ is dedicated to Dove’s husband Fred, whom she married in 1979.
  2. Dove contrasts the safety of her love with her husband with the danger of the approaching hurricane.
  3. Whilst the relationship does not appear exciting, the speaker clearly feels safe and loved with her partner.
  4. Arguably, Dove is grateful for the mundanity of her life with her husband.

Keywords

  • To enrich - to improve or enhance the quality of something.

  • Interracial couple - a relationship that takes place between two people who are from different racial or ethnic groups.

  • Tribute - an act or statement that is intended to show appreciation for something or someone.

  • Mundane - ordinary/usual.

Common misconception

Students often think that there is only 'one right interpretation' of a poem.

Students are shown in this lesson that poetry can be read in several different ways and that any interpretation is valid. Students should be encouraged to explore multiple interpretations when discussing poetry.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding 'Cozy Apologia' by Rita Dove, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

For the last task in learning cycle 2, it might be nice to challenge students to come up with as many different interpretations of the word 'stolen' as possible, to show them how many different ways they can look at the poem. It might be useful to brainstorm these as a class.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the Eduqas poetry anthology for this lesson.

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

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 does the word 'cosy' mean?
Correct answer: giving a feeling of comfort or warmth
feeling distant from somebody
when something is huge or vast
when somebody is friendly and kind
when something is valuable or expensive
Q2.
Who is the speaker in a poem?
Correct answer: the person whose perspective the poem is written from
the person who wrote the poem
the person the poem is written to
Q3.
Which of the following words can be used as a synonym for 'to remember' or 'to think back to'?
to evaluate
to memorialise
Correct answer: to reminisce
to renew
Q4.
Which of the following is the definition of the term 'enjambment'?
a brief statement that refers to a character or incident from another text
repetition of words or phrases in the first part of successive clauses
Correct answer: the continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line, stanza or couplet
a set of words grouped by a common theme
Q5.
Which of the following words would belong in the same semantic field as the word 'licorice' (which is a type of sweet)?
Correct answer: sweet
smell
Correct answer: chewy
bitter
vomit
Q6.
Match the word up to its connotation.
Correct Answer:astride,bravery
tick

bravery

Correct Answer:senseless,foolish
tick

foolish

Correct Answer:nudging,gradual
tick

gradual

Correct Answer:divine,heavenly
tick

heavenly

Correct Answer:glinting,beauty/value
tick

beauty/value

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who wrote 'Cozy Apologia'?
Seamus Heaney
Wilfred Owen
Imtiaz Dharker
Correct answer: Rita Dove
Q2.
Which words does Dove use to describe her teenage crushes in 'Cozy Apologia'?
Correct answer: "thin"
"glinting"
"stolen"
"embarrassing"
Correct answer: "worthless"
Q3.
Starting with the first, put the summary of 'Cozy Apologia' in chronological order.
1 - Dove likens her husband to a knight-in-shining-armour.
2 - Dove informs us that hurricane Floyd is moving towards the couple's home.
3 - Dove reminisces about her teenage crushes.
4 - Dove paints a picture of the pair working from home together in their office.
Q4.
What word does Dove use to describe the time she spends with her husband in 'Cozy Apologia'?
Correct Answer: stolen, "stolen"
Q5.
Which of the following facts are true about Rita Dove?
Correct answer: Rita Dove is African American.
Her husband Fred is white British.
Correct answer: Rita Dove has faced racial discrimination in her life.
Dove married her husband during a time when interracial marriage was illegal.
Dove published 'Cozy Apologia' in 2005.
Q6.
Why might Dove have contrasted her love for her husband with the imminent danger of hurricane Floyd in 'Cozy Apologia'?
perhaps to show how powerful her relationship is - like a hurricane
to show her fear of the hurricane and how quickly it can destroy her life
Correct answer: arguably to show the safety and comfort her relationship brings her