AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE 2015Poems Past and Present Anthology

Assessment ObjectivesAO1: Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to:• maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response• use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate

interpretations

AO2: Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.

AO3: Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the

contexts in which they were written. AO4: Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose

and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.

Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th century novel

• 1 hour 45 minute exam

• 64 marks• 40% of GCSE

Paper 1:What’s assessed:•Shakespeare Play (Macbeth)•19th Century Novel (A Christmas Carol)

Section A Shakespeare: students will answer one question on their play of choice. They will be required to write in detail about an extract from the play and then write about the play as a whole.

Section B 19th Century Novel: students will answer one question on a novel of choice. They will be required to write in detail about an extract from the novel and then to write about the novel as a whole.

Paper 2: Modern Texts and Poetry

What’s assessed:•Modern Prose or Drama Text•The Poetry Anthology•Unseen Poetry

Section A Modern Texts: students will answer one essay question from a choice of two on their studied modern prose or drama.

Section B Poetry: students will answer one comparative question on one named poem printed on the paper and one other poem from their chosen anthology cluster.

Section C Unseen Poetry: Students will answer one question on one unseen poem and one question comparing this poem with a second unseen poem.

Paper 2: modern texts and poetry• 2 hour 15 minute

exam• 96 marks

• 60% of GCSE

How it’s assessed:•Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes•64 marks•40% of GCSE

How it’s assessed:•Written exam: 2 hours 15 minutes•96 marks•60% of GCSE

When We Two Parted- Byron 1 May 2023

Must:Understand and be able to thoughtfully explain the meaning and main themes of the poem.(AO1)

Should:Explore and consider multiple interpretations of the poem. (AO1/AO2)

Could:Analyse the language, form and structure of the poem. (AO2)

Mini Starter

Consider the title

of the poem in

your pairs…

CHALLENGE:Explore multiple possibilities/ interpretations of meaning?

(Grade 7/8/9 skill)

What kind of relationship could this

represent?

What are the ways they could have ‘parted’?

What do you expect the tone of the poem to

be? Why?

When we two parted

ContextLord Byron (1788-1824) was an English poet and one of the most famous members of the Romantic movement.

This poem is said to be about his love affair with Lady Frances Webster. Not only was she a married woman, but she was also the wife of one of his friends. Later, after their affair ended, Byron learned of Lady Frances’ new affair with the Duke of Wellington.

THINK & PAIR

Does the notion of an ‘affair’ alter our opinions/predictions made

about the title?

SHARE

Knowing this context, why do we think Byron may

have written this poem?

First Impressions

As you read/listen consider:•Who is he talking about?•What has happened?•How much do we know/can deduce on our initial reading?

Identify the word/phrase Explain what you deduce Is there a second possible interpretation?

‘Thy vows were all broken’ A marriage vow has been broken by the affair.

A promise between the lovers has been broken. Perhaps a ‘vow of silence’ to keep their affair secret.

Begin to annotate your poem with a key focus on understanding the meaning of each stanza:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZYyMHEx6eA

Interpreting implied meaning: Inference

Select three of the following quotations. For each consider two/three interpretations that could be made:

‘The dew of the morning sunk chill on my brow- it felt like the warning of what I feel now. ‘

The dew was like a cold sweat, an omen of the suffering to follow.

Cold, like their feelings and a sign of how the relationship/love would chill.

The coldness as a premonition of death. Particularly the death of the affair.

‘Thy vows are all broken, And light is they fame;’

‘Long, long shall I rue thee,Too deeply to tell.’

‘They know not I knew thee,Who knew thee too well;’

‘They name thee before me-A knell to mine ear;’

‘I hear thy name spoken,And share in its shame.’

‘A shudder comes o’er me-’

When we two parted In silence and tears,Half broken-hearted To sever for years,Pale grew thy cheek and cold, Colder thy kiss;Truly that hour foretold Sorrow to this.

He addresses his former lover directly, which makes the poem feel more personal. This contrasts with the use of “They” in stanza – this hints at a bond between the narrator and his lover which keeps them separate from others

This could mean they had nothing to say to each other any more, but it also hints that their relationship was secret.

This could suggest that they weren’t properly in love with each other. However, it’s clear that the narrator was deeply affected by their parting, so perhaps he’s accusing his lover of only being half in love with him. He could also be referring to himself as “Half” of the couple, meaning that he’s broken-hearted and his former lover isn’t.

This violent imagery suggests that the parting was painful and traumatic for the narrator.

The narrator describes his lover like a corpse. This suggests that her feelings for him have died.

Repetition of the harsh ‘k’ sound emphasises coldness.

Enjambment emphasises the link between past and present-this shows how his sorrow is ongoing.

The dew of the morning Sunk chill on my brow-- It felt like the warningOf what I feel now.Thy vows are all broken, And light is thy fame;I hear thy name spoken, And share in its shame.

The cold dew on the narrator’s forehead reflects the coldness between him and his lover.

The poem switches to talk about the present.

Links to broken hearts in stanza 1

Her reputation is damaged (“light” suggests weak and flimsy) because people know about the affairs.

He hears people talking about the affairs his former lover is having – this is painful for him.

He feels he’s involved in her “shame” because he also had an affair with her

Alliteration of ‘sh’ sound links to silence

They name thee before me, A knell to mine ear;A shudder comes o’er me—Why wert thou so dear?They know not I knew thee, Who knew thee too well--Long, long shall I rue thee, Too deeply to tell.

He hears people talking about the affairs his former lover is having – this is painful for him.

Metaphor suggests that her name sounds like a death knell to him-it reminds him of the death of their relationship.

Rhetorical question emphasises how deeply he felt for her-he can’t bear to hear that she’s having affairs with other men.

The narrator repeatedly addresses his former lover directly, creating the impression that he’s still preoccupied by her-this shows how her actions continue to upset him

He doesn’t just feel sadness-he also regrets their relationship.

He’s silent because he’s incapable of expressing his pain-not just because of the need for secrecy.

Repetition emphasises how long he’ll feel regret.

In secret we met—In silence I grieve,That thy heart could forget, Thy spirit deceive.If I should meet thee After long years,How should I greet thee?—With silence and tears.

Because no-one knew they were lovers, he can’t talk about his pain.

He mourns their relationship like a death

Accusatory language suggests that he is angry.The poem switches

to thinking about the future

Repetition from stanza 1 emphasises secrecy and sorrow-he’s still hurting and is unable to move on.

Poem Dictionary

Sever-separateForetold- predicted or foreshadowFame- reputationKnell- the sound of a bell rung slowly to mark a deathRue- to feel regret or sorrow over something.

What is the poem about?

The narrator recalls the day he and his lover parted – she didn’t seem to have any affection for him anymore. He believes the sadness that he felt then foreshadowed the sadness he feels in the present.

Although time has passed, even hearing her name affects the narrator deeply. He hears people talking about her affairs with other me, and he feels hurt by her actions.

He thinks that he’ll always feel hurt – if he meets her again he’ll act just the same as when they parted.

Byron may have been writing about Lady Frances Webster-it’s rumoured they had a relationship while she was married to a friend of Byron’s. She apparently went on to have an affair with the Duke of Wellington.

Feelings and Attitudes in the poem

The narrator mourns the end of the relationship as though it’s a death.

The narrator seems angry that his lover has broken promises and is having affairs with other men. He imagines greeting her with silence and tears, suggesting he wants her to see how much she’s hurt him.

He regrets their relationship because of the way things turned out.-he suffered a lot.

What is your personal response?

1. Which syllables are stressed in the second stanza? What is the effect of this?

2. Why do you think the poet used language to do with the cold in this poem?

3. What impression do you get of the speaker’s former lover? Do you think this is likely to be fair?

Themes

The narrator in ‘Neutral Tones’ is also affected by a painful memory of losing his lover, and expresses this loss in terms of death. In contrast, the narrator of ‘Walking Away’ comes to terms with a painful memory.

S.M.I.L.E

Symbolism

AlliterationAssonance

Simile Extended Metaphor

Personification

Ballad Sonnet

Free verseDramatic monologue

Juxtaposition

Oxymoron

Emotive LanguageRepetition

Rhyming Couplet

Enjambment

Voice Tone

ANALYSING YOUR POEM

Reflection: SMILE Paragraph• Point:

Topic sentence with an adjective.

• Evidence: Quotation- try to embed it in the sentence.

• Explain: Select a keyword- why does it stand out?What is the effect on the reader?

• Language Analysis- Analyse what the word suggests & how it links back to the adjective.