Flashcards
Poetry notes
Cards in this deck (15)
- 1'Our Sharpeville' Summary'Our Sharpeville'
Subject - The poem is about the event that happened on the 21 March 1960 when white South African police open fired on a crowd of black protesters, killing 69 people and injuring lots more.
Structure - The poem has 5 stanzas varying in length. There is no rhyme in this poem. This poem is very descriptive and is quite slow paced.
Style - Lots of similes and metaphors to do with sound, colour and movement. The poem includes juxtaposition and towards the end of the poem, there is lots of secrecy and concealment to hide the horrible reality of the event where many people hid away and blocked it out.
The poem is told from the viewpoint of a young white girl and she is vulnerable to the propaganda and prejudice at the time. She is told one thing, which is of course propaganda and lies, that she can't help thinking is a lie. The prejudice is planted into her mind from a young age and she knows that it is wrong. - 2'Exposure' Summary'Exposure'
Subject - The true reality of war.
Structure - There are 8 stanzas each being 5 lines long. No rhythm or rhyme, as such, which reflects the slow pace and the dying soldiers.
Style - Repetition of 'But nothing happens' emphasises that everything is happening - they're dying. Lots of imagery, appealing to the senses. Staccato - 'jerky' rhythm reflects the stabbing knife. Weather is personified. Lexical field of war and weather. Similes.
The soldiers are waiting for something to happen and they are dying in the process. The weather is their real enemy. The poet tries to get across to the reader that war is a waste of these men's lives and the true reality of war is not what everyone thinks. - 3'The Drum' Summary'The Drum'
Subject - The poet's opinion about the unpleasant realities of war and the contrast between what soldiers expect when they join up and the true realities.
Structure - There are two stanzas both with 8 lines. There are rhyming couplets in both stanzas. Only two full stops showing the poem is continuous like the sound of the drum.
Style - The first two lines are repeated in the second stanza. The alternate rhyme gives the poem an up-beat feel that contrasts with the subject matter. Violent words and emotive vocabulary are used.
The first stanza consists of reasons why men join up and the second stanza reveals the realities, from the poet's POV, of war. The men that join up don't know the true realities at first but realise them later when it is too late. The poet's view may be biased but it is honest and realistic too. - 4'O what is that sound' Summary'O what is that sound'
Subject - How war affects everybody.
Structure - Set structure with AB rhyming. Each verse is four lines and there are 9 stanzas. It's a ballad and there are two personas. The use of questions and dialogue is effective.
Style - Repetition on the second line of each stanza. Senses - sight, sound. Dynamic verbs. Colour - Scarlet soldiers, eyes burning red - anger
Two personas, man and woman, describing the soldiers actions through questions and answers. The soldiers are coming for the man, we think, and so he leaves his wife so he doesn't get captured. The woman is scared and we don't know what will happen to her. The pace gradually speeds up towards the end of the poem. Each stanza starts with 'O'. - 5'Conscientious Objector' Summary'Conscientious Objector'
Subject - The poem is about a 'Conscientious Objector' who is someone who refuses to fight in a war.
Structure - This poem has 4 stanzas, two with 6 lines, one with 4 and one with 1 line. The first line sums up the poem. No rhyme.
Style - The phrase 'I will not' and the words 'he', 'his' and 'him' are repeated throughout. 'He' is death and is personified in the poem. Enjambment is used to show that death is continuous. Death is the hunter/paymaster in this poem..
This poem links and contrasts with 'The Drum'. The poem is a metaphor/symbolic poem showing that when soldiers go to war, they are giving their life away to 'Death'. This poem emphasises that a 'Conscientious Objector' will not help 'Death' (War) to consume more people and put more lives to waste. - 6'August 6, 1945' Summary'August 6, 1945'
Subject - The horror of nuclear warfare.
Structure - 6 stanzas, each varying in length. Only one full stop so there is enjambment. On the page, the poem is like a timeline with the events in chronological order.
Style - 'Later' is repeated lots to show the passing of time. Lots of imagery has been used so the reader can really visualise the events. This is a key poetic technique in this poem.
This poem is very visual and the reader can show empathy to the victims. The pilot is also a victim because this act will play on his conscience for the rest of his life. Colour is also used and the colours link to those of the mushroom cloud (explosion). This poem has an effect on the reader that they feel sadness or sorrow for the victims and makes them really think about the consequences of war. - 7'Invasion' Summary'Invasion'
Subject - The poem describes an approaching invasion.
Structure - The poem has 5 stanzas and they vary in length. This poem, like 'August 6, 1945' has the events of the invasion in chronological order. No rhyme.
Style - The words 'we', 'they' and 'our' are repeated throughout the poem. There is lexical field of military in the poem. There is also imagery in the poem helping us visualise the invasion and what's happening.
The poet wants the reader to feel sympathy for the people being invaded. There is nothing they can do and they don't stand a chance - quite like the innocent victims of the atomic bomb in the poem 'August 6, 1945'. There is a sense of hopelessness for the people being invaded that are fighting for their lives with 'rusty guns' that are no match for the enemy. - 8'Half-caste' Summary'Half-caste'
Subject - The poem is about racism and how people judge those who are half-caste just because of their background.
Structure - 4 stanzas long with varying length. Little or no rhyme but the words have a Caribbean rhythm. Only a little punctuation gives the feel that the writer is just throwing out his thoughts and feelings.
Style - Lots of repetition, 'Half-caste', 'Explain yuself', 'Wha yu mean'. Metaphors and strong images to make an impact on the reader and make them realise the prejudice. - 9'Parade's End' Summarylol
- 10'Belfast Confetti' Summarylol
- 11'Catrin' Summarylol
- 12'Your dad did what?' Summarylol
- 13'The Class Game' Summarylol
- 14'Cousin Kate' Summarylol
- 15'Hitcher' Summarylol
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- GCSE English (Poetry) Flashcards on Poetry notes, created by MayhemMagician17 on 02/01/2016.
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