At the beginning of Grade nine, I had a well-formed picture of what to expect from poetry, as I had studied it

throughout middle school. Upon beginning to study poetry, I quickly realised how much deeper IGCSE Lit-
erature was going to take it. Of course, I had expected more complex material and analysis, but the extent to
which that was the case was something I hadn’t previously accounted for. By the end, my mind was so much
more in tune with the devices poets use to create effects and how to identify and interpret them on a deeper
level, doing away with the superficiality that had previously permeated my analysis. I now consider form,
rhythm, meter, syllabic patterns (or lack thereof), and the quality of the phonemes in not only my analysis
but general consumption of poetry on a much deeper level.

Poetry, I think, was taught in a very effective way. To begin by learning about the poet, at least on a basic
level, gives the work that is about to be studied context and allows for one to pick up on possibly autobio-
graphical elements or general themes that may be drawn from or reflect the life of the poet. Furthermore,
class discussions are handled well and allow for a multifaceted view of the poem, without one set interpreta-
tion being taught. While this approach allows for freedom, the moderation Mr. Richard provided kept us on
pace to complete the necessary poems in time for the exam. If there’s one thing I'd change, it would be doing
more written analysis. It need not be in the form of an analytical essay, but analysing short segments of po-
etry in class and producing a short piece of written analysis may have been beneficial for further practicing
the skills required to effectively analyse in written form.

My favourite poem by far was “The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument” by Anne Stevens. The poem explores
the seemingly apparent dichotomy between the arts or more specifically emotions and science. The poem
claims that the “vagaries of the mind,” the spirit, cannot compare to the habitual and pre-programmed preci-
sion executed by the subconscious mind. The message being that such complexity, in the poem’s case, mak-
ing a baby, could not be achieved by the human spirit. However, I think it’s particularly poignant to think
that, without any outside influence, something so cold and calculated can allow for the world of emotion that
humans experience and draw from to produce monumental works of art. The relationship between the sci-
ences and the arts is a fascinating one, and this poem explores it beautifully.

In terms of the analytical essay, the practice over the two years has given me the ability to naturally write an
effective introduction and conclusion while consistently answering the question throughout the essay. It’s
also a lot easier to quote thoroughly throughout the response. However, as of now, I must improve my ability
to more specifically refer to how the text I’ve quoted achieves the effect I say it does quickly and effectively.
I’m confident I can do this given the time to mull it over; however, during the exam, I don’t have that privi-
lege. The main thing I’m doing to remedy this is practice more analysis under exam conditions.