POEM Theme Tone Structure/FORM Techniques Language Key Quotes Compare with

and What is the poem What is the mood How is the poem Poetic terminology Specific words and You can’t learn
CONTEXT about? of the poem? set out? their importance. every poem, but
these quotes might
assist you.
A Poison Tree A man addressing his Angry and points, calm Ballad form – Symbolism – the tree. “apple” – noun. The “I was angry with my
By William Blake. anger once and getting and measured at Firmly rooted and symbol of the friend:
over it, but then not others. 4 stanzas each with 4 growing/stemming temptation which links I told my wrath, my
Romantic poet – addressing it the second Ambiguous tone. lines, strong rhyming symbolising the anger to the Biblical story of wrath did end.”
literature rooted in time and allowing it to couplets/AABB rhyme growing within the Adam and Eve.
nature and man’s grow within him, scheme. speaker.
destruction of nature. rooting it firmly within Anaphora/repetition – “see” – verb. “In the morning glad I
Blake often uses his mind and eventually “I”. Reinforces it was Everything else is past see
religious imagery and having it explode with the speaker’s decision tense but this is a My foe outstretch’d
references. This poem devastating not to deal with his present-tense verb, beneath the tree.”
links to anger (wrath) consequences for his anger. suggesting the speaker
which is one of the “foe” who is found dead Personification – “night can still visualise the
seven deadly sins. under a tree at the end. had veil’d the pole” event. It has had a
Blake portrays how you underscoring the lasting effect.
should not allow the darkness (evil) which
evil of wrath to root hid the killing of his foe. “foe” – noun. Suggests
itself within you or it the person who is dead
will lead to the devil’s at the end was the
work. speaker’s enemy, but it
is never clarified why.
Said in contrast to
“friend” in the
beginning line.

The Destruction of An army went to attack Calm and never overly Ballad form - Simile/sibilance – “like “summer” and “And the sheen of their
Sennacherib Jerusalem but the ruler violent – reflecting the stars on the sea”. “autumn” – nouns. spears was like stars on
By Lord Byron. – Judah – begged for power of God over 6 stanzas each with 4 Underscores the Symbolises things the sea,”
God’s help. As the army man. lines (quatrains), strong soldiers gleaming – strong and full of life, to
Another Romantic poet lay in wait the night rhyming couplets/AABB portrays their shiny then being in a state of
but more liberal – had before attacking, God Tone changes in final rhyme scheme. armour. decay. “And breathed in the
an unsettled upbringing responds to Judah’s stanza where the “wail” Semantic/lexical field face of the foe as he
and led to Byron living a request and sends an of the families of The structure is set out of water – “sea”, “breathed” – verb. pass’d”
somewhat risqué life. “Angel of Death” who Sennacherib’s army chronologically, in order “wave”, “surf” – Underscores the lack of
This poem links to a breathes on the soldiers contrasts the silent and of the events as they suggests cleansing like effort the Angel of
Biblical story and and kills them all – peaceful deaths of the occur. God cleanses the Earth Death needed to wipe
fundamentally shows showing the power of soldiers. of these evil men. out Sennacherib’s army.
that God’s power is far God over man. Alliteration – “Face of
greater than that of the foe”. Sounds like “Lord!” – noun. The
mortals/man. the breath of the “Angel last word of the poem,
of Death” as he underscoring Byron’s
breathes on the army viewpoint that God is
and kills them all, the most important
effortlessly. power and force on
Earth.
Extract from The This section from this Switches from the Blank verse form – Repetition of “summer” – noun. “a huge peak, black and
Prelude epic poem explores the speaker believing he monosyllabic word Suggests the most huge”
By William speaker finding a boat can control nature, to All one lengthy “huge”, reinforces his joyous season and
Wordsworth. and going for a row, realising how powerful stanza/section from a loss of words at the size happiness is contained “There hung a darkness,
only to see the nature is over man. HUGE poem. No of the mountain. within the poem. call it solitude”
The third Romantic poet mountains loom over From calm and regular rhyme but s Simile – “like a swan”, Misleading.
in our collection. As a him which terrify him. peaceful/serene, to STRICT 10 syllables per suggesting he has “No familiar shapes
young man, It affects him for days terror and nervousness. line. power to manipulate “solitude” – noun. remained,”
Wordsworth developed afterwards – the the water and power Shows how alone he is
a love of nature, a message being that over nature at this surrounded by nature
theme reflected in man does not have point. and the eminent power
many of his poems, but power over nature; Iambic Pentameter – of nature.
he suffered many nature has power over strong 10 syllables per
personal losses in his man. line providing a “and” – conjunction.
life and so his poetry conversation and Repeated showing his
often links to grief and chatty/personal tone to breathlessness and
losing people he loved. the poem. anxiety caused by the
mountain.
The Man He Killed Two men from opposite A chatty tone which Ballad form – Repetition – “because” “he” (in the title) – “I shot him dead
By Thomas Hardy. sides in the Boer War turns dark and upset as suggesting he is pronoun. Suggests the because-
meet on the battlefield the poem continues. 5 stanzas each with 4 stuttering and trying to speaker is trying to Because he was my
A Victorian novelist and and shoot at each The final stanza tries to lines, strong ABAB justify (to himself) why separate himself from foe,”
poet who linked a lot of other. The speaker lives make light of what he rhyme he killed the man. the incident.
his works to nature and but his adversary does has done, but it is clear scheme/alternate lines Punctuation - “just as I – was out of
rural life. His work is not. The speaker (NOT that he is critiquing the rhyme. particularly the full stop “foe” – noun. This work”
often real and hard- HARDY but a character futility of war and trying after “and killed him in word is repeated which
hitting rather than in his poem) cannot to justify his actions in his place.” Underscoring suggests the speaker is
figurative and understand why he his head. the finality of the man’s trying to justify to
encrypted. This poem killed someone – if they life. himself why he killed
links to The Boer Wars had met anywhere else Enjambment – between the man – even though
and his opinion that they would have stanzas 3 and 4, he didn’t know him.
there is a probably got along and showing how he is
nonsensical/futile been friends. The poem thinking that the man “although” –
(pointless) nature to underscores Hardy’s was just like him and he conjunction. Suggests
war. view that war is futile is punishing himself for he doesn’t manage to
 and pointless. having killed him
(underscoring the
futility of the situation).
make himself believe he
had any good reason to
kill him and shows his
regret and upset at
having killed someone
just like himself.

Cousin Kate A young, Victorian girl Resentful Ballad form – Sibilance – “shameless “plaything” – noun. “To lead a shameless
By Christina Rossetti. gets chatted up and Jealous shameful life”. Suggests Suggests she was his shameful life,”
made to feel special by Betrayed 6 stanzas each with 8 the topic is being toy which he played
Another Victorian poet a “Lord”. She loses her Smug (in the end) lines per stanza. Mostly shushed – cannot be with for a bit but got “he changed me like a
from a family of very virginity to him, only for ABAB rhyme scheme openly talked about in bored of and cast aside. glove:”
important writers. A him to then cast her but not every alternate Victorian times.
devoutly religious lady, aside and start dating line rhymes; where Repetition – “pure” in “he” – pronoun. She “chose you and cast me
she often used fantasy the speaker’s cousin – rhyme lacks, there is a lines 25 and 27. does not give him a by.”
to discuss and explore Kate. The speaker is point to be made about Suggests she is mocking name and repeats “he”
Victorian issues in a upset and angry but something being Kate when the speaker throughout, suggesting
symbolic way. This shows happiness and missing/taken away. is no longer considered she kept her dignity and
poem critiques the smugness in the end as pure but the opposite didn’t name him, that
treatment of women in it is revealed that she due to the same man. he didn’t deserve a
Victorian England. conceived a child from Simile – “changed me name, or that he was
the affair (which made like a glove”. Suggests the one who was to
her an outcast in he changed her like a blame for it all.
Victorian society) but fashion accessory, but
her cousin cannot have used her like a puppet. “bought” – verb.
a baby. Suggests that her cousin
was tempted by money
and was fickle unlike
herself who truly loved
the Lord.

Half-caste Written so you read it Angry Free Verse form – Semantic/lexical field “excuse” – imperative “excuse me”
By John Agard. in a strong Caribbean Annoyed debatably 3 stanzas of colour – “red”, verb. Polite but also
accent(and therefore Demanding with a short one at the “green”, “black, quite aggressive. “explain yuself”
Born in Guyana in 1949 feel like you are in beginning and end with “white”. Suggests this Speaker demanding
to parents of different speaker’s shoes), the a lengthy one on the is a central theme of that you stop and listen “I half-caste human
races, John Agard speaker asks, over and middle. No regular the poem. to his point. being”
moved to Britain in over, why he is called rhyme. No set syllables Repetition – “half
1977. His poetry often “half-caste” and why, per line. Almost like a caste”. Makes you “human being” – noun.
includes imaginative when other things are rant/getting things off think of his critique of Central point of the
and darkly comic mixed – like keys on a his chest. the term and how it is a poem. Underscores his
critiques of racial piano – they are negative thing to say. main idea that we are
misconceptions and considered beautiful Punctuation – the lack all the same, no matter
divisions. and he isn’t. of punctuation adds to our skin colour.
the angry rant of the
speaker who wants to “whole” – adjective.
get everything off his Suggests he wants you
chest in one go and gets to give him a real
you to listen until the opportunity and sense
end. of equality, not a half-
hearted, fake attempt.
Exposure A WW1 soldier Ominous A dramatic monologue Personification – used “ghosts” – noun. “merciless iced east
By Wilfred Owen. describes, in detail, the Horrific debatably written in an to describe the dangers Suggests the soldiers winds that knive us…”
horrors of war - and not Terrifying Ode form. The poem is of the elements, making are shadows of their
Owen was a British just as a result of the Cold structured into 8 the weather seem as form selves. “sudden successive
soldier in WW1 who gun fire. The use of Deathly stanzas. The last line of dangerous as the flights of bullets streak
was hospitalised at weather explains how each stanza is artillery. “cringe” – verb. Shows the silence.”
certain points in his deadly just being in the noticeably shorter and Sibilance/alliteration – the soldiers moving
career for “shell shock”. trenches is and how indented which “sudden successive back from the weather “but nothing happens.”
Died aged 25 after they are attacked by emphasises its flights of bullets streak and imminent dangers
being shot in service in the elements as well as importance and the silence”. Mimicking all around them.
the war – just days the opposition. A disrupts the flow of the the sound not only of
before the war ended. strong anti-war poem. poem. Many of these the icy, deadly winds, “we” – pronoun. A
This poem links to the short lines are either but of the whistling of group or men, showing
horrors and dangers of rhetorical questions or the bullets as they fly togetherness.
war, not just from the the repetition of the through the air. Underscoring the fact
opposing armies but phrase ‘But nothing Refrain – “but nothing that everyone felt the
from nature and the happens’. Both have the happens” on the end of same negativity and
elements in the effect of emphasising 4 of the stanzas, sense of futility.
treacherous trenches. the apparent underscoring the futility
pointlessness of what is of war and the
going on. monotony of their
The first four lines of days/efforts.
each stanza follow the
rhyming pattern
of abba. This regularity
emphasises the
unchanging nature of
daily life in the
trenches. Many of these
are half rhyme and do
not quite work as full

The Charge of the Light
Brigade
By Alfred, Lord
Tennyson.
Born at the beginning of
the Victorian period,
Tennyson was a hugely
popular poet and
writer. He was made
“Poet Laureate” and
created poems which
were meant to be
patriotic and reflect the
heroism of our men and
our great country. This
poem links to an actual
battle in the Crimean
War where men were
misinformed by their
superior officer and
sent to their inevitable
death by
marching/riding into an
ambush.
Catrin
By Gillian Clarke.
A current Welsh poet
(still alive), Clarke often
links her writing to
rhymes eg: knive
us/nervous, wire/war,
brambles/rumbles. This
helps to unsettle the
reader and defy the
expected outcome,
something which again
echoes the experience
of war.
On October 25, 1854, a Patriotic Ode form – Anaphora/repetition of “six hundred” – noun. “Rode the six hundred.”
Commander in the Gallant “theirs” in lines 13-15. Repeats and reinforces
Crimean War issued an Brave 6 stanzas of varying Shows that it was not the amount of men who “Cannon to the right of
ambiguous order that Heroic lengths but all very the soldiers’ decision or died in the battle. them,
his soldiers narrow – symbolising fault. Cannon to the left of
misinterpreted, the narrow valley. Metaphor – “jaws of “Theirs” – pronoun. them,
resulting in the ABCBDDCB rhyme death”/”mouth of hell”. Suggests it was not Cannon in front of
infamous “Charge of scheme in first stanza Suggests they were their decision or fault them”
the Light Brigade” but this is not sustained eaten alive by an evil that they died.
against a heavily throughout the poem. monster, like the “into the jaws of Death,
defended Russian There is repetition of soldiers were the prey “honour” – imperative Into the mouth of Hell”
position. Facing artillery “Rode the six hundred” of the Russian army. verb. Demands you (as
and musket fire on (refrain) and variations Alliteration – “horse the reader) think of
three sides, British of this line at the end of and hero”. Suggests them as brave and
cavalrymen were every stanza. breathlessness of worthy soldiers who
slaughtered in 100s as speaker, like they are died courageously.
they galloped down the The rhythm mimics teary or upset retelling
so-called “valley of horses galloping. the story.
death.” Yet because
they maintained
discipline amid the
chaos and even
managed to briefly
scatter the Russians,
the British public
glorified them.
Set out in two stanzas, Tense Dramatic monologue Metaphor – “Red rope “fierce” – adjective. “I can remember you
the poem explores the Unsettled written in Free Verse. of love”. The rope being Underscores the child,”
relationship between Angry Little rhyme and two the placenta and the conflict between the
mother and daughter – stanzas of different thing tying them mother and daughter “the tight red rope of
the first stanza being sizes. together. from the outset. love”
the birth and early Alliteration – “window
nature and the welsh childhood (past) and watching”. The “separate” – adjective. “Still I am fighting you
landscape. However, the second being their repetition of the W Shows that they are off,”
as current and topical relationship in the now. sounds symbolising the two individual people
as most of her poems It addresses struggles ups and downs of their and their bond is not as
are, they are also between the mother relationship. natural and close as
haunted by many and daughter and how Rhyme – there is very some mothers and
different kinds of past their relationship is not little, showing the daughters.
which re-surface in the (and never has been) erratic nature of the
present. This poem is easy. relationship. “defiant” – adjective.
autobiographical (as Reinforces the teenage
Gillian’s daughter is attitude of the daughter
called Catrin) and it in the second stanza
explores the struggles and how their conflict
in a relationship continues into their
between mother and present day
daughter. relationship.

War Photographer Satyamurti reveals the Positive at points - Free verse form – 5 Alliteration – “frame is “tragic” – adjective. “when I followed a
By Carole Satyamurti. details seen by a war Horrific at others. stanzas of varying sizes flexible”. Underscores The topic of the small girl staggering”
photographer which Horrifying with little rhyme. the nervousness of the speaker’s photographs.
A current writer, show that war is Emotive speaker. “she dropped her
Satyamurti’s poems are individual and personal. The first stanza is 8 lines Emotive “staggering” – verb. burden”
read as personable, The speaker remembers whilst the middle ones language/imagery – Describes the way the
almost conversational taking pleasant photos are around half that size “dropped her burden young girl was walking “mouth too small for
digressions from our at “Ascot” and then, which help to build […] mouth too small”. and underscoring her her dark scream,”
everyday surroundings, more recently and in tension. The last stanza Making you visualise plight.
into ideas that feel stark contrast, tells how is 7 lines long the young girl dropping
suddenly larger than he/she sees a small suggesting something a baby to save her own “burden” – noun. The
her subjects should child carrying a baby has been lost between life. word used to describe
allow – often with which she has to drop the beginning and end Adjective – “first bomb the baby the young girl
political and and abandon in order to for the speaker – of the morning”. dropped to save her
psychological save her own life - the possibly a part of their Suggests loads more own life. Shows
undercurrents of war. photographer unable to heart due to witnessing have been before and detachment by the
help or assist but such atrocities in the there will be more that speaker and harshness
merely photograph and war. day. of the situation.
report the reality for
the rest of the world to
see.
Belfast Confetti The speaker is in the Confused Free verse form written Rhetorical questions – “suddenly” – adverb. “Suddenly as the riot
By Ciaran Carson. middle of Belfast (the Violent in a dramatic “why can’t I escape?” The opening word of squad moved in,”
capital city of Northern Lost monologue. The lines and “What is my the poem which grabs
A Northern Irish poet Ireland) when conflicts are long with a short name?”. Underscores the reader’s attention “I was trying to
and writer who is still are happening. The few words which follow his confusion as to what immediately, like complete a sentence in
alive today. This poem explosions and gunfire on the line underneath, is happening. explosions do to the my head but it kept
links to ‘The Troubles’ – are metaphorically suggesting the Metaphor – “labyrinth”. speaker. stuttering,”
a time when represented by disjointed and confused Even though he knows
organisations such as punctuation marks nature of the events the area, he describes it “stuttering” – verb.
the IRA fought to end suggesting language is occurring around him. as a maze, suggesting Underscores his
British rule of Northern more effective than The first stanza is he has to find his way confusion and how
Ireland. artillery and written in past tense, through the firing and frightened he is at the
underscoring the the second stanza in the conflict. situation.
confusion of the present suggesting the Imagery – “A fusillade
speaker. events still trouble him of question marks”. “escape” – verb.
(and others like him) Showing a quick gunfire Suggests he is trapped
today. of question marks and there is no way out.
which again Underscores how
underscores his panicked he is.
confusion.
The Class Game The speaker uses basic, Angry Free verse form written Metaphor – “hands are “corpy” – colloquial “How can you tell what
By Mary Casey. monosyllabic, Passionate in a dramatic stained with toil”. language used for a class I’m from?”
sometimes Proud monologue. One long Suggesting she works council house.
A current, working-class colloquial/scouse stanza with little rhyme. really hard but ridicules Underscores her roots “’cos we live in a
writer from Liverpool, language to question Repetition of “How can that she should be and working class corpy,”
Casey clearly critiques and explain how she you tell what class I’m judged because of that background.
prejudgements and doesn’t think she from?” makes you (as reason. “say toilet instead of
discrimination of people should be judged the reader) question Repetition – “how can “pee” – slang language, bog when I want to
like her because of their because she is working your own you tell what class I’m not formal English. pee?”
supposed “class”. class, but prejudgements of from?” Making the Suggests she doesn’t
fundamentally, that she people like the speaker. reader question their want to try and speak
is proud of her roots judgements. posh and is happy at
and where she comes Half Rhyme – her choice of vocab.
from. “from/some”,
“from/bum”. Suggests “proud” – adjective. In
she doesn’t want to the last line of the
conform to please poem and sums up her
others – she is proud of message.
who she is.

Poppies Using Remembrance Loving Written in free verse, Alliteration – “yellow “Armistice” – noun. The “Before you left, I
By Jane Weir. Sunday as a motif, the Worrisome there are four stanzas bias binding around day when a truce was pinned one onto your
speaker explains her Hopeful of irregular length; 6, your blazer”. achieved in WW1. lapel,”
Another poet who is worry and concerns as Personal 11, 12 and 6 lines each. Repetition of the “B”
current and still alive her son goes to fight in There is no regular sound reinforces the “dove” – noun. A “I was brave, as I
today, Weir is an a current-day war. She rhyme scheme, though mother’s upset and symbol of peace. walked with you”
English-Italian writer describes the in places there is tearfulness.
who has witnessed inscriptions of the fallen internal assonant and Metaphor – “gelled “intoxicated” – verb. “The dove pulled freely
numerous cultures and men from WW1 and half rhyme. blackthorns of your Suggests he is “drunk” against the sky,”
lifestyles (including hopes that her son does hair”. Suggests the real, with the idea of going
living in NI and not meet the same fate. hardness of his hair but to war.
witnessing “The Suggests she is the also links him with
Troubles” first hand) brave one letting him nature and the natural
which she explores in go to war. barbed-wire of the
her poetry. This poem battlefields.
is NOT about WW1 but Motif – “dove”
a son going to a war in repeated in the poem.
the present times and A dove is a symbol of
how upsetting that is peace or someone who
for the mother. supports peaceful
measures to avoid war
and conflicts.
No Problem The poem is written in a Defiant Another free verse Anaphora/Repetition of “problem” – noun. “I am not de problem”
By Benjamin Zephaniah. strong Caribbean accent Passionate poem written in a “I”. Because he doesn’t Repeated throughout to
so you are forced to put Proud dramatic monologue. state “we”, it makes the state that he (the “I can do more dan
Another current poet yourself in his shoes. Every other line rhymes reader feel like the speaker) hasn’t got one dance”
and writer, whose He discusses how he is (alternate line rhyme speaker is alone and and definitely isn’t
poetry is strongly often labelled as a scheme) suggests he is isolated. causing one. “Sum of me best friends
influenced by the music “problem” but, in alternative but that Rhyme – strong, are white.”
and poetry of Jamaica. actuality, has a lot to shouldn’t make him alternate line rhyme “versatile” – adjective.
He is a Rastafarian man offer and it is the native problematic. Two scheme. Suggests The poem is mostly
from Birmingham and people with the stanzas of unequal racism is a regular monosyllabic but this is
his work often problem, not him. length (16 lines and 8 problem or that every a polysyllabic word,
addresses racism and lines) suggesting he has other person he meets underscoring his
prejudice towards been through the worst is a racist? intelligence.
people like himself. and things are getting Metaphor – “pigeon
better. hole”. Suggests people “white” – adjective.
prejudge him without Final word of the poem
getting to know him. and suggests those are
the people with the
problem.
What Were They Like? The poem uses a Negative Free verse poem set Alliteration – “Bitter to “buds” – noun. “1) Sir, their light hearts
By Denise Levertov. “question and Defeated out in questions in the the burned mouth”. Suggests new life. turned to stone”
answer” type first stanza and answers Not only provides
Died in 1997 so her structure to explore in the second stanza (by horrific imagery but “sir” - noun. Suggests “3) Sir, laughter is bitter
work is quite recent. the horrors of the a subordinate). The suggests speaker is the person answering is to the burned mouth.”
Her poems often linked Vietnam war. The question stanza is much blubbering/upset as a lower rank than the
to humanity and her questions in the first shorter, however, they answer the person asking the “It is silent now.”
faith in God. This poem block of the poem implying the answers questions posed. questions.
criticises the destructive refer to different are not as straight Metaphor – “light
nature of war – in aspects of a culture; forward as the hearts turned to stone”. “silent” – adjective.
particular the Vietnam the answers reveal questions. Links to the heavy Implying that all is dead,
War how war has weight and burden the not only people but
destroyed or altered war imposed on the their spirits too.
these aspects and the people of Vietnam who
tone of the poem were left heavy-
subtly conveys a sense hearted.
of deep anger and Imagery – “all the
sadness about this. bones were charred”.
Relaying to the reader
the harsh, devastating
and horrifying results of
the bombing.