Rember poem

Questions
1. Identify the tone at the beginning of the poem and how does it change? (3)

2. Was Rossetti was a deeply religious person. Substantiate your response. (3)

3. Which line of the poem shows that the couple expected to share many years of life together? (2)

4. What does “to counsel” (line 8) mean in the context of the poem? (2)

5. Which of the following descriptions best fit the speaker: egocentric; self-sacrificing; thoughtful?

Justify your answer by referring to imagery and/or diction. (3)

6. The speaker seems worried. Critically discuss this statement. (3)

7. The speaker has commands in this poem ("remember," "remember," "remember,"

"do not grieve"). Critically discuss the tone of these commands. (3)

8. Refer to lines 1-2. How do these woerds set the initial mood of the poem. (2)

9. Explain what the use of the phrase ‘the silent land” conveys about the speaker’s state of mind. (2)

10. Refer to line 4. Discuss the significance of this description in the context of the poem. (3)

Sonnet 130
Questions
1. Explain how the structure and tone of this poem allows the poet to emphasise the central
message. (3) (The Shakespearean/Elizabethan
sonnet consists of 3 quatrains and rhyming couplet. The quatrains deliver his exaggerated anti-
compliments, and the couplet drives home his sincere love – he loves her despite her imperfections.
The tone in the quatrains – sarcastic/sardonic/frank. Tone in couplet – sincere. Learner MUST
mention structure and tone in both.)

2. Are Shakespeare’s observations in the quatrains cynical or not? Explain your answer.
(2) (No – no mark. Women, like men, are not perfect. He is not cynical, he is realistic. He loves her
despite her shortcomings/imperfections. She is real!)

3. Who is the speaker ridiculing in the poem? Why does he do this? (3) (He ridicules the Petrarchan
poets of the time who used exaggerations to describe their lovers. He proves that the idealised
woman does not exist AND makes it clear that his beloved does not have to be perfect for him to
love her genuinely.)

4. Explain what is meant by:“ My mistress, when she walks,treads on the ground.(2) (She is REAL –
she does not float above the ground, as described by Petrarchan sonnets, she walks. She is human,
not an idealised and mythical goddess.)
5. Refer to line 12. Comment on the effect pace has on the meaning of the line. (3) (The pace slows
down with commas and monosyllabic words. It indicates the heavy treading/walking of his mistress’
gait. She walks like a normal person, she doesn’t float like a goddess.)

6. Show how the last line completes his argument. Refer, in particular, to the word “false”.
(2) (He does not need to make false/untrue/exaggerated comparisons to let her know he loves her.
Or to love her!)

7. Identify three sensory images in this poem and how they relate to the central theme.
(3) (Sight – he sees her features; touch – her ‘wiry’ hair; smell – her breath; hearing – her voice.
Learners must quote and explain. All relate to the theme of her imperfections making her ‘perfect’ in
his eyes. She does not fit the mould of the idealised Petrarchan woman. She is real)

8. Identify the tone in lines 1-12 and how this contrasts with the tone in the last two lines. Is this an
effective shift in tone? Justify your answer. (3) Tone in 1-12: sardonic, sarcastic, critical. Last two
lines: sincere, heartfelt. Effective shift – he states very clearly what she is NOT and then says that he
loves her DESPITE her imperfections.)

9. Explain the use of “by heaven” in line 13. Why has this phrase been included? (2) (It is a reference
to God – he swears by the Almighty to prove his sincerity.)

Poem of return
Questions
2.1 Refer to lines 1 – 2.

Account for the poet’s use of the phrases ‘gone away’ and ‘the silent land’.(2)

2.2 Refer to lines 5 – 6: ‘when no more … that you plann'd’

What impression of the poet’s relationship is created in these lines? (2)

2.3 Refer to line 11: ‘the darkness and corruption’.

Comment on the appropriateness of this image in the context of the poem.(3)

2.4 Critically discuss how the tone of the final two lines reinforces the central idea

of the sestet
First day after the war
Questions
3.1 Refer to the whole poem. Why is the image of a ‘wedding party’ appropriate? (2)

3.2 Comment on the personification in lines 4−6. (2)

3.3 In lines 9−11 references are made to open and rural places. Critically

discuss how this contributes to your understanding of the poem’s context. (3)

3.4 How does the poet use repetition in lines 12−15 to set the tone in the poem? (3)

Vultures
Questions
4.1 Refer to lines 1–3: 'In the greyness/and drizzle of one despondent/dawn'.

How do these lines contribute to the mood of the first section? (2)

4.2 What do the words, 'cold/telescopic eyes' (lines 20–21) suggest about the

nature of the vultures? (2)

4.3 Refer to lines 30–35: 'Thus the Commandant … his hairy/nostrils'.

Discuss the significance of this description in the context of the poem. (3)

4.4 The concluding lines, 'Praise bounteous/providence … perpetuity/of evil'

(lines 41–51) offers options for human behaviour.

Do you agree with this statement? Justify your response by referring to

imagery and/or diction. (3)

Talk to the peach tree

Questions
1. Explain the underlying meaning of the actions/instructions in lines 1-6. (2)

2. Why would swallows be a good source of information about ‘other countries’? (2)

3. Discuss what the speaker is saying in stanza 4. (3)

4. Discuss the connotations of the word “whining” (line 10). (2)

5. Why does the speaker describe the heat as “paralysing” and “merciless” (stanza 6)?
(2)

6. Although similar in style to stanzas 1-3, how do lines 11-14 differ in tone and intent from lines 1-6?
(3)
7. Discuss why the speaker chooses to “talk to the peach tree”. Consider the other ‘things’ or
concepts he talk to in the poem. (3)

8. Identify and comment on the tone in the last stanza. (3)

9. Who is the ‘devil’ in the last stanza? (1)

10.How is the register of the poem appropriate and effective in delivering its message?
(2)