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English Lit > Anthology > Flashcards

Anthology Flashcards

1
Q

Themes of ‘If’

A

Success, hope and dreams

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2
Q

What is ‘If’ about?

A

A father telling his unborn son about all the good things that he is capable of achieving - how to live a good life

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3
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘If’

A

Form+structure = Repetition of If, didactic poem, alternate rhyme scheme. Language = personification ‘ant not make your dreams your master’

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4
Q

Purpose of ‘If’

A

To provide guidance and inspiration for leading a principled and successful life while being morally upright.

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5
Q

Context of ‘If’

A

Written in 1910, when the British empire was at its height - the poem reflects the values associated with British imperial culture ‘Stiff upper lip’

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6
Q

What poems does ‘If’ link to

A

Prayer before birth - talking to an unborn child.

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7
Q

Themes of ‘Prayer before birth’

A

Conflict, innocence and helplessness

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8
Q

What is ‘Prayer before birth’ about?

A

An unborn child apologising for sins they haven’t yet committed - an innocent child praying for forgiveness.

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9
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘Prayer before birth’

A

Form+structure = free verse showing an inner monologue and thought trail, epistrophe ( each stanza ends in ‘me’). Language = Societal metaphor - ideal society, simile ‘blow me like thistledown hither’

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10
Q

Purpose of ‘Prayer before birth’

A

The speaker ( unborn child ) is praying for future guidance and protection from the horrors of the modern world.

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11
Q

Context for ‘Prayer before birth’

A

Written during WW2, the poem reflects the poets concerns about the impact of war and violence on society - a plea for a peaceful society

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12
Q

What poems does ‘Prayer before birth’ link to

A

If - it targets an unborn child and Prayer before birth is narrated by an unborn child.

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13
Q

Themes of ‘Blessing’

A

Religion, gratitude, water

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14
Q

What it ‘Blessing’ about?

A

A water pipe bursting in a poor neighbourhood and everyone rushing to collect the running water

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15
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques of ‘Blessing’

A

Form+structure= long stanza (symbolises rising water), irregular rhyme scheme. Language = Similie for societal dehydration ‘ the skin cracks like a pod’, alliteration, oxymoron ‘liquid sun’ contrasting to cold water.

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16
Q

Purpose of ‘Blessing’

A

To demonstrate how essential water is to life and how it is constantly taken for granted.

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17
Q

Context of ‘Blessing’

A

The poem targets rapid urbanisation of the 20th century and highlights its dangers - the global water scarcity.

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18
Q

What poems does ‘Blessing’ link to?

A

Tyger for the religious imagery of the water.

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19
Q

Themes of ‘Search for my tongue’

A

Culture, isolation

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20
Q

What is ‘Search for my tongue’ about?

A

Finding cultural identity in a country which isn’t your own, the speaker is living in a foreign country and fears that they will lose their native language

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21
Q

Mention 2 language form and structure techniques of ‘Search for my tongue’

A

Form+structure= visual imagery ‘it blossoms out of my mouth’, Gujarati ( confusing for the reader which reflects the speakers feelings in society). Language = plant metaphor ‘a stump of a shoot’, Idiolect of the linguistic fingerprint, shows her mother tongue coming alive.

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22
Q

Purpose of ‘Search for my tongue’

A

To raise awareness for the emotional and psychological challenges faced by immigrants who grapple with tension between their native culture and the culture of their adopted country. It celebrates individuals resilience who maintain their cultural and linguistic heritage while in the face of external pressures.

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23
Q

Context of ‘Search for my tongue’

A

Written in 1980, reflects Bhatts personal experiences as an Indian living in an English speaking country.

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24
Q

What poems does ‘Search for my tongue’ link to?

A

Half-caste, life of an outsider in society.

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25
Q

Themes of ‘Half-Past Two’

A

Isolation, identity, childhood, reality

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26
Q

What is ‘Half-Past Two’ about?

A

A childs perspective of time during the school day.

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27
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘Half-Past two’.

A

Form+structure= simple writing scheme (shows infantile nature), tercets ( morning, afternoon and night - important parts of the day for a child). Language = compound words, personification ‘the little eyes…’, onomatopoeia ‘click its language’.

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28
Q

What is the purpose of ‘Half-Past Two?

A

It highlights the gap between a child’s perspective of time and the structured, adult - oriented understanding of time. It makes the audience reflect on the way we introduce children to the concept of time and how a child will only learn unless they are taught or learn from their own mistakes.

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29
Q
A
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30
Q

What poems does ‘Half Past Two’ link to?

A

Piano, Hide and seek, Prayer before birth, Search for my tongue

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31
Q

Themes of ‘Piano’

A

Nostalgia, childhood, memory, grief

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32
Q

What is ‘Piano’ about?

A

Childhood nostalgia of a mother singing hymns to her child whilst he sat under the piano.

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33
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘Piano’

A

Form+structure = auditory imagery which triggers nostalgia, AABB rhyme scheme ( simple, soothing like a lullaby ), lyric poem, melancholic tone, allegorically represents nostalgia. Language = personification ‘betrays be back’ ( regret ), onomatopoeia ‘ boom of the tingling strings’, sibilance ‘smiles as she sings’, metaphor ‘down in the flood of remembrance’ ( stages of grief, can’t be controlled )

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34
Q

What is the purpose of ‘Piano’?

A

It explores how powerful childhood memories can be and how important it is to hold onto the good nostalgic points.

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35
Q

Context of ‘Piano’

A

Most of Lawrences poems follow heavy themes of industrialisation, dehumanising effects of modern times and sexuality so this poem contrasts to his other works providing a sweet and bitter-sweet tone.

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36
Q

What poems does ‘Piano’ link to?

A

Poem at Thirty-Nine, Hide and Seek.

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37
Q

Themes of ‘Hide and Seek’

A

Isolation, nostalgia, childhood

38
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques in ‘Hide and Seek’

A

Form+structure = dramatic monologue, random rhyme, shift in first and second person, assonance and command ‘ come and find me!’, parataxis ‘ don’t breathe, don’t move’, enjambment. Language = personification and caesura ‘the bushes hold their breath; the sun is gone’, cataphoric reference+ foreshadowing the ending ‘they’ll never find you’

38
Q

What is ‘Hide and Seek’ about

A

A game of hide and seek turning into a message of having to fend for yourself and metaphor for the abandonment which is adulthood.

39
Q

What is the purpose of ‘Hide and Seek’

A

The poem is an extended metaphor to depict apprehension and desire of growing up and seizing opportunities. Also that life will abandon you so you must learn to live independently an never trust anybody.

40
Q

Context of ‘Hide and Seek’

A

Scannell served in the army in North Africa - he was so disgusted with the lack of humanity of his peers that he walked out and was imprisoned for six months in one of the harshest military prisons. He can write about his personal experiences about being very much alone.

41
Q

What poems does ‘Hide and Seek’ link to?

A

Half-Past Two ( time ), Piano.

42
Q

Themes of ‘Sonnet 116’

A

love, beauty, time

43
Q

What is ‘Sonnet 116’ about?

A

it focuses on platonic love, how love never changes even if lovers alter over time.

44
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘Sonnet 116’

A

Form+structure= sonnet, ‘ever fixed mark’ is a symbol for a lighthouse - love is safety, title is a metaphor for people who connect intellectually and not just sexually. Language = personification ‘ times fool’ ( real love is everlasting ), ‘edge of doom’ is a reference to dooms day.

45
Q

What is the purpose of ‘Sonnet 116’?

A

It compares love to a star, it is always there but you can’t always see it, true love is timeless.

46
Q

Context of ‘Sonnet 116’

A

Written at the beginning of Queen Elizabeths reign - a time of uncommon peace ( politics and war )

47
Q

Which poems does ‘Sonnet 116’ link to?

A

Piano

48
Q

Themes of ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’

A

unrequited love, death, heartbreak, illusion vs reality, illness

49
Q

What is ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ about?

A

A medieval knight encounters a mystical - ‘faery’s child’ - elfin beauty who eventually abandons him.

50
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques in ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’

A

Form+structure = ballad which tells an archaic story, sexual connotations ‘sweet moan’, cyclical structure ‘no birds sing’ - birth through death. Language = repetition in alliterative + assonant lines ‘wild wild eyes’, semantics of infertility ‘withered’ - decay.

51
Q

Purpose of ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’

A

Love is encapsulating and can cause illness - both mental and physical.

52
Q

Context of ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’

A

Written in 1819, the year Keats brother died of tuberculosis and his relationship reached its climax. The poem is infused with his personal struggles.

53
Q

Which poems does ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ link to?

A

My last duchess

54
Q

Themes of ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’

A

nostalgia, grief, relationships, reminiscence

55
Q

What is ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine about’?

A

The speaker misses her father and regrets the hard life he led though she recognises her gratitude for all the things he has taught her.

56
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques in ‘Poem and Thirty-Nine’

A

Form+structure = free verse, subject matter makes it a elegy, autobiography, juxtaposition sides of her fathers life ( work vs home life ), no rhyme scheme ( trail of thought, natural ). Language = simile ‘he cooked like a dancing person’, metaphor ‘seasoning none of my life’

57
Q

Purpose of ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’

A

Iterates how your childhood shapes your adulthood and the importance of having good memories to look back on and treasure.

58
Q

Context of ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’

A

Walker developed her passion for writing when she accidentally became blinded in one eye and could write instead of doing chores. Her famous work ‘The Colour Purple’ won a Pulitzer Prize.

59
Q

Which poems does ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ link to?

A

Piano, Prayer before birth

60
Q

Themes of ‘War Photographer’

A

war, death, ignorance, appearance vc reality

61
Q

What is War photographer about?

A

The life of a war photographer and the ethical backlash and hardship that comes with the job.

62
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘War photographer’

A

Form+structure = colour symbolism - red for death and danger ‘the only light is red’, Trochaic feet ‘Belfast, Beirut …’, cyclical structure (futility of the photographers attempt to change ). Language = metaphor pattern ‘all flesh is grass’, ‘nightmare heat’, sibilance ‘solution slops’ - harsh sounds.

63
Q

Purpose of ‘War photographer’

A

To re-address the ethical and moral debate of the career path of a war photographer.

64
Q

Context for ‘War photographer’

A

Duffy wrote the poem due to her friendship with a war photographer and her curiosity with their challenges. Alludes to the picture taken by Nick Ut taken of a girl running from a napalm attack during the Vietnamese war. The image led to protests to end the war and it won a Pulitzer Prize.

65
Q

Which poems does ‘War photographer’ link to?

A

Half-past Two - moral debate.

66
Q

Themes of ‘The Tyger’

A

Religion, rejecting industrialisation, utopia

67
Q

What is ‘The Tyger’ about?

A

The poem uses the image of a ferocious animal like a tiger to question Gods existence and analyse his destructive side. It shows the power of creation also.

68
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘The Tyger’.

A

Form+structure = protest poem for freedom and to stop destroying Gos creation, six stanzas = six days of creation, epizeuxis ‘Tyger,Tyger’. Language = alliteration ‘burning bright’, rhetorical question for industrialisation ‘what the hammer?’

69
Q

Purpose of ‘The Tyger’

A

It is used to raise question about the nature and origin of God. It challenges the reader to contemplate the mystery of creation and the paradoxical nature of the divine.

70
Q

Context of ‘The Tyger’

A

It is written in the wake of the September massacres of 1792 when the French revolutionaries - referred to as ‘The Tygers’ by the horrified English press - slaughtered hundreds of aristocrats and priests.

71
Q

Which poems does ‘The Tyger’ link to?

A

Blessing, industrialisation and religion.

72
Q

Themes of ‘Half-Caste’

A

Anger, hurt, isolation

73
Q

What is ‘Half-Caste’ about?

A

The life of a mixed race individual in a society filled with judgement and hate.

74
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘Half-Caste’

A

Form+structure = dialect ( not easy to understand, how the speaker feels ), repetition of direct address ‘explain yuself’, title - half a person etc. Language = sibilance ‘so spiteful’, alliteration and rhythm of ‘half-a-hand’ creates a more lighthearted tone of mockery for this section.

75
Q

Purpose of ‘Half-Caste’

A

The sarcastic and biting tone of the poem along with the comparisons made highlight the ridiculousness of the term ‘Half-Caste’. The poem challenges stereotypes and celebrates mixed heritage.

76
Q

Context of ‘Half-Caste’

A

Agard moved from Guyana to England in 1977 so he can write from personal experience. His love for language stemmed from his childhood interest with cricket commentary.

77
Q

Which poems does ‘Half-Caste’ link to?

A

Search for my tongue

78
Q

Themes of ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’

A

Love, acceptance, death, anger

79
Q

What is ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ about?

A

It is a powerful and emotional plea to fight against death and embrace life to the max.

80
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’

A

Form+structure = title ( metaphor for resisting death ), light and dark imagery ‘light fading’ = death, ABAB rhyme scheme. Language = simile ‘blind eyes could blaze like meteors’ 9 the deceased have so much potential, life is too short).

81
Q

What is the purpose of ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’?

A

To reiterate the importance of not taking any moment in life for granted and to live life to the fullest.

82
Q

Context of ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’

A

The poem is suspected to be written for Thomas’ father who passed the year after the poem was published. In the two years following the publication, Thomas, his father, unborn son and three of his best friends passed away. This gives the poem a grim but real world aspect of foreshadowing the deaths.

83
Q

Which poems does ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ link to?

A

Piano, Poem at Thirty-Nine

84
Q

Themes of ‘Remember’

A

Death, love

85
Q

What is ‘Remember’ about?

A

It talks on a couples future and the speakers desire to be remembers following her passing, if it does not cause too much pain. It can be interpreted as a meditation on death and reveals the enduring nature of love beyond death. It is a sorrowful passing note.

86
Q

Mention 2 language, form and structure techniques used in ‘Remember’

A

Form+structure = a sonnet, a Petrarchan sonnet with an octave and a sestet ( octave shows the wishes for remembrance and the sestet discusses the idea of love transcending death, provides a gradual focus shift ), dark imagery, iambic pentameter. Language = euphemism and metaphor ‘silent land’ makes death less frightening, consistent repetition of ‘remember’.

87
Q

What is the purpose of ‘Remember’?

A

It expresses the stages of grieving someone before they have passed and to show that death in inevitable but it sometimes may be for the right reasons.

88
Q

Context for ‘Remember’

A

Rossetti was the daughter of an Italian - English poet who was exposed to illness and death from a young age, she suffered a mental breakdown at the age of 14 and was deeply religious.

89
Q

Which poems does ‘Remember’ link to?

A

La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Piano, Sonnet 116.

English Lit (2 decks)

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