Form and structure

Question 1

Jamaican British:

Answer 1

• Ghazal (A form of amatory poem or ode, originiating in Arabic poetry often dealing with pain from loss of spiritual and romantic love)
• Can also be rap
• Ambiguity between 2 forms is representative of the blurred lines between his two identities
• Each stanza uses two lines, representing his dual heritage

Question 2

Sunday Dip:

Answer 2

• Couplet sonnet, with 8 rhyming couplets
• Petrarchan sonnet, which often involves a progression of a problem into being resolved- could show the idle carefreeness of boys as their problems are so minor
• Petrarchan sonnet contains an octave, then a sestet which begins with a volta that marks a change in the rhyme scheme
• Regular rhyme scheme

Question 3

Kumukanda:

Answer 3

• 3 stanzas, each one is one long sentence, highlighting cyclical nature of his life

Question 4

Mild the Mist:

Answer 4

• Lyrical ballad (rhythmic poem in praise of something)
• Alternating rhyme

Question 5

Emigree:

Answer 5

• 3 stanzas
• Written in freeverse
• Lack of formal structure or rhythm which helps to show the scattered thoughts of the speaker as they reflect on their life

Question 6

My Mothers Kitchen:

Answer 6

• 3 different stanza lengths, which could reflect unstable nature of her mother’s life
• No set rhyme scheme
• Structure goes against strict conformity of traditional poetry, and could represent the break and disconnect that Hardi’s mother feels for her homeland

Question 7

In Wales:

Answer 7

• 4 stanzas of varying length
• Free verse, which mirrors speakers desire for freedom and emancipation from what she views as a dull, limited life
• No set rhyme scheme, which helps create a contemplative tone

Question 8

Us:

Answer 8

• No set rhyme scheme, which allows stanzas to flow into one another, in a way that mimics waves but also highlights the possibility for connections
• 8 stanzas

Question 9

We Refugees:

Answer 9

• 10 stanzas, 2 of which are longer and more repetitive which adds emphasis to the main messages of the poem
• No set rhyme scheme, making poem more natural and argumentative

Question 10

Peckham Rye Lane:

Answer 10

• Unfixed stanza length, which could reflect the movement of the bus the speaker is on
• Some alternate/ internal rhyme present

Question 11

Island Man:

Answer 11

• 5 stanzas
• No set rhyme scheme
• Free verse allows speaker to drift seamlessly through settings of his island and London, reflecting how he may live a duplicitous life and have a split identity

Question 12

I remember:

Answer 12

• 4 verses
• ABCBDEFE rhyme scheme
• Alternating rhyme gives a feeling of motion as the speaker switches from the past to present
• Each stanza conveys a different natural element

Question 13

Clear and gentle stream:

Answer 13

• 4 stanzas
• Consistent rhyme scheme
• Elegy- poem which laments the dead is used to lament the passing of his childhood
• Regular form and rhythm reflects constancy of the stream, and also unstoppable and incessant passing of time

Question 14

Captain Cook:

Answer 14

• Written in 8 quatrains
• AABB rhyme scheme
• Rhyming couplets create a sense of peace and enjoyment which underlines Landon’s happiness and memories of her brother

Question 15

To my sister:

Answer 15

• 10 quatrains
• AB rhyme scheme
• regular rhythm and even verse structure adds to sense of calm and allows us to feel beauty of nature