Poem Ideas Flashcards
(20 cards)
Key ideas about Ozymamdias
• The power of nature and time outlasts human pride and political power.
• Irony: a king who tried to immortalise himself is forgotten.
• Hubris and downfall.
Key ideas of poppies Jane weir
• Domestic side of conflict—mother’s grief.
• Symbolism of poppies, memory, and loss.
• Blending past and present through emotion.
Key ideas of kamikaze
• Conflict between national duty and personal love.
• Shame and cultural expectations.
• Power of memory and childhood.
Key ideas of war photographer carol Ann Duffy
• Conflict between duty and detachment.
• Western apathy to distant suffering.
• Power of photos vs. powerlessness of the photographer.
Key ideas of remains Simon armitage
Psychological damage of modern war.
• Casual attitude to violence becomes trauma.
• Guilt as inescapable.
Key ideas of cotlb Alfred Tennyson
Patriotic sacrifice and honour vs. military blunder.
• Glorification of courage despite futility.
• Repetition and rhythm = horse charge.
Key ideas of bayonet charge Hughes
Dehumanising effects of war.
• Soldier’s panic and loss of patriotism mid-charge.
• Nature imagery = chaos and confusion.
Key ideas of the Emigrée (Rumens)
Power of memory and language over political change.
• Attachment to an idealised homeland.
• Conflict between identity and imposed structures.
Key ideas of kamikaze Garland
Conflict between national duty and personal love.
• Shame and cultural expectations.
• Power of memory and childhood.
Key ideas of Tissue (Dharker)
Paper as a metaphor for human power (fragile, temporary).
• Suggests we should build societies with compassion, not control.
• A spiritual, philosophical view of power
Key ideas of checking out me history John agard
Power of education to shape identity.
• Reclaiming power by telling your own history.
• Contrast between colonial and cultural narratives.
Key ideas of London
Corruption of political and religious institutions.
• Oppression of the poor; loss of innocence.
Key ideas of my last Dutchess
Abuse of power in relationships.
• Patriarchal control and jealousy.
• Art as a symbol of possession.
Key ideas of exposure
Nature is the soldiers’ true enemy—cold, unrelenting, and deadly.
• War drains not just life but hope.
• “But nothing happens” = futility and despair.
Key ideas of the prelude Wordsworth
Nature is beautiful but also terrifying and humbling.
• Boy’s journey reflects personal growth and the sublime power of nature.
• Man is insignificant compared to nature.
What poems use dramatic monologue (3) and what is a dramatic monologue?
A poem in which a single speaker addresses an implied listener, revealing their thoughts, personality, and sometimes flaws.
• Used in: My Last Duchess, London, Remain
Which poem uses regular stanza form
Regular Stanza Form (With Tight Structure)
• Definition: Equal-length stanzas with a set rhyme or rhythm pattern.
• Used in: War Photographer
Which poem uses half rhyme and what does it mean?
Para-rhyme / Half-Rhyme
• Definition: An imperfect rhyme where words almost rhyme (e.g., “knive us” / “nervous”).
• Used in: Exposure
Which six poems use free verse and what is this?
Definition: Poetry with no fixed structure, rhyme, or meter.
• Used in: Bayonet Charge, Poppies, Tissue, The Émigrée, Checking Out Me History, Kamikaze
Which poem is a sonnet? What is a sonnet?
Ozymandias
A 14-line poem, traditionally about love or powerful subjects. Most sonnets follow a strict rhyme scheme
