Poems Flashcards
(85 cards)
What is the publication year of ‘London’ by William Blake?
1794
What does the speaker describe in ‘London’?
The speaker describes a walk around London and the despair he sees.
Blake believed in social equality and questioned the Church.
What is the main theme of ‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley?
It tells the story of a ruined statue of a once-proud king in the desert.
Shelley was a Romantic - they wrote about intense emotions and were influenced by nature.
What is the publication year of ‘The Prelude: Stealing the Boat’ by William Wordsworth?
1850
What does the narrator experience in ‘The Prelude: Stealing the Boat’?
The narrator goes rowing and is awed by the power of nature.
Autobiographical and about childhood. Wordsworth was a Romantic like Shelley.
What historical event is referenced in ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred Tennyson?
A battle in the Crimean War where British soldiers were sent with swords to fight Russians who had guns.
What is the main focus of ‘Bayonet Charge’ by Ted Hughes?
A WWI soldier charges enemy lines, and his patriotism is replaced with fear.
Hughes’s father was a soldier in World War One.
What do island-dwellers fear in ‘Storm on the Island’ by Seamus Heaney?
They believe they are prepared for a storm, but still fear it.
The ‘storm’ may refer to political violence in Ireland.
What is the theme of ‘The Emigrée’ by Carol Rumens?
The narrator explores her feelings towards a city she left as a child.
Rumens is a contemporary poet who also works as a translator.
What does ‘Tissue’ by Imtiaz Dharker explore?
An abstract poem that considers the significance of paper in our lives.
Dharker was born in Pakistan, but raised in Glasgow.
What is the narrative of ‘Remains’ by Simon Armitage?
A soldier is haunted by the memory of killing a man who was looting a bank.
Based on the real account of a British soldier who served in Iraq.
What does ‘Poppies’ by Jane Weir depict?
A mother describes her feelings and actions as her son leaves, apparently to join the army.
Commissioned as part of a collection of war poems.
What does ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning reveal?
The Duke describes his late wife, whose behaviour he disapproved of, hinting that he had her killed.
Likely inspired by the death of the real Duchess of Ferrara.
What is the theme of ‘Exposure’ by Wilfred Owen?
Soldiers endure difficult conditions including terrible weather and feel disconnected from their lives at home.
Owen wrote this poem while fighting in WWI. He died in action.
What does ‘War Photographer’ by Carol Ann Duffy explore?
A war photographer contemplates the photos he took overseas.
One line seems to reference a famous photo from the Vietnam War, ‘Napalm Girl’.
What is the focus of ‘Checking Out Me History’ by John Agard?
An exploration of identity using heroes from Caribbean history that the narrator wasn’t taught about.
John Agard was born in Guyana, then moved to Britain.
What story does ‘Kamikaze’ by Beatrice Garland tell?
The story of a Japanese pilot who returns home after abandoning his mission.
Japanese kamikaze pilots in WWII flew on suicide missions. Failure was seen as dishonourable.
What does the theme of power and conflict suggest in ‘My Last Duchess’?
The Duke is power-obsessed, which may have led to him ordering the murder of his wife.
What do ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Remains’ highlight about conflict?
They show the tragic effects of conflict and suggest those who die in battle are brave and honourable.
What does ‘Checking Out Me History’ critique?
It shows how the British school system provides limited or one-sided cultural education.
What do ‘Poppies’ and ‘Kamikaze’ reveal about loss?
They show the pain of losing a loved one in different ways.
What does ‘The Emigrée’ illustrate about loss?
It shows the effect of losing a place.
What do ‘London’ and ‘Exposure’ depict regarding hope?
They feature narrators who have lost hope.
What do ‘Kamikaze’ and ‘Exposure’ suggest about patriotism?
They show people who lose their patriotism.
