Poetry Anthology - Death of a Naturalist

Question 1

Key themes

Answer 1

Nature
Memory
Change

Question 2

Structure

Answer 2

Written in blank verse (doesn’t rhyme) - change is not always predictable
2 stanzas - shows clear shift in perspective
Use of enjambment throughout the poem helps to create a sense of continuity to mirror the natural progression of childhood wonder to disillusionment

Question 3

Key quotes (7)

Answer 3

• ‘sweltered in the punishing sun’ and ‘hot day’
• ‘bubbles gargled delicately’ and ‘the slap and plop were obscene threats’ and ‘poised like mud grenades’
• ‘nimble-swimming tadpoles’
• ‘the spawn would clutch it’

Question 4

Analyse ‘sweltered in the punishing sun’

Answer 4

‘Sweltering’ has connotations of overwhelming heat
‘Punishing’ personifies the sun as an active, malevolent force
Links to the quote ‘hot day’ from the next stanza

Question 5

Analyse ‘hot day’

Answer 5

Same setting as the first stanza - emphasis that nature hasn’t changed, only his opinion of it
The sun has become so oppressive that it almost feels dangerous

Question 6

Analyse ‘bubbles gargled delicately’

Answer 6

Onomatopoeia of ‘gargled’ mimics the noise of the bubbles
Oxymoron shows the childish enjoyment of something disgusting - this directly contrasts the attitudes in the second stanza

Question 7

Analyse ‘the slap and plop were obscene threats’ and ‘poised like mud grenades’

Answer 7

Contrasts with first stanza
Onomatopoeia makes sounds appear threatening - clear shift
Militaristic language

Question 8

Analyse ‘the spawn would clutch it’

Answer 8

Poem ends with negative imagery
‘Clutch’ has connotations of fear, entrapment and loss of control
This highlights the theme of the transition from innocence to experience

Question 9

Context

Answer 9

His 4 year old brother died in a car accident - many of his poems are about loss of innocence
Grew up on a farm - surrounded by nature as a child