POetry Reverse Flashcards
(77 cards)
1
Q
Simon Armitage’s poem reveals the emotional and physical scars of a soldier returning from war, inspired by a real soldier injured in Bosnia.
A
The Manhunt - Context
2
Q
Written in couplets with irregular rhyme and meter, reflecting fragmentation of body and mind.
A
The Manhunt - Structure
3
Q
Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s declaration of love in ‘Sonnets from the Portuguese’, written during her courtship with Robert Browning.
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Sonnet 43 - Context
4
Q
Petrarchan sonnet: an octave (ABBAABBA) and a sestet (CDC DCD) in iambic pentameter.
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Sonnet 43 - Structure
5
Q
- Rhetorical question invites reflection on love.
- Listing gives sense of abundance and variety.
- Personal tone draws the reader into her thoughts.
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Sonnet 43 - “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
6
Q
- Triplet of spatial metaphors shows boundlessness.
- Hyperbole emphasises intensity of love.
- Three-dimensional imagery conveys total immersion.
A
Sonnet 43 - “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height”
7
Q
- Suggests selfless love without desire for recognition.
- Purity evokes religious connotations.
- Emphasises sincerity over show.
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Sonnet 43 - “I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.”
8
Q
- Expresses belief in eternal love beyond mortality.
- Spiritual dimension underscores depth.
- Contrasts earthly life with lasting devotion.
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Sonnet 43 - “I shall but love thee better after death”
9
Q
William Blake’s critique of social injustice in 18th-century London, highlighting oppression, poverty, and corruption.
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London - Context
10
Q
Four quatrains with an ABAB rhyme scheme and regular meter, reflecting relentless suffering.
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London - Structure
11
Q
Rupert Brooke’s patriotic sonnet written at the start of WWI, idealising martyrdom and sacrifice for England.
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The Soldier - Context
12
Q
Petrarchan sonnet with volta at line 9; optimistic tone in octave shifts to reflective in sestet.
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The Soldier - Structure
13
Q
- Conditional phrasing focuses on legacy.
- Expresses selfless concern for remembrance.
- Sets tone of noble sacrifice.
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The Soldier - “If I should die, think only this of me”
14
Q
- Metaphor for soldier’s eternal presence.
- Sacrificial patriotism immortalises him.
- Suggests global reach of national identity.
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The Soldier - “That there’s some corner of a foreign field / That is for ever England”
15
Q
- Emphasises unity between soldier and homeland.
- Conveys spiritual continuity beyond death.
- Reinforces patriotic pride.
A
The Soldier - “A body of England’s, breathing English air”
16
Q
- Repetition underscores total selflessness.
- Suggests endless devotion.
- Mirrors Christian themes of giving.
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The Soldier - “Give, and give, and give again”
17
Q
- ‘Richer dust’ implies value in sacrifice.
- Earthly imagery roots soldier in land.
- Suggests death enhances, not diminishes, worth.
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The Soldier - “In the rich earth a richer dust concealed”
18
Q
Lord Byron’s Romantic celebration of a woman’s physical and inner beauty, inspired by seeing a woman in mourning attire.
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She Walks in Beauty - Context
19
Q
Three six-line stanzas with ABABAB rhyme and iambic tetrameter, reflecting harmony.
A
She Walks in Beauty - Structure
20
Q
Imtiaz Dharker’s poem depicts slum life in Mumbai, symbolising resilience and hope amid poverty.
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Living Space - Context
21
Q
Free verse with irregular line lengths and enjambment, reflecting instability of living conditions.
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Living Space - Structure
22
Q
Emily Dickinson’s meditation on gradual loss and the passage of time, equating disappearance of summer with fading grief.
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As Imperceptibly as Grief - Context
23
Q
Four quatrains with slant rhyme and irregular meter, evoking natural speech and gradual change.
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As Imperceptibly as Grief - Structure
24
Q
- Simile compares fading summer to unnoticed grief.
- ‘Imperceptibly’ stresses gradual process.
- Sets reflective tone.
A
As Imperceptibly as Grief - “As imperceptibly as grief”
25
- Personification shows summer as fading life.
- ‘Lapsed’ implies gentle decline.
- Symbolises end of joyful period.
As Imperceptibly as Grief - "The summer lapsed away"
26
- Imagery of day’s end parallels life’s decline.
- ‘Dusk’ evokes melancholy.
- Marks transition to dark/grief.
As Imperceptibly as Grief - "The dusk drew earlier in"
27
- ‘Foreign’ implies unfamiliarity of new phase.
- Morning light contrasts past warmth.
- Suggests grief transforms perception.
As Imperceptibly as Grief - "The morning foreign shone"
28
- Personifies summer as departing guest.
- ‘Light escape’ suggests both freedom and loss.
- Reflects acceptance of change.
As Imperceptibly as Grief - "Our summer made her light escape"
29
Rita Dove’s affectionate poem reflecting on domestic comfort and love during a hurricane, celebrating mundane intimacy.
Cozy Apologia - Context
30
Free verse with conversational tone and varied line lengths, creating relaxed, intimate feel.
Cozy Apologia - Structure
31
Carol Ann Duffy’s unconventional love poem using an onion as a metaphor for the complexities and pains of love.
Valentine - Context
32
Free verse with simple, direct language and irregular stanzas, reflecting unpredictability of love.
Valentine - Structure
33
- Rejection of clichéd symbols of love.
- ‘Not’ creates a dismissive tone.
- Sets stage for unconventional metaphor.
Valentine - "Not a red rose or a satin heart"
34
- Metaphor for emotional pain of love.
- ‘Blind’ implies overwhelming nature.
- Links physical reaction to emotional sorrow.
Valentine - "It will blind you with tears"
35
- Simile suggests hidden beauty.
- Moon symbolises romance and cycles.
- Brown paper implies plain exterior.
- Onion represents layers and potential tears.
- Unexpected gift highlights honesty.
Valentine - "It is a moon wrapped in brown paper"
36
- ‘Fierce kiss’ suggests lasting impact.
- Kiss metaphor for emotional and physical intimacy.
- Contrasts softness of romantic clichés.
Valentine - "Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips"
37
- Metaphor for commitment and constraint.
- Platinum symbolises value but also weight.
- Shrinking loops imply loss of freedom.
Valentine - "Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring"
38
Thomas Hardy’s poem about a wife receiving tragic news of her husband’s death in the Boer War, highlighting war’s impact at home.
A Wife in London - Context
39
Two-part structure: tragedy and irony. Uses telegram-style dashes and pathetic fallacy with fog imagery.
A Wife in London - Structure
40
Seamus Heaney’s reflection on childhood innocence in nature, turning to fear and disillusionment upon discovery of its darker aspects.
Death of a Naturalist - Context
41
Two stanzas with a volta at stanza two, shifting from wonder to terror. Blank verse allows conversational tone.
Death of a Naturalist - Structure
42
- Synaesthesia of decay (‘festered’) evokes revulsion.
- Sets ominous tone.
- Contrasts idealised nature.
Death of a Naturalist - "All year the flax-dam festered"
43
- Volta signalling turning point.
- ‘Rank’ suggests rotting and disgust.
- Heat intensifies tension.
Death of a Naturalist - "Then one hot day when fields were rank"
44
- Simile likens frogs to weapons.
- Bilabial plosives (‘b’) mimic harshness.
- Creates sense of threat.
Death of a Naturalist - "Poised like mud grenades"
45
- Triadic structure shows escalating panic.
- Short sentence mirrors abrupt escape.
- Highlights complete rejection.
Death of a Naturalist - "I sickened, turned, and ran"
46
Ted Hughes’s monologue from the perspective of a hawk, exploring themes of power, control, and nature’s brutality.
Hawk Roosting - Context
47
Six quatrains, end-stopped lines give tone of authority; first-person perspective underlines arrogance.
Hawk Roosting - Structure
48
- Position at top symbolizes dominance.
- Closed eyes imply confidence in control.
- Sets tone of assured power.
Hawk Roosting - "I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed"
49
- Personification of earth shows hawk’s arrogance.
- Imagery of inspection suggests superiority.
- ‘Face upward’ implies world subservient.
Hawk Roosting - "The earth's face upward for my inspection"
50
- Direct statement of power and freedom.
- No moral hesitation highlighted.
- Reflects natural brutality.
Hawk Roosting - "I kill where I please"
51
- ‘Allotment’ implies ownership of death.
- Shows hawk’s belief in entitlement.
- Blends natural and human concepts.
Hawk Roosting - "The allotment of death"
52
- Hyperbole underscores self-importance.
- Claims cosmic significance.
- Blurs line between creature and creator.
Hawk Roosting - "It took the whole of Creation to produce my foot"
53
John Keats’s ode celebrating autumn’s abundance and reflecting on themes of maturation and the passage of time.
To Autumn - Context
54
Three 11-line stanzas in iambic pentameter, each describing a stage of autumn: ripening, harvest, and decline.
To Autumn - Structure
55
- Onomatopoeia evokes sound of swallows.
- Symbolises end of season and beginning of migration.
- Reflects cycle of life.
To Autumn - "And gathering swallows twitter in the skies"
56
Philip Larkin’s poem on the mundanity of suburban family life, focusing on routine and the passage of youth.
Afternoons - Context
57
Three eight-line stanzas, enjambment creates sense of ongoing routine; third-person tone brings detachment.
Afternoons - Structure
58
Wilfred Owen’s harrowing account of WWI, exposing gruesome realities and condemning patriotic propaganda.
Dulce et Decorum Est - Context
59
Irregular stanz a lengths with ABAB rhyme and vivid imagery; final lines address reader directly.
Dulce et Decorum Est - Structure
60
Percy Shelley’s sonnet on the ruins of a statue of Ramesses II, warning against hubris and ephemeral power.
Ozymandias - Context
61
Sonnet form with irregular rhyme scheme (ABABACDCEDEFEF); caesuras mimic broken statue.
Ozymandias - Structure
62
- Frame narrative creates distance in time.
- ‘Antique land’ evokes exotic mystery.
- Sets up story of ruined power.
Ozymandias - "I met a traveller from an antique land"
63
- Imagery of broken monument.
- Oxymoron ‘vast… trunkless’ highlights incompleteness.
- Symbolises decay of empire.
Ozymandias - "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone"
64
- Introduction to ironic inscription.
- ‘Pedestal’ implies intended permanence.
- Juxtaposition with ruins.
Ozymandias - "And on the pedestal, these words appear"
65
- Arrogant self-proclamation.
- Title ‘king of kings’ shows hubris.
- Foreshadows ironic downfall.
Ozymandias - "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings"
66
- Alliteration emphasises harshness.
- ‘Sneer’ conveys cruelty.
- Captures sculptor’s portrayal of arrogance.
Ozymandias - "Sneer of cold command"
67
- Imagery of endless desert.
- Consonance ‘lone/level’ creates bleak tone.
- Symbolises nature’s triumph over man.
Ozymandias - "The lone and level sands stretch far away"
68
Wordsworth’s autobiographical account of youthful experiences on a frozen lake, reflecting Romantic ideals of nature’s power.
The Prelude (Extract) - Context
69
Blank verse with enjambment, mimicking natural speech and movement on ice; shifts from excitement to fear.
The Prelude (Extract) - Structure
70
- Parenthetical adds intimacy.
- ‘Led’ personifies nature’s pull.
- Sets reflective, nostalgic tone.
The Prelude (Extract) - "One summer evening (led by her)"
71
- Repetition emphasises overwhelming size.
- Contrast ‘black’ suggests menace.
- Foreshadows awe and fear.
The Prelude (Extract) - "A huge peak, black and huge"
72
- Repetition of ‘struck’ shows panic.
- Suggests loss of control on ice.
- Dynamic action amid stillness.
The Prelude (Extract) - "I struck and struck again"
73
- Personification of sky’s demise.
- ‘Died’ implies end of innocence.
- Reflects loss of childhood joy.
The Prelude (Extract) - "The orange sky died away"
74
- Abstract concept of time dominates.
- Suggests timeless awe.
- Heightens Romantic sublime.
The Prelude (Extract) - "No feeling but the time"
75
Owen Sheers’s reflection on WWI Battle of Mametz Wood, recalling how farmers uncover soldiers’ remains and honoring their sacrifice.
Mametz Wood - Context
76
Free verse with shifting tenses and enjambment; long sentences mirror reflective tone and unearthed memories.
Mametz Wood - Structure
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