Power and Conflict Flashcards
(17 cards)
Context prelude
-Published shortly after his death, The Prelude was a
very long poem (14 books) that told the story of
William Wordsworth’s life.
-This extract is the first part of a book entitled
‘Introduction - Childhood and School-Time’.
-Like Percy Shelley, Wordsworth was a romantic poet
and so his poetry explores themes of nature, human
emotion and how humans are shaped by their
interaction with nature
Remains context
“These are poems of survivors - the damaged,
exhausted men who return from war in body but
never, wholly, in mind.” Simon Armitage
-Poem coincided with increased awareness of PTSD
amongst the military, and aroused sympathy amongst
the public - many of whom were opposed to the war.
Charge of the Light Brigade context
-As Poet Laureate, he had a responsibility to inspire the
nation and portray the war in a positive light:
propaganda.
-Although Tennyson glorifies the soldiers who took
part, he also draws attention to the fact that a
commander had made a mistake: “Someone had
blunder’d”.
-This was a controversial point to make in Victorian
times when blind devotion to power was expected.
Emigree context
-Emigree was published in 1993. The home country of
the speaker is not revealed - this ambiguity gives the
poem a timeless relevance.
-Increasingly relevant to many people in current world
climate
Tissue context
-Imtiaz Dharker was born in Pakistan and grew up in
Glasgow. ‘Tissue’ is taken from a 2006 collection of
poems entitles ‘The Terrorist at My Table’: the
collection questions how well we know people around
us.
-This particular poem also questions how well we
understand ourselves and the fragility of humanity.
Checking Out Me History context
-John Agard was born in the Caribbean in 1949 and
moved to the UK in the 1970s.
-His poetry challenge racism and prejudice.
-This poem may, to some extent, have achieved its
purpose: in 2016, a statue was erected in London in
honour of Mary Seacole, one of the subjects of the
poem.
War Photographer context
-Like Tennyson and Ted Hughes, Duffy was the Poet
Laureate.
-Duffy was inspired to write this poem by her
friendship with a war photographer. She was intrigued
by the challenge faced by these people whose job
requires them to record terrible, horrific events
without being able to directly help their subjects.
-The location is ambiguous and therefore universal:
(“Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.”)
Poppies context
-Set around the time of the Iraq and Afghan wars, but
the conflict is deliberately ambiguous to give the poem
a timeless relevance to all mothers and families.
-There are hints of a critical tone; about how soldiers
can become intoxicated by the glamour or the military:
“a blockade of yellow bias” and “intoxicated”.
Remains Structure and Form
Monologue, told in the present tense to convey a flashback
First 4 stanzas in Iraq, last three at home
Enjambment gives the poem a fast pace
Exposure Structure and Form
Cold-Warm-Cold = Suffering-Delusion-Death
Repetition of ‘but nothing happens creates circular structure, implying never ending suffering
Pararhymes only barely hold the poem together
Poppies Structure and Form
Elegy
Strong sense of form despite the free verse- stream of consciousness directly addressing her son
Enjambment gives it an anecdotal tone
Nearly half the lines have caesura. She is trying to hold it together, but can’t speak fluently as she is breaking inside
Charge of the Light brigade Structure and Form
Ballad- form of poetry used to remember historical events
6 Verses, each representing 100 men who took part
First stanza tightly structured, but then becomes awkward mirroring the chaos of battle.
Dactylic dimeter mirrors the sounds of horses galloping and increases the poem’s pace.
War Photographer Structure and Form
Enjambment reinforces the sense that the world is out of order
Rhyme reinforces the idea of trying to bring order to a chaotic world
Imagery of rural England is contrasted with war zones
The emigree Structure and Form
The last line of each stanza is ‘sunlight’ to show the overriding positivity of the city
The first two stanzas have lots of enjambment to convey freedom. however, the final stanza has lots of full-stops to convey she is trapped.
Checking out me History Structure and Form
Dramatic monologue with a dual structure
Stanzas concerning Eurocentric history are interspersed with black history stanzas (in italics to represent separateness and rebellion)
Black history arranged as serious lessons, traditional history as nursery rhymes
Lack of punctuation, free verse stanzas, irregular rhyme scheme and creole represents the narrator’s rejection of the rules
Ozymandias Form and Structure
Sonnet but unconventional structure- normal until line 9. This reflects how human structures can be destroyed/decay
Iambic pentameter rhyme scheme is also disrupted or decayed
First 8 lines- statue is described in parts
Final 2 lines- huge and immortal desert is described to emphasise the insignificance of human power
Tissue Form and Structure
Short stanzas create many layers, which is a key theme of the poem
Lack of rhythm or rhyme creates an effect of freedom
All stanzas have 4 lines except for the last, which focuses on humans and is direct address to remind us that we are all fragile and temporary.
Enjambment between lines and stanzas creates an effect of freedom
