Certain slant of light

Question 1

Recall the 1st stanza of the poem starting from “Theres a certain…”

Answer 1

There’s a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons –
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes –

Question 2

Recall the 2nd stanza of the poem starting from “Heavenly hurt…”

Answer 2

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –
We can find no scar,
But internal difference –
Where the Meanings, are –

Question 3

Recall the 3rd stanza of the poem starting from “None may teach it…”

Answer 3

None may teach it – Any –
‘Tis the seal Despair –
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the Air –

Question 4

Recall the 4th stanza of the poem starting from “When it comes…”

Answer 4

When it comes, the Landscape listens –
Shadows – hold their breath –
When it goes, ‘tis like the Distance
On the look of Death –

Question 5

The ‘slant of light’ can be used as an extended metaphor to present…

Answer 5

despair

Question 6

What is the abstract, despair, presented through?

an abstract is a concept thats more like a thought or idea, than a physical object e.g. love, sadness

Answer 6

The use of concrete objects

Question 7

What is the structure of this poem?

Answer 7

• Quatrain
• rhyme scheme (ABCB e.g. lines 2 and lines 4 rhyme)
• ballad form

Question 8

What does the slanted light appearing on ‘winter afternoons’ tell us about the atmosphere?

Answer 8

That the atmosphere is cold/desolate

Question 9

‘that oppresses like the heft of Cathedral tunes”

How is paradox used here and what does this line suggest about religion?

Answer 9

1. Cathedral tunes usually bring a sense of calmness, but here, it is described as something that oppresses
2. It could be that the writer sees religion as oppressing.

Question 10

What does alliteration and capitalisation of ‘Heavenly hurt’ show?

Answer 10

A sense of pain and the intensity of the pain

Question 11

Why is ‘Despair’ capitalised in stanza 3

Answer 11

To indicate that is it the main focus of the poem

Question 12

What does the rhyming between ‘despair’ and ‘air’ in stanza 3 tell us and what quote supports your answer?

Answer 12

That the feeling of despair can be heard through the air and felt in the atmosphere

“landscape listens” supports it as the landscape can be a part of the atmosphere and it ‘hears’ despair

Question 13

Alternatively, What could the ‘landscape’ also refer to?

Answer 13

The landscape of emotions in our brains

Question 14

What does the reference to ‘death’ in the last line suggest?

Answer 14

that when the ‘certain slant of light’ that is despair disappears, death is introduced

Question 15

What are connotations of light?

Answer 15

Optimism and faith

Question 16

Give an oxymoron that shows a contrast between pain and religion

Answer 16

‘heavenly hurt’

Question 17

Is the pain that the narrator feeling psychological/internal or physical?

Answer 17

Internal/psychological

Question 18

Why may enjambment have been used in the poem?

Answer 18

To disrupt the flow/rhythm of the poem, like how despair can disrupt a persons optimism

Question 19

why may the writer refer to despair with the pronoun ‘it’, many times throughout the poem?

Answer 19

To present despair with ambiguous connotations

Question 20

“Landscape listens’

What is the importance of alliteration with the ‘l’ sound

Answer 20

• creates a sense of silence through soft-sounding l sound