Core Task Practice Analaysis

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

The writer was Walter de la mare. He published the story in 1912. This poem helps reflect his love for mysteries and the supernatural. With his great usage of poetic techniques we are able to feel and see what happens in this poem

Question 2

Brief overview of the subject

Answer 2

This poem is about to man who arrives at a seamlessly empty house in the night. He knocks on the door again and again, feeling like someone is listening but not from this world. he gets upset and decides to leave, allowing the place to become quiet again.

Question 3

Rhyme

Answer 3

This poem follows a consistent rhyme scheme of A,B, C, B, D, E, F, E.

Question 4

Poetic techniques

Answer 4

he uses questions and dialogue to add to the image of loneliness and quietness of the house, and how confused and scared he is.

# the writer uses alliteration to help with an atmosphere and smoothness to the poem, for example ‘forest ferny floor’ to show that there isn’t green lush grass floors of the forest, but instead brown dull floors setting a more eerie and dark tone to the atmosphere around him .
# the writer uses onomatopoeia to show how still the forest was and how it was so quiet, you could hear the horse ‘champing’ on grass,

Question 5

Language

Answer 5

The language used creates tension and an eerie atmosphere for example ‘ moonlight door’ this shows it was dark and late at night. when it says ‘ how the silence surged softly backwards’ as he left showing that even someone riding a horse through forest, and knocking on the door, was loud enough to be heard across the still dark forest.

Question 6

Conclusion

Answer 6

In conclusion, I think that the poem has a very tense and eerily quiet atmosphere. For example, the poem as whole shows that there are things listening, ‘ to that voice from the world of men’ this means that the things listening are from a ghostly world this is proven as it says “Phantom listeners” showing they are ghosts. We know that there was something listening as it said “Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup”. this tension and mystery of this poem shows Walter’s de la mare’s fascinations with the magic and mystery side of things.