English nature poetry

Question 1

What is to autumn about?

Answer 1

Keats portrays three different autumnal landscapes in three different stanzas

Question 2

What is the context of to autumn.

Answer 2

Keats was a romantic poet. These poems showed a deep appreciation for nature, understanding of how the senses influenced people and a deeper understanding of meaning of life. Keats wrote this after a walk making it very personal.

Question 3

What does the first quote show in to autumn?

Answer 3

“seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness” presents nature as beuarifuk because he chooses this as his opening line. Also shows it’s slow shown by the use of alliteration.
Poet seems to celebrate this fact

Question 4

What does the second quote show in to autumn?

Answer 4

“Thou watches the last oozing hours by hours”
Presents nature as slow moving. Personifies autumn makes it seem like it’s work is done and is watching it’s end product. Much like a farmer.
Reception of hours shows that time is passing and onomatopieia creates a distinct image

Question 5

What does the third quote show in to autumn?

Answer 5

“Small gnats mourn” animalistic anthropomorphism makes nature seem equal to each other giving animals human characteristics even the smallest of animals care about the season change

Question 6

How is to autumn structured?

Answer 6

In the form of an odd to show his dedication to the season. The first four lines follow abab rhyming screen but it deviates so it can explore his ideas

Question 7

What hawk roosting about?

Answer 7

It is a dramatic monologue of a hawk describes his status in nature. Also could he metaphorical for World leaders.

Question 8

What is the context of hawk roosting?

Answer 8

Ted Hughes grew up in the countryside of Yorkshire in a farm. Went to Cambridge to study archaeology and anthropology.tbese factors deeply influenced his poems when he started as a student

Question 9

What does the first quote show in hawk roosting?

Answer 9

“I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed” presents nature as being imbalanced. Top gives immediate impression of authority figures with first person I. Wood could be metaphorical for his hold on power, secure much like a tree.

Question 10

What does the second quote show in hawk roosting?

Answer 10

“now I hold Creation in my foot” presents nature as scary. Foot is disturbing and it’s difficult to hold onto anything with your foot. Creation is capitalised to make it religious. Juxtaposed by the fact he’s holding it. Despite the importance of creation the government’s are in charge.

Question 11

What does the third quote show in hawk roosting?

Answer 11

“allotment of death” shows nature has a cycle of killing shown by the two contrasting words. Allotment suggests new life while death is ending it. Shows how natural life is ending underneath the hawk. Allotment also has Imagery of field.

Question 12

What is the structure of hawk roosting?

Answer 12

First two stanzas describe who he is. Next two describe what he does as a hawk last two provide almost a justification

Question 13

What is death of a naturalist about?

Answer 13

Reflects on a significant event in the poets childhood. A memory poem that captured how a young child went out to collect frogspawn

Question 14

What is the context of death of a naturalist?

Answer 14

Seamus Heaney lived through conflict in Northern Ireland where he grew up. Affecting his love for nature because he grew up on a farm

Question 15

What does the first quote of death of a naturalist show?

Answer 15

“bluebottles wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell”

Shows how even as children we appreciate the little things in life. Clear memory alliteration almost mimics their sounds and sibilance adds a subtle tone

Question 16

What does the second quote of death of a naturalist show?

Answer 16

“fattening dots burst into nimble tadpoles”

Assonance emphasises the simple language a child would use. Nimble describes speed and captures imagination of child

Question 17

What does the third quote of death of a naturalist show?

Answer 17

“poised like mud grenades”

Shows that childhood innocence can be lost. Poised shows they’re in a certain position ready to lash out at any time. Mud grenades describes their muddy appearance and shows they’re preparing an attack semantic filed of battle

Question 18

What us the structure of death of a naturalist?

Answer 18

Divided into 2 stanzas each with different moods and themes. First is about a happy carefree childhood whereas the second is about an interruption to this childlike routine.

Question 19

What us excerpt from the prelude about?

Answer 19

Describes children skating in the darkness and them not having a care in the world. Poet looks back in nostalgia.

Question 20

What is the context of excerpt from the pride?

Answer 20

Wordsworth was one of the first and most influential romantic poets. Had a troubled childhood because his parents ts died so he had to move with relatives he didn’t like

Question 21

What does the first quote of excerpt from the prelude show?

Answer 21

“the twilight blazed”

Shows childhood to be warm. onomatopoeia gives vivid image of warmth which contrasts to the cold and frosty season. Reflects wordsworth’’s feelings looking back on childhood

Question 22

What does the second quote from excerpt from the prelude show?

Answer 22

“we hiss’d along the polish’d ice”
Shows childhood as free
Dynamic verbs recreate the noises made by the children emphasising their skill and freedom. Sibilance recreates skating sound

Question 23

What does the third quote from excerpt from the prelude show?

Answer 23

“the orange sky of evening died away”
Shows childhood doesn’t last forever.
Final image in the poem making it metaphorical for childhood ending much like the day. Orange could show energetic youth, something that dies away with age.

Question 24

What is the structure of excerpt from the prelude?

Answer 24

One long running stanza that is more conversational in tone written in blank verse. Shows how childhood seems like it will never end until it eventually does

Question 25

What is Ozymandias about?

Answer 25

describe general idea of poem words at bottom reflected the pride and arrogance of Ozymandias but they seem useless because now the statue is destroyed

Question 26

What is the context of Ozymandias?

Answer 26

Perch Bysshe Shelley was one of the romantic poets. Was thought to be a radical (different in thinking for his time). Ozymandias is Rameses II who often built temples about himself, openly criticising people who think they:re invincible

Question 27

What is the first quote from Ozymandias about?

Answer 27

“half sunk a shattered visage lays”
The adjectives ‘half sunk’ immediately establish the theme
of something decreasing or deteriorating- in this case, it is
the power and reputation of the ruler Rameses II. The
adjective ‘shattered’ creates the image of it being in
pieces, rather than one whole thing – it is much weaker
and fragile like this. The noun ‘visage’ means face, or
metaphorically, identity – the identity of the leader is less
than it was, thus the power being temporary.

Question 28

What does the second quote from Ozymandias show?

Answer 28

“wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command” This images shows how the ruler was perceived by others.
The noun phrase ‘wrinkled lip’ establishes the picture of
the ruler being disapproving and unsatisfied at all times; it
is not a pleasant image. The metaphor ‘sneer of cold
command’ gives an insight to his leadership and suggests
that he was not personable or warm in any way. He thinks
a lot of himself but little of everything else.

Question 29

What does the third quote from Ozymandias show?

Answer 29

“round the decay of that colossal wreck”
The noun ‘decay’ suggests that the decrease in power has
happened over time. It creates the idea that time cannot
be overruled – it is something more powerful than the
ruler ever was once. The adjective ‘colossal’ highlights
exactly how powerful the leader once was, and the noun
‘wreck’ implies that the power is now non-existent; it is a
memory and nothing more.

Question 30

What is the structure of Ozymandias?

Answer 30

Ozymandias is a sonnet (a poem of 14 lines), although it doesn’t have
the same, simple rhyme scheme or punctuation that most sonnets
have. Some lines are split by full stops and the rhyme is irregular at
times.
It is written in iambic pentameter, which Shakespeare used widely in
his plays and sonnets.
The first line and a half up to the colon are the narrator’s words, the
rest are those of the traveller he meets. There are no clear stanzas as
such. Instead, it is one, 14-line block of text that is split up with lots of
punctuation throughout.

Question 31

What is Afternoons about?

Answer 31

In this poem, Philip Larkin is describing young mothers watching their children as they play on swings. The title is
metaphorical. ‘Afternoons’ refers to a phase in the day, when noon has passed and the day starts to fade away
towards night. This metaphor represents what happens to us after we have hit the high points in our lives, and
how we then start to age and fade towards death. The poet approaches the themes of ageing and relationships
The tone is melancholy and reflects the subject of marriage. The poem deals with Larkin’s view on that marriage
can make women – especially young mothers – lose their identity. Larkin describes ordinary, everyday occurrences,
like mothers taking their children to a playground.

Question 32

What is the context of Afternoons?

Answer 32

Philip Larkin (1922-1985) was an English poet, who was famous for creating detailed observations about everyday 
life and relationships. People often thought his poetry was rather negative and miserable. His life was quite 
restricted as he never married, had no children, never travelled abroad and worked as a librarian in Hull for 30 
years.

Question 33

What does the first quote from Afternoons show?

Answer 33

“summer is fading”
The seasons are gradually changing, so time is moving on.
‘Summer’ is often associated with youth. In this context,
summer is a metaphor for the beauty and youth of the
women, that is fading away into the past. The verb ‘fading’
suggests a gradual change that something is happening
that is barely noticeable. ‘Fading’ is a negative word that
has connotations of old age and shabbiness.

Question 34

What does the second quote from Afternoons show?

Answer 34

“and the albums, lettered Our Wedding, lying text to the television” Alliteration used in this line to create an almost
disillusioned tone. Commas are used to slow down pace
for a dramatic, ironic pause. Italics used shows the irony of
a wedding being a happy event, contrasted with the
double entendre ‘lying’, meaning abandoned and also
misled into believing that marriage was going to be
different. ‘Television’ – gets looked at more than the
wedding albums and is more interesting. The old being
supplanted by the new again

Question 35

What does the third quote from Afternoons show?

Answer 35

“their beauty has thickened” Beauty is fading in the mothers because of the frustration
with their lives lack of fulfilment. The verb ‘thickened’
suggests change. The women have put on weight and not
looked after themselves – their beauty of the past has
congealed and is fading away. Fading away is a gradual
process that may not be noticed at first. The noun ‘beauty’
represents time, which, like beauty, is slipping away
without them really acknowledging it.

Question 36

What is the structure of Afternoons?

Answer 36

The poem is written in blank verse (no rhyme scheme)
of 3 stanzas of equal length (8 lines.) Each stanza has a
different focus.
Stanza 1- Talks about the seasons changing and
mothers bringing their children to the play area
Stanza 2- Talks about how things have changed over
the years. It has a reflective tone and describes
memories of how things used to be.
Stanza 3- Talks about the present and future. Compares
the generations of the past with generations of the
future.