Introduction

Question 1

Title and author

Answer 1

“Victor Was A Little Baby” is a tragic balled written by the poet WH Auden which leaps and lingers to tell the story of Victor’s life.

Question 2

Summary

Answer 2

The poem explores the effect that the eponymous character’s upbringing has on his life and how this negatively impacts his relationships with others, including his wife Anna whom Victor had madly fallen in love with upon arrival. However, this relationship quickly deteriorates after marriage as Victor finds out that Anna has been ‘cheating’ on him and therefore feels that he must kill Anna

Question 3

Refer to question and techniques

Answer 3

Auden effectively uses several features of language, including word choice, ballad structure and imagery to reveal the theme of insanity in the poem through the murder of Anna.