Poetry

Question 1

Poems with themes of romantic love

Answer 1

When We Two Parted
Neutral Tones
Winter Swans
Singh Song!
Love’s Philosophy
The Farmer’s Bride
Porphyria’s Lover
Sonnet 29

Question 2

Poems with themes of familial love

Answer 2

Walking Away
Follower
Mother, Any Distance
Climbing my Grandfather
Eden Rock
Before You Were Mine

Question 3

Poems with themes of longing/loss

Answer 3

When We Two Parted
Neutral Tones
Winter Swans
Love’s Philosophy
Porphyria’s Lover
Sonnet 29
Walking Away
Mother Any Distance
Before You Were Mine
Letters from Yorkshire

Question 4

Poems with themes of obsession

Answer 4

Singh Song
Love’s philosophy
The Farmer’s Bride
Porphyria’s Lover
Before You Were Mine

Question 5

Poems with themes of nature

Answer 5

When We Two Parted
Neutral Tones
Winter Swans
Love’s Philosophy
Sonnet 29
Walking Away
Follower
Climbing my Grandfather
Eden Rock
Letters from Yorkshire

Question 6

Poems with themes of death / age

Answer 6

When We Two Parted
Neutral Tones
The Farmer’s Bride
Porphyria’s Lover
Walking Away
Follower
Mother, Any Distance
Climbing my Grandfather
Eden Rock
Before You Were Mine

Question 7

When We Two Parted

Answer 7

Romantic love + longing/death: In the poem the speaker grieves the loss of a former love. Through sombre tones and mournful imagery, the poem shows the sorrow akin to grieving a departed loved one, where the loss of romantic affection feels as devastating as a physical death

“Pale grew thy cheek and cold”

Nature: The relentless persistence of the weather, despite being cold and bleak, contrasts the finality of human relationships

“The dew of the morning”

Question 8

Neutral Tones

Answer 8

Romantic Love + Death: The poem is filled with a sense of lifelessness, where paradoxical images of death and romantic love merge. This illustrates how the vibrancy of the speaker’s relationship has been tainted by its demise, symbolically dying in his perception
“The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing”

Longing/loss + nature: The end and subsequent loss of their relationship have drained the vitality from life. The speaker’s disillusionment with love has made the world and nature colourless around him
“They had fallen from an ash and were grey”

Question 9

Winter Swans

Answer 9

Romantic love and nature: Nature personified throughout the poem mirrors the inner turmoil of the couple, with the shifting weather symbolising the ever-changing nature of romantic relationships. It shows that love is a cycle of conflict, reconciliation and reconnection
“the clouds had given their all” “waterlogged earth”

Longing/loss: The interconnectedness of the swans reinforces the loss of connection and emotional intimacy between the couple. As the poem progresses, the pervasive sense of love dissipates as they overcome this conflict
“tipping in unison”

Question 10

Singh Song

Answer 10

Romantic love: The poem delves into the raw authenticity of genuine romantic love. Through humorous, it reveals the complexity of true, unpolished love, which contains sacrifice, conflict and adoration
“She effing at my mum”

Obsession: He juxtaposes his wife’s appearance with conventional standards of beauty, perceiving ever deemed imperfection as a perfection. Thus, he declares his everlasting obsession with her, showing their love to be boundless
“Tummy ov a teddy bear” “priceless”

Question 11

Love’s Philosophy

Answer 11

Romantic Love + Longing + Obsession: The speaker’s relentless and almost obsessive persuasion comes from their longing for the union of their love. By making divine allusions, they intensify the obsessive persuasion, suggesting that their separation defies divine natural order
“All things by a law divine / In one spirit meet and mingle”

Nature: Through personifying nature and highlighting its natural interconnectedness, the poem parallels the speaker’s argument that rejecting this interconnection would be unnatural, disrupting the cycle and harmony of nature’s processes
“The fountains mingle with the river” “Nothing in the world is single”

Question 12

The Farmer’s Bride

Answer 12

Romantic Love: The initial idea of romantic love within their marriage transforms into fear as the bride is subjected to objectification and subjugation. Stripped of her identity in the poem, she symbolises the farmer’s marginalisation and dehumanisation of her
“Chose a maid’

Obsession: The farmer’s emphasis on her youth emphasises his obsessive desire to maintain control and exploit her completely, ensuring she remains under his authority with no autonomy and is unable to escape
“She runned away” “We caught her”

Death/Age: The depiction of the bride’s youth highlights her vulnerability and the extent of her subjugation. The use of lifeless imagery to describe her physical appearance illustrates how oppression has drained her vitality and robbed her of her youthfulness
“The brown of her - her eyes, her hair, her hair, her hair”

Question 13

Porphyria’s Lover

Answer 13

Romantic Love: The poem explores romantic love through the lens of male hubris within a patriarchal society. The male speaker idealises the object of his affection to an extreme, leading to her dehumanisation an portrayal as a de-personalised object of worship
“Her smooth white shoulder bare” “yellow hair displaced’

Obsession + Longing + Death: The speaker longs to preserve Porphyria in his unrealistic, idolised perception of her which leads to him committing murder. His delusional obsessions lead to him fulfilling his desires to preserve her innocence in her death.
“Laughed the blue eyes without a stain”

Question 14

Sonnet 29: I Think of Thee

Answer 14

Romantic Love + Nature: Browning uses natural imagery to show the timelessness and boundlessness of her love - she makes it appear to align with the natural order of the earth. The natural imagery reinforces how this love for her beloved is innate and intrinsic
“I think of thee! - my thoughts do twine and bud”

Longing: The poet highlights a desire for physical closeness and emotional intimacy within her boundless love. Every thought, at every moment, is intertwines with the beloved, showing a longing that transcends mere physical want
“Because, in this deep joy to see and hear thee”

Question 15

Walking Away

Answer 15

Familial love and longing: The speaker’s longing is rooted in nostalgia, to momentarily avoid the painful passing of time. Confronting the emotional distance and evolution of their parent-child bond proves to be a difficult reality to come to terms with
“Like a satellite / Wrenched from its orbit”

Nature + age: the natural imagery portrays the gradual transition into adulthood as both a natural progression and an immensely emotional experience. Despite the unavoidable progression into adulthood, it is a painful and inevitable detachment
“Sunny day with leaves just turning”

Question 16

Follower

Answer 16

Familial love + nature: The speaker fondly recounts the idolisation of his father in his youth. He radiates admiration in regards to his strength and power, the natural imagery compounding his father’s physical strength and skill in the fields
“His shoulders globed like a full sail strung”

Longing + age: The fond reminiscent tone is understood when paralleled to the now feeble presentation of his father. He longs to recall the strength and power of his father, not letting those memories be tainted by his current deteriorating state
“It is my father who keeps stumbling”

Question 17

Mother any distance

Answer 17

Familial love: Unconditional love is presented as synonymous with familial love. The adoration and fond tone by the speaker about his mother shows that they are inextricably bound irrespective of physical distance
“I space-walk through the empty bedrooms”

Longing + age: The conflict between independence and dependence underpins the poem. While the speaker sings for autonomy, they remain reliant on their mother for support, highlighting the complexity between self-sufficiency and reliance with parent-child relationships
“Anchor. Kite”

Question 18

Climbing my grandfather

Answer 18

Nature + Familial love: The conceit of paralleling the grandfather to a mountain introduces the motif of exploration and discovery. This highlights the metaphorical journey of delving into their relationship - the speaker is uncovering layers of understanding and connection along the way
“I decide to do it free, without a rope or net”

Age: The inquisitive exploration of the speaker reinforces the interconnected nature between generations. The speaker is climbing his grandfather, searching for the knowledge and wisdom he has culminated over his life”
“Then up over / the forehead, the wrinkles well-spaced”

Question 19

Eden Rock

Answer 19

Familial Love: portrayed as transcendent, not confined to the boundaries of life and death. The speaker’s reunion with his deceased parents emphasises the boundlessness of their bond - love persists even beyond physical existence
“They beckon me from the other side of the bank”

Nature: The natural and idyllic setting of them being united in ‘Eden Rock’ signifies how, alike to nature, he and his parents are sempiternally interconnected
“They are waiting for me somewhere beyond Eden Rock”

Death/age: The reunion at Eden Rock symbolises the cycle of life and death. The speaker’s preservation of his parents in their youth reflects the times nature of love and memory, despite the passage of time
“They beckon me from the other side of the bank”

Question 20

Before You Were Mine

Answer 20

Familial love + longing: The speaker idolises her mother’s past vitality and longs for her to radiate that same energy again. However, she recognises that as her mother embraces societal expectation of womanhood, she loses some of this vitality
“Where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine”

Obsession + age: Her meticulous focus on details, combined with her romanticised obsession with her mother’s pre-motherhood life, shows her desire to envision her mother liberated from the responsibilities and burdens imposed by parenthood
“Your polka-dot dress blows around your legs. Marilyn.”

Question 21

Letter from Yorkshire

Answer 21

Longing: The speaker longs for emotional closeness, despite the vast geographical separation from Yorkshire. The letters are a method of preserving an emotional tie to him, maintaining a sense of connection despite the physical distance
“Watching the same news in different houses”

Nature: The use of natural imagery in the poem illustrates that just as the seasons undergo constant change, the speaker will be constantly inextricably connected to her home
“In February, digging his garden, planting potatoes”

Question 22

When We Two Parted - Form

Answer 22

Regular Rhyme: indicates that despite the sorrow felt and expressed by the speaker, life continues regardless

Accentual-syllabic rhythm: last syllable in the fifth line that breaks the regular accentual rhythm lands on the adjective ‘cold’, placing a lot of emphasis on this word and the feelings it connotes to, such as those of bitterness, melancholy and emptiness

Cyclical structure: begins and ends with ‘in silence and tears’, displays an inability to progress, mirroring the repetitive thoughts of the speaker, stuck in a state of mourning the loss of their love and underlining the notion of their entrapment in a moment of time

Question 23

WWTP structure

Answer 23

Enjambment: following first line ‘when we two parted’ begins the poem on a glum and despairing tone. The continuation of the line instantly mirroring the continual dismay and burden he carries from the loss of his lover
The enjambment is less frequent than the use of end-stopping, perhaps the end-stopping mimicking how their love has been quickly curtailed and abruptly ended. The enjambment in this instance signifying the continuation of their love, yet the contrast with the end-stopping shows their love was not sempiternal

Caesura: enjambment is littered with infrequent but significant caesura - often used to emphasise the features of the lost love that Byron wants to draw attention to

Question 24

Neutral Tones - Form

Answer 24

ABBA rhyme scheme: represents the ongoing cycle of nature - the idea that life doesn’t stop

Regular quatrains: could represent the ongoing number of emotions within relationships
Emphasises the inevitability of life continuing on despite these emotional hurdles, the regularity of the stanzas also emphasising the regularity of such emotions across individuals

Cyclical structure: mention of ‘pond’ amongst ‘grayish’ ‘winter’ scenery within the first and last lines not only underlines the title, but is indicative of the cyclical passing of the four seasons and the processes of nature

Question 25

Neutral Tones - structure

Answer 25

End-stopping: shown by semi-colon at the end of the second line of every stanza and a full stop at the end of stanzas 1,2,4 develops the idea of continuation and regularity but also introduces a tense and blunt undertone
End-stopping visible following lines 3,6,10 are reminiscent of the abrupt seizure of an intense relationship, shedding light on the bitter attitude that said lines intend to portray
Speaker almost feels like their life is stagnant and dull since this tragic ending to their relationship

Question 26

Winter Swans - Form

Answer 26

Lack of rhyme: suggestive of uncertainty within the relationship, lack of rhyme throughout entire poem symbolises a somewhat incoherence, perhaps reflected in the contrast between its speaker and their partner

Tercets, but final stanza is a couplet: triplets perhaps symbolic of the obstacles preventing complete fulfilment and unity of both parties within the relationship, whilst the couplet represents a final, harmonic acceptance of these differences and a willingness to address or overlook them

Question 27

Winter Swans - Structure

Answer 27

Enjambment: induces a fluidity that mirrors the routine of the swans and the eventual comfort and ease the couple find within their relationship as they choose to overcome their difficulties

Question 28

Singh Song - form

Answer 28

Free verse: element of spontaneity, as through improvised, makes poem seem more informal, enhanced by the dialect style language, and it also makes the speaker sound scattered in their thoughts, as though the influence of love has made him whimsically skittish

Irregular stanzas of unequal length: adds to chaotic nature, makes speaker seem unfocused on being grammatically correct and more on expressing his feelings, makes the poem seem like a passionate expression of love for his wife and his culture

Question 29

Singh Song - structure

Answer 29

Enjambment: characterises love to be everlasting, but also adds to the poems spontaneity. The poem lacks most forms of punctuation, only using question marks and dashes when necessary which gives the impression that the speaker is unfiltered and cares more about speaking their thoughts than being grammatically correct. It also reinforces the stereotype that comes with dialect, being that the speakers English skills are not always accurate

Question 30

Love’s Philosophy - form

Answer 30

Iambic tetrameter: regular form continues throughout entirety, placing emphasis of the existence of the natural world as one interconnected body. The ways in which elements of nature mingle with each other reflect the way that humans co-exist and depend on each other to live a fulfilling life

ABAB rhyme scheme: develops notion that human behaviour and nature’s behaviour are one and the same
“Nothing in the world is single:/ All things by a law divine/ In one spirit meet and mingle/ Why not I with thine?” idea is reiterated by the inclusion of vocabulary reminiscent of ‘dating’ in humans, such as ‘mingle’ and ‘single’

Question 31

Love’s Philosophy - structure

Answer 31

End stops: occur only at the end on every 2 lines, excluding that which states that “Nothing in the world is single”. This somewhat groups each pair of lines together, demonstrating via structure that nothing should exist alone
The final line of each stanza is written using the interrogative tone, revealing the intent of the speaker who is trying to justify their desires using the laws of nature in order to persuade another to engage in a relationship with them

Question 32

The Farmer’s Bride - form

Answer 32

Dramatic monologue: unfiltered access tot the speaker’s thoughts due to first person narration, we get a very biased view of the farmer’s situation with his wife, only hearing his thoughts on the matter and never hers. This is especially effective if we consider that even the poem objectifies the wife, as the speaker does, viewing her through a male gaze and never hearing her thoughts, thus de-humanising her

Rhyme: no definitive rhyme scheme, but there are occasional rhyming couplets which drives the metre in certain lines. The lack of rhyme scheme gives the impression that the speaker is un-educated, which makes sense given he is a farmer, could also suggests he is losing power over his wife. He once entirely controlled her, able to isolate her himself, yet as the wife now chooses to “sleep up in the attic” she is perhaps regaining control. Thus, the lack of definitive rhyme emulates his lack of definitive power

Question 33

The Farmer’s Bride - structure

Answer 33

Enjambment: furthers the melancholic and depressing atmosphere. It makes it seem like that grim atmosphere is everlasting, and there is no escape, mirroring how the wife feels. The ceaselessness of the lines is poignant in regard to the wife’s seclusion and fear. Thus, Mew uses this to show the relentless objectification of the wife has led her to become a shell of her former self - she no longer possess an identity due to the ceaselessness of her oppression

Anaphora: Repetition in the final lines “her hair, her hair!” gives the sense that the speaker has begun his mental decline. He has less control over his language, which mirrors his mentally compromised state. It puts emphasis on the line, marking it as the final thing we take away from the poem, that being the speaker’s descent into insanity

Question 34

Porphyria’s Lover - form

Answer 34

Begins in iambic terameter: creates an anticipation for a regular rhythm which is then left unfulfilled, adds to the setting up of the poem to be a sonnet which it doesn’t turn out to be as the speaker descends into murderous madness, the lack of regular rhythm mirrors the chaotic murderous mindset of the speaker, his unhinged delusions even being reflected in the rhythm

Rhyme: the rhyme scheme is unevenly weighted which makes the reader sound delirious and disjointed, there is a unsettling regularity within the rhyme, perhaps to emulate the unsettling calculated nature of the speaker - his murder of Porphyria perhaps being a calculated intended act to which the speaker can forever have ownership over her

Dramatic monologue: unfiltered access to speakers thoughts, thus catalogues his descent into madness, giving the reader a chilling insight into a murderous mind

Question 35

Porphyria’s Lover - structure

Answer 35

Rhyming couples: gives poem a sort of fable/proverb like feel
Final rhyming couple exacerbates calculation and manipulation from the speaker, almost tantalising the reader with his permanent objectification and ownership of Porphyria - an act we can assume as a reader an educated male would’ve got away with at the time
Rhyming couplets encourage the reader to search for the moral within the poem and gets them to focus on the words that are rhymed, which are often monosyllabic and nouns or verbs

Enjambment: lines of the poem add up to long complex sentences meaning there is a large amount of enjambment used. This creates the idea that the speaker loves to hear himself talk and often rambles, quite narcissistically
Could also convey is unwavering love and infatuation with Porphyria that spill onto each line - his love for her cannot be contained

Question 36

Sonnet 29 - form

Answer 36

Sonnet: traditional expression of love, Browning intends for the reader to assume it is a profession of love and quite personal, shows speaker’s speaker’s ultimate love of their partner to be present, despite small uncertainties and arguable unhealthy attitudes displayed in its contents
Contains a volta

Iambic pentameter: emulates her complete unwavering devotion

Ambiguous rhyme scheme: although the syllables at the end of each line all rhyme with others throughout the sonnet, there is no clear pattern dictating the pattern in which they rhyme
Develops the idea that the speaker, whilst feeling in sync with their lover and celebrating their strong feelings for them, experiences conflicting thoughts towards the relationship’s power dynamic and the compatibility between the 2

Question 37

Sonnet 29 - structure

Answer 37

Caesura: done at line 7 “Who art dearer, better!”, exclamatory tone along with sudden presence of punctuation suggests that the speaker is overwhelmed by their thoughts and emotions towards their lover. Reflecting the imagery of the vines, it displays the way in which the thoughts of the speaker and perhaps the speaker themselves consume the partner

End-stopping: End of line 4 “wood.”, sudden interruption of the sonnet’s flow after enjambment is abrupt and suggests that the supposed harmonious nature of the relationship may be diluted with uncertainties and conflict

Enjambment: line 3 “nought to see / except the straggling green”, imitates natural speech as opposed to sticking to a rigid rhythm, adding a personal element, also suggests elements of the relationship which are harmonious

Question 38

Walking Away - form

Answer 38

4 stanzas of 5 lines: regular, reflects speaker’s age, also foreshadows the poems tone of contentment, gives notion that everything will settle, regularity could make this experience seem universal and almost a regular experience for many parents. The hardships of seeing a child grow up being a painful experience for most parents, as if they are mourning the loss of their younger innocent child

ABACA Rhyme: regular in it repeats, but irregular in its actual form, represents the conflict the father feels in letting his son go but also his worry that his son is too young and vulnerable to be released into the world
The familiar yet unfamiliar repeated irregular rhyme scheme could mimic how parents have this comfort in know their child and keeping them close, but this pain and fear that theyre growing up into somebody they now don’t recognise
Every rhyming coupe is a monosyllabic perfect rhyme, which drives the metre and gives the sense of stability and normality - Day-Lewis is reassuring the reader that although these feelings are daunting, this is something that will become an easily acceptable part of life

Question 39

Walking Away - structure

Answer 39

Tone: gradually changes as poem progresses
Tone at beginning is uncertain and guilty while at the end it becomes content and secure, shows the gradual realisation of the speaker that what he is doing is the right thing

varying sentence structure: maturity is reflected through his language and syntax, they are confident in expressing themselves and secure in their emotions

Dashes: frequent use makes speaker always sound willing to give more detail, makes him sound sentimental and reminiscent. He is living in the days that he can never get back. He is re-living the time he believes he wasted

Question 40

Follower - form

Answer 40

Metre: iambic tetrameter with occasional lines that deviate
Uneven metre creates eerie sense of foreboding and what initially seems like a fondly retrospective poem has an unexpectedly melancholic ending

Rhyme: occasional rhyming couplets, and a few of which are half-rhyme, making rhyme scheme sound disjointed and unorganised, perhaps mirrors speaker’s clumsy movements and also his desire to be like his father, but the half rhymes reflect how he never quite achieves that dream

Quatrains: gives poem organised feel, reminding us and adult is speaking retrospectively
Organised stanzas could reflect his organisation and poised nature as an adult, contrasting his father’s more feeble and disorganised state. It shows the disparity between the older and younger generations and how, as people get older, they regress into a more infantile helpless state

Question 41

Follower - structure

Answer 41

Caesura/enjambement: the continuation of sentences over stanzas creates a break in the sentence and acts as a caesura but also contributes to the poems enjambment
Makes it so that the poems structure mirrors the way the speaker physically and metaphorically followed his father

End-stopping: makes him sound more decisive on stanzas that are end-stopped and are the ones where he is making decisions
Reminds us that thought he is speaking about when he was a child, he is speaking about it retrospectively as an adult