Poetry Context Flashcards
What are some pieces of context for A Poison Tree (1794)
• Blake was a deeply religious man and this is shown through the moral nature of his work
• He makes references to Adam and Eve (Genesis)
What are some pieces of context for Half Caste (1996)
• John Agard was born in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1949
• His father was Guyanese and his mother was Portuguese so he is of mixed race
• Half caste is a derogatory term referring to people of mixed race
What are some pieces of context for The Destruction of Sennacherib (1815) by Lord Byron
• Byron was one of the leading poets for the romantic movement
• The wars against Napoleon have been going on for 16 years
• The Assyrian are a biblical reference
What are some pieces of context for Exposure (1917)
• It was written during World War One
• It depicts the horrific conditions of war
• Owen wanted to show the reality of war contrast to the propaganda that was being fed to the British nation at home
• He died in World War One at age 25
What are some pieces of context for Belfast Confetti (1990)
• “The Troubles” was a civil war conflict that ran between 1960’s to 1980’s
• Carson lived through the troublesome times when there were clashes
• Public riots took place on huge streets and lasted several days
What are some pieces of context for The Class Game (1981)
• Casey was a working class housewife in Liverpool
• She wrote it during 1979 (first year of Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as a prime minister)
• This time saw high unemployment rates which caused class division
What are some pieces of context for Extract from The Prelude
• Nature was a predominant Romantic theme during the Industrial Revolution
• This posed a threat to preservation
• This also caused a rise in countryside tourism which was done to escape the expanding urban areas
What are some pieces of context for The Charge of the Light Brigade (1854)
• Written during Crimean War
• Response to the atrocities that the British troops faced during the war
• The British army’s cavalry division were known as the Light Brigade
• An order was given to the Light Brigade but was misunderstood so over 600 cavalrymen charged down a narrow valley straight into the fire of Russian cannons
• Over 160 soldier died and more than 120 were wounded
What are some pieces of context for Poppies (2005) by Jane Weir
• She was the mother of 2 teenage boys
• She was thinking of Susan Owen (mother of World War 1 poet - Wilfred Owen) when writing the poem
• Jane Weir was a textile artist
• Poppies is a contemporary poem
• Her poem was a response to the losses already suffered during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
What are some pieces of context for The Man He Killed (1902)
• The poem was written in response to the Boer War in South Africa
• Thousands of people died
• Highlights the senselessness and wasteful tragedy of human conflict
What are some pieces of context for Catrin (1978)
• “Catrin” drew inspiration from her relationship with her own daughter
• Her daughter was named Catrin
• When asked what the poem was about she replied “Why did my beautiful baby have to become a teenager? At least, I think that’s what it’s about,”
What are some pieces of context for No Problem (1996) By Benjamin Zephaniah
• He is of Afro-Caribbean heritage
• No problem focuses on the racism he endured as a schoolboy in Birmingham
• He publicly rejected an OBE from the Queen in protest at British government policies
What are some pieces of context for Cousin Kate (1860) by Christina Rossetti
• She wrote the poem while she was a volunteer at the St. Mary Magdalene house
• The house was for fallen women
• “Fallen woman” is a derogatory 19th century term for widowed women or prostitutes
What are some pieces of context for War Photographer (1987) by Carole Satyamurti
• She was a sociologist
• Exposes conditions of women in third world countries
• Compared to condition of women in first world countries
What are some pieces of context for What were they Like? (1967)
• Poem protests about the damage done by the American military to the people of Vietnam
• Written during the Vietnam war 1960’s-1970’s
• War was between the 2 nations which had different political ideas
• Poem criticises people who believe in complaining by sitting at home but actually don’t do anything
