Positive Romantic Love Poetry Flashcards
Give the author and contextual information of ‘Winter Swans’.
The author of this poem is Owen Sheers. He is a modern poet, and wrote this poem to highlight the benefits of reconciliation amongst partners.
‘Winter Swans’: “The waterlogged earth/
gulping for breath at our feet.”
‘Winter Swans’: …gulping for breath at our feet.”
“The waterlogged earth/
‘Winter Swans’: “Until the swans came and stopped us/
with a show of tipping in unison.”
‘Winter Swans’: …with a show of tipping in unison.”
“Until the swans came and stopped us/
In ‘Winter Swans’, what is “Until the swans came and stopped us/ with a show of tipping in unison” in the poem?
The volta.
In ‘Winter Swans’, what does “show of tipping in unison” contrast?
The couple’s deteriorated relationship.
‘Winter Swans’: Icebergs of
white feather”
‘Winter Swans’: …white feather”
“icebergs of
‘Winter Swans’: “Porcelain over the
stilling water.”
‘Winter Swans’: …the stilling water.”
“Porcelain over
‘Winter Swans’: “Our hands had, somehow,
swum the distance between us.”
‘Winter Swans’: …swum the distance between us.”
“Our hands had, somehow,
In ‘Winter Swans’, what does the word ‘somehow’ imply, near the end?
‘Somehow’ illustrates the unforeseen, confusing nature of love.
In ‘Winter Swans’, how many lines is the last stanza, and what does this show in the relationship?
The last stanza is two lines, contrasting the discordant nature of the previous three line stanzas. This change reveals the end of the couple’s repeated conflicts, as they become a single, unified pair.
