The Destruction of Sennacherib

Question 1

The Destruction of Sennacherib: Who is the poet?

Answer 1

Lord Byron

Question 2

The Destruction of Sennacherib: What is significant about the metre of this poem?

Answer 2

Anapaestic - two unstressed syllables, one stressed

Iambic tetrametre - 4 beats per line

Question 3

The Destruction of Sennacherib: What is repeated in the second stanza?

Answer 3

‘Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green…’ (impressed with army)

‘Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown…’ (backtracking, no longer impressed)

Question 4

The Destruction of Sennacherib: What are some examples of alliteration in this poem and their effects?

Answer 4

S1 - ‘Sheen of their Spears was like Stars on the Sea’ - hissing noise, shows evil of Assyrians

S3 - ‘Hearts once but Heaved’ - slows down reader’s speech as death takes place

Question 5

The Destruction of Sennacherib: What are examples of likeness to biblical syntax?

Answer 5

S3 - pass’d,
wax’d,
‘hearts but once heaved’

S4 - roll’d

Question 6

The Destruction of Sennacherib: What effect does the metre have?

Answer 6

It reflects the gallop of horses, driving on the narrative

Question 7

The Destruction of Sennacherib: What does it mean to be ‘end stopped’ and what is the effect of this?

Answer 7

‘End stopped’ lines end in punctuation

Around half the lines then begin with ‘And’, continuing a cohesive narrative although the metre sounds lighthearted

Question 8

The Destruction of Sennacherib: How is God’s power shown?

Answer 8

‘Angel of Death’ only ‘breathed in the face of the foe as he pass’d’ - casual action for God, effects are described for three whole stanzas

Final lines:

Simile ‘melted like snow’ shows God’s strength

Contrasting weapons (sword and glance) show he is stronger than anything man made

Question 9

The Destruction of Sennacherib: What are the final lines?

Answer 9

‘And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword/ Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!’