a short descriptive ‘scene’ that captures a moment without any plot or action

continuation of a sentence or phrase across line breaks, maintaining flow

pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation

a poem that describes or responds to an image or sculpture

comfort or solace provided in a time of grief, disappointment, or distress

Analysing the poem 'Before You Were Mine' by Carol Ann Duffy

English

In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of love and relationships. In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'Single Poet Study: Maya Angelou', pupils explore how Angelou uses her poetry to present strong relationships to people and place. In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry', pupils analyse how a variety of different relationships have been presented across time.

In this unit, pupis explore 12 of the 15 poems from the 'Love and Relationships' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in four groups, and they pause after each group to compare how those poems present common themes.

Poetry anthology: first study

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

a narrative poem with alternating rhyme, telling a story, often of folk origin

a 14-line poem with specific rhyme scheme, exploring themes like love or nature

a poem where initial letters spell out a word or message vertically

a traditional Japanese poem, containing 3 lines with 5-7-5 syllable structure

a short descriptive ‘scene’ that captures a moment without any plot

continuation of a sentence or phrase across line breaks

Match these literary methods to the correct definition.

Which object is described as "relics" in stanza 3 of 'Before You Were Mine'?

The "yell" in line 11 of 'Before You Were Mine' signifies a shift in the mood of the poem from joy to sadness and loss. This is an example of a...

Which of these quotations from stanza 5 of 'Before You Were Mine' is an echo of a previous stanza?

In the final stanza of 'Before You Were Mine', Duffy's use of echoes to earlier stanzas suggests that although the mother has lost her independence, her maternal bond with her daughter is a...

a father, describing the relationship between his child and their mother

a mother, mourning the loss of her independence after having children

a mother, describing how they miss their daughter's childhood now they are grown

a child, reflecting on scenes of their mother's youth

'Before You Were Mine' is a poem about...

Which word from the title of 'Before You Were Mine' is a possessive pronoun?

Duffy's writing often questions the traditional roles society expects women to play. In this way, we could describe her as a {{}} poet.

Which of these words from 'Before You Were Mine' signifies a shift in the mood of the poem?

Starting with the first, put these quotations from 'Before You Were Mine' in the order they appear in the poem.

The mother's youth was filled with joy and laughter.

The mother' beauty garnered lots of attention.

The mother's dancing days are a thing of the past.

The mother's life has drastically changed now she is a mother.

Match each quotation from 'Before You Were Mine' to a relevant inference.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Analysing the poem 'Before You Were Mine' by Carol Ann Duffy

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.