intense mental suffering or emotional distress

substituting a mild or indirect expression for something that is considered rude or taboo

repetition of hissing or hushing sounds, often involving the letters ‘s’, ‘sh’, or ‘z’

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines of poetry

emotional suffering, typically triggered by loss, death, or a significant disappointment

Analysing the poem  ‘When We Two Parted’ by Lord Byron

English

Understanding 'Winter Swans' by Owen Sheers

Analysing 'Winter Swans' by Owen Sheers

Understanding the poem ‘Neutral Tones’ by Thomas Hardy

Analysing the poem ‘Neutral Tones’ by Thomas Hardy

Understanding the poem 'When We Two Parted' by Lord Byron

Identifying how poets convey heartbreak in natural settings

Analysing how poets convey heartbreak in natural settings

Understanding the poem ‘Sonnet 29’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Analysing the poem 'Sonnet 29' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Understanding the poem ‘Love’s Philosophy’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Analysing the poem 'Love's Philosophy' by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Understanding the poem ‘Letters from Yorkshire’ by Maura Dooley

Analysing the poem ‘Letters from Yorkshire’ by Maura Dooley

Identifying how poets reflect desire in natural settings

Analysing how poets reflect desire in natural settings

Understanding the poem ‘Eden Rock’ by Charles Causley

Analysing the poem 'Eden Rock' by Charles Causley

Understanding the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather' by Andrew Waterhouse

Analysing the poem 'Climbing My Grandfather' by Andrew Waterhouse

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

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

Identifying how poets reminisce and remember loved ones

Analysing how poets reminisce and remember loved ones

Understanding the poem ‘Mother, any distance’ by Simon Armitage

Analysing the poem 'Mother, any distance' by Simon Armitage

Understanding the poem ‘Walking Away’ by Cecil Day-Lewis

Analysing the poem ‘Walking Away’ by Cecil Day-Lewis

Understanding the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney

Analysing the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney

Identifying how poets present relationships that change over time

Analysing how poets present relationships that change over time

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

Depiction or discussion of sex or sexual body parts, including sex education.

Depiction or discussion of sexual content

repetition of the same sounds at the end of a line of poetry

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines

when a poet writes about their own life or experiences

Which of these definitions best describes the word 'anguish'?

"Pale grew thy cheek and cold, / Colder thy kiss"

"Thy vows are all broken, / And light is thy fame"

"Long, long shall I rue thee, / Too deeply to tell."

"They name thee before me, / A knell in mine ear"

"I hear thy name spoken, / And share in its shame."

In 'When We Two Parted', Byron uses the extended metaphor of death to compare the end of the speaker's relationship to the death of a loved one. Which of these quotes support this idea?

“In secret we met — / In silence I grieve”

“They know not I knew thee, / Who knew thee too well”

“I hear thy name spoken, / And share in its shame”

Match up each of these methods to the correct quote from 'When We Two Parted'.

All of the steps below are important to consider when writing analytical paragraphs. Starting with the first, put the steps into chronological order.

"When we two parted in silence and tears"

"In secret, we met — / In silence, I grieve"

"How should I greet thee? — / With silence and tears"

Starting with the first, put these quotes from 'When We Two Parted' in the order they appear in the poem.

In 'When We Two Parted', Byron uses anaphora in the following lines: "A knell in mine ear; / {{   }} shudder comes o'er me". Can you fill in the missing word?

two people reflecting on their relationship after seeing some swans

someone reminiscing about childhood memories visiting their grandfather

someone reflecting on the day their relationship ended

someone reflecting on their feelings about an illicit affair they had

someone reflecting on their feelings about the idea of love

gives human qualities to an inanimate object

uses multiple words near to each that all begin with the same sound

begins consecutive lines with the same word or phrase

uses words that end in the same sound at the end of every other line

This poem 'When We Two Parted' was published in which era?

When working out the rhyme scheme of a poem, the first line should always be labelled...

'When We Two Parted' has a __________ form.

"In secret we met, / In silence I grieve"

"They know not I knew thee, / Who knew thee too well"

Match up each of these inferences about the speaker in 'When We Two Parted' to the correct piece of supporting evidence.

Starter Quiz