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Year 11
AQA

Understanding the poem 'The Farmer's Bride' by Charlotte Mew

I can understand how Mew presents a dysfunctional relationship

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Year 11
AQA

Understanding the poem 'The Farmer's Bride' by Charlotte Mew

I can understand how Mew presents a dysfunctional relationship

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The bride is forced to marry the farmer at a young age and is scared of her husband.
  2. The bride attempts to run away and then is chased and captured by a group of men.
  3. When the bride returns she is locked up by her husband and becomes reclusive.
  4. Despite her refusal to speak, the farmer still fantasises about his wife.
  5. Mew was writing at a time when women's position in society was often restrictive.

Keywords

  • Autonomy - independence over one’s thoughts and actions

  • Suffrage - the right to vote- in the early 20th century women's suffrage was an important political issue

  • Dramatic monologue - a poem written in the form of a speech from an individual character

  • Dysfunctional - not operating properly; broken

Common misconception

The farmer is simply trying to care for his wife, his actions are well-intentioned and innocent.

The farmer's attempts to care for his wife may initially seem genuine, but the poem suggests a deeper complexity to their relationship. The bride's evident distress and desire to escape challenge the notion of the farmer's benevolence.


To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Understanding the poem 'The Farmer's Bride' by Charlotte Mew, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The poem is a narrative story with several key plot points. It may be useful to get students to create a timeline to understand the poem's chronology.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You will need a copy of 'The Farmer's Bride' by Charlotte Mew which can be found in the AQA 'Love and Relationships' Anthology and the additional materials.

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sexual violence
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
If a poem is written as a long speech from an individual then it is a ...
haiku.
Correct answer: dramatic monologue.
sonnet.
ballad.
Q2.
When did women first get the vote in the UK?
Correct answer: 1918
1818
1718
1618
Q3.
In English, we can 'annotate' a poem. What does this mean?
Correct answer: make notes on it to understand it further
write an essay based its key themes
re-interpret it in our own way
summarise each stanza
Q4.
If something is dysfunctional it is ...
Correct answer: not operating properly.
clever but not suited to the task.
working, but in a unique way.
working perfectly.
Q5.
Which of the below are plausible synonyms of autonomy?
Correct answer: independence
Correct answer: freedom
restriction
powerlessness
Q6.
If a poem is written in 1916 then it was written in the ...
Correct answer: 20th century.
21st century.
19th century.
18th century.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who wrote 'The Farmer's Bride'?
Correct Answer: Charlotte Mew, Mew
Q2.
The poem 'The Farmer's Bride' is written from the perspective of ...
Correct answer: the farmer.
the bride.
both the farmer and the bride.
neither. It is written in third person limited.
Q3.
Starting with the first, put these events from 'The Farmer's Bride' in chronological order.
1 - The farmer relates how three years ago he married a bride that was too young.
2 - Once married she becomes fearful of her husband and eventually runs away.
3 - The farmer and others go after her and eventually 'catch' her.
4 - She is brought back to the farm and locked away.
5 - She spends her time at home doing housework.
6 - The farmer complains of the relationship and laments the distance between them.
Q4.
The poem is called 'The Farmer's Bride' and not 'Wife' but they have been married for over three years. What is a plausible explanation for this?
this was the convention of the time
their marriage was never consummated
Correct answer: the use of 'bride' could suggest their marriage has not developed in any way
Q5.
Think about the context of 'The Farmer's Bride'. At the time of writing, women usually had decisions taken for them by either a husband or father. As such, we would say that they lacked ...
Correct answer: autonomy.
equality.
suffrage.
rights.
Q6.
Throughout the poem 'The Farmer's Bride', the bride is compared to different animals to highlight her vulnerability and captivity. Which animals is she compared to?
Correct answer: hare
Correct answer: mouse
sheep
bird
rabbit

Additional material

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