Analysing the poem ‘Letters from Yorkshire’ by Maura Dooley
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can analyse how Maura Dooley presents the emotional effects of a long-distance relationship.
Key learning points
- Dooley uses metaphors to convey how the speaker yearns to have a closer relationship with the natural world.
- Dooley uses natural imagery to romanticise the man’s life in a rural setting.
- Dooley uses rhetorical questions to convey the moral value the speaker attaches to the natural world.
- Dooley's use of tercets could mimic the brief and fleeting nature of the communication between the pair.
- Dooley’s use of personal pronouns could mirror the ‘back and forth’ nature of their communication.
Keywords
Tercets - stanza of three lines in a poem, often forming a complete thought or unit
Alliteration - repetition of initial sounds in close succession for poetic or rhetorical effect
Romanticise - portraying something in an idealised or overly sentimental manner, often distorting reality
Inadequate - insufficient or lacking in quality, quantity or capability to meet requirements or expectations
Fleeting - brief or transient, passing quickly, often used to describe moments or experiences
Common misconception
The speaker of the poem has unrequited romantic feelings for the man and yearns to be with him.
This is only one interpretation of the poem. Alternatively, the reference to "romance" in L.5 could imply that the speaker romanticises the natural world that she is so distanced from in her urban landscape and yearns to return to nature.
Teacher tip
Once you've introduced both interpretations of the text, split the class into groups and hold a formal debate with each team using evidence, contextual knowledge and analytical arguments to argue that their interpretation is a more convincing one.
Equipment
You will need access to the poem 'Letters from Yorkshire' by Maura Dooley. This can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a pronoun?
Q2.Match each of the personal pronouns to the correct example.
Q3.What is a lapwing?
Q4.Complete the sentence about the context of 'Letters from Yorkshire': Dooley spent time living in the so this could be a reflection of her longing to return to a natural setting.
Q5.In 'Letters from Yorkshire', the relationship between the speaker and her friend is ambiguous; it could be , meaning there's no romance, or there could be underlying romantic feelings.
Q6.Which of these verbs are used to describe the speaker of 'Letters from Yorkshire'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the word 'romanticise' mean?
Q2.What does fleeting mean?
Q3.In 'Letters from Yorkshire', which adjective does Dooley use to show how the speaker views the man's life in the natural world?
Q4.How does Dooley emphasise the connection between the speaker and her friend in the last line of 'Letters from Yorkshire'?
Q5.In 'Letters from Yorkshire', Dooley alternates between first and second person to shift the focus between the speaker and her friend.
Q6.In line 9 of 'Letter from Yorkshire', Dooley uses a rhetorical question. The speaker questions whether her life has less than the man from Yorkshire. Which word is missing from the statement?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing the poem ‘Letters from Yorkshire’ by Maura Dooley, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Analysing the poem ‘Letters from Yorkshire’ by Maura Dooley, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the 'Love and Relationships' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.