New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

Analysing how poets present ideas of transience in unseen poetry

I can analyse and compare how poets use language, form and voice to present ideas of transience in unseen poetry.

New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

Analysing how poets present ideas of transience in unseen poetry

I can analyse and compare how poets use language, form and voice to present ideas of transience in unseen poetry.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. To compare the structure, you may ask questions about the layout, use of structural techniques and journey of the poems.
  2. To compare the voice, you might ask questions about narrative voice and perspective.
  3. To compare the language, you might ask questions about words and images in the poems.
  4. Arguably, both Laskey and Robertson use structure, voice and language to consider ideas of transience in their poems.

Keywords

  • Transience - the state or fact of lasting only for a short time.

  • Progression - moving forward or onward.

  • Fragmented - broken or separated into distinct parts.

  • Static - lacking in movement, action, or change.

Common misconception

That comparing language is the best way to compare poems.

As well as comparing the language, you can also compare the use of form, structure and voice in poems.

It would be useful to pupils to share their ideas with each other as they work through the lesson to develop and extend their own ideas.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need a copy of Michael Laskey’s ‘Nobody’ and Robin Robertson’s ‘Donegal’ which are available in the additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), 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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6 Questions

Q1.
Being 'broken or separated into distinct parts' is the definition of being ...
Correct answer: fragmented.
whole.
intact.
Q2.
'The continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line, stanza or couplet' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: enjambment
Q3.
'Moving forward or onward' is the definition of ...
Correct answer: progression.
decline.
regression.
Q4.
Second-person narrative voice uses which pronouns?
Correct answer: 'you'
'I'
'he'
Q5.
'A pause or a break in a line of verse, often marked by punctuation' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: caesura
Q6.
An irregular pattern in the structure of a poem could suggest ideas of ...
control.
order.
Correct answer: unpredictability.
Correct answer: freedom.

6 Questions

Q1.
Both Laskey's 'Nobody' and Robertson's 'Donegal' use ...
Correct answer: enjambment.
caesuras.
juxtaposition.
Q2.
'Lacking in movement, action, or change' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: static
Q3.
The closing line of Laskey's 'Nobody' creates a sense of ...
Correct answer: missed opportunities.
taken opportunities.
a lack of opportunities.
Q4.
The use of second-person narrative ...
creates a sense of an individual experience.
Correct answer: invites the reader to experience the action.
invites the reader to see a lot different views.
Q5.
'The state or fact of lasting only for a short time' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: transience
Q6.
Arguably, Laskey's 'Nobody' and Robertson's 'Donegal' end on the perspective of ...
Correct answer: the speaker watching something or someone.
a bird's eye view.
the speakers watching themselves.

Additional material

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