Analysing how Byron presents the woman in 'She Walks in Beauty'
I can explain how Lord Byron uses language, form and structure to convey the beauty of the woman.
Analysing how Byron presents the woman in 'She Walks in Beauty'
I can explain how Lord Byron uses language, form and structure to convey the beauty of the woman.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The title raises questions about what beauty truly is - is it something we have within us, or something external to us?
- The anonymous “she” represents that the woman was a stranger to Byron; it also gives her an ethereal quality.
- Byron contrasts dark and light imagery throughout the poem - possibly to illustrate the rarity of the woman’s beauty.
- The woman’s hair is described as “raven”, arguably to show the mysterious nature of the woman and her alluring presence.
Keywords
Alluring - powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating
Gaudy - extravagantly-bright in a tasteless way
Aura - a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a person or thing
To embody - to represent a quality or an idea exactly
To objectify - to treat a person like an object or tool rather than as a human being
Common misconception
Students do not think that they can analyse the poem's title.
In analytical responses, students can absolutely analyse the poem's title! This can be a great way to start a response or comparison.
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing how Byron presents the woman in 'She Walks in Beauty', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing how Byron presents the woman in 'She Walks in Beauty', 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.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 english lessons from the Poetry anthology unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the Eduqas poetry anthology for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating
extravagantly-bright in a tasteless way
a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a person or thing
to represent a quality or an idea exactly.
to treat a person like a tool rather than as a human being