English Literature Revision Booklet

Jane Austen College

English Literature

GCSE Revision Booklet 2019-20

Grade 7+

Name: _________________________

Contents

Paper 1

1. Romeo and Juliet content (page 1)

2. Romeo and Juliet Exercises (page 6)

3. Jekyll & Hyde Content (page 20)

4. Jekyll & Hyde Exercises (page 23)

Paper 2

5. An Inspector Calls Content (page 34)

6. An Inspector Calls Exercises (page 38)

7. Poetry Anthology Content (page 49)

8. Poetry Anthology Exercises (page 55)

English GCSE Revision Website: https://sites.google.com/inspirationtrust.org/jacenglishrevision/home

Please note: Don’t write in the booklet! It’s designed for you to use over and over again. Complete all exercises on paper.

1. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, sixteenth century (Elizabethan era)

THE BIG IDEA - WHY DOES THIS TEXT EXIST?

(you can use this to create your thesis statements and build your essay arguments)

Romeo and Juliet is about how strong emotions have tragic consequences.

1. Shakespeare explores how strong, uncontrollable anger and violence can lead to conflict.
2. Shakespeare could be suggesting that, if strong feelings of love are ignored by families who force their children into arranged marriages, there can be tragic consequences.
3. Shakespeare could be suggesting that strong feelings of honour, tied to traditional views around masculinity and patriarchy, can have tragic consequences.

ESSAY QUESTIONS

1. Explore how Shakespeare presents Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.
2. Explore how Shakespeare presents Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
3. Explain how Shakespeare presents the relationship between Romeo and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
4. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Tybalt as an aggressive and violent character.
5. Explain how Shakespeare presents Mercutio.
6. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Lord Capulet as a good father.
7. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet as a good mother in Romeo and Juliet..
8. Explain how Shakespeare presents the character of Friar Lawrence.
9. Explain how Shakespeare presents attitudes towards love in Romeo and Juliet
10. Explore how Shakespeare presents the tragedy of love in Romeo and Juliet.
11. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents conflict as a key theme in the play.
12. Explain how far Shakespeare presents family allegiance as the cause of conflict in Romeo and Juliet..
13. Explore how Shakespeare presents father daughter relationships in Romeo and Juliet.
14. Explore how Shakespeare presents fate versus free will in Romeo and Juliet.

PLOT & TIMELINE

Romeo (impulsive and passionate)

‘pricks like thorn’

1. Romeo is madly and obsessively in love with Rosaline, who does not return his love.
2. Imagery of rose with sharp thorns. Indicates the pain Romeo feels.
3. Stretch: subverts the typical image of love by contrasting love (rose) and pain (thorn)

‘Did my heart love till now?’

1. Romeo immediately forgets Rosaline when he first meets Juliet.
2. Romeo asks when he first meets Juliet, suggesting that he has never loved before
3. He previously stated passionately that he loved Rosaline. Impulsive.

‘sun’ (compares Juliet to the sun)

1. Imagery of light and warmth
2. Suggests Juliet brings light and warmth to Romeo & his world revolves around her.
3. Stretch: typical imagery used by the courtly lover (hyperbolic)

‘fire-eyed fury’

1. Metaphor. He impulsively follows the ‘fury’ (anger) he feels and kills Tybalt.
2. Romeo’s inability to control his impulsive anger leads to tragedy.

‘I am fortune’s fool’

1. Romeo blames fate, not seeing that his own impulsivity has contributed to the tragic events of the play.
2. Not being able to see this, and blaming fate, is part of his downfall.

Juliet (brave and rebellious)

‘Madam’ ‘consent’

1. Formal and obedient way of speaking to Lady Capulet.
2. J agrees to seek LC’s consent early in the play before taking action with Paris.
3. Indicative of the normal mother-child relationship in wealthy families in Elizabethan era and 14th century.

‘god of my idolatry’

1. Juliet worships Romeo as a ‘god’ in the way that religious people worship the god in their religion
2. religious imagery, which would have been surprising to a religious Elizabethan audience.

‘I’ll no longer be a Capulet’

1. Juliet is rebellious. Her love for Romeo has overpowered her love for her family
2. Juliet goes against expected behaviour of young Elizabethan girl.

‘Hang, beg, starve, die in the streets’ (Lord Capulet says this)

1. Juliet is courageous. Her love for R has overpowered other loyalties and propelled her against her family.
2. Goes against expected behaviour of a young girl in a patriarchal society.

‘mangled tybalt’

1. Juliet imagines waking in the tomb after taking the potion and seeing Tybalt’s dead body.
2. Violent imagery that helps us to imagine Juliet lying next to Tybalt’s mutilated, disfigured body.
3. Demonstrates (1) courage (2) how powerful her love is for Romeo.
4. Stretch: these words are spoken in Juliet’s final soliloquy. Shakespeare contrasts Juliet’s emotions in this soliloquy with her earlier soliloquy, when she was awaiting Romeo’s arrival on the night of their wedding.

Mercutio (witty and loyal)

‘prick love for pricking’

1. Turns Romeo’s words love ‘pricks like thorn’ into a sexual innuendo, advising R to have sex to get over Rosaline
2. Prick is an innuendo for penis / pricking is an innuendo for having sex
3. Innuendo (1) creates comic relief and (2) demonsrtates that M is more intersted in sex than love.
4. M proves masculinity - part of what contributes to his downfall.

‘vile submission’

1. Vile = disgusting. Submission = giving in
2. Mercutio thinks it is disgusting and dishonourable that Romeo is giving in and not fighting Tybalt back.
3. Linked to traditional Elizabethan views about honour: fight to defend family name and prove masculinity.

‘A plague o' both your houses’

1. Mercutio curses the Montague and Capulet households for causing his death
2. Shakespeare’s repetition of this phrase emphasises Mercutio’s anger and bitterness

Tybalt (aggressive and violent)

‘Peace, I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues and thee’

1. Tybalt does not want to seek peace. He wants to fight.
2. Repetition of ‘hate’ emphasises the strong hate he feels for the Montagues.
3. T is traditional Elizabethan male, believing he must fight to defend family honour.

‘honour of my kin’

1. Tybalt states that he will fight/kill Romeo at the Capulet ball in order to defend his family honour
2. Linked to traditional Elizabethan views about honour: fight to defend family name and prove masculinity.

‘Villain’ ‘boy’

1. Words Tybalt uses to refer to Romeo just before the fight to try and put him down and convey his hatred
2. ‘Villain’ = Tybalt believes in the feud so strongly that he sees Romeo as a villain (someone who deliberately harms others) even though Romeo has done nothing wrong
3. ‘Boy’ - Tybalt tries to mock and put down Romeo to provoke him. T is aggressive and provocative.
4. In this scene, Romeo tries to tell Tybalt he loves him. Tybalt is unwilling to listen.
5. Stretch: Shakespeare contrasts R’s love with T’s hate in this scene. R is blind to the feud, stating that he ‘loves’ T, which only provokes T more. R’s love and T’s anger - both very strong emotions that they struggle to control - lead to misunderstanding and conflict, resulting in the tragic deaths of two characters.

Lord Capulet (authoritative and patriarchal)

Lord Capulet tries to join in the fight on the streets of Verona in the opening scene.

1. Emphasises that even the older characters behave irresponsibly, acting upon their anger and hatred.
2. Emphasises how important Capulet honour is to Lord Capulet, explaining why he places this honour over Juliet’s feelings later in the play.

‘stranger to the world’

1. LC encourages Paris to wait two more years before marry Juliet.
2. ‘Stranger’ indicates that LC recognises Juliet is very young and inexperienced.
3. Surprising to Elizabethan audience, given how normal it was for girls as young as Juliet to be married, emphasising how protective LC seems at this early stage in the play.

‘Hang! Beg! Starve! Die in the streets’

1. List of violent, cruel actions, contrasting with how protective Lord Capulet was earlier in the play.
2. LC cares most about the Capulet honour and finding Juliet a suitable husband.
3. LC’s anger reflects the patriarchal attitudes of the time.

Lord Capulet offers to build a golden statue of Romeo in the final scene.

1. LC is willing to publicly recognise Romeo and Juliet’s love and marriage.
2. LC wants to end the feud.
3. Demonstrates that LC did love Juliet.
4. Shakespeare offers hope through the fact that LC has learned; other parents can learn and avoid the same mistakes made by LC.

Lady Capulet (cold and distant)

‘daughter’

1. Formal way of speaking to Juliet, contrasting the nurse’s affectionate nicknames.
2. Distant relationship was normal in wealthy families in Elizabethan era and 14th century.
3. Their distance contributes to Juliet’s tragic death.

‘For blood of ours, shed blood of Montague’

1. Lady Capulet is distraught that Tybalt has been killed and demands for Romeo to be killed’
2. Lady Capulet, like Lord Capulet, cares about honour and family reputation.
3. Older characters are as much to blame as the younger characters for continuing the feud.

‘I have done with thee’

1. Very cold and harsh language as Lady Capulet disowns Juliet when Juliet refuses to marry Paris
2. Lady Capulet supports Lord Capulet and does not try to understand her daughter
3. Reflects patriarchal attitudes at the time. (Highly unusual for a lady to disobey her husband.)

Benvolio (sensible and peaceful)

‘Part, fools!’

1. Benviolo demands that the servants of the Montague and Capulet families don’t fight.
2. ‘Fools’ - indicates that Benvolio thinks fighting is foolish. Benvolio is sensible.
3. Indicates that some younger characters are able to see sense, contrasting with the older Montagues and Capulets, who enter and try to join the fight.

‘examine other beauties’

1. Benvolio is a good friend to Romeo, advising R to consider other women in order to get over Rosaline
2. B is sensible, recognising that Romeo is irrationally in love with one woman and must consider others.
3. Contrast between B and R emphasises R’s tragic flaw.

‘we shall not escape a brawl’

1. Benvolio recognises that the weather is hot and that the Capulets are looking for a fight.
2. Benvolio encourages Mercutio to go home with him to try to avoid a fight.
3. Benvolio is sensible. He predicts that a fight will happen, which it does. He prefers to keep peace.

Friar Laurence (kind but naive)

‘They stumble that run fast’

1. advises Romeo not to rush into his marriage with Juliet because something may go wrong.
2. Shakespeare foreshadows tragic events; it is their impulsive actions that contribute to their tragic deaths.
3. Friar Laurence cares about R; wants to stop him from making foolish decisions.
4. Through FL’s words, Shakespeare warns against strong, passionate love, which can lead to violent acts.

‘Turn the households’ rancour to pure love’

1. marries Romeo and Juliet because he believes it will end the feud and years of fighting in Verona.
2. Dramatic irony: audience has learned in the prologue that the feud only ends when Romeo and Juliet die.
3. Dramatic irony makes the Friar seem naive in thinking that the marriage in itself will end the feud.
4. His actions (marrying R&J in secret) would have been surprising to a religious Elizabethan audience, and may lead them to distrust his decisions.

‘dear mercy’

1. Tries to persuade Romeo to see that Prince Escalus has shown him kindness in banishing him.
2. It is clear that FL & R are close because R listens to FL’s advice. R does not go to his parents for advice.
3. Shakespeare contrasts R (always impulsive & emotional) with FL (able to think clearly & carefully).

Nurse (well-meaning and witty)

‘lamb’ / ‘ladybird’ (affectionate terms Nurse uses to refer to Juliet)

1. Affectionate nicknames for Juliet, contrasting with Lady Capulet, who only calls Juliet ‘daughter’
2. Normal in Elizabethan era for a nurse to raise the child. Highlights distance within families.

Helps Juliet by delivering the message to Romeo about their secret marriage.

1. Believes that Paris is the finer man but knows that Juliet loves Romeo.
2. Shows her love for Juliet through risking her own employment if Lord and Lady Capulet were to find out.

‘eagle’ / ‘dishclout’ (contrasting Paris and Romeo when persuading Juliet to marry Paris)

1. The Nurse tries to persuade Juliet to marry Paris.
2. Focuses on physical appearance. P = handsome ‘eagle’, whereas R = dirty ‘dishclout’ (dishcloth)
3. Juliet sees this as a betrayal, but the nurse thinks this will be the best for Juliet in order to keep her safe. Perhaps the nurse is also trying to protect herself as going against LC would result in her losing her job.

Prince Escalus (authoritative)

‘your lives shall pay’

1. Threatens death in the opening scene if any characters fight on the streets of Verona again
2. Is the most authoritative person in Verona. Is in charge.

‘all are punished’

1. PE’s authoritative voice returns in the final scene to summarise destruction caused by feud
2. He blames the Montagues and the Capulets & himself for not stopping the feud.
3. Recognises that everyone has been punished for their mistakes (he lost family members too)
4. Stretch: PE is absent for most of the play but returns in the final scene to restore order. A typical feature of tragies is that order is restored at the end, in a new way.

THEMES & CONTEXT:

Love:

• Love is an overpowering force that can override all other values, loyalties, and emotions.
• True love can lead to violence and irrational behaviour.
• Romeo and Juliet’s love might be a criticism of arranged marriage. The tragedy happens because Juliet has to marry Paris, serving the interests of the men (Capulet and Paris).

Conflict:

• Conflict happens as a result of family honour: if they or their family is insulted, they must fight the man who insults them, or else be considered a coward and disgraced.
• Shakespeare criticises male aggressive behaviour in the Elizabethan era, which leaves to sudden mistakes

Fate:

• Elizabethan audiences believed that the position of the sun, moon, planets and stars could affect the actions and lives of people, just like God.
• The theme of fate is established in the prologue when Shakespeare suggests that some higher power has predetermined their lives and deaths. ‘death-marked’
• Romeo and Juliet have several visions of death that foreshadow later events.
• Shakespeare may be suggesting that fate is unchangeable:

1. Romeo and Juliet fall in love with someone from an enemy family.
2. Friar John’s letter does not reach Romeo due to the plague.

• OR Shakespeare may be suggesting that fate is changeable because it is not God deciding things - it is social norms that decide things.

1. Arranged marriage means Romeo and Juliet cannot be together.
2. Patriarchal values mean that Lord Capulet speeds up the marriage to Paris without considering Juliet’s feelings.

Family:

• The distance between parent and child is shown through Shakespeare’s use of go-betweens: Juliet is closer to the nurse than to her mother and Romeo seeks help from Friar Laurence - not from his mother and father.
• Shakespeare could be aiming to educate parents to pay more attention to the feelings of their children, allowing them to marry later and not forcing them to marry young.
• The audience only gains an insight into the Capulet family - a traditional patriarchal family, in which Lord Capulet is in charge. Perhaps Shakespeare wanted to particularly explore the limitations for women.

STRUCTURE

1. Prologue: Shakespeare’s deliberate choice to reveal the play’s tragic end in the opening promises the audience that the play will be filled with pain, conflict and overpowering love. It also facilitates several moments of dramatic irony, during which the sense of tragedy is further heightened for the audience.
2. Pace: The action of the play takes place in just 4 days. Shakespeare uses this short time frame on purpose to place pressure on the characters, pushing them to make desperate, often foolish decisions. The time frame is not supposed to be realistic; it is a device that adds to the suspense.
3. Scene placement: Shakespeare often places scenes in which Romeo and his friends speak freely about love and sex next to scenes in which Juliet’s arranged marraige is being discussed, to show the contrast between men and women in the Elizabethan era.
4. Romeo’s absence in Act IV due to banishment forces Juliet to take matters in her own hands and seek advice from Friar Laurence. This allows Shakespeare to convey her increasing maturity and isolation from her parents.
5. Character contrasts: Mercutio and Romeo / Benvolio and Tybalt / Nurse and Lady Capulet
6. Sonnet when Romeo and Juliet first meet, portraying the unity of their love.

SETTING:

The play is set in the 14th century in Verona, Italy. It was a successful and cultured city that suffered widespread violence often over very trivial (unimportant) issues. The Montecchi and Capuleti were real families fighting for power in this time.

VOCABULARY:

General

aggressive - behaving in an angry and violent way

authoritative - someone who seems important and expects to be obeyed

courageous - willing to do something difficult or dangerous even if they’re afraid

fate - a power that some people believe controls everything that happens, in a way that cannot be prevented or changed

feud - a argument in which two people or groups remain angry with each other for a long time

honour - good reputation and character as judged by other people

impulsive - doing things suddenly without careful thought

irresponsible - not taking care properly of the person/things you are supposed to

loyal - remaining firm and unchanging in friendship and support

naive - very willing to believe someone or something is good and that people always have good intentions

obedient - willing to do what someone tells you to do

passionate - strong feelings about something or someone

patriarchal - a society, family, or system is one in which the men have all or most of the power and importance

rebellious - refusing to obey rules or authority or to accept normal standards of behavior, dress, etc. r

witty - funny in a clever way

Terminology

dramatic irony - when the audience knows something the characters don’t

foreshadowing - hinting at something that is going to happen without revealing the story or spoiling the suspense

imagery - language that causes people to imagine pictures in their mind

suspense - a growing sense of expectation; a feeling that events are leading to something exciting or tragic

tragedy - a type of literature that is serious and sad and often ends in the death of the main character

tragic flaw - the characteristic in the tragic hero that leads them to making mistakes

2. Romeo and Juliet Exercises

1.PLOT

Task 1A: Plot Sequence. Order A-F in order that they occur in the plot, labelling them 1-6.

1. Romeo hears that Juliet is dead, buys poison and takes it at her tomb. Juliet wakes, sees Romeo dead and stabs herself.
2. Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulet ball and they fall in love. Tybalt vows revenge on Romeo.
3. The Montagues and the Capulets find their children dead and agree to end the feud.
4. Tybalt challenges Romeo to a fight. Romeo refuses but Mercutio accepts and is killed by Tybalt. Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished from Verona.
5. Romeo meets Juliet again by hiding in the Capulet orchard and they agree to marry.
6. The Prince of Verona breaks up a fight between members of the Montague and Capulet family.
7. Romeo confesses that he is lovesick over Rosaline. .
8. Lord Capulet insists that Juliet must marry Paris.
9. Friar Laurence gives Juliet a potion that means she’ll appear dead and sends a letter to Romeo that never arrives.
10. Friar Laurence agrees to marry them in secret.

Task 1B: Plot questions, Romeo and Juliet

1. Who is fighting at the start of the play?
2. Which character enters and tries to keep the peace?
3. Which character enters and tries to start a fight?
4. Which character stops a fight from happening and threatens death to those who continue?
5. Who is Romeo in love with at the start of the play?
6. How does he act and feel about this love and why?
7. Who does Capulet meet and discuss marriage to Juliet?
8. Why does Capulet suggest that this person waits for a while?
9. What does Capulet suggest that this person does in the meantime?
10. How is it that Romeo and Benvolio learn about the Capulet ball?
11. What happens between Romeo and Juliet at the ball?
12. Why is Tybalt angry at the ball?
13. What does Tybalt vow to do to Romeo?
14. Where does Romeo meet Juliet later that night and what do they agree?
15. Why does Romeo rush to Friar Laurence?
16. What does the Friar do for Romeo and Juliet?
17. Tybalt challenges Romeo to a fight. Does he accept?
18. Who fights in Romeo’s place and what happens?
19. What does Romeo do next?
20. What punishment is given to Romeo?
21. What plan do Juliet and Friar Laurence come up with?
22. How does Friar Laurence try to tell Romeo?
23. Does the news of the plan reach Romeo?
24. When Romeo realises Juliet is “dead”, what does he do next?
25. When he sees Paris at the tomb, what does he do to him?
26. When Romeo sees Juliet in the tomb, what does he do?
27. When Juliet wakes, what does she do?
28. When the Capulet and Montague parents arrive and find them dead, what do they do?

2.CHARACTERS

Task 2A: Character Actions and Feelings

1. Why does Romeo feel that love is ‘madness’ and a ‘sickness’ at the start of the play?
2. Why does Romeo forget immediately about Rosaline?
3. Why does Romeo climb the wall into the Capulet garden?
4. Why does Romeo kill Tybalt?
5. Why does Romeo decide to kill himself?
6. Why does Juliet destroy her relationship with her parents?
7. Why does Juliet take a potion?
8. Why does Juliet stab herself?
9. Why does Mercutio mock Romeo?
10. Why does Mercutio curse the Montagues and Capulet households?
11. Why does Tybalt vow to take revenge against Romeo?
12. Why does Tybalt fight Mercutio?
13. Why does Lord Capulet describe Juliet as a ‘stranger to the world’?
14. Why does Lord Capulet tell Juliet to ‘hang, beg starve’?
15. Why does Lord Capulet reconcile the disagreement with the Montagues?
16. Why does Lady Capulet wish to see Juliet married?
17. What is Lady Capulet asking when she says ‘for blood of ours, shed blood of Montague’?
18. Why does Lady Capulet say to Juliet, ‘I have done with thee’?
19. Why does the Nurse encourage Juliet to marry Paris?
20. Why does Friar Laurence marry Romeo and Juliet?
21. Why does Friar Laurence help Juliet stage her suicide?
22. Why does Benvolio say ‘part fools!’?
23. Why does Prince Escalus threaten death?
24. Why does Prince Escalus say ‘all are punished’?

Task 2B: Character Actions.

1. Who says to whom that they should part and put down their swords in Act One Scene One?
2. Who says to whom that, if the fighting does not cease, they will be punished with death?
3. Who says to whom that they hate the word ‘peace’ as much as they hate ‘all Montagues and thee’?
4. Who says to whom that he should ‘examine other beauties’?
5. Who says to whom that he should ‘be rough with love’ and ‘prick love for pricking’?
6. Who says about whom that love is like ‘madness’ and ‘pricks like thorn’?
7. Who says to whom that his child is a ‘stranger to the world’?
8. Who says about whom that he will take revenge to defend ‘the honour of my kin’?
9. Who refers to whom as the ‘sun’?
10. Who says to whom that they are the ‘god of my idolatry’?
11. Who says to whom ‘they stumble that run fast’?
12. Who says to whom ‘we shall not escape a brawl’?
13. Who says about what and to whom, ‘this is dear mercy’?
14. Who says about what that ‘all are punished’?
15. Who calls whom ‘Madam’?
16. Who calls whom ‘daughter’?
17. Who calls whom ‘lamb’ and ‘ladybird’?
18. Who calls whom an ‘eagle’?
19. Who calls whom a ‘dishclout’?
20. Who says they worry about seeing ‘mangled Tybalt’ and why?

Task 2C: Characteristics and Choices or Actions (choose from the words below to help you)

1. Romeo is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he ...

2. Juliet is presented as _____________ and _____________ because she ...

3. Mercutio is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he ...

4. Tybalt is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he …

5. Lord Capulet is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he …

6. Lady Capulet is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he …

7. Friar Laurence is presented as ___________ and ___________ because he...

8. The Nurse is presented as __________ and ________________because she…

9. Benvolio is presented as ___________ and ___________ because he…

10. Prince Escalus is presented as ___________ because he...

Options: aggressive / impulsive / cold / loyal / distant / brave / rebellious / loyal / violent / protective / authoritative / passionate / witty / kind / well-meaning / peaceful / patriarchal / naive / caring

Task 2D: Character Comparison

1. Whereas Romeo is ..., Mercutio is…

2. Whereas Juliet is., Tybalt is...

3. Whereas Romeo is..., Tybalt is….

4. Whereas Lord Capulet is…., Lady Capulet is…

5. Whereas Lady Capulet is…, the Nurse is…

6. Whereas Benvolio is…, Tybalt is…

7. Whereas Paris is…, Romeo is…

8. Whereas Juliet is…, Lady Capulet is…

Options: aggressive / impulsive / cold / loyal / distant / brave / rebellious / loyal / violent / protective / authoritative / passionate / witty / kind / well-meaning / peaceful / patriarchal / naive / caring

Task 2E: Character Development

1. How does Romeo develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play continues,

c) Later in the play,

2. How does Juliet develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play continues,

c) Later in the play,

3. How does Mercutio develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play continues,

c) Later in the play,

4. How does Tybalt develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play continues,

c) Later in the play,

5. How does Lord Capulet develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play continues,

c) Later in the play,

6. How does Lady Capulet develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play continues,

c) Later in the play,

3.CONTEXT

Task 3A short answer question

1. What era did Shakespeare write his play in?
2. Who was on the throne in this era?
3. Who has more power in a patriarchal society?
4. What is an arranged marriage?
5. What were Elizabethan attitudes towards arranged marriage?
6. What were Elizabethan attitudes towards religion?
7. What did Elizabethan people believe about fate? (hint: stars and planets / our futures)

Task 3B:What might the Elizabethan audience reaction have been to each character's choice?

1. Romeo’s choice to marry Juliet in spite of the fact that she is a Capulet

2. Juliet’s choice to marry Romeo

3. Tybalt’s choice to join in the fight with the servants. (hint: masculinity & honour)

4. Lord Capulet’s choice to join in the fight with the servants. (hint: masculinity & honour)

5. Mercutio’s choice to challenge Tybalt to a fight. (hint: masculinity & honour)

6. Tybalt’s choice to kill Mercutio

7. Lord Capulet’s angry reaction when Juliet refuses to marry Paris

8. Lady Capulet’s choice to marry Juliet to Paris at such a young age

9. Friar Laurence’s choice to help Romeo and Juliet with a secret marriage

Task 3C: List three actions taken by any characters that link to...

1. Traditional ideas about honour and masculinity.
2. Traditional ideas about honour and patriarchy.
3. Traditional ideas about patriarchy and arranged marriage.
4. Traditional ideas about religion.
5. Elizabethan attitudes towards fate.

Task 3D: List actions taken by any characters that challenge…

1. Traditional ideas about honour and masculinity.
2. Traditional ideas about honour and patriarchy.
3. Traditional ideas about patriarchy and arranged marriage.
4. Traditional ideas about religion.
5. Elizabethan attitudes towards fate.

Task 3E: Answer these questions with at least one example from the play.

Challenge: list as many examples as you can think of.

1. How does Shakespeare challenge traditional patriarchal attitudes?
2. How does Shakespeaere challenge traditional attitudes towards fate?
3. How does Shakespeaere challenge traditional attitudes towards honour and masculinity?
4. How does Shakespeaere challenge traditional attitudes towards male aggressive behaviour?
5. How does Shakespeaere challenge traditional attitudes to religion?

Task 3F: Answer these questions with at least one example from the play.

Challenge: list as many examples as you can think of.

1. What does Shakespaere suggest that traditional patriarchal attitudes can lead to?
2. What does Shakespeare suggest that traditional ideas about arranged marriage can lead to?
3. What does Shakespeare suggest that traditional ideas about honour and masculinity can lead to?
4. What does Shakespeare suggest that traditional ideas about male aggressive behaviour can lead to?

4. QUOTATIONS

Task 4A: write out each quotation in full. If you’re not sure, check back to the Romeo and Juliet content on p.2-3.

Romeo:

1. ‘m_________s’, ‘pricks like th__________’
2. ‘Did my h________ love till n______?’
3. ‘It is the east and Juliet is the _________’
4. ‘fire-eyed f_____’
5. ‘I am f_______’s f_____!’

Juliet

1. ‘M__________’ (Juliet calls Lady Capulet this)
2. ‘god of my i________’
3. ‘I’ll no longer be a C________’
4. ‘Mangled T__________’

Mercutio

1. ‘p_______ love for pricking’
2. ‘Vile s_________________’
3. ‘P______ on both your houses’ / (curses both households)

Tybalt

1. ‘peace! I h______ the word’ ‘hate h____’,’M______’
2. ‘H_________ of my k______’
3. ‘b_____’ ‘v________’ (words used to describe Romeo)

Lord Capulet

1. ‘S____________ to the world’
2. ‘Hang, beg, s________, d______ in the s__________’

Lady Capulet

1. ‘d________’
2. ‘For b______ of ours, shed b_______ of Montague’
3. ‘I have d_____ with thee’

Benvolio

1. ‘Part, f_______!’
2. ‘e________ other beauties’
3. ‘We shall not e________ a br_________’

Friar Laurence

1. ‘Turn your households’ r________ to pure l________’
2. ‘They s_______ that run fast’
3. ‘dear m_______’ (tries to explain to Romeo that the Prince has shown mercy to him by banishing him)

Nurse

1. ‘l______’ / (affectionate terms Nurse uses to refer to Juliet)
2. ‘e_____’ / ‘di_____t’ (contrasting Paris and Romeo when persuading Juliet to marry Paris)

Prince Escalus

1. ‘your lives shall p___’
2. ‘all are p______’

Task 4B: Copy and complete these sentences using the right quotation

1. Early in the play, Juliet refers to Lady Capulet as ‘__________’, which suggests..
2. Juliet describes Romeo as a ‘G_____’, which suggests that...
3. Juliet tells Romeo that she’ll ‘n___ l______ be a C______’ in order to...
4. Romeo describes his love for Rosaline as ‘m_________’ because…
5. Romeo says his love ‘pricks like thorn’ because…
6. The moment he meets Juliet, Romeo states: ‘Did my_____________________?’, which demonstrates...
7. Romeo compares Juliet to the ‘s______’, which suggest...
8. Romeo is guided by his ‘f______e______ f_______’ when he murders Tybalt.
9. When Romeo says that love ‘pricks’ like a thorn, Mercutio turns the word ‘p________’ into a s_________ i____________.
10. When Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, Mercutio says it is ‘v______ s___________’ because...
11. When Mercutio is dying, he curses the Montagues and Capulets by saying that he hopes there will be a ‘p__________’ on both of their households.
12. Tybalt claims to hate the word ‘p__________’ as much he hates ‘h______’ and all ‘M_______________’.
13. Tybalt vows to take revenge on Romeo in order to defend the ‘h______’ of his ‘k_____’.
14. In Act 4, when Tybalt challenges Romeo to a fight, he calls him ‘v_________’ and ‘b______’ several times to try to put him down.
15. Early in the play, Lord Capulet describes Juliet as a ‘s___________ to the world’ because she is still very young.
16. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, Lord Capulet orders her to ‘h_____________________________________’, which seems ...
17. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, Lady Capulet states: ‘I have d_______ w_______ th_______’, which seems...
18. Lady Capulet always refers to Juliet as ‘d________’, which seems distant in comparison to the Nurse, who refers to Juliet as ‘l_______’ and ‘l_________’.
19. Lady Capulet demands revenge when she says to Prince Escalus ‘for b__________of ours shed __________________’. This shows that...
20. Benvolio shouts ‘P_____ f_______’ to the servants of the Montague and Capulet families, which demonstrates...
21. Benvolio urges Romeo to ‘e__________ o_____________ b__________’ in order to forget Rosaline.
22. In Act four, Benvolio says to Mercutio that they should leave because they ‘shall not e_______ a b________’.
23. Friar Laurence states that he hopes the marriage between Romeo and Juliet will turn the ‘h_________’s r_________ to pure l_______’, which suggests…
24. Friar Laurence warns Romeo not to move too quickly when he says ‘they s________________________________’, which shows that Friar Laurence...
25. Friar Laurence urges Romeo to see that Prince Escalus sparing his life is ‘d_______ m_________’, which conveys that Friar Laurence...
26. When encouraging Juliet to marry Paris, the nurse describes Romeo as a ‘d_________’ and Paris as an ‘e_______’.
27. In the first scene of the play, Prince Escalus warns everyone fighting that their ‘l_________ shall pay’ if they fight again, which suggests...
28. In the final scene of the play, Prince Escalus admits his own responsibility, whilst blaming others too, when he says ‘a____ are p_____________’, which demonstrates...

Task 4C: Which quotation best demonstrates...

1. ...Romeo’s lovesickness over Rosaline?
2. ...Romeo’s world revolving around Juliet?
3. ...Romeo forgetting Rosaline the moment he sees Juliet?
4. ...Romeo blaming fate for mocking him?
5. ...Romeo allowing his anger to take over, leading him to murder Tybalt?
6. ...Juliet being obedient to Lady Capulet and speaking to her in a formal way?
7. ...Juliet telling Romeo that she’ll give up her family name for him?
8. ...Juliet worshipping Romeo?
9. ...Mercutio focusing on the sexual aspects of a relationship?
10. ...Mercutio being angry with Romeo for not fighting Tybalt?
11. ...Mercutio cursing the Montague and Capulet families?
12. ...Tybalt saying he hates the idea of peace?
13. ...Tybalt saying that he will fight Romeo in order to defend his honour?
14. ...Tybalt trying to put Romeo down and mock him? (b____)
15. ...Lord Capulet explaining to Paris that Juliet is still very young?
16. …Lord Capulet’s anger towards Juliet when she disobeys him?
17. ...Lady Capulet’s distance from Juliet? (d_______)
18. …The Nurse’s closeness to Juliet? (l_______, l_______)
19. ...Lady Capulet seeking revenge for Tybalt’s death?
20. ….Lady Capulet’s anger towards Juliet when she disobeys her father?
21. ...the Nurse suggesting Paris is a far finer man than Romeo? (e_____’ ‘d________’)
22. ...Benvolio keeping the peace?
23. ...Benvolio urging Romeo to meet other women?
24. ...Benvolio urging Mercutio to go home so that they don’t get caught in a fight?
25. ...Friar Laurence saying that he hopes Romeo and Juliet’s marriage will end the feud?
26. …Friar Laurence advising Romeo to be patient?
27. ...Friar Laurence advising Romeo to think clearly and rationally?
28. …Prince Escalus threatening a punishment if the fighting in Verona doesn’t stop?
29. ...Prince Escalus saying that all are responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

Task 4D: List 4 quotations that you would use to contrast..

1. Romeo and Mercutio.
2. Tybalt and Benvolio.
3. Romeo and Benvolio.
4. Romeo and Friar Laurence.
5. The nurse and Lady Capulet.
6. Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet.
7. Prince Escalus and Lord Capulet

5. LANGUAGE & STRUCTURE

Task 5A: Match the quotation with what you could comment on in Shakespeare’s language.

Romeo and Juliet

Quotation

Shakespeare’s use of language

1

‘madness’

A

Imagery that helps the audience to imagine that he is in pain in the way that someone would be in pain if they pricked their fingers on a thorny rose.

2

‘pricks like thorn’

B

Imagery that helps the audience to imagine that Juliet brings light and warmth and that his whole world revolves around Juliet.

3

‘sun’

C

Imagery that helps the audience to imagine Tybalt’s disfigured body lying in the tomb.

4

‘Fire-eyed fury’

D

Imagery that helps the audience to imagine Romeo is going crazy and cannot stop thinking about Rosaline.

5

‘God of my idolatry’

E

Imagery that helps the audience to imagine Romeo’s rage bubbling inside of him like fire.

6

‘Mangled Tybalt’

F

Religious imagery that helps the audience to imagine that Juliet worships Romeo as if he is a god-like figure.

1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5 = 6 =

Extension: choose a quotation and plan expanded sentences to practise writing about it.

Example:

He presents Romeo as lovesick.

Who? Shakespeare

When? Early in the play

How? ‘Pricks like thorn’ = imagery that helps us to imagine Romeo is in pain.

Expanded sentences: Early in the play, Shakespeare presents Romeo as lovesick by having him say that his love for Rosaline ‘pricks like thorn’. Shakespaere’s use of imagery helps us to imagine that Romeo is in pain.

Your turn:

He presents _________ as ____________.

Who?

When?

How?

Expanded sentences:

Task 5B: Match the quotation with what you could comment on in Shakespeare’s language or structure.

Mercutio and Benvolio

Quotation

Shakespeare’s use of language or structure

1

‘Prick love for pricking’

A

Repetition of the word ‘plague’ emphasises Mercutio’s anger towards the Montague and Capulet households for causing his death.

2

‘Vile submission’

B

Shakespeare contrasts Benvolio, who is sensible and does not want to fight, with Tybalt, who hates the idea of peace.

3

‘A plague on both your houses’

C

Shakespeare contrasts Benvolio, who is sensible and can predict that a fight may break out, with Mercutio, who is hot-headed and looking for a fight.

4

‘Part fools!’

D

Use of sexual innuendo creates a witty joke and also demonstrates contrast between Mercutio’s and Romeo’s attitudes to love.

5

‘Examine other beauties’

E

Shakespeare contrasts Benvolio, who is sensible, with Romeo, who is consumed by his love for Rosaline.

6

‘We shall not escape a brawl’

F

Word ‘vile’ suggests that Mercutio feels repulsed by Romeo’s choice not to fight Tybalt.

1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5 = 6 =

Extension: choose a quotation and plan expanded sentences to practise writing about it.

Your turn:

He presents _________ as ____________.

Who?

When?

How?

Expanded sentences:

Task 5C:Match the quotation with what you could comment on in Shakespeare’s language or structure.

Tybalt and Prince Escalus

Quotation

Shakespeare’s use of language or structure

1

‘Peace, I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues and thee’

A

Authoritative and forceful tone indicates that Prince Escalus is in charge and will no longer tolerate fighting on the streets of Verona.

2

‘Honour of my kin’

B

Repetition of the word ‘hate’ emphasises how violent and aggressive Tybalt is.

3

‘Boy’ ‘villain’

C

Word ‘honour’ emphasises the root cause of the fighting; the male characters feel the need to defend their honour.

4

‘Your lives shall pay’

D

Shakespeare brings Prince Escalus back in this final scene after he has been absent for most of the play in order to restore order to Verona.

5

‘All are punished’

E

These words suggest that Tybalt is mocking Romeo and putting him down, trying to provoke him into fighting.

1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5 = 6 =

Extension: choose a quotation and plan expanded sentences to practise writing about it.

Your turn:

He presents _________ as ____________.

Who?

When?

How?

Expanded sentences:

Task 5D: Match the quotation with what you could comment on in Shakespeare’s language.

Lord and Lady Capulet

Quotation

Shakespeare’s use of language or structure

1

‘Stranger in the world’

A

Cold language suggesting that Lady Capulet does not feel any emotion for Juliet as a result of her disobeying her parents.

2

‘Hang, beg, starve, die in the streets’

B

Cold, formal language indicates distance and contrasts with affectionate nicknames the nurse has for Juliet

3

‘Do as thou wilt for I have done with thee’

C

Violent, aggressive language indicating how angry Lord Capulet is to be disobeyed.

4

‘daughter’

D

Word ‘stranger’ indicates that Juliet is young and inexperienced.

1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5 = 6 =

Extension: choose a quotation and plan expanded sentences to practise writing about it.

Your turn:

He presents _________ as ____________.

Who?

When?

How?

Expanded sentences:

Task 5E: Match the quotation with what you could comment on in Shakespeare’s language.

Friar Laurence and the nurse

Quotation

Shakespeare’s use of language

1

‘Turn the households’ rancour to pure love’

A

Contrast between these affectionate nicknames and the way Lady Capulet speaks to Juliet, which indicate how close the nurse is and how distant Lady Capulet is.

2

‘They stumble that run fast’

B

Imagery of beautiful bird vs dirty dishcloth, indicating that the nurse is trying to persuade Juliet to marry Paris as she thinks this will be the best thing for her.

3

‘Lamb’ ‘ladybird’

C

Foreshadowing of future events when Romeo’s quick, impulsive behaviour leads to his death.

4

‘Eagle’ ‘dischlout’

D

Dramatic irony - the audience knows that the marriage brings an end to the feud but only through the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5 = 6 =

Extension: choose a quotation and plan expanded sentences to practise writing about it.

Your turn:

He presents _________ as ____________.

Who?

When?

How?

Expanded sentences:

Task 5F: Answer these questions about Shakespeare’s structural choices.

1. Why does Shakespeaere start the play with a prologue in which he reveals the play’s tragic end?
2. How does Shakespeare’s use of a prologue enable him to use dramatic irony to create tension? (Provide at least two examples)
3. How many days does the play’s action take place across?
4. Why does Shakespeare choose this short time frame?
5. Why does Shakespeare place scenes in which Romeo speaks freely of love and sex next to scenes in which Juliet’s arranged marriage is discussed?
6. Why does Shakespeare choose for Romeo to be absent throughout Act 4?
7. Why does Shakespeare use sonnet form in Romeo and Juliet’s first conversation with each other?

Task 5G: Provide an example of a structural choice made by Shakespeare that…

1. Creates tension.
2. Highlights Juliet’s lack of freedom.
3. Highlights Romeo’s freedom to choose his future wife.
4. Places deliberate pressure on the characters to make impulsive decisions.
5. Allows the audience to see Juliet grow and develop as a character.

6 THEMES

Task 6A: The Theme of Love

What is Shakespeare suggesting about love?

Shakespeare suggests that love can be….

Shakespeare suggests that love can override...

Shakespeare suggests that love can also be ...

Shakespeare suggests that love is linked to...

Clues: eternal? pure? holy? Overpowering?

Task 6B: The Theme of Conflict

What is Shakespeare suggesting about conflict?

Shakespeare suggests that conflict happens as a result of...

Shakespeare suggests that can conflict can also happen as a result of

Shakespeare presents conflict within families when…

Clues: honour? impulsive behaviour? aggression? temper? Mistakes?

Task 6C: The Theme of Fate

What is Shakespeare suggesting about fate?

Shakespeare suggests that people’s lives can be …

Shakespeare suggests that fate is…

Shakespeare uses Romeo and Juliet’s visions to foreshadow...

Task 6D: The Theme of Family

What is Shakespeare suggesting about the theme of family?

Shakespeare suggests that families are run by…

Shakespeare suggests it was unusual for a daughter to…

Shakespeare shows the distance between parent and child through…

Shakespeare shows that family allegiance is important as…

Shakespeare challenges…

Task 6E. List quotations or references that you would use to answer an essay about the theme of…

(A reference doesn’t have to be a quotation. It can be a reference to something a character says or does without needing a direct quotation)

1. Love
2. Conflict
3. Fate
4. Family

7. VOCABULARY

Task 7A: Vocabulary. Copy and complete the sentences (this time with less to help you):

1. Lord Capulet is authoritative when ...

2. Prince Escalus is authoritative when ...

3. Juliet is courageous when she refuses to...

4. Shakespeare suggests that Romeo and Juliet’s fate is out of their hands when...

5. Tybalt believes he needs to maintain the feud because...

6. Lord Capulet and Lord Montague maintain the feud because ...

8. Lady Capulet seems cold when...

9. Lord Capulet seems protective when...

10. Lord Capulet seems aggressive when he threatens to throw Juliet out if...

11. Juliet seems obedient when she agrees to...

12. Juliet does not seem obedient when...

13. Romeo appears passionate when ...

14. Juliet seems rebellious when she...

15. Romeo seems impulsive when he ...

16. Juliet seems impulsive when she...

17. Tybalt seems impulsive when he ...

19. Mercutio seems witty when he...

20. Mercutio maintains his and Romeo’s honour when he...

21. Friar Laurence seems naive when he ...

22. The Nurse seems kind when she ...

23. Friar Laurence appears naive when he ...

24. The Nurse appears kind when she ...

Task 7B: Provide your own example of when a character is..

1. Authoritative.
2. Courageous.
3. Aggressive
4. Patriarchal
5. Violent
6. Acting to prove their honour
7. Obedient
8. Rebellious
9. Impulsive
10. Witty
11. Well-meaning
12. Naive
13. Cold
14. Distant
15. Kind

Task 7C: Provide an example of:

1. Dramatic irony
2. Tension
3. Foreshadowing
4. Tragic flaw
5. Imagery

8. SETTING

1. Where and when is the play set?
2. How were attitudes to marriage and women similar to the Elizabethan era?
3. Who were the Montagues and Capulets based on?
4. Why does Shakespeare set many of Romeo’s scenes outside, but all of Juliet’s scenes inside?

9. ESSAY PRACTICE

Task 8A: Which are the best 3-5 quotations for these essay questions?

1. Explore how Shakespeare presents Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.
2. Explore how Shakespeare presents Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
3. Explain how Shakespeare presents the relationship between Romeo and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
4. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Tybalt as an aggressive and violent character.
5. Explain how Shakespeare presents Mercutio.
6. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Lord Capulet as a good father.
7. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet as a good mother in Romeo and Juliet..
8. Explain how Shakespeare presents the character of Friar Lawrence.
9. Explain how Shakespeare presents attitudes towards love in Romeo and Juliet
10. Explore how Shakespeare presents the tragedy of love in Romeo and Juliet.
11. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents conflict as a key theme in the play.
12. Explain how far Shakespeare presents family allegiance as the cause of conflict in Romeo and Juliet..
13. Explore how Shakespeare presents father daughter relationships in Romeo and Juliet.
14. Explore how Shakespeare presents fate versus free will in Romeo and Juliet.

Task 8B: Write three topic sentences for each of these essay questions.

1. Explore how Shakespeare presents Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.
2. Explore how Shakespeare presents Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
3. Explain how Shakespeare presents the relationship between Romeo and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
4. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Tybalt as an aggressive and violent character.
5. Explain how Shakespeare presents Mercutio.
6. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Lord Capulet as a good father.
7. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet as a good mother in Romeo and Juliet..
8. Explain how Shakespeare presents the character of Friar Lawrence.
9. Explain how Shakespeare presents attitudes towards love in Romeo and Juliet
10. Explore how Shakespeare presents the tragedy of love in Romeo and Juliet.
11. Explain how far you think Shakespeare presents conflict as a key theme in the play.
12. Explain how far Shakespeare presents family allegiance as the cause of conflict in Romeo and Juliet..
13. Explore how Shakespeare presents father daughter relationships in Romeo and Juliet.
14. Explore how Shakespeare presents fate versus free will in Romeo and Juliet.

EXAMPLE ESSAY

How does Shakespeare present Romeo as a tragic hero?

In this extract from Act V Scene I, Balthasar brings news of Juliet’s supposed death to Romeo.

ROMEO

News from Verona! How now, Balthasar?

Dost thou not bring me letters from the friar?

How doth my lady? Is my father well?

How doth my Juliet? That I ask again,

For nothing can be ill if she be well.

BALTHASAR

Then she is well and nothing can be ill:

Her body sleeps in Capel’s monument,

And her immortal part with angels lives.

I saw her laid low in her kindred’s vault,

And presently took post to tell it you.

O, pardon me for bringing these ill news,

Since you did leave it for my office, sir.

ROMEO

Is it e’en so? Then I defy you, stars!

Thou knowest my lodging, get me ink and paper,

And hire post-horses; I will hence tonight.

BALTHASAR

I do beseech you, sir, have patience.

Your looks are pale and wild, and do import

Some misadventure.

ROMEO

Tush, thou art deceiv’d.

Leave me, and do the thing I bid thee do.

Hast thou no letters to me from the friar?

BALTHASAR

No, my good lord.

ROMEO

No matter, get thee gone,

And hire those horses; I’ll be with thee straight.

Exit Balthasar.

Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight.

Let’s see for means. O mischief, thou art swift

To enter in the thoughts of desperate men!

How does Shakespeare present Romeo as a tragic hero?

Consider how:

• Shakespeare presents Romeo as a tragic hero in this extract
• Shakespeare presents Romeo as a tragic hero in the play as a whole

[30 marks]

[4 SPAG]

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is about how strong emotions have tragic consequences. Romeo’s impulsive nature, and inability to regulate his emotions, result in him making rash decisions, which contribute to the deaths of multiple characters in the play. Arguably, Romeo’s impulsive decisions could be held responsible for the deaths of all of the characters in the play.

In the extract, Shakespeare makes clear that Romeo is impulsive and impatient. In the opening of the extract, Shakespeare has Romeo ask a series of rapid questions about Juliet, eager to hear news of her from Bathalsar. The use of several questions one after another indicates that Romeo is barely pausing for breath or to allow Balthasar to speak, which indicates that he is extremely patient. Upon hearing of her supposed death, Romeo immediately commands Balthasar to ‘get ink and paper’ and ‘hire those horses’. Shakespeare’s repeated use of commands convey the urgency in Romeo’s voice. It is clear that he is not taking the time to think, but is immediately ordering Balthasar to prepare what he needs to return to Verona. Shakespeare contrasts Romeo’s impulsiveness with Balthasar’s patience when he has Balthasar urge Romeo to ‘have patience’ because he fears that Romeo may have some ‘misadventure’ in mind. Moments later, after Balthasar leaves, Romeo states that he will ‘lie’ with Juliet, which implies that he is planning to kill himself in order to be with her in the tomb. Shakespeare seems to present Romeo in this way in order to emphasise how Romeo’s impulsive nature contributes to the play’s tragedy; if he were able to be patient, as Bathalsar advises, perhaps he would soon have received news from Friar Laurence of Juliet’s plan, and could have avoided the tragic end to both of their lives.

In the extract, Shakespeare also makes clear that Romeo is an extremely passionate character. When Romeo asks Balthasar for news of Juliet, Shakespeare has him say that ‘nothing is ill if she will well’. It is clear therefore that Romeo places all of his happiness in Juliet, and is far more interested in news of Juliet’s welfare than he is to hear news of other friends and family. He was similarly passionate earlier in the play, moments after he first met Juliet, when he described her as the ‘sun’, implying that his whole world revolves around her and that she is his source of warmth and life. The audience had previously seen Romeo passionately declaring his feelings towards Rosaline, so the audience is constantly reminded of the fact that Romeo is a deep-feeling character who often seems unable to manage his emotions; this is his tragic flaw. Shakespeare emphasises the passion and emotion in Romeo’s character in order to warn against acting impulsively upon these feelings. If Romeo were able to manage his emotions more effectively, perhaps he could have avoided placing all hopes in Juliet.

Early in the play, Shakespeare makes clear that Romeo and Juliet are fated to die. In the prologue, Shakespeare describes Romeo and Juliet as a ‘star-crossed lovers’ and their love as ‘death-marked’ in order to make clear to the audience that Romeo and Juliet’s love will meet a tragic end. Before Romeo goes to the Capulet ball, Shakespeare makes further references to fate by having Romeo declare a bad dream that he had and his fear that the ‘stars’ have a negative future planned for him. In inviting the audience to know Romeo’s fate even before the events of the play have begun, Shakespeare invites them to see Romeo as the tragic hero, who is destined for destruction and downfall.

In the play as a whole, Shakespeare demonstrates that Romeo’s impulsive and passionate nature contributes to the deaths of other characters. If Romeo had not been so quick to fall in love with Juliet, not considering the consequences of marrying the daughter of the enemy family, he may not have allowed Mercutio to fight in his place, thus could have avoided Mercutio’s death. If Mercutio had not died, Romeo would not have impulsively murdered Tybalt. Romeo’s impulsive decision to murder Tybalt without considering the consequence results in his banishment, which leads to Lady Montague dying of grief. Romeo’s impulsive decision to kill himself to be with Juliet leads him to murder Paris, who stands in his way at Juliet’s tomb. It also leads to Juliet killing herself. Had he waited, his and Juliet’s deaths could have been avoided. Shakespeare therefore presents Romeo as a tragic hero, whose character flaws lead not only to his own death but to the deaths of multiple other characters in the play.

At the end of the play, Shakespeare uses Romeo’s death to restore order in Verona. In the final moments of the play, Lord Montague and Capulet hold out a hand to one another and agree to end the feud that resulted in the deaths of their children. Both promise to raise a statue in honour of the other’s child. Shakespeare has Prince Escalus state that ‘all are punished’ perhaps because he wants to give a clear message to the audience, and to the characters, that all are responsible for the play’s tragic end. It is clear therefore that Romeo and Juliet have not died in vain. Although the play has a deeply tragic ending, there is hope that peace will be restored in Verona for the first time in years.

In conclusion, it is clear that many of Romeo’s actions make him the typical tragic hero, with a major character weakness that not only brings about his own destruction, but also the destruction of others. Shakespeare could be using Romeo’s character to challenge weaknesses in the human condition. At times our inability to regulate our emotions, our selfishness and our impulsiveness can have disastrous consequences. It seems we can all learn from the mistakes made by Romeo.

3. Jekyll and Hyde, RL Stevenson, 1886

THE BIG IDEA - WHY DOES THIS TEXT EXIST?

(you can use this to create your thesis statements and build your essay arguments)

Jekyll and Hyde is about the duality in society and inside us all.

duality = double / two opposites

1. Stevenson explores Victorian fears that humans may not be a superior being created by God; maybe we have savage, animalistic, evil instincts within us all.
2. Stevenson challenges a belief that humans were always moral and good. He exposes the truth, which is that many people were not what they seemed.
3. Stevenson may be saying that to repress (shut away) our desires is to hide who we really are, which can damage us psychologically, in the way that Jekyll is damaged.
4. Stevenson may also be warning us that if we give into our darker sides, they will win out over our good sides, in the way that Hyde wins over Jekyll.

TOP ESSAY QUESTIONS

1. How does Stevenson present Mr Utterson as a good ​friend to Dr Jekyll?
2. How does Stevenson create sympathy for Dr Jekyll’s character?
3. How does Stevenson present Mr Hyde as a frightening outsider?
4. How does Stevenson present Dr Lanyon’s horror at ​Dr Jekyll’s behaviour?​
5. How does Stevenson use the characters of Lanyon and Utterson to present ideas about Victorian morality?
6. How does Stevenson use the setting to create fear and mystery?
7. How does Stevenson present the idea of duality?
8. How does Stevenson present mystery and secrets?

PLOT

1. One night, Enfield saw Hyde trample a little girl and give a £100 cheque as compensation in Jekyll’s name.

2. Utterson, worried about Jekyll’s will that gives everything to Hyde, seeks out Hyde and meets him.

3. Jekyll asks Utterson to look after Hyde when he is gone.

4. Hyde is seen murdering MP Sir Carew with Jekyll’s cane.

5. Jekyll gives Utterson a letter from Hyde in Jekyll’s handwriting; Utterson hides the forgery to protect Jekyll.

6. Utterson goes to see Lanyon who refuses to discuss Jekyll but gives Utterson a letter and dies shortly after.

7. Utterson fears Hyde has murdered Jekyll and breaks into his room, where they see Hyde has killed himself.

8. Lanyon’s letter reveals that Hyde visited him and transformed into Jekyll, and died of shock as a result.

9. Jekyll’s confession reveals he led a double life by creating a drug to separate his evil side into Hyde; Hyde gains power over him and Jekyll has to keep using the drug to stay as Jekyll, until he runs out of the drug and chooses to kill himself.

CHARACTERS & QUOTATIONS*

Utterson is moral and trustworthy.

‘last good influence’

1. He strictly avoids drinking wine or going to the theatre, even though he enjoys them.
2. He is a perfect Victorian gentleman because he makes moral choices.
3. ‘Last’ implies that there are few men like Utterson left.

‘If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek’

1. He has strong curiosity.
2. He investigates Hyde and pieces together clues to find the truth.
3. He wants to be a good friend to Jekyll.

‘Ghost of some old sin’

1. He believes Jekyll is being blackmailed and haunted by the ‘ghost’ or ‘sin’ from the past.
2. He tries to protect Jekyll: he looks after his will and conceals Jekyll’s forged letter from the police.
3. Even the most honest and moral Victorian men can be tested. He chooses friendship over honesty.

Dr Jekyll is troubled.

‘smooth faced’

1. Jekyll is a handsome, well-made man.
2. Stevenson contrasts his appearance with Hyde’s (‘deformed’)
3. Jekyll’s smooth face symbolises the good he wants others to see. Hyde’s ‘deformed’ appearance symbolises the evil inside of him.

‘Man is not truly one but truly two’

1. Jekyll divides himself into two parts so that he can indulge in immoral behaviour without feeling guilty.
2. Victorian readers would have felt uncomfortable with this. They wanted to believe humans were only good.

‘thick cloak’

1. At first, he enjoys being Hyde and doesn’t accept any guilt.
2. He feels like he is wearing an invisibility cloak. No one will know it’s him.
3. Demonstrates that he is not concerned by the immoral acts he carries out - only his reputation.

‘terror... as sudden and startling as the crash of cymbals’

1. He wakes up one morning and feels terrified, having transformed involuntarily.
2. Could reflect Victorian fear of misuse of science/losing control.
3. Simile/imagery mirrors the shock, horror and confusion he feels.

‘Chief of sinners, chief of sufferers’

1. ‘Chief of sinners’ - horrified and guilty about committing the worst sin: murder.
2. ‘Chief of sufferers’ - loses control of the transformations and becomes depressed and ill.
3. Feels trapped / no escape. When he runs out of the drug, he kills himself, hoping to destroy Hyde.

Mr Hyde is violent and uncontrollable.

‘trampled calmly’

1. Commits a violent crime, trampling over an innocent young girl, simply because she was in his way.
2. ‘Trampled calmly’ = contrast. Contrast between the violent action and the calm mood Hyde had.
3. ‘calmly’ indicates that Hyde felt no emotion when he did this. Pure evil.

‘Satan’

1. Hyde behaves suspiciously, rudely and aggressively when meeting first Enfield, then Utterson.
2. Characters associated Hyde with the devil because his rude, suspicious and aggressive behaviour seems the complete opposite to the way a Victorian gentleman should behave.
3. Comparing him to ‘satan’ would have terrified religious Victorian readers.

‘ape-like fury’

1. Murders Sir Danvers Carew. Stevenson makes a point of highlighting how polite and kind SDC is (‘pretty manners’, ‘innocent’) to show the contrast between this perfect Victorian gentleman and the evil Hyde.
2. Hyde has no motive, which makes the crime seem even worse.
3. Stevenson compares Hyde to an ape, giving him animalistic qualities, to show that Hyde is murdering SDC in a savage, wild and uncontrollable way.
4. Influenced by CD’s Theory of Evolution. Reflects fear in Victorian readers that humans have animalistic qualities within us and are capable of evil acts.

‘deformed’

1. Repetition emphasises the number of people who feel repulsed by Hyde.
2. Stevenson contrasts Jekyll’s ‘smooth’ face with Hyde’s ‘deformity.
3. Hyde’s physical appearance symbolises the evil within him. His appearance does not try to hide his evil.

Hyde burns Jekyll’s letters and destroys his father’s portrait.

1. The evil side takes over. Hyde destroys Jekyll’s identity.
2. Could reflect Victorian fear that, if you embrace evil, it can become too strong and take over.

Dr Lanyon is moral and terrified.

‘unscientific balderdash’

1. Was an inseparable friend of Jekyll’s but has fallen out over science.
2. ‘balderdash’ = nonsense. Does not agree with the experiments Jekyll does.
3. ‘Unscientific’- Lanyon’s feelings about Jekyll’s science could reflect Victorian fears in developments of science - science being misused in ways that undermined religious beliefs.

‘soul sickened’

1. Lanyon is shocked when he witnesses the transformation from Hyde to Jekyll.
2. He is so shocked, that he feels the shock in his ‘soul’ - it’s a very physical feeling of terror and horror.
3. ‘sickened’ indicates that Lanyon is repulsed by Jekyll’s choice to play ‘God’ and use science for this.
4. Stevenson deliberately chooses for Lanyon to be the one to witness the transformation because Lanyon was so unconvinced by Jekyll’s science. This makes it even more frightening and believable for the reader.

‘shock of hair’ ‘bald’

1. Stevenson contrasts Lanyon’s physical appearance before and after witnessing the transformation.
2. The stress of what he witnessed has caused a physical decay. He becomes ill and dies.
3. Could reflect the Victorian fears of science. Jekyll has, in effect, played ‘God’ and gone beyond the boundaries of what science should be able to do.

SETTING

1. London’s fog and pollution make it seem sinister and mysterious and allow Hyde to carry out his crimes.
2. Jekyll’s house looks respectable from the front - ‘wealth and comfort’, but from the back it is neglected - ‘blistered’ Even the most respectable houses have their less respectable parts, just as even the most respectable of men can have their shameful secrets. The back has ‘no window’ and ‘no knocker’, suggesting there are secrets behind the doors.
3. Hyde lives in ‘dismal’ Soho, full of ‘ragged children’ which had a reputation for crime in 19th century London. To Utterson, who is a moral character, Soho is ‘like a ‘nightmare’

CONTEXT & THEMES

Good vs Evil

In Victorian society, people had strong faith in God. They believed God had created humans as superior beings with a soul, who could choose to be good and suppress any evil. Contrary to these views, in 1859, Charles Darwin published his Theory of Evolution, stating that human beings evolved from apes and have animalistic instincts within us.

How does Stevenson explore this in the novel?

1. Jekyll’s experiments explore human capability of good and evil. Life is a constant struggle between these.
2. Jekyll battles between the good and evil within him, so creates Hyde to separate the evil into one person.
3. Hyde represents ‘pure evil’ through his appearance, behaviour and choices.
4. Hyde is given animalistic qualities, reflecting the Victorian fear that humans can be savage.

Science vs Religion

There were many scientific developments in the Victorian era. Some religious Victorians were afraid of science because they offered new explanations of the world that sometimes went against what they believed. For example, Charles Darwin’sTheory of Evolution stated that human beings evolved from apes, which went against the idea that God created the world.

How does Stevenson explore this in the novel?

1. Lanyon’s reaction to Jekyll’s science reflects a Victorian fear of scientific developments going against religious beliefs.

Honesty vs Secrets

In Victorian society, there were very strict codes of behaviour that people were expected to follow. Strong religious believers criticised drinking, expressing sexual desire and being too loud or boisterous; they praised people who were strict with themselves and stopped themselves from doing things they enjoyed as a mark of their faith. This meant many people did immoral things in secret, without anyone knowing.

How does Stevenson explore this in the novel?

1. Jekyll has the reputation of being an honest, good doctor, but deceives his closest friends.
2. Jekyll’s deception leads to a series of clues that link Jekyll and Hyde together, which Utterson must solve.
3. The honesty of the most moral characters - Lanyon and Utterson - is tested.
4. The contrast between Jekyll’s front and back doors reflect the secrets he has from his friends.
5. Soho is a place where wealthy men (such as Hyde) can commit immoral acts in secret.
6. London’s fog and pollution make it an easy place for secrets to go unnoticed.

STRUCTURE:

1. Opening: Stevenson opens with the ‘Story of the Door’ to create mystery from the outset. It seems like an ordinary Sunday walk for Enfield and Utterson but the story Enfield tells leads to the mystery of the novel.
2. Clues: Stevenson shares mysterious connections between Jekyll and Hyde. The reader, like Utterson, becomes a detective (cheque, will, cane, letter)
3. Narrative structure: Stevenson chooses Utterson as our reliable, trustworthy narrator to keep suspense. The reader can only solve the clues at the same pace at Utterson. Stevenson delays the truth until Chapter 9 and Chapter 10, when we hear first-person narratives from Lanyon and Jekyll in the form of letters.
4. Ending: Stevenson chooses to end with ‘Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case’, revealing the horrifying truth that Jekyll IS Hyde. He chooses the form of a letter as a kind of suicide note from Jekyll so that this can be told from Jekyll’s perspective, giving the reader full insight into Jekyll’s motives.

VOCABULARY*

1. morality/moral: what is right and wrong in society.
2. duality: doubles or oppositions, for example between good and evil or outer reputation and inner secrets.
3. evolution: Darwin’s idea that life evolved from earlier forms of life, and people evolved from apes.
4. reputation: the opinion that people have about someone or something. For example: Jekyll and Lanyon both have a reputation as well-known doctors of science.
5. troubled: having problems and difficulties
6. symbolism: things in literature that represent ideas. For example: Soho symbolises sin; the fog symbolises hidden crime; Jekyll’s house symbolises duality.
7. imagery: descriptive words that paint pictures in the reader’s minds, helping them to imagine more clearly. The devilish and animalistic imagery for Hyde links him to evil.
8. narrative perspective: the viewpoint that the reader follows.
9. hypocrisy: when people say one thing and do another.
10. repression: when people control their deep desires and urges with negative consequences.

4. Jekyll and Hyde Practice Exercises

1.PLOT

Task 1A: Plot Sequence

Sequence sentences A-I into the right order in the plot from 1-9

A. Jekyll’s confession reveals he led a double life by creating a drug to separate his evil side into Hyde; Hyde gains power over him and Jekyll has to keep using the drug to stay as Jekyll, until he runs out of the drug and chooses to kill himself.

B. One night, Enfield saw Hyde trample a little girl and give a £100 cheque as compensation in Jekyll’s name.

C. Jekyll asks Utterson to look after Hyde when he is gone.

D. Utterson, worried about Jekyll’s will that gives everything to Hyde, seeks out Hyde and meets him.

E. Hyde is seen murdering MP Sir Carew with Jekyll’s cane.

F. Jekyll gives Utterson a letter from Hyde which has Jekyll’s handwriting; Utterson hides the forgery to protect Jekyll.

G. Utterson goes to see Lanyon who refuses to discuss Jekyll but gives Utterson a letter and dies shortly after.

H. Lanyon’s letter reveals that Hyde visited him and transformed into Jekyll; Lanyon died of shock as a result.

I. Utterson fears Hyde has murdered Jekyll and breaks into his room, where they see Hyde has killed himself.

Task 1B: Fill in the gaps to recap the plot.

One night, E_________ saw H_____ tr_________ a little girl and give a £100 ch_________ as compensation in J________s name. U__________, worried about J________’s w_____ that gives everything to H______, seeks out H________ and meets him. J______ asks U________ to look after H______ when he is gone. H________ is seen m_________ MP Sir D________ Carew with J________s c_______. Jekyll gives U_________ a l________ from H_______ in Jekyll’s h_________g. Utterson hides the f________ to protect J________. Utterson goes to see L_________ who refuses to d_________ Jekyll but gives U_________ a l________ and d________ shortly after. Utterson fears H________ has m__________ Jekyll and breaks into his room, where they see Hyde has killed h__________. L__________’s l_________ reveals that H________ visited him and tr_____________ into J________, and he died of sh__________ as a result. Jekyll’s c_____________ reveals he led a d__________ life by creating a d_________ to separate his e_________ side into H_______. Hyde gains p__________ over him and Jekyll has to keep using the dr________ to stay as Jekyll, until he runs out of the d_________ and chooses to k______ himself.

You can use words more than once!

Danvers transformed discuss Jekyll Hyde trample Lanyon’s Utterson Jekyll cane will confession Utterson Hyde Hyde Enfield handwriting Jekyll’s cheque letter shock forgery Lanyon dies murdered himself double drug evil power drug kill murdering Hyde Hyde Jekyll letter

2. CHARACTER

Task 2A: Character choices and actions

1. Why does Hyde trample on the young girl?
2. Why does Hyde give the family a cheque?
3. Why does Hyde murder Sir Danvers Carew?
4. Why does Hyde burn Jekyll’s letters after he starts to take control of Jekyll?
5. Why does Jekyll create Hyde?
6. Why does Jekyll lie to his friends about Hyde?
7. Why does Jekyll leave everything in his will to Hyde?
8. Why does Jekyll ask Utterson not to ask any questions about his will?
9. Why does Jekyll forge a letter, pretending it’s Hyde?
10. Why does Jekyll ask to see Lanyon and transform in front of him?
11. Why does Jekyll kill himself?
12. Why does Enfield tell the story of the door?
13. Why does Utterson not indulge in the pleasures of drinking wine or going to the theatre?
14. Why does Utterson try to search for Mr Hyde?
15. Why does Utterson ask Jekyll about the will?
16. Why does Utterson help the inspector at the murder scene?
17. Why does Utterson ask Lanyon about Jekyll?
18. Why does Utterson not take the forged letter to the police?
19. Why does Utterson not open Lanyon’s letter until after Jekyll’s death?
20. Why does Utterson break down the laboratory door?
21. Why does Lanyon not speak to Jekyll anymore?
22. Why does Lanyon agree to see the transformation?
23. Why does Lanyon write a letter?
24. Why does Lanyon become ill and die?

Task 2B: Characteristics and Choices or Actions

1. Jekyll is presented as ______________ and ______________ because …

2. Hyde is presented as _______________ and ______________ because …

3. Utterson is presented as _____________ and ____________ because …

4. Lanyon is presented as _______________ and ______________ because …

Options: uncontrollable, violent, trusted, clever, troubled, moral, terrified, curious, determined, loyal, respected

Task 2C: Character comparisons

1.Whereas Jekyll is ___________________, Utterson is _________________.

2. Whereas Jekyll is ___________________, Lanyon is _________________

3. Whereas Lanyonl is ___________________, Utterson is _________________

4. Whereas Jekyll is ___________________, Hyde is _________________

5. 4. Whereas Hyde is ___________________, Utterson is _________________

Options: uncontrollable, violent, trusted, clever, troubled, moral, terrified, curious, determined, loyal, respected

Task 2D: Character Thoughts and Feelings

1. Why does Utterson say: ‘If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek’?

2. Why does Jekyll say: ‘man is not truly one but truly two’?

3. Why does Jekyll say ‘It was Hyde after all and Hyde alone that was guilty’?

4. Why does Hyde trample ‘calmly’ over the young girl and not ‘worriedly’?

5. Why does Lanyon see Jekyll’s work as ‘unscientific balderdash’?

6. Why does Lanyon say ‘my soul sickened at it’?

7. Why is Utterson described as the ‘last good influence in the lives of downgoing men’?

8. Why does Utterson suspect ‘the ghost of some old sin … some concealed disgrace’?

9. Why does Jekyll call himself: ‘chief of sinners ... chief of sufferers’?

Task 2E: Character Development

1. How does Jekyll develop as a character in the novella?

a) Early in the novella,

b) As the novella continues,

c) Later in the novella,

2. How does Hyde develop as a character in the novella?

a) Early in the novella,

b) As the novella continues,

c) Later in the novella,

3. How does Utterson develop as a character in the novella?

a) Early in the novella,

b) As the novella continues,

c) Later in the novella,

4. How does Lanyon develop as a character in the novella?

a) Early in the novella,

b) As the novella continues,

c) Later in the novella,

3. CONTEXT

Task 3A: Answer the questions.

1. Which era did Stevenson write and set his novel in?
2. Who was queen at the time?
3. What did many religious Victorians believe about how the world was created?
4. Which important theory was published that went against this view about how the world was created?
5. What did many religious Victorians feel about drinking and going to the theatre?
6. How were wealthy Victorians expected to behave?
7. What was happening in science during the Victorian era?
8. Why were religious Victorians afraid of scientific developments?

Task 3B: Copy and complete the sentences.

1. Stevenson explores the very strict morals in V____________ society.
2. Many religious people believed that you should stop yourself from...
3. Stevenson suggests that having very strict morals didn’t work for everyone because…
4. Stevenson suggests that, behind closed doors, people would…
5. Stevenson suggests that wealthier people like Utterson didn’t want to be seen in Soho because…
6. Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution suggested that…
7. Many religious people didn’t agree with Charles Darwin’s theory because…
8. Stevenson describes Hyde as ‘ape-like’, which links him to…
9. Stevenson suggests that humans have animal qualities when…
10. Stevenson suggests that humans are not superior to…
11. Stevenson suggests that all humans are capable of….

Task 3C: Describe how a Victorian reader would have reacted to each character’s choice.

1. Jekyll’s choice to create an evil persona and commit immoral acts such as trampling and murder.
2. Utterson’s choice not to drink or go to the theatre.
3. Utterson’s choice to investigate Hyde and help his friend Jekyll.
4. Utterson’s choice not to hand the forged letter to the police.
5. Lanyon’s choice not to associate with Jekyll because he was doing strange scientific experiments.
6. Lanyon’s choice not to reveal Jekyll’s secret until after Jekyll’s death.
7. Hyde’s brutal muder of Sir Danvers Carew.
8. Hyde’s trampling of the young girl.

Task 3D: List actions taken by any characters that challenge Victorian views on…

1. Morality.
2. Religion.
3. Good vs evil.
4. Science.
5. Honesty vs secrets.

Task 3E: Answer these questions with at least one example from the novella.

How does Stevenson challenge...

1. ...attitudes to religion?
2. ...attitudes to the story of creation and the belief that humans were superior?
3. ...attitudes to morality among wealthy Victorian gentlemen?
4. ...attitudes to Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution?
5. ...attitudes to honesty and secrets among wealthy Victorian gentlemen?

Challenge: list as many examples as you can think of.

Task 3F: Answer these questions with at least one example from the play.

Challenge: list as many examples as you can think of.

1. What does Stevenson suggest that strict morals can lead to?
2. What does Stevenson suggest that strict ideas about reputation can lead to?
3. What does Stevenson suggest that strict views about religion can lead to?
4. What does Stevenson suggest that science can lead to?

4.QUOTATIONS

Task 4A: copy and complete the quotations in full. If you’re stuck, check the content on p.20

1. ‘The last g_______ i___________’
2. ‘If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be M__ S________’
3. ‘G_________ of some old s_______’
4. ‘T________ calmly’
5. ‘D________’ (describes Hyde’s physical appearance)
6. ‘S_________’ (compares Hyde to the devil)
7. ‘a______-like f________’
8. ‘S_______ faced’ (describes Jekyll’s physical appearance)
9. ‘Man is not t______ one but t_______ tw______’
10. ‘Thick c________’
11. ‘Tasted d______ with every b________’
12. ‘T_______r’ (the feeling Jekyll has when he wakes up as Hyde one day)
13. ‘Chief of s__________, chief of s____________’
14. ‘Unscientific b__________’
15. ‘Soul s___________’
16. ‘Deadliest t________r sits by me at all h_________’
17. ‘Shock of h_______’ ‘b______d’ (describes the change in Lanyon’s appearance)
18. ‘W_______ and c________’ (describes the front of Jekyll’s house)
19. ‘B________d’ (describes the paint peeling away on the door to the back of Jekyll’s house)
20. ‘No w________’ ‘No k___________’ (describes the back of Jekyll’s house)
21. ‘D_______l’ (describes Soho)
22. ‘R________ c__________’ (describes the children in Soho)
23. ‘like a city in a n_____________’

Task 4B: Quotations. Copy and complete the sentences.

1. Utterson is described as the ‘l_______ g_______ i_________’ on his friends, which suggests..

2. Utterson describes himself as ‘Mr S_’ when he decides to search for Hyde, which suggests….

3. Utterson decides not to give the letter to the police because he thinks Hyde might be using the ‘g____ of some old s___’ to blackmail Jekyll.

4. Jekyll states that ‘m____ is not t____ o_____ but t_____ t_______’, which demonstrates his belief that...

5. Jekyll first feels that it was ‘Hyde a_____ that was g_______’ for his crimes, which suggests that…

6. Jekyll is described as ‘smooth-f_________’, which suggests…

7. When Jekyll murders Sir Danvers Carew as Hyde he says he ‘tasted d________t’, which demonstrates…

8. When Jekyll wakes up as Hyde one morning without taking the drug, he feels ‘t_________’ because he has realised...

9. Jekyll describes himself as the ‘c____ of s______’ and the ‘c____ of s________’.

10. Whereas Stevenson describes Jekyll as being ‘s_____ faced’, he describes Hyde as being ‘d________’.

11. Everyone who meets Hyde notices that he is ‘d________’, which suggests...

12. Utterson links Hyde to the devil when he compares him to ‘s__________’.

13. Stevenson suggests that Hyde murders Sir Danvers Carew with ‘a_____like f_____’.

14. Lanyon describes Jekyll’s scientific experiments as ‘u_____ b________’, which demonstrates….

15. Lanyon writes in his letter that he was ‘s_______’ by the sight of the transformation.

16. Lanyon writes in his letter that the ‘d_____ t______’ stayed with him after he saw the transformation, which demonstrates...

17. Whereas before he witnessed the transformations, Lanyon had a ‘s______ of hair’, afterwards he is described as ‘b______’. This implies...

18. Stevenson describes Soho as ‘d______’ to indicate it is...

19. In Utterson’s eyes, Soho is like a ‘n___________’ because...

20. The back of Jekyll’s house has ‘no w______’ and the door has ‘no k__________’, which suggests...

21. Whereas the front of Jekyll’s house has ‘w_______ and comfort’, the back door is ‘b___________’. This implies...

Task 4C: quotation questions

1. Which a_____ does Stevenson compare Hyde to several times in the novel?

2. Which d_________ does Stevenson use several times to describe Hyde’s appearance?

3. Which s_________ does Stevenson compare Hyde to, linking him to the devil?

4. What l____ g______ i________ is Utterson described as in chapter one?

5. What g_________ of some old s______ is Utterson afraid of, meaning he does not give the forged letter to the police?

6. What Mr S_______ does Utterson describe himself as, indicating he is curious and determined?

7. What s________ f_________ describes Jekyll’s physical appearance?

8. What t________ c________ does Jekyll feel he is wearing when he is first Hyde?

9. What d________ does Jekyll think he can taste when he murders Sir Danvers Carew as Hyde?

10. What t_________ does Jekyll feel when he wakes up as Hyde one morning without taking the drug?

11. What chief of s______ and chief of s________ does Jekyll say he is?

12. What u_________ b__________ does Lanyon say about Jekyll’s science?

13. What d________ t_________ stays with Lanyon long after he witnessed the transformation?

14. What d___________ does Stevenson use to describe Soho as dingy, dark and run down?

15. What n__________ does Utterson think Soho is, suggesting he hates being there?

16. What b_________ does Stevenson use to describe the back door of Jekyll’s house?

17. What w_______ and k_________ does the back of Jekyll’s house NOT have?

18. What w________ and c_________ does Stevenson use to describe the front of Jekyll’s house?

Task 4D: Which quotation demonstrates…

1. ...that Utterson is a moral, sensible character?
2. ...that Utterson represses his desires?
3. ...that Utterson is determined to find Hyde?
4. ...that Utterson wants to protect Jekyll’s past sins from coming out in public?
5. ...that Hyde is physically repulsive?
6. ...that Hyde looks like the devil?
7. ...that Hyde behaves aggressively towards an innocent girl?
8. ...that Hyde murders Sir Danvers Carew like a savage animal?
9. ...that Jekyll thinks all people are both good and evil?
10. ...that Jekyll is a handsome man?
11. ...that Jekyll thinks he is almost invisible when he does bad things as Hyde?
12. ...that Jekyll enjoyed murdering Sir Danvers Carew?
13. ...that Jekyll feels guilty that he has committed some terrible sins?
14. ...that Jekyll feels frightened and confused because he has woken up as Hyde without taking the drug?
15. ...that Lanyon thinks Jekyll’s science is nonsense?
16. ...that Lanyon feels disgusted when he sees Hyde transform into Jekyll?
17. ...that Lanyon is frightened by the memory of witnessing the transformation?
18. ...that Lanyon goes from being very healthy to becoming very unwell?
19. ...that the front of Jekyll’s house is well looked after?
20. ...that the back of Jekyll’s house is run down and neglected?
21. ...that the back of Jekyll’s house is secretive?
22. ...that Soho is dingy, run down and poor?
23. ...that the children in Soho are poor and neglected?
24. ...that Utterson feels very uncomfortable in Soho?

5.LANGUAGE AND STRUCTURE

Task 5A: Match the quotation with what you would analyse in Stevenson’s language or structure.

Jekyll and Hyde

Quotation

Language or structural analysis

1

‘deformed’

A

Animal imagery helps us to imagine Hyde beating Sir Danvers Carew like a wild, savage animal.

2

‘satan’

B

Imagery of a handsome, well-made face contrasts with Hyde’s deformity.

3

‘Trampled calmly’

C

Imagery helps us to imagine that Hyde looks like the devil, with evil written all over his face.

4

‘ape-like fury’

D

Imagery helps us to imagine that Jekyll feels like he is invisible when he is Hyde, walking around London with an invisibility cloak on.

5

‘smooth-faced’

E

Word ‘tasted’ indicates how much Jekyll enjoyed murdering SDC. It’s not possible to taste a feeling, but these words suggest that he enjoyed the feeling so much that it was almost like a delicious taste in his mouth.

6

‘thick cloak’

F

Imagery helps us to imagine Hyde’s misshapen, ugly, repulsive face.

7

‘Tasted delight’

G

Repetition of ‘chief’ indicates how much Jekyll suffers by the end. He feels he is the person to have sinned the most and the person to have suffered the most.

8

‘Chief of sinners, chief of sufferers’

H

Contrast between the two words indicates that Hyde does not see anything wrong with trampling over a young girl, which makes his actions seem cold and strange.

1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5 = 6 = 7 = 8 =

Extension: choose a quotation and plan expanded sentences to practise writing about it.

Task 5B: Match the quotation with what you would analyse in Stevenson’s language or structure.

Utterson and Lanyon

Quotation

Language or structural analysis

1

‘Mr Seek’

A

Word ’sickened’ suggests that Lanyon feels the shock in his heart; it has shaken and frightened him.

2

‘Ghost of some old sin’

B

Contrast between imagery of a healthy head of hair and baldness after witnessing the transformation.

3

‘Soul sickened’

C

Word ‘ghost’ implies that Jekyll is being haunted by the sins of his past.

4

‘Shock of hair’ ‘bald’

D

Stevenson plays on the words ‘hide and seek’, suggesting that Utterson will be curious and determined to find Hyde.

1 = 2 = 3 = 4 =

Extension: choose a quotation and plan expanded sentences to practise writing about it.

Task 5C: Match the quotation with what you would analyse in Stevenson’s language or structure.

Setting

Quotation

Language or structural analysis

1

‘Wealth and comfort’

A

Imagery of paint peeling away from the neglected door frame.

2

‘blistered’

B

Symbolises (represents) the secrets that go on behind the door.

3

‘No window’ ‘no knocker’

C

Imagery of dark, dingy, neglected streets.

4

‘Dismal’

D

Imagery of poor children in dirty, ripped clothes.

5

‘Ragged children’

E

Symbolises the secrets that go on in the streets of London, hidden by the weather and darkness.

6

‘fog’

F

Imagery of a well-cared for, expensive house.

1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5 = 6 =

Extension: choose a quotation and plan expanded sentences to practise writing about it.

Task 5D: Copy and complete the sentences.

1. London is covered in thick dark f_______ and pollution in the air and houses, which makes it easier for people to….
2. The front of Jekyll’s house looks respectable, but the back is ….
3. The back of Jekyll’s house has ‘no knocker’ and ‘no window’, which suggests...
4. Hyde lives in dismal Soho, which is known for…
5. Utterson sees Soho as a ‘nightmare’ because…
6. Stevenson describes Soho as ‘dismal’ because…

Task 5E: Structure in the novel. Answer the questions.

1. Why does Stevenson delay revealing Jekyll’s transformation until Chapter 9?

2. Why does Stevenson delay the confession of Jekyll until Chapter 10?

3.Why does Stevenson conceal the reasons for the puzzles of the will, the cheque and the cane?

4. Why does Stevenson choose a lawyer and two doctors as the two narrators?

5.Why does Stevenson choose to open the novella with ‘The Story of the Door’?

6. Why is the cheque in ‘The Story of the Door’ mysterious?

7. Why is Jekyll’s will mysterious?

8. Why is the cane mysterious?

9. Why is the letter that Jekyll gives Hyde after the Carew murder mysterious?

10. Why is the moment when Utterson and Poole break down the door to the laboratory one of the most tense in the novel?

6. THEMES

Task 6A: Duality: good vs evil

1. Stevenson suggests that all people are capable of both...
2. Jekyll has both ...
3. He creates Hyde so that he can enjoy...
4. Jekyll’s house symbolises duality because..
5. Victorian people would have been afraid by duality because...
6. Religious Victorians wanted to believe...

Task 6B: Duality: science vs religion

1. Lanyon and Jekyll argue because…
2. Jekyll uses science to…
3. Jekyll eventually loses control of the transformations, which means…
4. Jekyll realises that his experiment has been dangerous because…
5. Jekyll commits suicide because he has lost control of…
6. Stevenson taps into Victorian fears of science by..
7. Lanyon’s fear of Jekyll’s experiments reflects the Victorian fears...
8. They were afraid of science because...

Task 6C: Duality: honesty vs secrets

1. Utterson is a very moral character because...
2. Utterson is a moral character because…
3. Utterson’s morality is tested when...
4. Lanyon is a moral character because he ...
5. Jekyll is outwardly very moral, but secretly…
6. Jekyll’s morality is tested..
7. Hyde is outwardly immoral because…
8. Stevenson suggests that humans find it very difficult to be moral all the time because…
9. Jekyll’s choice to ______________ is an example of how difficult it is for humans to be moral all the time.
10. Stevenson criticises Victorian hypocrisy by…
11. Stevenson exposes the hypocrisy of…
12. Stevenson exposes the dangers of repression by...

Task 6D: Answer these questions linking themes to Stevenson’s intentions.

1. Through Jekyll’s experiments, what does Stevenson suggest about what all people are capable of? (use duality)
2. Through Hyde’s appearance and actions, what does Stevenson suggest about all people?
3. Through Hyde’s animalistic qualities, how does Stevenson challenge the Victorian views about creation?
4. Through Lanyon’s reaction to Jekyll’s experiments, how does Stevenson explore the Victorian fear of science?
5. Through Jekyll’s lies and secrets, what does Stevenson suggest about many wealthy Victorian people?
6. Through the fact that Utterson’s morality is tested, what does Stevenson suggest?
7. What does Stevenson use Soho to suggest about wealthy people?
8. What does Stevenson use the fog and darkness to suggest about London?

7. VOCABULARY

Task 7A: Complete in full sentences:

1. Morality describes the difference between ...

2. Respectable gentlemen were expected to be moral because….

3. Stevenson challenges accepted views of morality through ..

4. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution suggests that…

5. We see Stevenson has been influenced by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution when…

6. Jekyll is concerned with his reputation because…

7.Jekyll’s reputation would have been damaged if people knew the truth about him because…

8. Stevenson uses the symbolism of ________ to suggest __________________________.

9. Stevenson’s imagery of hell implies that _______________________________________

10. Stevenson’s imagery of animals implies that…

11. Jekyll is very troubled because he knows he must keep a good reputation as a doctor, but…

12. As a result of being troubled, Jekyll…

13. Stevenson explores duality, such as the capability within everyone for...

14. Stevenson explores duality, such as the way many Victorian people pretended to be moral but...

15. Stevenson explores the theme of duality in human nature through …

16. Stevenson exposes the hypocrisy of..

17. Stevenson warns Victorians that repression can lead to…

Task 7B: Provide as many examples as you can of a character...

1. Being moral.
2. Having their morality tested.
3. Being immoral.
4. Being hypocritical.
5. Struggling to repress their desires.
6. Successfully repressing their desires.
7. Being troubled.
8. Worrying about their reputation.
9. Exploring duality.
10. Struggling with duality.

Task 7C: Provide an example of Stevenson.

1. Using imagery of hell.
2. Using animalistic imagery.
3. Using symbolism to represent duality.
4. Using symbolism to represent mystery and secrets.
5. Creating contrast.
6. Creating suspense.
7. Using an interesting narrative structure.
8. Changing narrative perspective.

Challenge: provide as many examples as you can of each and explain why Stevenson deploys these devices.

8. EXAM PRACTICE

8A: List three quotations you could use to answer each of these essay questions.

1. How does Stevenson present Mr Utterson as a good ​friend to Dr Jekyll?
2. How does Stevenson create sympathy for Dr Jekyll’s character?
3. How does Stevenson present Mr Hyde as a frightening outsider?
4. How does Stevenson present Dr Lanyon’s horror at ​Dr Jekyll’s behaviour?​
5. How does Stevenson use the characters of Lanyon and Utterson to present ideas about Victorian morality?
6. How does Stevenson use the setting to create fear and mystery?
7. How does Stevenson present the idea of duality?
8. How does Stevenson present mystery and secrets?

8B: Write three topic sentences for each of these essay questions.

1. How does Stevenson present Mr Utterson as a good ​friend to Dr Jekyll?
2. How does Stevenson create sympathy for Dr Jekyll’s character?
3. How does Stevenson present Mr Hyde as a frightening outsider?
4. How does Stevenson present Dr Lanyon’s horror at ​Dr Jekyll’s behaviour?​
5. How does Stevenson use the characters of Lanyon and Utterson to present ideas about Victorian morality?
6. How does Stevenson use the setting to create fear and mystery?
7. How does Stevenson present the idea of duality?

Exemplar Essay : Hyde as a frightening outsider

Jekyll and Hyde is about the duality in society and inside us all. Through the character of Hyde, Stevenson explores Victorian fears that we may have animalistic instincts within us and that all humans are capable of evil acts.

Stevenson presents Hyde as an outsider in the extract through his descriptions of the way Hyde looks.

In line 13-14 of the extract, Stevenson makes clear Utterson is struck by Hyde’s appearance by writing that he is ‘pale and dwarfish’. Stevenson’s use of the word ‘dwarfish’ helps the reader to imagine that Hyde is unusually small in size, while the word ‘pale’ indicates that he looks unhealthy and malnourished. Additionally, Stevenson writes that Hyde has ‘an impression of deformity’. Stevenson’s use of imagery implies that Hyde’s physical features are not in proportion and that his face is disfigured in some way. Stevenson’s descriptions demonstrate that Utterson is uneasy in the presence of Hyde and has observed that Hyde does not look like a typical respectable Victorian gentleman. Interestingly, each character that encounters Hyde notes the ‘deformity’ in his physical appearance but feels unable to put their finger quite on what the deformity is. This adds to the sense of mystery and intrigue around Hyde’s character, making Hyde seem even more frightening to Stevenson’s Victorian reader. Stevenson could have chosen to describe Hyde in these terms to suggest that his immorality is reflected in his deformed physical appearance.

Stevenson also presents Hyde as an outsider in the extract through the way he behaves towards Utterson. Utterson notes that Hyde moves with ‘extraordinary quickness’, which indicates that there is something different and almost frightening about his movement. Similarly, he notes that Hyde ‘snarled aloud into a savage laugh’. Stevenson’s use of the words ‘snarled’ and ‘savage’ create animalistic imagery, suggesting that Hyde behaves more like an animal than he does a human. Through these descriptions, Stevenson taps into Victorian fears of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, which, controversially contradicted the story of creation and proposed that humans had evolved from apes. Additionally, Utterson is taken aback by the way Hyde speaks, stating that ‘it is not fitting language’. It is clear, therefore, that Hyde does not meet behavioural expectations of a wealthy Victorian gentleman, making him an outsider in respectable Victorian society. Linked with his animalistic descriptions, it seems Hyde has not yet evolved to the stage of knowing how to behave respectably. In presenting Hyde in this way, Stevenson implies that humans have savage, animalistic instincts within us and could at any moment revert to these instincts.

In the novel as a whole, Stevenson presents Hyde as a frightening outsider through his trampling of the young girl. In Chapter one, the reader’s first introduction to Hyde is through a frightening story, relayed by Enfield, in which Hyde is said to have ‘trampled calmly’ over a young girl in the middle of the night. Stevenson’s use of contrast in the words ‘trampled calmly’ leaves the reader wondering what is more frightening: the act of violently walking over a young girl and injuring her, or the composure with which Hyde commits such a violent act. It is evident through his actions that he is an outsider in Victorian society, unaware of social boundaries and unphased when he causes injury to others. Stevenson’s choice to introduce Hyde in this way creates an aura of fear around Hyde’s identity, leading us to feel nervous and surprised when we learn in the following chapter that Jekyll has left all of his worldly possessions to this violent and terrifying man.

Stevenson further emphasises Hyde’s terrifying personality through the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. When describing the murder, Stevenson writes that Hyde kills Sir Danvers Carew with ‘ape-like fury’. This animalistic imagery conjures vivid images of Hyde wildly and savagely murdering an innocent man. Stevenson deliberately describes Sir Danvers Carew as ‘innocent’ with ‘pretty manners’ in order to emphasise the brutality of this unprovoked murder. Not only would this unprovoked violence have made Hyde seem extremely frightening to a Victorian reader, but also the animalistic descriptions would again have tapped into their fears of savage instincts lurking within us all.

In conclusion, it is clear that Hyde’s actions and physical appearance make him an extremely frightening character. However, what is perhaps most frightening of all is that he is Jekyll’s alter-ego - a part of Jekyll, which Jekyll was able to extract during his scientific experiments. What feels more frightening than Hyde himself is Stevenson’s suggestion that we all may have this evil lurking within us.

5. An Inspector Calls, JB Priestley, 1945

THE BIG IDEA - WHY DOES THIS TEXT EXIST?

(you can use this to create your thesis statements and build your essay arguments)

An Inspector Calls is about how people should be more responsible.

1. Priestley demonstrates that many wealthy people were irresponsible; they did not think enough about other people, which led to great inequality in society.
2. Priestley demonstrates that many wealthy people had double standards; they were happy to make judgements about others but unhappy to accept responsibility for their own mistakes.
3. Priestley uses the play to challenge traditional age roles and suggest that younger people will take more responsibility for others and can build a fairer society.

PLOT

1. While the Birlings are celebrating Sheila and Gerald’s engagement, an Inspector calls about a suicide.

2. On the inspector’s questioning, Arthur admits firing Eva from his factory but denies

3. On the inspector’s questioning, Sheila admits having Eva fired from her job and feels guilty.

4. On the inspector’s questioning, Gerald admits having an affair with Eva and feels guilty.

5. Under questioning, Sybil denies responsibility for refusing to help Eva and blames the man who got her pregnant.

6. Under questioning, Eric admits to having got Eva pregnant and blames his mother for killing both Eva and their child.

7. Gerald, Sybil and Arthur think Goole was a hoax; Eric and Sheila criticise them for not learning the right lesson.

8. A final phone call says that a suicide has happened and that a police inspector is on the way.

CHARACTERS

Arthur Birling is selfish and stubborn

‘Pleased’

1. AB & Birlings are described as ‘pleased with himself’ in opening stage directions
2. Priestley makes clear Birlings as smug and happy.
3. AB is pleased because his daughter is engaged to a rival businessman and he is in line for a knighthood.

‘A man has to mind his own business, look after himself and his own’

1. AB boasts proudly of his selfish, Capitalist business model to Eric and Gerald
2. ‘Himself and his own’ - AB protects his own interests and that of his family. Believes he has no responsibility for the wider community or his workers.
3. Priestley deliberately has the inspector enter during this speech in order to demonstrate his view that these selfish attitudes need to be interrupted and replaced with more responsibility.

‘I refused of course’

1. AB proudly admits that he refused a pay rise to Eva Smith and his workers.
2. ‘Of course’ = AB feels he was right to do what he did. He thinks it is obvious.

‘I can’t accept any responsibility’

1. In spite of knowing that he may have contributed to Eva Smith’s death, AB refuses to accept it.
2. AB is an older generation character who does not try to learn from his mistakes.
3. Priestley criticises wealthy people who made judgements about working class people but did not admit their own mistakes.

‘thousands’

1. AB tries to pay the inspector in order to protect his reputation and knighthood.
2. This reveals that AB has a lot of money and could have afforded a pay rise.
3. AB will only use his money for himself. Priestley criticises the selfish attitudes of wealthy men like AB.

Stretch: Mr Birling is happy to accept a knighthood from the community while he dismisses his responsibility to the community, which reveals his hypocrisy.

Sybil Birling is prejudiced and unsympathetic

‘Pleased’

1. SB is described, along with the rest of the Birlings, as ‘pleased’ with herself in the opening stage directions
2. Clear that SB is happy and smug at start of play.
3. SB is pleased because her daughter is engaged to a wealthy businessman. Life is going well for her.

‘girls of that class’

1. SB is prejudiced towards the working classes.
2. SB is prejudiced because ES lied using the name ‘Mrs Birling’, which SB thought was rude.
3. She assumes that, because ES is working class, single and pregnant, she is a bad person.
4. Priestley criticises wealthy people like SB for running charities to make themselves look good, rather than to actually help. He puts forward a need for government help, such as the NHS, rather than private charities run by prejudiced rich people.

‘I was perfectly justified’

1. Sybil feels no sympathy for ES.
2. She feels she was right to turn ES away and is stubborn with this view.
3. Priestley criticises wealthy people like SB for running charities that don’t help the neediest people.

‘look for the father’

1. SB orders the inspector to find the father of ES’s child, blaming him for ES’s situation
2. SB does this not knowing that Eric is the father.
3. SB has double standards. She is happy to judge when she thinks the father is a working class man, and is unwilling to accept that her own son behaved in this way.
4. Dramatic irony: audience has realises before SB that Eric is the father.

Sheila Birling is selfish but ashamed.

‘pleased’

1. Like the other Birlings, Sheila is described as ‘pleased’ by Priestley in the opening stage directions.
2. Sheila’s life has been easy; she is wealthy and only needs to worry about the man she marries.

‘mummy’ ‘daddy’

1. Sheila seems child-like in the opening of the play.
2. She has been sheltered from the real world, which explains why she selfishly had Eva Smith fired from Milwards, simply because she was jealous, not realising the consequences of this action.
3. Contrast between Sheila (sheltered life) and Eva Smith (terrible hardship)
4. These words also indicate that Sheila looks up to her parents. This changes as the play continues.

‘I started it’

1. Sheila immediately takes responsibility for her actions.
2. Priestley contrasts Sheila’s immediate responsibility with her parents’ complete lack of responsibility
3. Priestley uses SHB as an example of the younger generation in society, who may be able to learn from the consequences of inequality and create a fairer society.

‘I guess we’re all nice people now’

1. Sheila is sarcastic with her parents after they find out the inspector isn’t real.
2. She challenges her parents because they take no responsibility for their actions.
3. Contrast between SHB, who recognises that she must still feel guilty, and her parents, who are willing to forget the whole thing once they know their reputation is not at risk.

Eric Birling is selfish but ashamed.

‘Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?’

1. Argues that ES was right to go on strike and ask for higher wages
2. Challenges his father’s values
3. Priestley demonstrates that the younger generation characters are more open to new ideas.

‘I did what I did’

1. Feels ashamed of his behaviour.
2. Accepts full responsibility.
3. Priestley contrasts EB with his parents’ complete lack of responsibility.

‘You’re beginning to pretend that nothing really happened’

1. Eric clashes with his parents and is angry with them for refusing to accept responsibility.
2. Priestley creates contrast between EB, who recognises that he must still feel guilty, and his parents, who are willing to forget the whole thing once they know their reputation is not at risk.

Gerald Birling is ashamed and irresponsible.

‘We can keep it from him’

1. GC tries to hide his relationship with Daisy Renton/Eva Smith from the inspector and Sheila
2. Priestley hints at the fact that it was normal for middle-class men like Gerald to have affairs.

‘I was sorry for her’

1. Gerald was caring and responsible when he first met Daisy Renton.
2. He tried to use his wealth and power for good by giving Daisy Renton money and a place to live.
3. He became irresponsible when he allowed it to develop into an affair.

‘upset’

1. Gerald feels ashamed of his actions.
2. Gerald is affected by the inspector’s questioning and feels upset by Daisy Renton’s death.

‘Everything’s alright now Sheila. What about this ring?’

1. Gerald is happy to forget everything that happened after he learns that the inspector wasn’t real.
2. Gerald is irresponsible at this point in the play.
3. Priestley uses Gerald as an example of someone who has not learned from their mistakes.

Inspector Goole is powerful and moral:*

[cutting in, massively]

1. Priestley often uses stage directions to suggest that the inspector interrupts the Birlings.
2. He is not intimidated by the Birlings’ class.
3. He cuts across them because he is determined to get to the truth and expose their immorality.

‘misery and agony’

1. Priestley has the inspector use shocking, emotive language.
2. He tries to make the Birlings feel guilty and take responsibility for their part in Eva Smith’s death

‘We are responsible for each other.’

1. He tries to teach the family the play’s key message about responsibility. (Stretch: socialism)
2. Priestley contrasts the inspector’s use of the word ‘we’ with Birling’s use of words ‘him’ and ‘himself’.

Stretch:

‘If men will not learn their lesson, they will be taught it in fire, blood and anguish’

1. The inspector warns the Birlings that there will be terrible consequences if people do not start taking more responsibility for others.
2. Priestley creates dramatic irony. The audience are aware that England endured two world wars in which ‘blood’ and ‘anguish’ were rife.

Eva Smith is voiceless and powerless

Eva Smith is dead, so does not feature at any point in the play.

Priestley deliberately makes Eva Smith voiceless to represent how little power working class people had.

SETTING

‘heavily comfortable house’ / ‘champagne’

1. Priestley makes clear in the opening stage directions that he wants the house to look expensive.
2. Priestley wants the Birlings’ wealth to be clear to the audience members.
3. Priestley’s choice to only set the play in the Birlings’ house creates constant contrast between the comfortable lives of the Birlings and the difficult lives of the working classes.

lighting changes from pink to blue when the inspector arrives

1. Priestley makes clear that the warm, happy, comfortable atmosphere is being interrupted.

CONTEXT

1. In 1912, there were obvious divisions between classes: upper, middle and lower.
2. In 1912, if people fell ill or unemployed, there was no benefits system to help; they had to turn to private charities, such as Sybil’s.
3. In 1912, women were seen as the ‘weaker sex’. Women were not allowed to vote until 1918.
4. In 1945, after two world wars, class and gender divisions started to change. At war, men of different classes fought side-by-side and, at home, women kept the country running by working in jobs they hadn’t been able to do before.
5. In 1945, the socialist Labour party came into power and established the welfare state - a system in which the government looks after the poorest in society.
6. First performed in 1945, An Inspector Calls would have reminded the audience of the way Britain was in 1912 in order to push for more change. Socialists (including Priestley) saw that there was still a lot of work to do.

THEMES

Responsibility: Through the characters’ actions, Priestley demonstrates that many wealthy people were irresponsible; they did not think enough about other people, which led to great inequality in society.

Class: Priestley highlights the inequality in 1912 society. He also demonstrates that many upper class people had double standards: they behaved badly themselves, but continued to look down on the working classes.

Age: Priestley uses the play to challenge traditional age roles and suggest that younger people will take more responsibility for others and can build a fairer society.

Women: Priestley explores inequality between men and women through the way Eva Smith and Sheila Birling are treated.

STRUCTURE

1. Opening: Priestley opens with an engagement party in the Birling household. This celebratory mood highlights how arrogant, wealthy and self-satisfied the Birlings are: ‘pleased with themselves’.
2. Sequence:

• The Inspector enters during Arthur Birling’s monologue in which he boasts of his capitalist values.
• Eric enters at the very moment that Sybil Birling orders the Inspector to ‘look for the father’
• Gerald leaves while Sybil and Eric are being questioned. This allows him to discover that Inspector Goole is not real.
• Gerald suggests the Inspector’s arrival was a hoax and Arthur Birling calls to test that, allowing Priestley to reveal the older generation’s irresponsible reactions.

1. Tension: When Sheila discovers Gerald’s affair / when Sybil realises that Eric is a drinker and got Eva Smith pregnant / when Gerald suggests the inspector wasn’t real / when Arthur Birling and Sybil Birling are delighted that the inspector isn’t real
2. Ending: Priestley ends with Arthur Birling receiving a call from the infirmary reporting the suicide of a young girl and stating that an Inspector will arrive soon to ask questions. Priestley ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the audience wondering how the characters will respond the second time an Inspector calls. Will they take more responsibility?

VOCABULARY

1. ashamed - feeling guilty or embarrassed about something you have done:
2. capitalism - a political belief in individual wealth through hard work, accepting that there will always be people in society who are better off than others
3. hypocrisy - pretending to have qualities, beliefs, or feelings that they do not really have
4. moral - understands the difference between right and wrong
5. responsibility - either: someone/something that it is your duty to take care of Or: accepting you played a role in something that didn’t turn out well
6. responsible - either: knowing that it is your duty to take care of someone/something

OR: accepting you played a role in something that didn’t turn out well

1. Irresponsible - either: not feeling it is your duty to take care of someone/something

OR: not accepting you played a role in something that didn’t turn out well

1. prejudice(d) - an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, class, etc
2. socialism - a political belief in greater equality and fairness for all, looking after poorer people in society
3. unsympathetic -not showing any care for someone else’s suffering

Terminology

1. stage directions - the notes in the text of a play which say what the actors should do or how the scenery should be arranged.
2. dramatic irony - when the audience knows something the characters don’t
3. cliffhanger - a part of a play that is very exciting or frightening because you are left for a long time not knowing what will happen next.
4. tension - feelings of anticipation, discomfort in excitement in a play

6. An Inspector Calls Exercises

1.PLOT

Task 1A: Plot Sequence

Order A-H in order that they occur in the plot, labelling them 1-8.

A. On the inspector’s questioning, Arthur admits firing Eva from his factory but denies responsibility.

B. While the Birlings are celebrating Sheila and Gerald’s engagement, an Inspector calls about a suicide.

C. On the inspector’s questioning, Sheila admits having Eva fired from her job and feels guilty.

D. On the inspector’s questioning, Gerald admits having an affair with Eva and feels guilty.

E. Under questioning, Eric admits to having got Eva pregnant and blames his mother for killing both Eva and their child.

F. Under questioning, Sybil denies responsibility for refusing to help Eva and blames the man who got her pregnant.

G. A final phone call says that a suicide has happened and that a police inspector is on the way.

H. Gerald, Sybil and Arthur think Goole was a hoax; Eric and Sheila criticise them for not learning the right lesson.

Task 1B: put these things that happen to Eva Smith in the correct order.

1. Eva Smith meets Gerald Croft at the Palace Theatre Bar.
2. Eva Smith is fired from Milwards after Sheila requests it.
3. Eva Smith meets Eric Birling at the Palace Theatre Bar.
4. Eva Smith is fired from Arthur Birling’s factory.
5. Eva Smith is refused help from Sybil Birling’s charity.

2. CHARACTER

Task 2A: Answer these questions to recap character choices.

1. Which characters are ‘pleased’ with themselves at the start of the play?
2. Which character fires Eva Smith because she asked for more money?
3. Which character had Eva Smith fired from her job because she was jealous of her?
4. Which character took advantage of Eva Smith’s need for money and a place to live?
5. Which character forced himself upon Eva Smith and got her pregnant?
6. Which character refused help to Eva Smith because she was unsympathetic and judgemental?
7. Which characters accept responsibility for their actions?
8. Which characters don’t accept responsibility for their actions?
9. Which characters are engaged at the start of the play?
10. Which character has an affair?
11. Which character tries to go back to the engagement at the end of the play, as if nothing has happened?
12. Which character thinks he is in line for a knighthood?
13. Which character runs a charity?
14. Which characters try to lie to the Inspector and pretend they didn’t know Eva Smith?
15. Which character finds out the Inspector isn’t real?
16. Which character tries to pay off the Inspector to keep him quiet?
17. Which characters are the older characters?
18. Which characters are the younger characters?
19. Which characters don’t learn anything?
20. Which characters do learn something?

Task 2B: Character Thoughts and Feelings

1. Why are all characters ‘pleased’ with themselves at the start of the play?
2. Why does Arthur Birling only look after ‘himself and his own’?
3. Why does Arthur Birling ‘refuse’ to pay his workers more money?
4. Why does Arthur Birling feel he ‘can’t accept any responsibility’?
5. Why does Arthur Birling offer the Inspector ‘thousands’?
6. Why does Sybil Birling refer to the working classes as ‘that class’?
7. Why does Sybil Birling believe she was ‘perfectly justified’ in not helping Eva Smith?
8. Why does Sybil Birling say ‘go look for the father of the child’?
9. Why does Sheila Birling have Eva Smith fired?
10. Why does Sheila Birling refer to her parents as ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’ in the opening?
11. Why does Sheila Birling go on to say that she ‘started it’?
12. Why does Sheila Birling accuse her parents of thinking they’re ‘nice people’ after the Inspector leaves?
13. Why does Eric Birling ask the question, ‘why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?’
14. Why does Eric Birling say ‘I did what I did’?
15. Why does Eric Birling say to Sybil ‘you killed them both’?
16. Why does Gerald Croft try to keep his affair from the Inspector?
17. Why does Gerald Croft say that he felt ‘sorry for her’?
18. Why does Gerald Croft say ‘everything’s alright now Sheila. What about this ring’?
19. Why does the Inspector often cut in ‘massively’ over the Birlings?
20. Why does the Inspector expose the Birlings’ actions?
21. Why does the Inspector say ‘we are all responsible for each other’?
22. Why does the inspector say that Eva Smith died in ‘misery and agony’?

Task 2C: Characteristics and Choices or Actions (use the words underneath to help you)

1. Arthur Birling is presented as _____________ and _____________ because she ...

2. Sybil Birling is presented as _____________ and _____________ because she ...

3. Sheila is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he ...

4. Eric is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he …

5. Gerald is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he …

6. The Inspector is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he …

Possible Options: arrogant? selfish? unkind? guilty? ashamed? powerful? responsible? moral? irresponsible?

Task 2D: Character Comparison (you choose which words go in here)

1. Whereas Arthur Birling is _________________, Eric is ______________________.

2. Whereas Sybil Birling is _______________________, Sheila is __________________________.

3. Whereas the Gerald Croft is ___________________, Eric is ______________________________________.

4. Whereas the Inspector is _________________________, Sybil Birling is __________________________.

Options: arrogant? selfish? unkind? guilty? ashamed? powerful? responsible? moral? irresponsible?

Task 2E: Character Development

1. How does Arthur develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play progresses,

c) Later in the play,

2. How does Sybil develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play progresses,

c) Later in the play,

3. How does Sheila develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play progresses,

c) Later in the play,

4. How does Eric develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play progresses,

c) Later in the play,

5. How does the Inspector develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play progresses,

c) Later in the play,

6. How does Gerald develop as a character throughout the play?

a) Early in the play,

b) As the play progresses,

c) Later in the play,

3. CONTEXT

Task 3A: Answer the questions about Priestley’s context.

1. When did Priestley write the play?
2. When did Priestley set the play?
3. What inequality existed in 1912?
4. What were the three classes?
5. Which class had the most difficult experience?
6. Which class did Eva Smith belong to?
7. Which class do the Birlings and Gerald Croft belong to?
8. Before government help like the NHS, where could people turn to for help when they needed it?
9. Did Priestley believe in a big divide between upper and lower classes or equality between classes?
10. What did Priestley hope his audience would realise about the upper classes by watching his play?
11. What did Priestley hope his audience would realise about the working classes by watching his play?
12. What did Priestley want the upper classes to do for the working classes?
13. Which generation did Priestley believe would be more likely to change things? Older or younger?
14. Which characters does Priestley use to suggest that the younger generation will be more willing to change and improve society?
15. Which characters does Priestley use to suggest that the older generation will be more stuck in their ways and unwilling to change?
16. In the play, what does class inequality lead Eva Smith towards?
17. What does Priestley highlight as being the reason why the Birlings’ lives are much simpler than Eva Smith’s life?
18. How would Priestley like to see inequality change?
19. What does Priestley believe we should do for those less fortunate than us?

Task 3B: How did Priestley want his 1945 audience to respond to each of these character’s actions?

1. Arthur Birling’s selfish approach to his business.
2. Arthur Birling’s decision to refuse Eva Smith a pay rise and fire her.
3. Arthur Birling’s decision to offer the inspector thousands in order to bribe him to keep quiet.
4. Sheila Birling’s decision to have Eva Smith fired due to jealousy.
5. Sheila Birling accepting full responsibility for her actions.
6. Sheila Birling criticising her parents for not learning anything.
7. Sybil Birling’s prejudiced attitude towards the working classes.
8. Sybil Birling’s decision to refuse help to Eva Smith.
9. Sybil Birling’s decision to feel no guilt for her actions.
10. Eric Birling’s treatment of Eva Smith.
11. Eric Birling accepting responsibility for his actions.
12. Eric Birling criticising his parents for not learning anything.
13. Gerald Croft’s decision to start an affair with Daisy Renton.
14. Gerald Croft’s happiness when he finds out the inspector isn’t real.
15. Gerald Croft’s decision to re-propose to Sheila.
16. The way the inspector interrupts the Birlings.
17. The way the inspector speaks very honestly and emotively about Eva Smith’s death.

Task 3D: List actions taken by any characters that challenge a 1945 audience’s views on...

1. Inequality.
2. Capitalism.
3. Prejudice.
4. Selfishness.
5. Women.

Task 3E: Answer these questions with at least one example from the novella.

How does Priestley challenge...

1. ...attitudes to inequality?
2. ...attitudes to capitalism?
3. ...attitudes to women?
4. ...attitudes to private charities?
5. ...attitudes to honesty and secrets among wealthy people?
6. ...hypocrisy among wealthy people?

Challenge: list as many examples as you can think of.

Task 3F: Answer these questions with at least one example from the play.

Challenge: list as many examples as you can think of.

1. What does Priestley suggest that capitalism leads to?
2. What does Priestley suggest that inequality leads to?
3. How does Priestley criticise private charities and propose the need for a welfare state?
4. How does Priestley criticise hypocrisy among the wealthy classes in 1912?

4. QUOTATIONS

4A: Write the quotations out in full, plus who says it to whom. If you’re stuck, check the content on p. xxx

Inspector Goole

1. ‘cutting in, m____________’
2. ‘Mis______ and a_______’
3. ‘We are r__________ for each o______r’
4. ‘If m______ will not l_______ their lesson, they will be taught it in f______, b_____ and a________’

All Birlings

1. ‘p_________ with themselves’

Sheila Birling

1. ‘Mummy and d_______’ ‘m_______ and father’.
2. ‘I s________ it’

Eric Birling

1. ‘Why shouldn’t they try for h_______ w______?’
2. ‘I guess we’re all n_____ p_______ now’
3. ‘I d____ what I d___’
4. ‘You’re beginning to p________ that n_________ really h__________’

Arthur Birling

1. ‘Unsinkable. Absolutely unsinkable’
2. ‘A man has to mind his own b________, look after h_______ and his o____’.
3. ‘I r________ of c________’.
4. ‘I can’t a_______ any re___________’.
5. ‘I’d give t____________’

Sybil Birling

1. ‘girls of that c________’.
2. ‘I was p________ j________’
3. ‘Go and look for the f_________ of the c________. It’s his r_______.’

Gerald Croft

1. ‘We can k_______ it from him’
2. ‘I was s________ for her’.
3. ‘Everything’s a________...What about this r______?’

Setting:

1. ‘Heavily c__________ house’
2. ‘c___________’

Task 4B: Character quotations. Complete the sentences, adding your own explanation.

1. All of the Birlings are described by Priestley as ‘p________’ with themselves in the opening stage directions, which suggests...
2. Arthur Birling states that his priority when running his business is to ‘look after h____ and h______ o_____’, which suggests...
3. Arthur Birling states, ‘I r______ ___________’ when asked by the Inspector about firing Eva Smith, which demonstrates...
4. Arthur Birling offers the Inspector ‘t______’ in order to ...
5. Sheila Birling refers to her parents as ‘m________’ and ‘d_____’ early in the play but ‘m_______’ and ‘f_____’ later, which suggests...
6. Sheila Birling states ‘I s_______ i___’, which conveys...
7. Sheila says to her parents and Gerald ‘I guess we’re all n______ p___________ now’, which indicates...
8. Gerald Croft thinks he can ‘k______ i____ f_____ h______’ when the Inspector first starts asking questions, which demonstrates...
9. Gerald states that he was ‘s________ for her’ when he met Eva Smith (Daisy Renton) at the bar, which suggests...
10. Gerald asks Sheila ‘w______ about t_____ r_______?’ but Sheila refuses to re-accept it, which demonstrates...
11. Sybil Birling calls the working classes ‘g_____ of t____ c_______’, which emphasises that..
12. Sybil Birling says she was ‘p____________ j__________’, which conveys...
13. Sybil Birling orders the Inspector to ‘l_____ for the f_______’ of Eva Smith’s child at the very moment Eric re-enters the stage, which demonstrates...
14. Eric states ‘I d____ what I d____’ when confessing to the way he treated E_____ S______, which shows…
15. Eric challenges his father’s approach to business when he asks ‘why shouldn’t____________________?’, which demonstrates...
16. Eric accuses his parents of not learning anything when he says ‘you’re b_________ to pretend that n_______ r_______ h___________’, which indicates...
17. Priestley often uses stage directions such as ‘c______ in m_______’ to emphasise the Inspector’s forceful presence, which conveys..
18. The Inspector tries to make the Birlings feel guilty when he describes Eva Smith in ‘m______ and ag______’ when she died, which suggests...
19. The inspector tries to make the Birlings take responsibility for other people when he says ‘we are all r_________ for each o_________, which shows…
20. The inspector appears knowing when he states, ‘if men...

Task 4D: Which quotation demonstrates…

1. ...that the inspector is happy to talk over the Birlings in order to get his point across?
2. ...that the inspector wants to make the Birlings feel very guilty and sad about Eva Smith’s death?
3. ...that the inspector wants to teach the Birlings about taking responsibility for others?
4. ...that all of the Birlings are happy and smug at the start of the play?
5. ...that Sheila Birling is childish and sheltered at the start of the play?
6. ...that Sheila Birling matures and sees her parents differently by the end of the play?
7. ...that Sheila Birling takes full responsibility for her actions?
8. ...that Sheila Birling accuses her parents of not learning (using a very sarcastic tone)?
9. …that Eric Birling challenges his father for having a very selfish approach to his business?
10. ...that Eric Birling feels guilty and ashamed but accepts responsibility for what he did?
11. ...that Eric Birling accuses his parents of not learning anything?
12. ...that Arthur Birling runs his business in a very selfish way?
13. ...that Arthur Birling selfishly denied his workers a pay rise?
14. ...that Arthur Birling takes no responsibility for his actions?
15. ...that Arthur Birling tries to bribe the inspector to keep quiet about the scandal?
16. ...that Sybil Birling looks down on (is prejudiced against) the working classes?
17. …that Sybil Birling sees she did nothing wrong?
18. ...that Sybil Birling is happy to blame the father of the child when she thinks he is a working class man?
19. ...that Gerald Croft thinks he can lie to the inspector about his affair?
20. ...that Gerald Croft felt sorry for Eva Smith when he first met her as Daisy Renton at the bar?
21. ...that Gerald Croft thinks everything can go back to normal once they find out the inspector isn’t real?
22. ...that the Birlings’ house is wealthy and comfortable?
23. ...that the Birlings can afford expensive drinks?

Task 4E: Provide quotations that you would use to explore how Priestley contrasts…

1. Arthur and Eric.
2. Arthur and Sheila.
3. Sybil and Eric.
4. Sybil and Sheila.
5. Eric and Gerald.
6. Sheila and Gerald.
7. Eric and Sheila.
8. The inspector and Arthur.
9. The inspector and Sybil.

5. PRIESTLEY’S METHODS

Task 5A: Match the quotation with what you could comment on in Priestley’s methods.

Quotation / reference

Priestley’s methods

1

‘cutting in massively’

A

Dramatic irony. The audience realises before Sybil Birling that Eric is the father. It makes her look very foolish.

2

‘Misery and agony’

B

This indicates a change of mood when the inspector arrives. The warm, happy, celebratory mood is interrupted. Priestley indicates that there must be a chance as the characters are forced to face up to their actions.

3

Lighting changes from pink to blue

C

Stage directions indicate how the characters should speak. In this instance, it indicates that all the Birlings should look smug and happy in the opening scene so that this happiness can be interrupted when the inspector arrives.

4

‘pleased with themselves’

D

Stage directions can also indicate how the scene should be set up. In this instance, Priesltey wants it to be clear to the audience that the Birlings are wealthy and comfortable, which contrasts the way Eva Smith lived.

5

‘Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.

E

Stage directions indicate how the characters should speak. In this instance, it indicates that the inspector should be a large presence and should interrupt the Birlings.

6

‘Unsinkable. Absolutely unsinkable’

F

Emotive language used by Priestley in the inspector’s speeches to try and make the Birlings feel guilty (and the audience feel sorry for poor people treated in this way)

7

‘Heavily comfortable house’

‘Champagne’

G

Dramatic irony portrays Arthur Birling as foolish and arrogant.

1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5 = 6 = 7 =

Task 5B: Copy and complete the sentences to comment on how Priestley creates contrast between characters. This is one of his important methods.

Try and fill in the gaps with your own words. There is not just one right answer.

1. Whereas Priestley presents Sheila Birling as guilty, he presents Sybil Birling as...in order to suggest...
2. Whereas Priestley presents Sheila Birling as responsible, he presents Arthur Birling as… in order to…
3. Whereas Priestley presents Sheila Birling as a character who learns, he presents Gerald Croft as a character who… in order to…
4. Whereas Priestley presents Eric Birling as a guilty and ashamed, he demonstrates that Arthur Birling as… in order to…
5. Whereas Priesltey presents Sybil Birling as unsympathetic, hhe presents Eric as… in order to...
6. Whereas Priestley presents the inspector as moral, he presents Arthur Birling as...in order to…
7. Whereas Priestley presents the inspector as moral, he presents Sybil Birling as...in order to…
8. Whereas Priestley presents Eva Smith and the working classes as voiceless, he...

Task 5C:Priestley is very clever in the way he uses timing. This is one of his important methods. Match the columns to explore how he uses timing. You write your answers at the bottom of the table.

1

At the very moment Arthur Birling boasts about how well he runs his business, proudly speaking of selfishly looking after his own family and not worrying about his workers...

A

...Arthur Birling receives a call saying that a young girl has died as a result of suicide and that a police inspector will be coming to ask questions.

i

It demonstrates that Priestley wants to interrupt and stop selfish men like Arthur Birling.

2

At the very moment Sybil Birling is ordering the inspector to ‘go and look for the father of the child’...

B

...the inspector arrives.

ii

It creates a cliffhanger, leaving the audience with lots of unanswered questions: Will the Birlings take more responsibility next time? Who was the mysterious inspector who was able to predict the future?

3

Moments before the play ends...

C

..Eric Birling enters the stage.

iii

It creates suspense as the audience wonders what Sybil Birling will say to Eric the moment she realises that he is actually the father of Eva Smith’s child.

1 = _____ and ______ 2 = ________ and _______ 3 = _________ and _________

Task 5D: Structural choices. Answer these questions. Why does Priestley...

1. ... open the play with a celebratory mood?
2. ...choose for the inspector to enter during Arthur Birling’s capitalist speech about his business?
3. ...choose for Eric to reenter the stage at the very moment Sybil Birling tells the inspector to ‘go and look for the

father of the child’?

1. ...choose for Gerald to discover that the inspector’s arrival is a hoax?
2. ...choose for Arthur Birling to call the infirmary and discover that no woman has died?
3. ...choose for Arthur Birling to be the one to receive the call from the infirmary at the end of the play?
4. ...end on a cliffhanger?

Task 5E: Tension. How does Priestley create tension in each of these moments?

Challenge: explain why he creates tension in these moments.

1. When Sheila discovers Gerald’s affair.
2. When Sybil realises that Eric is a drinker and got Eva Smith pregnant.
3. When Gerald suggests the inspector isn’t real
4. When Arthur, Sybil and Gerald are relieved that the inspector isn’t real.
5. When Arthur receives a call from the infirmary.

6. THEMES

Task 6A: The Theme of Inequality

Eva Smith is at the bottom of society because she is working class and a woman.

The Birlings, who represent power and fortune, judge, rather than help, the working classes.

The Inspector exposes the Birling family and shows how they made Eva Smith a victim of their social superiority.

Eric and Sheila, the younger characters, develop a conscience through the Inspector’s questioning.

What is Priestley suggesting about inequality?

1. Priestley suggests that inequality is based on _____________________________.
2. Priestley suggests that class hypocrisy can _____________________________________.
3. Priestley suggests that inequality is ________________________________________________.

Clues: how is inequality linked to gender and social status?

Task 6B: The Theme of Responsibility

Priestley uses the Inspector to promote social responsibility and uses the characters of Arthur and Sybil to show how the higher classes focus on improving their own lives and status rather than helping others. Priestley also wants to show the lack of personal responsibility taken by Arthur and Sybil because they refuse to accept that they did anything wrong..

What is Priestley suggesting about responsibility?

1. Through the characters of Arthur and Sybil Birling, _____________________________.
2. Through the characters of Eric and Sheila Birling, ____________________________________.
3. Through the character of Gerald, ________________________________-.
4. Priestley wants to promote ____________________________-.

Task 6C: The Theme of Age

Priestley challenges traditional age roles because, traditionally, young people are expected to respect and obey their elders. Eric and Sheila begin to challenge their parents’ values. By the end of the play, Eric and Sheila offer future hope. They represent the idea that society can change because they Inspector’s words have had an effect on them and they have developed a conscience.

What is Priestley suggesting about age?

1. Priestley challenges traditional age roles through ________________________________________________.

2. Priestley suggests that the younger generation will_______________________________________________.

7. VOCABULARY

Task 7A: Vocabulary. Match the vocabulary word with the definition.

Word

Definition

1

arrogant

A

feeling guilty or embarrassed about something you have done

2

ashamed

B

an unfair situation in which some people have more than others

3

inequality

C

either: someone/something that it is your duty to take care of Or: accepting you played a role in something that didn’t turn out well

4

moral

D

sshowing an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, class, etc

5

irresponsible

E

behaving in a way that is good and right

6

responsibility

F

behaving as if you are better or know more than other people

7

prejudiced

G

the notes in the text of a play which say what the actors should do or how the scenery should be arranged.

8

unsympathetic

H

either: not feeling it is your duty to take care of someone/something

OR: not accepting you played a role in something that didn’t turn out well

9

stage direction

I

when the audience knows something the characters don’t

10

dramatic irony

J

a part of a play that is very exciting or frightening because you are left for a long time not knowing what will happen next.

11

cliffhanger

K

when the audience knows something the characters don’t

Task 7B: Copy and complete the sentences.

1. Priestley presents Sybil Birling as prejudiced when she says ‘g________ of that c_______’, suggesting that she looks down on the w_________ c_________________.
2. Gerald Croft seems ashamed because...
3. Eric Birling is very ashamed because…
4. Sheila Birling is very ashamed because...
5. Arthur Birling arrogantly believes that he is far better than…
6. Arthur Birling seems arrogant because, even though other people think he behaved badly, he…
7. Arthur Birling seems irresponsible when he refuses…
8. Arthur Birling seems irresponsible when he won’t take any…
9. Sybil Birling seems irresponsible when she refuses to help…
10. Sybil Birling seems irresponsible when she refuses to take any..
11. Gerald Croft seems irresponsible when he allows an affair..
12. Gerald Croft seems irresponsible when he is happy to go back to celebrating after…
13. Sheila Birling shows she takes responsibility when…
14. Eric Birling shows he takes responsibility when...
15. The inspector is a very moral character, who wants…
16. The inspector is a very moral character, who tries to..
17. The inspector wants the Birlings to be more moral because…
18. The inspector wants the Birlings to be more responsible because…
19. Sybil Birling is unsympathetic when Eva …
20. Priestley makes clear there is inequality between…
21. Priestley criticises inequality between…
22. Inequality results in Eva Smith…
23. The Birlings are not affected by inequality because..
24. Eva Smith is affected by inequality because…
25. Priestley uses stage directions to indicate that the inspector should…
26. Priestley uses the opening stage directions to indicate that the Birlings are…
27. Priesltey uses dramatic irony when the audience learn before Sybil Birling does that…
28. Priestley creates a cliffhanger at the end of each…
29. Priestley creates a cliffhanger at the end of the play when…
30. Priestley creates tension when…

Task 7C: Provide as many examples as you can of characters being…

1. Arrogant
2. Ashamed
3. Responsible for others
4. Irresponsible, not caring for others
5. Taking responsibility
6. Taking no responsibility
7. Unsympathetic
8. Prejudiced
9. Hypocritical
10. Moral
11. Capitalist

8. ESSAY PRACTICE

Task 8A: Write down three quotations you could use for each essay question.

1. Sheila learns the most in An Inspector Calls’. Explore how far you agree with this statement.
2. How and why does Eric change in An Inspector Calls?
3. In what ways does Priestley make the relationship between Sheila Birling and Gerald Croft such an important part of the play?
4. How does Priestley explore the difference in attitudes between older and younger generations in An Inspector Calls?
5. At the start of the play, Arthur Birling tells Eric and Gerald: ‘a man has to mind his own business and look after himself’. How does Priestley present ideas about self interest in the play?
6. How does Priestley use the character of Sybil to explore ideas about morality in An Inspector Calls?
7. How does Priestley use the character of the Inspector to suggest ways that society could be improved?

Task 8B: Write three topic sentences for each essay question.

1. Sheila learns the most in An Inspector Calls’. Explore how far you agree with this statement.
2. How and why does Eric change in An Inspector Calls?
3. In what ways does Priestley make the relationship between Sheila Birling and Gerald Croft such an important part of the play?
4. How does Priestley explore the difference in attitudes between older and younger generations in An Inspector Calls?
5. At the start of the play, Arthur Birling tells Eric and Gerald: ‘a man has to mind his own business and look after himself’. How does Priestley present ideas about self interest in the play?
6. How does Priestley use the character of Sybil to explore ideas about morality in An Inspector Calls?
7. How does Priestley use the character of the Inspector to suggest ways that society could be improved?

Task 8C: Rewrite these sentences so that it’s clear you know Priestley has created these characters. Each time, you need to add Priestley’s name into each sentence. The first has been done for you as an example.

1. Sheila Birling states ‘I started it’.

Priestley has Sheila Birling state: ‘I started it’.

1. Eric Birling describes the circumstances in which he met Eva Smith as ‘hellish’.
2. Sybil Birling describes working class girls as ‘girls of that class’.
3. Sybil Birling seems prejudiced when she says ‘girls of that class’.
4. It is clear that Arthur Birling is a very selfish character.
5. Arthur Birling refuses a pay rise, which is selfish.
6. The inspector enters at the very moment Arthur Birling is boasting about how well he runs his business.
7. The inspector enters at this moment in order to interrupt Arthur Birling’s selfish, capitalist ways.

8D: Example essay question.

How does Priestley use the character of the Inspector to suggest that society needed to change?

An Inspector Calls is about how people should be more responsible. Through the inspector’s questioning of the Birlings and Gerald Croft, Priestley demonstrates that the irresponsibility and hypocrisy of many wealthy people in 1912 led to great inequality in society. He uses the inspector to challenge the audience’s views on the causes of inequality, to provide hope that the younger generation may push for change, and invite them to take more social responsibility in order to build a better society for everyone.

Through the inspector’s questioning of Arthur Birling, Priestley explores the lack of responsibility among many wealthy people in 1912. When the inspector questions Arthur Birling about Eva Smith’s request for a payrise, Priestley has Arthur Birling state ‘I refused, of course’. In other words, Arthur Birling is proud to admit that he denied his workers a small pay rise. Priestley’s use of the words ‘of course’ indicate an arrogance in Arthur Birling’s response; it is evident that not only is not used to be questioned about his business methods, but also that he sees he did nothing wrong. In spite of the inspector’s attempts to force Arthur Birling to recognise that his actions contributed to Eva Smith’s death, Priestley has Arthur Birling state ‘I can’t accept any responsibility’. These words make clear to the audience that Arthur Birling feels no sympathy for the working classes and is unwilling to take any blame for his actions. Priestley uses Arthur Birling to criticise the lack of responsibility among Capitalist businessmen, both in terms of their responsibility to their workers and their ability to learn from their mistakes.

Priestley uses the inspector’s questioning of Sybil Birling to expose the hypocrisy of many wealthy people in 1912. When questioned, Sybil Birling admits to being prejudiced against Eva Smith, describing the working classes as ‘girls of that class’. Although Sybil Birling is cut off by the inspector before she can finish this sentence, the implication of these words is that Sybil believes working class girls often get themselves pregnant outside of marriage and will deliberately deceive others in order to obtain money. In spite of knowing the responsibility entrusted to her as a prominent member of a charity, it is clear that she allows her prejudice to influence her decisions about who to help. Priestley uses Sybil Birling’s attitude to convey the hypocrisy of private charities in 1912. He believed that many charities were run by people who used them to further their reputation and status, while denying help when it was needed most. Priestley provides a strong case for government welfare, which would ensure that the poorest in society could access the help they needed.

Through the inspector’s questioning of Sheila and Eric, Priestley challenges traditional age roles and offers hope that the younger people in society will build a better and fairer future. Unlike Arthur and Sybil Birling, who stubbornly refuse to accept any responsibility for their actions, Priestley makes clear Eric and Sheila are both ashamed. The inspector’s arrival forces Eric and Sheila into realising the consequences of their selfish actions. Priestley has Sheila state ‘I started it’, which indicates the level of responsibility she is willing to take for her role in Eva Smith’s death. In the final act of the play, both Eric and Sheila challenge their parents, with Sheila sarcastically claiming ‘I guess we’re all nice people now’ and Eric demanding ‘you’re beginning to pretend that nothing really happened’. Through Eric and Sheila’s changing attitudes, Priestley subverts traditional age roles; it would normally be the parents trying to teach their children important lessons. The fact that Sheila and Eric have learned these lessons, while their parents have learned nothing, is an indication of Preistley’s attitude towards society. It is clear that Priestley placed a lot of hope in the younger generation. He hoped that young people, like Sheila and Eric, would recognise their responsibility in building a fairer society and that this would lead to greater equality.

Priestley presents the inspector as a powerful and moral character in order to convey his views about how society needed to change. Within the stage directions, Priestley repeatedly indicates that the inspector should ‘cut in, massively’ over the Birlings. This decision indicates that Priestley wishes to break down traditional class barriers and use the inspector to demonstrate his view that people with money should not view themselves, or be treated, as superior. Additionally, this approach to questioning demonstrates the inspector’s determination to get to the truth; he often interrupts when the characters begin to diverge, as he is relentless in his quest to teach them responsibility. Priestley contrasts the inspector’s morality with Arthur and Sybil’s lack of responsibility by having the inspector state ‘we are all responsible for each other’. Priestley’s use of the word ‘we’ within the inspector’s words contrasts Arthur Birling’s use of the words ‘him’ and ‘himself’, demonstrating the difference between Birling’s selfishness and the inspector’s generosity. The inspector acts as Priestley’s mouthpiece, offering the Birlings and Gerald ideas about a new society, in which everyone takes responsibility for each other in an effort to reduce inequality. Priestley hoped that the inspector’s words and actions would make his audience realise the weight of their own responsibility to others.

In conclusion, Priestley uses the inspector to make a powerful case for change. The inspector’s arrival interrupts the status quo in the Birling household and forces the characters to face some uncomfortable truths. Priestley perhaps hoped that this would have forced his audience to do the same. Through Eric and Sheila’s willingness to learn, Priestley taps into the changing political climate in England in 1945, at a time when the next election was due and the Labour party were gaining support. Their actions could provoke his 1945 audience into taking action themselves; if they, like Eric and Sheila, can recognise past mistakes and vow to improve, perhaps there is a chance for society to change for the better.

7. Poetry Anthology Content: Power and Conflict

CONTEXT

London

Blake was critical of the church and monarchy because they failed to help children in London who were forced to work in factories during the Industrial Revolution.

Ozymandias

Shelley was critical of the British king at the time he was writing the poem (King George) because King George became mad and cruel. The poem is about an ancient ruler, Ramsess II, a cruel leader, who led many battles.

My Last Duchess

Browning was critical of how much power men had in Victorian society; women became the property of men when they got married. Marriage was unequal in Victorian society.

Tissue

Dharker is a Muslim born in Pakistan who grew up in Scotland seeing wars between the Middle East and the West and wanted kindness to replace division.

Extract from the Prelude

Wordsworth was a Romantic poet who responded to the rise of machines and factories in the Industrial Revolution by writing about the power and beauty of the natural world.

Storm on the Island

Heaney was from rural Ireland himself and so would have experienced storms like this.

Checking Out Me History

John Agard is a black poet who was born in the Caribbean and, when he moved to England as an adult, noticed that schools weren’t teaching black history.

The Emigree

Immigration was rising in the 20th century and so Rumens explores the difficulties faced by those forced to leave their home country due to war / wants us to empathise with those who emigrate.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

a brave but disastrous British charge against the Russian enemy in the Crimean War. Tennyson (poet laureate for Queen Victoria) urges British readers to celebrate and glorify the courage of the soldiers.

Bayonet Charge

Hughes spoke to his father, who fought in WW1, and wants to explore the thoughts and feelings of one ordinary soldier as he charges at the enemy and begins to question his role in the war.

Exposure

Owen fought in the trenches in WW1 and knew how miserable and pointless the war is because the soldiers are just waiting to die without hope.

Poppies

Poppies symbolise the sacrifice of British soldiers who lost their lives in wars past and present. Weir evokes sympathy for anyone who has had to let go and accept the loss of their family members to wars.

Kamikaze

Kamikaze pilots in Japan in WW2 were expected to fly their planes into enemy ships. It was seen as a great honour to sacrifice your life to defend your country and you were not expected to return.

Remains

Armitage filmed TV interviews for a documentary on soldiers’ experience of war and trauma and used the words from one particular interview in his poem, evoking sympathy for soldiers who are traumatised by war.

War Photographer

Duffy’s friend was a war photographer, so she explores how difficult this job is, and how people far away from wars do not understand how bad they are so forget about them quickly.

COMPARISONS & QUOTATIONS

Both poems explore...

My Last Duchess

/ Ozymandias

1 rulers looking down on people

‘I choose never to stoop’ ‘stooping’ -

repetition emphasises how much he looks down on his wife, like many men in Victorian era

‘sneer of cold command’

imagery of facial expression on the statue, suggesting O sneered at/looked down on his people

2 arrogance

‘my gift of a nine hundred year old name’ -

Duke thought his wife should have seen marriage to him as a special present. Men and women were not equal in the 16th century or Victorian era.

‘king of kings’ -

O chose these words to go on the base of his statue. Arrogant, claiming he was the best king.

3 power - but Ozymandias has lost power.

‘gave commands then all smiles stopped’ -

He had his wife murdered by someone else. Misused his power. Too jealous of her.

‘colossal wreck’

Imagery of a destroyed statue in the sand. ‘Colossal’ = huge power he once had. ‘Wreck’ = his power has been destroyed. Human power doesn’t last.

Storm

/ Prelude

1 nature’s power

‘Glittering...sparkling’ -

Beautiful imagery of the moonlight reflecting in the water. Wordsworth admires nature.

.

‘spits like a tame cat turned savage’ -

Imagery that helps the reader to imagine the sea spitting against the cliffs like a wild, savage animal.

2 nature’s threat

‘upread its head..strode after me’ -

The mountain is personified as a creature with a head, rising up above the frightened speaker.=

‘Exploding...bombarded...pummels’ -

Battle-like imagery conveys that the islanders feel frightened and attacked by the storm.

3 an emotional journey

‘A trouble to my dreams’ -

Ending the poem with these lines shows that Wordsworth can’t forget what he felt and saw.

‘Strange. It is a huge nothing that we fear.’ -

Ending the poem with this line demonstrates that there was nothing to be afraid of.

London

/ Tissue

1 divisions

‘Chartered’

Repetition emphasises that many parts of the city, including the river, were owned by the rich.

‘maps’ -

An example of the way that paper can be used to divide and control people.

2. misuse of power

blackening church’

Blake holds churches responsible for the funerals of the poorest people.

‘credit card might fly our lives like paper kites’ -

In this image, we are the kite, being tied down by money, which controls our lives.

3 a cry for change

‘let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths’ -

‘Daylight’ = happiness and kindness breaking through power, building a better life.

‘mind forged manacles’ -

Imagery of the poorest people being trapped and unable to break free.

Checking

/ Emigree

1 pride

‘Mary Seacole’ ‘Florence Nightingale’

Mary Seacole was a famous black nurse during the Crimean War, who is not taught in British history lessons. Florence Nightingale was a famous white British nurse, who is taught.

Caribbean dialect

Agard uses Caribbean dialect throughout the poem to show how proud he is of where he is from.

‘sunlight clear’

Repeated image of sunlight reflects the warm, happy memories speaker has of her home country.

2 being outsiders

‘dem tell me’ -

Repetition emphasises Agard’s anger at schools for only telling him about White British history.

‘they circle me, they accuse me of being dark in their free city’ -

‘they’ vs ‘me’ = the speaker’s city vs her. She feels isolated in her new city.

.

3 distance.

‘frontiers rise between us’

Frontier = border that separates countries. Borders have kept the speaker away from her country.

‘Bandage up me eye’

Imagery that helps us to imagine he is wearing a blindfold. He feels his eyes have been closed and that he has been kept distant from his own history.

Charge

/ Bayonet

1 danger

‘cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them’’ -

Repetition of ‘cannon’ emphasises danger because bullets are coming at them from all sides.

‘bullets smacking the belly out of the air’ -

The air is personified as a person with a belly being winded by the force of the bullets as they smack against it.

2 duty

‘theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die’ -

Repetition of ‘theirs not to’ emphasises that they do NOT question their officers. They simply charge on, doing as they are told.

‘cold clockwork’ -

Image of a giant clock - a large machine - which represents the war. War is like a machine because there are no feelings and people die.

3 honour

‘When can their glory fade?’ -

Tennyson is asking this rhetorical question in order to command his readers to never forget the glory and bravery of the six hundred soldiers.

‘King, honour, human dignity, etcetera, dropped like luxuries’ -

Hughes lists things that soldiers thought they would be fighting for, e.g. the king of your country, or your honourable reputation. These are luxuries when you must fight to survive.

Poppies

/ Kamikaze

1 loss

‘released a songbird from its cage’ -

Imagery helps the reader to imagine that the mother is having to open up a cage (their home) and release a vulnerable bird (her son) into the world.

‘we too learned to be silent’ -

The children learn from their mother and neighbours that they must ignore their father, which means they lose their father and he loses them.

.

2 sadness

‘hoping to hear your playground voice’ -

The mother remembers her son as a child and feels sad that she will no longer see him.

‘must have wondered which had been the better way to die’ -

The children feel regret and sadness because they treated their father as if he were dead.

3 struggle

‘I was brave’ -

Mother struggles to pretend she feels fine when her son leaves and has to force herself to appear brave.

‘father’s boat’ -

The pilot looks down at the water and sees fishing boats that remind him of his ‘father’s boat’. He chooses to return to his family.

Remains

/ War

Photographer

1 memories

‘running children in a nightmare heat’ -

Creates a powerful, graphic image of innocent children caught up in war zone.

‘probably armed, possibly not’ -

Repetition emphasises that this is an important memory for the soldier as, if the looter wasn’t armed, he had no reason to kill him.

2 guilt

‘half-formed ghost’ -

‘Ghost’ suggests he is haunted by the memory of the dead man and cannot forget the cries of the wife as he took the photograph.

‘His bloody life in my bloody hands’

Imagery of the soldier staring down at his hands and seeing them covered with the looter’s blood.

3 struggle

‘drink and the drugs won’t flush him out’ -

He tries to ‘flush’ out the memories he feels with drink and drugs but he can’t. It’s a struggle.

.

‘reader’s eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers

The readers easily forget what they’ve seen and go back to their normal lives, unaffected by war.

Exposure

/ Charge

1 danger

‘Merciless iced east winds that knive us’ -

Owen personifies the wind as an unkind, cruel person, who is deliberately attacking the soldiers.

‘cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them’ -

Repetition of ‘cannon’ emphasises danger because the bullets are coming at them from all sides.

2 duty

‘But nothing happens’ -

The soldiers dutifully wait for instructions, enduring terrible conditions in the trenches while there is no action and no commands.

‘theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die’ -

Repetition of ‘theirs not to’ emphasises that they do NOT question their officers. They simply charge on, doing as they are told.

3 honour

‘When can their glory fade?’ -

Tennyson is asking this rhetorical question in order to command his readers to never forget the glory and bravery of the six hundred soldiers.

‘What are we doing here?’-

Rhetorical question reflecting Owen’s views that there is no point to the war.

London

/Ozymandias

1 rulers’ cruelty

‘sneer of cold command’ - Imagery of facial expression on the statue, suggesting O sneered at/looked down on his people.

mind forged manacles’ -

Imagery of the poorest people being trapped and unable to break free.

2 misuse of power

‘king of kings’ -

O chose these words to go on the base of his statue. Arrogant, claiming he was the best king.

‘blackening church’

Blake holds churches responsible for the funerals of the poorest people.

3 nature and mankind

‘chartered’

Repetition emphasises that many parts of the city, including the river, were owned by the rich.

.

‘colossal wreck’

Imagery of a destroyed statue in the sand. ‘Colossal’ = huge power he once had. ‘Wreck’ = his power has been destroyed. Human power doesn’t last. .

Exposure

/ Storm

1 nature’s power

‘Merciless iced east winds that knive us’ -

Owen personifies the wind as an unkind, cruel person, who is deliberately attacking the soldiers.

‘spits like a tame cat turned savage’ -

Imagery that helps the reader to imagine the sea spitting against the cliffs like a wild, savage animal.

2 nature’s threat

‘all their eyes are ice’

Imagery of dead bodies in the final lines of the poem. Nature has caused the soldiers to die.

‘Exploding...bombarded...pummels’ -

Battle-like imagery conveys that the islanders feel frightened and attacked by the storm.

3 fear

But nothing happens’ -

The soldiers dutifully wait for instructions, feeling frightened as the winter cold gets worse, struggling to see why they are there.

‘Strange. It is a huge nothing that we fear.’ -

Ending the poem with this line demonstrates that there was nothing to be afraid of.

STRUCTURE

Tight structure

tight control

Free structure

breaking free / lack of control

Mixed structure

mixed feelings or tension

My Last Duchess

Tight rhyming couplets reflect Duke’s tight control of his wife. Dramatic monologue without reply reflects his arrogance and power.

The Emigree

Free verse reflects the freedom the speaker feels when she thinks about living in her home country.

Checking Out Me History

Mix of tight nursery rhymes (to show how meaningless school is) and free verse in italics shows the freedom Agard seeks.

Ozymandias

Tight rhymes and sonnet form reflect the tight control of Ozymandias.

Poppies

Free verse and lack of a regular stanza structure reflect the lack of control the mother has over her son’s fate.

Kamikaze

Mix of tight regular stanza structure to show the tight control of Japanese society over families, with the free verse showing the pilot tried to break free of society’s propaganda.

London

Tight ABAB rhyme scheme reflects tight control of the people.

Tissue

Free verse and Irregular stanza structure reflect the freedom that Dharker hopes we can achieve in our society.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Tight rhyme and repetition reflect the tight control officers maintain over the soldiers as they are commanded to charge, unquestioningly, to their deaths. Ballad form, rhyme and repetition also make the poem very memorable.

Extract from the Prelude

Freer structure reflects the freedom nature gives to Wordsworth.

Bayonet Charge

Mix of enjambment and dashes create stop-start movement, reflecting the terror and confusion of the soldier as he charges towards the enemy.

Exposure

Tight, regular five-line stanzas reflect the tight control held over the soldiers, who are unable to leave and must wait in the trenches day after day after day.

Storm on the Island

Freer structure shows the storm is out of control; there is no escape from it. The enjambment reflects the movement of the storm.

War Photographer

Tight stanza structure (and rhymes) reflect the control the photographer tries to impose on his work in order to manage the memories and guilt.

Remains

Mixed structure, starting with regular stanza lengths to reflect the emotional control the soldier tries to keep - ending with the breakdown into irregular stanzas to show the soldier’s inability to control the memories, which keep flooding his mind.

Poetry Anthology Exercises

Try to answer these questions from memory, or use the Poetry Anthology Content from page 49-54

Section 1: What are the poems about?

Task 1: Which poem from the anthology…

1...is about the brutal conditions in the trenches in WW1?

2...is about the experiences of a young child forced to emigrate from her war torn country?

3...is about a mother who struggles with difficult emotions when her son goes off to war?

4...is about the silencing of black culture and history in UK schools?

5...is about a brave but disastrous charge in which six hundred soldiers lost their lives?

6...is about a statue of an ancient leader, whose crumbling statue represents his loss of power?

7...is about a jealous Duke who has his wife killed in order to maintain his power?

8...is about a suicide pilot who fails his mission and is shamed by his family?

9...is about the suffering of the poorest people in society, and the failure of the church to help?

10...is about the need for more kindness and less conflict/division between people?

11...is about a journalist who takes photos in conflict zones and struggles with guilt and memories?

12...is about one soldier’s charge towards the enemy in WWI, and his feelings of confusion about what the war is for?

13...is about the difficulty of returning from a war zone and struggling to forget the memories of killing someone?

14...is about a powerful storm and its battle with a small community?

15...is about one person’s realisation of how powerful nature can be?

Task 2: use the words from the box below to copy and complete these sentences.

1. E_________ is about the brutal conditions in the t_________ in World War _________.
2. The C_________ of the L_______ B________ is about a brave but d__________ charge in which s______ hundred soldiers lost their lives.
3. The E_______is about the experiences of a y______ c______ forced to e________ from her w____ t_____country.
4. P_______ is about a mother who s_________ with difficult e_________ when her son goes off to w____..
5. C________ Out Me __________ is about the silencing of b______ culture and history in ______ schools.
6. O___________ is about an a__________ leader, whose crumbling s_______ represents his loss of p_______.
7. My Last D_______ is about a jealous D________ who has his wife k_________ in order to maintain his p_______.
8. K__________e is about a suicide p________ who fails his mission and is shamed by his f_________.
9. L________is about the suffering of the p________ people in s________, and the failure of the ch_______ to help.
10. T_________ is about the need for more k_________ and less conflict and d________ between people.
11. War P__________ is about a journalist who takes photos in w_____ zones and struggles with g_______ and m______.
12. B________ t C_________ is about one soldier’s c________ against the enemy in WWI, and his feelings of c___________ about what the war is for.
13. Remains is about the d_________ of returning from a war zone and struggling to forget the m__________of k________ someone.
14. S________ on the Island is about a p__________l storm and its battle with a small c___________.
15. E__________from the Prelude is about one person’s r_________ about how powerful n_________ can be.

Photographe Exposure One Light memories Poppies war confusion power Tissue

killing emotions statue power Checking suffers killed church

London Brigade child emigrate ancient family kindness poorest

trenches disastrous UK memories nature division war torn powerful

Charge guilt Bayonet Charge Storm realisation difficulty six Duke

Emigree History Extract community Ozymandias Kamikaze young war

charge Duchess pilot black society

Task 3: write a sentence explaining what each poem from the anthology is about.

Section 2: What is the context for each poem?

Task 4: Which poet…

1. ...was critical of the church and the monarchy because they failed to help children in London who were forced to work in factories during the Industrial Revolution?
2. ...was critical of the British king at the time he was writing his poem because King George became mad and cruel?
3. ...was critical of how much power men had in Victorian society, when women became the property of men after getting married?
4. ...is a Muslim born in Pakistan who grew up in Scotland seeing wars between the Middle East and the West and wanted kindness to replace division?
5. ...was a Romantic poet who responded to the rise of machines and factories in the Industrial Revolution by writing about the power and beauty of the natural world?
6. ... was from rural Ireland himself and would have experienced violent storms?
7. ... is a black poet who was born in the Caribbean and, when he moved to England as an adult, noticed that schools weren’t teaching black history?
8. ...explores the difficulties faced by those forced to leave their home country due to war / wants us to empathise with those who emigrate?
9. ...was poet laureate for Queen Victoria and urges his readers to celebrate and glorify the courage of the soldiers?
10. ...spoke to his father, who fought in WW1, and wants to explore the thoughts and feelings of one ordinary soldier as he charges at the enemy and begins to question his role in the war?
11. ...evokes sympathy for mothers who have to let go and accept the loss of their sons to wars?
12. ...explores the experiences of pilots in WW2 Japan, who were expected to fly their planes into enemy ships and sacrifice their lives for their country?
13. ... filmed TV interviews for a documentary on soldiers’ experience of war and trauma and used the words from one particular interview in his poem, evoking sympathy for soldiers who are traumatised by war?
14. ...has a friend who was a war photographer, so she explores how difficult this job is, and how people far away from wars do not understand how bad they are so forget about them quickly?

Blake Armitage Tennyson Owen Garland Weir Wordsworth Heaney Agard Rumens Duffy

Dharker Shelley Browning Hughes

Task 5: Match the poem with its context.

Poem

Context

Tissue

Blake was critical of the church and monarchy because they failed to help children in London who were forced to work in factories during the Industrial Revolution.

My Last Duchess

Shelley was critical of the British king at the time he was writing the poem (King George) because King George became mad and cruel.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Browning was critical of how much power men had in Victorian society; women became the property of men when they got married. Marriage was unequal in Victorian society.

Poppies

Dharker is a Muslim born in Pakistan who grew up in Scotland seeing wars between the Middle East and the West and wanted kindness to replace division.

Exposure

Wordsworth was a Romantic poet who responded to the rise of machines and factories in the Industrial Revolution by writing about the power and beauty of the natural world.

Storm on the Island

Duffy’s friend was a journalist, so she explores how difficult this job is, and how people far away from wars do not understand how bad they are so forget about them quickly.

Kamikaze

Armitage filmed TV interviews for a documentary on soldiers’ experience of war and trauma and used the words from one particular interview in his poem, evoking sympathy for soldiers who are traumatised by war.

Remains

Kamikaze pilots in Japan in WW2 were expected to fly their planes into enemy ships. It was seen as a great honour to sacrifice your life to defend your country and you were not expected to return.

Ozymandias

Heaney was from rural Ireland himself and so would have experienced storms like this.

War Photographer

John Agard is a black poet who was born in the Caribbean and, when he moved to England as an adult, noticed that schools weren’t teaching black history.

Extract from the Prelude

Immigration was rising in the 20th century and so Rumens explores the difficulties faced by those forced to leave their home country due to war / wants us to empathise with those who emigrate.

Checking Out Me History

Tells the story of a brave but disastrous British charge against the Russian enemy in the Crimean War of 1854. Tennyson (poet laureate for Queen Victoria) urges British readers to celebrate and glorify the courage of the soldiers.

The Emigree

Hughes spoke to his father, who fought in WW1, and wants to explore the thoughts and feelings of one ordinary soldier as he charges at the enemy and begins to question his role in the war.

Bayonet Charge

Poppies symbolise the sacrifice of British soldiers who lost their lives in wars past and present. Weir evokes sympathy for mothers who have to let go and accept the loss of their sons to wars.

London

Owen fought in the trenches in WW1 and knew how miserable and pointless the war is because the soldiers are just waiting to die without hope.

Task 6: copy and complete these sentences to explain the context of each poem.

1. Remains: Armitage interviewed …

2. Kamikaze: World War Two Japanese pilots went on …

3. Checking Out Me History: Agard grew up in the …

4. Prelude: The Industrial Revolution brought…

5. Bayonet Charge: Hughes’ father fought in …

6. London: Blake was critical of …

7. Exposure: Owen fought in …

8. Ozymandias: Shelley was critical of …

9. Poppies: Poppies symbolise…

10. War Photographer: Duffy’s friend…

11. The Emigree: Immigration was …

12. Charge of the Light Brigade: Tennyson was …

13. Storm on the Island: In Ireland…

14. My Last Duchess: Marriage was …

15. Tissue: Dharker was Muslim and grew up in Scotland so …

Section 3: pairings in summary

Task 8: complete this table to recap the pairings

Poem

Poet

Paired Poem

Poet

1. Remains

Ar

W P

Du

2. Kamikaze

Ga

Po

We

3. Checking Out Me History

Ag

The E

Ru

4. Prelude

Wo

S o t I

He

5. Bayonet Charge

Hu

C o t L B

Te

6. London

Bl

O

T

Sh

Bl

7. Exposure

Ow

C o t L B

S o t I

Te

He

8. Ozymandias

Sh

M L D

L

Br

Bl

Section 4: Pairings in detail

Pairing 1: My Last Duchess and Ozymandias.

Ozymandias

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Shelley’s main message?

Task 3: What is Shelley suggesting about power?

Shelley was critical of people in positions of power. He was extremely critical of the British monarchy and British Empire because of their arrogance. Ozymandias is another name for one of Ancient Egypt’s most famous rulers: Rameses II. He was a warrior king who led many battles. Shelley shows a ruined statue of the once-powerful ruler.

1. Shelley explores how power can … .
2. Shelley shows the arrogance of … .
3. Shelley reveals that nature and time … .
4. Shelley contrasts … .
5. Shelley considers how humans … .

Task 4: How does Shelley use language, structure and form to convey his message?

Shelley uses imagery in the words ‘... … ’ . Shelley’s use of the word ‘sneer’ conveys… .

The words on Ozymandias’ pedestal show that he described himself as ‘... ’. The repetition shows … .

Shelley creates an image of a crumbled statue surrounded by nothing but sand in the line ‘... ...’. Shelley creates contrast between the words ‘colossal’ and ‘wreck’ in order to convey...

Shelley’s use of the structured ... form reflects … .

Task 5: Write about each quotation with poetic devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1. ‘sneer of cold command’- Shelley uses alliteration of the harsh ‘c’ sound in the description of the statue’s ‘sneer of cold command’ to emphasise the harsh cruelty of the once-powerful Ancient Egyptian ruler.

2. ‘King of Kings’ -

3. ‘colossal Wreck’-

My Last Duchess

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Browning’s main message?

Task 3: What is Browning suggesting about power?

The poem is written in the Victorian era (19th century) when attitudes towards women were changing: people were starting to ask questions about whether women should be the property of their husbands and whether men should have all the power in relationships. The poem is based on a real-life 16th century Italian Duke (Duke of Ferrara) who remarried after his first wife died suspiciously, perhaps poisoned. In the 16th century, men were given dowries (money from the woman’s family) when they married so it could be that the Duke wanted to make money from his marriages.

1. Browning explores how power can … .
2. Browning shows the paranoia of … .
3. Browning bases his poem on … .
4. Browning wants to show … .
5. Browning looks at the relationship between … .

Task 4: How does Browning use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1. Browning reveals the Duke’s obsession with status and power with the words ‘... ...’

2. Browning repeats the word ‘...’ to reveal ....

3. Browning conveys the Duke’s arrogance when he describes his name as… His use of the word ‘gift’ suggests...

4. Browning reveals the murder when he writes ‘ … .’ This shows the Duke to be … .

5. The … form without reply shows the Duke’s character to be … .

6. The regular rhyming couplets reflect … .

Task 5: Write about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1. ‘I choose never to stoop’ and ‘stooping’ - Browning repeats the word ‘stoop’ to show that the speaker feels he would be lowering himself if he did not deal with his wife so harshly. This shows he sees women as inferior to him.

2. ‘My gift of a nine-hundred years old name’ -

3. ‘I gave commands; then all smiles stopped’ -

Comparisons between Ozymandias and My Last Duchess

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2: Main ideas

Both poems ....

Whereas Shelley … , Browning … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poems expose … .
2. Whereas Shelley shows Ozymandias’ fall from … , Browning shows the Duke … .
3. Both Shelley and Browning choose a highly structured form that reflects … .

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence

1. Shelley and Browning
2. show effects of
3. explores the conflict between man and
4. displays paranoia when
5. attitudes were changing in

Task 5: Using the topic sentence ideas above, plan your comparison essay by writing short bullet points/notes for each paragraph.

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

Pairing 2: Storm on the Island and The Prelude (Extract)

Storm on the Island

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Heaney’s main message?

Task 3: What is Heaney suggesting about the effects of nature?

The poem was written in 1966 and set in a remote island community, like many parts of rural Northern Island - Heaney himself was from a rural part of Northern Ireland and his father was a farmer. He often writes about the conflict between nature and humans, as well as the tension between two types of Christians in Northern Ireland: Catholics and Protestants. He was a Catholic and there was lots of conflict between them.

1. Heaney explores how nature affects … .
2. Heaney shows the relationship between … .
3. Heaney looks at our humanity’s fear of … .
4. Heaney wants us to consider … .
5. Heaney shows the contrast between … .

Task 4: How does Heaney use language, structure and form to convey his message?

Heaney’s simile comparing the sea’s violent spray to a ‘tame cat turned savage’, shows that … .

Heaney’s violent imagery with the words ‘spit’ and ‘savage’ describe the attacking storm demonstrates that … .

The contrasting descriptions of the storm as both ‘tame’ and ‘savage’ reveal that … .

Heaney’s violent imagery with the words ‘exploding’, ‘bombarded’ and ‘pummels’ to describe the attacking storm demonstrates that … .

Heaney uses the battle imagery to convey...

The final line describes the storm as a ‘huge nothing’ to reveal … .

Heaney uses enjambment to show … .

The poem is written as one ... to convey … .

Task 5: Make notes about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1. ‘Spits like a tame cat/ Turned savage.’ The simile compares sea’s spray to a tame cat, perhaps to emphasise that it is familiar to the islanders. The word ‘savage’ also shows how violent it can be. The contrast highlights that the islanders see the weather as familiar (they are used to it) but it is also very forceful and dangerous.

2. ‘Exploding’, ‘bombarded’, ‘pummels’ -

3. ‘Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear.’ -

The Prelude

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Wordsworth’s main message?

Task 3: What is Wordsworth suggesting about the effects of nature?

As a Romantic poet, Wordsworth believed in the power of nature and that man is insignificant in comparison to the natural world. The poem is said to be autobiographical. It reflects Wordsworth’s own spiritual journey and how he comes to terms with his place in nature and the world. He described the Prelude as “a poem on the growth of my own mind” with “contrasting views of Man, Nature, and Society”.

1. Wordsworth explores how nature affects … .

2. Wordsworth shows the relationship between … .

3. Wordsworth looks at how humanity …

4. Wordsworth’s poem is based on his … .

5. Wordsworth shows the contrast between … .

Task 4: How does Wordsworth use language, structure and form to convey his message?.

The words ‘glittering’ and ‘sparkling’ describe the beauty of … . The speaker feels … at the beginning of the poem, in this beautiful environment.

These words create powerful imagery of...

Wordsworth describes the mountain peak using monstrous imagery such as ‘upreared its head’, ‘strode after me’, which shows that … .

The poem’s final line show nature as a ‘trouble ...’. Nature has caused the speaker to feel … .

Task 5: Write about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. T

1. ‘glittering’ and ‘sparkling’-

2. ‘upreared its head...the grim shape...strode after me’ -

3. ‘a trouble to my dreams’-

Comparisons between The Prelude and Storm on the Island

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2: Main ideas

Both poems … .

Whereas Wordsworth … , Heaney … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poems show humanity’s fear of … .
2. Whereas the community in Heaney’s poem fear ..., the speaker in Wordsworth’s poem begins by …. but ends up …. .
3. Both Heaney and Wordsworth explore the power of nature through the use of dramatic imagery. Whereas Heaney shows nature to be destructive by comparing it to …. , Wordsworth shows nature to be … .
4. Both poets use form to reflect their ideas about … .

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentences

1. Heaney and Wordsworth present nature as
2. show effects of
3. explore the conflict between man and
4. can be deadly
5. violent imagery such as

Task 5: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

Pairing 3: Tissue and London

London

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Blake’s main message?

Task 3: What is Blake suggesting about power?

Blake was religious but very critical of the church because they did not help children and the poor - especially when young children were forced into difficult jobs because of the Industrial Revolution. He also disagreed with other powerful institutions like the monarchy. In 1789, the French people protested against the monarchy and the rich in charge, using violence and murder to overthrow those in power. Blake saw the French Revolution as inspirational - a model for how ordinary poor people could take back power. Perhaps he was calling for a revolution in London.

1. Blake explores the power of … .

2. Blake draws attention to the corruption of … .

3. To Blake, institutions such as … were … .

4. Blake criticises … .

5. Although Blake was religious,... .

6. Blake’s poem is a … .

Task 4: How does Blake use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1. Blake repeats the word ‘...’ to describe the Thames and the streets, demonstrating that … .

2. The metaphor ‘mind forged manacles’ suggests that … .

4. Blake describes the church as ‘...’ which could mean …. .

5. The … rhyme scheme is used to convey … .

6. The poem is structured in four … to show … .

Task 5: Write about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1. ‘chartered’ - Blake’s repetition of the word ‘chartered’ emphasises his bitterness at the ownership of everything by the wealthy and powerful, including the public areas such as the streets and the river which he believes should be common property.

2. ‘every black’ning church appalls’ -

3. ‘mind-forged manacles’ -

Tissue

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is it about?

What is Dharker’s main message?

Task 3: What is Dharker suggesting about power?

Dharker was a Muslim born in Pakistan who grew up in Scotland. She saw wars unfold between the Middle East and the West and wanted kindness to replace division and hatred.

1. Dharker is critical of … .

2. Dharker wants … .

3. Dharker asks her readers to think about … .

4. Dharker uses paper and light as … .

5. Dharker believes that … .

Task 4: How does Dharker use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1.Dharker uses imagery of borders and division when she writes ‘maps to demonstrate … .

2.Dharker uses paper as a metaphor for ... and light as a metaphor for … . This is because … .

3.Dharker uses a simile in the line ‘credit cards might fly our lives like paper kites’ to represent the idea that … .

4.This imagery suggests...

5.Dharker uses the words ‘capitals’ and ‘monoliths’’ to symbolise governments and leaders. She wants us to … .

6.Dharker writes in free ... and uses … in the poem’s lines to reflect … .

Task 5: Write about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1. [paper that lets the light shine through] ‘this is what could alter things’ - The idea of paper is as a metaphor for human life and light as a metaphor for kindness. Humans and human kindness have the power to change things.

2. ‘maps’

3. ‘what was paid by credit card might fly our lives like paper kites’ -

4. ‘let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths’ -

Comparisons between Tissue and London

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2: Main ideas

Both poems … .

Whereas Dharker … , Blake … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poems are critical of … . Whereas Bake criticises the church for … , Dharker is more critical of … .
2. Whereas Blake focuses on London and … , Dharker looks at … .
3. Both poems are a cry for … , but only Dharker’s poem is … .
4. The form of the two poems reflects the poets’ ideas about … . Whereas Blake uses a structured … Dharker’s ‘Tissue’ is written in … .

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence:

1. Both Dharker and Blake want
2. hopeful that
3. explores the power that
4. that humans have power to
5. institutions such as

Task 5: Using the topic sentence ideas above, plan your comparison essay by writing short bullet points/notes for each paragraph.

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

Comparison 4: Checking out me History and The Émigrée

Checking out me History

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is it about?

What is Agard’s main message?

Task 3: What is Agard suggesting about identity and society?

John Agard is a black poet who was born in the Caribbean and moved to England as an adult. In his poem, he explores the idea that black history is missing from schools and that a sense of black identity is impossible to have in a society which will not tell him about his culture. He has to find out about it himself.

1. Agard feels that … .

2. To Agard, society … .

3. Agard believes that schools … .

4. Agard says that he is now … .

5. Agard exposes how neglected … .

Task 4: How does Agard use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1. Agard’s simple structure with a ... reflects … .

2. Agard uses the refrain ... to show … .

3. Agard contrasts ‘Mary Seacole’ with ‘Florence Nightingale’ to suggest…

4. Agard uses the metaphor of a ‘bandage’ to reveal he feels...

Task 5: Write about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant.

1. ‘bandage up me eye with me own history’

2. ‘dem tell me’ -

3. ‘Mary Seacole’ ‘Florence Nightingale’

The Émigrée

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is it about?

What is Rumens’ main message?

Task 3: What is Rumens suggesting about identity and society?

An emigrant is a person who leaves their birth country to live elsewhere; Émigrée is French, female word for emigrant. The poem clearly explores how someone who had to leave their birth country (because of a political conflict) feels in their new country.

1. Rumens feels that … .

2. To Rumens, society … .

3. Rumens shows the perspective of … .

4. Rumens looks at a struggle between … .

5. She exposes how it feels to be … .

Task 4: How does Rumens use language, structure and form to convey her message?

Rumens creates imagery of ‘sunlight’ to suggest…

Rumens describes the speaker’s memories as ‘clear’ to…

Rumens personifies the speaker’s home country in the words ‘the frontiers rise between us’ to...

Rumens repeats the pronouns ‘they’ and ‘me’ in the lines ‘...’ and ‘...’ to expose … .

The poem is written in … with very little … or … to suggest that … .

Task 5: Write about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example:

1. ‘sick with tyrants’ - The city is personified to show how corrupt it is politically. However, even though it is run by cruel leaders, she still has fond memories of it. This perhaps shows us how uncomfortable she feels in her new country.

2. ‘my memory of it is sunlight-clear’ and ‘sunlight’ repeated -

3. ‘The frontiers rise between us’

4. ‘they circle me’ and ‘They accuse me of being dark’ -

Comparisons between Checking out me History and The Émigrée

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2: Main ideas

Both poems … .

Whereas Agard … , Rumens … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poems show the perspective of … and a struggle of … .
2. Agard explores how Western society … whereas Rumens’ speaker … .
3. Both poems show how those who struggle with identity are proud … .
4. Both poets use form to reveal their feelings about … .

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence

1. Both Rumens and Agard want
2. memories of
3. finding out about his
4. feel different and marginalised
5. explore struggle between

Task 5: Using the topic sentence ideas above, plan your comparison essay by writing short bullet points/notes for each paragraph.

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

Comparison 5: The Charge of the Light Brigade and Bayonet Charge

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Tennyson’s main message?

Task 3: What is Tennyson suggesting about war?

At the Battle of Balaclava in the 1854 Crimean War, a British cavalry charge was defeated by Russian artillery with hundreds killed. Tennyson was Poet Laureate so wrote for British readers nationally. He wrote about the battle with patriotic pride because he believed the men were heroes.

1. Tennyson suggests that war … .

2. Tennyson shows that war can … .

3. Tennyson celebrates … .

4. Tennyson calls upon his readers to … .

5. Tennyson shows that patriotism can … .

Task 4: How does Tennyson use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1.Tennyson uses repetition in the quotation ‘cannon...’ to demonstrate … .

2.Tennyson uses repetition in the quotation ‘theirs...’ to demonstrate … .

3.Tennyson repeats the words ‘six hundred’ throughout the poem to emphasise … .

4.Tennsyons asks the reader the question ‘...’ in order to … .

5.Tennyson uses the ... form with strong rhyme and rhythm so that his readers … .

Task 5: Make notes about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

2. ‘When can their glory fade?’

3. ‘Cannon to the right of them,Cannon to the left of them,Cannon in front of them/behind them’ -

4. ‘Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.’ -

5. ‘Honour the charge the made, Honour the light brigade, noble six hundred!’ -

Bayonet Charge

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Hughes’ main message?

Task 3: What is Hughes suggesting about war?

Ted Hughes was born in 1930, and therefore did not have personal experience of the First World War. However, his father fought in the trenches, and this poem is Hughes’ attempt to imagine what his father’s experiences were like, based on the stories he had been told. The First World War was mostly trench warfare. Soldiers sheltered from the enemy guns in trenches most of the time, but occasionally they were ordered to charge towards the guns, as in this poem. This poem shows one soldier’s fear.

1. Hughes suggests that war … .

2. Hughes shows that war can … .

3. Hughes questions … .

4. Hughes exposes … .

Task 4: How does Hughes use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1.Hughes uses personification and onomatopoeia in the quotation ‘...’ to convey … .

2. Hughes uses a metaphor in the quotation ‘...’ to compare war to a … . The harsh alliteration of the ‘c’ sound emphasises … .

3. Hughes uses a simile in the quotation ‘...’ to expose the impact that war had on … .

4. Hughes uses listing in the quotation ‘...’ to emphasise that the soldiers … .

However, the final word ‘etcetera’ creates … .

5. The following simile ‘...’ suggests that nothing else matters when … .

6. The poem begins in … to demonstrate … .

7. The pace of the poem slows/quickens in the … to show … .

Task 5: Make notes about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1. ’bullets smacking the belly out of the air’

2.‘cold clockwork of the stars and the nations’

3.‘King, honour, human dignity, etcetera /Dropped like luxuries’

Comparisons between Bayonet Charge and The Charge of the Light Brigade

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2: Main ideas

Both poems … .

Whereas Tennyson ... , Hughes … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poets convey ideas about … .
2. Tennyson presents the soldiers … whereas Hughes presents the soldier … .
3. Both poems present a real sense of … .
4. Tennyson celebrates … , whereas Hughes questions … .

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence

1. Tennyson and Hughes present war
2. celebrates war
3. wants British readers to
4. criticises the
5. whereas Hughes exposes fear

Task 5: Using the topic sentence ideas above, plan your comparison essay by writing short bullet points/notes for each paragraph.

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

Pairing 6: Poppies and Kamikaze

Poppies

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Weir’s main message?

Task 3: What is Weir suggesting about the effects of war?

Though set in the modern day, the poem clearly evokes memories of war going back to WW1. This is seen clearly with the symbol of the poppy. Weir wrote this for a collection of poems in 2009, written in response to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. She explores the different emotions felt by a mother whose son has left to fight in the war.

1. Weir suggests that war … .
2. Weir shows that war can affect … .
3. Weir explores the pain of … .
4. Weir exposes a mother’s … .
5. Weir examines the difficulties of … .

Task 4: How does Weir use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1.Weir uses a simile in the quotation ‘world overflowing like a treasure chest’ to convey … .

2. Weir uses symbolism in the quotation ‘released a songbird from its cage’ to reveal..

3. The ‘cage’ symbolises… The ‘songbird’ symbolises....

4. Weir highlights the mother’s courage through the quotation ‘....’

5. Weir highlights the mother’s sadness through the words ‘hoping to hear…’, which…

6.Weir’s use of sound imagery helps the reader to imagine..

7.The poem is written in ... to give it a ... feel.

8.The poem is a ... from a mother to her absent son, revealing … .

Task 5: Make notes about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1.‘the world overflowing/ like a treasure chest.’ -

2.‘released a songbird from its cage’ -

3.‘I was brave’ -

4.’Hoping to hear your playground voice’

Kamikaze

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time in which it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What it the poem about? …

What is Garland’s main message? …

Task 3: What is Garland suggesting about the effects of war?

Kamikaze is set during World War Two, when Japanese pilots frequently made suicidal attacks on enemy targets; it was considered a great honour in Japan to die for your country. A kamikaze pilot was not expected to return home. If they did return, their actions were seen as shameful and they were rejected by their families.

1.Garland suggests that war … .

2.Garland shows that war can affect … .

3.Garland explores the pain of … .

4.Garland exposes a family’s … .

5.Garland examines the difficulties of … .

Task 4: How does Garland use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1.Garland uses the image of ‘father’s boat’ to suggest...

2. Garland shows how everyone, even the children … … , in the quotation ’... ... ’.

4.Garland creates a regretful tone when she writes ‘he must have...’ to show that … .

5.Garland’s poem is laid out in … but has no obvious... This shows the contrast between … .

Task 5: Write about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1.‘he must have wondered/ which had been the better way to die’

2. ‘Father’s boat’

4.‘we too learned to be silent’ -

Comparisons between Poppies and Kamikaze

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2: Main ideas

Both poems … .

Whereas Garland … , Weir … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poems explore the speaker’s struggle to … .
2. Both poems explore a struggle between … .
3. Both poems look at how conflict forces … . Whereas Garland explores the bravery of … , Weir explores the bravery of … .
4. Whereas Garland uses form to contrast … , Weir uses form to represent … .

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence

1. Garland and Weir present war
2. feel a sense of loss
3. examines the bravery of the
4. explore how it feels to
5. the effects on a family

Task 5: Using the topic sentence ideas above, plan your comparison essay by writing short bullet points/notes for each paragraph.

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

Comparison 7: Remains and War Photographer

Remains

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Armitage’s main message?

Task 3: What is Armitage suggesting about the effects of war?

This poem is part of a collection, The Not Dead, which was originally broadcast as part of a television documentary recording the experiences of soldiers. Armitage made use of the words and phrases of the soldiers themselves, turning them into poems. He wanted to show the real-life experiences of soldiers suffering from the effects of war.

1. Armitage explores how war affects … .
2. Armitage shows the memory of … .
3. Armitage reveals the psychological impact of … .
4. Armitage looks at how soldiers … .
5. Armitage shows war to be … .

Task 4: How does Armitage use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1. Armitage repeats the words ‘...’ to show that the speaker is … .
2. Armitage uses symbolism in ‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’ to…
3. Armitage ends the poem with the words ‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’ to..
4. Armitage says that ‘...’ cannot ‘flush’ out the memory, suggesting that … .
5. The poem is written as a ... give it the feel of … .
6. The poem’s turning point is when Armitage writes ‘I’m home on leave’. The reader might expect...but...

Task 5: Make notes about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1.‘probably armed, possibly not’ This is repeated in the poem, which suggests that the soldier is haunted by one particular memory: whether or not the looter was armed, and therefore whether or not they were justified in shooting him.

2.‘blood shadow’ -

3.‘drink and drugs won’t flush him out’ -

4.‘sort of inside out’ -

War Photographer

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular structure or form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Duffy’s main message?

Task 3: What is Duffy suggesting about the effects of war?

Duffy was inspired to write this poem by her friendship with a real-life war photographer. She was interested by the challenge faced by these people whose job requires them to record terrible, horrific events without being able to directly help the people they take photos of. She is trying to get us to consider our own response when we see these types of photographs. Do they affect us or feel very removed from us?

1. Duffy explores how war affects … .
2. Duffy shows the memories of … .
3. Duffy reveals the guilt of … .
4. Duffy looks at how war photographers … .
5. Duffy tries to get her readers to consider … .

Task 4: How does Duffy use language, structure and form to convey his message?

Duffy creates powerful, vivid imagery when she writes ‘running…’ to reveal...

Duffy suggests that people in Britain are hardly affected by the photographs they see when she writes ‘...’ . The ‘...’ and ‘...’ shows … .

The metaphor of the ‘half-formed ghost’ shows the memory of … .

The regular … , which is interrupted by … the … .

Task 5: Make notes about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1.‘spools of suffering set out in ordered rows’ - juxtaposition between the suffering of people in warzones and the job of a war photographer who has to ‘order’ photos so that they can show images to the British public. The contrast shows how hard it is to be a war photographer who must feel guilty.

2.‘Running children in a nightmare heat’

3.‘The reader's eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers’ -

4.‘half-formed ghost’ -

Comparisons between Remains and War Photographer

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2:

Both poems … .

Whereas Duffy … , Armitage … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poems present the character of the poem as … .
2. Both poems suggest that the speaker feels guilty. Whereas Armitage’s speaker is guilty because … Duffy’s speaker is guilty because … .
3. Whereas Armitage writes about how soldiers in wars can become … Duffy writes about everyday people becoming … .
4. Through forms with regular stanza structure but irregular rhyme, both poems show characters struggling to … .

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence

1. Duffy and Armitage present war
2. reminds us that war
3. show effects of
4. explore the guilt of
5. whereas Armitage writes from a soldier’s perspective

Task 5: Using the topic sentence ideas above, plan your comparison essay by writing short bullet points/notes for each paragraph.

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

Comparison 8: The Charge of the Light Brigade and Exposure

Find The Charge of the Light Brigade questions on p. 65-66.

Exposure

Task 1: Knowledge quiz

1. Who wrote this poem?

2. When was it written?

3. Is it written in a particular structure or form? If so, why might that be?

4. What is the main context for this poem? Think about what you know about the author or the time it was written.

5. What are the three top quotations for this poem?

Task 2: Summary

What is the poem about?

What is Owen’s main message?

Task 3: What is Owen suggesting about war?

Owen fought in the trenches in World War One, suffered from shell-shock and saw many of his fellow soldiers die.

1. Owen suggests that war … .
2. Owen shows that war can be .. .
3. Owen questions … .
4. Owen calls upon his readers to .. .

Task 4: How does Owen use language, structure and form to convey his message?

1. Owen uses personification in the quotation ‘... … ’ to demonstrate … .
2. Owen uses sibilance in the quotation ‘...’ to demonstrate … .
3. Owen repeats the words ‘...’ because he aims to … .
4. Owen asks the question ‘...’ to demonstrate … .
5. Owen uses … stanzas with short … to emphasise … .
6. Owen ends the poem with a powerful image of death with the words ‘all their eyes are ice’ to...
7. Owen repeats the word ‘...’ at the ends of several stanzas to highlight … .

Task 5: Make notes about each quotation. Include language devices if relevant. The first one has been done as an example

1. ‘The merciless iced east winds knive us.’

2. ‘But nothing happens’

3. ‘What are we doing here?’ -

4. ‘All their eyes are ice’

Comparisons between Exposure and The Charge of the Light Brigade

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2: Main ideas

Both poems .. .

Whereas Tennyson … , Owen … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poems present the war as … .
2. Whereas Tennyson celebrates … , Owen bitterly exposes … .
3. Whereas Tennyson wants British readers to … , Owen wants British readers to … .
4. Both poems show ... their form.

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence

1. Tennyson and Owen present war
2. celebrates war
3. wants British readers to
4. criticises the
5. whereas Owen thinks war is futile

Task 5: Using the topic sentence ideas above, plan your comparison essay by writing short bullet points/notes for each paragraph.

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

Comparison 9: Ozymandias and London

Find Ozymandias questions on p. 58-59

Find London questions on p. 62-63

Comparisons between Ozymandias and London

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2: Main ideas

Both poems … .

Whereas Shelley … , Blake … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poems expose … .
2. Whereas Shelley shows Ozymandias’ fall from … , Blake shows London at a time when … .
3. Whereas, in Ozymandias, nature has more … , in London nature is a victim of … .
4. Both Shelley and Blake choose a highly structured form that … .

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence

1. Both Shelley and Blake were
2. were angry about
3. explores the conflict between man and
4. displays corruption when
5. believed that revolution

Task 5: Using the topic sentence ideas above, plan your comparison essay by writing short bullet points/notes for each paragraph.

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

Comparison 10: Exposure and Storm on the Island

Find Exposure questions on p. 71-21

Find Storm on the Island questions on p.60-61

Comparisons between Exposure and Storm on the Island

Task 1: Comparison quiz

1. What is the main similarity between the two poems?

2. What is the main difference between the two poems?

3. If you were writing an essay to compare these two poems, what could your introduction be?

4. What would your three topic sentences be?

Task 2: Main ideas

Both poems ….

Whereas Owen … , Heaney … .

Task 3: Topic sentence ideas

1. Both poets present the weather as … . Whereas Owen explores how deadly the cold can be, Heaney presents the … .
2. Whereas the community in Heaney’s poem … , Owen’s soldiers are … .
3. Whereas Heaney uses form to show that nature is … , Owen uses form to show the soldier’s suffering getting worse.
4. Whereas Heaney shows that our fear of nature is … , Owen shows nature to be … and to have tragic consequences.

Task 4: Turn these fragments into full sentences by adding something at the start or end of the sentence, or both. You can choose to focus on one poet or both in your sentence

1. Heaney and Owen present weather as
2. show effects of
3. explore the conflict between man and
4. can be deadly
5. violent imagery such as

Task 5: Using the topic sentence ideas above, plan your comparison essay by writing short bullet points/notes for each paragraph.

Your essay should follow this structure: introduction which summarises your whole idea (the main way in which they are they similar and different), three-four comparative paragraphs that start with a strong topic sentence (either ‘both poems…’ or ‘whereas…’), short conclusion which sums up your argument (In conclusion…)

POETRY QUOTATION GAPFILL

Ozymandias

1.‘S_________ of c_______ c__________’

2.‘K________ of k___________’

3.‘C_________ w____________’

My Last Duchess

1. ‘My gift of a ___-_______ years old ___’

2. ‘I choose never to ______’

3. ‘I gave _____; then all _______ stopped’

Prelude

1. ‘gl______’ ‘sp______’

2. ‘upreared its h____...e...strode after me’

3. ‘a tr______ to my dr_____’

Storm on the Island

1. ‘Spits like a tame c____/ Turned s_____.’

2. ‘ex______...bom______...pummels’

3. ‘Strange, it is a huge no______ that we f____.’

Tissue

1.‘m______s’

2. ‘what was paid by cr____ c_____ might fly our lives like paper k____’

3. ‘let the d_______ break through c______ and monoliths’

London

1. ‘ch______ street… cha_____ Thames’

2. ‘every black’ning ch_____ appalls’

3. ‘m______-forged m______’

Checking out me history

1. ‘b_____ up me eye with me own h_______’

2. ‘d___ tell m_’

3. ‘M_______ S________’ ‘F________ N__________’

The Emigree

1. ‘my memory of it is s__________-clear’

2. ‘the f_______________ rise b________ u___’

3. ‘they circle me’ ‘they ac______ me of being d_____’

Charge of the Light Brigade

1. ‘C_____ to the right of them, C_____ to the left of them, C_____ in front of them/behind them’

2. ‘Th___ not to make reply, th_____ not to reason why, t____ but to do and die.’ -

3. ‘When can their g____ fade?

4.H_____ the charge the made, H_____ the light brigade, n____ six hundred!’

Bayonet Charge

1. ’b______ smacking the b_____ out of the air’

2. ‘cold cl________’

3. ‘King, h______, human dignity, etcetera /Dropped like l_________

Poppies

1. ‘the world overflowing/ like a tr______ chest.’

2. ‘I was br_____’

3. ‘Hoping to hear your p_______ v__________’

4. ‘released a s_______ from its c_____’

Kamikaze

1. ‘he must have w_______/ which had been the better way to d___.’

2. ‘F_______’s b________’

3. ‘we too learned to be si______’

War Photographer

1. ‘Running c________ in a n______ h______’

3. ‘Reader’s r_________ prick with tears between the b_____ and pre-lunch b______.’

4. ‘half-formed gh_____’

Remains

1. ‘probably armed, po________ not’

2. ‘His bl_______ life in my b_______ h________’

3. ‘drink and dr____ won’t flush him out’

Exposure

1. ‘The m______ iced east w______ that knive us.’

2. ‘B_____ nothing happens…. b______n_______ happens… b_____ nothing h______.’

3. ‘W______ are we d______ here?’

POETRY ESSAY QUESTIONS

Which poem would you choose to compare for these questions?

1. Compare the ways poets present ideas about power in ‘Ozymandias’ and in one other poem*.
2. Compare the ways poets present ideas about identity in ‘My Last Duchess’ and one other poem*.
3. Compare the ways poets present memory in ‘My Last Duchess’ and in one other poem*.
4. Compare the ways poets present the power of the natural world in ‘Storm on the Island’ and in one other poem*.
5. Compare the ways poets present ideas about power and pride in ‘The Prelude’ and one other poem*.
6. Compare the ways poets present ideas about fear in ‘The Prelude’ and one other poem*.
7. Compare the ways poets present power in society in ‘London’ and one other poem*.
8. Compare the ways poets present ideas about identity in ‘The Emigrée’ and in one other poem*.
9. Compare the ways poets present ideas about anger in ‘Checking Out Me History’ and one other poem*.
10. Compare the ways poets present ideas about loss and absence in ‘The émigree’ and in one other poem*.
11. Compare how poets present the effects of war in ‘Bayonet Charge’ and in one other poem*.
12. Compare how poets present ideas about the reality of war in ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ and one other poem*.
13. Compare poets present ideas about patriotism in ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ and in one other poem*.
14. Compare the ways poets present attitudes to identity in ‘Kamikaze’ and in one other poem*.
15. Compare how poets present the effects of conflict on family relationships in ‘Kamikaze’ and one other poem*.
16. Compare the ways poets present ideas about loss in ‘Poppies’ and one other poem*.
17. Compare how poets present individual experiences of conflict in ‘War Photographer’ and in one other poem*.
18. Compare the ways poets present powerful memories in ‘Remains’ and in one other poem*.
19. Compare how poets present the theme of guilt caused by conflict in ‘War Photographer’ and one other poem*.
20. Compare the way poets present traumatic memories of conflict ‘War Photographer’ and one other poem*.
21. Compare the ways poets present combatants’ experiences of conflict in ‘Exposure’ and in one other poem*.
22. Compare the ways poets present ideas about the power of nature in ‘Exposure’ and one other poem*.
23. Compare the ways poets present ideas about anger in ‘London’ and in one other poem*.
24. Compare the way poets present ideas about the power of nature in ‘Ozymandias’ and one other poem*.

*from the ‘Power and Conflict’ Anthology.

These essay questions are useful for practising essay plans in 5 minutes, or full essays in 40 minutes.

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Example essay: Compare how the poets explore attitudes to war in ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and one other poem from the anthology.

Both ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’ explore danger at war. In the opening section of ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’, as the soldiers charge towards their deaths, Tennyson makes clear they are in danger by writing ‘cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them’. Tennyson’s use of these words creates powerful imagery of the soldiers charging bravely into enemy cannon fire. Tennyson’s repetition of the word ‘cannon’ emphasises the danger the soldiers are in by demonstrating that the soldiers are being fired at from all sides. As poet laureate, Tennsyon not only wished to tell the story of the battle to his Victorian readers but also aimed to ensure that the readers celebrated the bravery of the soldiers. It was therefore imperative that the danger was evident within his poem. Hughes similarly conveys the danger of war in ‘Bayonet Charge’, where we also see a soldier charging bravely towards the enemy. In the opening stanza, Hughes makes the danger immediately clear by describing the ‘bullets smacking the belly out of the air’ as the soldier charges. Hughes personifies the air as a person being winded by the number and force of the bullets to demonstrate the danger the soldier is in, as he narrowly avoids being hit. Hughes’s use of the word ‘smacking’ mimics the sound of the bullets violently beating against the air. Hughes’s descriptions help the reader to vividly imagine the terror that soldiers in World War One must have experienced as they ran through no-man’s land with bullets flying at them from all sides. The danger is also reflected through Hughes’s combination of enjambment and dashes throughout the poem, which create stop-start motion, mirroring the terror and confusion the soldier feels as he charges. It is clear from both poems that war can be fatal.

Both poems explore duty at war. In the opening section of his poem, Tennyson demonstrates that the soldiers do not question their officers by writing ‘theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die’. Tennyson’s repetition of the words ‘theirs not to’ emphasises the soldiers’ lack of questioning as they charge towards their death; it seems they understand that they must do their duty. Tennyson’s use of the words ‘do and die’ indicate that the soldiers know that they are risking their lives, which demonstrates the strong sense of duty they feel to their queen and their country. This is further reflected through Tennyson’s use of rhyme and repetition, which create a very tightly controlled structure, perhaps mirroring the control maintained over the soldiers. As poet laureate, Tennyson was expected to write poems that aroused feelings of patriotism in his readers and celebrate the British war effort. For this reason, Tennyson does not draw attention to the mistakes made by the commander, instead celebrating the duty the soldiers show to their country. Similarly, in the second stanza of ‘Bayonet Charge’, Hughes makes clear the soldier feels duty bound to stay at war by comparing war to ‘cold clockwork’, which the soldier is just a small part of. Hughes’s use of these words creates powerful imagery of a large clock, with the hand ticking relentlessly, without feeling. Through this image, Hughes could be highlighting the inhumanity of war and the lack of emotion soldiers are expected to feel. This is particularly emphasised through his use of the word ‘cold’, which implies that there is lack of warmth and humanity in warfare. Hughes’s soldier, like many others in World War One, recognises his role in the larger war effort. His sense of duty compounds him to remain a part of the ‘clockwork’ and continue his charge towards the enemy.

Both poems explore honour. In the closing lines of ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’, Tennyson asks his readers ‘when can their glory fade?’. Tennyon’s use of a rhetorical question commands his readers to remember and celebrate the bravery of the six hundred soldiers. As poet laureate for the queen,Tennyson was obliged to create a celebratory feel within this poem, thus chooses these words for his final stanza, creating a lasting feeling of celebration among his readers. Tennyson’s use of rhyme and repetition throughout the poem also ensures the poem is memorable and that the story of the battle will remain in the readers’ hearts and minds for a long time. In ‘Bayonet Charge’, however, Hughes does not celebrate the honour of war. In his closing stanza, Hughes questions ideas about honour by writing that ‘king, honour, human dignity..dropped like luxuries’ as the soldier desperately tries to rush to safety. Hughes’s list indicates the many things soldiers thought they would be fighting for when they were encouraged to sign up, and when they first boldly left to join the war effort. For example, his use of the word ‘honour’ implies that soldiers thought they’d spend much of their time being celebrated for their bravery. But Hughes compares these things to ‘luxuries’, which implies that soldiers are unable to consider these noble ambitions while they are fighting at war. It is simply a fight for survival. The soldier in this poem must drop his previous ideas about king and honour as he runs out of no man’s land, desperately trying to save himself. Having learned from his father about what war was like, Hughes aims to expose the brutal reality of warfare to his readers, in contrast to the celebratory feel created in the final stanza of The Charge of the Light Brigade.

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