Poetry lesson

Preparing for GCSE Poetry (English Literature)

​Read this information

• ​For GCSE poetry, we will study 15 poems all linked to the topic of 'Power and Conflict'.

  ​In your GCSE exam, you will have to compare how a topic is presented in two of the poems.

• ​You will need to remember the key ideas and quotations for each of the 15 poems.

• ​You will be expected to analyse the poets' methods and their effects.

• ​You will also have to analyse two 'unseen' poems: you will not have studied these before (this is why they are called 'unseen' poems).

Multiple Choice

Which GCSE subject is poetry part of?

• English Language

• English Literature

• Drama

• Creative Media

Multiple Choice

How many poems will we study for the 'Power and Conflict' section?

• 5

• 10

• 15

• 20

Multiple Choice

Which of these is NOT true about poetry in your GCSE exams?

• You have to analyse the poets' methods and their effects

• You have to compare two 'Power and Conflict' poems

• You also have to analyse two 'unseen' poems

• You have to remember every poem in full

Multiple Choice

What is an 'unseen' poem?

• A poem you have not studied in class before

• A poem about not being able to see

• A poem you have to write yourself in the exam

• A poem from the 'Power and Conflict' section

Subject terminology

​When analysing poems, you need to be able to use subject terminology to name the poets' methods.

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This includes things we've studied before, such as:

• ​metaphor - a non-literal comparison of one thing to another

• ​verb - an action or state of being (doing/being word)

• ​sensory language - words and phrases that play on the senses

• ​personification - giving human qualities to something non-human

• ​tone - the expression of a mood or attitude

• ​command (imperative) - a demand or instruction

Subject terminology

​There are other terms that apply to plays and other literature which we can apply to some poems, too. For example:

​

• ​​perspective - first person (I, me, we), third person (he, she, they)

• ​monologue - a long speech by one character (some poems are monologues)

• ​setting - where and when events take place

• ​shift - a change in something such as atmosphere, time or focus

• ​juxtaposition - two things placed together, creating a contrast for effect

Subject terminology: poetic terms

You will also be expected to use poetic terms, such as the ones below.

• ​​speaker - the 'voice' of the poem: who the poet is writing as

• ​rhyme

• ​rhyme scheme - the pattern of rhyme in a poem

• ​stanza - a section/verse of a poem

• ​quatrain - a four-line stanza

• ​sonnet - a fourteen-line poem, often about love, with a set rhyme scheme

• ​caesura - a pause, created by punctuation, in the middle of a line of poetry

• ​free verse - a form of poetry where there are no set patterns of line length or rhyme (it has no set structure)

• ​refrain - a repeated phrase or line

Multiple Choice

A repeated phrase or line in a poem

• Refrain

• Free verse

• Caesura

• Enjambment

Multiple Choice

The pattern of rhyme is known as the...

• rhyme style

• rhyme scheme

• rhyme shape

• rhyme formula

Multiple Choice

Which of these does NOT describe a form of poetry?

• Monologue

• Free verse

• Sonnet

• Tragedy

Multiple Choice

What is it called when two things are placed together for contrasting effect?

• Shift

• Juxtaposition

• Allegory

• Mo

Multiple Choice

Which of these is true?

• All poems rhyme

• Poems are never based on real-life experiences

• You have to follow rules of grammar and punctuation when writing a poem

• Some poems can be monologues

Multiple Choice

What is the subject terminology for a pause, created by punctuation, in the middle of a line of poetry?

• Caesura

• Iambic pentameter

• Enjambment

• End-stop

Fill in the Blanks

What is it called when there is a structural change in focus, atmosphere, time, etc?

Open Ended

Thank you for completing this introduction to poetry.

Explain at least one thing you have learnt from working through this.

Open Ended

Finally, do you have any questions about poetry, or any worries about it?

(I can help you with this personally or as a class. I won't share the names of individuals who asked questions.)

If there's nothing you want to ask/share, just write 'Nothing'.