Stephen Spender

The 'rough boys' in the poem...

• were from the middle class

• they were not refined or gentle

• their parents did not neglect them

The poem suggests that the poet's parents were:

• overly protective

• like prison wardens

• disapproving of the rough children

• all of the above

Why do you think the poet uses the alliteration 'climbed cliffs'? Tick the right answers.

• To evoke an image of freedom

• To paint a picture of an unrestricted environment

• To portray an image of vibrancy

• To represent a peaceful world

Identify the device(s) used in the following line: "Their thighs showed through rags":

• alliteration

• metaphor

• alliteration and metaphor

• no device used

"I feared..." is mentioned twice in the poem, what technique does the poet use?

• simile

• metaphor

• anaphora

• alliteration

In one of the lines in the poem, the poet compares the boys' 'muscles' to:

• tigers

• iron

• strong tin

• steel

You can choose more than one option. In the poem, readers can infer that the poet:

• blames his parents for his lost freedom

• appreciates his parents' protection

• believes he is kept from children of a lower class

• loves to roam around the countryside

In the line, "like dogs to bark at our world", what does "our world" suggest:

• the mindset of the poet

• that the poet lives in a separate world

• the poet comes from an upper class of respectability

• all of the above

The lack of rhyme and enjambment in the poem might indicate:

• the freedom the boys had

• the parents' overprotectiveness

• the poet's constant fear and worry

• the poet's social class

Fill in the gap: "Their thighs showed through _________".