IGCSE Literature - Poems so far.....

In D.H. Lawrence's 'Piano', what does the 'boom of the tingling strings' represent through its use of onomatopoeia and tactile imagery?

• The poor quality of the piano being played in the present.

• The speaker's annoyance at being interrupted by the music.

• The distance between the speaker's adulthood and his childhood.

• The overwhelming physical power of the music and the memory it triggers.

In 'Half Past Two', how does Fanthorpe use the capitalization in 'Something Very Wrong' to reflect the child's perspective?

• It mimics the child's formal education in grammar.

• It shows that the boy has finally learned how to tell the time.

• It indicates that the teacher is shouting at the boy.

• It highlights the child's fear by making the mistake seem like a monumental, personified entity.

In 'Hide and Seek', Scannell uses the metaphor 'The cold bites through your coat'. What does this suggest about the boy’s experience?

• The harsh reality of the outside world is beginning to intrude on his childhood game.

• He is physically unprepared for the weather.

• The excitement of the game is keeping him warm despite the cold.

• He has been hiding for several days.

In 'Poem at 39', Alice Walker writes, 'He cooked like a person / dancing / in a yoga meditation'. What does this simile reveal about her father?

• He found a sense of spiritual peace and rhythmic joy in domestic tasks.

• He was a professional chef and dancer.

• He used cooking as a way to escape from his family.

• He was often distracted and messy while cooking.

What is the significance of the word 'insidious' in the line 'The insidious mastery of song' from Lawrence's 'Piano'?

• The music is unpleasant and jarring to hear.

• The piano player is trying to manipulate the speaker.

• The speaker is physically ill while listening to the music.

• The music is deceiving him into thinking his childhood was happy.

In 'Half Past Two', the phrases 'Time when he did this' and 'Time when he did that' represent:

• The boy's boredom during his detention.

• The boy's inability to organise his school day.

• The teacher's strict schedule for the students.

• A list of chores the boy has to complete.

At the end of 'Hide and Seek', the line 'The bushes hold their breath; the sun is gone' uses personification to create a tone of:

• Joyful anticipation.

• Warmth and comfort.

• Ominous silence and abandonment.

• Triumph and victory.

In 'Poem at 39', Walker states she is 'now redundant' in her father's eyes. In the context of the poem, this most likely means:

• She has lost her job and has no money.

• She has become so much like him that his 'lessons' are no longer needed.

• Her father no longer loves her.

• She is bored with her life at age 39.

Lawrence uses the phrase 'my manhood is cast / Down in the flood of remembrance' in 'Piano'. What does this suggest about his emotional state?

• He is literally drowning in a flood.

• He feels empowered by his memories.

• He is ashamed of his mother's piano playing.

• His adult identity and composure have collapsed under the weight of nostalgia.

In 'Half Past Two', the teacher is described as having 'slotted him into the next slot'. What does this metaphor imply about the school environment?

• The boy is very good at organizing his time.

• The education system is rigid, mechanical, and indifferent to individual childhood experience.

• The school is a place of creative freedom.

• The teacher is very caring and attentive to the boy's needs.