Unseen Poetry: The Poets

William Blake
1. Wrote about opposites, innocence and freedom
  1. innocence and experience: writes positives and negatives of an innocent child's perspective and an adults view
  2. Poets feature a character fighting a greater force (symbolising the ruling groups of upper class and the Church) He believed in fighting oppression.
2. Symbolism : Uses natural objects to symbolise human flaws and weaknesses
3. Repetition is used throughout which emphasises the point he wants to convey
  1. Adds to nursery rhyme feel
4. Uses rhyme to create a sing-song quality like a NURSERY RHYME. This makes his poems seem simple but they actually have a hidden meaning
John Keats
1. Symbolism: Nature(emotions), Ancient world-(life is short), Music (poetry)
2. Nature inspired him and he uses nature as a metaphor throughout
3. Parents died when he was young
  1. He wrote lots about death and its inevitability
4. Addresses inhuman things as if they could reply to him constantly
5. Some of his poems are about the pain of loving someone you can't be with.
6. Wrote about change and the contrasts between temporary and permanent things. He believed beautiful things were living and the only way to preserve them was through art. This is why he wrote poetry.
7. Traditional sonnets (regular rhyme scheme) and odes(always praise someone or something)
Christina Rossetti
1. Lots written in 1st Person, to make the poem personal
2. Many of her poems have a strong rhyme scheme and simple vocabulary. This is so it was easy to understand, but it had HIDDEN MEANINGS.
3. Symbolism: ''Eating Fruit'' = sin and the loss of innocence or plants or flowers = life and seasons = the journey from life to death.
4. Was deeply religious
5. She challenged the Victorian belief that marriage was the central aim of every woman's life. She chose Divine Love above romantic love.
6. Suffered a terrible illness all of her life
  1. Lots of her poems about Death (maybe due to her illness?)
Thomas Hardy
1. Uses symbols to represent the passage of time, life and death.
2. Born In Devon
  1. Writes lots about nature (plants, animals and rural life.)
3. Many of his poems focus on disappointment in love life and grief for people who have died.
4. He describes time as an unfriendly force that brings change ( such as death and loss of love)
5. Used lots of different form line lengths and rhyme schemes which affected the pace and rhythm of the poem.
6. Made up new words which gives his poems a distinctive voice.
7. Married TWICE.
  1. First wife died.
Robert Frost
1. Everyday: Finds a deep meaning in everyday experiences.
2. Nature: believed it could have a huge effect on people, and discusses different characters' experiences with it.
3. Some in blank verse to mimic natural speech.
4. Simple Language to explore complex emotions
5. Ageing: The loss of youth- How young people take their freedom for granted.
6. Unhappy life
Wilfred Owen
1. Talks about physical and mental injuries from war.
2. Usually tells a story which helps the reader to connect with the poem.
3. Creates a vivid image of war
4. Joined army in WW1
  1. Uses sound patterns (alliteration) to make the poem forceful
5. Talks about the reality of war and its gruesomeness
Dorothy Parker
1. Poems are short to display one idea/emotion.
2. Criticised double standards for men and women
3. Death: Uses dark humor to express her interest
4. Writes alot about unequal relationships and break ups
5. Believed in equality
6. Married 3 times
7. Starts upbeat but then adds a twist to change the poems meaning
W. H Auden
1. Poems are direct which gives a sense of urgency onto the more important words of the poem.
2. Wrote love poems to show the fragility of love.
3. Wrote about moral actions
4. Wrote about real life
Maya Angelou
1. Oppression
2. Love: Realistic and family love= good and bad
3. Unusual structure to highlight key words
4. Discrimination
5. Mute for 5 years. Her poems were meant to be spoken
Tony Harrison (on last exam paper, not likely to come up once again
1. Poems reflect his view of current events
2. Class: Discusses divisions between social classes
3. Great education
4. Strict rhyme scheme to impose order on chaotic ideas + feelings.
5. Family: His conflict between him and his parents.
6. Often writes part of the poem in a yorkshire accent (parents voice)
Wendy Cope
1. Felt that her parents thought she wasn't good enough.
2. Short sentences and simple vocab so its easy to read and the message comes across strongly.
  1. Her poems seem traditional (strong rhyme scheme) but are not what you'd expect
3. Poems have air of regret
4. Deal with serious subjects in a light hearted way.
5. Humor : to make serious points and to put sad situations into perspective
Brian Patten
1. Growing up:The sadness of having to grow up
  1. left school at 15
2. irregular rhyming pattern to vary the pace and mood
3. simple lang +clear message
4. Death: Says its inevitable
5. Nature: Can give people peace
Jo Shapcott
1. Imagery: Brings poem to life
2. Nature: The effect on humanity
3. Cancer
4. How science changes the way we think
5. Characters: More interesting for the reader
Sophie Hannah
1. Men= stubborn women= dishonest
2. Traditional forms - sonnets in contrast to her non-trad view
3. Finds humor in everyday life
4. Relationships: Failed, affairs - bitter tone
5. Uses exaggeration to emphasise key points
Owen Sheers
1. war: effect on the soliders
2. How ppl leave a mark on the landscape
3. Growing up: The loss of innocence that comes with it.
4. Welsh Countryside
5. Form: natural rhythm . Varies length of stanzas to break the flow of the poem of highlight a key idea.

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Unseen Poetry: The Poets

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