Notes on all 15 Edexcel love and relationships poems
15 views 0 purchase
Course
English
Institution
GCSE
This document contains detailed notes on all 15 poems covered in the Pearson Edexcel Love and Relationships poetry anthology. These notes contain some more detailed analysis which should help with getting a grade 9. I manually typed out these notes as a method of revising for my GCSEs, and have tak...
The manhunt
Perverse blazon structure - a blazon usually describes a woman in a very flattering tone,
however here, a woman is describing the physical damage on a man's body.
Written to raise awareness about veterans which would suffer from the aftereffects of war.
The soldier is likened to a machine through an extended metaphor + semantic field of war
machinery:
o 'fractured rudder of shoulder-blade'
o 'parachute silk of his punctured lung'
o 'foetus of metal'
'parachute silk' could show how fragile he soldier is and show how he is unable to escape
from the repercussion of his time at war.
'Unexploded mine' can be interpreted as PTSD and trauma - uncertain if the soldier will have
a sudden collapse or outburst from this.
'Frozen river' shows the scar is permanently etched into his face, could also show how
deeply rooted the pain is.
Sweating mine could be literal, as sometimes dynamite can sweat explosive nitroglycerine.
Rhyming couplets - shows the intimacy of the couple but some are broken, making the poem
feel fragmented and inconsistent, which could reflect their relationship.
Very persistent anaphora - shows extent of care.
The narrator is putting herself in danger 'unexploded mine', shows extent of her love
towards the soldier despite his condition.
The end of the poem is left ambiguous - The narrator 'comes close', which could show more
intimacy but she is closer the 'unexploded mine', making her more vulnerable
The physical proximity Laura has to the soldier at the end of the poem could show the
healing effect of nurturing and care as opposed to the cyclical repetition of hatred when
vengeance is used.
Female reaction to somebody getting hurt - nurturing and caring - can compare to nettles.
Nettles
Poet hated war after being coscripted and seeing its effects.
ABAB rhyme scheme - shows clear memory of the event, could show closeness between
father and son.
Juxtaposition between the softness and pain of the boy with the fury of the father further
highlights the vulnerability of children and need for parental protection.
Very persistent war imagery:
o 'regiment of spite'
o 'green spears'
o 'fierce parade'
The father could be interpreted as also feeling the trauma of war due to his hyperbolic
reaction.
'slashed in fury' could show that the hyperbolic reaction which is not only driven by the
desire to protect his son but also past trauma fuelling his rage.
The effort is futile - the nettles only regrow.
This could show the futility of protecting a child against the world as they will inevitably
experience pain.
'busy sun and rain had called up tall recruits behind the shed' - very clear metaphor for
conscription.
The sun and rain conscripting could reflect the nature of conscription - a higher power
forcing unwilling soldiers to die in war.
, No progression by the end of the poem - cyclical structure - further emphasises futility of
violence and by extension war.
The father is clearly overcome by fury - enjambment of lines when he prepares to slash the
nettles - shows loss of control due to his anger.
Male response to somebody getting hurt - futile vengeance, blatant display of this
performative masculinity being useless and futile.
My Last Duchess
Written in the Victorian era but set in Italian renaissance - critiquing the Victorian society.
Exposes the inequality present between men and women.
The narrator is the Duke of Ferrara.
He is talking to a foreign diplomat about an arranged marriage.
The narrator could be perceived as unreliable.
It is a dramatic monologue where the potential plot of the Duke is slowly exposed to the
audience.
The narrator asks questions but doesn't give the diplomat any time to respond - could show
his egocentrism and controlling nature.
Very rigid rhyme scheme - could show controlling nature of the duke.
The painting of the last duchess is hidden behind a curtain - even after death, the duke can
still control who sees her.
Very clear throughout the text that the duke is jealous of the duchess.
o 'her looks went everywhere'
o 'She thanked men'
o 'who passed without much the same smile?'
o 'too easily impressed'
Demands special treatment for his 'nine-hundred-years-old name'.
'Even had you skill in speech' - blatantly false modesty, duke's speech has unbreaking aabb
rhyme scheme+ iambic pentameter suggest the opposite.
Could also be interpreted as dishonesty, another trait of the duke?
'I gave commands' - double meaning - could show that the duke tried to stop the duchess
from interacting nicely with other men or could show his attempt to assassinate her -
exposing his lie.
Treats marriage as transactional - main interest now is the 'dowry' or money which is lended
to him.
Literally describes the diplomat's duke's daughter as an 'object'.
'Neptune taming a sea-horse' - very blatant imagery of controlling - Neptune, a god, is
forcing a lesser creature to bend to his will.
This narrative could have been done to justify his decision to have the duchess assassinated.
This could have been a cautionary tale for the diplomat to tell his soon to be wife to be more
loyal to him.
Valentine
Valentine is a metaphysical poem, using more unconventional imagery to portray the nature
of a relationship.
Starts a lot more positively, degrades towards the end of the poem.
Multiple interpretations, could simply be a desperate attempt to mask the narrator
forgetting something for valentine's day or could be a spiteful rejection of stereotypical
valentine's day gifts.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller MAustin71. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.03. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
