An Introduction to the Study of CCEA’s GCSE English Literature Anthologies.
Even now, having entered this web site, you may well be suffering a sinking, unpleasant feeling: that sensation you experience immediately before, say, an injection; or a visit to the dentist! You are unable to shift that question from your mind: ‘why am I being forced to study poetry?’ After all, the vast majority of the population wouldn’t read a poem from one year’s end to the next – apart that is from some truly terrible verses in Christmas, Valentine’s Day or birthday cards! Why then is there such an emphasis on the reading of poetry at school?
And the cause of poetry isn’t exactly helped by our early educational experiences. It is a fact, sadly ignored by those teaching us when we are youngsters, that learning poems off by heart isn’t exactly designed to help us enjoy them! And to be fair, poetry doesn’t always help itself! There is an awful lot of it that tends to be difficult, confusing or so obscure that it isn’t worth the effort!
So why bother? What does it matter if you can sort out your similes; take meaning from the metaphors; tell your alliteration from you onomatopoeia? Let me try to give you some positive reasons for the effort you are about to make! Basically, poetry springs from the very basic human desire to say something to someone else. It is frequently expressed in a condensed and concentrated manner. An individual poem may be months or years in the making - it is the product of inspiration and normally an awful lot of ‘perspiration’! At its best, poetry is capable of moving us to laughter or tears; it can delight our senses; feed our minds; challenge our beliefs; help us to feel a little less alone; and, be uplifting or profoundly sad. How else will you get the chance to hear Hardy or Shakespeare talking? When you read their poetry – poets are speaking directly to you!
Poems are complex, multi-dimensional jigsaws painstakingly slotted together. The poet will have consciously controlled rhyme and rhythm through use of form; individual words will have been selected for their meaning or meanings as well as their sounds; and, language will have been woven into images that range from the delicately beautiful to the dreadfully shocking.
The downside of all this is that if a poem is to have a chance to spark into life it requires time and effort from you. There is no doubt that it takes a more thorough consideration than we would normally give to other forms of writing. There is no realistic chance that you will have experienced the full impact of a poem having read it once – so, like the rest of us, you’ll have to work at it in order to gain a fuller understanding. Then you can come to a considered opinion about what you’ve been reading!
And, yes, you are ‘allowed’ to dislike poems, even famous ones - as long as you do so from a position that demonstrates a thorough understanding! It is very unlikely that you will enjoy all the poems in whichever anthology you are studying. Having said that, it is also worth pointing out that if these poems have managed to survive for, in some cases, hundreds of years, it is probable that there is some merit in them. Give them a good hearing – then it is for you to judge - once you’ve understood them!
Understanding and analysing poetry
So, how do you sort out in your own mind whether a poem is good or just gobbledygook? Hopefully, the three practical questions below will help to make a considered judgement. It has to be said, however, that answering them isn’t always easy!
What does the poet say?
To help you begin your investigation, each poem has had some introductory work done on it under the headings:
- A first reading of the poem
- The poet
- Quick Summary
- Things to think about
Working through these prompts should help you begin to answer this first important question:
How has the poet said what he/she has to say?
The aim of the section is to help you begin to think about the poet’s use of language as well as the various methods, techniques and strategies that have been employed in the poem. These will further develop your understanding of the poem and how you feel about it. We looked at these under the following heading:
- Key Features
- Was it worth saying?
After you’ve worked through the first two stages, you are ready to attempt your own assessment. The final headings offer some useful guidance:
- The poem’s impact – what does it mean to you?
- Possible Interpretations
- A second reading and some points to ponder
These are meant to help you consider the significant issues surrounding each of the poems so that you can begin to make an initial, informed, personal assessment.
Getting the most out of this website
Before finishing off this introduction, it’s worth mentioning some of the further support that is offered to you. Obviously the central element of this website is the focus on each of the thirty poems that make up the two anthologies. As well as this, however, are some other areas that you might wish to use – they are outlined below.
There is a reference section - Explanations of useful poetic terms - this is designed to help you become familiar with the various technical terms you might need to study these poems. You should use it like a dictionary; the idea is that you look up terms that you aren’t sure about. Don’t open it up and start trying to learn all the terms! Instead get to know and understand those that you need - by use!
There are a couple of other sections in this site that have been designed to help you cope with the business of writing about poetry. They are Writing about poetry: some general pointers and Examples and samples of students’ writing. It is inevitable that when you’ve started to become familiar with the poetry you are studying, you will be required to write about it! We hope these will provide you with useful practical help.