1. GCSE Poetry
An Introduction

2. What do we study?
Poetry Anthology 1789 to present (18 poems in two years)
Unseen poem & comparison – you have never seen them but you use the skills you’ve learned to answer on them.

3. Key terms Theme Tone Structure Personal response Language (see other)
Alliteration
Imagery
Metaphor
Simile
Personification
Rhyme
Repetition
Onomatopoeia
Enjambment

4. THE MOIST PEARS

5. T - TONE
H – HYPERBOLE
E – EMOTIVE WORDS
M - METAPHOR
O - ONOMATOPOEIA
I – IMAGERY
S - SIMILE
T - THEME
P - PERSONIFICATION
E - ENJAMBMENT
A - ALLITERATION
R – RHYME / REPETITION
S - STRUCTURE

6. Tone It is usually an emotion that the author
is feeling as they write. You can hear it
in the language used.
For example:
bitter
sad
regretful

7. Hyperbole Pronounced ‘high-per-bowl-ay’
It is another word for extreme exaggeration and is used to make a strong point.
For example:
I felt a thousand eyes on me as I entered the room.
I’ve told you a million times.
I am so embarrassed I could die!

8. Emotive words
These are words that create an emotion or show a strong feeling in the reader.
‘Emotive’ comes from the word ‘emotion’.
For example:
heroic
humiliation
brave
heartless

9. Metaphor
A figure of speech that compares unlike objects. It says something is something that it is not.
For example:
- The exam was a breeze.
- She was my rock in this situation.
- Your brother is a pig.

10. Onomatopoeia The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning.
For example:
- Bang
- Chuckle
- Splash

11. Imagery Imagery is visually descriptive language.
It allows you to create a picture in your mind with the poet’s words.
For example:
He felt like the flowers were waving him a hello.
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

12. Simile A comparison usually using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
For example:
- As busy as a bee
- I slept like a log
- Her face was as pale as the moon

13. Theme The central idea of the poem; what it is about. For example:
death
love
loneliness

14. Personification
When animals or objects are said to have human characteristics.
For example:
- The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.
- The run down house appeared depressed.
- When the DVD went on sale, it flew off the shelves.
- The storm attacked the town with great rage.

15. Enjambment
When sentences run into the next line with no punctuation or pause between them.
For example:
It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,
The holy time is quiet as a Nun
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquillity.

16. Alliteration
The repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines of poetry or prose.
For example:
- delicious dinner
- miserable merchant
- fantastic friend

17. Rhyme
Rhyme is when two or more words have the same sound at the end of a sentence.
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes within a poem.
They are marked like this ABAB or ABACAB etc.

18. Repetition
When a sentence or phrase is repeated. A poet does this for effect.

19. Structure How is the poem organised?
How many stanzas does it have? How many lines have they got?
When discussing structure, you will talk about the effect its structure has on the theme.
Is it regular or irregular?

20. Personal response How do you feel about the poem?
You can dislike it however you must have a reason – you can’t say ‘it’s boring’ or ‘it doesn’t make sense’ or I don’t understand it’. These are not reasons an examiner will accept!

21. You must use examples from the poem to support your answer.
You only need to quote what is relevant, not a whole stanza.

22. I like this poem because …
it is easy to relate to the topic
simple use of language
the imagery is very powerful
the repetition and rhyme make it
enjoyable to listen to
the poet has used alliteration and personification to great effect
the poet deals with an important topic …
Sample responses