Unseen Poetry Approach

In general, examinations of unseen poetry require you to analyse the way in which meaning is shaped by poets. You will be asked to make links between the content of the poem and your own ideas. This will mean selecting appropriate points and drawing conclusions based on your understanding of the form, structure and language of the poem itself. 

Great responses will display an understanding of how poetry works and the intention behind the poem itself. There will be an appreciation of the pleasure that poetry intends to create in those reading. Poems have an aesthetic quality as well as a functional one - ideas and meanings are crafted deliberately by the poet. They will employ a range of methods to achieve this - the shape, the sound, the form, the structure, the tone, the style and the imagery. All of these work together to create lasting pieces of work. You should push yourself to see poetry as works of art in miniature. As you study, you will consider the way that poetry is a powerful and influential form, that contains exciting subtleties that you should push yourself to explore in your own personal responses. This will lead you into the world of ‘impact’ - examiners are keen to see the way the poem impacts on you as a reader as well as the wider cultural and artistic impact. This is what will sit above your discussion of the typical, and common, methods that poets employ - stanza, rhyme, metre, enjambment and so on and so forth.

The language below is taken from AQA - but other exam boards use similar wording. Be sure to check the specifics of your exam board - though there is a lot of overlap.

Assessment Objective 1 (AO1)

Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.

In essence, you will be assessed on:

• Written communication - how clearly you ‘articulate’ your ideas

• Personal ideas relating to the poem itself - how creative you are in your understanding of the ideas, and how they relate to you as a reader

• Use of concepts and terminology - this often comes to mean your vocabulary and your display of English Literature specific words and phrases

• Organisation of your essay - ensuring that it flows neatly and cohesively, and isn’t simply a collection of unconnected concepts

• Your connection to the question - namely asking the question that is in front of you, not the question you wished they asked.

Assessment Objective 2 (AO2)

Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.

In essence, you will be assessed on:

• Your understanding of form of the poem - if it fits into a certain poetic tradition, and how this links to the overall meaning

• Analysis of language - your appreciation of both the simple and complex methods poets use to convey meaning

• Your appreciation of the structure of the poem, the way ideas are ordered and how they too contribute to the overall meaning

Before writing…

1. Begin by reading the poem slowly, at least twice - aloud if you can, but most likely in your head as this will be exam conditions.

a. The first reading, focus on the words and phrases that stand out to you.

b. The second reading, focus on the line lengths, stanzas and organisation.

2. Make a note of the ‘story’ of the poem.

a. What happens in this poem? Is it something concrete or more abstract?

3. Look at the question and take note of the focus - return to the poem and see if the question gives it a new light.

4. Take note of the title of the poem.

a. How does it connect to the ‘story’ of the poem?

5. Select the key evidence that you will use to answer the question - this could be highlighted for maximum effect.

Writing…

It is worth nothing here that there is no ‘set’ way to write an English essay. Every English department in the country, and therefore every English teacher, may have slightly different ways of teaching students to write essays. The mark scheme of an exam does not specify that essays must follow a certain format. They only expect each essay to include certain ‘non-negotiables’. These include:

• Analysis of the poet’s craft

• Your personal response to the poem and the question

• Use of references from the poem - ideally short and succinct, with room for the occasional longer reference where appropriate

• Discussion of meaning and impact on the reader

• Connection to the wider poetic context - this may include genre and form.

If you do not have a structure, then a simple approach that works would be:

1. An Introduction that outlines the parameters of your response - typically by engaging with the question and linking to the key ideas within the poem itself.

2. Three ideas about the poem that you will discuss - these will typically intersect in some way, although may also be an opportunity to provide alternative interpretations

You are aiming to write between two and three pages of A4 - this will ensure that you are giving yourself the opportunity to be detailed in your analysis, and cover a good deal of the text presented to you.

After writing…

Read over your essay and ask yourself these three questions:

1. Does it read like an English essay? Namely, does it have the language we associate with English that separates our discipline from other written disciplines (such as History, Geography or Religious Studies?)

2. Have you articulated your personal response to the poem? Is it clear what you are trying to say?

3. Have you covered the poem in detail? Or are you only really referencing one small section?