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KS3 English · Year 9Chapter 3 · Reading poetry: fixed forms, voice and comparison
Year 9 · Chapter 3

Reading poetry: fixed forms, voice and comparison

By the end of this chapter you will be able to

  • I can name a fixed form and explain its structure.
  • I can find the volta or the couplet, and say what it does.
  • I can count syllables and stresses, and explain a metrical effect.
  • I can explain a refrain and say how its meaning changes.
  • I can explain a persona, and compare the voices of two poems.

You should already know

  • Identifying rhyme, rhythm and repetition in a poem (Year 8, Chapter 3 of this book)
  • Identifying imagery and sound in a short poem (Year 8, Chapter 3 of this book)

Where this leads

  • Reading drama: structure, staging and directing a scene (Year 9, Chapter 4 of this book)
  • Comparing texts: ideas, methods and sustained comparison (Year 9, Chapter 6 of this book)

National Curriculum for England, Key Stage 3 English, Year 9. Content: Read poetry from different periods, including fixed forms (KS3 reading, R1 and R8), Recognise and explain the Petrarchan sonnet, the Shakespearean sonnet, the villanelle and the ballad (KS3 reading, R8), Analyse metre, enjambment, caesura, the volta and sound patterns, and explain their effect (KS3 reading, R3 and R8), Explain the voice and persona of a poem, and compare the voices of two poems (KS3 reading, R3).

Exercise P  Do you remember?

1
FWhat is a rhyme scheme? Write one short phrase.
2
FWhat is a stanza? Write one short phrase.
3
FWrite one word that means the same as grief.
4
FWrite the past tense of the verb to sing.
5
FWrite the plural of the word knife.
3.1

The Petrarchan sonnet and the volta

Year 9
Recognise the Petrarchan sonnet and analyse its volta (KS3 reading, R8)
Video lesson: The Petrarchan sonnet and the voltaComing soon
Context. A sonnet has fourteen lines and a fixed rhyme scheme. The Petrarchan sonnet is divided into an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). The turn between them, the volta, often changes the subject or the mood. Read "The Seed Tin" and look for the turn.

The Seed Tin (original Petrarchan sonnet, persona: a grieving grandchild)

1My grandfather kept seeds inside a tin,

2each packet labelled in his careful way,

3and noted every crop and sowing day,

4and pressed the lids and sealed each one back in.

5Each spring he sowed the rows he would begin,

6and watched the green shoots rise in neat array,

7and tended them until the end of May,

8and kept some seed for next year, in the tin.

9But now the tin sits empty on the shelf,

10and I have not yet planted what it grows;

11I read his labels, but I cannot tell

12which seeds he meant to plant, all by himself,

13and so the rows stay bare, where nothing goes,

14or which would ripen first, or which would swell.

Key ideas

  • A Petrarchan sonnet has fourteen lines: an octave (ABBAABBA) and a sestet (CDECDE, or a variant).
  • The volta is the turn, often at line 9, where the subject or mood changes.
  • A volta is found by comparing the octave with the sestet.
Worked example 3.1.1
Where is the volta in "The Seed Tin", and what does it change?

Method. Find the turn, then compare what comes before with what comes after.

  1. Find the turn. Line 9 begins with the word But.
    But now the tin sits empty on the shelf
  2. Compare the two parts. The octave describes the grandfather's careful work, the sestet describes the empty tin.
    the grandfather's careful work
  3. Explain the change. The volta moves from his routine to the speaker's present grief.
    the speaker's present grief
  4. Write the answer.
    at line 9, from the grandfather's routine to the speaker's grief

Check. The volta is found by comparing the octave and the sestet. ✓

Worked example 3.1.2
Which rhyme scheme does the octave of "The Seed Tin" use? Choose one: ABBAABBA, ABABCDCD or AABBCCDD.

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

  1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
  2. Test the choice. Lines 1 and 4 rhyme (tin, in), and lines 2 and 3 rhyme (way, day), so the octave is ABBAABBA.
    ABBAABBA fits
  3. Reject the other choices. ABABCDCD is a Shakespearean rhyme pattern, and AABBCCDD is a rhyming couplet pattern.
    ABABCDCD and AABBCCDD do not fit
  4. Write the answer.
    ABBAABBA

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Worked example 3.1.3
Why does the speaker not plant the seeds?

Method. Find the detail, then infer the reason.

  1. Find the detail. The speaker says I have not yet planted what it grows.
    I have not yet planted what it grows
  2. Read the context. The speaker has the seeds, but has not started the work.
    the tin sits empty on the shelf
  3. Infer the reason. The speaker is still grieving, so she cannot take on his work.
    grief stops the speaker from doing what the grandfather did
  4. Write the answer.
    grief stops the speaker from doing what the grandfather did

Check. The reason is supported by two lines. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: a sonnet is fourteen lines, not twelve or sixteen. Count the lines before you name the form.

Exam tip

Exam tip. Name the form, then name the volta and say what changes at it.

Exercise 3A  Practice: the Petrarchan sonnet and the volta

1
FHow many lines does a Petrarchan sonnet have? Write the number.
2
FWhich line begins the volta? Write the number.
3
FWhich rhyme scheme does the octave use? Choose one: ABBAABBA, ABABCDCD or AABBCCDD.
4
FWhat is the name for the turn in a sonnet's argument? Choose one: volta, couplet or refrain.
5
FCopy the words that describe the shelf in line 9.
6
FInfer what the empty tin suggests about the grandfather. Quote one phrase.
7
FWhat does array mean in the phrase "in neat array"? Write the meaning in your own words.
8
FWhich word in line 2 shows the labels were written with care? Choose one: careful, labelled or packet.
9
FIn which line does the speaker say the seed was kept for next year? Write the number.
10
FExplain the effect of the volta at line 9.
11
FExplain how the sestet changes the speaker's situation.
12
RJudge whether the sonnet form suits its subject. Give one reason.
3.2

The Shakespearean sonnet and the couplet

Year 9
Recognise the Shakespearean sonnet and analyse its quatrains and couplet (KS3 reading, R8)
Video lesson: The Shakespearean sonnet and the coupletComing soon
Context. A Shakespearean sonnet is also fourteen lines. It has three quatrains (four-line stanzas) with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF, and a final couplet of two rhyming lines (GG). The couplet often sums up or changes the poem. Read "Inheritance" and find the couplet.

Inheritance (original Shakespearean sonnet, persona: a daughter clearing her mother's house)

1The house is sold, and every room is bare;

2the hallway echoes where our coats once hung.

3The kitchen light falls thin across the air

4on tiles that held the old songs we had sung.

5I wrap her teacups, one by one, with care,

6and find her sewing box beneath the stair;

7each thread a memory that I cannot spare,

8I lift each button, pause, and softly stare.

9I thought the walls would keep us, as they should,

10and hold our voices in the hall, and hear

11the laughter that the stairs once understood,

12and so I stand alone and hold it near.

13So I will close the door, and lock it tight

14and carry every room with me tonight.

Key ideas

  • A Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains (ABAB CDCD EFEF) and a couplet (GG).
  • A couplet is two rhyming lines, often used to sum up, resolve or turn the poem.
  • The turn may come at line 9, where the third quatrain begins.
Worked example 3.2.1
What does the couplet of "Inheritance" resolve?

Method. Read the couplet, then say what it decides.

  1. Read the couplet. The speaker will close the door, but carry every room with her.
    So I will close the door, and lock it tight
  2. Find the decision. She takes the memories with her.
    carry every room with me tonight
  3. Explain the resolution. The house is left behind, but the memories are kept.
    the speaker chooses to carry the memories
  4. Write the answer.
    the speaker chooses to carry the memories, rather than keep the house

Check. The couplet is quoted and explained. ✓

Worked example 3.2.2
Which rhyme scheme does the first quatrain of "Inheritance" use? Choose one: ABAB, ABBA or AABB.

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

  1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
  2. Test the choice. Lines 1 and 3 rhyme (bare, air), and lines 2 and 4 rhyme (hung, sung), so the scheme is ABAB.
    ABAB fits
  3. Reject the other choices. ABBA would make lines 2 and 3 rhyme, and AABB would make lines 1 and 2 rhyme.
    ABBA and AABB do not fit
  4. Write the answer.
    ABAB

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Worked example 3.2.3
Where does the turn happen in "Inheritance", and what changes?

Method. Find where the mood shifts, then say what it shifts from and to.

  1. Find the turn. Line 9 begins I thought the walls would keep us.
    I thought the walls would keep us, as they should
  2. Compare the parts. Before, the poem describes the empty house; after, it describes loss.
    the empty house
  3. Explain the change. The speaker's hope about the walls is broken, so the mood changes.
    the speaker's hope is broken
  4. Write the answer.
    at line 9, from the house to the speaker's loss

Check. The turn is explained with two parts of the poem. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: the couplet is the last two lines. Do not call a pair of lines in the middle a couplet.

Exam tip

Exam tip. When you write about a couplet, say what it resolves, and quote one line from it.

Exercise 3B  Practice: the Shakespearean sonnet and the couplet

1
FHow many lines does a Shakespearean sonnet have? Write the number.
2
FHow many lines are in the final couplet? Write the number.
3
FWhich rhyme scheme does the first quatrain use? Choose one: ABAB, ABBA or AABB.
4
FCopy the words that show the house is empty.
5
FWhat does thin mean in the phrase "falls thin across the air"? Write the meaning in your own words.
6
FInfer how the speaker feels about the coats in line 2. Quote one phrase.
7
FWhere does the volta come in "Inheritance"? Choose one: line 9, line 5 or line 13.
8
FIn which line does the speaker mention the laughter? Write the number.
9
FHow many different rhymes are in the first quatrain? Write the number.
10
FCopy the phrase in the couplet that means the speaker takes the memories with her.
11
FWhich phrase in the couplet shows the speaker shutting something away? Choose one: lock it tight, carry every room or with me tonight.
12
RJudge how well the couplet ends the poem. Give one reason.
3.3

Metre, enjambment and caesura

Year 9
Analyse metre, enjambment and caesura, and explain their effect in a poem (KS3 reading, R8)
Video lesson: Metre, enjambment and caesuraComing soon
Context. Metre is the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. Iambic pentameter has five iambs (da-DUM) in a line. Enjambment runs a sentence over the end of a line. A caesura is a pause in the middle of a line, often marked by a comma or a dash.

Inheritance (original Shakespearean sonnet, persona: a daughter clearing her mother's house)

1The house is sold, and every room is bare;

2the hallway echoes where our coats once hung.

3The kitchen light falls thin across the air

4on tiles that held the old songs we had sung.

5I wrap her teacups, one by one, with care,

6and find her sewing box beneath the stair;

7each thread a memory that I cannot spare,

8I lift each button, pause, and softly stare.

9I thought the walls would keep us, as they should,

10and hold our voices in the hall, and hear

11the laughter that the stairs once understood,

12and so I stand alone and hold it near.

13So I will close the door, and lock it tight

14and carry every room with me tonight.

Key ideas

  • An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one (da-DUM). Iambic pentameter has five iambs in a line.
  • Enjambment: the sentence runs on from one line to the next without a full stop.
  • A caesura is a pause within a line, often marked by a comma, dash or full stop.
Worked example 3.3.1
How many syllables are in the line "The house is sold, and every room is bare"?

Method. Count the syllables one by one.

  1. Count. The, house, is, sold, and, ev, ery, room, is, bare.
    The house is sold
  2. Add them. There are ten syllables.
    10
  3. Check the metre. Ten syllables fit five iambs in iambic pentameter.
    five iambs
  4. Write the answer.
    10

Check. Ten syllables make five iambs. ✓

Worked example 3.3.2
What is the name for a line of five iambs? Choose one: pentameter, tetrameter or hexameter.

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

  1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
  2. Test the choice. Penta means five, and a line of five iambs is iambic pentameter.
    pentameter fits
  3. Reject the other choices. Tetra means four and hexa means six, so those names do not fit five iambs.
    tetrameter and hexameter do not fit
  4. Write the answer.
    pentameter

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Worked example 3.3.3
What is the caesura in "So I will close the door, and lock it tight"?

Method. Find the pause, then explain its effect.

  1. Find the pause. The comma comes after door.
    So I will close the door,
  2. Explain the effect. The pause gives a firm break before the speaker's decision.
    a firm break
  3. Name the device. A pause in the middle of a line is a caesura.
    the comma after door
  4. Write the answer.
    the comma after door, which pauses the line

Check. The caesura is found and explained. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: a full stop at the end of a line stops the sentence (end-stopped). A sentence that runs on is enjambment, not end-stopping.

Exam tip

Exam tip. Count the syllables before you say the metre. Then say what the regular or irregular rhythm does.

Exercise 3C  Practice: metre, enjambment and caesura

1
FHow many syllables are in the line "The house is sold, and every room is bare"? Write the number.
2
FHow many stresses does one line of iambic pentameter have? Write the number.
3
FWhich pattern is an iamb? Choose one: da-DUM, DUM-da or DUM-DUM.
4
FCopy the first half of the line with a caesura: "So I will close the door, and lock it tight".
5
FIn which line of "Inheritance" does a comma create a caesura in the middle of the line? Write the number.
6
FWhich line is end-stopped, with a full stop at the end? Choose one: The kitchen light falls thin across the air or the hallway echoes where our coats once hung..
7
FWhat effect does the enjambment across lines 9 and 10 of "The Seed Tin" create? Choose one: the empty shelf and the unplanted seed are linked, the speaker is happy or the rhythm stops.
8
FIn which line does the speaker say "I cannot tell"? Write the number.
9
FWhat does bare mean in the phrase "every room is bare"? Write the meaning in your own words.
10
FFind one enjambment in "Her Cup" and explain its effect.
11
FWhat is the effect of the caesura in "So I will close the door, and lock it tight"? Choose one: a firm pause before the speaker's decision, the speaker is laughing or the poem ends.
12
RExplain how the regular rhythm of line 1 of "The Seed Tin" helps the reader hear the grandfather's care.
3.4

The villanelle and the refrain

Year 9
Analyse a villanelle: its refrains, rhyme scheme and repetition (KS3 reading, R8)
Video lesson: The villanelle and the refrainComing soon
Context. A villanelle has nineteen lines in five tercets (three-line stanzas) and a final quatrain (four lines). Two lines repeat as refrains, and they return at set points. The repetition builds meaning, because each return can mean something different. Read "Her Cup".

Her Cup (original villanelle, persona: a daughter who keeps her mother's things)

1I keep her cup upon the windowsill,

2and fill it with the tea she used to make,

3and wonder when the morning light is still.

4I hear the kettle, though the house is chill,

5and lie awake until the dawn can break.

6I keep her cup upon the windowsill,

7and every spoon she left is kept there still.

8The biscuit tin still holds her lemon cake,

9and wonder when the morning light is still.

10I wash her cup and set it on the sill,

11and bake a cake, for old times' sake.

12I keep her cup upon the windowsill.

13The sun comes in as mornings climb the hill,

14and I still listen for her steps, awake,

15and wonder when the morning light is still.

16I know that grief is slow, and time will fill

17the quiet house, and what the years will take.

18I keep her cup upon the windowsill,

19and wonder when the morning light is still.

Key ideas

  • A villanelle has nineteen lines: five tercets and a final quatrain.
  • Two refrains repeat at set points. The first line returns as lines 6, 12 and 18; the third line returns as lines 9, 15 and 19.
  • Ask what each return adds to the meaning.
Worked example 3.4.1
How many times does the first refrain appear in "Her Cup"?

Method. Find each place the line returns, and count it.

  1. Find the first refrain. I keep her cup upon the windowsill appears in lines 1, 6, 12 and 18.
    I keep her cup upon the windowsill
  2. Count the returns. There are four appearances.
    4 appearances
  3. Check the pattern. The villanelle form repeats this line at fixed points.
    repeats this line at fixed points
  4. Write the answer.
    4

Check. The four appearances are checked. ✓

Worked example 3.4.2
How many tercets does a villanelle have? Choose one: four, five or six.

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

  1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
  2. Test the choice. Five tercets of three lines make fifteen lines, and the final quatrain adds four, making nineteen.
    five fits
  3. Reject the other choices. Four tercets would make twelve lines, and six tercets would make eighteen, so neither fits nineteen.
    four and six do not fit
  4. Write the answer.
    five

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Worked example 3.4.3
Why is "and wonder when the morning light is still" repeated four times?

Method. Consider what each return adds to the meaning.

  1. Find the refrain. The line returns at lines 3, 9, 15 and 19.
    and wonder when the morning light is still
  2. Note the change. The line is unchanged, but the speaker is still waiting each time.
    still waiting
  3. Explain the effect. The repetition shows grief that goes on, with no answer.
    grief that does not end
  4. Write the answer.
    to show grief that does not end

Check. The effect of the repetition is explained. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: a refrain is repeated exactly. If a word changes, it is not a refrain, and the meaning may change instead.

Exam tip

Exam tip. When you write about a refrain, name the lines where it returns, then explain how its meaning changes or builds.

Exercise 3D  Practice: the villanelle and the refrain

1
FHow many lines does a villanelle have? Write the number.
2
FHow many tercets are there in a villanelle? Write the number.
3
FHow many times does the line "I keep her cup upon the windowsill" appear? Write the number.
4
FCopy the line that names the grief.
5
FWhich rhyme sound do the refrain lines share? Choose one: -ill, -ake or -ay.
6
FWhat does chill mean in the phrase "though the house is chill"? Write the meaning in your own words.
7
FInfer what the cup on the windowsill suggests about the speaker. Quote one phrase.
8
FExplain the effect of repeating "and wonder when the morning light is still" four times.
9
FIn which line does the speaker first name the grief? Write the number.
10
FCopy the words that describe the house in line 4.
11
FWhat is the effect of "I keep her cup upon the windowsill"? Choose one: it shows a ritual of remembering her mother, it shows the speaker is moving house or it shows the speaker dislikes tea.
12
RHow does the final refrain change in meaning from its first appearance? Explain.
3.5

The ballad and the persona

Year 9
Analyse the ballad stanza and the persona of a narrative poem (KS3 reading, R3 and R8)
Video lesson: The ballad and the personaComing soon
Context. A ballad tells a story in short stanzas, often four lines long, with lines 2 and 4 rhyming (ABCB). The persona is the voice that tells the story. In "The Ferry Light" the persona is a third-person narrator, who stands outside Mary and reports what she does.

The Ferry Light (original ballad, persona: a third-person narrator)

1The river rose one stormy hour,

2and Mary stood upon the shore;

3her father's boat was out of sight,

4and she had waited long before.

5She lit a lantern on the stone,

6and called his name across the foam;

7the water hissed, the reeds were blown,

8and no reply came, and none came home.

9At dawn the ferry drifted in,

10its rope cut clean, its oars all gone;

11Mary ran down the empty quay

12and stood there, shivering, alone.

Key ideas

  • A ballad is a narrative poem, often in four-line stanzas with lines 2 and 4 rhyming (ABCB).
  • The persona is the voice that speaks. A third-person narrator reports the events from outside.
  • Ask how the choice of persona changes what the reader knows.
Worked example 3.5.1
What rhyme pattern does each stanza of "The Ferry Light" use?

Method. Look at the end of each line in the first stanza.

  1. Find the rhyming lines. Shore and before rhyme in lines 2 and 4.
    shore / before
  2. Check the others. Hour and sight do not rhyme with each other, so lines 1 and 3 are different.
    hour / sight
  3. Name the pattern. Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme, so the pattern is ABCB.
    ABCB, with lines 2 and 4 rhyming
  4. Write the answer.
    ABCB, with lines 2 and 4 rhyming

Check. The pattern is checked stanza by stanza. ✓

Worked example 3.5.2
Who tells "The Ferry Light"? Choose one: a third-person narrator, Mary in the first person or the father.

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

  1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
  2. Test the choice. The poem uses she and Mary, so it is told from outside the story.
    a third-person narrator fits
  3. Reject the other choices. Mary does not say I in the poem, and the father does not speak.
    Mary in the first person and the father do not fit
  4. Write the answer.
    a third-person narrator

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Worked example 3.5.3
Why is the last line of the poem short and final?

Method. Read the last line, then say what it adds.

  1. Read the line. and stood there, shivering, alone.
    shivering, alone
  2. Notice the word. Alone ends the poem on one word.
    Alone
  3. Explain the effect. The single word leaves Mary isolated, which emphasises her loneliness.
    emphasises her loneliness
  4. Write the answer.
    to emphasise Mary's loneliness at the end

Check. The effect of the ending is explained. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: do not confuse the poet with the persona. The narrator of a ballad may not be the poet.

Exam tip

Exam tip. Name the stanza pattern, then say who is telling the story and what that lets the reader know.

Exercise 3E  Practice: the ballad and the persona

1
FHow many stanzas does "The Ferry Light" have? Write the number.
2
FHow many lines are in each stanza? Write the number.
3
FWhich lines rhyme in each stanza? Choose one: lines 2 and 4, lines 1 and 2 or lines 3 and 4.
4
FCopy the words that say where the father's boat was.
5
FWhat does blown mean in the phrase "the reeds were blown"? Write the meaning in your own words.
6
FInfer how Mary feels at dawn. Quote one phrase.
7
FIn which line does Mary light the lantern? Write the number.
8
FWhich word best describes the narrator's tone? Choose one: sorrowful, joyful or angry.
9
FExplain the persona: who tells the story, and how does that affect what the reader knows?
10
FSummarise stanza 1 in one sentence.
11
FIn which line does the ferry drift in? Write the number.
12
RWhy might a ballad use a narrator outside the story, rather than Mary herself? Give one reason.
3.6

Comparing the voices of two poems

Year 9
Compare the voices, personas and sound patterns of two or three poems (KS3 reading, R1 and R3)
Video lesson: Comparing the voices of two poemsComing soon
Context. A good comparison names a point, uses one quotation from each poem, and explains what the difference or similarity shows. Compare "The Seed Tin" with "Inheritance": both are sonnets, and both speakers grieve for a family member.

The Seed Tin (original Petrarchan sonnet, persona: a grieving grandchild)

1My grandfather kept seeds inside a tin,

2each packet labelled in his careful way,

3and noted every crop and sowing day,

4and pressed the lids and sealed each one back in.

5Each spring he sowed the rows he would begin,

6and watched the green shoots rise in neat array,

7and tended them until the end of May,

8and kept some seed for next year, in the tin.

9But now the tin sits empty on the shelf,

10and I have not yet planted what it grows;

11I read his labels, but I cannot tell

12which seeds he meant to plant, all by himself,

13and so the rows stay bare, where nothing goes,

14or which would ripen first, or which would swell.

Key ideas

  • A comparison needs a point, evidence from both poems, and a sentence that explains the similarity or difference.
  • Compare voice (who speaks), form (the structure), and sound (repetition, rhyme, onomatopoeia).
  • Use linking words: whereas, similarly, in contrast, both.
Worked example 3.6.1
Compare the speakers of "The Seed Tin" and "Inheritance". Give one similarity.

Method. Find the speaker in each poem, then name what they share.

  1. Find the speaker in The Seed Tin. The speaker says I read his labels.
    I read his labels
  2. Find the speaker in Inheritance. The speaker says I wrap her teacups.
    I wrap her teacups
  3. Name the similarity. Both speakers are first-person voices grieving a family member.
    both are first-person speakers who grieve for a family member
  4. Write the answer.
    both are first-person speakers who grieve for a family member

Check. The similarity is supported by one quotation from each. ✓

Worked example 3.6.2
Which device is "the water hissed" in "The Ferry Light"? Choose one: onomatopoeia, a simile or a volta.

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

  1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
  2. Test the choice. Hissed is a word whose sound copies the sound it describes.
    onomatopoeia fits
  3. Reject the other choices. The phrase does not use like or as, so it is not a simile, and there is no turn, so it is not a volta.
    a simile and a volta do not fit
  4. Write the answer.
    onomatopoeia

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Worked example 3.6.3
Which closing lines are more hopeful, "The Seed Tin" or "Inheritance"? Give one reason.

Method. Read each last line, then judge the hope in it.

  1. Read the last line of The Seed Tin. or which would ripen first, or which would swell.
    or which would ripen first
  2. Read the last line of Inheritance. and carry every room with me tonight.
    carry every room with me tonight
  3. Judge. The Seed Tin looks forward to growth, so it is more hopeful.
    The Seed Tin, because the last line looks forward to the seeds swelling
  4. Write the answer.
    The Seed Tin, because the last line looks forward to the seeds swelling

Check. The judgement compares two last lines. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: a comparison must say what the difference means. "Poem A is sad and poem B is sad" needs a reason, and a point about voice or form.

Exam tip

Exam tip. Use one comparison word (similarly, whereas) and one quotation from each poem in every comparison paragraph.

Exercise 3F  Practice: comparing two or three poems

1
FWhich poem uses a third-person narrator? Choose one: The Ferry Light, The Seed Tin or Her Cup.
2
FWhich poem has a volta? Choose one: The Seed Tin, The Ferry Light or Her Cup.
3
FWhich poem uses a refrain? Choose one: Her Cup, The Seed Tin or Inheritance.
4
FHow many of the poems in this chapter are sonnets? Write the number.
5
FCopy the phrase from Inheritance that says the speaker holds the memory close.
6
FCopy the words from The Seed Tin that show the grandfather's routine.
7
PSCompare the sound patterns in "Her Cup" and "The Ferry Light". Give one example from each.
8
RCompare how each of two poems handles loss. Which is more restrained? Give one reason from each.
9
FSummarise the couplet of "Inheritance" in one sentence.
10
FWhich poem repeats one line exactly? Choose one: Her Cup, The Seed Tin or Inheritance.
11
FWhat does foam mean in the phrase "called his name across the foam"? Write the meaning in your own words.
12
FName the form of "The Seed Tin" and the form of "Inheritance", and say what they share.

Chapter summary

SkillMethod
Petrarchan sonnetFourteen lines: an octave (ABBAABBA) and a sestet, with a volta at the turn
Shakespearean sonnetThree quatrains (ABAB CDCD EFEF) and a couplet (GG)
MetreCount the syllables, then the stresses; iambic pentameter has five iambs
VillanelleNineteen lines, five tercets and a quatrain, with two refrains that return
BalladFour-line stanzas, with lines 2 and 4 rhyming (ABCB) and a narrative persona
ComparisonA point, a quotation from each poem, and a sentence on what the difference shows

Can you…?

  • I can name a fixed form and count its lines
  • I can find the volta or the couplet, and say what changes
  • I can count syllables and stresses in a line
  • I can find a refrain and say how its meaning changes
  • I can name a persona and say what the reader is told
  • I can compare the voices of two poems with evidence from both

Key terms

sonnet
a poem of fourteen lines in a fixed form
octave
the first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet
sestet
the last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet
volta
the turn in a sonnet's argument or mood
quatrain
a stanza of four lines
couplet
two rhyming lines, often at the end of a sonnet
villanelle
a nineteen-line poem with two refrains that return
ballad
a narrative poem in short stanzas
persona
the voice that speaks in a poem
enjambment
a sentence that runs over the end of a line
caesura
a pause within a line
iambic pentameter
a line of five iambs (da-DUM)

Exercise 3Z  Check-up

1
How many lines does a Shakespearean sonnet have? Write the number.
2
Which line of "Inheritance" begins the third quatrain? Write the number.
3
What is the name for a pair of rhyming lines that ends a sonnet? Choose one: couplet, octave or refrain.
4
What does hung mean in the phrase "where our coats once hung"? Write the meaning in your own words.
5
Infer what the empty shelf suggests about the speaker. Quote one phrase.
6
How many syllables are in the line "The kitchen light falls thin across the air"? Write the number.
7
Which word describes a pause in the middle of a line? Choose one: caesura, enjambment or refrain.
8
How many tercets does a villanelle have? Write the number.
9
Which rhyme scheme do the stanzas of "The Ferry Light" use? Choose one: ABCB, ABAB or AABB.
10
Give one reason a reader might prefer the villanelle form for grief.

Total 21 marks. Allow about 21 minutes.

Exercise 3X  Practice test questions

1
FName the form of "The Seed Tin". Write the name.[1 mark]
2
FWrite the number of the line that begins the volta in "The Seed Tin".[1 mark]
3
RInfer how the speaker of "Inheritance" feels about the house in the couplet. Quote one phrase.[2 marks]
4
RExplain the effect of the enjambment across lines 9 and 10 of "The Seed Tin". One sentence.[2 marks]
5
FCount the syllables in the line "The house is sold, and every room is bare". Write the number.[2 marks]
6
FName the stanza pattern of "The Ferry Light" and say which lines rhyme. One sentence.[2 marks]
7
RExplain how the refrain "and wonder when the morning light is still" changes in meaning over the poem.[3 marks]
8
RExplain what the persona of "The Ferry Light" lets the reader know about Mary. Use one quotation.[3 marks]
9
RCompare the speakers of "The Seed Tin" and "Inheritance". Give one similarity and one difference.[3 marks]
10
PSIdentify one example of onomatopoeia in "The Ferry Light", and explain its effect.[2 marks]
← Chapter 2: Analysing language, structure and effect: judging the writer's choicesChapter 4: Reading drama: structure, staging and directing a scene →

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