In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores the fifteen poems that make up the ‘Love and Relationships’ cluster for GCSE English Literature (AQA).
What is the poem love and Relationships about?
The poem is about the painful end of a relationship, with suggestions that it was a secret and forbidden love. It is told from the viewpoint of the poet who is struck by grief. It has bitter and melancholic tone. The structure of the poem is regular in rhythm and rhyme and highly controlled.
Which love and relationships poems compare well?
- Mother, Any Distance by Simon Armitage. Love’s Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
- Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ by Elizabeth Barret Browning.
- Walking Away by C. Day Lewis.
- When We Two Parted by Lord Byron.
- Letters from Yorkshire by Laura Dooley.
- Key themes and connections: poems that you might choose to compare.
What poem can you compare follower to?
From “Death of a Naturalist” (1966)
’Follower’ is often compared to ’Digging’ which similarly expresses autobiographical points, his father, and his connection to nature.
How many poems are in the love and relationship anthology? – Related Questions
How are relationships presented in Follower?
The relationship depicted in ‘Follower’ is overall a close and positive one, but there is also a sense that the father has become a burden and so it fits well with all of the above, which tend to depict either an overtly intimate relationship or an antagonistic one.
How are family relationships presented in Follower?
In his poem ‘Follower’, Heaney present attitudes of love and admiration from the narrating son to his father through the son’s apparent reverence and veneration of his father’s skill in farming and his desire to emulate this.
What type of poem is follower?
‘Follower’ is a straightforward lyrical poem and is an excellent example of Heaney’s use of rural language within a controlled syntax that is full of long and short vowels, contrasting consonants and varied rhythms.
What is the message of the poem follower?
“Follower” tracks the way that the relationship between parents and their children changes over time. The speaker begins the poem with deep admiration and respect for his father, contrasting his father’s exceptional farming skills with his own stumbling ineptitude as he follows behind.
What’s the difference between a poem and a story?
The word “poetry” comes from the ancient Greek verb “to create.” While a short story is usually written in recognizable sentences, a poem is composed of lines, which may not observe the usual grammatical rules. Furthermore, rather than being organized into paragraphs, a poem is made up of verses, or stanzas.
Who wrote the poem follower?
Seamus Heaney is widely recognized as one of the major poets of the 20th century. A native of Northern Ireland, Heaney was raised in County Derry, and later lived for many years in Dublin. He was the author of over 20 volumes of poetry and
Who is famous as a romantic poet?
There were several famous Romantic poets who left their mark on poetry forever. The Romantic movement originated in England before later expanding. By most counts, Romanticism was started by just two writers: Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.
What is a hob nailed wake?
His ‘hobnailed’ wake is the sight of the soles of his father’s boots studded with nails which makes them last longer. The writer talks about how he looked up to his dad, and wanted to grow up to plough too, but.
What does his shoulders Globed mean?
His shoulders globed like a full sail strung. The poem ‘Follower’ opens up with the description of the speaker’s father; the narrator, his son, is describing the hard work his father does on the farm. He was a hard worker, as he “worked with a horse-plough”.
What does polished sod mean?
He also mentions that sometimes he falls on the “polished sod”—not very helpful, young man. Here’s hoping his dad is an understanding guy. (The description of “polished” here suggests that the dirt is smooth and shiny where it’s been cut by the plow.)
How was the child a nuisance in the poem?
Answer: The child was a nuisance because he was stumbling and sometimes fell down.
What does when we two parted mean?
“When We Two Parted” is a bitter poem about the end of a relationship. The speaker addresses the poem to an ex-lover, and so provides insight into the ongoing—and shapeshifting—pain of a breakup.
What does Sunk chill on my brow mean?
sunk chill” on his brow (i.e., the dew fell or “sunk” into his forehead and felt cold). As in the first stanza, the speaker here interprets the departure as foreshadowing some later sadness or unhappiness or just all around bad times.
What does it mean to be half broken hearted?
It’s possible that the phrase “half broken-hearted” means in fact that either one, or both of them, just didn’t care all that much. This could really change things up a bit. Perhaps it’s just the woman who is “half broken-hearted” and the speaker is actually angry about it.
What does the poet regret in the poem When We Two Parted?
The poem recalls the end of a previous relationship that the narrator (or Byron himself) still feels sad and regretful about. The relationship was secret and ever since the break-up, he has been unable to outwardly express his sadness.
