GCSE English AQA Poetry Guide - Power & Conflict Anthology inc. Online Edition, Audio & Quizzes: ideal for the 2024 and 2025 exams (CGP AQA GCSE Poetry)

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Loss (physical and emotional)–the speaker is in mourning and deeply affected by the loss of her son in war. Learn AQA English Lit GCSE for FREE Join 2 million+ students learning the AQA GCSE Power & Conflict anthology The loss of life, and, as such, the loss of possible future relationships, or relationships developing

This is top level AO2 for your interpretation of quotations, and the way you link them across the poem. All your references have been linked to interpretations, so the AO1 references mark is really high too.There is some powerful imagery in this poem. In stanza two Blake introduces the idea of “mind-forg’d manacles” (or handcuffs). With this Blake suggests that the structure of the society imprisons ordinary people’s minds. They can’t think freely and escape the terrible poverty they’re in. This is a good thesis statement, laying out the structure for the essay. Even better if it includes what the author intends us to think about these characters or the issues. What are we supposed to think, feel or predict about the mother’s experience, or the impact on the soldier?

Words associated with movement also appear regularly in the first stanza, “running” and “stumbling”, to show how the soldier is constantly charging over the course of the poem. We see how difficult his progress is because of the “raw-seamed hot khaki” (Khaki was a type of clothing worn by soldiers) and the “field of clods”. The soldier’s effort and increasing terror is further shown by the use of words like “suddenly”, “running”, “sweat heavy”, “lugged” and “sweating”. Avoid making sweeping generalisations , such as “all women were treated badly in the 18th century”. Make it relevant to the text. For example, “In this poem the woman is subject to control and oppression by her husband” Although the rhyme scheme isn’t completely regular it is quite powerful in places. For example the final words of line one and three (land / sand) rhyme and so do the first and last words of line three (stand /sand). This use of rhyme adds emphasis and creates a powerful image of the shattered statue.Similarly the rhyme in lines 12 and 14 (decay / away) end the poem with a sense of emptiness and destruction. Imagery How nature itself can be powerful and destructive - especially the weather. This emphasises the conflict between man and nature The power of memory is linked to several of the other key themes, as is the related idea of loss. It can explore:This should help you identify which poem you should compare a given poem to in your exam question, and help you create an effective thesis statement to answer the poetry question. Power and Conflict Poems Tennyson’s main message is to praise the courage of the the men of the Light Brigade. He shows his anger at the poor leadership – “some had blunder’d”. He still, however, suggests it is honourable to die for your country, “theirs was not to reason why, theirs was but to do and die”. The command at the end of the poem for the reader to “honour the charge they made” leaves us in little doubt what Tennyson wants us to take away from the poem. Exposure (Wilfred Owen) – AQA Power and Conflict Poetry Context Conflict– Much of the language used is related to the military and to conflict. The implication is that the son was badly injured before he died in a distant conflict.