Tissue by Imtiaz Dharker – Poem Analysis

Imtiaz Dharker’s ‘Tissue’ is a difficult poem – there’s no way around it. So many of my students panic about it and have nightmares that it’s going to come up on the exam. Even teachers get stressed and worry whether they’re teaching it properly, I had a conversation once with a teacher who had been […]

Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes: Poem + Analysis

‘Bayonet Charge’ by Ted Hughes is a poem about the confusion and chaos of war, where the ideologies of countries, governments, and nations transfer to the individual soldiers who fight for them. These soldiers are forced to give up their lives for the sake of abstract beliefs such as honour and patriotism. The soldier in […]

Extract from The Prelude: Poem + Analysis

Below, you’ll find a poem and analysis of Wordsworth’s ‘Prelude’, specifically the ‘Extract’ about boating – rowing out on a mountain lake. What a strange poem! Wordsworth goes out at night by himself, steals a boat, and rows out onto a lake. He’s terrified by a mountain (?) and runs off home again. The experience […]

Farmhand by James K Baxter — Poem Analysis

Below, you’ll find a detailed analysis of James K Baxter’s poem ‘Farmhand. Youth, innocence, awkwardness and rural life — this poem encapsulates Baxter’s own experience as a young man living in New Zealand. Here’s a detailed breakdown of everything you need to know about the poem. It’s tailored towards the Edexcel IGCSE syllabus, but it’s […]

Robert Frost — A-Level Essay Questions

These essay questions are tailored towards A-Level style exams (CIE/Cambridge, AQA, OCR, CCEA, Edexcel, WJEC/Eduqas), but they’re suitable for students studying Robert Frost’s poetry at any level, from GCSE and IGCSE onwards. They are a mixture of close reading (close analysis) and comparative or wider reading — as most are theme-based, feel free to adapt […]

Desert Places by Robert Frost — Poem Analysis

Below, you’ll find a detailed analysis of the poem ‘Desert Places’ by Robert Frost. This is a poem that we can all connect within current times: it explores feelings of emptiness and loneliness, as well as the fear but also positive experiences that can come from being placed into a state of isolation. Frost’s poem […]

Rising Five by Norman Nicholson — Poem Analysis

Below, you’ll find an analysis of Norman Nicholson’s poem ‘Rising Five’. This poem is inspirational; it makes me stop and think about how to slow down and appreciate the beautiful moments in life when they happen, rather than rushing ahead to focus on the next thing. It’s simple and complex at the same time, harmonising […]

CIE / Cambridge IGCSE Poetry Anthology List

Below, you’ll find a list of the current CIE / Cambridge IGCSE English Literature Poetry Anthology (0475). These are for the 2020-2021 syllabus. This is a list of all the poems from Songs of Ourselves, Vol. Pt 3 that could come up on Paper 1 of the IGCSE English Literature exams. If you need help […]

Not Waving But Drowning by S. Smith — Poem Analysis

‘Not Waving But Drowning’ by Stevie Smith is a dark poem as you will notice in this analysis below, but with an uplifting message: We can all help each other through suffering and make a real difference in the world through empathy and support. I’ve written an analysis that’s tailored towards GCSE / IGCSE students […]

The Black Cottage by Robert Frost — Poem and Analysis

Below, you will find an analysis of ‘The Black Cottage’ by Robert Frost. This is such a complex and beautiful poem, it might be hard to understand at first but stick with it and you’ll find so many interesting ideas! I have to admit it confused me at first, but now I think it’s one […]