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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Parades, Parades by Derek Walcott – Poem Analysis

Below you’ll find a detailed analysis of ‘Parades, Parades’ by Derek Walcott. I’ve been teaching Derek Walcott’s poetry recently for the Cambridge / CIE A Level Literature course (9095). Despite trawling through search engines, I’ve found barely any analysis of it anywhere — which is a crying shame because his poetry is so good! And […]

Ebb by Derek Walcott — Poem Analysis

In his poem “Ebb”, that is a subject of this analysis, Walcott explores the complex interconnected relationship between humans and nature in this poem, and what happens when it gets out of balance. I think this is very much a poem for modern times, with our ever-increasing concerns about environmentalism and preservation of the natural […]

Veranda by Derek Walcott – Poem Analysis

Bellow, you will find a detailed analysis of Derek Walcott’s poem ‘Veranda’. I’ve been teaching Derek Walcott’s poetry recently for the Cambridge / CIE A Level Literature course (9095). Despite trawling through search engines, I’ve found barely any analysis of it anywhere — which is a crying shame because his poetry is so good, but […]

The Death Bed – Siegfried Sassoon Poem Analysis

The Death Bed poem, as shown in picture.

Sassoon is highly regarded as one of the greatest poets of the First World War; being a soldier himself, he offers a personal account of the horrors and traumas he experienced whilst fighting in War. ‘The Death Bed’ is a chilling poem about a soldier who’s slipping into death, and his final living moments on […]

The Pains of Sleep by Samuel Taylor Coleridge — Poem + Analysis

Below, you’ll find an analysis of the poem ‘The Pains of Sleep’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge’s ‘The Pains of Sleep’ is not just about insomnia; it’s about feeling deep, spiritual anguish where the mind it too troubled by itself to be able to properly rest. More than the physicality of getting to sleep, Coleridge […]