Poetry: Prescribed Poems
What this domain tests
Poetry questions test whether you can move past paraphrase into interpretation: what the poem says, how it says it, and why the poet chose that way. Expect short context questions, figure-of-speech identification, and a paragraph asking for theme, tone or the significance of an image.
Core skills
- Separate the poet from the speaker. The speaker is a created voice.
- Name the figure precisely: simile (comparison using 'like' or 'as'), metaphor (direct substitution), personification, alliteration, oxymoron, hyperbole, irony.
- Link every figure of speech to effect. 'The city is a wound' is not just a metaphor; it makes the city feel damaged and in need of healing.
- Track structure: stanza length, rhyme scheme, refrain, line breaks and any turn in argument.
- Watch diction - a single loaded word often answers a two-mark question.
Worked example
Question: "How does the metaphor of a machine contribute to the poem's criticism of modern life?" Reasoning: a machine is repetitive, efficient but soulless; applying it to people suggests routine without feeling; the criticism is therefore about loss of individuality. Answer: "By describing people as parts of a machine, the poet suggests that modern life reduces them to repetitive, interchangeable units, so the criticism is aimed at the loss of individual feeling."
Traps that cost marks
- Retelling the poem instead of answering the question.
- Confusing the poet's views with the speaker's.
- Naming a figure of speech without explaining its effect.
- Ignoring a second instruction such as 'and justify your answer'.
- Quoting a line without integrating it into a sentence.