Year 10
English Literature
Classic Poetry Analysis
Master the art of literary analysis by exploring the themes and techniques of a classic poem from your region.
The Man from Snowy River
By A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson (1890)
"There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses — he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray..."
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses — he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray..."
The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost (1916)
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could..."
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could..."
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
By William Wordsworth (1807)
"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils..."
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils..."
Sonnet 18
By William Shakespeare (1609)
"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date..."
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date..."
Analysing the Form
Every poet uses structure and rhythm to create a mood. Look closely at the line length and the rhyme scheme in the poem above.
Imagery
Word pictures that paint a scene in the reader's mind.
Metaphor
Comparing one thing to another to find deeper meaning.
Rhythm
The "heartbeat" or musical flow of the poem.
Knowledge Check
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