1st Date – She and 1st Date – He (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Romantic 

relationships

The poem is written from first-person perspectives to present the intimate thoughts of the speaker(s)

Cope shows the intense emotions felt by the speaker(s) in the poem to show the powerful influence of romance

Each section, or perspective, is divided into stanzas that do not quite mirror each other:

• The perspective of “She” is four stanzas long

• The monologue from “He” is five

The poem’s form is mostly regular, but a slight imbalance conveys the troubled thoughts of the speaker(s)

Dramatic irony, created by hearing from the female before the male, shows misunderstandings on the date

Cope’s poem is an ironic examination of two speakers at odds with each other for no reason

Wendy Cope offers two monologues that present the private and similarly troubled thoughts of both a female and a male in a new relationship 

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Intense emotions

The poem follows a regular rhyme scheme of abcb to create a light-hearted tone

The child-like rhyme contributes to the comedic nature of Cope’s poem

Cope uses parallelism to reflect the similar thoughts of each speaker:

• Lines such as “wasn’t exactly a lie” are mirrored with “wasn’t exactly true”

By reflecting similar unspoken thoughts, Cope draws attention to the speakers’ misguided attempts to impress each other 

However, iambic tetrameter creates a fast pace to show their nerves:

• Moments of tension are created with caesurae

• For example in the lines: “Of rapt concentration. I see” and “And I’m a bit nervous. I see”

This device also presents their common experiences and suggests they are more alike than they think

While Cope illustrates the barriers created by miscommunication and posturing, she also suggests this hides common experiences that can create more honest and satisfying relationships

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Idealised love

The female speaker tries to impress upon her date that her “brow” is “acceptably high”:

• Later, ironically, the male speaker believes she may be too sophisticated for him, “out of my league”

Cope draws attention to the speaker’s desperation to appear more than what they are:

• However she shows that they have similar negative thoughts

Their monologues use sophisticated, sometimes archaic language to hint at their similar level of intelligence:

• They both use the word “thrilled” for example

• She uses the word “rapt” and he says “besotted”

Both the male and female speaker appear to have more in common than they think, which highlights how their unspoken words create invisible divisions between them

The poem conveys the barrier between them by alluding to a lack of clarity:

• While she is in the “half-dark”, he has put away his glasses and cannot read the programme

Cope mocks their misguided attempt to impress each other but shows them both as equally flawed and humble in their nervousness 

Wendy Cope presents a light-hearted examination of two people who build a wall between them unnecessarily 

Topic sentence

Both speakers describe idealised romantic relationships that create distance

Evidence and analysis

'1st Date – She & 1st Date – He'

'She Walks in Beauty'

Cope presents the intimate thoughts of two nervous speakers on a date who cannot voice their private feelings

Byron’s poem presents a muted speaker’s description of fascination or intense attraction

The setting of Cope’s poem is a “half-dark” classical music concert:

• The poem references classical composers, which raises the profile of their romance

• The speakers both think the other is more sophisticated than they are

Byron’s poem depicts a mysterious and romantic setting that elevates the idea of love: 

• The woman is compared to the night, and to “cloudless climes and starry skies”

• Although she is unknown, she is described as “all that’s best of dark and bright”

The speakers, though both excited by each other, cannot express their feelings:

• The male speaker must not appear “too besotted” by her “neckline”

• Though they are both “thrilled”, their thoughts remain unsaid

Byron similarly alludes to silent but strong emotions: 

• The woman is described with hyperbolic language:  “So soft, so calm” and “How pure, how dear”

Cope’s female speaker observes her date secretly: “his face it’s a picture/Of rapt concentration”:

• The male speaker watches her in the dark: “In that dress she is very attractive -/The neckline can’t fail to intrigue.”

Byron’s speaker similarly observes the woman without speaking to her: “Or softly lightens o’er her face;/Where thoughts serenely sweet express”

The poets elevate the idea of romance to the point that the speakers feel repressed in their expression of desire 

Topic sentence

While Cope’s poem mirrors two perspectives to show the common experiences shared by two people on a date, Byron’s poem hints at unrequited love 

Evidence and analysis

'1st Date – She & 1st Date – He'

'She Walks in Beauty'

The poem’s first-person perspectives show both a male and a female’s thoughts about each other on a date

However, Byron’s third-person description of an unnamed woman, “she”, suggests the love is not realised

The poem allows readers to get to know the two speakers on a personal level:

• The male speaker’s nervousness about his mistakes is comedic

• The female’s judgments are shown to be flawed

• The ironic tone gently mocks the speakers

Byron’s speaker, though, does not refer to themselves or their emotions, implying detachment: 

• Instead, the poem describes a woman as if someone is watching her, “And on that cheek, and o’er that brow”

Cope’s poem is a modern and fast-paced depiction of the anxiety surrounding a new relationship

Byron’s poem is a traditional, Romantic poem that idealises an unrequited love

Cope’s poem offers a balanced and intimate presentation of two speakers’ trivial concerns, whereas Byron’s poem depicts one speaker’s intense and distant admiration for a woman

Topic sentence

Both poems portray barriers in relationships as a result of miscommunication

Evidence and analysis

'1st Date – She & 1st Date – He'

'My Last Duchess' 

Cope presents parallel first-person monologues that show the way each speaker thinks about the other:

• The female speaker thinks “He is totally into this music/And quite undistracted by me” 

• While the male speaker thinks “I mustn't appear too besotted./Perhaps she is out of my league”

Browning’s dramatic monologue uses third-person pronouns similarly:

• It shows a Duke’s perspective on his last wife

• He says “She had/A heart—how shall I say?— too soon made glad”

However, the silence between the speakers, Cope implies, causes a barrier: 

• The male speaker says “So we haven’t had much time for talking/And I’m a bit nervous”

• This makes the female speaker feel ignored

Browning’s duke is similarly conflicted in his relationship:

• He perceives his marriage and his wife to be difficult

• He says he cannot communicate: “Even had you skill/In speech—which I have not—to make your will/Quite clear to such an one”

Both poems present silent relationships that lead to frustrations

Topic sentence

Both poems explore how cultural differences can lead to flawed relationships 

Evidence and analysis

'1st Date – She & 1st Date – He'

'My Last Duchess'

The speakers in Cope’s poem begin the relationship trying to impress each other with a love for classical music

Browning’s duke describes his paintings, gifts and statues in a bid to impress his wealth and status upon a guest

Cope depicts how the speakers’ attempts to appear sophisticated lead to divisions between them: 

• The female speaker hopes her “brow was acceptably high”

• They both try to think of something “clever to say” instead of getting to know each other 

Browning’s duke is angered that his wife did not appreciate his status, his “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name”:

• She, he says, preferred simpler things, such as being in his orchard

Cope’s ironic poem ends unresolved:

• The male speaker is left trying to think of something to say

• They are left trying to impress each other 

The dramatic monologue is similarly unresolved: 

• The Duchess is ignored

• The poem begins and ends with the duke’s dialogue to a guest about his wealth and status

Both poets convey how delusions of grandeur can create complex and frustrated relationships 

Topic sentence

Cope’s poem is a balanced and modern exploration of romantic relationships, while Browning’s poem is a dark dramatic monologue about control

Evidence and analysis

'1st Date – She & 1st Date – He'

'My Last Duchess' 

Cope’s poem is an unconventional poem that offers two separate perspectives on a date

Browning’s dramatic monologue, in which only the Duke’s voice is heard, conveys imbalance and control:

• Although the Duke addresses a silent listener they (“sir”) are not given an opportunity to reply

The light-hearted and humble portrayal of two individuals nervously starting a relationship is comedic:

• The iambic tetrameter and regular rhythm convey excitement and nervousness 

Browning, however, presents a sinister portrayal of a jealous husband:

• The voice is presented as unstable with questions, caesurae and exclamations 

Cope mocks the speakers’ trivial concerns with dramatic irony and parallelism: 

• They both express quiet frustration that the other is “quite undistracted by me”

On the other hand, Browning explores abusive control through the poem’s dark implications:

• The Duke “gave commands” to have his Duchess killed and “all smiles stopped together” 

While Cope shows two perspectives, a male and a female with equally worrying thoughts, Browning illustrates how an imbalance of power can lead to tragedy

Topic sentence

Both poems examine the troubled thoughts of individuals in romantic relationships

Evidence and analysis

'1st Date – She & 1st Date – He'

'i wanna be yours'

Cope’s speakers both convey their frustrations on the date:

• The speakers both imply frustration: “And quite undistracted by me”

• They are both tense, thinking of something “clever to say”

Cooper Clarke’s poem, too, conveys a speaker’s frustrated thoughts: 

• The poem’s repetitive phrasing “'i wanna be yours'” implies a desperate speaker

• The speaker urges, “I don’t care/'i wanna be yours'”

Cope illustrates confused feelings as a result of unrealised desire:

• The male speaker “mustn’t appear too besotted”

• He is intrigued by her “neckline” but worries she is “out of my league”

The poem begins with a speaker’s allusion to the chaos of love: “i wanna be your vacuum cleaner/breathing in your dust”:

• The list of requests that follows alludes to the speaker’s unrealised desires

Cope portrays the intense moment between the pair as overwhelming:

• The female speaker says “I couldn’t care less what they play”

• The male speaker asks “Where are we?” 

Cooper Clarke also portrays the speaker’s intense feelings with darker images: “let me be your raincoat/for those frequent rainy days”

By employing a regular rhythm, Cope’s poem is song-like, simple, and comedic in tone

Cooper Clarke’s poem is similarly light and lyrical, with a regular rhythm

In their unconventionally upbeat presentations of love, the poems both show the disturbing emotions felt by individuals within romantic relationships

Topic sentence

While Cope presents a balanced and light-hearted depiction of a date, John Cooper Clarke illustrates intense and obsessive love

Evidence and analysis

'1st Date – She & 1st Date – He'

'i wanna be yours'

The speakers in Cope’s poem are controlled and polite:

• The poem’s regular abcb rhyme scheme creates a constant rhythm

Cooper Clarke’s poem employs half-rhyme irregularly to convey an unstable speaker:

• Lines that rhyme, “rust” with “shots” or “coffee hot” and “coffee pot”, are imperfect

• The speaker sounds less than controlled, perhaps overwhelmed

The speakers in Cope’s poem repress their anxieties and dishonesty:

• The focus is on the concert and how they each pretended they loved classical music 

Cooper Clarke offers a presentation of a speaker’s unabandoned loyalty:

• The lines “take me with you anywhere/i don’t care” imply an obsessive love

Cope’s poem presents speakers who are unfamiliar with each other and awkwardly aloof:

• The male thinks about the “traffic” that “was dreadful this evening”

On the other hand, Cooper Clarke’s poem refers to a deep and passionate love: “I wanna be your setting lotion/hold your hair in deep devotion”

While the speakers in Cope’s poem are more concerned with the impression they are making on each other, Cooper Clarke’s speaker expresses an uninhibited declaration of commitment