How to Write a Grade 9 Poetry Anthology Essay (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Nick Redgrove
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
How to Write a Grade 9 Poetry Anthology Essay
To get a Grade 9 in the Poetry Anthology section of the exam, you need to know how to write an effective essay. In Section B, you are assessed on three assessment objectives in each question: AO1, AO2 and AO3.
Find out how to approach the exam question:
Exam skill 1: Developing an informed personal response (AO1)
Exam skill 2: Analysing form, structure and language (AO2)
Exam skill 3: Understanding the relationship between a text and its context (AO3)
Exam skill 1: Developing an informed personal response (AO1)
In both parts of Section B you are assessed on AO1. Assessment objective 1 requires you to show an understanding of the two anthology poems, maintain a critical style, present an informed personal response and use textual references to support your interpretations. Writing an “informed personal response” means offering your individual thoughts and feelings about the poems. A “critical style” means interrogating the poems, which means sharing your own unique insights, interpretations or any connections you draw from the poems.
Let’s look at the type of question you could be asked for the first question in Section B. The poem we will focus on is ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen. In this poem the speaker depicts the gruesome reality of war, challenging the notion that it is noble and honourable to die for one’s country. First, let’s read through the poem:
‘Dulce et Decorum Est’
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of gas shells dropping softly behind.
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime ... Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, − My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. |
The focus of our question will be on how Wilfred Owen writes about death in the poem. To demonstrate AO1 skills you could include some of these points in your response to this question:
AO1 comments | |
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Once you have identified points which address the question, you need to develop these into a fully developed response. Consider this model answer which develops some of these bullet points.
Question focus | Informed personal response (AO1) |
‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is a poem about death. How does Wilfred Owen write about death in the poem? | Wilfred Owen’s poem presents a harrowing depiction of death and suffering endured by soldiers during World War I [Very clear topic sentence sets out candidate’s argument (AO1)]. Owen’s awareness of the true horrors of war is evident in his graphic description of a soldier’s agonising death: “He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.” Here, Owen depicts the soldier's desperate struggle for breath which conveys the brutality of his death. The poet’s attitude towards war is one of utter condemnation, as he witnesses the “innocent tongues” of soldiers being corrupted by the “vile, incurable sores” of mustard gas. The suffering of the soldiers is revealed through Owen’s vivid imagery such as “blood-shod” feet and the way they trudge “bent double, like old beggars under sacks”. The dehumanising effects of war are depicted, leaving the soldiers “drunk with fatigue” and “blind”. [Examines the war’s dehumanising effects on soldiers with good use of evidence from the poem (AO1)] The poem challenges the concept of patriotism by exposing the stark contrast between the idealised image of war and its brutal reality. The idealised notion of dying for a cause is shattered by the poem’s focus on the soldier’s suffering. Rather than glorifying collective sacrifice, Owen focuses on the individual, which personalises the cost of war and undermines abstract concepts of honour and patriotism. [Considers Owen’s critique of traditional notions of war (AO1)] Owen starkly contrasts the glorification of war with its grim reality which conveys a disillusionment. The speaker directly addresses those who propagate these ideals and who promote war without understanding its true nature. [Provides an evaluative response by discussing how Owen underlines romanticised notions of war (AO1)] |
Examiners are looking for a personal judgement, with evidence, in the form of references and quotations, from throughout your text. Add your own interpretations and make sure all of your points are fully developed.
Exam skill 2: Analysing form, structure and language (AO2)
When analysing the form and structure of a poem, it’s essential to explore the reasons behind the poet’s selection of a specific form or structure and how these choices influence the poem’s meaning.
Form and structure
When writing about form, it is important to consider why the poet has chosen that particular form, and especially if they have altered the rules of that particular poetry form. If they have altered, or subverted, the form, then it’s especially important to ask why they might have done so. It is also useful to consider how the form reflects the theme of the poem.
When writing about structure, think about how the poem has been put together in its particular form. A poet might make use of structural devices such as juxtaposition, enjambment, caesura or stanza length for example, or the poem’s rhyme scheme and metre.
Let’s take a look at an example. The following poem is ‘Sonnet 43’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Here, the speaker conveys the many ways in which they love the addressee of the poem.
‘Sonnet 43’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Form and structure features | ||
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The examiner expects you to comment on how the poet uses form and structure for effect. Throughout your response, add your own interpretation and ensure that all of your points are fully developed. Consider this model answer which explores form and structure in Barrett Browning's poem.
Question focus | Analysis of form and structure (Grade 9) |
‘Sonnet 43’ is a poem about love. How does Elizabeth Barrett Browning present love in the poem? | Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem 'Sonnet 43' is used to convey ideas of romantic love. The traditional pattern of a Petrarchan sonnet, an octave and sestet with iambic pentameter, adds to the poem’s romantic nature. Following the traditional ABBA CDCDCD rhyme scheme, the poem’s regular and sophisticated structure contributes to the idea of constancy and harmony and lends a sincerity and intimacy to the declarations of love. While the theme of unity and equality is created by the regular rhythm, the repetitive listing can also suggest an urgent tone. The rhyme scheme breaks slightly with “faith” and “breath” and signifies the extent of their love. Here Barrett Browning gives the speaker a breathless voice to emphasise the passion in their declaration of love. [Explores the use of the sonnet form, rhyme and rhythm to create meaning (AO2)] Despite the poem’s urgent tone, Barrett Browning does not use exclamations. However, caesura gives the poem an assertive tone, such as in the first line. This is repeated in the emotional line: “Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose”. The poem is predominantly a direct address that offers a list of ways the listener is loved: it is written from a first-person perspective and the speaker expresses her deep love for her husband. Furthermore, as the poem progresses, Barrett Browning expresses the full extent of the speaker’s love. She initially uses everyday expressions of love but as the poem progresses more eternal concepts are explored. Indeed, the final couplet conveys the eternal and religious nature of the speaker’s love. [Explores the structure of the poem: progression of intensity in the poem in final couplet (AO2)] |
Exam skill 2: Analysing language (AO2)
Analysing language means that you consider the deliberate choices the poets have made to include specific words or phrases in their poems. Scan the poems and look for any repeated words, linked words, phrases, images, or any other connections that you can make in relation to language choices. Can you identify any particular vivid words or phrases, or any that stand out to you? Can you identify any emotive words? Can you find examples of imagery? How does the imagery help you to understand the ideas in the poems? What patterns can you see?
When commenting on words and phrases from the poems, consider why you think the poets have chosen that particular word to use. Being familiar with key literary terms can also help to support your analysis of the unseen poems. As an example, we will explore some specific literary techniques and consider Barrett Browning’s intentions using the same poem.
Language technique(s) | Quotes | Language comments |
“I love thee to the depth and breadth and height/My soul can reach” “childhood’s faith” |
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The examiner expects you to comment on how the poets use language for effect. Throughout your response, add your own interpretation and ensure that all of your points are fully developed. Review this model paragraph to see how to use literary terms in your analysis:
Question focus | Analysis of language (Grade 9) |
‘Sonnet 43’ is a poem about love. How does Elizabeth Barrett Browning present love in the poem? | Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem uses language that symbolises a boundless love that fills the couple’s life. The poem’s diction is both formal and elevated, reflecting the seriousness of the speaker’s emotions and it contributes to the solemn and reverent tone.The poem elevates the idea of love with hyperbolic lists: the speaker states “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height/My soul can reach” and also “I love thee with the breath,/Smiles, tears, of all my life”. This repetitive exaggeration conveys love as a force that permeates every moment and emotion of the speaker's life and conveys the overwhelming nature of love. [Analyses the use of hyperbolic listing and repetition to convey the overwhelming nature of love (AO2)] Barrett Browning also presents the speaker’s devotion to her husband as something that enriches her life. The speaker uses light as a recurring motif, “by sun and candle-light”, to illustrate the encompassing nature of the speaker’s love and as perhaps one that enlightens. Indeed, the poem contrasts different times of day “sun and candle-light” with stages of life “old griefs” and “childhood faiths” to suggest that the speaker’s love transcends time and remains constant. [Examines the use of light as a recurring motif (AO2)] Barrett Browning also uses numerous references to religious imagery, suggesting the speaker’s love is similar to religious devotion and they compare it with things that are universal and infinite. They describe the love as “pure” and they love with “childhood’s faith” that seems to be stronger than the love for “lost saints”. These concluding lines suggest the love will continue after death and, thus, makes it immortal. [Examines the use of religious imagery and the concept of immortality to explore the eternal nature of the speaker’s love (AO2)] |
Exam skill 3: Understanding the relationship between a text and its context (AO3)
It is important to keep in mind that all assessment objectives are equally weighted in the Poetry Anthology questions. This means that, for each of the two questions, a third of the marks are awarded for the exploration of context. In order to achieve all of these marks, you must integrate contextual comments throughout your response.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
It is important to remember the way in which texts are received and engaged with by different readers, at different times. When you consider context, you may wish to consider the similarities or differences within social and cultural contexts or the literary context of the poem, such as the particular literary movement or genre it belongs to, or follows. The historical setting, time and location of the text can also be significant and could form part of your response.
It is important that your approach to context illustrates how the ideas in the poems reflect or challenge literary, social, political or historical perceptions.
As an example, we will explore Owen’s poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ and consider some contextual points which could be included in your response to this poem.
Context | |
Critique of war propaganda:
| Owen’s authentic voice:
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Chemical warfare:
| Public perception of war:
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For a full model answer, see our Grade 9 answer.
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