Implies money controls out lives, if the control was eased we could have more freedom, like a kite fluctuating in the wind but there’s the invisible string bringing you back to earth so its only an illusion of freedom. Money still has a hold on us and is important even if we think we’re free as always have responsibilities we are never free. We are controlled by governments and laws even though it’s a ’free’ country, so how can we get rid of the things that control us to have more freedom? If everything was temporary, we may have more freedom, and everyone would be able to make their mark out of vanity and pride. Highlights freedom and the illusion of freedom but we’ll always be brought back by responsibilities

Compare to Ozymandias- controlled by nature as the buildings we make are still impermanent we build out of pride highlighting our arrogance, but years later nature destroys it and still stands- conflict between humans and nature

Dharker was born in Pakistan but self-described as a ‘Scottish Muslim Calvinist’ she has elements of both religions and nationalities

Free verse reinforces lack of mans power, undermines their efforts as futile

Paper receipts record everything but decay and are impermanent, demonstrating how our lives and money is insignificant.

sound is the only thing she can grasp onto as a reminder of her son

childish lexis, sense of reminiscence, she reverts to his child-like ways in order to gain him back

sonnet form commonly used for love is ironic, disrupts the common rhyme sche,e to suggest ozymandias is in love with himself- the subversion of the sonnet form represents the decay and breakdown of both Ozymandias' power and the civilisation he ruled

sonnet in iambic pentameter using rhyme gives it weight and a serious tone

irregular rhyme scheme breaks away from sonnet form, implies poetry can defy tradition giving way to new power and no matter what rules you try to impose on people they will eventually be broken and crumple, representing his temporary rule

checking out me history- shows the corrupt power of british and french imperialism, celebrates education and bring to light forgotton history (memories bring to light forgtton history and educate both sides who fear different cultures but we're actually more similar than we think), celebrates poetry as a form of protest and a way to acquire political power or gain social change(tissue is a metaphor for the paper dharker wrote the poem on, directly a celebration of poetry and asks for personal change which would lead to cultural change), explores the immigrant experence and asks for greater acceptance (part scottish/indian both heritage and culture yet feels an outsider in both places)

arrogant decleration, criticises leaders and their ideas of themselves, suggests he views himself as omnipotent

imperatives convey his arrogance, talking to Gods and mocking them implying he believes he is immortal (egyptian Pharoahs were considered Gods on earth)

irony in the structure placing it after his grandiose claim emphasises its emptiness, the shorter sentence is powerful and encapsulates the finality of his reign- for all his bluster nothing is there, contrasting the quiet confidence of mother nature and its superiority

he comissioned the statue himself so wanted to be portrayed like this, he was not a benevolant ruler, clearly wanting people to be scared of him to deter people from taking away his power, he was arrogant and proud and the harsh sounding alliteration foregrounds his cruelty

the sculptor must have had the intention to please the king by modelling him but it was inevitable that his cruelty would show due to it being an inextricable part of him

Shelly has gone against the standard Petrarchan sonnet rhyme scheme and made his own form, asserting his own individuality which was celebrated by Romantic poets at the time

different types of alliteration creates harmonious image of infinite nature contrasting with the pharoahs brutal and short lived regime

alliteration slows the line down making him seem barren and bare as human existance is irrelevant, alliterations demonstrate the vast, unending power of the desert and contrasts and belittles the limited power of man

the desert lays monotonous and featureless, no sign of his legacy

the statue stands 'far away' where it stands so insignificant and unrecognised that only travellers know it exists even though Ozymandias tried so hard

none of his power remains, symbolic of how political power doesn't last- published in 1818 just after the Napoleonic wars- a dictatorship

written in dialect shows his opposition to 'dem' (them) but he is overcoming them (british society) by naming them in his own way, conveying his belief his protest will triumph

the opening uses a very childish rhyme a,a,a,a which is very repetitive and basic all the way through which is perhaps restrictive, reflective of his life in britain

as he starts talking about afro carribean histroy the form changes to become more like free verse, the rhymes occur more quickly and unpredictably- emphasising personal freedom linked to cultural freedom. He is contrasting the freedom when exploring his real past culture, to the restriction of living in brtain's limited view of history, reflected in the limited rhyme

no punctuation, enjambment makes a stream of consciousness, overflowing sentences imply the speaker is attempting to express too much emotion to be constrained to one line, highlighting how much he cares about this and how it has impacted on him as a person

rhyme scheme links white and black history, Agard is trying to end the segregation through literary unification

rhyme is all the same making the next line predictable and creates a mocking effect with childish assonance on each line

semantic field of childhood implies he feels he has lost his childhood and is stuck in the past without knowing where he came from therefore doesn't feel he can move forward (being kept ignorant is disabling)

hey diddle diddle nursery rhyme is taught in schools, it is silly and nonsensical yet we aren't taught about important history

celebrates poetry as a form of protest and a way to acquire political power or create social change

explores the immigrant experence and asks for greater acceptance

parts in italic are song like with a rhythm that suggests stories passed down in song or to a beat. This emphasises that it is not just his story, but the way it is passed on, which is a part of the poet's identity

internal conflict in the struggle for individual freedom in search for his genuine truth

transcience of history- uncertainty of reality and the 'truth' we tell

eventually we will become paper (tissue)- mortality, recorded in history

remarks how nothing is meant to last, so don't hold too tightly to it and be willing to let everything go

extended metaphor of paper for recording history but contrasting its fragility with the longevity of paper

the speaker has a clear sense of fondness for the place, but the underlying threatening tone suggests perhaps the relationship with the past and this place is not necessarily positive for her

exact location of the city is unclear, precise details are sparse, perhaps only existed in the speaker's imagination

power of place- the city may now be war torn but nothing can shake the light filled impression of a perfect place the speaker's memories have left

The poet bases many of the ideas on examples of emigration from countries like the Middle East where people are fleeing corruption and tyranny.

distant past, place has been forgotten as if clinging to a memory of home so it has been idealised and is likely unrealistic

The lack of a consistent line structure or rhyme reflects the speaker’s confusing feelings about the city, could encapsulate the still uncertain understanding of the speaker about her city

violent adjective 'branded' is torn with ambiguity: it is a sign of being owned, and a way of marking out as having a particular bad or shameful quality, yet it is a violence she is proud of, wanting to hold onto this image as she cannot shake off this memory of a gorgeous sunlit city, even as an adult when she realises it is 'sick with tyrants'

metaphor of beauty, colour and solidity highlights the value of memories, also a metaphor of preservation, its beauty shows the vulnerability of her memories and susceptibility to breakage

the paperweight may hold her back from new experiences and memories so in her mind she is stuck in the war torn past, but has twisted these into happy memories to maintain control and sanity

establishes a fantastical tone to highlight the fact that the place described is a memory rather than reality, shows how the place she remembers is romanticised by the idealism of youth and was never as perfect as the way she depicts

emphasises unreliability of the memory as the caesura creates a pause implying how the speaker has to stop and gather her thoughts before continuing with the story

'the emigree' 2 contrasting languages already from the title establishes the idea of conflicting cultures and identities

juxtaposes negative connotations of 'branded' with positive connotations of 'sunlight', shows how her love for her country will
always overrule any feelings of pain caused by it

demonstrates that no matter what she
hears in the news, the speaker will always have a positive view of her city.

deep sense of internal conflict between her emotions and memory, she is torn between her childhood memory and her adult understanding. The city can be an extended metaphor for memories and growth in general, progression from childhood to maturity

metaphor is connected to paper, as Rumens recreates the city on paper by writing the poem, oxymoron- the memory has weight even though it's only made of paper, the weight that is paper is the poem itself as the poem encapsulates all her memories

asks us to imagine what its like not in your home country or to have been displaced, wanting people to be more welcoming

explores memory as a creative lie- these false memories feel to her more true than reality, optimistic poem

rumens was born in london and the poem doesn't reflect her own history, but bases it on many modern examples of people fleeing places such as Russia and the middle east to escape corruption, tyranny and dictatorship

3 equal end stopped stanzas with regular line lengths contribute to calm, measured tone despite the emotive content, all end with the noun 'sunlight'

enjambment creates a flowing pace to the work of a narrative speaker

confused metaphor linked with positive natural images her view of the city is idyllic

Emigree cannot reconcile the past and the present identities contrasting with tissue trying to rebuild them in a new form. The soft tactile language of tissue and the warm sunlight in emigree representing the hope while the 'dark' and 'black' ideas represent the darker sides in these memories or global identity

Checking out me History uses rhythm and tone to create a very strong sense of tone and pace, this can contrast sharply with the way emigree has a very loose structure and no real rhyme to portray the speaker being lost in her past while checking out me history seems to have built a strong identity

celebrates poetry as a form of protest and a way to acquire political power or gain social change, emigree protests the way we discriminate against immigrants who come here because of war

both explore the immigrant experience and the difficulties faced by migrants fleeing corrupt political systems and ask for greater acceptance

form- interweves the childlike nursery rhyme to discredit the british voice, and the free verse to have an afrocarribean voice

asks for tolerance and cultural and religious understanding, equality for all people (cultures shes left and the culture shes moved to)

explores importance of family and family history, the emigree is notably alone and a child, lost her family either orphaned or her parents left in her country unable to leave together

both poets deal with the idea of childhood and a child's reaction to power

'some distant, sun stunned, sand smothered land or six feet under in desert sand' poetic description of iraq, sibilance makes it sound like a peaceful and beautiful place but is also unreal, actually describing a personified land that has been murdered. Gives the impression of a sinister dream/nightmare-like state. Armitage uses imagery to suggest how iraq has been smothered by british and american forces, stunned by the effects of war, have we liberated it or have we made the country worse?

there are no sounds in this poem, perhaps an effect of the drug and drinking, he has managed to dull his senses but is left with the visual images which he can't get rid of, degeneration of the speaker's mind ('I see' repeated)

his sense of sight is attacking him, he doesn't see his bloodstain, only the shadow- which follows him around like shadows.

his body is the personification of pain- his actions and their consequences are vivid in his mind

Metaphor for the memory of the man and events. Blood connotes death, shadow suggesting a lingering memory

theme of conflict directly set in a warzone but also looks heavily at after effects of conflict and long term effcts on the people involved

the soldier's power over life and death, the power he abused, but also the power over their own memory and experiences with mental health and morality

conflict within himself- the way he sees these events and how they affect him, also how he tries to maintain control by trivialising the whole experience. He appears numb to the horror of war- horrific images juxtaposed to the casual nature of his speech using slang and cliches, conflict in his mind shows an avoidance of the reality of what happened which haunts him

The colloquial language which detracts from the violent imagery, the juxtaposition between the graphic events and the mundane and dehumanising language which describes it.

In My Last Duchess the noble and proud accent of the Duke is at odds, and therefore conflict, with his greedy cruel nature demonstrated within the actual events which occur in the poem. In contrast Remains uses a very general and familiar accent to hide the inner suffering and pain the soldier is experiencing, it is also used to undermine the horrific nature of the conflict taking place, while this has some similarities to my last duchess, we see the soldier here as a victim

makes a political point that soldiers are not looked after, makes us sympathise with soldiers

explores effects of conflict, but while remains focuses on the devastating effects on the soldier, war photohrapher focuses on the lack of effect on the public and how the photographer feels about this

remains uses enjambment between the stanzas, war photographer uses end stopping

both poets use sibilance and alliterative effects aswell as strong imagery to create a sense of panic, disorder and to highlight the violence of war and conflict

Duffy uses internal rhyme whereas Armitage uses colloquial language, both to highlight a casual attitude towards war and suffering

personification gives the bullets agency, they seem to act violently on their own accord

the bullets puncture the air and the image of 'smacking' refers to the winded feeling the soldier has as he runs for his life across the field

simile creates a dual meaning: he could feel numb to the pain he has to cause with the rifle, he could have literally smashed his rifle into his arm in his panic. Highlights both the soldier's inexperience and trauma at what he has had to do in the war. Irony- a smashed arm that was broken would be incredibly painful, not numb- as if he's turned off the pain as the trauma has led him to derealise.

simile, cruel violent death of a hare to show how nature is damaged and ruined by war unnecessarily

the 'threshing circle' is a farming term but has connotations of violence and destruction. Threshing gives us sustenance by harvesting the wheat, but also sorts the wheat from the chaff leaving the rest of the plant as rubbish, in the same way the hare itself becomes rubbish and so does the man watching it happen if he gets killed he simply becomes another victim, another useless plant that is feeding the war

harsh consonnance 't' sounds like a countdown or ticking time bomb, emphasises adrenaline rush and almost animal like reactions

highlights reality of conflicts and the sheer fear and terror felt by soldiers

highlights damage to both humans and nature that war and conflict can cause

semantic body parts with 'belly' and 'smashed arm' blurs the line between weapon and man by dehumanising the soldier and personifying the weapons

juxtaposed ideas of patriotic tear, a beautiful and noble thing full of emotion contrasted with molten iron which further dehumanises the soldier and likens him more to a tank or machine

listing of the key motivations for war emphasises that here and now they are second to the rush of the battle, everything that may have caused him to sign up no longer apply, the only thing on his mind is survival

'etcetera' makes it seem irrelevant and vague, they don't matter like they used to, he is sick of being told about it as all that is left is the basic human instinct to survive, nothing else matters. Devalues the other items in the list, undermines their impact with dismissive 'etcetera' shows his only priority now is survival and self preservation

uses simile common of war poems to create analogy, important in war poems as whats being described is outside our common experience so hughes has to find a way to make us understand

the horror of war is not conveyed by the men he sees being killed around him, he notices the suffering of nature

metaphor also implies nature is being attacked by the bullets, war becomes unnatural- a crime against nature

'yellow' has connotations of cowardice, perhaps reflects fear of the soldier, or the cowardice of the politicians and nations which have sent these young men to die in their place

hare acts as a warning by jolting him out of his own panic and is a metaphor for the soldier's trapped in war

symbolism- 'tear' is a homonym, suggests he is torn away from his patriotism, no longer feeling patriotic

the hare represents not only nature but all the men, no men around him are described as dying in the poem, but of course they are being killed. It is only the plight of this hare that has caught his attention as though the killing of real men has no impact on him as he's seen it thousands of times, is totally dehumanised as he no longer has any human feelings

onomatopeaic sound created thrugh the sibilance and alliteration of the bullets being fired and the rush of the bullets going by

also explores patriotism, suggests it is an illusion and the soldiers are dying for no reason

focuses on hardships of war which are dehumanising, make us sympathise with the soldiers

shows the british and the public are unprepared for the reality of war and that soldiers are dying needlessly- the soldier is inexperienced and underprepared to be there

how war creates nihilism (despair that life is pointless) echoes in symbols of civilisation (king, country, honour) the soldier sheds

fast paced listing mirrors the rapid shift from inaction into action

also a soldiers first world war experience, but written later and no from personal experience

exposure has a more formal stanza structure, modern bayonet charge employs more enjambment and less repetition and rhyme

the change in tone is used to show the sinister undertones and power struggle in the relationship, he is the only one truly at conflict here

Comprised of 4 stanzas, of 6 lines each with a subtly complex but regular rhyme scheme: the 2nd & 3rd, and 5th & 6th line rhyming. The rhyming couplets also give a concise, neat structure - suggesting constraint and formality - perhaps replicated in the quiet sobriety of the war photographer. The rhyme scheme imposes order into the chaotic world or war that the war photographer works in, as he tries to organise his mind, but also the order he is giving to the chaos in the photos. Perhaps also the almost mechanical process he is going through and putting that distance between himself and the context

conflict in war- horrors explored through 'blood stained' or 'cries' of a wife and the imagery

the survival of passions and emotions where material things cannot

• Shelley gives a voice to the nobody - someone who was often forgotten in literature - he could have easily written the traveller out - suggests the importance of artists layering their interpretations on top of one another over the initial reality

• game of telephone - Ozymandias, immortalised in a statue - unknown sculptor - unknown traveller - poet - reader

• 'who said' - reported speech creates distancing effect - Shelley uses the 'traveller' to distance himself from any direct criticism of the monarchy/government

• creates distance from the statue - his fame and power has disintegrated so much that the reader hears about it third-hand

• 'antique land' - it is not named but is most likely Ancient Egypt

• 'antique' - metaphor for Ozymandias' power - old and forgotten

• the rest of the poem is a quotation - the speaker is barely present letting the traveller take over - makes the poem feel like a legend

• emphasises the importance of both oral words and written ones - oral: the poem wouldn't exist without the speech of the traveller - written: the words on the sculpture have lasted throughout time where other parts of the statue haven't

owen tried to show the truth of conditions to people back home, the weather and extreme conditions was not the type of danger and suffering people expected the british soldiers to be dying of

shows a culture can abandon life and glorify death, Owen complains about this

shows after effects of war on those who participate in it, exposure is during the war but also owen suffered from shellshock after

exposes the after effects of war on individuals participating in it- PTSD and shellshock

makes a political point that soldiers are not looked after, makes us sympathise with soldiers

supports patriotic propoganda, promotes the cult of the warrior and death as a noble sacrifice, contrasts exposure

questions the role of the media in perpetuating or preventing war

explores damaging effect of war on those who report in it- affects everyone involved

both use sibilance to create sound effects which highlight the violence and pain evident in these poems

internal rhyme between 'tears' and 'beers' which makes the line seem jolly. This is ironic because the readers should feel shock/horror. Duffy contrasts this by iterating that their eyes only "prick" with tears - conveys that the tears don't completely form. Duffy is angry, their tears are meaningless and this is a small pause in their life, not of worth to them

'half formed ghost' references the image forming in the solution. The use of 'ghost' creates semantic field of death, reminding the reader that the person in the photo is likely dead. Shifts focus from death to the living - 'the man's wife'. Verb 'cries' may be positioned at the end of the line to emphasise the pain the wife felt. The photographer then contrasts this, and refers to himself as he 'sought approval' to photograph while the wife 'cries' for her husband, who is about to be executed.

poem begins in trochaic metre (the 1st syllable is stressed), which changes to iambic pentameter in the next line to unsettle the reader with its changing of rhythmic dialect.

written in iambic pentameter (contrasts previously line in trochaic metre - unsettling). "Spools of suffering" - each photo conveys suffering. Sibilance with the 's' sounds - a sinister sound. Suggests that not only are the photos sinister, but what he does is sinister (he is a public observer of the horrific photos, but does not interfere). Photos being set out in "ordered rows" is an allusion to death, a suggestion of graves or bodies - the semantic field is a graveyard.

1st line - trochaic, 2nd line - iambic (unsettling again). Plosive 'p' sounds ('priest preparing') - threatening, perhaps reminding how people have died.

Moral dilemma - did the photographer take the photo to reiterate the horrific nature of war, or is there a voyeurism - an intrusion on private grief.

written in 3rd person as a narrative, leading us through the photographer processing his photos, helps to create a sense of detachment or even cynicism about what this action reflects, that people suffer and lose lives and the end result to us is a few pictures chosen for the newspapers

The poem comes from Duffy’s friendship with Don McCullin and Philip Jones Griffiths, two well-respected photographers who specialised in war photography.

Duffy is fascinated by what makes someone do such a job, and how they feel about being in situations where a choice often has to be made between recording horrific events and helping

The central moral dilemma is that the photographer makes money out of people's deaths. Does he profit off their death, or does he try and prevent further suffering?

the scenes in his negatives are compared to 'agonies', powerful noun conveying the pain of conflict

colour imagery that they are in 'black and white' makes them seem merely factual or simplified, suggesting that their pain is not given enough recognition because a still black and white image cannot begin to describe their suffering or what the photographer saw and experienced around him in full colour, in real time and with hearing aswell

Duffy uses biblical illusion 'all flesh is grass' - a metaphor that is frequently used to excuse death, implying that we are all born to die, and should not complain about death. Given that Duffy may have previously questioned death, the reference "all flesh is grass" is a travesty - as it suggests that life on Earth does not matter (given the perpetrators reason to continue killing).

The nonchalance tone within the line may also suggest that the photographer is no longer shocked by death - no matter the scale (although he may want his readers to react with pain).

Metaphor "priest preparing to intone a mass" is ironic, as the photography is merely recording death, with no mention of heaven or holy references. May also be ironic because Duffy could suggest that God does not exist - for mass slaughter occurs too frequently.

both have suffered from effects of the war, which has led to psychological damage - which is particularly prominent in remains.

Both poems explore the mental damage that war can have and the haunting memories of war, as well as physical destruction.

both experienced war- but one is perspective of soldier, one of just the war photographer

both poets wrote it from talking to other people about it, not first hand accounts

both portray perspectives that are external to the conflict, but experience feelings of conflict/grief themselves.

Duffy does not specify a particular war that the poem is based upon - it was written and published in 1985, and so could refer to any modern war where photos were published. Duffy makes a generalised point about the nature of journalism - how much should be recorded, & how moral it is to intrude on others' grief? Also finding the irony that such stark evidence of war is published and yet humans do little to prevent/help. May also be referencing psychological damage in compassion fatigue. The war photographer has seen so much, his job appears almost routine for him.

conflict of the war photographer as he grapples with what he does for a living: 'impassively' photographing 'running children's' 'agonies' in the 'nightmare heat' of war

both poets highlight the sometimes casual and uncaring attitudes towards conflict- Duffy by using internal rhyme whereas Armitage has used examples of colloquial language

both use imagery and metaphor, as well as alliterative effects to create a sense of panic, disorder and highlight the violence of war and conflict

Symbolism of "dark room" - suggests that the photographer's purpose is "dark", perhaps questioning his moral purpose. Is he a 'dark' person, or just capturing 'dark' events?

He is "finally alone" suggests relief that he is by himself, perhaps he dislikes humanity (he presumes men cannot be good because of what he sees at war?), or suggests he is constantly haunted by his experiences, and this allows him to escape

juxtaposition of the idea of the church with the warzones listed, also emphasises the scale of horror he has seen

personal pronoun 'he' emphasises a namelessness, that he is one of many, but also a sense of detachment and guilt in the tone

metaphor shows the still faint origins of the photo but also implies that the subject may well now be dead

pun of dark humour- it is black and white in the newspapers, but also emphasises the morality- war is black and white

Although the photographer 'sought approval' for the photo to be taken, it has not had the desired impact in transforming the reader's opinions of war. Instead they figuratively wash it out with a bath, and become jolly while drunk on beer. Duffy may suggest that the readers are aware of suffering, and may even have to sedate their conscience with alcohol - as they distance themselves from the horror in the foreign lands. Despite the photographer's efforts, they have little impact on the readers - who ignore, the images only affect them for a short while and their lives continue as normal, unlike the victims of war in the photographs (and the ones who don't even get recognised by photographs- dying alone and unacknowledged).

Ultimately, Duffy may convey the photographer's life as a tragedy. He is no longer able to feel in response to the suffering, is alone in his "dark room" - but his reward is that still no one pays attention to his efforts to raise awareness. Suspended between both worlds belonging in neither as he is ridden of his ignorance.

conflict between the warzone and 'rural england', trying to emphasise how out of touch people are about the truth of warm and how it is more a business or bit of gossip rather than life changing and destructive

old style film is very sensitive to lght, so must be done in a dark room lit with red light. The photo is developed using chemicals which slowly bring out the photo and then is hung to dry. This creates a sinister atmosphere with red light surrounded by hanging photos and chemical smells

rhyming couplets convey his bitterness and regret to highlight his difficulty dealing with the experiences

ordered structure reflects the precision of his job which contrasts strongly with the chaos of his experiences

trivialises the suffering, only momentarily evokes pathos but we remove ourselves from the horror because of the photo barrier, they don't convey the full horror of war- apathy of the media

seamus heaney was an irish poet, he grew up in a farming community and many of his poems use agricultural and natural images as metaphors for human nature

blank verse no rhyme scheme but in iambic pentameter that looks effortless and is at first unnoticeable, reflecting how the British imposed their control onto the Irish

lack of full rhyme and enjambment gives it a very conversational tone, with asides 'you know what i mean' , perhaps emphasises how isolated he is, the need to speak to someone, anyone, us, but he is on his lonely island, so he writes it down instea

present tense suggests the storm is occuring now and continuously

oxymoron, striking and unusual dsecription as it seems contradictory, suggests this is something it has done before and will do again. Perhaps suggests because the violence is far off you feel more secure

simile makes it seem threatening and untrustworthy, they are at nature's mercy and reinforces the sea as the enemy

could be a metaphor for the political storm that raged across northern ireland in the second half of the twentieth century, the storm pummelling the island could represent the violence during the Troubles

appeals to senses as it can be visualised and imagine the sound of

powerful violent verb 'bombard' and image of combat, attacked by an invisible threat reinforces unpredictability of attacks and powerlessness to defend against the elements

juxtaposes fear with safety- even the sea which was once calm can quickly turn violent and dangerous, reality vs misconception- the sea is the enemy no matter how enticing it looks, heaney points out to us how little we actually know

uses a very familiar image to describe something that is powerful and majestic, undermining the strength of the weather, suggesting it is only scary if we choose to let it be

rough and rural language gives the speaker an agricultural tone

one single stanza could represent the strong buildings, long confusing sentences shows overwhelming aspects of nature and NI conflict

semantic field of warfare through military language 'salvo', 'strafe', 'bombarded', it is a warzone attacking relentlessly- it is a battle between humans and nature that humans can't even join because they know they will never win, implies mans powerlessness. Heaney draws comparisons with the wind and human aircraft, suggesting they are only what we make them

in exposure they have given up and are ready to die, but SOTI they choose to live there and stay, even if they cannot leave they choose to fight for their home and homeland, they are prepared with little doubt

caesuras slows down, conveys the speakers self-reflection on this idea, he realises they fear something they cannot see nor control therefore their fear is futile

oxymoron suggests our fear is a paradox, maybe there is nothing to fear or perhaps we fear the nothingness of the invisible wind, perhaps it is so common it doesn't scare us anymore, could be the fear of losing everything and having nothing

left ambiguous, there is more to say but it is left for the reader to question

heaney was an irish catholic, religion played a huge part in his life. He humbles the weather into very human terms unlike other poems which fear its might, he is also humbling the idea of God, reducing his power into a 'huge nothing'. The suggestion of fear is that power is only there if you let the other thing scare you. Behind his walls and well prepared, he doesn't need to fear and so the weather (and God) lose power

conflict between nature and man and people's fear of the weather, but heaney point out the fears are rather small in the grand scheme, also uses the military like weather to hint at war and conflict

the cottage represents safety and calm and behind its walls the violence of the weather is undermind, reflecting conflict between nature and man

his suggestion of fear challenges the allocation of power, that we only give power to what we fear if we let it

The Troubles is a euphemism for assassination and bombing begun by the IRA in an effort to liberate northern ireland from british and protestant control, began in 1968. The poem was written in 1966, almost prescient, anticipating the oncoming violence

'Storm On The Island' is a pun of Stormont, Stormont Castle is a mansion on the Stormont estate in belfast, the parliament of the northern Ireland executive

the sea is exploding, because the main method of attack by the IRA was through bombing

suggests the ultimate power of the storm is that is is an unknown quantity, no one knows what the wind will do and what each storm will bring

plosives emphasise how hostile the island is 'blows', 'blast', 'branches'

alliterative fricatives 'fear forgetting' mimics the bearing of the teeth, an evolutionary tool when we bare our teeth we look most dangerous

some half rhymes and internal rhymes 'hits', 'spits', 'cliffs' is unsettling, something is not right in the society mimiced in the way the poem feels wrong

both first person, neither in stanzas, prelude gets rids of form to find greater freedom liberated from the church, celebrating pantheism, a God surrounding us everywhere in his natural works

heaney was catholic but perhaps suggests there is no God 'great nothing' atheistic poem, contrasts Wordsworth's view of pantheism, the power and deity in nature that is everywhere

suggests the causes of conflict are baseless, that the two sides should find peace (idea of them fearing nothing, stormont)

questions the assumption that conflict is natural, because it has become a way of life through historical accident- protests the way people accept the conflict and do nothing

poetry of the romantic movement, it is a revelation, an epiphany, what Wordsworth called 'spots of time'

set in the lake district at night where Wordsworth grew up, descriptions of the lake reflect the romantic movement's love of the natural world. Considerable attention is paid to the night sky, whether above the boat, or reflected on the water, which creates a sense of openness and isolation. The sense of space and sheer size of the open water and sky enables Wordsworth to create a greater shock when the peak seems to rise up and the experience suddenly becomes threatening

focuses attention on small details to demonstrate the beauty in tiny things, adverb 'idly' emphasises how nature is beautiful in an effortless way

the peak is personified to demonstrate the physical power of nature in a more forceful way, supported by the repetition of 'huge' and the speaker's frightened reaction. Being on your own enhances and amplifies these negative experiences, excacerbating the loneliness

first person viewpoint conveys the story directly and enables the reader to empathise with the speaker

continuous personification of nature from 'led by her' to the 'huge peak' which is presented as a threatening 'it'

the poem is in the epic tradition, telling of an adventure, using fantastical language that fits this form like 'elfin pinnace' and 'upreared'

blank verse and frequent enjambment echo the easy and natural flow of memories

semantically peaceful language creates an idyllic and peaceful scene

translated as 'fairy boat', a metaphor for the now heated mood of the poet, elves were often viewed as lustful

similie reminds us that anything man tries to produce is merely imitating and copying nature which will always do it naturally better

volta- shift in tone, language becomes darker and dangerous. The mountain is personified 'with purpose of its own', nature is shown as aggressive

romantic poets wrote about the world we live in which challenged people and the way we thought at the time, epic poems were common

conflict between man and nature is caused by mans ability to manipulate nature, yet nature still contains a power and majesty beyond mankind's ability to command

the journey of the boat during the poem represents a more spiritual journey and it bcomes more rough and hostile along the way. At firsy nature is at peace with the poet, later as it gets darker and he tries to reach the horizon it becomes harsh and predatory, putting man back in his place

iambic pentameter gives it a consistent pace, as the journey becomes rougher towards the end repeated connectives like 'and' give it a breathless pace and feel

the mountain is like a great angry entity and represents the full might and power of nature, it seems to take offense at the poet going too far or too 'lustily'

it is structured to show the contrast of the serene and peaceful start where he works with nature, to the dark and disturbing battle with nature shown from when he tries to control his journey through rowing

the feminine view of nature suddenly changes to the huge mountain, feels more masculine, along with 'grim', 'towered up', 'strode after me'

calm beautiful imagery of elegance presents his sense of power whilst rowing

nature has been robbed of everything he associates with nature, black and white world devoid of pleasure

shift in language use from figurative and expressive language has lost him, shows his shock reverts him to simplistic descriptions, highlights impact mountain has on the speaker, realised in an instant that humans aren't powerful

repetition and rule of 3 of 'no' shows how the speaker's initial pride has vanished, he is not confident of what he knows, can only explain in terms of what he does not know

the speaker has misguided notions of human power, learns that natre is truly powerful

how the human mind works- its a whole journey of confidence and fear but nothing actually happens to him

explores effects of one moment on the mind, but prelude is strongly influenced by romanticism

both use first person viewpoint and some colloquial language but the voice in remains is more modern and colloquial

mankind is small compared to power of nature, atheistic 'great nothing that we fear' whereas prelude is pantheistic

it has many private and personal experiences, deep images and symbolisms in it because he kept it and kept working on it for decades without publishing it it was simply written for himself to explore his own ideas

Metaphors create negative connotations, claustrophobic connotations. Shredded or eaten up by bullets. Impression of no escape once entering, alludes to story of Roman soldier, Curtius who rode horse into mouth of hell and killed sacrificially.

Fricatives and sibilance emphasise brutality. Violent imagery compared to guns, they are worthless. Dooms the charge straight away highlighting the lack of power and individualism of soldiers - cannot even choose to save themselves

Keeps his anonymity focuses on bravery of soldiers despite of a blunder. kept nameless to focus on British greatness and notion of herosism; not only about bravery, but duty and willingness to obey orders unconditionally

Biblical illusion, psalm 23. When in valley of death, don’t fear death as god is with you. Such a slim chance of survival, it had not been luck that a few survived, promotes protection of God, he is on side of British. Could also be criticism that higher ranks should’ve protected light brigade who were forced to engage in dangerous conflict due to low status.

Implies some doubts in soldier’s minds. Brief questioning, before returning to fixed mindset, don’t hesitate. Effect of propoganda and glorification of patriotsm ridding of human instinct.

Rhetorical question alludes to poem being propaganda. Lives need to be lost for world to appreciate sacrifice, seen as patriotic even with error. Glorification of war, lives forever in history as they are immortalised by respect

Triplets drive poem forward. Break in rhyme represent stumble of horses/falling soldiers. Invites audience to question why without criticizing military. Lack of regular rhyme represents chaos of war. Repetition, anaphora reiterates soldiers obedience. Highlights soldiers lack of individualism. ‘and’ emphasises death is inevitable duty and patriotism important – suicide mission. ‘Theirs’ repetition emphasise their position in military hierarchy, job to execute order without hesitation, showing exemplary soldiers

Repetition + metonymy [replacing name ‘light brigade’ with 6hunderd] suggest hundreds were killed but also that the charge against Russians faced impossible odds, mindset was fixed on the suicide mission. Death was nearly inevitable, but they followed orders. Height of heroism

Thrusts into action, establish tense atmosphere. Repetition of distance creates sense of exposure and vulnerability – pounding feet of a charge and also reflects the pack mentality of a group of people charging. could also mirror shout of military command . Conscious continuation of riding to their suicide.

• Dactyls 3 syllables, only first of which is stressed. Cheerful tone/songlike, celebratory tone highlights the glorious sacrifice, their lives traded for eternal glory [immortalised by society]. Light hearted beat feels wrong, pointing out irony of own poem, celebrating extraordinary bravery of men but death/sacrifice utterly pointless. Also mirror rhythm of horse running and no choice but to run, blindly obeying orders. He may be subtly criticizing the strength of patriotism on mentality of soldiers completely dehumanises and strips of individualism, mindset programmed similar to robot. Could create satirical humour. Ballad form 
  

• 'Knew' and 'death' no rhyme: pattern is disrupted either links to heroism or implies war is unacceptable. Ending is disrupted, immoral 
  

• Crimean war rare British war, Russians negotiated for peace the British lost 25,000 men most of them to cold and disease and felt like a defeat. Response to war published in the Time; written as propaganda to build Public support for war. Persuade country costly war still reveals British greatness, celebrates Victorian drive to expand the Empire. Heroism not only about bravery but duty; willingness to obey orders unconditional loyalty to country.

• Tennyson poet laureate writes in praise of British soldier, nobility and glory. must appear to be writing in praise however he subtly critisizes sole control and power of their fate to officer.

• Emphasis of left [opposite of right] in the ending subtly hinting deeper dissatisfaction of the war.