1. Unseen Poetry Question: Revision Lesson
Do Now
How would I tackle this question?
Read the example exam question on the sheet.
What do you notice about it?
How would you go about tackling this question?
Write down the steps you think you would take in your book under the subheading above.
To be able to analyse and compare two unseen poems.

2. The unseen poetry question – a possible plan 27.1
Tackle 27.1 on it’s own first for 30 minutes by:
Reading the question to look for the focus (1 min)
Reading and annotating the poem for this focus (5 mins)
Write an introduction (Ideas) (3 mins)
Write three or four PEALs about the poem in relation to the question. (4 – 5 mins each)
Write a brief conclusion. (3 mins)
Stretch:
In your analysis, include alternative interpretations.

3. Example to carry on with
At the start of the poem, Frye uses imperatives to demonstrate that the speaker does not want her death to cause grief. By saying: “Do not stand at my grave and weep” the speaker could not be clearer that her listener should not spend time dwelling on her death. Write three more mini PEAs about this poem in response to the question. Mary Frye also uses a regular rhyme scheme of rhyming couplets, such as “cry” and “die” or “weep” and “sleep”. These rhyming words are simple and childlike. This could imply that Frye is speaking to a child about death or that she wants to make her meaning clear to any reader of any age. Her regular rhyme scheme sounds song like which also gives the impression of being suitable for a child. She is communicating a difficult topic in a simple manner.
What are you being marked on?
Focus on the question
Focus on the poem
Use apt references
Analyse references
Use subject terms

4. The unseen poetry question – a possible plan 27.2
Tackle 27.2 for the last 15 mins of the exam by:
Reading the question to look for the focus (1 min)
Reading and annotating the second poem for the focus (5 mins).
Writing 2-3 comparative PEAs. This is doable if you keep references precise and embed them in your points.
Stretch:
In your analysis, include alternative interpretations.

5. Comparative PEA an example – use this structure to try one of your own in just 5 mins.
The main difference between these two poems is the attitude of the speaker to the death they are talking about. For Auden, this death is the end of anything positive in the speaker’s life as “nothing now can ever come to any good”. The speaker emphasises their pessimism through the use of this declarative sentence and ends the poem with no hope. On the other hand, Mary Frye’s speaker uses clear declarative sentences for a different purpose: to show that for her death is not the end. Her last line: “I am not there. I did not die.” does use negative phrases, but to emphasise the positive, death is not the end of all good. Her short, clear sentences leave the reader with no room to doubt her certainty there is no need for grief. The two poets use similar short, clear declarations, but with opposing effects on the reader.

6. How can you revise for the unseen poetry question?
Learn your poetic techniques.
Use the other poems in the other anthology cluster as unseen poems for practice – using the correct timings.