1. First Love John Clare “Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower And stole my heart away complete…”

2. background This poem is about Clare’s love for Mary Joyce whom he met in his native village. She was the daughter of a wealthy farmer who would not allow the relationship. He later married another young woman and had a family, but their relationship was never particularly happy. In later years, Clare became mentally ill and had to be confined in an asylum One of his delusions was that he had, in fact, married Mary Joyce and his marriage to his real wife was bigamous.

3. Subject & Tone The poem, quite simply, conveys the poet’s thoughts as he falls in love for the first time. What tone is established? How does this compare to the other poems studied?

4. Imagery Highlight all of the physical symptoms that the poet experiences. How do these symptoms convey the power of his emotions? What is the significance of the loss of sight in the second stanza?

5. Imagery How do the words of the poem express how disorientated the experience has made the poet? What is meant by the following phrases: Are flowers the winters choice Is love’s bed always snow She seemed to hear my silent voice

6. Form Why doesn’t the poet use punctuation? In pencil, add punctuation to the poem, which words might be emphasised? What is the effect of the enjambment?

7. Form—Iambic Tetrameter In English poetry, meter is determined by the number of stresses per line and the way that the stress falls. e.g. Iambic is a pair (feet) of syllables; one unstressed followed by one stressed. Tetrameter means that the line has four feet. This means it has 8 syllables in total; 4 unstressed and four stressed. I ne’er / was struck / be fore / that hour

8. Feeling Do you think that the poem is predominantly happy or sad? Explain your views. How does the portrayal of love and relationships compare with other poems in the collection?