Starter quiz
- What is religious imagery?
- when a story or poem is a reworking of a story from the Bible
- symbols or representations evoking spiritual themes ✓
- when a poem has the same rhyming structure as a prayer
- when the speaker in a text speaks directly to God
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- Which of the words below is a 'verb'?
- songs
- silently
- clasp ✓
- golden
- under
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- Which of the following do we not associate with Romantic poetry?
- subtle commentary or criticisms of societal beliefs
- objective and detached description devoid of emotional expression ✓
- focus on abstract concepts and emotional experiences
- dramatic language
- common themes include love, nature and the supernatural
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- Which of these sentences best sums up the key message of 'Love's Philosophy' by Percy Shelley?
- Nature's elements unite in love, as should souls. ✓
- Fantasies of absent lovers often obscure reality.
- Heartbreak is like grieving after the death of a loved one.
- It is your fault if love is unrequited.
- An illicit affair must also be mourned in secret.
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- What does the word 'disdain' mean?
- related to or proceeding directly from God
- a strong feeling of wanting to have or do something
- a feeling of contempt or scorn for someone or something regarded as unworthy ✓
- to put off or delay an action to a later time
- to diminish the worth or value of something; reduce or take away from
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- Which of these words means 'an idea or notion that is conceptual or theoretical rather than concrete or tangible'?
- apathetic
- ambiguous
- abstract ✓
- abnormal
- antithesis
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Exit quiz
- What does the word 'divine' mean?
- an intense longing or yearning for someone or something
- something that attracts your attention away from something important
- someone who is love deeply by another
- kind, generous and morally good
- supremely excellent, like God (or the work of God) ✓
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- It has been said that ‘Love’s Philosophy’ is not simply a love poem, or a poem about love, but rather it is also a ______ text.
- 'persuasive' ✓
- In ‘Love’s Philosophy’, Shelley uses persuasive language in three important ways: semantic field of pairs/couples, religious and natural imagery, and...
- dynamic verbs
- expanded noun phrases
- sensual verbs ✓
- staccato sounds
- alliterative phrases
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- In ‘Love’s Philosophy’ the speaker has two emotional reactions to the listener: passionate desire and...
- jealousy that the listener has another lover.
- frustration that their feelings are not returned. ✓
- sadness that they will never see their lover again.
- longing for their absent lover to return to them.
- shame because they know they shouldn't be pursuing this particular person.
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- In ‘Love’s Philosophy’, Shelley uses form and structure in three important ways: organisation of stanzas, an ABABCDCD rhyme scheme, and...
- alliteration, accompanied by anaphora in the last stanza
- an extended metaphor, contrasted with the upbeat rhythm
- rhetorical questions, emphasised by the trochaic meter ✓
- symbolism, accompanied by sibilant sounds
- exclaatory sentences, contrasted with subtle references to timidity
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- Effective supporting detail should be accurate, precise and...
- lengthy
- judiciously chosen ✓
- ambiguous
- led by identification of writer's methods
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Shelley uses natural imagery to create an idyllic and idealised natural landscape.
- Shelley uses religious imagery to suggest that natural symmetry is divine.
- Shelley uses sensual verbs to convey his desire for physical intimacy with his partner.
- Shelley uses rhetorical questions to suggest his frustration in his failure to woo his lover.
- Shelley uses form and structure to subtly reinforce the importance of coupling.
Common misconception
This poem is only about a Romantic view of love (from an abstract, philosophical perspective).
This poem appears to have an ulterior motive. Shelley uses language, form and structure to subtly persuade the listener to enter into a romantic relationship with him.
Keywords
Divine - supremely excellent, like God (or the work of God)
Rhetorical questions - asked for effect or to provoke thought, not requiring an answer
Sensual - relating to the senses, especially pleasure derived from physical gratification or aesthetic experiences
Religious imagery - symbols or representations evoking spiritual themes
Trochaic meter - poetic rhythm with stressed syllables followed by unstressed syllables, like ‘footsteps’ or ‘poetry'
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