Starter quiz
- In 'Winter Swans', the couple are ...
- grieving after the death of a loved one.
- happy because they have just found out they're expecting a baby.
- on a first date.
- experiencing trouble in their relationship. ✓
- spending time together before their wedding the next day.
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- In the middle of 'Winter Swans', Sheers uses __________ to indicate a shift in the emotional tone (mood).
- an ellipsis
- an anecdote
- a volta ✓
- an allegory
- a rhetorical question
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- Which of these is an example of personification?
- The trees towered over the tiny fox.
- The trees stretched their bony branches towards the sun. ✓
- Crunchy orange leaves fluttered down from the trees like confetti.
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- Complete the missing word in this quote from 'Winter Swans': "we skirted the lake, silent and apart, until the ______ came and stopped us"
- 'swans' ✓
- How many stanzas does 'Winter Swans' have?
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7 ✓
- 8
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- Which language technique occurs in the final stanza of the poem 'Winter Swans'? ("and folded one over the other, like a pair of wings settling after flight")
- a simile ✓
- a metaphor
- personification
- alliteration
- a rhetorical question
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Exit quiz
- Match each of these key words to the correct definition.
- personification⇔giving human traits to non-human entities ✓
- symbolism⇔representing abstract ideas using concrete objects or actions ✓
- contrast⇔differences between two or more things used to draw attention to them ✓
- simile⇔using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to compare two things with shared qualities ✓
- resolution⇔the conclusion or final outcome of a story or conflict ✓
- What is pathetic fallacy?
- using descriptions of colours to create a particular mood or emotion
- giving human qualities to non-human entities
- using short, snappy stanzas to show conflict
- using the weather or natural landscape to create a particular mood or emotion ✓
- a description that makes us feel sorry for the characters
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- What does the following quote from 'Winter Swans' signify about the couple's interaction with the swans: "the swans came and stopped us”?
- the swans are intimidating and they block the couple's walk
- the swans captivate the couple and they are compelled to stand and watch them ✓
- the swans chase the couple away from the lake
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- In the opening stanza of 'Winter Swans', Sheers describes how the ground is "gulping for breath at our feet". We could also argue that this description suggests how the speaker feels about ...
- the swans.
- winter.
- the lake.
- their relationship troubles. ✓
- their partner.
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- Which two language techniques does Sheers use in this quote from 'Winter Swans': "they halved themselves in the dark water, icebergs of white feather"?
- metaphor ✓
- simile
- alliteration
- contrasting colour imagery ✓
- oxymoron
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- What do all these words from stanzas 3-4 of 'Winter Swans' have in common: "weights", "bodies", "heads", "themselves", "boats"?
- they are all adjectives
- they are all symbolic
- they are all plural ✓
- they all have two syllables
- they all appear at the beginning of a line
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Sheers uses personification of the surroundings to present a fractured emotional landscape.
- Sheers uses pathetic fallacy to subtly imply that the couple are facing trouble in their relationship.
- Sheers uses a contrast in colour imagery to signify the hope that emerges from despair.
- Sheers uses a simile in the resolution of the poem to convey how the couple are reunified.
- Sheers uses the symbolism of the swans to mark a turning point in the tone of the poem - from despair to hope.
Common misconception
Sheers tells us that the couple have been arguing before heading out for their walk.
Sheers doesn't explicitly tell us that the couple have been arguing but subtly implies this using personification and pathetic fallacy in the first two stanzas. He describes how the couple are "silent and apart" to show their fragmented relationship.
Keywords
Personification - giving human traits to non-human entities
Symbolism - representing abstract ideas using concrete objects or actions
Contrast - differences between two or more things used to draw attention to them
Simile - using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to compare two things with shared qualities
Resolution - the conclusion or final outcome of a story or conflict
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