Starter quiz
- In 'Sonnet 29', Barrett-Browning describes her intense thoughts of her absent lover using an extended metaphor to compare her thoughts to...
- a tree
- leaves
- vines ✓
- the ocean
- a mountain
-
- In 'Love's Philosophy', Shelley uses natural imagery and __________ imagery to imply that there is a moral good associated with togetherness and natural symmetry.
- sentimental
- ambiguous
- natural
- religious ✓
- graphic
-
- In 'Letters from Yorkshire', the speaker's relationship with her friend could be interpreted in multiple ways so the definite meaning is uncertain. We would describe this as...
- 'ambiguous' ✓
- Match up each of these quotations to the correct image
- 'Sonnet 29'⇔"boughs" ✓
- 'Love's Philosophy'⇔"mountains" ✓
- 'Letters from Yorkshire'⇔"miles" ✓
- If two people have a close, affectionate relationship but there is no sexual attraction between them, we could describe this relationship as ... or ...
- romantic
- catatonic
- platonic ✓
- pedantic
- familial ✓
-
- When selecting supporting evidence, you should make sure quotations are precise, accurate and judiciously chosen. What does 'judiciously' mean here?
- copied exactly as it appears in the original text
- quickly; the first relevant quote that could be located
- as short as necessary to effectively support the inference/analysis
- wisely; judged to be the best evidence for the point being made ✓
- full of language and structural techniques that you can analyse
-
Exit quiz
- What does 'desire' mean?
- embrace or acknowledge something new
- refuse or dismiss instinctively
- draw in interest or admiration
- feel sadness over a loss of someone or something
- intense longing or craving for something or someone ✓
-
- What does the word 'intellectual' mean?
- relating to the body or its needs
- characterised by rational thinking and knowledge ✓
- pertaining to feelings or emotions
- relating to beliefs or principles of existence
- linked to the mind or mental health
-
- Which poem is said to be autobiographical, rumoured to be based on the poet's own courtship with their spouse?
- 'Sonnet 29' ✓
- 'Love's Philosophy'
- 'Letters from Yorkshire'
-
- In the final line of 'Letters from Yorkshire', Dooley describes how their "souls" communicate across the distance between the speaker and the man from Yorkshire. Which type of desire does this link to
- physical
- sexual
- intellectual
- spiritual ✓
-
- Which of the following statements below is true about the relationship between 'Letters from Yorkshire' and 'Love's Philosophy'?
- Both poems end with the speakers' desires left unfulfilled. ✓
- Both poems begin with an fragmented relationship.
- Both poems include refrences to sexual desire.
- Both poems are autobiographical.
- Both poems directly address someone else. ✓
-
- Which of the following statements below is true about the relationship between 'Sonnet 29' and 'Love's Philosophy'?
- Both poems depict a long-distance relationship.
- Both poems end with the speaker's desire left unfulfilled.
- Both poems have a wholly positive view of love.
- Both poems directly address someone else. ✓
- Both poems use natural imagery to depict sexual and physical desire. ✓
-
Worksheet
Loading worksheet ...
Presentation
Loading presentation ...
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Shelley, Barrett-Browning and Dooley use natural imagery in their poems to depict an idealistic view of love and desire.
- Shelley, Barrett-Browning and Dooley convey an element of distance in the speaker’s relationship in their poems.
- Both Shelley and Barrett-Browning convey sexual desire within romantic relationships through natural imagery.
- Dooley is the only poet to depict an ambiguous and seemingly platonic relationship.
- Both Shelley and Dooley indicate that their speaker’s desire remains unfulfilled by the end of their poems.
Common misconception
Shelley's poem presents a purely positive view of love.
Interspersed among his speaker's overblown philosophical descriptions focused around the beauty of natural symmetry, it's possible to read an element of frustration that the speaker's feelings of desire are unrequited.
Keywords
Desire - intense longing or craving for something or someone
Ambiguous - unclear or open to interpretation; having more than one possible meaning
Yearning - deep longing, often associated with emotional desire
Intellectual - characterised by rational thinking and knowledge
Unfulfilled - desires, goals, or expectations not met; lacking satisfaction
+