Starter quiz
- In which century did Keats write 'To Autumn'?
- 17th century
- 18th century
- 19th century ✓
- 20th century
-
- Which of the following is the first line of Keats' 'To Autumn'?
- "Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?"
- "Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;"
- "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!" ✓
- "Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they?"
- "And gathering swallows twitter in the skies."
-
- Which of the following is the last line of Keats' 'To Autumn'?
- "The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;"
- "Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours."
- "For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells."
- "And gathering swallows twitter in the skies." ✓
-
- Complete the statement: 'To Autumn' is arguably a ______ for human mortality - the passing of time in one’s life as one grows older and approaches death.
- 'metaphor' ✓
- Which of the following statements about Keats are true?
- Keats was never educated.
- Keats was medically-trained. ✓
- Keats had tuberculosis and died young. ✓
- Keats' brother died young from cancer.
- Keats lived a long and prosperous life.
-
- What does Keats seem to miss in this line from 'To Autumn': "Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they?"?
- his deceased brother
- his early life and childhood ✓
- the middle-ages of his life
- his creative expression
-
Exit quiz
- ______ is the way in which the poet expresses their feelings towards the subject matter.
- 'tone' ✓
- A writer's tone creates the ______ of the piece.
- 'mood' ✓
- Which of the following words from Keats' 'To Autumn' does not suggest abundance?
- "plump"
- "swell"
- "o’erbrimm'd"
- "seasons" ✓
-
- Which of the following makes great evidence in an argument?
- as much evidence as you can find included
- a few key bits of evidence from one stanza
- a range of evidence taken from across the poem ✓
- carefully-selected and evaluated evidence ✓
- less evidence made up of longer quotations
-
- Which of the following words are monosyllabic?
- orange
- duo
- quick ✓
- vegetable
- choice ✓
-
- Which of the following sentences uses the word 'abundance' correctly?
- He had collected stamps for years and had abundance of them.
- During the harvest, farmers would hope to have an abundance of crops. ✓
- There was only one house on the street; there was an abundance of houses.
-
Worksheet
Loading worksheet ...
Presentation
Loading presentation ...
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In the first stanza, Keats describes autumn as being almost fat or ripe with prosperity.
- Arguably, Keats presents autumn as an abundant season to show that the autumn of a person’s life can be fruitful too.
- The autumn of Keats’ life would have come much earlier than he had likely planned for.
- Keats shifts tone a few times in the poem as he progresses from feelings of optimism to nostalgia then to acceptance.
- The reference to a bountiful harvest could represent the abundance that autumn can bring.
Common misconception
Students tend to confuse tone and mood. They are not the same thing.
Tone is the way in which the poet expresses their feelings towards the subject matter. Mood is the atmosphere that is created by the tone. Tone creates mood.
Keywords
Abundance - having a lot of something
Prosperity - the condition or state of being successful and thriving
Tone - the way in which the poet expresses their feelings towards the subject matter
Monosyllabic - only containing one syllable
Mood - the atmosphere that is created by the tone
+