Starter quiz
- What is a metaphor?
- a figure of speech that involves comparing two things using the verb "to be" ✓
- attribution of human emotions or characteristics to nature or inanimate objects
- repetition of syllables at the end of a verse or line
- a figure of speech that involves comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'
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- Which of the following words have negative connotations?
- nimble
- obscene ✓
- vengeance ✓
- warm
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- What might the word 'obscene' mean?
- appalling ✓
- heartbreaking
- challenging
- pleasant
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- What does the word 'nimble' mean?
- boisterous and aggressive
- gentle and soft in nature
- quick or light in movement ✓
- awkward and uncomfortable in gait
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- Which of the following words suggests decay?
- aroma
- festered ✓
- rank ✓
- maturing
- scented
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- Which of the following poems explore the theme of a loss of innocence?
- 'A Wife in London'
- 'Afternoons' ✓
- 'To Autumn'
- 'Living Space'
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Exit quiz
- What is a naturalist?
- a person who studies plants, animals, insects and other living things ✓
- a person who studies rocks and boulders
- a person who studies stars, planets and the universe more widely
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- Who does the speaker learn about frogs from in 'Death of a Naturalist'?
- his parents
- his friend
- his teacher ✓
- his cousin
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- What tone does the speaker adopt when describing the transforming frogspawn in 'Death of a Naturalist'?
- a horrified and appalled tone
- an indifferent tone
- a sympathetic and concerned tone
- an amazed and excited tone ✓
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- 'Death of a Naturalist' could be a ______ for our loss of innocence as we mature from childhood to adulthood.
- 'metaphor' ✓
- Which of the following sentences uses the word 'disillusioned' (or a form of it) correctly?
- She was a disillusional woman - always making things up!
- He had become disillusioned with his job - he didn't want to go to work anymore. ✓
- Her friend was a disillusioned - how could he have done this to her?
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- What might the adult frogs represent in 'Death of a Naturalist'?
- The adult frogs could represent growing up. ✓
- The adult frogs could represent security and safety.
- The adult frogs could represent the ugliness of the adult world. ✓
- The adult frogs could represent youth and innocence.
- The adult frogs could represent knowledge and power.
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Seamus Heaney's 'Death of a Naturalist' tells the story of a young child who frequents a flax-dam to observe the nature.
- The naturalist is the young speaker, whose enthusiasm and love of nature "dies" in the poem.
- The speaker's intrigue and excitement for nature is replaced by a fear of nature.
- The poem could be a metaphor for growing older and becoming more disillusioned with the world around you.
- Arguably, the adult frogs could represent the ugliness of the adult world.
Common misconception
Students think that the frogs are literally attacking the speaker.
The description in the poem of the frogs as an army is the speaker's perception of the frogs - it is how he imagines them to be behaving.
Keywords
Naturalist - a person who studies plants, animals, insects and other living things
Obscene - shocking and offending
Intrigue - interest and curiosity
Disillusioned - feeling disappointed in the reality of something you thought would be better than it actually is
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