Compare how these poems present a relationship where one person feels more strongly than the other.
You should consider:
• ideas and attitudes in each poem
• tone and atmosphere in each poem
• the effects of the language and structure used.
[20]
AND
Explore in detail one other poem from your anthology which presents an unequal relationship.
[20]
Compare how these poems present a world changed by conflict.
You should consider:
• ideas and attitudes in each poem
• tone and atmosphere in each poem
• the effects of the language and structure used.
[20]
AND
Explore in detail one other poem from your anthology which presents how conflict changes
things.
[20]
Youth and Age
Read the two poems below and then answer both part (a) and part (b).
You should spend about 45 minutes on part (a) and 30 minutes on part (b).
Equilibrium by Theresa Lola
My new-born brother wailed into existence and my grandfather’s eyes became two stopwatches
counting down his own exit. At the naming ceremony my grandfather was quiet as a body cut open for autopsy.
He broke bread, sipped on fresh orange juice. 5 The pause between each sip elongated and I knew
the mathematician in him had remembered the equation of equilibrium.
As my new-born brother was crowned with a name my grandfather’s brain began to forget his. 10
Margaret’s Moon by Jackie Kay
After she died, I swear the sky Had the most beautiful of all sunsets, A blush of pink, then red, a glass of red, Sudden dark and a hammock moon, Then its faint silhouette, almost secret. 5 Life half-written, half unsaid. I had kissed your head in the strange room. Then later, I blew a kiss to the stars, to regret.
Margaret,
I imagined you lifting your head, your arms, 10 Loosening them, shedding skin and cells and bone Till you became all spirit, released Into the cairns1, hills, the braes2, barley, The sea lochs3 and the sea and at last, At least it seemed to me, you were free. 15
1 cairns – human-made piles of stones 2 braes – steep hillsides, particularly in Scotland 3 lochs – lakes
Compare how these poems present thoughts about life and death.
You should consider:
• ideas and attitudes in each poem
• tone and atmosphere in each poem
• the effects of the language and structure used.
[20]
[20]
[40]
5* To what extent does Shakespeare suggest the love of Romeo and Juliet is fantasy rather than realistic?
Explore at least two moments from the play to support your ideas.
[40]
[40]
7* How does Bassanio’s relationship with Antonio influence the way the play develops?
Explore at least two moments from the play to support your ideas.
[40]
[40]
9* ‘He has none of the qualities of a true king.’
To what extent do you agree that this is how Shakespeare portrays Macbeth? Explore at least
two moments from the play to support your ideas.
[40]
[40]
11* ‘People in love can behave foolishly.’
To what extent do you agree with this view of lovers in Much Ado About Nothing ? Explore at least
two moments from the play to support your ideas.
[40]
The paper as printed
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