Leaving cert - How do you prepare a poet for English HL

Username6212

Is there certain questions they can ask? Under what headings should I study each poet?

AtomicKoala

Essentially, everything comes down to theme and language.

Theme: The essence of the poem, what it pertains to as such.

Language: Imagery is a pillar component of this. Sounds are likewise critical - euphony and cacophony are what can make poems so jarringly emotional.

As such every question asks one of these two things - or most commonly, both together.

Here is a typical question: "Discuss how the poet explores her insights and thoughts regarding life"

The how is essentially the language. The insights and thoughts are the themes.

emilybreen

I just got my LC results and got an A2 in higher english so I'm gonna try explain as best I can what I did and I hope it helps!

Firstly, it's such a misconception that you need to know every single line of every poem by each poet. This is not the case. Pick quotes which are memorable and have significance. For example, lines that have aural or visual imagery and show unique language techniques etc.

And obviously knowing these quotes correctly is vital, misquoting is a huge mistake to make!

Secondly, most questions are based around and must be answered on the poems THEME and/or IMAGERY. It doesn't always tell you to answer on these but every single question relates back to the poet's use of language to create themes and imagery. Very important to keep in mind.

Don't be bogged down by pointless information about the poet's life. Yes referencing their lifestyle is perfectly ok but the examiner is not looking to hear about the story of their lives.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SUMMARISE THE POEM. This is a killer for any kind of answer in english, be it poetry or comparative or your single text. If you find yourself summarising the message and story behind the poem for more than a couple of sentences, stop yourself and remember the two important aspects: theme and imagery. Of course some summary is perfectly fine and completely needed but you need to realise when enough is enough.

Finally, be different. I fully believe the secret to my success in the exam was forming my own unique opinions about the poetry I had studied. I answered on Emily Dickinson and I told of how I initially adored her work until my teacher introduced her darker more sinister poetry, and how it began to horrify me and make me uncomfortable, and then completely turned me off her poetry.

In order to help with this I had made out a list of different thoughts I had while reading different poems. What sort of feelings they evoked. Even childhood memories I began to reflect on as a result. These are what set your answers apart from others.

That is the best piece of advice I can give you about the exam in general, having your own opinions is what gets you the marks. Show the examiner not only do you know all the information surrounding the poem and it's history, but also you have engaged with the poetry and have created your own opinions and views as a result. Don't be afraid to say you hated a certain poem or that you adored another. As long as you have sufficient evidence to support it, you can't go wrong!

I hope this helped and best of luck!

spurious

Read a bit on the poet's life. It's always useful to be able to pin poems to certain events or traumas in a writer's life.