What Were They Like? (OCR GCSE English Literature): Flashcards
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Practise the cards
15 cards from this deck
Author of 'What Were They Like?'
Author of 'What Were They Like?'
Denise Levertov
Year 'What Were They Like?' written
Year 'What Were They Like?' written
1966
Vietnam War dates
Vietnam War dates
1955 to 1973
Poem's time setting
Poem's time setting
Future, Vietnamese culture obliterated by war
'Light hearts turned to stone' meaning
'Light hearts turned to stone' meaning
War hardened people, loss of innocence & joy
'No more buds' symbolises
'No more buds' symbolises
Loss of children & new life/future
Devices in 'bitter to the burned mouth'
Devices in 'bitter to the burned mouth'
Alliteration and metaphor
'All bones were charred' shows
'All bones were charred' shows
Physical destruction & violence of war
'It is silent now' symbolises
'It is silent now' symbolises
Complete destruction & erasure of culture
Form: stanza structure
Form: stanza structure
2 stanzas: questions then answers
Poem's verse form
Poem's verse form
Free verse (no rhyme scheme/metre)
Why free verse used
Why free verse used
Mirrors chaotic & unpredictable nature of war
Repeated phrase in poem
Repeated phrase in poem
'It is not remembered' - shows cultural erasure
Juxtaposition example
Juxtaposition example
Fathers telling tales vs 'time only to scream'
Effect of 'b' sound in 'bitter burned'
Effect of 'b' sound in 'bitter burned'
Draws attention to harshness & pain