WJEC EQUQAS GCSE POETRY
ANTHOLOGY
KC
,
,Contents
The Manhunt................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Sonnet 43 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5
London .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7
The Soldier .................................................................................................................................................................... 9
She Walks in Beauty .................................................................................................................................................... 11
Living Space ................................................................................................................................................................. 13
As Imperceptibly as Grief ............................................................................................................................................ 15
Cozy Apologia .............................................................................................................................................................. 17
Valentine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19
A Wife in London......................................................................................................................................................... 21
Death of a Naturalist ................................................................................................................................................... 22
Hawk Roosting ............................................................................................................................................................ 25
To Autumn .................................................................................................................................................................. 27
Afternoons .................................................................................................................................................................. 28
Dulce et Decorum Est.................................................................................................................................................. 31
Ozymandias ................................................................................................................................................................. 33
Mametz Wood ............................................................................................................................................................ 35
Excerpt from The Prelude ........................................................................................................................................... 37
, The Manhunt
The Manhunt is written from the perspective of the wife of a soldier who has sustained serious injuries at war and
has returned home. The poem explores the physical and mental effects of living with injuries sustained when on
active service in the armed forces.
Context:
• This poem is about Eddie Beddoes, who served the peacekeeping force in Bosnia during the 1992 – 1995
Bosnian War. He was injured and suffered from PTSD following his discharging from the armed forces.
• This poem is told from the perspective of Eddie’s wife, who deals with the idea of Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) and its impact on the soldier and those around. Therefore, the poem is often referred to as
‘Laura’s Poem.’
Form:
• The poem consists of couplets that form 13 short stanzas: the structure symbolically reflects the ladder, the
“rungs” the speaker must “climb” to renewed intimacy, and it also conveys the close bond between the pair
• Initially the couplets rhyme, but later the rhymes break down, making the poem feel disjointed and
reflecting the theme of brokenness.
• Enjambment is also used across stanzas to increase pace, reflecting the speaker’s emotions.
Structure:
• The structure of the poem represents the slow journey the speaker takes as she explores the soldier’s
physical injuries.
• The rhyming couplets throughout the poem reflect how it takes two people working hard to complete a
relationship, and how love is a union of two different people. This suggests that the relationship explored in
the poem is very caring and gentle. The fact the couplets are rhyming shows that despite being physically
apart, they are still close emotionally.
• The poem opens with the first three couplets displaying an AA BB CC rhyming scheme. This could reflect how
the soldier appears to be responding well to treatment physically at the start before the extent of the mental
damage is revealed to the reader and the soldier’s wife.
• The rhyme scheme quickly dissolves as the poem continues. The breakdown of the rhyme scheme
juxtaposes with the idea that there was an improvement in the soldier’s mental and physical health. On the
other hand, it could reflect how the wife is exposed to and discovers the true extent of her husband’s
injuries as time goes on, so the rhyme scheme starts to break alongside her realisation. The theme of
fragmentation is displayed through the faltering rhyme scheme and employment of couplets.
Language:
Repetition: The repetition of ‘only then’ suggests it is a very slow progress of getting soldiers affected by PTSD to
their past selves. The comment also reflects the seemingly endless stages soldiers must go through to try and
recover from the war.
Allusionary language: Allusion means an indirect reference to a concept or theme without explicit mention.
The speaker uses a series of metaphors to compare the mental and physical damage inflicted on the husband
through the horrors of the war.
Semantic field of searching: The poet presents the wife/speaker, as a character searching for both her husband and
a way to help him through his PTSD.
ANTHOLOGY
KC
,
,Contents
The Manhunt................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Sonnet 43 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5
London .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7
The Soldier .................................................................................................................................................................... 9
She Walks in Beauty .................................................................................................................................................... 11
Living Space ................................................................................................................................................................. 13
As Imperceptibly as Grief ............................................................................................................................................ 15
Cozy Apologia .............................................................................................................................................................. 17
Valentine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19
A Wife in London......................................................................................................................................................... 21
Death of a Naturalist ................................................................................................................................................... 22
Hawk Roosting ............................................................................................................................................................ 25
To Autumn .................................................................................................................................................................. 27
Afternoons .................................................................................................................................................................. 28
Dulce et Decorum Est.................................................................................................................................................. 31
Ozymandias ................................................................................................................................................................. 33
Mametz Wood ............................................................................................................................................................ 35
Excerpt from The Prelude ........................................................................................................................................... 37
, The Manhunt
The Manhunt is written from the perspective of the wife of a soldier who has sustained serious injuries at war and
has returned home. The poem explores the physical and mental effects of living with injuries sustained when on
active service in the armed forces.
Context:
• This poem is about Eddie Beddoes, who served the peacekeeping force in Bosnia during the 1992 – 1995
Bosnian War. He was injured and suffered from PTSD following his discharging from the armed forces.
• This poem is told from the perspective of Eddie’s wife, who deals with the idea of Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) and its impact on the soldier and those around. Therefore, the poem is often referred to as
‘Laura’s Poem.’
Form:
• The poem consists of couplets that form 13 short stanzas: the structure symbolically reflects the ladder, the
“rungs” the speaker must “climb” to renewed intimacy, and it also conveys the close bond between the pair
• Initially the couplets rhyme, but later the rhymes break down, making the poem feel disjointed and
reflecting the theme of brokenness.
• Enjambment is also used across stanzas to increase pace, reflecting the speaker’s emotions.
Structure:
• The structure of the poem represents the slow journey the speaker takes as she explores the soldier’s
physical injuries.
• The rhyming couplets throughout the poem reflect how it takes two people working hard to complete a
relationship, and how love is a union of two different people. This suggests that the relationship explored in
the poem is very caring and gentle. The fact the couplets are rhyming shows that despite being physically
apart, they are still close emotionally.
• The poem opens with the first three couplets displaying an AA BB CC rhyming scheme. This could reflect how
the soldier appears to be responding well to treatment physically at the start before the extent of the mental
damage is revealed to the reader and the soldier’s wife.
• The rhyme scheme quickly dissolves as the poem continues. The breakdown of the rhyme scheme
juxtaposes with the idea that there was an improvement in the soldier’s mental and physical health. On the
other hand, it could reflect how the wife is exposed to and discovers the true extent of her husband’s
injuries as time goes on, so the rhyme scheme starts to break alongside her realisation. The theme of
fragmentation is displayed through the faltering rhyme scheme and employment of couplets.
Language:
Repetition: The repetition of ‘only then’ suggests it is a very slow progress of getting soldiers affected by PTSD to
their past selves. The comment also reflects the seemingly endless stages soldiers must go through to try and
recover from the war.
Allusionary language: Allusion means an indirect reference to a concept or theme without explicit mention.
The speaker uses a series of metaphors to compare the mental and physical damage inflicted on the husband
through the horrors of the war.
Semantic field of searching: The poet presents the wife/speaker, as a character searching for both her husband and
a way to help him through his PTSD.
