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AQA Poetry - Power and Conflict - Writing Tasks

Subject: English

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Other

Last updated

22 February 2018

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Poetry - AQA - Power and Conflict - All poems

An outstanding compilation of lessons on: Remains War Photographer The Prelude Exposure Kamikaze Ozymandias Poppies Storm on the Island The Charge of the Light Brigade The Emigree The Prelude Tissue Checking Out Me History My Last Duchess London \+ FREE Porphyria's Lover Half-Caste AQA English Lit/Language Posters Assessment Objectives linked to the New AQA English Literature Specification. Each presentation will last 2/3 lessons and includes: Visually engaging slides Starters Extension tasks Think, Pair and Share Opportunities Contextual Information A reading of the poem Stanza by Stanza analysis Unfamiliar Vocabulary - Imagery Grid Exploration of form, structure, language, effect and contrasting ideas within the poem Questions for understanding Longer Essay Question Relevant and engaging plenary to consolidate the students' learning A must have for anyone looking to teach the AQA Power and Conflict Cluster.

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AQA Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology

This section delves into the fifteen poems featured in the AQA Power and Conflict GCSE Poetry Anthology. Follow the links below to access the Poems page, where you'll find in-depth analyses and the poems themselves.

The AQA Power and Conflict poems include: Bayonet Charge, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Checking Out Me History, The Emigrée, Exposure, Kamikaze, London, My Last Duchess, Ozymandias, Poppies, The Prelude, Remains, Storm on the Island, Tissue and War Photographer.

Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes 

The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 

Checking Out Me History by John Agard 

The Emigrée by Carol Rumens 

Exposure by Wilfred Owen 

Kamikaze by Beatrice Garland 

London by William Blake 

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning 

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley 

Poppies by Jane Weir 

The Prelude by William Wordsworth 

Remains by Simon Armitage 

Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney 

Tissue by Imtiaz Dharker 

War Photographer by Carole Ann Duffy 

The video below will help you understand how to analyse poetry.

  Senenca Online Learning   - click the link and then once you have signed up search for AQA GCSE poetry Power and Conflict. Once you have found this, you can then access a tutorial in the left hand side bar for each poem.

• Click View Poetry Lessons

AO1 Line of argument/ focus on the question/ use of quotes to back you up

AO2 Close language analysis and the impact on the audience

AO3 Referring to the social and historical context

POETRY ANTHOLOGY - ALL THE POEMS

• Power and Conflict.pdf 5mb

ALL POEMS ANNOTATED

• All Poems Annotated & Colour Coded (Handwritten).pdf 13mb

POETRY REVISION/ STUDY GUIDE - USE THIS HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE POEMS WHEN WORKING FROM HOME

• POETRY REVISION GUIDE.pdf 3mb

YEAR 10 WORKING FROM HOME BOOKLET - YOU NEED TO COMPLETE THIS

• PC Poetry Home Learning.docx 1mb
• AO3 context poetry cards final.docx
• Poetry Questions.docx
• Pre-submission checklist poetry.docx
• Writing Scaffold Poetry.docx

AQA Poetry Anthology - Power and Conflict

An overview.

The Poetry Anthology is a key part of your GCSE.  The Power and Conflict theme contains fifteen poems which can all be linked to power and/or conflict in some way.  However, the theme of power and conflict is broader than you may think.  Not all of the poems are about war and physical conflict (though some indeed are).  

You will be examined on the Poetry Anthology, as well as Unseen Poetry as part of Paper 2 (sections B and C).

On this page we will provide a brief overview of Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology including:

• A list of all the poems included.
• A summary of what you’ll need to know for the exam.
• An overview of the main themes that link the poems including an easy reference grid.

Once you’ve been through each poem this should enable you to quickly and easily identify which poems compare well for which theme.

As part of the Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology you will study the following poems:

• Ozymandias  by Percy Bysshe Shelley
• London  by William Blake
• Extract from The Prelude  by William Wordsworth
• My Last Duchess  by Robert Browning
• Charge of the Light Brigade  by Alfred Lord Tennyson
• Exposure  by Wilfred Owen
• Storm on the Island  by Seamus Heaney
• Bayonet Charge  by Ted Hughes
• Remains by Simon Armitage
• Poppies by Jane Weir
• War Photographer by Carol Ann Duffy
• Tissue by Imtiaz Dharker
• The Emigree by Carol Rumens
• Checking Out Me History by John Agard
• Kamikaze by Beatrice Garland

Our site is still growing, but where we have got resources available to help you analyse a specific poem, these are available by clicking the links above.  Clicking on a link will re-direct you to a page dedicated to that poem.  Don’t worry, we’ll have more resources coming soon.  In the meantime we’ve included links for other useful resources at the bottom of this page.

What you need to know about the exam

Paper 2 Section B will contain the question on the Poetry Anthology.

The paper will contain one poem from the poetry anthology, printed in full.  You will then be asked to compare this poem to one other poem from the anthology based on a particular theme.   You will have free choice as to which poem you choose as your comparison poem.  

You will not be told beforehand what poem you will be given in the exam nor will you be told the particular theme they will ask you about.  It will therefore be important for you to have a thorough understanding of all fifteen of the poems before you head into the exam.

Answering the question

The question on the Poetry Anthology is worth 30 marks and should take you around 40-45 minutes to answer. 

To score higher marks in the question you will need to demonstrate a thorough understanding of both the poem presented, as well as the poem you link it to.  It won’t be enough just to discuss the poem presented.

Learning key quotes from each poem is important; for each poem try to record a couple of key quotes for each theme.  The examiner will be looking for quotes that are relevant to your analysis, not a whole raft of quotes with no link to the theme you are asked about. Quality vs quantity is an important point.

Your answer should always start with an introduction which gives a summary of the poem and how the theme from the question is relevant.  You should then introduce your comparative poem, explaining why this poem is also relevant to the theme.

The way you structure the rest of your essay is up to you but there are a couple of options available:

Keeping them separate

Some students prefer to keep their analysis of each poem separate.  Answering the question in this way enables you to think solely about one poem at a time, which means you’re more likely to cover all your points.  Y ou’re likely to need 2-3 solid paragraphs on each poem after your introduction.

The combined approach

Another way of structuring an answer is to split your paragraphs between language, structure and form and write about both poems in each paragraph. 

You may find you use more than one paragraph for each element, so answering in this way is not necessarily going to give you a shorter, more concise answer.  

Again, you could pre-prepare answers in this way by pre-selecting which poems you would compare and ensuring you’re comfortable with the relevant points you would make in each of the key areas.

Don't forget your conclusion

Whichever style you choose you should always aim to include a final conclusion paragraph which summarises the key areas included within your answer; aim to set how effective the two poems are at portraying the given themes and highlight key differences in the approaches the poets take.

The themes covered

The fifteen poems within the poetry anthology all contain links to power and or conflict, in some way.  For some poems, the reference to power and/or conflict will be obvious, but for others you will need to dig a little deeper into the poem to find the reference.  Even for those poems where you think the reference is obvious, you may also find unexpected/hidden themes the more you look.

A synopsis of the main themes you’ll be asked to consider are set out below.

Conflict and war

The references to war in some poems are obvious and cannot be missed.  Examples would include Bayonet Charge and Charge of the Light Brigade.  However, don’t be fooled by the very obvious references about fighting and weapons, as these direct references to conflict are not the only reason why these poems have been included in the poetry anthology. 

As you work your way through the anthology you’ll come across more subtle references to conflict and war which may include:

• The futility of war.
• The impact of war on the people that fight it.
• The impact of war on those that are left behind.
• Conflict between those with power and those without.
• How war is decided by those with power, but fought by those without.
• The level of destruction that war brings.

Inequality and oppression

Conflict often comes about because of inequality and this is a theme that runs through a few of the poems in the anthology.  Within the poems there are references to inequality in numerous way including: 

• Financial inequality – the inequity that arises between the rich and the poor.
• Sexual inequality – the inequity between men and women.
• Inequalities as a result of status – inequities brought about by different social classes.
• Abuse of power by others – including organisations as well as individuals.
• Personal abuse – how sometimes our own thoughts and beliefs cause conflict.
• The belief that power is and always will be everything.

The power of humans

The abuse of power and corruption by humans is a common theme amongst many of the poems in the poetry anthology.  Some examples are:

• Human desire for power can be destructive.
• A desire for power can be great, but power itself is not everlasting and other things in life are more important.
• Power and in particular, abuse of power leads to oppression and abuse.
• The inequity between social classes can have a marked impact on society.
• Individuals and institutions have a responsibility to wield their power appropriately, as corruption amongst the powerful means the under-privileged are exploited. 

The power of nature

Many of the poems in the power and conflict poetry anthology contain a strong link to nature, and illustrate how despite some of the best efforts of humans, nature will always be more powerful.  

Some key ideas related to this theme are:

• Nature holds ultimate power over humans and will always leave them humbled.
• The power of nature is ever-lasting and it will out-survive any efforts by mankind to tame it.
• Nature can be a destructive force.

The power of memories and loss

The concept of memory and power is also a key theme in many poems in the anthology:

• Power may seem important in the moment, but it doesn’t last. Power is fleeting.
• Those that had power are forgotten with time.
• The power of memories should not be under-estimated.  Memories with negative connections can impact mental health and wellbeing.
•  Losing your liberty and things you hold dear.
• The loss of those around you.

Personal identity

Power and conflict is also linked to identity, and can be a formative part:

• The loss of ones personal identity can lead to inner conflict.
• The identity of the lower-classes can be oppressed by those in power.

Comparing poems

The table shown below indicates which of the themes above are relevant to each of the poems in the poetry anthology. 

Use this to help plan which poems you would choose to compare for each theme when preparing for your exam.

Further resources

Listed below is a list of resources we found useful, and we hope you will too.

• Mr Bruff YouTube Channel
• Power and Conflict  Poetry Analysis by the Bicester School
• Physics and Maths Tutor
• Snap Revision by Collins  (from Amazon)

Our site is constantly growing and we add more content every week.  If you’d like to be kept up to date with the content we’re uploading please consider subscribing to our newsletter.  

Don’t worry we’ll keep your details safe and promise we won’t sell them to anyone.

Good luck with your studies.

Power & Conflict: Overview ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

English Content Creator

Power and Conflict

Power & Conflict Poetry Anthology Overview

For Paper 2, Section B, you will study a cluster of 15 poems which are thematically linked. This page will provide an overview of the Power and Conflict anthology. This cluster of poems is dealt with in Question 26 of Paper 2, Section B.

This page includes:

A complete list of the poems in the cluster

A brief overview of what is required in the exam

A brief explanation of key themes

A thematic comparison table of all 15 poems

Top tips for the highest grade

This should help you identify which poem you should compare a given poem to in your exam question, and help you create an effective thesis statement  to answer the poetry question.

Power and Conflict poems

Here is a list of all the poems in the Power and Conflict cluster:

Power and Conflict overview

In Paper 2, Section B, you will be given one of the 15 poems on the exam paper itself, and be expected to compare it thematically to one other poem from the anthology. You will have to choose this second poem, and you should be prepared to write about any of the 15 poems in the exam. This means you need to have a thorough understanding of each poem.

To achieve high marks, you need to evidence your knowledge of the whole of the two poems in your answer, rather than just memorising and using a bank of quotations. This is because you are required to be focused on answering the question, rather than just reproducing lots of pre-learned quotes. The quality of the quotes, linked to the themes in the poems, is more important than quantity. 

It is important to note that, in this question, if you only write about the poem given on the exam paper, or you will be marked down. You must write about the given poem and link it to one other of the poems in the anthology. Think of comparison as what connects the two poems. It is therefore better to start your response with an opening statement that thematically connects the two poems you are going to use to answer the question.

This question in the exam is worth 30 marks, and you should aim to spend between 40-45 minutes on it in the exam. In order to write a top-grade response, you should aim to write an introduction, at least 2-3 comparative paragraphs and a conclusion. It is up to you whether you write about the poem given on the exam paper first, and then your second choice of poem, linking themes back to the given poem, or if you prefer a more integrated response (writing about both in each paragraph of your essay). Neither gets you more marks than the other.

For a more detailed guide on how to achieve top marks for your essay, please see our easy-to-follow How to answer the poetry anthology question pages.

Power and Conflict: Key themes

Human power and corruption.

The theme of power and corruption is evident in many of the poems in the anthology, both on an individual and a state  level. It can explore:

How an individual’s power, pride and arrogance can lead someone to abuse their power or lead to their downfall

The idea that human power does not last

How an individual’s desire for power can lead them to control and oppress others

How power, in the wrong hands, can be destructive

The inheritance of status and power does not necessarily mean you are a good leader

The failings of institutions of power, such as the monarchy, the church and the government, in doing their jobs properly and protecting the people they are meant to serve

The power of nature

The theme of the power of nature (and how human power interacts with the power of nature) is explored in some of the poems in the anthology. It can explore:

How the power of nature ultimately always outlasts human power, whether individual or via an institution

The idea that nature outlives all other forms of power, making them insignificant by comparison

How humanity’s attempts to control nature are often futile   and unsuccessful

How nature itself can be powerful and destructive - especially the weather. This emphasises the conflict between man and nature

War and conflict

The theme of war and conflict is explored both directly in some of the poems, and indirectly via its effects and emotions. It can explore:

Conflict and war in their literal sense, but also as a metaphor  for the conflict between what is expected and what one desires

The futility  of war

The effects of war on those it leaves behind, and the after-effects of conflict

The effect of war and conflict on the individual

The effects of nature on war, and the conflict between war and nature

How those in power can determine the fate of those who are not

The violence and destruction conflict can cause

How war can also mean a battle against power or authority

Oppression and inequality

The theme of oppression  is linked to the idea of control. It has strong links to the idea of inequality , because those being oppressed often belong to marginalised groups who are treated unequally. It can explore:

How power can be used by organisations to control and oppress society, or parts of society

How power can be used by individuals to control and oppress other individuals

How people can be controlled and oppressed by their own thoughts and emotions

The fact that holding on too tight to power and control can lead to undoing

Inequality between rich and poor, and social class and status

Inequality between men and women, and how women are treated and viewed

Inequality between those in power and those who are not

Inequality between what we are taught and what we are not, and the interpretation of history

Memory and loss 

The power of memory is linked to several of the other key themes, as is the related idea of loss. It can explore:

How easily those in power can be forgotten

The conflict between childhood memories and adult understanding

The relationship between emotion, memory and loss

How memories can stay with us and affect our mental health

The loss of freedom, a home, or a homeland

The loss of life, and, as such, the loss of possible future relationships, or relationships developing

The theme of identity can be explored via both individual and cultural identity. It can explore:

How an individual’s identity is formed, and the conflict between personal identity and identity imposed on people

How an individual’s and a group’s identity can be oppressed and controlled

Thematic comparison table

Use the table below to revise which poems connect to the others in the anthology, based on the themes the poets explore.

Power and Conflict: Tips for achieving the highest grade

Referring to writer’s methods, or linguistic terminology, without linking it to a theme will not get you marks

Writer’s methods and the analysis of language, form and structure should always be based on the theme

For example, writing “Browning writes the poem in the form of a dramatic monologue” will not get you a mark. However, writing “Browning uses the form of a dramatic monologue to show the level of control the Duke has over his late duchess, even in death, as no one else has the opportunity to speak” will

Including historical facts or biographical information about the poet adds no value to your answers

If you are addressing the focus of the question, then you are addressing context

If you know the poems well, you will be able to demonstrate this knowledge and understanding in the exam. Learn the poems rather than learning lists of quotes

Make sure you read the question and highlight the focus. Then, decide on which poem you can make most links with the poem given to you on the paper

You don’t get extra marks for more quotations, but you do get more marks for making plenty of interesting comments about the quotes you have selected

Using the poet’s name can help you think about the text as a conscious construct, and will keep reminding you that the poet deliberately put the poem together

Avoid making sweeping generalisations , such as “all women were treated badly in the 18th century”. Make it relevant to the text. For example, “In this poem the woman is subject to control and oppression by her husband”

Use comparative connectives  in your answer, such as “similarly”, “likewise”, “on the other hand” and “contrastingly”

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Author: Deb Orrock

Deb is a graduate of Lancaster University and The University of Wolverhampton. After some time travelling and a successful career in the travel industry, she re-trained in education, specialising in literacy. She has over 16 years’ experience of working in education, teaching English Literature, English Language, Functional Skills English, ESOL and on Access to HE courses. She has also held curriculum and quality manager roles, and worked with organisations on embedding literacy and numeracy into vocational curriculums. She most recently managed a post-16 English curriculum as well as writing educational content and resources.

Key themes from 'Power and Conflict'

I can identify and compare themes across poems from the Power and Conflict anthology.

Lesson details

Key learning points.

• When comparing poems, pay attention to the specific theme within the question.
• Be open to comparing poems across different eras, movements, styles and content areas.
• Memory is a key theme across many of the ‘Power and Conflict’ poems.
• Poets from the anthology often explore the damaging effect of pride, the power of nature and harrowing inner conflicts.

Common misconception

Students may think that all 'Romantic' poems should be compared, all 'war' poems must be compared, all 'nature' poems must be compared.

The nuances of the question are the most important factor when deciding which poems to compare.

Theme - the main subject that is being discussed in a piece of writing

Omnipotence - having very great or unlimited power

Ephemeral - short-lasting

Futility - pointlessness or uselessness

AQA 'Power and Conflict' poetry anthology for GCSE.

Content guidance

• Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
• Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited ( 2024 ), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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