Writing about poetry can be rather daunting at first. There are devices to get your head around, language you may not understand and of course, structural features to remember to look for.
But it doesn't need to be too terrifying. Poetry is just a collection of words, all with meaning, written to communicate something to the reader.
Once you have figured this out, the rest will eventually fall into place.
For this activity, you will look at a poem for its features, language and structure. Have a read of the poem (and useful explanations) below and get ready to answer some questions.
Sonnet - John Clare
I love to see the summer beaming forth
And white wool rock clouds sailing to the north
I love to see the wild flowers come again
And Mare blobs stain with gold the meadow drain
And water lilies whiten on the flood
Where reed clumps rustle like a wind shook wood
Where from her hiding place the Moor Hen pushes
And seeks her flag nest floating in bull rushes
I like the willow leaning half way o'er
The clear deep lake to stand upon its shore
I love the hay grass when the flower head swings
To summer winds and insects happy wings
That sport about the meadow the bright day
And see bright beetles in the clear lake play
sonnet - a poem with 14 lines
mare blobs - buttercups
moor hen - a bird that lives on ponds
flag - a type of leaf
bull rushes - bulrushes are plants that grow in ponds
o'er - over
Let's get started.