Introduction to Songs of Ourselves, Volume 2

Welcome to your study of Songs of Ourselves, Volume 2! This anthology is a diverse collection of poems written by different authors from across the globe and spanning several centuries. Think of it as a "literary mixtape"—each poem has its own unique beat, message, and style. Some poems explore the beauty of nature, while others dive into the depths of love, the pain of war, or the struggles of social injustice.

For your Paper 1 Poetry exam in 2027 or 2028, you will focus on a specific selection of 30 poems. Whether you find poetry a bit intimidating or you already love it, these notes are designed to help you understand the "what," "how," and "why" of every poem in the selection.

The Prescribed Poems (2027 & 2028)

Here are the 30 poems you need to be familiar with for your examination. You don't need to memorize them all, but you should be able to recognize their main themes and the techniques the poets use.

  • Last Sonnet — John Keats
  • The Bargain — Sir Philip Sidney
  • To My Dear and Loving Husband — Anne Bradstreet
  • Tiger in the Menagerie — Emma Jones
  • lion heart — Amanda Chong
  • Heart and Mind — Edith Sitwell
  • In Praise of Creation — Elizabeth Jennings
  • Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold — Edward Taylor
  • 'Blessed by the Indifference...' — Christopher Reid
  • The Poplar-Field — William Cowper
  • Afternoon with Irish Cows — Billy Collins
  • London Snow — Robert Bridges
  • Excelsior — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  • The Border Builder — Carol Rumens
  • The Migrant — A L Hendriks
  • The White House — Claude McKay
  • The Song of the Shirt — Thomas Hood
  • To a Millionaire — A R D Fairburn
  • Amoretti, Sonnet 86 — Edmund Spenser
  • Homecoming — Lenrie Peters
  • I Years had been from Home — Emily Dickinson
  • The Exequy — Henry King
  • Old Man & Very Old Man — James Henry
  • Late Wisdom — George Crabbe
  • 'I Have a Rendezvous with Death' — Alan Seeger
  • Song — Alun Lewis
  • The Dead Knight — John Masefield
  • From the Coptic — Stevie Smith
  • I Dream of You... — Christina Rossetti
  • Sleep — Kenneth Slessor

Key Themes to Watch For

To make studying easier, it helps to group the poems by their big ideas. Here are the four main "clusters" found in this selection:

1. Love and Relationships

Many poems in this selection look at love from different angles—passionate, spiritual, or even business-like. For example, 'The Bargain' uses the metaphor of a trade or exchange to describe a relationship, while 'To My Dear and Loving Husband' expresses a deep, eternal bond that transcends earthly life. 'I Dream of You...' explores the bittersweet nature of love that exists in memory or dreams.

2. Nature and the Environment

Poets often use nature to reflect human emotions or to praise the complexity of the world. 'In Praise of Creation' looks at the order and mystery of the natural world, while 'The Poplar-Field' mourns the loss of a beautiful landscape. Some poems, like 'London Snow', focus on how nature can transform a familiar, gritty city into something magical and silent.

3. Identity, Home, and Belonging

Several poems deal with the feeling of being an outsider or the difficulty of returning home. 'The White House' explores the pain of racial exclusion and the struggle to remain calm in the face of injustice. 'Homecoming' and 'I Years had been from Home' both deal with the strange, sometimes unsettling feeling of returning to a place that has changed—or seeing how much you have changed yourself.

4. Time, Loss, and Mortality

Poetry often tackles the "big questions" about life and death. 'The Exequy' is a moving poem about grieving for a lost loved one, comparing life to a journey toward a final meeting. 'I Have a Rendezvous with Death' and 'The Dead Knight' look at the reality of mortality, particularly in the context of war and duty.

Quick Review: When you read a poem, ask yourself: What is the speaker's main concern? Is it a person, a place, an idea, or a feeling?

Analyzing the Writer's Choices (AO2)

In your exam, you must show how the writer creates meaning. This means looking at form, structure, and language. Don't worry if these terms seem technical; they are just tools poets use to build their work.

Form and Structure

  • Sonnets: Look for poems with 14 lines, like 'Last Sonnet' or 'Amoretti, Sonnet 86'. These often have a "turn" (or volta) where the speaker's argument or mood shifts.
  • Stanza Length: Are the stanzas short and choppy, or long and flowing? In 'London Snow', the continuous flow of the poem mimics the falling of snow.
  • Rhyme and Rhythm: A steady rhythm can feel comforting or like a march (as in 'Excelsior'), while irregular rhythms can feel chaotic or natural (as in 'Afternoon with Irish Cows').

Language and Imagery

  • Metaphor and Simile: Look for when a poet compares two unlike things. In 'Tiger in the Menagerie', the tiger represents something dangerous and untamable within a controlled environment.
  • Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things. In 'Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold', the wasp's struggle is described in a way that makes us sympathize with it as if it were a person.
  • Diction (Word Choice): Does the poet use "harsh" sounds (like 'k', 't', 'p') to show anger, or "soft" sounds (like's', 'm', 'l') to show peace?

Study Tip: Try reading the poems out loud. Often, the "mood" of the poem is hidden in how the words feel in your mouth!

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Retelling the "story": Don't just summarize what happens in the poem. The examiner knows the poem! They want to know how the poet uses language to make you feel a certain way.
  • Feature Spotting: Don't just list techniques (e.g., "This poem has alliteration"). Always explain the effect: "The alliteration of the 's' sound creates a hushed, secretive tone."
  • Ignoring the Question: Always keep the specific exam question in mind. If it asks about "the presentation of grief," don't spend half your essay talking about the weather unless the weather represents that grief!

How to Approach the Exam Paper

For Paper 1, Section B, you will have a choice between two questions for Songs of Ourselves:

Option (a): The "Whole-Text" Essay
This question asks about a theme or a specific technique across the poems. You will usually need to write about two or three poems from the selection in detail. This is a great choice if you have a favorite theme (like Nature) and know a few poems very well.

Option (b): The "Passage-Based" Question
The exam paper will print one of the 30 poems in full. You will be asked to analyze how the poet communicates specific feelings or ideas in that specific poem. This is a good choice if you are confident in close-reading and analyzing language on the spot.

Key Takeaway: For both options, your goal is to demonstrate Knowledge (AO1), Analysis (AO2), Personal Response (AO3), and Clear Communication (AO4).

Final Encouragement

Poetry in Songs of Ourselves is about the human experience. Even though some of these poems were written hundreds of years ago, the feelings of love, fear, wonder, and sadness are things we all still feel today. When you find a poem difficult, try to find one small image or line that makes sense to you and build your understanding from there. You've got this!

Note: For more specific analysis on individual poets like Christina Rossetti or Sylvia Plath, please refer to their respective chapters in the Paper 1 Poetry section.