Exemplar AQA Power And Conflict Essays
AQA English Literature - Power and Conflict Essays
Model Power and Conflict Essay - AQA June 2017 English Literature Exam - 'Bayonet Charge' and 'Remains'
This free Power and Conflict (AQA) poetry essay compares 'Bayonet Charge' and 'Remains'. This GCSE poetry essay is based upon the AQA English Literature exam format. This Power and Conflict essay is a top band, Grade 9 response, linked to the June 2017 AQA exam.
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Compare how poets present the effects of war in ‘Bayonet Charge’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and conflict’.
In both ‘Bayonet Charge’ and ‘Remains’, we are presented with the idea that war is haunting and inescapable – perhaps in a similar way to PTSD. ‘Bayonet Charge’ seems to indicate how the realities of war are still very poignant and real, whereas in ‘Remains’ the memories seem distant, as if the solider has become numb to it.
Interestingly, both poems begin in the midst of war. The adverb “suddenly” in ‘Bayonet Charge’ immediately instils a sense of action and motion, mixed with fear and a release of apprehension. The fact that this poem is also written from the point of view of a person looking in on someone else’s life, could be representative of how soldiers often feel out of place when returning home – as if their minds are still at war. It could also indicate how, when at war, you are a different person to when you return home. In this sense, the third person tense could demonstrate how war alters your being and affects you during and after it takes place. |
Model Power and Conflict Essay - AQA June 2018 English Literature Exam - 'Ozymandias' and 'Tissue'
This free Power and Conflict (AQA) poetry essay compares 'Ozymandias' and 'Tissue'. This GCSE poetry essay is based upon the AQA English Literature exam format. This Power and Conflict essay is a top band, Grade 9 response, linked to the June 2018 AQA exam.
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Compare how poets present ideas about power in ‘Ozymandias’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and Conflict’.
Both ‘Ozymandias’ and ‘Tissue’ present nature as the fundamental and overlooked symbol of power within our world, whilst depicting the efforts of mankind to control or overpower it as futile. ‘Ozymandias’ centres around one of the most celebrated and powerful pharaohs of the Egyptian Empire (Ramesses II), who reigned for sixty-six years, from 1303 BC - 1213 BC. ‘Tissue’ concentrates on the power of “paper” and the impact it can have on human lives.
Significantly, both poems convey the message that power has the ability to change and influence people and their actions. In the opening octave of ‘Ozymandias’, what is immediately apparent is the plethora of negative language detailing Rameses II’s “frown”, “wrinkled lip” and “sneer”. This is immediately followed by the harsh alliterative “c” sound of his “cold command”, reflecting his harsh demeanour and ultimate power to control an empire. Many Egyptians would have feared Ramesses II, who, like his ancestors, would have aspired to achieve a sense of immortality through statues erected and dedicated to them. Ironically, the power of nature has reduced Ramesses’ statue to a “shattered visage” and a “colossal wreck”. |
Model Power and Conflict Essay - AQA June 2019 English Literature Exam - 'War Photographer' and 'Remains'
This free Power and Conflict (AQA) poetry essay compares 'War Photographer' and 'Remains'. This GCSE poetry essay is based upon the AQA English Literature exam format. This Power and Conflict essay is a top band, Grade 9 response, linked to the June 2019 AQA exam.
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Compare how poets present the ways that people are affected by war in ‘War Photographer’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and Conflict’.
In ‘War Photographer’, the protagonist appears to have become inured and desensitised to the horrors of war. For instance, the alliteration / sibilance “spools of suffering” is rhythmically read aloud with ease and almost rolls off the tongue, implying that, perhaps due to experience, this process has become instinctive. Alternatively, “he” is no longer affected by it, despite there being large quantities (“spools”) of presumably quite lurid (“suffering”) imagery before him. This sense is compounded by the simile “as though…he a priest preparing to intone a Mass”. This simile signifies that he is acting out of a solemn duty, as a priest would, performing a ritual that may not be pleasant, but must be done regardless. Such a sacrifice would be salient to the reader and elicit much gratitude and sympathy, which could have been the objective of Duffy, who is friends with people (McCullin and Griffiths) who specialise in war photography and have struggled with what they have witnessed.
In contrast, ‘Remains’ by Simon Armitage depicts a solider from the Iraq war who is struggling with excruciating guilt and remorse after taking a looter’s life. For example, in ‘Remains’, the repetition of “probably armed, possibly not” demonstrates how the duty he undertook still haunts him; the guilt he carries is inescapable and impossible to shed. This is different to Duffy’s poem, where the duty is being actively and voluntarily undertaken, with the present progressive verb “preparing” telling the reader this. Again, the regret and remorse felt by Armitage’s solider is apparent in the quote “the drink and drugs won’t flush him out”. |
Model Power and Conflict Essay - AQA November 2020 English Literature Exam - 'War Photographer' and 'Remains'
This free Power and Conflict (AQA) poetry essay compares 'Remains' and 'War Photographer'. This GCSE poetry essay is based upon the AQA English Literature exam format. This Power and Conflict essay is a top band, Grade 9 response, linked to the November 2020 AQA exam.
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Compare how poets present the ways people are affected by difficult experiences in ‘Remains’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and conflict’.
Both ‘Remains’ by Simon Armitage and ‘War Photographer’ by Carol Ann Duffy explore the emotional, physical and psychological impacts on the poems’ subjects, as a result of war.
In ‘Remains’, Armitage immediately thrusts the reader into the soldier’s first-hand experience of war. The colloquial language, such as “legs it”, creates an informal and conversational tone. However, the tone suddenly shifts as Armitage utilises vivid imagery – “tosses his guts back into his body” – to depict the disregard for the assaulted “looter”. The verb “tosses” dehumanising the victim’s body as it is treated like rubbish. The embedded clause “sort of inside out”, demonstrates the childish and brutally honest nature of the narrator, making the reader feel unnerved, whilst suggesting war has affected the narrator by both stripping them of maturity, but also numbing their emotions towards the brutality of war. However, in ‘War Photographer’, Duffy uses a simile to compare the photographer’s work to “a priest preparing to intone a Mass”, creating a solemn and serious tone, comparable to a funeral. Duffy may have used this technique to imply the photographer regards his job as a necessity and part of the funeral for the fallen. Thus, similar to ‘Remains’, the central figures (soldier and photographer) are in a position of responsibility due to their experiences. |
Exemplar English Literature Essays
Poetry Essay helps you write essays about English Literature more confidently - providing you with a variety of helpful hints. With Poetry Essay, you should find all the help you need - from analysing a text in detail to writing coherently about it. Please visit the links below for exemplar student-style essays.
Romeo and Juliet EssaysModel Romeo and Juliet essays for the AQA exam board.
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A Christmas Carol Essays
Model A Christmas Carol essays for the AQA exam board.
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An Inspector Calls EssaysModel An Inspector Calls essays for the AQA exam board.
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Power and Conflict EssaysModel Power and Conflict poetry essays for the AQA exam board.
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Unseen Poetry
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AQA Power and Conflict Poems - Analysed In Detail
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Explore the 15 AQA Power and Conflict poems which students are required to analyse for the GCSE English Literature poetry exam (AQA English Literature Paper 2). AQA emphasises that students should study all 15 poems in their chosen cluster and be prepared to write about any of them in the examination.
The AQA Power and Conflict cluster of poems have been analysed in detail. If you need help analysing the collection of AQA Power and Conflict poems please look at the videos below. Each of the Power and Conflict poems have been concisely annotated to support your analysis and interpretation. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further analysis and interpretation. |
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