Question Constellation Sign up for free OCR · GCSE · English Literature · Higher
Different ways in which love can be painful
Section A: Poetry across Time. Love and Relationships. Read the two poems below and then answer both part a) and part b). You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on part a) and 30 minutes on part b).
Compare how the speakers in these poems express different ways in which love can be painful.
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Marking points
- 1 Compares both named poems directly and keeps the response focused on different ways in which love can be painful.
- 2 Uses precise textual references from both poems to support an informed personal response.
- 3 Analyses language, form and structure, including figurative language, repetition, rhythm, rhyme, enjambment, or metaphor where relevant.
- 4 Develops comparison of ideas, attitudes, tone and atmosphere rather than writing two separate unrelated readings.
Full-mark answer
A strong answer would compare Thomas's presentation of true love as sorrowful but still connected with hope against Rossetti's bleaker presentation of lost hope as a dream that has left the speaker comfortless. It would analyse how Thomas's weather imagery moves from storm and tears towards the possibility of clear heavens, while Rossetti's repeated 'For a dream's sake' and commands to the heart create a more final sense of desolation. It would use quotations from both poems and sustain comparison of tone, structure and imagery.
Why this answer loses marks
Both poems show that love hurts and both use sad images.
This notices the shared sadness but does not compare how poetic methods shape different attitudes to painful love.