Paper 1 Section B: A Christmas Carol•Read the novella, read it again, and then again! This will enhance your understanding of the plot and it will mean you become accustomed to the archaic language, which means it won’t freak you out in the exam when you see the extract. •Make mind maps for each of the key characters and themes:

•Scrooge•Marley’s Ghost•The Ghost of Christmas Past

•The Ghost of Christmas Present•The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come•Bob Cratchit

•The Cratchit family•Fred•Belle

•Poverty•Greed and social responsibility•Generosity & goodwill

•Redemption •Family

Paper 2 Section A: Blood BrothersRead the play, read it again, and then again! Make mind maps for the following characters and themes:

Practise re-creating mind maps from memory. •Mrs Johnstone•Mr and Mrs Lyons•Mickey Johnstone

•Edward Lyons•Linda•Sammy Johnstone

•The narrator•Money and Social Class•Fate and Superstition

•Childhood and Growing Up•Nature vs Nurture•Friendship

•Identity•Gender

Paper 2 Section B: Power and Conflict Poetry•You’ll be asked to write about a poem which you will not be given to read in the exam! Therefore, it is essential that you know the poems almost off by heart before the exam. You should therefore be able to recite these poems.

Make mind maps (including quotations) for each of the key themes:

• Power of nature• Power of humans• Reality of conflict

• Effects of conflict• Loss and grief/absence• Memory

• Negative and positive emotions• Identity

TITLES: Consider the significance of the title of each poem! Think about layers of meaning as well as any terminology which might apply.

Paper 2 Section C: Unseen Poetry• Revising for section B (Poetry: Power and Conflict) will help enormously. • Use the poems in the Love & Relationships section of the anthology to practise reading and decoding poetry alone. Use the terminology sheet to

ensure they are identifying poetic devices. • Use the THS Unseen Poetry Revision Guide to read more poetry and practise analysing the writer’s methods.

ALL SECTIONS: Practise answering exam questions under timed conditions. Hand in to your teacher for feedback.

AQA English Literature: How to RevisePaper 1 Section A: Romeo & Juliet:•Read the play, read it again, and then again! This will enhance your understanding of the plot and it will mean you become accustomed to the archaic language, which means it won’t freak you out in the exam when you see the extract. •Visit www.sparknotes.com for a modern-day translation of the entire play. •Refer to the booklet of past papers (available on the school website). Annotate each extract fully and bullet point what other parts of the play you would refer to for this question. •Make mind maps with quotations for each of the characters and themes:

•Romeo•Juliet•Lord Capulet•Lady Capulet

•Friar Lawrence•Tybalt•Mercutio•Benvolio

•The Nurse•The Montagues•Love•Fate

•Conflict•Honour•Family•Marriage

•Loyalty•Growing up/coming of age•Religion

AQA English Literature Knowledge Organiser: Romeo & Juliet

Context:• Duelling and the concept of honour: Maintaining the

honour of your family name was hugely important at the time. If you were challenged to a duel and you refused, you would be deemed a coward, thus damaging your honour and the status of your family. Most Elizabethan gentlemen carried swords in public and many did fight in the streets.

• Courtly Love & cures for lovesickness: common in medieval literature where a knight was consumed with passion for an unattainable noblewoman; Romeo fits this perfectly. Elizabethan doctors saw unrequited love or desire as a disease, a type of melancholy sometimes called lovesickness. They tried various cures and sometimes sent patients to church to confess to a priest. They believed that if lovesickness was left untreated, it could lead to madness.

• Role of women in a patriarchal society: Elizabethan England was a society controlled by men. Women were seen as the weaker sex & were expected to be meek & mild, and most importantly, obedient to their fathers & later their husbands.

• Arranged marriages: Marriages amongst the wealthy were arranged by parents in order to match or improve social standing. However, in practice, parents did try to choose someone their child liked and was happy to marry. Secret marriages such as that between the young Romeo and Juliet would have been both illegal and shocking.

• The Italian setting of the play: The play is set in Italy, which was known for its warring states. It is also a Catholic country; religion was extremely important and marriage vows were seen as sacred – once made, they could not be broken.

Plot:ACT 1:In Italy, two noble families (the Montagues & Capulets) are feuding yet again. Romeo is in love with Rosaline, who rejects his love. As a result, he is depressed. To cure Romeo of his lovesickness, Benvolio persuades him to attend a masked ball at the Capulets, where he might see prettier girls and therefore forget about Rosaline. Romeo meets Juliet and they instantly fall in love with one another. Tybalt hears Romeo’s voice at the ball and is furious that a Montague has dared to attend.ACT 2:Romeo stands beneath Juliet’s balcony. He sees Juliet leaning over the railing, hears her calling out his name & wishes that he wasn’t a Montague. He reveals his presence & they resolve, after a passionate exchange, to be married secretly. ACT 3:Romeo returns from his recent marriage to Juliet and encounters Tybalt, who challenges Romeo to a duel. Unbeknownst to all present, Tybalt is now Romeo’s kinsman by marriage so Romeo refuses. Mercutio is livid with Romeo’s refusal and fights with Tybalt who underhandedly kills Mercutio. Furious by the death of his friend, Romeo kills Tybalt and takes shelter in the Friar’s cell. The Prince exiles Romeo for his part in the fray.ACT 4:In despair, Juliet seeks Friar Lawrence’s advice. He gives her a sleeping potion, which for a time will cause her to appear dead. Thus, on the day of her supposed marriage to Paris, she will be carried to the family vault. By the time she awakens, Romeo will be summoned to the vault and take her away to Mantua. ACT 5:The Friar’s letter fails to reach Romeo. When he hears of Juliet’s death, Romeo procures a deadly poison from an apothecary and secretly returns to Verona to say his last farewell to his deceased wife and die by her side. When Juliet awakens from her deep sleep, she realises Romeo’s error and kills herself with his dagger. The Capulets and Montague decide to reconcile as a result of the deaths of their children.

Significant Characters:RomeoA young Montague. Not interested in violence, only love. He’s passionate and sensitive yet also impulsive. JulietA young Capulet. Naïve and sheltered at the beginning, develops into a strong character. Grounded. Friar LawrenceFriend to both Romeo and Juliet. Civic-minded. Also expert with potions & herbs.NurseLike a mother to Juliet / confidante. Earthy/sexual. Often says inappropriate things.CapuletJuliet’s father. Prudent and caring but can fly into rage if respect is lacking.MercutioRomeo’s close friend. Witty, bawdy, cynical and a hot-headed character.BenvolioRomeo’s cousin. Tries to keep the peace and keep Romeo’s mind off of Rosaline.PrinceLeader of Verona, concerned with keeping order between the warring families. TybaltJuliet’s cousin. Obsessed by family honour; quick to draw his sword. Hates Montagues.

Themes:• Violence & Hate• Death• Secrecy• Family • Youth vs. Age• Individual vs Society/Religion

• Order vs Chaos• Appearance vs Reality• Conflict• Courtly love• Marriage• Sex• Youth

Key Quotations:Prologue: From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.Act 2, Scene 1: But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. . . .The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night.Act 2, Scene 1: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.Act 3, Scene 1: O, I am fortune’s fool!Act 5, Scene 1: Then I defy you, stars.

FIND THE KEY!KF

AQA English Literature Knowledge Organiser: Literature Questions

FIRST TEN MINUTES:

1. Read the question and highlight the KEY focus (KF). (eg: family/love). Before you delve into the extract, think BIG PICTURE: list 2-3 adjectives (or events) that help you answer the question (eg: How is the Nurse presented? Loyal, caring, inferior)

2. Annotate the extract, looking for anything relevant to the KEY focus KF. Try to identify writer’s methods (WT language and S structural devices). Try to find evidence (E) to support the words you jotted down when you first read the question. Jot down any new words that you think of while you annotate (eg: impulsive, funny). Remember to link to context (CON) when you discuss the writer’s intentions (WM), or the way the characters react to events/each other.

High grades tip: look for patterns, not just individual words to zoom in on. Eg: if there is one aggressive verb, are there any more, is there a pattern formed?

3. Bullet point three key parts of the play/novel where this KEY focus KF (character or theme) is interesting. Again, try to think of the writer’s methods (WT) and context (CON).

1. BIG PICTURE: Start by writing a few sentences that answer the question without any quotes.

Shakespeare presents the nurse as caring and loyal, because she looks out for Juliet and keeps her secrets. Also, she is a very funny character, who brings humour to an otherwise serious play. You could argue that she is foolish and impulsive, because she helps Juliet to betray her parents and this ends up getting her into a lot of trouble, ultimately, death. Highlight or underline these words in the introduction. 2. Then, use the extract and your knowledge of the play/novel to start to prove what you have said in the introduction. In the extract, Shakespeare presents her as very funny when she…

Also, Shakespeare highlights her inferior status, when…

High grades tip: consider the PURPOSE of the character in the play, or the message Shakespeare was trying to convey.

WRITING UP YOUR ANSWER:

MAKE SURE EVERYTHING LINKS TO THE KEY!

• SPaG is worth 4 marks each for Romeo and Juliet and Blood Brothers, so proof read!• SPaG matters anyway, as if the examiner can’t understand what you’re trying to say,

they can’t award the marks. • It also helps give a good impression, which means the examiner instantly likes you

and is looking for ways to give you marks.

PROOFREAD!

AQA English Literature Knowledge Organiser: A Christmas Carol

Key Literary Vocabulary: WT

Satire- use of humour or ridicule to criticise Asyndeton- list without conjunctionsPolysyndeton- list with conjunctions (and)Simile- comparing using ‘like’ or ‘as’Metaphor- saying one thing is anotherPersonification- make object humanPathetic fallacy- weather to create/reflect moodPathos- language to evoke pityAllusion- reference to another literary workHyperbole- exaggerated statementConnotation- associated meaning of wordCharacterisation- built up description of character in textSemantic field- words related in meaningImagery- visually descriptive language

Stave 1 Marley’s GhostEbenezer Scrooge is at work in his counting house. Scrooge's turns down his nephew, Fred’s, invitation to his Christmas party & the request of two men who want money for charity. Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley, who tells Scrooge that, due to his own greedy life, he has to wander the Earth wearing heavy chains. Marley tries to stop Scrooge from doing the same. He tells Scrooge that three spirits will visit him during the next three nights. Scrooge falls asleep.Stave 2 The First of the Three SpiritsHe wakes and the Ghost of Christmas Past soon appears to him - they embark on a journey into Scrooge’s past. Invisible to those he watches, Scrooge revisits his childhood school days; his apprenticeship with a jolly merchant named Fezziwig, & his engagement to Belle, who leaves Scrooge as he loves money too much to love another human being. Scrooge sheds tears of regret before returning to his bed.Stave 3 The Second of The Three SpiritsScrooge anticipates the second ghost, sitting up in bed waiting. He is surprised when no spirit arrives. Instead, he follows a light & finds himself in a transformed version of his own room. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge Christmas as it happens that year. Scrooge sees the Cratchit family eat a tiny meal in their little home ;Bob Cratchit's crippled son, Tiny Tim, whose kindness & humility warm Scrooge's heart and Fred’s Christmas party. Toward the end of the day the ghost shows Scrooge two starved child-like figures; Ignorance & Want. He vanishes as Scrooge notices a dark, hooded figure coming.Stave 4 The Last of the SpiritsThe Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come takes Scrooge through a sequence of scenes linked to an unnamed man's death. Scrooge is keen to learn the lesson. He begs to know the name of the dead man. He finds himself in a churchyard with the spirit pointing to a grave. Scrooge looks at the headstone & is shocked to read his own name. He is desperate to change his fate & promises to change his ways. He suddenly finds himself safely tucked in his bed.Stave 5 The End of ItScrooge rushes out onto the street hoping to share his newfound Christmas spirit. He sends a turkey to the Cratchit house & goes to Fred's party. As the years go by, he continues to celebrate Christmas with all his heart. He treats Tiny Tim as if he were his own child, gives gifts for the poor & is kind, generous & warm.

Quotations to Learn: RT, E‘as solitary as an oyster’ ‘as hard and sharp as flint’ ‘squeezing, wrenching, grasping, covetous old sinner’ ‘tight-fisted hand at the grindstone’ ‘no warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill’ ‘Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?’ ‘decrease the surplus population’ “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future” “I am as giddy as a schoolboy” “I wear the chain I forged in life” ‘The clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like only one coal’ “he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see” “Another idol has displaced me” “A golden one” “brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable’

Context: CON1832 – The Great Reform Bill gave many middle class property owners the right to vote for the first time. Large sections of the middle classes, the working classes and women still didn’t have the right to vote. 1834 – Poor Law Amendment Act – Led to a cut in aid given to paupers to help them stay in their own homes. Workhouses were created which poor people would have to live and work in, if they were unable to pay for their own housing. September 1843 – Dickens visits a “Ragged School.” December 1843 Dickens writes A Christmas Carol focusing on how many of society’s ills can be blamed on greed for money and status.

Charles Dickens: CON• 1824 – Dickens’ father is sent to jail for debt and Dickens has

to give up his education until his father inherits some money and he goes to a private school

• Dickens was put to work in a warehouse, pasting labels on bottles. He had experience of poverty.

• Dickens became a writer of fiction and journalism, reporting on court cases and working for radical newspapers on his disillusionment with politics and the class system. WM

Themes: WM Poverty, Fate, Charity, Transformation, Capitalism, Greed, Money, Redemption, Family, Friendship, Religion, Morality, Isolation/Loneliness, Choices, Memory and the past, Compassion, Forgiveness, Guilt and blame, Time, RationalitySymbols: Fire, bells, chains, weather WT

FIND THE KEY!KF

AQA English Literature Knowledge Organiser: Literature Questions

FIRST TEN MINUTES:

1. Read the question and highlight the KEY focus (KF). (eg: social responsibility). Before you delve into the extract, think BIG PICTURE: list 2-3 adjectives (or events) that help you answer the question (eg: How does Dickens use Scrooge to illustrate redemption/change?)

2. Annotate the extract, looking for anything relevant to the KEY focus KF. Try to identify writer’s methods (WT language and structural devices). Try to find evidence (E) to support the words you jotted down when you first read the question. Jot down any new words that you think of while you annotate (eg: miserable and lonely at the start, emotional when he sees the shadows, reformed by the end of Stave 4). Remember to link to context (CON) when you discuss the writer’s intentions (WM), or the way the characters react to events/each other.

High grades tip: look for patterns, not just individual words to zoom in on. Eg: if there is one aggressive verb, are there any more, is there a pattern formed?

3. Bullet point three key parts of the play/novel where this KEY focus KF (character or theme) is interesting. Again, try to think of the writer’s methods (WT) and context (CON).

1. BIG PICTURE: Start by writing a few sentences that answer the question without any quotes.

Dickens presents Scrooge as miserable and lonely at the start of the novella when he refuses to interact with others. He becomes very emotional and upset when he sees the shadows of his former self, and is a reformed character by the end of Stave 4.Highlight or underline these words in the introduction. 2. Then, use the extract and your knowledge of the play/novel to start to prove what you have said in the introduction. Dickens presents him as miserable when he…

Dickens highlights his emotions, when…

High grades tip: consider the PURPOSE of the character in the play, or the message Shakespeare was trying to convey.

WRITING UP YOUR ANSWER:

MAKE SURE EVERYTHING LINKS TO THE KEY!

• SPaG is worth 4 marks each for Romeo and Juliet and Blood Brothers, so proof read!• SPaG matters anyway, as if the examiner can’t understand what you’re trying to say,

they can’t award the marks. • It also helps give a good impression, which means the examiner instantly likes you

and is looking for ways to give you marks.

PROOFREAD!

CharactersMickey

Johnstone

The lower-class twin. He is honest, sincere and

goodhearted. He impregnates Linda, gets laid off,

is arrested for Sammy’s crime and ends up in

prison and addicted to anti-depressants. His rage

at Linda & Edward for having an affair drives the

play’s finale.

Edward

Lyons

Is also good-natured but the higher-class twin. His

sheltered upbringing makes him innocent but

because of class he gets good opportunities e.g.

university and a good job. His good-natured

manner leads to the play’s final scene.

Mrs

Johnstone

Biological mother of the twins and a horde of other

children. Left by her husband she gets a job as a

cleaner. She is the moral centre of the play; is

tortured by guilt and regret.

Mrs Lyons Opposite of Mrs J whom she employs as a

cleaner. She adopts Edward as her own child. Is

haunted by the original act of a mother giving up

her child. The guilt turns into suspicion and

paranoia. She announces the affair and

contributes to the murder of her adopted son.

Linda Begins as a tomboyish young girl but both twins

fancy her from an early stage. She only has eyes

for Mickey as a teenager but later turns to Edward

for comfort and support, which turns into an affair.

Despite this, she loves both twins and is a

sympathetic character.

Narrator All-knowing and always slightly menacing- takes

many roles throughout the play. Narrator

constantly reminds the audience of the terrible

choice that began this chain of events. Frequent

mentions of fate and superstition but the Narrator

claims it was class, not fate.

Sammy When they are younger, Mickey just wants to be

like Sammy. Quickly becomes a juvenile

delinquent; even attempting to rob a bus as a

teenager- he ends up in prison with Mickey.

Mr Lyons Married to Mrs Lyons- away so Mrs L can adopt

Edward. Grows increasingly concerned about his

wife’s mental health and wellbeing.

ThemesEducation Due to class, education is offered differently to the

two boys- with Edward being in a private, boarding

school and Mickey a comprehensive school where

Mickey is poorly educated.

Superstition The audience is constantly reminded of this, as well

as the superstition Mrs Lyons creates. The narrator

also refers to other superstitions throughout the

various songs in the play.

Violence The children play with toy guns and violent games

out in the street. This foreshadows the violent path

Mickey takes and the ultimate violent ending to the

boys’ lives.

Money Mrs J can’t afford to feed an extra two children and

ends up getting her furnishings on the catalogue

being taken away whilst pregnant. The children have

broken toys which compares to Mrs L who can afford

all of the luxuries when Edward is born.

Class Mickey has less opportunities, poor education and

an unsecure job- he is involved in drugs, depression

and crime because of his poverty. Edward has all the

opportunities: a good education, university and a

good job. Both boys are also treated differently by

society and authoritative figures.

Nature vs Nurture Focuses on the idea of what will happen if a person’s

character is determined by their genetics or

upbringing. In this case, it is their upbringing- Mickey

wishes to have had Edward’s life at the end of the

play.

Fate The idea that because of class, the boys’ fate was

always decided and instead it was fate, not

superstition that caused their death.

Friendship There are close friendships between the boys as

well as Linda which strengthens and suffers at

different times, specifically as the boys get older as

one gets everything he wants and the other does not

due to their social classes.

ContextMarilyn Monroe Famous and glamorous Hollywood movie star who

Mrs J is compared to. Mickey is also compared to

the actress as Mickey becomes addicted to

antidepressants mirroring Monroe’s own addiction

struggles.

Margaret

Thatcher

First female Prime Minister- responsible for lots of

working class people (including miners) losing

their jobs. During her time in power,

unemployment rates were raised higher than ever

before.

Single Parents Single mothers were looked down upon in this era.

Society expected people to marry before they had

children and thought badly of those who didn’t.

Women were expected to give up work and look

after the children.

Russell’s

Intentions

Russell was brought up in a working class family in

Liverpool where his Dad had various jobs with one

being a miner and was an alcoholic. Russell was

interested in class as his mother aspired to be of a

higher class. Russell feared he would end up like

his father but felt saved by his in-laws who

nurtured him, hence his interest of nature vs

nurture.

Key MomentsPeter

Pan

Symbolises childhood- not wanting to grow up- Eddie not having

to and Mickey having to.

Locket Symbolises the bond between the twins. Edward treasures the

locket, even getting into trouble by refusing to remove it at

school. Mrs L tries to get it removed

Guns Foreshadows deaths from the beginning. Childhood games

involving guns as well as Mr L gifting a toy one to Edward. A gun

is also used in the crime Sammy commits with Mickey.

Piggy in

the

middle

Linda always being in the middle of Mickey and Eddie at an older

age. They are both in love with her as she is with them. Mrs J is

also in the middle; whether to tell the boys they are twins or not

as well as the threats that stop her from communicating with

Edward.

NOTE: You don’t get an extract in this exam! You must learn quotes!

AQA English Literature Knowledge Organiser: Blood Brothers

1. Read both questions and highlight the KEY. (1 min)

2. Briefly mind map/plan your ideas. This helps you choose the best question, as if you’ve not got many ideas for your plan, you know you need to consider the other question. 5-10 mins.

3. Write an introduction (BIG PICTURE) where you answer the question in your own words, using specific adjectives or events (At the start of the play Mrs Lyons is desperate to have a child, and manipulative in her approach to Mrs Johnstone. Later she becomes tortured by the prospect of Eddie finding out the truth) without quotes. Briefly mention the ideas in your plan, but don’t give details yet.

4. Spend the rest of your time proving the points you’ve made in your introduction. Remember the three ingredients:

• Specific adjectives to make points, quotes /references (AO1)

Mrs Lyons is desperate to have children “Give one to me”…

• Writer’s techniques (AO2) – don’t forget structure, timing, stage directions, speeches, imagery, language devices, how characters talk (direct and euphemisms)

Russell uses the imperative (“Give one”) to illustrate Mrs Lyon’s desperate determination…

• Context (AO3)

Perhaps Russell uses Mrs Lyons to demonstrate the sense of entitlement he saw in the middle classes…

HOW TO TACKLE THE QUESTION:QUOTES:‘Gis a sweet (Mickey)

So did y’ hear the story about the Johnstone twins? (Narrator)

Don’t you know what a dictionary is? (Eddie)

He told me I was sexier than Marilyn Monroe (Mrs. J)

Maybe some day, we’ll move away (Mrs. J)

By the time I was twenty five I look like forty two (Mrs. J)

Oh y’know the devil’s got your number (narrator)

Myself, I believe that an adopted child can become one’s own (Mrs. L)

I curse the day I met you. You ruined me (Mrs. L)

Never put new shoes on the table, you never know what will happen. (Mrs. J)

I’m sick to the teeth of Christmas (Mickey)

There’s shoes upon the table an’ a joker in the pack (Narrator)

I’ve got money, plenty of it… (Eddie)

Give one to me (Mrs. L) I suppose I always…loved you, in a way (Linda)

And he’d sleep every night in a bed of his own (Mrs.L)

We’ve got our own place an’ I think I’ve got Mickey a job (Linda)

There’s a pact been sealed, there’s a deal been born (The narrator)

That’s why I take them. So I can be invisible (Mickey)

Why don’t you take the week off, on full pay of course (Mrs. L)

There’s a man gone mad in the town tonight (Narrator)

Your work had deteriorated (Mrs. L) Does my child belong to you as well as everythin’ else? (Mickey)

You know what they say about twins secretly parted, don’t you? (Mrs. L)

And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class? (Narrator)

PLOTAct 1: before birth Act 1- 7 years old Act 2- 14 years old Act 2- 18 years old Act 2- the end

The play starts with the narrator

talking about a ‘story about the

Johnstone twins’ and two men laid

dead on the stage. We go back in

time where we learn Mrs Johnstone’s

husband has just left her; she is very

poor and already has 7 children. She

starts a new job cleaning Mrs Lyons’

house and finds out she’s expecting

twins. She strikes up a deal with Mrs

L as she can’t afford to keep both so

Mrs L convinces Mrs J to give her

one of the babies as her husband is

currently away on business and she

can’t have a child of her own. The

babies are born and Mrs J

begrudgingly hands one of the

babies over for Mrs L to later fire her.

The narrator states that one day the

devil will punish the two women.

Mickey and Eddie meet for the first time by

chance at the park and become ‘blood

brothers’ when they find out they share the

same birthday. When Mrs J realise the two

have met, she is horrified and sends

Edward home. Mrs L reacts more violently

and slaps Edward when he swears at her.

She even contemplates uprooting her

entire family in order to escape. Despite

their mothers’ disapproval, the boys

continue to see each other and play lots of

children’s games with their friend, Linda.

They play various pranks and end up

getting caught by the police who threatens

Mrs J but flatters Mr L. Mrs L decides they

should move, before Edward leaves Mrs J

gives him a locket with a picture of herself

and Mickey. The Johnstones also find out

they are being relocated.

Both boys have become interested in girls but feel

awkward. Edward attends boarding school. Mickey

and Linda have romantic feelings for each other

but Mickey’s lack of confidence is getting in the

way. Sammy attempts to rob a bus by holding the

driver at knife point. Mickey and Eddie both

struggle at school- Mickey insults a teacher and

Edward refuses to take off the locket. When Mrs L

finds out, she’s appalled but is more upset when

she sees the content of the locket. The narrator

returns to remind the audience that the devil will

come. Mickey and Edward meet, by circumstance

again- Mickey takes Edward back to his but they

are not aware that Mrs L is following them. Once

the boys leave the house, Mrs L attacks Mrs J with

a knife and curses her, calling her a witch. The

boys meet with Linda and spend the summer

together- an idyllic sequence follows as the trio

age from 14 to 18.

At 18 in the sequence, the narrator warns that soon,

both their joy and childhood will end. Edward has

developed feelings for Linda and is at university

whilst Mickey works in a factory. Edward self-

sacrifices his feelings and encourages Mickey to ask

Linda to be his girlfriend and she accepts. In

October, Mickey tells his mum that Linda is pregnant

and the two will be getting married. Their wedding

coincides with a huge economic downturn resulting

in Mickey getting paid off. When Edward returns

from Christmas, Mickey is downtrodden and claims

‘blood brothers’ is childish. Edward confesses his

love to Linda but she tells him she is married and

pregnant. A desperate Mickey participates in a

burglary with Sammy that goes wrong resulting in

Sammy killing a man. They are both sentenced to

prison and Mickey becomes depressed and is

prescribed antidepressants which he becomes

addicted to, even after he’s been released.

Mickey continues to take the pills despite Mrs J & Linda’s

pleas. Linda, desperate, asks Edward, now a city councilman,

to find them an apartment and getting Mickey a job. Mickey is

angry about this and a devastated Linda seeks comfort with

Edward and begins an affair with him. The affair continues and

Mickey stops taking his pills for Linda’s sake. Mrs Lyons

reveals Linda and Edward’s affair to Mickey. Enraged, he

takes Sammy’s gun out of the floorboards and confronts

Edward, with a distraught Mrs J and Linda trying to get him to

stop. The narrator warns the devil has arrived. Mickey finds

and confronts Edward at the town hall about the affair, as well

as whether Mickey’s daughter is actually his. Edward denies

fathering Mickey’s child. The police surround the area and Mrs

J bursts in and tells the boys they are twins separated at birth.

Mickey asks why he couldn’t have been Edward and then

accidentally pulls the trigger of the gun, shooting and

immediately killing Edward, the police then shoot Mickey. The

play ends with the boys led on the stage and the narrator

wonders what really killed the twins: superstition or the class

system?

AQA English Literature Knowledge Organiser: Blood

Brothers

AQA English Literature Knowledge Organiser: Power and Conflict Poetry

Poem and Poet Key Information

The Charge of the Light Brigade Alfred Tennyson, 1854

A tribute to the British cavalry (soldiers on horseback) who died during the Crimean War. The men were given an incorrect order to charge into battle to meet the Russian enemy, and fought bravely.

ExposureWilfred Owen, 1917-18

An authentic poem based on Owens’ own experience on the front line when in the war, he specifically refers the horrendous winter when living in the trenches.

Bayonet ChargeTed Hughes, 1957

The poem focuses on a single solder’s experience of a charge towards enemy lines. The soldier fears for his life & the patriotic ideals (love of his country) that encouraged him to fight have gone.

PoppiesJane Weir, 2009

The poem is about the mother’s emotional reaction losing her son to the war. She fears for his safety & after he leaves her she goes to a familiar place that reminds her of him.

War PhotographerCarol Ann Duffy, 1985

A war photographer is in his darkroom, developing pictures that he has taken in different warzones. He recalls the death of a man & remembers the cries of his wife. He focuses on people who do not seem to care about war torn places.

RemainsSimon Armitage, 2008

Based on the account of a British soldier who served in Iraq. A soldier’s mind is haunted by his killing of a man who was running away from a bank raid. The soldier cannot forget about the death.

KamikazeBeatrice Garland, 2013

Kamikaze is the unofficial name given to Japanese pilots who were sent on a suicide mission. The mission was considered one of honour but this poem is about a pilot who aborted the mission.

Themes

Power of Nature Memory

Power of humans Place

Effects of conflict Identity

Reality & brutality of conflict

Individual Experiences

Loss & Absence Bravery

OzymandiasPercy Shelley, 1817

The narrator meets a traveller who tells him about a statue in the desert. The statue is of an ancient, cruel ruler from a past civilisation – Pharaoh Ramesses II. The poem is about the temporary nature of power, and how the power of man can fade.

LondonWilliam Blake, 1794

Narrator describes a walk around London, commenting on the despair and misery he sees. Blake was influenced by the French Revolution and wanted social and political equality. He wanted the people to rise up against the powerful.

The Prelude: Stealing the boatWilliam Wordsworth, 1850

The Prelude is about an over confident narrator who finds a boat & takes it out on the lake. Although confident to begin with & enjoying the scenery, the narrator sees the mountain appear on the horizon & is overwhelmed with its size & power.

My Last Duchess Robert Browning, 1842

A Duke is showing a visitor a portrait of his Duchess (former wife) who is now dead. Whilst observing the painting he tells the visitor that the Duchess was flirtatious & displeased him. The Duke is insanely jealous and probably had the Duchess killed.

Storm on the IslandSeamus Heaney, 1966

The narrator describes how a community are waiting to be hit by a storm. It is obvious that they have been hit before because of the landscape of the island. The narrator starts off confident but as the storm hits the power of the storm creates feelings fear & trepidation. There is a hint of war and conflict with words such as ‘bombardment’.

TissueImtiaz Dharker, 2006

The poet uses tissue as an extended metaphor for life. She describes how life, like tissue, is fragile. She also discusses some of the literal uses of paper that are intertwined with our lives.

The EmigréeCarol Rumens, 1993

The speaker speaks about a city that she left as a child. The speaker has a purely positive view of the city. The city she recalls has since changed, perhaps it was scene of conflict, however, she still protects the memory of her city. The speaker may be using the imagery of the city to represent memory, emotion or her childhood.

Checking Out Me HistoryJohn Agard, 2007

The narrator discusses his identity & emphasises how identity is closely linked to history & understanding your own history. In school he was taught British history & not about his Caribbean roots. He mocks some of the pointless things he was taught & contrasts the nonsense topics with admirable black figures.

Comparing connectives

LikewiseSimilarlyEqually LikewiseAs with

General subject terminology used in poetry: simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, juxtaposition, emotive language, pathetic fallacy, alliteration, dissonance, imagery, symbolism, semantic field, tone, sensory imagery, synaesthesia, form, ambiguity, connotation

Subject terminology more specific to poetry

Stanza A stanza is a set amount of lines grouped by rhythmical pattern and meter (a verse).

Enjambment The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next, without pause.

Dramatic Monologue

A poem spoken by a character.

Plosive alliteration

Repetition of the ‘B’, ‘D’ and ‘P’ sound at the beginning of words.

Sibilance Repetition of the S or SH sound at the beginning of words.

Half-rhyme A near rhyme. Often refers to words in which the consonants rhyme, rather than the vowels.

Iambic Pentameter

A line of verse with five beats, which fall on the second syllable of each pair.

Rhyming Couplets

Two lines following one another which rhyme

Sonnet A poem of fourteen lines, usually ending with a rhyming couplet.

Rhythm The arrangement of words to form a regular beat through a pattern of stresses.

Contrasting connectives

HoweverWhereasOn the other handAlternativelyAlthough

INFO 45 minutes Comparison of

poems 1 poem will be

printed You will choose

which poem to compare with, when you have read the question

Poetic Device Example from Anthology Definition

Alliteration ‘flowing flakes that flock’ Poem: ExposureWhen letter sounds at the beginning of words are

repeated.

Simile‘the world overflowing, like a treasure chest’

Poem: PoppiesWhen something is described as being like something else.

Rhyme

feet-heat, Mass – grass,

must – dust, where – care

Poem: War Photographer

When more than one word sounds the same – usually at

the end of a line but can be within lines of poetry.

Rhetorical

question

When can their glory fade? Poem: Charge of the

Light Brigade

A question used to make the reader think about the

answer.

RhythmI met a traveller from an antique land

Poem: Ozymandius

When a poem/line has a beat/pace to it – can be used to

emphasise a poet’s point by changing the pitch of the

voice.

Theme and Definition

Power: To be able to control people or places e.g. King

Conflict: struggle or disagreement between differing forcese.g. battle, argument

Identity:What makes you who you are e.g. where you come from + what you believe + how you act + etc.

Loss:To not having something that you used to have e.g. the death of person

Memory:Thoughts of the past: moments, people etc. e.g. remembering being a child

Bravery:Ready to face danger or pain e.g. a soldier

Poem and Poet

Key Quotes

The Charge of the Light Brigade

“volley’d and thunder’d” “someone had blundered”“into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell” “When can their glory fade?”

Exposure “Our brains ache, in the merciless ice east winds that knife us”“But nothing happens”

Bayonet Charge

“Suddenly he awoke” “raw” “Bullets smacking the belly out of the air” “patriotic tear” “In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations”

Poppies “Individual war graves” “Released a song bird from it’s cage” “sellotapebandaged around my hand”

War Photographer

“In his darkroom he is finally alone” “With spools of suffering set out in ordered rows” “A hundred agonies in black and white” “The readers eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre lunch beers” “They do not care”

Remains “On another occasion”“probably armed, possibly not” “And the drink and drugs wont flush him out” “He’s here in my head when I close my eyes” “His bloody life in my bloody hands”

Kamikaze “full of powerful incantations”“and enough fuel for a one way journey into history” “They treated him as if he no longer existed” “Till gradually we learnt to be silent”

Poem and Poet

Key Quotes

Ozymandias “vast and trunkless legs of stone” “My mane is Ozymandias, king of kings, look on my works ye mighty and despair” “round the decay of that colossal wreck” “sneer of cold command” “shattered visage”

London “chartered streets… chartered Thames” “Marks of weakness marks of woe” “In every cry of man, in every infants cry of fear” “runs in blood down palace walls” “mind-forg’d manacles” “marriage hearse”

The Prelude: Stealing the boat

“the horizons bound, a huge peak, black and huge” “dipped my oars into the silent lake”“there hung a darkness, call it solitude”

My Last Duchess “as if she ranked my gift of a nine hundred year old name with anybody’s gift” “I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together” “Notice Neptune, though, taming a seahorse”

Storm on the Island

“We are prepared:” “we build our houses squat” “spits like a tame cat turned savage” “It is a huge nothing we fear”

Tissue “Paper thinned by age or touching” “Pages smoothed stroked and turned”

The Emigrée “There once was a country” “My memory of it is sunlight clear” “banned by the state but I cant get it off my mind. It tastes of sunlight”“I have no passport, there no way back at all”

Checking Out Me History

“Dem tell me, Dem tell me, What den want to tell me” “Bandage up me eye with me own history” “Blind me to me own identity”

Other Key Words:

Stanza, beat,

syllable, rhyming

couplet, half-

rhyme, sonnet,

dramatic

monologue,

simile, metaphor,

personification,

powerful verb,

tone

AQA English Literature Knowledge Organiser: Power and Conflict Poetry

AQA English Literature Knowledge Organiser: Unseen Poetry

Comparing connectives

LikewiseSimilarlyEqually

LikewiseAs with

Subject terminology more specific to poetry

Stanza A Stanza is a set amount of lines grouped by rhythmical pattern and meter. (A verse)

Enjambment The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next, without pause.

Dramatic Monologue A poem spoken by a character.

Plosive alliteration Repetition of the ‘B’, ‘D’ and ‘P’ sound at the beginning of words.

Sibilance Repetition of the S or SH sound at the beginning of words.

Half-rhyme Words in which the consonants rhyme, rather than the vowels.

Iambic Pentameter A line of verse with five beats, which fall on the second syllable of each pair.

Rhyming Couplets Two lines following one another which rhyme

Sonnet A poem of fourteen lines, usually ending with a rhyming couplet.

Rhythm The arrangement of words to form a regular beat through a pattern of stresses.

Contrasting connectives

HoweverWhereas

On the other hand

AlternativelyAlthough

English Literature Assessment Objectives for Unseen Poetry

AO1: Read, understand and respond to texts.Students should be able to:• maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response• use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.AO2: Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.

The first Unseen Poem response, will expect you

use AO1 and AO2 skills.

The second Unseen Poem response expects you to focus on AO2ONLY – just the effects of methods in both Unseen Poems. You

don’t get any marks for considering the story of the poem! You need to focus on comparing the language and poetic devices.

General subject terminology used in poetry: simile,

metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, oxymoron,

juxtaposition, emotive language, pathetic fallacy, alliteration, dissonance,

imagery, symbolism, semantic field, tone, sensory imagery,

synaesthesia, form, ambiguity, connotation, theme.

• The first question is worth A LOT more than the second.

• The first question is also easier, as you only read one poem.

• You should have 45 mins left (or 56 mins with extra time) for both questions.

• Spend a good 30 mins (40 mins) on the first question. Really analyse writer’s techniques and look beyond the obvious meaning. P, E, WT, Z, ER, AQ

• Leave 10-15 mins for the last question. Write two paragraphs, one about poem A, one about poem B. Start your second paragraph with ‘this poem is different because…’ and do some comparison in your second paragraph. This question is specifically about techniques [AO2] (more so than ideas). WT, Z, ER, AQ, SO

Make sure you find the key!

HOW TO APPROACH THE UNSEEN QUESTIONS:

3a) Zoom and explode powerful words Z, AQ, WT

3b) Explode literary techniques WT – explore the effectiveness of the poet’s use of…to present…WT, DV, AC, ER,

3c) Can you explore the structure? S, ER, AC, Z

• Is there a shift in feeling, tone, direction, time, place? • Where are the pauses? Effect?• Is there a rhyme scheme? Is it regular? Is it free verse?Effect• Is the pace fast or slow? (look for mono and polysyllabic words

and use of punctuation to control pace)• Where’s the volta? Effect?• Are there caesuras? Is there enjambment? Are the lines end-

stopped? Why? Effect?• How does the poem begin? Impact on reader?• How does the poem end? Impact on reader?• Are the stanzas regular lengths? Do the lines break across

stanzas? Effect?

1)What is the poem about?• Read the question - KF• Explode the title – connotations? AQ• Look at the first line – what is implied? IN• Read the poem and get your first

impression – what is the surface meaning? IN

• Who or what is the subject of the poem? SU• Who is the speaker? NV• What is it exploring? TH, CH

4. Identify the purpose, theme or message (linked to the question). TH, CH, ER, PR

How does it impact you? ER, AC

2)Read the poem again: explore the emotions, mood and feelings MA, TOWA, ER, Z

Unseen Poetry