Year 10 - English
Developing interpretations of 'Remains' with Simon Armitage
Poetry anthology (Assessment from summer 2027)
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupis explore 11 of the 15 poems from the Eduqas poetry anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in a thematically linked order so they can complete comparative and thematic lessons during the unit.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use Simon Armitage's comments to develop your interpretations of the poem 'Remains'.
Key Notes
- Armitage uses personal perspective, colloquial and vernacular language to ensure accuracy and authenticity.
- He says the most important moment in Remains is the "blood-shadow".
- Armitage reveals a tension between the poet and the speaker, emphasising the themes of power and conflict.
- He describes the final lines as "naked" and "vulnerable" illuminating their emotional impact.
- Armitage's ideas can help develop interpretations of the poem.
Vocabulary To Learn
- trauma: the emotional response to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience
- dispassionate: showing no strong feeling or emotion; detached and impartial
- sentimental: expressing or influenced by tender feelings or emotions, often excessively
- colloquial: informal language or speech, used in everyday conversation
- vernacular: the everyday language spoken by people in a particular region or group
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Most poems are deeply personal or emotional and are written spontaneously from the heart.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Armitage uses personal perspective, colloquial and vernacular language to ensure accuracy and authenticity. He says the most important moment in Remains is the "blood-shadow".
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'trauma'
the emotional response to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Most poems are deeply personal or emotional and are written spontaneously from the heart. Correction: Armitage suggests that writing poetry about traumatic events can be a methodical process. He states that keeping some emotional distance can be helpful.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing extended responses to the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of love and relationships in Ewing's 'Origin Story' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of uncertainty and intensity in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of war and inevitability in Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of war and isolation in Owen's 'Disabled' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of youth and nature in Blake's 'The Schoolboy' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of youth and nostalgia in Heaney's 'Blackberry Picking' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Catrin' by Gillian Clarke Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti Study Guide
- Analysing the Poem 'Kamikaze' Study Guide
- Analysing the Poem 'Remains' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Sonnet 29' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of identity and isolation in 'Disabled and 'Kamikaze' Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of love and identity in 'Catrin' and 'Origin Story' Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of love in 'Sonnet 29', 'Cousin Kate' and 'Dusting the Phone' Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of war in Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' and Armitage's 'Remains' Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of youth and nature in 'The Schoolboy' and 'Blackberry Picking' Study Guide
- Exploring and responding to the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
- Planning a written response on the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
- Reviewing a written response on the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of love and obsession in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of love and relationships in Ewing's 'Origin Story' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of war and isolation in Owen's 'Disabled' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of war in Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of youth and nature in Blake's 'The Schoolboy' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of youth and nostalgia in Heaney's 'Blackberry Picking' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Catrin' by Gillian Clarke Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti Study Guide
- Understanding the Poem 'Kamikaze' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Remains' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Sonnet 29' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning Study Guide
- Writing a written response on the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
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