ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
You will find discussions and activities on 10 of the poems from the prescribed list in Tutorial
Letter 501 on pages 5-51. You should read the discussions and work through these activities
before attempting the activities in this tutorial letter. The activities for the remaining 10 poems
appear in this tutorial letter. Please work through these activities to guide you in studying these
poems in preparation for the examination.
IMPORTANT:
The questions below and the activities in Tutorial Letter 501 should be considered points of
departure for your readings of the poems.
While some of the questions that appear in assignments and exams might resemble some of
the questions and concerns set out below, others might not. In other words, you should be able
to engage in your own critical analysis of each poem. The study of poetry cannot be rushed and
you should be prepared, in some instances, to spend a number of hours working through a
single poem.
Remember to read the section entitled ‘Analysing poetry’ that appears at the beginning of
Seasons Come to Pass (pages 11-29). You should pay particular attention to the ways of
reading poetry that are evidenced on pages 24 and 27 of the anthology.
2.1 ‘Stop All the Clocks’ by W.H. Auden
Read through ‘Stop All the Clocks’ by W.H. Auden on page 169 of Seasons Come to Pass, and
then read through the supporting notes provided below the poem. If you find words and
concepts that you are unfamiliar with, consult a dictionary and Introduction to English Literary
Studies.
1. The first two stanzas of this poem present as images of mourning. How does this set the
tone of the poem?
2. Analyse the rhyme scheme of the poem. What effect does this have on how we read the
poem? (For the second part of this question, you might want to look specifically at the
third stanza, and how the rhythm and rhyme achieve a particular effect in line 12).
ENG1501/103/3/2017
5
3. The poem explores the intensity and immensity of love, but it seems to be about the very
absence of love. In a brief analysis of the images that appear in the final stanza, explain
how the use of hyperbole develops and emphasises this absence. (Another word for
hyperbole is exaggeration.)
4. Consult a dictionary to find the meaning of the word ‘elegy’. Then, utilise your answers to
questions 1-3 to write a short essay about why ‘Stop All the Clocks’ can be considered an
example of an elegiac poem.