CCEA Relationships Poetry Anthology
CCEA’s Unit 2 Drama and Poetry examination requires students to study one of three anthologies: Identity, Conflict and Relationships. This page includes articles to support analysis of the poems in the Relationships anthology. The full list of poems with ThinkLit analysis articles are linked for you below:
- On My First Son by Ben Jonson
- Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
- ‘How Do I Love Thee?’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell
- The Laboratory by Robert Browning
- Remember by Christina Rosetti
- When You Are Old by W B Yeats
- i carry your heart by E E Cummings
- Funeral Blues by W H Auden
- Long Distance II by Tony Harrison
- Wild Oats by Philip Larkin
- Symptoms of Love by Robert Graves
- Before You Were Mine by Carol Ann Duffy
- Clearances 7: In the Last Minutes by Seamus Heaney
- I Am Very Bothered by Simon Armitage
Themes in the RELATIONSHIPS anthology:
Loss
Love
Strong feelings
Death of a loved one
Desire
Regret
Grief
Being young
CCEA 'Relationships' Past Paper Questions
(a) Look again at Before you were Mine by Carol Ann Duffy which deals with the theme of a child’s feelings towards its parent, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of a child’s feelings towards its parent.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about a child’s feelings towards its parent. You should include relevant contextual material.
(b) Look again at I am very bothered by Simon Armitage which deals with the theme of regret about a relationship, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of regret about a relationship.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about regret about a relationship. You should include relevant contextual material.
(a) Look again at Remember by Christina Rossetti which deals with the theme of loss, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of loss.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about loss. You should include relevant contextual material.
(b) Look again at I Carry Your Heart by EE Cummings which deals with the theme of love, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of love.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about love. You should include relevant contextual material.
(a) Look again at Funeral Blues by W H Auden which deals with the theme of the death of a loved one, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of the death of a loved one.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about the death of a loved one. You should include relevant contextual material.
(b) Look again at Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare which deals with the theme of strong feelings, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of strong feelings.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about strong feelings. You should include relevant contextual material.
(a) Look again at To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell which deals with the theme of desire, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of desire.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about desire. You should include relevant contextual material.
(b) Look again at When You Are Old by W B Yeats which deals with the theme of regret, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of regret.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about regret. You should include relevant contextual material.
(a) Look again at On My First Son by Ben Jonson which deals with the theme of grief, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of grief.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about grief. You should include relevant contextual material.
(b) Look again at Wild Oats by Philip Larkin which deals with the theme of being young, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of being young.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about being young. You should include relevant contextual material.
a) Look again at Symptoms of Love by Robert Graves which deals with the theme of heartbreak, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of heartbreak.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about heartbreak. You should include relevant contextual material.
b) Look again at Clearances 7: In the last minutes by Seamus Heaney which deals with the theme of family relationships, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of family relationships.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about family relationships. You should include relevant contextual material.
Relationships Study Guides
