English Literature
Unseen poetry: thresholds
- 1.
Original invented poem, 'Threshold' (not a published work). Analyse its English wording; the Arabic is a meaning translation. Lines: 1 'I left the latch unlifted in the rain.' / 2 'The house held back its breath; the clock kept mine.' / 3 'Inside, your cup collected little moons.' / 4 'Outside, I practised leaving, line by line.' / 5 'Then morning crossed the step without a sound' / 6 'and found me neither gone nor safely found.' Explain the effect of the personification of the house in line 2.
[2 marks] · no calculator - 2.
Original invented poem, 'Threshold' (not a published work). Analyse its English wording; the Arabic is a meaning translation. Lines: 1 'I left the latch unlifted in the rain.' / 2 'The house held back its breath; the clock kept mine.' / 3 'Inside, your cup collected little moons.' / 4 'Outside, I practised leaving, line by line.' / 5 'Then morning crossed the step without a sound' / 6 'and found me neither gone nor safely found.' How does the cup image in line 3 suggest an absent relationship?
[2 marks] · no calculator - 3.
Original invented poem, 'Threshold' (not a published work). Analyse its English wording; the Arabic is a meaning translation. Lines: 1 'I left the latch unlifted in the rain.' / 2 'The house held back its breath; the clock kept mine.' / 3 'Inside, your cup collected little moons.' / 4 'Outside, I practised leaving, line by line.' / 5 'Then morning crossed the step without a sound' / 6 'and found me neither gone nor safely found.' Analyse how the Inside/Outside opposition organises lines 3-4.
[3 marks] · no calculator - 4.
Original invented poem, 'Threshold' (not a published work). Analyse its English wording; the Arabic is a meaning translation. Lines: 1 'I left the latch unlifted in the rain.' / 2 'The house held back its breath; the clock kept mine.' / 3 'Inside, your cup collected little moons.' / 4 'Outside, I practised leaving, line by line.' / 5 'Then morning crossed the step without a sound' / 6 'and found me neither gone nor safely found.' Analyse the English consonant repetition in 'left the latch unlifted' and its possible effect.
[3 marks] · no calculator - 5.
Original invented poem, 'Threshold' (not a published work). Analyse its English wording; the Arabic is a meaning translation. Lines: 1 'I left the latch unlifted in the rain.' / 2 'The house held back its breath; the clock kept mine.' / 3 'Inside, your cup collected little moons.' / 4 'Outside, I practised leaving, line by line.' / 5 'Then morning crossed the step without a sound' / 6 'and found me neither gone nor safely found.' Evaluate the claim that the final couplet resolves the speaker's uncertainty. Discuss syntax and English rhyme.
[4 marks] · no calculator - 6.
Original invented poem, 'Threshold' (not a published work). Analyse its English wording; the Arabic is a meaning translation. Lines: 1 'I left the latch unlifted in the rain.' / 2 'The house held back its breath; the clock kept mine.' / 3 'Inside, your cup collected little moons.' / 4 'Outside, I practised leaving, line by line.' / 5 'Then morning crossed the step without a sound' / 6 'and found me neither gone nor safely found.' Is 'practised leaving, line by line' more convincingly read as literal departure or self-conscious writing? Weigh both readings.
[4 marks] · no calculator
Marking points are indicative, not an official mark scheme. Accept equivalent valid methods and supported interpretations that address the task; award each mark once without requiring the model wording.