Interpretations

Word cloud for poem - stone lanterns, It is not remembered, scream, moths in moonlight, bombs

Interpreting and analysing a poem is not necessarily a matter of finding the right answer.

Poems are complex creations and are open to many different interpretations. Your is as valid as anyone else's - as long as you can back it up with suitable evidence from the text.

Remember to avoid simply identifying what techniques or approaches poets use. Aim to show an understanding of how form, language and structure create meanings and effects.

Below are some differing interpretations of the poem. How would you interpret the poem?

Examples

Who could the person asking the questions be?

Interpretation	Reason for interpretation
A reporter who fires off a string of questions without waiting for answers.	The questions are numbered just as they might be in a reporter’s notebook and there are no gaps left for responses to be given.
The poet deliberately does not reveal who is asking the questions as she wants to suggest this could be a number of people in a variety of different contexts.	The short and abrupt nature of the questions, and the fact the questions are numbered, suggests that someone is asking for straightforward information, without emotion, but that could be for many different reasons.

Interpretation	A reporter who fires off a string of questions without waiting for answers.
Reason for interpretation	The questions are numbered just as they might be in a reporter’s notebook and there are no gaps left for responses to be given.

Interpretation	The poet deliberately does not reveal who is asking the questions as she wants to suggest this could be a number of people in a variety of different contexts.
Reason for interpretation	The short and abrupt nature of the questions, and the fact the questions are numbered, suggests that someone is asking for straightforward information, without emotion, but that could be for many different reasons.

Interpretation of the line: 'It is not remembered.'

Interpretation	Reason for interpretation
The way this is written shows the awkwardness the responder feels in answering the questions.	Someone would usually say 'I don’t know' so it is written deliberately in this way to show how the responder feels about the situation.
The responder displays sadness and regret through their answers to the questions.	The fact that the word 'remembered' is directly followed by 'remember' emphasises the fact that a way of life has been lost and it is difficult to recall it.

Interpretation	The way this is written shows the awkwardness the responder feels in answering the questions.
Reason for interpretation	Someone would usually say 'I don’t know' so it is written deliberately in this way to show how the responder feels about the situation.

Interpretation	The responder displays sadness and regret through their answers to the questions.
Reason for interpretation	The fact that the word 'remembered' is directly followed by 'remember' emphasises the fact that a way of life has been lost and it is difficult to recall it.

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What Were They Like? by Denise Levertov - EdexcelInterpretations