'Anne Hathaway' - The Power of Love!

What a poem! Elsewhere in the collection we have psychotic killers, lady-killers, man-killers, jealousy and hatred. Here we have a beautiful poem about the power of love. Ahhhhh...

This poem used to be an A Level poem, because of the full range of ideas it invokes. Here love (or physical love) is as powerful an act of creation as the creating of a literary text. Also, here the female persona (of Anne Hathaway - Shakespeare's wife)is a co-creator: they appear as equals. Also, there's more sexual innuendo than you can shake-a-pear at (fnah fnah!).

'Havisham' - Mean Love!

Whether you're starting 'Havisham', or coming back to it, there are some interesting ideas here to think about. How shocking is 'Havisham'? You have to have an iron stomach NOT to be appalled by this!

What act is being described in the fourth stanza? Is the mirror in the second stanza symbolic? You need to decide...

'Hitcher' - Who picked who up in Leeds?

This was the first ever podcast I made, so listen with kind ears; there's not even any music, it's that basic. Strange to think that it's four years old. Anyway, back to the poem.

The Hitcher is probably one of the first Simon Armitage poems that you've looked at in class. Here's a few ideas about the poem, and a few things to get you thinking about. After all, who is 'The Hitcher'? You may want to remind yourself about the id/ego, and try and remember what a 'divided self' is.