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Summary, Structure & Form

English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Love & Relationships, topic 13.1.1

Summary of Winter Swans

Winter Swans is part of Owen Sheers' 2005 collection of poems called Skirrid Hill. Winter Swans explores the relationship of two estranged lovers through the visual metaphor of swans.

Skirrid

Skirrid

  • Skirrid Hill is the area where Sheers is from in Wales.
  • The word Skirrid also means ‘divorce’ or ‘separate’. This meaning is particularly relevant to this poem, which explores a turbulent (unstable) relationship.
Summary

Summary

  • The speaker follows a couple on a walk around a lake after days of bad weather.
  • They watch a pair of swans as they walk apart from each other, not speaking.
  • As they watch the companionship of the swans, the mood of the poem changes as the two lovers come together again. They walk on to the end holding hands.
Estranged lovers

Estranged lovers

  • Winter Swans is a powerfully understated (subtle) poem – it uses pathetic fallacy to subtly convey the turbulence (instability) of the couple’s relationship.
  • Sheers explores a relationship in progress - not ending or beginning, but continuing - even though the poem depicts a potential breaking point in the relationship.
  • He uses the simple scene of the swans ducking and diving as a symbol of unity. This scene reminds the couple of their love for each other.

Structure and Form in Winter Swans

Here are some key examples of structure and form in Owen Sheers' Winter Swans:

Structure

Structure

  • The first 2 stanzas represent the couple’s separation.
  • There is a turning point in stanza 3, in which the couple are brought together.
  • The final two stanzas track the moments as the couple reunite.
Disjointed form

Disjointed form

  • This poem is written in three line stanzas (tercets).
  • Each one is uneven and has no rhyme scheme either.
  • The poem is given a disjointed sense to reflect the couple’s separation.
  • The final couplet signals the moment that they reunite.

Test yourself on Summary, Structure & Form

  • Which of these statements about 'Skirrid Hill' are true?

  • Summary of Winter Swans

  • What stage of a relationship does Winter Swans depict?

  • Which stanza marks a turning point as the couple are brought together in Winter Swans?

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