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Key Quotes & Comparisons

English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Love & Relationships, topic 13.1.3

Key Quotes: Winter Swans

Here are some examples of key quotes from Sheers' Winter Swans:

'They mate for life'

'They mate for life'

  • ‘'They mate for life' you said as they left’
  • This is the only instance of direct speech in the poem.
  • It marks the turning point as the image of the mating swans reunites the estranged lovers.
‘Like boats righting...'

‘Like boats righting...'

  • The swans were ‘like boats righting in rough weather’.
  • This simile foreshadows the reconciliation of the lovers.
  • It refers back to the stormy opening of the poem and turbulence (instability) of the relationship.

Key Comparisons: Winter Swans

Here are some suggestions for poems you could compare Winter Swans to. Remember, there are endless options!

_Neutral Tones_

Neutral Tones

  • Both have a winter setting and use natural imagery to reflect a relationship.
  • Both depict a relationship that has stagnated.
_Letters from Yorkshire_

Letters from Yorkshire

  • Both show a continuing relationship rather than the beginning or end of one.
  • Both focus on everyday aspects of a relationship.

Test yourself on Key Quotes & Comparisons

  • What technique is used in this quotation?

    ‘'They mate for life' you said as they left’

  • Which poem, apart from Winter Swans, also uses a winter setting to reflect the nature of a relationship?

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