In two of the following poems explore in detail lines which you find particularly striking. Full Moon and Little Frieda (by Ted Hughes) The Flower-Fed Buffaloes (by Vachel Lindsay) Sonnet 43 ('How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!') (by Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2011). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Candidates should select TWO of the given poems and explore lines that they find particularly striking, explaining how these lines contribute to the poem's meaning and effect.
2. For 'Full Moon and Little Frieda': Focus on lines that capture the child’s innocent wonder and connection to the natural world, the moon as a personal encounter, and the father’s tender observation.
3. Imagery of light, nature, and the intimate bond between father and daughter.
4. For 'The Flower-Fed Buffaloes': Focus on lines that evoke the grandeur and ultimate extinction of the buffalo and the native American way of life.
5. The sense of lament and nostalgia for a lost era, the rhythm and imagery of the American prairie.
6. For 'Sonnet 43': Focus on lines that express the depth and boundless nature of the speaker’s love, its spiritual dimension, and its enduring quality beyond death.
7. The cumulative effect of the declarations, the passionate yet controlled emotion, and the sonnet form.