Develop you point:

Make your 'penguin' or topic point.
Where do you get your evidence from to prove your point? (quotation if possible)
How can you tell that the evidence/element proves your point?
Why has Duffy done this?
What is the significance of this? (i.e. the effect on the reader)
Do you need to refine/retune your original point?

OR:

Make your 'penguin' or topic point.
Indicate your evidence for thinking this (quotation if possible).
Explain what the quotation/evidence means.
What does this suggest about the character/situation/theme?
What is the attitude/idea of the writer? Add any historical context that could affect the meaning.
Explain the effect of the language techniques, words or phrases in the quotation.
What is the effect on the reader/audience?
What is implied? Relate back to the question.

How to develop structure and form points:

How do ideas develop or change between the different sections of poems?
If a poem consists of a series of quatrains (4 line stanzas), but finishes with a couplet, why? What's the effect of this?
If the number of lines in each stanza varies, what does that tell you about the content of each stanza? Are short stanzas less important, or more focussed?
Why has the poet divided the poem into different stanzas? What is contained in each stanza?
What occurs between the stanzas? Do the poet's ideas seem to jump?
Are the stanzas arranged chronologically?
Is there an image in each stanza?

	Created by Summer Pearce over 7 years ago

How to answer exam questions and additional extras in the AQA A-level English Language and Literature 2015 specification (7706/7707), on Carol Ann Duffy's poetry collection, Mean Time

Mean Time Overview