In ‘To a Daughter Leaving Home’, how does the poet present the speaker’s feelings about her daughter? (24 marks, unseen poetry section C)

When approaching the unseen poetry task, it's important to write a clear, structured essay with relevant information about the authorial methods used. The student shouldn't panic about not being familiar with the text; it's important to stay calm and work with what's there. Firstly, read both the question and poem through carefully. I find it useful to underline key quotations or words relevant to the question. These will help to form the basis of the essay's argument - the student should aim to write three to four body paragraphs, each beginning with a point before continuing into explanation and analysis, as well as an introduction and conclusion. These are transferrable skills across the unseen poetry questions which should allow the student to answer the question sufficiently, especially with the inclusion of authorial methods.In this example from the AQA sample paper, I would suggest a student approach the question with the core methodology explained above. Think about the poem thematically, and these themes may form the basis of the three body paragraphs - for example a student could write a paragraph on pride, one on nostalgia and one on maternal concern. The student should aim to include example quotations from the poem within each point, to solidify their argument. Close textual analysis is important here - for example, the quote "while you grew smaller, more breakable with distance" carries both a literal and metaphorical meaning, the former of the younger daughter riding her bike into the distance, and the latter of the daughter, grown up, leaving her mother to enter the adult world, and the mother's fear of her vulnerability. This analysis also allows for the inclusion of authorial methods; for example, the student might comment on the use of enjambment within the poem and the effect of this on the reader. As well as the three body paragraphs, the student should aim to have an introduction and conclusion which synthesise the issues raised in the main body. In this example, the main argument might be that the poet presents the speaker's feeling about her daughter as a fusion of pride and sadness towards her departure.