Question 1: Identify two literary devices used in the extract and explain their effect.

Answer: Possible devices include imagery (e.g., 'black with some implications of decay') to evoke decay and mood, and personification (e.g., 'they knew no reason') to suggest the leaves have agency, enhancing the poem's reflection on nature and memory.

Question 2: What is the tone of the poem, and how is this conveyed through language?

Answer: The tone is contemplative and melancholic, conveyed through words like 'decay', 'ghostly', and 'faint reflection', creating a sense of loss and nostalgia.

Question 3: Analyse the use of colour imagery in the poem. How does it contribute to the overall theme?

Answer: The use of 'white', 'grey', and 'colourless' imagery highlights themes of emptiness, loss, and the fading of love and memories, reinforcing the poem’s melancholic mood.

Question 4: Identify the stanza structure of the poem and discuss how it influences the reading experience.

Answer: The poem appears as free verse with no fixed stanza pattern, which creates a flowing, reflective rhythm that mirrors the contemplative theme.

Question 5: What does the metaphor 'A colourless echo of what once was bright' suggest about the speaker’s feelings?

Answer: It suggests a sense of emptiness and longing, indicating that the speaker feels that memories of love are faded and diminished but still lingering.

Question 6: In your own words, summarise the main themes explored in this extract.

Answer: Themes include the passage of time, the transient nature of love and beauty, decay, and the enduring presence of memories despite loss.

Question 7: How does the poet's use of natural imagery enhance the emotional impact of the poem?

Answer: Natural imagery like leaves, water, and sunlight creates a vivid, sensory backdrop that deepens the mood of reflection and melancholy.

Question 8: Create a brief annotation of the phrase: 'they simply moved, and they moved again, and again'. What does this repetition suggest?

Answer: The repetition emphasizes the unstoppable, indifferent movement of nature, symbolising how memories fade and continue regardless of human emotion.

Question 9: Reflect on the closing lines: how does the image of a 'faint reflection' encapsulate the poem's message?

Answer: The 'faint reflection' signifies the lingering presence of memories and love, which, despite fading, still cast a subtle, persistent influence on the present.