Exam (elaborations)
2023 AQA GCSE Grade 8 Unseen Poetry answer
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This essay was written in the summer GCSE AQA exam and marked by the AQA examiners, which received 20/24 which is equivalent to a grade 8.
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Unseen Poetry 2023Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘Scaffolding’ is about buildings that will be solid and secure but are also
fragile and weak if you don’t look after it. It captures how relationships will not always be perfect and
strong but by putting in the effort, things should get better.
Heaney uses the extended metaphor of building in the title ‘Scaffolding’ to show that he realises that
relationships will always require work to adhere to what you want just like how buildings need
overlooking to make sure they are stable and strong. The present participle in ‘Scaffolding’ suggests
how Heaney is optimistic that relationships will always need fixing and mending because human
feelings change, and humans need to work around the ups and downs to provide a healthy
relationship. The verb ‘Scaffolding’ is a metaphor for the hard work and effort a relationship requires
just like how you need scaffolding to build a base plan for a building. This conveys the idea that effort
is needed to create a solid foundation in a relationship. Heaney presents feelings of hope by showing
how hard work overcomes obstructions in relationships therefore leading to a successful
relationship.
Heaney’s use of the metaphor of the ‘wall’ presents the poet's feelings of strength and resilience in
the relationship. This is because, for the formation of a wall, it's clear that it is man-made therefore it
shows that people need to put in their best of efforts to make a relationship strong. In the final
stanza, it says ‘Never fear… confident that we have built our wall.’ The imperative ‘never’ indicates
that he cares for the relationship and is there to support the other person- also reassuring them that
they should not be afraid as the relationship is always sturdy since they have ‘built [the] wall’. The
‘wall’ is a metaphor for a secure relationship, and he feels as though it is an achievement and pride
because relationships are not always strong, but they have overcome that obstacle. Challenges are
presented in ‘old bridges breaking’ highlighting that it is normal that they experience hardship
because the metaphor portrays difficulties, but he is certain it does not worry him as they are secure
and solid- ‘built our wall’.
Lastly, Heaney interestingly formats his stanzas in pairs of two implying how solidity in a building is
only present if you have a scaffolding material like ‘planks’, ‘bolts’, and ‘ladders’. This presents his
feelings on how relationships are only sturdy if you have pairs and are looking after one another. This
highlights the caring nature of pairs, and that togetherness and unity are vital to have a thriving
relationship like overcoming challenges, ‘we built our own wall’ and ‘make sure that the planks won’t
slip’.
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