Follower - Seamus Heaney

Follower by Seamus Heaney

This two-lesson unit explores ‘Follower’ in detail. Designed for GCSE pupils studying the AQA GCSE English Literature Love and Relationships Anthology, this resource analyses the poem in depth and explains how to write a comparative essay in the exam. It is made up of a 72-slide editable PowerPoint and 10 worksheets.

Lesson One

Making predictions – What do you think the poem is about?

Context – How knowledge of context helps us understand the poem in detail. Here we explore Heaney and the disappearing world of traditional Irish rural life

First Contact – An initial reading of the poem with a glossary included and comprehension questions with answers.

Exploring Meaning – Exploring key quotes and discussing them with comprehensive questions that delve deeper. Model answers are provided.

Essay Writing – An essay question task to assess initial understanding. Includes a model answer and peer assessment opportunities.

Lesson Two

Themes – Analysing the poem’s themes: parent/child relationships, youth, age and time, agricultural traditions and identity.

Language – Exploring Heaney’s use of language and poetic techniques. A line-by-line annotation of the poem and questions with detailed answers.

Structure and Form – How Heaney uses the lyric form, perspective, punctuation, rhyme, rhythm, and enjambment and how he organises the stanzas and uses a cyclical structure.

The GCSE Exam – How to write a comparison essay with model responses. Comparing ‘Follower’ with ‘Climbing My Grandfather’, ‘Mother, Any Distance’ and ‘Eden Rock’.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Click below for more AQA Anthology Poetry - Love and Relationships resources:

When We Two Parted
Love’s Philosophy
Porphyria’s Lover
Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’
Neutral Tones
The Farmer’s Bride
Eden Rock
Mother, Any Distance
Before You Were Mine
Walking Away
Letters From Yorkshire
Winter Swans
Singh Song!
Climbing My Grandfather
AQA GCSE Anthology Poetry Love and Relationships Pack