The passage of time
What The passage of time means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of The passage of time
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Reference: Pearson Edexcel
The inevitable passage of time, mirrored by the single, continuous stanza and heavy enjambment that mimic the fluid, unstoppable momentum of growing up.
The significant time gap between the composition of Part I and Part II, reflected in the poem's bipartite structure and shifting perspectives on love.
The speaker imagines his lover claiming that time changes them, so they are no longer the same people bound by yesterday's oaths.
A four-part structure represents the passage of time, intellectual growth, and the journey of illness and healing.
The chasm between childhood vitality and adult fragility, separating fractured aspects of the same identity.
The repetition of 'no more' establishes a melancholic tone of finality linked to the passage of time.
Topics that use The passage of time
- Component 3: Poetry – Section A: Post-2000 Poetry – Poems of the Decade: An Anthology of the Forward Books of Poetry 2002–2011 (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – Metaphysical Poetry – Metaphysical Poetry, editor Colin Burrow (Penguin, 2006) (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Romantic Period – English Romantic Verse, editor David Wright (Penguin Classics, 1973) (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Victorian Period – Christina Rossetti Selected Poems, editor Dinah Roe (Penguin, 2008) (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Aging and mortality
- Childhood and Innocence
- Death and Mourning
- Earthly versus divine love
- Gender and sexuality
- Grief and Loss
- Hyperbole
- Isolation and alienation
Using The passage of time in the exam
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