LIT O-LEVEL PAPER 1: THE ARRIVAL OF THE BEE BOX Assignment

1. (a) What impression of the poet, Sylvia Plath, do you get from reading this poem?
(10)
(b) What words or phrases from the poem especially help to create that impression
for you? (10)
2. The following list of phrases suggests some of the poet’s attitudes to the bee box:
– She is fascinated by it
– She is annoyed by it
– She feels she has great power over it
Choose the phrase from the above list that is closest to your own reading of the poem.
Explain your choice, supporting your view by reference to the words of the poem.
(10)
3. Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 20 marks]
(i) Imagine you were asked to select music to accompany a public reading of this
poem. Describe the kind of music you would choose and explain your choice
clearly.
OR
(ii) “The box is only temporary.”
What do you understand the last line of the poem to mean?
OR
(iii) Write a paragraph in which you outline the similarities and/or differences
between The Arrival of the Bee Box and the other poem on your course by
Sylvia Plath, Child.