Objectives

• Analyse how Fanthorpe uses the extended metaphor of 'first flight' to present death as disorientation rather than transcendence.
• Identify and explain how the speaker's shifting perspective — from embodied to disembodied — is constructed through diction, syntax, and imagery in specific named moments of the poem.
• Evaluate how Fanthorpe's biographical context (hospital work, humanist outlook, 1982 Thatcherite Britain) shapes the poem's refusal of conventional consolation.
• Write an evidenced, analytical paragraph that sustains a single argument about Fanthorpe's presentation of freedom and attachment, embedding at least two quotations from the poem.
• Compare Fanthorpe's treatment of the moment of death with at least one other relevant context or text, making a clear, supported evaluative judgement.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: How Fanthorpe Makes Death Feel Like Learning to Walk: Close Reading 'First Flight'

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Before diving into the poem, take a moment to consider the title "First Flight." I predict the poem will explore the thrill and anxiety of taking on a new adventure, and I expect the theme of freedom to be the most prominent, as the title suggests a sense of liberation associated with flight.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the poem's opening movement — the moment when the speaker describes the loosening, 'like a hand letting go of something held' — focusing on the simile's thoughtful understatement. Show students how Fanthorpe opts for a domestic, almost casual gesture (a hand releasing) instead of a more dramatic verb associated with dying, and discuss how that choice affects the reader's emotional distance. Annotate on the board: the passive construction, the lack of an identifiable agent ('a hand' — whose hand?), and how the syntax itself trails off, mirroring the loosening it describes.

   Independent task

   Students will re-read the central part of the poem, where the soul observes family members engaged in daily activities and rooms that still radiate warmth. They will then write an annotated close reading of exactly two consecutive sentences or lines from this section that they believe best express the speaker's grief for the living, rather than for themselves. The annotation must: (1) identify the language technique used, (2) explain its effect on tone, and (3) connect this choice to Fanthorpe's broader humanist concern with the overlooked and the silenced. Students should submit a half-page of annotated text along with three to five sentences of written commentary.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, state what emotion Fanthorpe most precisely captures in the poem's central section, and name the single word or phrase from that section that best creates it — be specific enough that your answer could not apply to any other poem.

2. Lesson 2: Writing the Argument: Ambiguous Freedom and the Extended Metaphor of Flight

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Without referring to your notes, jot down the two quotations from yesterday's lesson that you found most helpful. Below each quote, write one adjective that captures the tone Fanthorpe conveys at that point. If you can't recall the exact wording, write down your best attempt and mark it with a question mark — you'll verify it against the text in two minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model how to create a topic sentence and the first piece of evidence for an exam-style paragraph by focusing on the poem's closing movement — the soul 'suspended in the in-between state,' floating between attachment and release. Guide students through the process of moving from quotation to technique, then to effect, and finally to significance, using four different colours on the board for each step. Stress that the argument ('Fanthorpe presents freedom as dizzying rather than liberating') should be evident in every sentence, not only in the initial assertion.

   Independent task

   Write a detailed analytical paragraph of 250–350 words that addresses the question: "How does Fanthorpe use the extended metaphor of flight to present the experience of death as ambiguous rather than consoling?" Your paragraph should begin with a clear, arguable topic sentence that identifies a technique and presents a claim. Incorporate at least two quotations from the poem—one from the opening loosening and another from the poem's conclusion. Analyze Fanthorpe's word choices, focusing on individual words rather than just the overall images they create. Conclude with a sentence that links the poem's ambiguity to its 1982 context, specifically highlighting Fanthorpe's counter-cultural stance against easy comfort. Avoid summarizing the poem's events; ensure that each sentence supports your argument.

   Exit ticket

   Read back your topic sentence and ask yourself: does it name a technique, make a claim about effect, and refer specifically to 'First Flight' rather than to poetry in general? Write one sentence explaining what you would change about your topic sentence now that you have written the full paragraph — or, if you would change nothing, explain precisely why the sentence already does all three things.

Activities

Assessment

• Do-Now prediction sheet (Lesson 1): checking whether students can identify thematic expectations from a title alone and revise them after reading.
• Annotated close reading of the central section (Lesson 1 independent task): checking whether students can name a technique, connect it to tone, and link it to authorial context in this poem specifically.
• Exit ticket Lesson 1: checking whether students can identify a single precise word or phrase as the carrier of an emotion, rather than gesturing at the poem in general.
• Do-Now quotation recall (Lesson 2): checking retention of specific language from Lesson 1 and students' ability to assign tone without prompting.
• Four-step quotation drill (activity): checking whether students can move from technique to effect to significance in a single, unbroken chain of reasoning.
• Peer paragraph swap (activity): checking whether students can distinguish analytical sentences from summary sentences in a peer's writing, which reveals whether they can make the distinction in their own.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.
• W.11-12.9 — Draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Explain the function of a narrator or speaker in a literary text, including how point of view shapes meaning.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific images, comparisons, or figures of speech in a literary text and their contribution to meaning.
• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1.D) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about an interpretation of literature and explains the significance of that interpretation.
• Textual Evidence (LAN-1.E) — Select and use relevant evidence from the text to support a line of reasoning.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular reference to language, form and structure.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, informed by interpretations of other readers where relevant.

Eduqas

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.