Insects by John Clare appears in the Songs of Ourselves, Volume 3 (Cambridge University Press & Assessment), studied for IGCSE and International GCSE Literature (Cambridge International 0475). Your school confirms the anthology selection, and the board's current syllabus lists it for your exam year.
What the poem is about
Clare begins with tiny creatures resting on ears of barley in summer sunshine. He praises their freedom from work and wonders what they live on. At night he pictures them asleep inside flowers as if in grand bedrooms.
Their bright colours then lead him to imagine them as fairy folk in costume. The poem ends with the idea that they hide their games from the harsh light of day.
Themes and ideas
Joy and freedom
The insects spend the whole day at play. Clare contrasts their ease with human labour in the fields.
Close observation of nature
Details of barley, hedge-roses and heath-bells root the poem in a real countryside. Clare's careful looking turns small things into wonders.
Imagination and fantasy
Each image grows more fanciful, from playmates to royalty to fairies. The poem shows how attention can lead into make-believe.
Mystery
Clare admits he does not know where the insects go to feed. He enjoys that mystery rather than trying to solve it.
Form, structure and sound
The poem is one block of rhyming couplets in regular pentameter. The couplets move quickly, matching the creeping and flying of the insects.
Clare builds a chain of metaphors, from Sunday clothes to silken beds and painted halls. The tone stays light and affectionate throughout, with exclamation adding delight.
How to write about it
Trace how the metaphors develop from ordinary to magical across the poem. Link the contrast with human toil to Clare's rural setting, keeping context brief.
Short quotations are fine because the poem is public domain. Comment on how the couplet form keeps the pace lively.
A useful comparison for an anthology question is Fox, because the two poems share enough ground to compare. Our guide to comparing two poems shows how.
Studying Insects by John Clare? The paid trial lesson can start with the poem itself and one exam-style question.
An exam-style question to practise
How does Clare present the insects in 'Insects'?
Plan your answer in five minutes before you write. Choose three points from the themes and form notes above. Then check your plan against the mark scheme section below.
More question angles
- Explore the ways Clare uses imagery to create a sense of wonder.
- How does Clare make the poem feel light and playful?
How this maps to the mark scheme
Examiners mark poetry answers against assessment objectives. These are the skills the paper rewards. For Cambridge International 0475, the objectives are summarised on our qualification page.
- AO1: Show detailed knowledge of the content of literary texts in the three main forms (drama, poetry and prose), supported by reference to the text.
- AO2: Understand the meanings of literary texts and their contexts, and explore texts beyond surface meanings to show deeper awareness of ideas and attitudes.
- AO3: Recognise and appreciate ways in which writers use language, structure and form to create and shape meanings and effects.
- AO4: Communicate a sensitive and informed personal response to literary texts.
- The four assessment objectives carry equal weight, about 25% each.
For Insects, build your reading around “Joy and freedom” and “Close observation of nature”, and support each point with a short quotation. Then explain how the form, structure and sound in the section above create that meaning.
Where a question asks you to link poems, compare Insects with Fox. Keep any context about John Clare brief and tied to the words on the page.
Read the poem alongside these notes. This page is our own analysis and original teaching material. Where we quote this public-domain poem, it is a short, attributed phrase.
Where to go next
Practise the method on an unseen poem with our guide to reading an unseen poem, then see a worked answer in our comparing poems model response. Browse more anthology poems or read about Literature in English tuition.
When you have written an answer on Insects, a paid one-hour trial lesson lets the teacher who would continue mark it with you.