Love through the ages: Exemplar student
response (AS Paper 1, Section B)
This resource is an exemplar student response to a Section B question in the
specimen assessment materials for AS Paper 1.
Paper 1, Section B, Band 4
Sample question
Examine the view that Richard Lovelace presents the speaker in this poem as
having a selfish attitude to love.
Sample response
The poem ‘The Scrutiny’ by Richard Lovelace presents the idea that some men
believe that they should have the chance to ‘explore’ with many other women
before settling down. The poem takes on a sarcastic and ironic tone, as it is a
cavalier poem and is supposed to be easier to relate to. This tone suggests that
Lovelace believes those who have this attitude are selfish and that this is the
incorrect attitude to have to love.
In the first line of the poem, “Why should you swear I am forsworn”, it is clear
that Lovelace is trying to portray the speaker as feeling as though they are
superior to their love. The word ‘forsworn’ suggests that the speaker believes
that they should be allowed to act as they please and therefore their actions are
not sins or unacceptable. This rhetorical tone, which is carried on to the lines
“since thine I vowed to be? Lady, it is already morn”, suggests a lack of respect
for the woman, as the speaker is clearly being sarcastic and is therefore mocking
in response to her. The tone is present in the entire stanza, which last lines
consist of “and ‘twas last night I swore to thee that fond impossibility” where
Lovelace has exaggerated a small amount of time to represent the speaker’s
selfish ideas as they believe they should not have to prove their love, if they’ve
already “swore to thee”. The sarcastic tone implies a lack of respect or care for
the listener, whom has clearly declared their love and also worry for the speaker
and his selfish attitudes.
The second stanza continues this sarcastic tone as the speaker talks of loving the
listener “much and long”, as if the act is tiresome and a chore. The selfishness of
the speaker is presented here as they are only thinking of themselves, and the
effort it is to show someone you care, instead of thinking about how his partner
feels. The reference to a “tedious twelve hours space” represents the listener’s
