The Listeners by Walter de la Mare is a mysterious, supernatural poem. It details a lone traveller, arriving by horse to an abandoned, moonlit house in the forest. He knocks several times, but there is no reply. He senses phantoms are listening, so asks the phantoms to tell ‘them’ that he kept his word and came to the house, but that noone answered. He then rides away again. This lesson is for 10- to 14-year-olds.
By the end of this lesson, pupils will have:
Before reading them the poem, ask students to close their eyes and imagine they are invisible and present, watching and listening, as the scene unfolds. They should keep their eyes closed afterwards, until asked to reopen them. Read students the poem.
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