The Highwayman

By
Alfred Noyes (1880-
1958)
Learning Intentions: To understand the narrative
poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes.
To identify the imagery contained within the poem and to
implement them into my writing.
To use the ideas raised in this poem and create a piece of
creative writing for my folio.

How will you achieve this?

You will need this unit.
By working as an individual and with your peers.
You may use a dictionary (if required).
You may use a computer (pending availability).

By the end of the unit you should be able

to:
Explain what the poem is about.
Identify three different areas of imagery.
Show your understanding of the imagery contained in the
narrative poem by implementing similes, metaphors and
onomatopoeia into your writing.
Create a piece of creative writing for your folio based on the
themes contained in the poem. You will be responsible for
giving your work an appropriate title.
 The Poem
The Highwayman
d

l
o
v
e
-
k
n
o
t

i
n
t
o

h
e
r

l
o
n
g

b
l
a
c
k

h
a
i
r
.

A
l
f
r
e
d

N
o
y
e
s
Notes on the Text
A French cocked-hat An old-fashioned three corner hat.
claret Dark red, like wine.
pistol butts The handles of the pistol.
rapier A long thin sword.
stable-wicket Stable door.
ostler A person who looks after horses at an inn.
peaked Having a sickly look.
harry me Hound me- chase me.
casement Window.
tawny Yellow, golden.
musket An old-fashioned rifle.
jest Joke, something to laugh at.
priming Charging muskets with gunpowder.
blanched Went pale.
Individual Task: Write a paragraph in your jotter explaining what you
think the poem is about.

What was the poem about?

The poem begins by describing the arrival of the highwayman
at the old inn. We soon learn that the landlord’s daughter,
Bess, and the highwayman, are in love. Unfortunately for
them, the ostler, Tim, also loves Bess, and is jealous of the
highwayman. He overhears the highwayman promising to
return to the inn after his night’s work. The ostler tells the
soldiers who arrive and take over the inn to wait for the return
of the highwayman. They tie Bess to the foot of her bed and
gag her to stop her calling out to warn her lover. For good
measure they fasten a gun beneath her breast. She struggles
silently until she manages to reach the trigger of the gun. She
knows then that she can give a warning. After midnight they
hear the highwayman approaching. The soldiers prepare to
shoot him down. Bess pulls the trigger of the gun, kills herself,
but warns the highwayman who gallops off into the night, not
knowing what had happened. At dawn he discovers the
dreadful truth. Blinded by sorrow and rage he gallops back to
the inn and is shot down by the redcoats. The locals say that
the spirits of the highwayman and Bess still meet at the old
inn.

After reading this synopsis look back to your paragraph on the poem.
Were you right?

Questions on the Poem

Answer these questions to show your
understanding of what the poem was about.
You should write your answers in your jotter.

1. What time of day did the highwayman arrive at the inn?

2. What weapons was he carrying?
3. How did he let the landlord’s daughter know he was
there?
4. What was the landlord’s daughter called?
5. Who was listening secretly?
6. What was his job at the inn?
7. How did he betray the lovers?
8. Who were the redcoats?
9. What did they do to Bess?
10.How did she manage to warn the highwayman?
11.What did the highwayman do when he found out that
Bess was dead?
12.What did the locals say happened on winter’s nights?

How did you cope?

Swap your jotter with your partner and
mark your peer’s work.

Looking for Imagery in the Poem

What is imagery?

Imagery is language that appeals to your five senses – sight,

sound, touch, taste and smell.

You might’ve noticed some rhyme, sound patterns and

comparisons throughout the poem. These elements are part of
 the imagery of the poem as they help to create an image in the
readers mind.

Task Time
Individual

Read through the poem again and identify as many similes,

metaphors and onomatopoeic words you can find. Copy out a table
like the one below and fill in your answers. Try to explain what this
imagery means/suggests. Does it help you to understand the poem
better?

Remember: A simile is a comparison that contains the words ‘like’ or

‘as’ in it. For example, ‘dumb as a dog.’

A metaphor is a comparison that states one thing is another. For

example, ‘The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.’

Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like its meaning. For example,

‘clattered and crashed.’

Quote from the poem Technique being used What does this
suggest/mean?
The wind was a torrent Metaphor This means that the wind was
of darkness upon the violent and gloomy against
the trees. This suggests that it
gusty trees
was dark and extremely
 windy. This creates a sinister
atmosphere.

Now what?
Once you have completed the table in your jotter compare your
answers with your peers and discuss what image you consider to
be the most powerful.

Once you have chosen your favourite example of imagery from

the poem create an A3 poster of your quote from the poem.

For example,

‘The wind was a torrent of darkness upon the gusty trees’

 Themes of the Poem
What are themes?
Themes are ideas or points raised by a text.
For example, theme – love.

In your pairs/groups discuss what you believe the main themes

of the poem are. This discussion should take approximately
3 minutes.
Once you have decided what the main themes of the
poem are write down your answers into your jotter.
 How many themes did you identify?

Love Death Betrayal

Loyalty

Did you identify any other relevant themes?

Your Turn to be Creative.

You should now be able to identify
Similes
Metaphors
Onomatopoeia
You should also be able to recognise what themes are.
Using your knowledge of these skills you must now show how
you can implement them into your writing.
 You will do this by creating an imaginative tale based on the
themes raised by the poem the Highwayman. Your creative
piece may be a poem or a short story. It must contain at least 2
examples of a simile and 2 examples of a metaphor. You
must also use at least 1 example of onomatopoeia in your
creative piece.
You must remember to plan your creative piece.
(Who, where, when, how and why)
You must include a front cover and you may add illustrations
to your creative piece if you have time.

Good Luck!
(There is a planning sheet for the short story on the next page if
required.)

Imaginative Story - Setting the Scene

Where is your story? ______________________________________

Is it night or day? ________________________________________

What is the weather like?

__________________________________
Who is in your story? _____________________________________

What are your characters names? ____________________________

Is there anyone else? ______________________________________

What are they feeling? _____________________________________

Where are your characters? _________________________________

What are they doing? _______________________________________

What happens at the beginning? ______________________________

What do they see? __________________________________________

What do they do? ___________________________________________

Where do they go? __________________________________________

Try to leave the beginning of your story at a point that can get exciting in the
middle