Power and conflict poems

• Power and Conflict Poetry is a booklet designed to support the study of poetry for English Lessons.
• The work in this booklet can be used as a regular homework, revision aid, class resource or even just a catch-up material if you have missed a topic.
• The exercises and information in this booklet are not made so you can just skip through or answer a few questions and then move on.
• If you do not read the instructions you will find that the work is not always correct and if you do not take the time to answer carefully in full sentences you will probably find that you don’t practise your ability to answer questions as effectively as you would like.
• The keys to success in English are: 1-Read lots, it honestly helps (there are studies into this and everything) 2-Start early, if you leave it all to the end you won’t give it time to settle in your mind, the things you are probably best at are those you practise every day for years, English is the same.
• The work in this booklet has been heavily influenced by the work of other teachers and academics.
• The textual samples are from the Power and Conflict Cluster from the AQA Anthology and the creator of this booklet claims no credit for any of the textual extracts.
• The content of this booklet includes: 1 – Key Terms, 2 – Ozymandias, 3 – London, 4 – Prelude (Extract), 5 – My Last Duchess, 6 – Charge of the Light Brigade, 7 – Exposure, 8 – Storm on the Island, 9 – Bayonet Charge, 10 – Remains, 11 – Poplars, 12 – War Photographer, 13 – Tissue, 14 – The Emigree, 15 –Checking Out Me History, 16 –Kamikaze, 17 –Themes, Structure and Revisions.
• Power points can be useful but try and avoid repeating information for the sake of it, if they are watching a slide they are not watching you.
• This booklet can be used to fit whatever you want, you can teach from or simply make it an online revision or cover tool, whatever, here are some ideas of how you can incorporate it into your lesson.
• Looking at the poems can involve initial mind maps or key images to explore what students already understand of context to do with the poem, another helpful tool is to look at certain lines in isolation (either as a group or in pairs) to see what students think this shows about the poem.
• Later lessons can involve quick recaps and pop quizzes to remind students of key quotes, themes or technical features.
• Before showing or relying too heavily on the information in the book, it is advised to get students to begin by looking at the poem and annotating themselves.
• Additional annotations can be worked through in groups or a class with direction, weaker groups could be given key terms to look for or lines to explore and thus guide their learning.
• The charge of the Light Brigade is immortalized in literature and history as an example of bravery and sacrifice.
• The enemy, now in overwhelming numbers, pressed forward; the Light Brigade stood like a wall of steel, and hurled back the advancing foe.
• Forward, the Light Brigade! was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldier knew Someone had blundered, theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.
• Cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them volleyed and thundered; stormed at with shot and shell, boldly they rode and well, into the jaws of Death, into the mouth of hell rode the six hundred.
• The poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson is about war, life and death, sacrifice and folly.
• The Light Brigade, with sabres flashing, broke the line; hewed their way to the valley, and there stood at bay, waiting for the onset of the foe.
• Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred.
• The enemy came on with renewed vigour, but again the Light Brigade stood firm as a rock; they were not to be moved from the position they had so gallantly won.
• The Light Brigade, with a last desperate charge, broke through the enemy lines and escaped the jaws of Death.
• The poem is written in dimeter and dactylic, with two stresses in each line, emphasizing the sudden charge and collapse, or the sound of horses galloping.
• The poem contains many biblical/religious allusions, as well as references to bravery and fear.
• The poem looks at a mother of a son who has grown up and gone to war.
• The poem looks partially at conflict because of the nature of the son going to war, however it looks at conflict more from the perspective of those it leaves behind and the emotions of families.
• The poems uses contrasting language and ideas to emphasise the conflict and turmoil of the Mother.
• The poem contains many clues that this is a more modern conflict, however the poem ends at the memorial, suggesting the son died at war or has at least not yet returned home and is now missed by the mother who fears the worst.
• The poem implies pain.
• The poem flashes back to key moments of the life of the mother and son.
• The metaphor connotes that he is like a beautiful caged creature and needs to be set free.
• The poem mixes language to do with war along with those that create a sense of home life.
• The simile suggests how attractive the world appears to her son and also her aspiration for him to have opportunities.
• The poem looks at the relationship of Mother and Son.
• The physical senses imply the intimacy between mother and son, connotes the tactile hypersensitivity and jumbled emotions.
• The symbolic idea of throwing the door open and setting her son free represents the mother's acceptance of his choice.
• The poem is based very heavily around the idea of Poppies as memorials and therefore the idea of memory.
• The caesura, breaking down the verses, implies the choking back tears.
• The poem doesn't seem to comment heavily on the war itself.