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• Remains by Simon Armitage


  "These are poems of survivors - the damaged,

  exhausted men who return from war in body but

  never, wholly, in mind." Simon Armitage

  -Poem coincided with increased awareness of PTSD

  amongst the military, and aroused sympathy amongst

  the public - many of whom were opposed to the war.
• Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson


  -As Poet Laureate, he had a responsibility to inspire the

  nation and portray the war in a positive light:

  propaganda.

  -Although Tennyson glorifies the soldiers who took

  part, he also draws attention to the fact that a

  commander had made a mistake: "Someone had

  blunder'd".

  -This was a controversial point to make in Victorian

  times when blind devotion to power was expected.
• Ozymandias by Percy Shelley


  -Shelley was a poet of the 'Romantic period' (late

  1700s and early 1800s). Romantic poets were

  interested in emotion and the power of nature.

  -Shelley also disliked the concept of a monarchy and

  the oppression of ordinary people.

  -He had been inspired by the French revolution - when

  the French monarchy was overthrown.
• Extract from, The Prelude - William Wordsworth


  -Published shortly after his death, The Prelude was a

  very long poem (14 books) that told the story of

  William Wordsworth's life.

  -This extract is the first part of a book entitled

  'Introduction - Childhood and School-Time'.

  -Like Percy Shelley, Wordsworth was a romantic poet

  and so his poetry explores themes of nature, human

  emotion and how humans are shaped by their

  interaction with nature
• Exposure by Wilfred Owen

  -Written in 1917 before Owen went on to win the

  Military Cross for bravery, and was then killed in battle

  in 1918: the poem has authenticity as it is written by

  an actual soldier.

  - Of his work, Owen said: "My theme is war and the

  pity of war".

  -Despite highlighting the tragedy of war and mistakes

  of senior commanders, he had a deep sense of duty:

  "not loath, we lie out here" shows that he was not

  bitter about his suffering
• Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes


  -Published in 1957, but most-likely set in World War 1.

  -Hughes' father had survived the battle of Gallipoli in

  World War 1, and so he may have wished to draw

  attention to the hardships of trench warfare.

  -He draws a contrast between the idealism of

  patriotism and the reality of fighting and killing. ("King,

  honour, human dignity, etcetera")
• Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney

  -Seamus Heaney was Northern Irish, he died in 2013.

  -This poem was published in 1966 at the start of 'The

  Troubles' in Northern Ireland: a period of deep unrest

  and violence between those who wanted to remain

  part of the UK and those who wanted to become part

  of Ireland.

  -The first eight letters of the title spell 'Stormont': this

  is the name of Northern Ireland's parliament. The

  poem might be a metaphor for the political storm that

  was building in the country at the time
• London by William Blake


  -The poem was published in 1794, and time of great

  poverty is many parts of London.

  -William Blake was an English poet and artist. Much of

  his work was influenced by his radical political views:

  he believed in social and racial equality.

  -This poem is part of the 'Songs of Experience'

  collection, which focuses on how innocence is lost and

  society is corrupt.

  -He also questioned the teachings of the Church and

  the decisions of Government.