Resource Pack for: War Poetry, Wilfred Owen

(Prepared by Donna Jones)

Context:Wilfred Owen was an English poet and soldier during the First World War, he was one of the leading poets of the First World War and his shocking, realistic war poetry on the horrors of

trenches and gas warfare stood in stark contrast both to the public perception of war at

the time and to the confidently patriotic verse written by earlier war poets who had a romantic view

of war. Wilfred Owen used his poems to express his negative attitude to the First World War. His use of

comparisons and harsh imagery keeps his readers entertained throughout the whole poem. Wilfred Owen composed nearly all of

his poems in slightly over a year, from August 1917 to September 1918. In November 1918 he was killed in action at the age of 25, one week before the Armistice. Only five poems were published in his lifetime. Almost all of Owen’s poems, were published posthumously. Owen wrote vivid and terrifying poems about modern warfare, depicting graphic scenes with honest emotions; in doing so, young Owen helped to advance poetry into the Modernist era.Additional material: A biography and review of his poetry can be read here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wilfred-owen

Lesson One

Learning intention:

To explore setting as an aspect of text by gaining an in-depth understanding of the context of WW1 and the trenches as a physical setting of Wilfred Owen’s poem, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’.

Success criteria:

Have taken notes on trench life and its challenges from a range of perspectives.

Be able to describe what the trenches were like as a setting (aspect of text). Identify the challenges that soldiers faced both physically and mentally in this

setting. Written a letter or diary piece from a soldier’s perspective, outlining a day in

the life of a soldier who fought in the trenches.

Resources: Virtual tours: Use the following link to complete the activities

Google Arts and Culture: Trenches of WW1, an immersive tour https://www.theworldwar.org/explore/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/trenches

Lesson Option #1: Individual, student self-managed

Students explore the immersive tour at their own pace and answer the following questions as they go, remembering to be as detailed in their answers as possible:

1. What was the purpose of the trenches?

2. What were the conditions like in the trenches? Did they vary for the particular armies?

3. Describe the environment of the trenches4. What were the challenges that the soldiers faced? Put a line half-way

down the page for about 10 lines. On one side put the heading, Physical and on the other put mental. From your viewing list all the things that challenged the soldiers under each heading. See the example below to start you off.Physical Mental

Trench foot from being in the wet all the time

Fear of the enemy

Lesson Option #2: Online lesson, teacher led:

Create worksheets for the students to complete in their online platforms or have the questions on the screen so that you can have students can copy these before the lesson, into their own workbooks.

There are 6 sections:

1.Treches (38seconds)

2. The Western Front (45sec)

3. German Trenches (48sec)

4.English Trenches (45sec)

5.

French Trenches (59sec)

6. Life on the frontline (55sec)

Click on the URL above and share your screen with your class. View each segment, pausing after each. Allow students time to complete the questions as you

go. Encourage students to leave a few lines at the end of their answers so they can add to them as they go.

Now view the following two texts (student self-managed or Teacher lead).

360 degree view of the trenches, a Russian perspective: (2mins 26sec) T360 tour which allows you to explore the trench as battle starts. It provides another perspective but also introduces the concept of a gas attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiqkMslWhJs

Activity: Discuss what it would have been like to be caught in this type of action. Students could type answers in the chat function or record in their own notes. Themes that should be explored; the reality of war, the effects of war, man’s inhumanity to man.

Next, view the following short clip with commentary and archive footage from the History Channel, Life in a Trench. (3mins 16 sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G4ZY66BG38

Vocabulary development: students can record these and ensure they have a working definition for them:

1. Horrific2. Abysmal3. Assiduously4. Rampant5. Monotony

Activity: Now that you have gained an understanding of the setting of the trenches in WW1 you will need to write a half-to three quarters of a length page in the form of a letter home to a loved one or a diary entry and a day in the life of a soldier in this setting-the trenches. Makes sure you share your experience as realistically and as descriptively as you can. Remember to add authentic voice, this would have been written in the historical period of 1914 to 1918 and so the language would likely be more formal and dated.

Submit your writing for feedback in your digital notebook. Teacher or peer assessment feedback is given.

The Poem Lessons Two and beyond

Learning intention:

To explore the meaning and language of text with reference to audience and purpose

Success criteria:

Read and made annotated notes on the poem Are able to identify specific language which illustrates themes throughout the

text. Understood the influence of propaganda and audience on Owen’s writing. Identified key language features Completed a summary grid of theme and language Completed a Quizlet revision task.

‘Dulce et Decorum Est’‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is a poem Wilfred Owen wrote following his experiences fighting in the trenches in northern France during World War I.

In one of his first letters to his mother from France, he wrote: “There is a fine heroic feeling about being in France. ...” and on January 6, 1917 he wrote of the marching the men did, “The awful state of the roads, and the enormous weight carried was too much for scores of men.” Outfitted in hip-length rubber waders, on January 8, he had waded through two and a half miles of trenches with “a mean depth of two feet of water.” By January 9, he was housed in a hut where only 70 yards away a howitzer fired every minute day and night. On January 12 occurred the march and attack of poison gas he later reported in ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’. They marched three miles over a shelled road and three more along a flooded trench, where those who got stuck in the heavy mud had to leave their waders, as well as some clothing and equipment, and move ahead on bleeding and freezing feet. They were under machine-gun fire, shelled by heavy explosives throughout the cold march, and were almost unconscious from fatigue when the poison-gas attack occurred. "Here is a gas poem ... done yesterday," he wrote to his mother from the recovery hospital in Craiglockhart, Scotland, in 1917. He was 24 years old.

The poem was published posthumously in a 1920 book simply called Poems. Wilfred Owen's preface reads: "This book is not about heroes ... My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity."

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, which is a line taken from the Latin odes of the Roman poet Horace, means it is sweet and proper to die for one's country. In his poem, Wilfred Owen takes the opposite stance. He is, in effect, saying that it is anything but sweet and

proper to die for one's country in a hideous war that took the lives of over 17 million people.

This poem, written by a young soldier recovering from his wounds who was brave enough to return to

the battlefield, still resonates today with its brutal language and imagery.

‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ can be read and listened to here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46560/dulce-et-decorum-estRead or listen to the poem in its entirety. You will need to have a copy of the text to work on if you don’t have access to a printer, copy and paste the poem into your own digital notebook. On the second reading, make annotations on the language used. Note any language that interests you. You may also identify specific language features.

Activity: Check your understanding by answering the questions that follow, with as much detail as possible:

1.Why are the soldiers “knock-kneed and coughing like hags”?2. Notice the verb in line two, which states that the soldiers, “cursed through sludge”. What are the connotations (implied and extended meaning) of this verb, as opposed to marched or walked?3. What are “five-nines”?4. Why do you think the poet capitalises the word “GAS” when he repeats it?5. What are the “dim misty panes” and the think green light”?6. Why does Owen say that the man next to him is “drowning”? What is the imagery used here?7. Why does the poet refer to dreams in the poem, “In all me dreams”? What is he really suggesting?8. The speaker in the poem says, “he plunges at me”, why would the man do this and what effect did this have on the speaker?9. In the last stanza Owen uses some particularly harsh imagery through similes. Can you identify two of these and explain their meaning?10. Why do you think Owen used the Latin phrase at the end of the poem? Would the poet’s message be changed in anyway if the English translation was used instead?Extension Activity: After your initial readings of the poem, find evidence to support the claim that Owen takes the opposite stance to the Romanticists such as Jessie Pope, who believed that to go to war was glorious and to die for your Country was an Honour? In a paragraph and using your learning so far, develop an argument for this claim.

You can use specific quotes with an explanation or refer to the content and explain how this supports the idea that Owen did not think it was sweet and proper to die in war.

Big ideas:

Themes -‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ does not have one theme, but many. Still, each of the themes centre

around war and the antiquated notions associated with it. The main themes of this poem are listed

below:

The pity of war:

The poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, have a central theme of the pity of war. This idea, which is woven through the poems with the careful use of literal and figurative imagery, caused a strong reaction in the audience because of the revealing nature of the idea, as the true identity of war is explored. Owen also reveals the reality of war to an audience that is as far removed from the truths of war, that they can be.

Activity: Which lines in the poem speak to the pity of war and the reality of war?

The literal images depict the horror of death in war, abolishing the romantic notions of war set up previously by jingoistic poets of the time, such as Jesse Pope. Owen goes on to further confront these patriotic views in the final four lines of the poem.

“My friend you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory

The Old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est

Pro patria mori.”

This sardonic (adj. grimly mocking or cynical) address to the aggressive nationalist views of the era causes a strong reaction in readers as they realize the truth about war – how horrific and desolate the scene actually is. The poem causes a strong reaction in the audience as they realise what a risk Owen took to remove the’ blindfolds’ from people’s eyes, to show them the true pity of war.

Activity: In what way could Owen’s poem be considered sardonic?

The deception of propaganda

This poem takes aim at the idea of war presented by war-supporting propaganda. During World War I, propaganda came in the form of books, poems, posters, movies, radio and more, and presented an idea of war full of glory and pride rather than of death and

destruction.

The influence of propaganda and the call to arms: view the following text to enhance your

understanding of Owen’s purpose in writing his poems.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH2QXEwrTdU

(12mins)

Activity: Propaganda and the War

For each of these posters:1). Identify the audience it is intended for, age, ethnicity gender etc. Give reasons for your

answer.2). What is the KEY message being presented?

3). What, if any emotional appeal is being made?4). On your own write a structured paragraph which answers the question: Why was propaganda able to

be used so successfully during WW1? Use specific evidence to support your ideas.

Activity: After viewing the short video on propaganda, who do you think Owen’s poems are aimed at? Why do you think this? Explain in depth with evidence where possible.

The futility of War

Another important theme of this poem is the futility of war. It deals with a soldier's experience in World War I and contrasts the realities of war with the glorified notion of what serving in a war is like. Young men died terrible deaths and often for little or no gain.

Patriotism

“Dulce et decorum Est pro patria mori," means it is sweet and proper to die for one's country. This idea of patriotism fuelled the hopes and dreams of many young soldiers who entered World War I in the hopes of gaining honour and respect. However, once they realized the horrors that awaited them, this ideal patriotism was rightly viewed as ridiculous.

Lessons Learned from the Past

Owen highlights this Latin phrase to show how antiquated and wrong it is when applied to the modern age. Through his work, which entirely destroys the idea that it is sweet and proper to die for one's country, he hopes to make readers realize that times have changed–that while war may have once been glorious, now, war is hell.Extension Activity #1: What do you think were the major factors that contributed to this new understanding of war? Consider what modernisation, media and communication did to influence this contrast in understanding? Hint: how had did the modernisation of weaponry influence this notion? Write your answer in paragraph form. Use specifics to support your ideas.Extension Activity #2: The following is a lecture which students can listen to in order to reiterate and expand on the points made to far. This is an excellent analysis of the text step by step. (44 minutes) Students should have a copy of the text to annotate while listening to this specific lecture.

Character –

The Soldiers: The poem begins with a vivid and disturbing image of men, including the speaker, moving through the trenches:

“Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed

through sludge . . .

Later in the poem, we read that “Men marched asleep” and are “Drunk with fatigue” while gas shells

fall all around them. They are exhausted and so tired that they are hardly paying attention to the potential danger around them. Owen creates a clear impression

that these men are struggling, exhausted, dirty, and cold. This deliberate imagery suggests that the conditions are far from heroic or glamorous, as those in power have tried to depict war. Owen’ s purpose is to show the grim daily reality for those involved first-hand in war.

Significantly the characters are all unnamed and are not described individually, for the most part. Without names or identifying features, these soldiers represent each and every soldier involved in war. The anonymous nature of death in war is thus explored through this depiction of unknown young men fighting for their country. In this way the soldiers become symbolic

The Soldier who dies: However, there is one soldier who is singled out for description: the man who doesn’t get his gas helmet on in time. Again, we don’t know his name or anything about him as a character, but he can be considered a main character of the poem. The other soldiers hurry to put on their helmets, but he doesn’t manage. The consequences are horrific, and we read how the narrator sees him “drowning” in the toxic air. After he is “flung” in a wagon, the narrator describes his death:

“white eyes writhing in his face,His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin . . .

He is “gargling” blood from

forth-corrupted lungs,Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud”Owen is directly referring to those back home, telling them that if they had seen this, like him, they wouldn’t be so quick to encourage young men to enlist and sacrifice themselves in such horrific ways.

Activity: Now watch the analysis of the characters in the poem through this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUBmoRuMwvk.

As you go through make bullet point notes about the characters in the text.

Technical ideas:

Language – All exceptional poetry displays a good use of figurative language, imagery, and diction. Wilfred Owen's ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is a powerful antiwar poem which takes place on a battlefield during World War I. Through his dramatic use of imagery, metaphors,

and diction, he clearly states his theme that war is terrible and horrific. Owen’s figurative and

literal language is cleverly crafted to create a portrayal of war which speaks to the reality and the tragedy of trench warfare.Activity: Complete the following table with as

much detail as you can using your learning so far and the notes taken in the short lecture viewed for character and if viewed, the longer

extension activity.

(What?) (How?) (Why?)Technique Example Effect Theme

smile “Bent double like old beggars under sacks”

Owen is deliberately comparing the soldiers to old beggars to create an image of exhausted and dishevelled soldiers who are no longer the picture of health and innocence they were before they left for war.

The reality of war

The pity of war

metaphor

alliteration

striking verbs

allusion

- Structure

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Structure: The poem is a combination of two sonnets. In the first sonnet the poet describes his experiences of the war whereas in the second sonnet he becomes analytic and attempts to correct the outlook of others about the war.

Sonnet: A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem in which a single idea floats

throughout the poem. Rhyme scheme: The whole poem follows the

ABAB, CDCD rhyme scheme in iambic pentameter

Iambic pentameter: is a type of meter consisting of five iambs. The poem comprises iambic pentameter such as,

“Bent Double, like old beggars under”

Activity: students log onto the following link this is a short task to illustrate the how the site works so that they can create their own sets for revision later. The terms above are in the set attached to this link: https://quizlet.com/nz/502551097/wilfred-owen-poetry-flash-

cards/?new

Additional tasks -- Find another poem written by Owen and compare the themes and language techniques used. Some potential poems are ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, ‘Futility’ or ‘Disabled’.

- Research poets of Owen’s era. What were their similarities in terms of their messages and content? Consider poets like, Siegfried Sassoon and Rupert Brooke.

- Research Jessie Pope and compare the poem, ‘Who’s for the Game?Create a compare and contrast Venn Diagram to record these.https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/jessie-pope

Collaborative tasks: Create a visual text summary of the key quotes of the poem. Use PowerPoint,

Google Slides or Photoshop. Each student chooses five quotes and images that

support the ideas presented. They can be literal, figurative representations. Choose a piece of music that enhances further the tone of your message and Owen’s poetry. An example can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0ZW_E4EaSU

Tutorial on how to record on your slide show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=selYsj94RQg

A tutorial on adding animation on PowerPoint can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=kw_udjD2xwo

Create a video story using footage from online. An example is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lSHh7V_rAo

Using Coggle it, create a mind map of all the aspects of the text that you now know. This can be done by sharing the Coggle with a peer or in a small group. The mind map that this app creates is fantastic for revision. About Coggle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL40u0uNYa8 or https://coggle.it/about You will need to create a free account, but once you have used it, it can be used for all your subjects.

Further reading-https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/wilfred-owen

https://poets.org/poet/wilfred-owen

https://www.bl.uk/people/wilfred-owen