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STUDENT BOOKLET Power & Conflict Poetry
This booklet is a companion to the online curriculum available
at YourFavouriteTeacher.com, and the associated Student Workbook.
It covers content
from the Power & Conflict Poetry course and the Power &
Conflict Poetry: Comparisons course.
Includes:
• Context • Full Poem • Themes • Linguistics • Practice
Questions/Worksheet • Assessment practice
View the videos at http://bit.ly/2uRVVqE
http://bit.ly/2uRVVqE
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Bayonet Charge – Ted Hughes
Context
Edward James Hughes, (or Ted Hughes) was born in 1930 in
Mytholmroyd, Yorkshire. He attended Cambridge University to study
English. Due to his rural upbringing, he drew inspiration for all
his future poetry from his hometown and said rural upbringing. Some
of his poetry particularly focuses on the themes of nature and
wildlife which he was comfortable with, unlike many people post the
Industrial Revolution. He was so renowned for his poetry that
Hughes became Poet Laureate for 14 years- from 1984 until his death
in 1998. He wrote prose, as well as poetry, with the collective
within “The Thought-Fox”, the first of Hughes literary works,
marking its existence on the literary world forever. Although
Hughes has had no experience of the military world, or either of
the Great Wars, “Bayonet Charge” was written early on in his
career, inspired by the works of his idols Wilfred Owen and
Siegfried Sassoon which feature armed conflict heavily. For
authenticity he turned to familial sources which have experienced
the wars, in order to not appear ignorant when constructing his
very own works. “Bayonet Charge” heavily features symbolism, most
famously the hare. Hares are typically preyed on by large birds, as
well as foxes, which means they must move very quickly in order to
stay alive, the stark contrast of a hare running by in a flash, as
they might in the wild, with Hughes’ “crawl” is a metaphor
demonstrating the detrimental effects of war on nature.
Linguistics
The contrast of the “patriotic tear” being linked to the “molten
iron from the centre of his chest” implies a very stark divergence
between the idealistic patriotism which is likely to be supported
by the soldiers in combat, versus the harsh reality of war which is
the opposite of what combatants may wish for. The everlasting
conflict is highlighted by the connotations of the “tear” and
“molten iron” used. Tears are obviously formed of water, whilst in
order to melt iron we must deploy fire, therefore further
highlighting the opposites of the expectations and realities of
war, as well as the everlasting conflict of the elements. “Bullets
smacking the belly out of the air” also creates some physical
imagery using personification and metaphor, which allows the
audience to form the impression that the artillery being used
within the poem evokes the sounds of war, which is obviously having
some detrimental effects on the men involved, as well as the
environment where the scene takes place. This proves to be
significant as it takes the focus away from the soldiers involved,
and the effects the war is having on them, but rather focuses on
the damage being caused to the environment where the scene takes
place. This is where Hughes’ rural upbringing rears its
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head, due to the fact that he takes the emphasis away from the
soldier, and draws attention to the unspoken victims- the woodlands
and the creatures that live within. The use of caesuras through the
poem displays the fact that Hughes intends the syntax to mirror the
actual thought process of a human being. This is due to the fact
that sentences stop mid-line, and restart abruptly, much alike the
thoughts of a person under stress. This gives the poem some sense
of authenticity and the same erratic, scattered thought progression
as one may have on the battlefield.
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Poem
Suddenly he awoke and was running – raw In raw-seamed hot khaki,
his sweat heavy, Stumbling across a field of clods towards a green
hedge That dazzled with rifle fire, hearing Bullets smacking the
belly out of the air – He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm; The
patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye Sweating like molten
iron from the centre of his chest, –
In bewilderment then he almost stopped – In what cold clockwork
of the stars and the nations Was he the hand pointing that second?
He was running Like a man who has jumped up in the dark and runs
Listening between his footfalls for the reason Of his still
running, and his foot hung like Statuary in mid-stride. Then the
shot-slashed furrows
Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame And crawled in a
threshing circle, its mouth wide Open silent, its eyes standing
out. He plunged past with his bayonet toward the green hedge, King,
honour, human dignity, etcetera Dropped like luxuries in a yelling
alarm To get out of that blue crackling air His terror’s touchy
dynamite.
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Practice Questions
1. List two examples of imagery within the poem and explain
their effect.
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2. How does Hughes present the theme of conflict?
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3. How does Hughes present the theme of power of nature?
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4. How does Hughes’ lack of military experience romanticise the
idea of war?
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5. Why are the caesuras within the poem significant?
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6. Stretch yourself: Compare “Bayonet Charge” to a different
poem from the cluster.
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Exposure- Wilfred Owen
Context
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC was a British born soldier and
poet, one of the main leaders of war poetry of the first World War.
Born in 1893 in Oswestry, Shropshire, he pioneered war-time poetry
with nearly all of his works written within a year, most of which
were written from the trenches. He met a fellow poet Sassoon whilst
discharged briefly from the military due to “shellshock”, which we
now know to be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.
After being admitted back in, post very brief treatment, he
received the Military Cross for his incredible bravery and died
soon after, murdered in the process of leading his men through the
Sambre-Oise canal at Ors in 1918.
After his death, Sassoon edited his poetry and published it in
1920 as one tome, revolutionising war time poetry forever.
“Exposure” narrows in on the negative effects of war, especially
from the soldier’s perspective. The subject of the poem
specifically is the unnecessary deaths of many soldiers who died
from hypothermia in open trench warfare. This obviously implies
horrific conditions of neglect and unnecessary pain that the
general public may not necessarily be aware of.
Linguistics
The title of the poem can be interpreted on three different
fronts- the soldiers are exposed to two lethal enemies; the
Germans, and the absolutely horrendous elements, which are
currently causing them more issues than the men they’re fighting.
However, Owen also intended this poem to be an exposé of the
abhorrent conditions which soldiers have to exist in during the
war, therefore bringing attention and exposure to the topic at the
time.
The repetition of “But nothing happens” is pretty significant
throughout the poem due to the fact that it is the most dark,
ironic part of the entire piece. “But nothing happens” at the end
of the last stanza indicates the deaths of the soldiers, painting a
very dark, grim image of many men dead in the trenches almost like
a mass grave.
The use of slant rhyme with ”knife us” and “nervous” creates an
unsettling effect on the audience due to the fact that one may not
have the ability to continue reading with the same fluidity and
countenance as before. This throws off the audience and creates a
sense of disorientation which can be said to be mirroring that of
the soldiers in the poem. The caesura after “Pause over half-known
faces.” is interesting due to the fact that it allows for a pause
in the poem for the audience to gage what is happening, and also
consider the true ramifications of war, ponder over their own
“half-known faces” lost to wars.
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Poem
Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us
. . .
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent . . . Low
drooping flares confuse our memory of the salient . . . Worried by
silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous, But nothing
happens.
Watching, we hear the mad gusts tugging on the wire, Like
twitching agonies of men among its brambles. Northward,
incessantly, the flickering gunnery rumbles, Far off, like a dull
rumour of some other war. What are we doing here?
The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow . . . We only know
war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy. Dawn massing in the
east her melancholy army Attacks once more in ranks on shivering
ranks of grey, But nothing happens.
Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence. Less
deadly than the air that shudders black with snow, With sidelong
flowing flakes that flock, pause, and renew, We watch them
wandering up and down the wind's nonchalance, But nothing
happens.
Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces—
We cringe in holes, back on forgotten dreams, and stare,
snow-dazed, Deep into grassier ditches. So we drowse, sun-dozed,
Littered with blossoms trickling where the blackbird fusses. —Is it
that we are dying?
Slowly our ghosts drag home: glimpsing the sunk fires, glozed
With crusted dark-red jewels; crickets jingle there; For hours the
innocent mice rejoice: the house is theirs; Shutters and doors, all
closed: on us the doors are closed,— We turn back to our dying.
Since we believe not otherwise can kind fires burn; Now ever
suns smile true on child, or field, or fruit. For God's invincible
spring our love is made afraid; Therefore, not loath, we lie out
here; therefore were born, For love of God seems dying.
Tonight, this frost will fasten on this mud and us, Shrivelling
many hands, and puckering foreheads crisp. The burying-party, picks
and shovels in shaking grasp, Pause over half-known faces. All
their eyes are ice, But nothing happens.
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Practice Questions
1. List some examples of repetition within “Exposure”
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2. List two examples of literary techniques within the poem and
explain their effect.
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3. How does Owen present the theme of identity?
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4. How does Owen present the theme of nature?
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5. How does Owen’s experience in the army affect his poetry?
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6. Stretch yourself: Compare “Exposure” to a different poem from
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Charge of the Light Brigade- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Context
The repetition throughout the poem creates pace as well as
rhythm, which makes it sound like a gallop into battle, which
happens to be the subject of the poem. This creates a nice
connection between the subjects mentioned within the poem, as well
as it’s structure.
The rhyming couplets throughout the poem create a sense of
expectation. The fact that Tennyson does not deviate from the
dactylic diameter structure he implements in the first stanza, due
to the fact that the audience, as well as the subjects of the poem
are aware of the circumstances presented in the poem, as well as
the consequences that are about to follow.
“Shattered and sundered” is an alliteration and an assonance.
The repetition of the sharp S and SH sounds makes for a mimicking
of what the sound of cannons launching might sound like.
“Shattered” may not only refer to the physical state of some of the
soldiers, but also the mental state of the remaining people lived,
and those were not many.
The narrator points to the fact that not many remain after the
battle “All that was left of them,/Left of six hundred.” The
repetition of the original amount of soldiers can be interpreted as
a slight display of despair, as though the narrator cannot believe
that only so few remain. The author will refer to the 600 men as
“noble six hundred” as a call of action to honour the men who died
during the battle of Balaclava.
Linguistics
The repetition throughout the poem creates pace as well as
rhythm, which makes it sound like a gallop into battle, which
happens to be the subject of the poem. This creates a nice
connection between the subjects mentioned within the poem, as well
as it’s structure.
The rhyming couplets throughout the poem create a sense of
expectation. The fact that Tennyson does not deviate from the
dactylic diameter structure he implements in the first stanza, due
to the fact that the audience, as well as the subjects of the poem
are aware of the circumstances presented in the poem, as well as
the consequences that are about to follow.
“Shattered and sundered” is an alliteration and an assonance.
The repetition of the sharp S and SH sounds makes for a mimicking
of what the sound of cannons launching might sound like.
“Shattered” may not only refer to the physical state of some of the
soldiers, but also the mental state of the remaining people lived,
and those were not many.
The narrator points to the fact that not many remain after the
battle “All that was left of them,/Left of six hundred.” The
repetition of the original amount of soldiers can be interpreted as
a slight display of despair, as though the narrator cannot believe
that only so few remain. The author will refer to the 600 men as
“noble six hundred” as a call of action to honour the men who died
during the battle of Balaclava.
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Poem Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six
hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he
said. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. II “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. Into the valley
of Death Rode the six hundred. III 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.
IV Flashed all their sabres bare, Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while All the world
wondered. Plunged in the battery-smoke Right through the line they
broke; Cossack and Russian Reeled from the sabre stroke Shattered
and sundered. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred. V
Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, While horse
and hero fell. They that had fought so well Came through the jaws
of Death, Back from the mouth of hell, All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred. VI When can their glory fade? O the wild
charge they made! All the world wondered. Honour the charge they
made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!
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Practice Questions
1. List some literary techniques used by Tennyson within the
poem.
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2. Explain the effect of the repetition of “the noble 600”.
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3. How does Tennyson present the theme of pride in “The Charge
of the Light Brigade”?
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4. How does Tennyson present the theme of war in “The Charge of
the Light Brigade”?
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5. What biblical references does Tennyson make in the poem?
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6. Which war is the poem about?
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7. Stretch yourself: Which other poem could you link to “The
Charge of the Light Brigade”?
Explain why.
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Kamikaze- Beatrice Garland Context
Beatrice Garland was born in 1938, in Oxford, England. She is an
NHS clinician who works in the field of psychological medicine,
therefore many of her works coincide thematically with the
attitudes, thoughts and beliefs of people, and how that shapes
their treatments of others. She is a well renowned poet, with
awards such as the National Poetry Prize under her belt. She has
previously worked as a teacher, where she rediscovered her
appreciation for poetry after abandoning it for a while.
Kamikaze is written about an unnamed girl’s father who had left
to complete a kamikaze mission, and failed to do so. The treatment
of the man that followed involved cruelty and ostracization due to
the fact that post-war Japanese culture was very socially rigid,
with values such as honour and vices such as shame being the main
motivators for people’s actions.
Being chosen as a Kamikaze pilot was a form of honour due to the
fact that it came with an aura of status and skill, and the
completion of a suicide mission would lead to the general belief
that one died an honourable death. This comes with being
well-respected in the community, as well as assuring one’s family
is well taken care of, since the community recognises and
appreciates the great sacrifice that a suicide mission is.
Linguistics
In “this was no longer a father we loved” the audience gets to
experience the very complex feelings of the speaker- a medley of
empathy and shame, which seems appropriate and almost typical
considering the social context of the poem.
The use of simile in “little fishing boats strung out like
bunting” creates imagery of a very happy nature, with implications
of celebration, as well as youth- as per the implications of
“little fishing boats” which gives the sentence a very juvenile
feel. The celebratory nature could also be interpreted as very
morbid, due to the fact that the success of his mission, and
therefore also his death, would likely be mourned and celebrated in
equal measure.
The various fish throughout the poem can be viewed as metaphors
for the various happenings, and could even carry implied
foreboding. For example: “flashing silver” can be interpreted as an
onslaught of bullets, whilst “bellies swivelled towards the sun”
carries connotations of death as fish turning belly upwards
typically means they are dead.
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Poem
Her father embarked at sunrise with a flask of water, a samurai
sword in the cockpit, a shaven head full of powerful incantations
and enough fuel for a one-way journey into history
but half way there, she thought, recounting it later to her
children, he must have looked far down at the little fishing boats
strung out like bunting on a green-blue translucent sea
and beneath them, arcing in swathes like a huge flag waved first
one way then the other in a figure of eight, the dark shoals of
fishes flashing silver as their bellies swivelled towards the
sun
and remembered how he and his brothers waiting on the shore
built cairns of pearl-grey pebbles to see whose withstood longest
the turbulent inrush of breakers bringing their father’s boat
safe
– yes, grandfather’s boat – safe to the shore, salt-sodden,
awash with cloud-marked mackerel, black crabs, feathery prawns, the
loose silver of whitebait and once a tuna, the dark prince,
muscular, dangerous.
And though he came back my mother never spoke again in his
presence, nor did she meet his eyes and the neighbours too, they
treated him as though he no longer existed, only we children still
chattered and laughed
till gradually we too learned to be silent, to live as though he
had never returned, that this was no longer the father we loved.
And sometimes, she said, he must have wondered which had been the
better way to die.
https://genius.com/Beatrice-garland-kamikaze-annotated#note-7913150https://genius.com/Beatrice-garland-kamikaze-annotated#note-7913158
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Practice Questions
1. List two examples of imperatives within the poem and explain
their effect.
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2. How does Garland present the theme of power of man?
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3. How does Garland present the theme of memory?
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4. How does Garland manipulate the semantic field of sea life,
and to what effect?
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5. Explain the effect of similes within the poem.
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6. Stretch yourself: Compare “Kamikaze” to a different poem from
the cluster.
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Poppies - Jane Weir
Context
Jane Weir is an Anglo-Italian poet, born in 1963 and raised in
Manchester. She is a multi-award winner for her poetry, with
“Poppies” being the most famous of her works. The poem was created
to fulfil a commission from Carol Ann Duffy who was after a
collective of poems centred around the theme of war.
The symbolism of poppies is specifically associated with
Remembrance Day, the day of ceasefire which concluded the First
World War. Poppies are of significance due to the fact that they
grew on many of the battlefields throughout France and Belgium,
whilst their red colour grew as a reminder of the blood spilled
during the war.
The poem doesn’t specifically focus on war itself, but rather
the effects of war, specifically on the speaker of the poem who is
a mother reminiscing about significant moments in her life with her
son, who has now gone to war.
Although it mentions no scenes from the battlefield, there are
extremely prevalent themes of emotion, namely pride and grief.
There are multiple interpretations of what the grief regards-
some believe the poem regards the death of the son within the poem,
whilst other interpretations outline the idea of grief being
brought on by the sheer idea of the son simply going away to war,
and the speaker expecting the worst.
Linguistics
The use of anecdote in the poem humanises the speaker, which
makes the audience feel sorry for her. The loss of a beloved son is
universally recognised as a traumatic event, which the audience is
likely to consider when approaching some of the graver imagery
throughout the poem.
The speaker uses the connotations of injury by using the verb
“bandaged” which implies the idea that the mother constantly has
the potential injuries of her son on her mind. Simultaneously, the
implications of “steeled” imply that although the speaker may be
fearing the worst, she is attempting to stay as strong as
“steel.”
Time markers such as “later”, “after” and “a split second” allow
the audience to gage the very complex shifts in tense throughout
the poem. Due to the fact that the speaker shifts from present
tense and its current events to past tense with reminiscence of her
possibly dead son, it is important that the audience keeps up with
the ongoing monologue.
The author also uses ambiguity throughout the poem to hook the
audience and allow them to speculate in the typical fashion.
“traced the inscriptions on the war memorial” implies that the
speaker was seeking closure- either looking for her own son’s name
already on the
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memorial, or just like the audience, speculating about what may
be happening to her son by connecting with pre-existing
history.
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Poem
Three days before Armistice Sunday and poppies had already been
placed on individual war graves. Before you left, I pinned one onto
your lapel, crimped petals, spasms of paper red, disrupting a
blockade of yellow bias binding around your blazer.
Sellotape bandaged around my hand, I rounded up as many white
cat hairs as I could, smoothed down your shirt's upturned collar,
steeled the softening of my face. I wanted to graze my nose across
the tip of your nose, play at being Eskimos like we did when you
were little. I resisted the impulse to run my fingers through the
gelled blackthorns of your hair. All my words flattened, rolled,
turned into felt,
slowly melting. I was brave, as I walked with you, to the front
door, threw it open, the world overflowing like a treasure chest. A
split second and you were away, intoxicated. After you'd gone I
went into your bedroom, released a song bird from its cage. Later a
single dove flew from the pear tree, and this is where it has led
me, skirting the church yard walls, my stomach busy making tucks,
darts, pleats, hat-less, without a winter coat or reinforcements of
scarf, gloves.
On reaching the top of the hill I traced the inscriptions on the
war memorial, leaned against it like a wishbone. The dove pulled
freely against the sky, an ornamental stitch, I listened, hoping to
hear your playground voice catching on the wind.
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Practice Questions
1. List two examples of imagery within the poem and explain
their effect.
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2. How does Weir present the theme of conflict?
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3. How does Weir present the theme of memory?
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4. How does Weir present the theme of loss?
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5. Why is the first-person narrative within the poem
significant?
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6. Stretch yourself: Compare “Poppies” to a different poem from
the cluster.
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Comparing the Poems: Reality of War
Comparing Exposure, Bayonet Charge, Charge of the Light
Brigade
Many men lose their lives in battle, as well as due to the
weather conditions they are in. The reality of war is the immediate
experience or the aftermath of war that affects those directly
involved- ie: combatants.
Exposure currently stands out the most, due to the fact that
there is no actual combat in it, but rather the weather conditions
which bring about death and despair whilst waiting for battle. Owen
uses personification in order to illustrate the abhorrent
conditions the men were forced to fight in.
The phrase “but nothing happens” is repeated throughout the poem
in order to highlight the futility of their actions, as well as the
fact that the soldiers involved are literally dying of hypothermia
for no reason whatsoever, as the long awaited attack is not
happening. Owen outlines the fact that propaganda has glorified the
war to the general public which created an impression
underestimating the impact of poor weather conditions on
performance in the field.
Bayonet Charge, however, instead of focusing on the effects of
weather, actually focuses on the effects of being involved
immediately and remotely in a battle. Hughes uses the verb
“dazzled” which usually carries the connotations of all things
beautiful, contrasts heavily with the nature of war, creating an
oxymoronic image of the battlefield and beauty. Hughes also
famously uses the phrase “threw up a yellow hare” creating the
imagery of sickness through the grotesque tone in order to
highlight the illness-like effect of the war on the environment.
This allows the audience to gage the exact feelings surrounding the
war, rather than simply describing the living conditions.
The Charge of the Light Brigade refers to a battle in the
Crimean war, where British soldiers were mistakenly sent to their
deaths by being put up against better prepared opponents. “valley
of death” is a biblical reference which highlights the idea that
the soldiers were aware of their losing battle, and continued to
follow orders with the hopes of getting into heaven.
The idea that the soldiers have no choice except for following
orders and dying is repeated throughout all three poems. There is a
highlighted awareness that death is their only choice, therefore
making the bravery of the soldiers involved that much more
prevalent.
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Practice Questions
1. Why does Exposure differ from the rest of the cluster?
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2. List some examples of imagery within the poems and their
effects?
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4. Why would the authors use Biblical references in regards to
the idea of death?
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5. “Combatants in the poems have no choice but to follow orders,
even if said orders lead to
their demise” Explain your stance on the statement above.
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The Emigrée- Carol Rumens
Context
Carol Rumens was born in 1944 in London, where she studied
Philosophy and English. She has gone on to publish many novels and
plays, as well as translating poetry, editing many poetry
collections, and teaching Creative Writing and poetry in many
British universities. She became a fellow of the Royal Society of
Literature in 1984 and remains a part of such to this day.
The Emigreé is not reflective of Rumens’ personal life,
therefore the experiences described are likely not as authentic as
they would be if written from a first hand point of experience.
“Emigrée” is a French word which means a female emigrant. This is
particularly important, due to the fact that “to emigrate” means
“to leave” whilst “immigrate” means to “move in.” This is important
due to the fact that the speaker of the poem leaves behind a
country which she seems to have loved to move to a place where she
feels alien. If the name were to chance, the implications of moving
to a foreign country might have a more pleasant connotation.
The poem is also filled with a variety of sensory imagery,
containing many applications of the senses, giving a very vivid,
but also very immature description of the memories the speaker
possesses of the homeland.
Linguistics
The semantic field of military equipment, including “tanks” and
“frontiers” implies military conflict over the land, which
highlights the idea of military conflict being the reason for the
emigration of the speaker.
The personification of “It lies down in front of me, docile”
makes the imagery of the speaker’s city as placid and needy, which
almost guilt trips the speaker into wanting to take care of the
city she has left as a child. This necessity for care is also
depicted through “sick with tyrants”- now as an adult, the speaker
feels an almost motherly love towards the city she grew up in.
The light imagery of “white streets of that city” as well as
“impression of sunlight” create a theme of innocence to the
memories of the city the speaker grew up in. The connotations of
“white streets” could imply cleanliness, due to the fact that
during and after a military confrontation, buildings will usually
be covered in soot, gun powder, dust etc, making them appear
darker. This contrast would lead the speaker to believe that the
buildings she saw as a child were lighter than they may have been
in reality, therefore leading to the conclusion of “white
streets”.
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Poem
There once was a country… I left it as a child
but my memory of it is sunlight-clear for it seems I never saw
it in that November which, I am told, comes to the mildest city.
The worst news I receive of it cannot break my original view, the
bright, filled paperweight. It may be at war, it may be sick with
tyrants, but I am branded by an impression of sunlight. The white
streets of that city, the graceful slopes glow even clearer as time
rolls its tanks and the frontiers rise between us, close like
waves. That child’s vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll,
opens and spills a grammar. Soon I shall have every coloured
molecule of it. It may by now be a lie, banned by the state but I
can’t get it off my tongue. It tastes of sunlight. I have no
passport, there’s no way back at all but my city comes to me in its
own white plane. It lies down in front of me, docile as paper; I
comb its hair and love its shining eyes. My city takes me dancing
through the city of walls. They accuse me of absence, they circle
me. They accuse me of being dark in their free city. My city hides
behind me. They mutter death, and my shadow falls as evidence of
sunlight.
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Practice Questions
1. List two examples of imagery within the poem and explain
their effect.
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2. How does Rumens present the theme of identity?
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3. How does Rumens present the theme of memory?
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4. How does Rumens’ lack of experience as an emigrant affect the
views presented in the
poem?
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https://yourfavouriteteacher.com/courses/power-and-conflict-poetry/lessons/the-emigree-carol-rumens/topic/themes-13/https://yourfavouriteteacher.com/courses/power-and-conflict-poetry/lessons/the-emigree-carol-rumens/topic/themes-13/
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5. Explain the effect of the semantic field of military
equipment within the poem.
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6. STRETCH YOURSELF: Compare “The Emigrée” to a different poem
from the cluster.
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Comparing the poems: Loss
Comparing Kamikaze, The Emigrée, Poppies
Kamikaze pilots were expected to commit suicide missions, flying
their planes into the desired targets, causing destruction to the
structures intended as well as themselves. Japanese culture places
a huge emphasis on honour, and therefore for the pilot in question
to turn back and not complete the mission, he depicts the
definition of cowardice. “enough fuel for a one-way journey into
history” highlights the idea that nobody was expecting the pilot to
return, as well as the fact that once the mission has been
completed, the sacrifice would have made important history.
The honour of being selected as a Kamikaze pilot would have
assured the family is well-remembered and celebrated due to the
sacrifice being made for the country. By not losing his life, the
pilot lost his honour, and therefore was shunned from his family.
This draws sympathy from the audience towards the pilot, who is
clearly stuck in a paradoxical situation with no winning. He had
the option to lose his life, and therefore everything involved
within it, or not lose his life but lose everything else
regardless.
The Emigrée on the other hand, explores the loss of everything
she has ever known in order to flee tyranny and war. The contrast
of “sick with tyrants” and “branded by an impression of sunlight”
depict the idea that the speaker is aware of the destruction
occurring in her country, and yet she does not seem to accept the
fact that it is no longer the same place, plagued by the positive
memories she has. The speaker in the Emigrée has absolutely no way
of returning to her home country by outlining she “has no
passport”, so unlike the Kamikaze, her grief is actually to do with
the loss of chance to return, as opposed to loss of honour, family
or material possessions.
Poppies contrasts the two poems due to the fact that the grief
involved is over an actual family member, as opposed to loss of
opportunity. Poppies is, however, scattered with emotion, some of
which includes pride of the speaker’s son going out into the world
and joining the army which is very honourable, whilst also
experiencing an immense amount of grief over the loss of his life.
Not explicitly mentioned in Kamikaze, however it can be deduced
that the leaving of the pilot to fly out on a suicide mission
causes emotional grief to the family who would have likely missed
their relative but felt an extreme sense of pride due to their
sacrifice.
This is where the Emigrée stands out due to the fact the speaker
does not take part in the war, she’s simply fleeing the aftermath.
This is especially important since there is no pride attached to
the loss of opportunity, where there may be pride attached to the
loss of life.
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Practice Questions
1.How do the authors of the three poems draw sympathy from the
audience?
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2. How is the idea of destruction presented in the Emigrée and
Kamikaze?
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3. How does the first-person narrative affect Poppies and the
Emigrée?
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4. Why does the Emigrée differ from the other two poems?
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5. Why is the context important when analysing Kamikaze?
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6. List some examples of metaphors and their effects within all
three poems.
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Remains- Simon Armitage
Context
Simon Armitage was born in Huddersfield in 1963, and has studied
geography and social work in Portsmouth and Manchester
Universities. His master’s degree thesis focused on the effects of
televised violence on young offenders- a theme which is roughly
reflected in a lot of his poetry, with highlighted concern for the
effects of violence on those who experience it directly and
indirectly. He spent a considerable period of time working as a
probation officer before focusing on poetry, a deed which bought
him much success as he has been offered the position of a Poetry
lecturer at the university of Leeds. His first published collection
“Zoom” was instantly recognised for its literary significance in a
post-literary world. He has since committed his time to writing in
plenty of forms, including prose, poetry, radio broadcasting as
well as TV. The poem “Remains” is a part of a collection called
“The Not Dead” published by Armitage in 2007, which then was turned
into a documentary by Armitage himself. It features the base
material used for the poems, which consists of interviews with
soldiers which the collection is loosely based on. This also
applies to “Remains” which is heavily featured regarding the
incident mentioned within the poem. The poem itself regards the
murder of a looter within a middle eastern war zone- the man is
shot about a dozen times which literally rips his entrails out of
his body- an incident which haunts the narrator of the poem even
after his return home. The impressions of the country are not quite
positive due to the negative experiences involved, highlighted by
descriptions such as “sun-stunned” and “sand-smothered” which all
have the connotations of a desert and more drastically, death. The
exact location remains unnamed however, due to the fact that the
poem was not meant to be an exposé but rather a recollection of the
effects of war on the soldiers.
Linguistics
Simon Armitage begins the dramatic monologue in a familiar tone,
as if in the middle of a conversation. This gives the poem a sense
of authenticity as the story becomes more believable from a
first-person perspective. The repetition of the idea that the
author was only acting on command is interesting as it shows the
internal conflict as he tries to rationalise the guilt of harming
another person, as “[they] get sent out.”
The repetition of “somebody else” is also intriguing due to the
fact that the author either refuses to mention the names of his
friends/fellow soldiers, or he’s attempting to construct an image
which would imply there were multiple soldiers, which would
alleviate some of the blame for the death off his hands.
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“So all of us open fire” creates a stark contrast and breaks the
poem up from the free-flowing, conversational tone, to shocking and
violent imagery.
“And out on patrol” reverts back to the daily routine of the
patrol officer/soldier, which depicts that the character was
desperately trying to move on with their life in the only way they
knew possible- by returning to the routine. This seems
counter-intuitive as he will not be able to process and heal from
the situation he was involved in. It also creates a casual aura, as
if to say that death is part and parcel of war and occurs on a
regular basis- as though the author would be used to it by now.
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Poem
On another occasion, we get sent out to tackle looters raiding a
bank. And one of them legs it up the road, probably armed, possibly
not.
Well myself and somebody else and somebody else are all of the
same mind, so all three of us open fire. Three of a kind all
letting fly, and I swear
I see every round as it rips through his life – I see broad
daylight on the other side. So we’ve hit this looter a dozen times
and he’s there on the ground, sort of inside out,
pain itself, the image of agony. One of my mates goes by and
tosses his guts back into his body. Then he’s carted off in the
back of a lorry.
End of story, except not really. His blood-shadow stays on the
street, and out on patrol I walk right over it week after week.
Then I’m home on leave. But I blink
and he bursts again through the doors of the bank. Sleep, and
he’s probably armed, possibly not. Dream, and he’s torn apart by a
dozen rounds. And the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out –
he’s here in my head when I close my eyes, dug in behind enemy
lines, not left for dead in some distant, sun-stunned,
sand-smothered land or six-feet-under in desert sand,
but near to the knuckle, here and now, his bloody life in my
bloody hands.
https://genius.com/Simon-armitage-remains-annotated#note-9150881
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Practice Questions
1. List two examples of imagery within the poem and explain
their effect.
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2. How does Armitage present the theme of conflict?
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3. How does Armitage present the theme of power of nature?
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4. Does Armitage’s military experience affect his idea of
war?
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5. Why is the first-person narration within the poem
significant?
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6. STRETCH YOURSELF: Compare “Remains” to a different poem from
the cluster.
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Checking out me history- John Agard
Context
John Agard was born in 1949 in Guyana, and has lived in England
since the 1970s. The very obvious cultural differences between
Guyana as well as the prevalent class division at the time,
motivated many of Agard’s poems, including “Checking out me
history.” Agard is a poet, playwright and an author of children’s
literature, all of which he has won a variety of awards for,
including the Queen’s Gold Medal for poetry. He is famous for
mirroring a Caribbean dialect within his writing, rooting his
poetic identity from the very start.
Checking out me history regards the idea that British curriculum
is largely Eurocentric history. This is mainly an observation,
however, as opposed to a call to action in order to decolonise the
curriculum. Agard also promotes researching one’s heritage in order
to ascertain a sense of identity, and not depend on the systems in
place, whether educational or otherwise, to dictate your identity
for you.
Linguistics The use of possessive pronouns throughout the poem
creates a sense of reclaiming back what belongs or has one belonged
to the speaker. “me own” is significant due to the fact that it
highlights a Caribbean dialect, creating a link to the missing
parts of history and the speaker almost immediately.
The use of repetition within the poem can be interpreted to mean
the constant repetition of white history throughout the curriculum,
which after a while becomes dull and uninteresting to someone who
would rather learn about the history which relates to their
heritage.
The format of the poem is free verse with some irregular rhyming
patterns which creates an immature, children’s’-book-type of sound,
almost comparable to Dr Seuss which not only links to the
particular works of the author, but also creates a sense of
childish mockery of the curriculum, as if to say the speaker is
refusing to take Eurocentric history seriously, since he must focus
on self-discovery first. This is dismissive, but not
unjustified.
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Poem Dem tell me Dem tell me Wha dem want to tell me
Bandage up me eye with me own history Blind me to me own
identity Dem tell me bout 1066 and all dat dem tell me bout Dick
Whittington and he cat But Toussaint L’Ouverture no dem never tell
me bout dat
Toussaint a slave with vision lick back Napoleon battalion and
first Black Republic born Toussaint de thorn to de French Toussaint
de beacon of de Haitian Revolution Dem tell me bout de man who
discover de balloon and de cow who jump over de moon Dem tell me
bout de dish ran away with de spoon but dem never tell me bout
Nanny de maroon
Nanny see-far woman of mountain dream fire-woman struggle
hopeful stream to freedom river
Dem tell me bout Lord Nelson and Waterloo but dem never tell me
bout Shaka de great Zulu Dem tell me bout Columbus and 1492 but
what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks too Dem tell me bout
Florence Nightingale and she lamp and how Robin Hood used to camp
Dem tell me bout ole King Cole was a merry ole soul but dem never
tell me bout Mary Seacole
From Jamaica she travel far to the Crimean War she volunteer to
go and even when de British said no she still brave the Russian
snow a healing star among the wounded a yellow sunrise to the
dying
Dem tell me Dem tell me wha dem want to tell me But now I
checking out me own history I carving out me identity
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Practice Questions
1. List two examples of antagonism within the poem and explain
their effect.
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