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Year 10 - English

Comparing how poets convey the hopelessness of war in Edexcel's Conflict poetry

'Conflict'

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupis explore 12 of the 15 poems from the 'Conflict' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons on each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in a thematically linked order so they can complete comparative and thematic lessons at key points in the unit.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to compare how poets present different negative views of war.

Key Notes

  • Although not all poems describe the same wars, most poets are critical of war.
  • The poems explore the impact on soldiers, civilians and bystanders of war.
  • Comparative conjunctions can be used to compare themes, language, structure or form.
  • Superlatives can be used to evaluate the differences between attitudes.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • critical: focused on identifying flaws or shortcomings
  • cynical: a sceptical or mistrustful attitude
  • comparative conjunctions: words which show the relationship between two or more elements/ideas
  • evaluate: making a 'value' judgement about the quality of something (e.g. it is longer, better, more harrowing)
  • superlatives: the highest degree of comparison, indicating the utmost quality, degree, or intensity

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • 'The Man He Killed', 'Exposure', 'War Photographer' and 'What Were They Like?' display a purely negative and critical attitude to war.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Although not all poems describe the same wars, most poets are critical of war. The poems explore the impact on soldiers, civilians and bystanders of war.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'critical'

focused on identifying flaws or shortcomings.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: 'The Man He Killed', 'Exposure', 'War Photographer' and 'What Were They Like?' display a purely negative and critical attitude to war. Correction: Thomas Hardy's 'The Man He Killed' certainly questions the dehumanising nature of war but arguably isn't quite as critical as other war poems since in the last stanza the speaker describes war and killing enemy soldiers as "quaint" and "curious".

More Lessons In This Unit

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