Year 10 - English
Understanding ideas of war in Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge'
Poetry anthology (Assessment from summer 2027)
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupis explore 11 of the 15 poems from the Eduqas poetry anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about 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 during the unit.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explore how Hardy presents ideas of war in 'Drummer Hodge'.
Key Notes
- 'Drummer Hodge' depicts a soldier's unceremonial burial in a foreign country.
- Hardy was referencing the events of the Second Boer War (1899-1902).
- Potentially, we might read 'Drummer Hodge' as a criticism of sending young men away to die in war.
- We might interpret Hardy as suggesting that Hodge is now a part of the foreign land.
- Specifically, we might see Hardy as criticising the Boer War and colonialism through 'Drummer Hodge'.
Vocabulary To Learn
- unceremonial: done in a rude, sudden, or informal way
- constellation: a group of visible stars that form a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal
- colonialism: domination of a people or area by a foreign state or nation
- Afrikaans: a language of southern Africa, derived from the form of Dutch brought to the Cape by Protestant settlers
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Soldiers were always aware of what they were signing up for.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
'Drummer Hodge' depicts a soldier's unceremonial burial in a foreign country. Hardy was referencing the events of the Second Boer War (1899-1902).
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'unceremonial'
done in a rude, sudden, or informal way.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Soldiers were always aware of what they were signing up for. Correction: Many men and boys who signed up to fight for the British Empire were unaware of the realities of war and what it would mean for them.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing extended responses to the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of love and relationships in Ewing's 'Origin Story' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of uncertainty and intensity in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of war and inevitability in Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of war and isolation in Owen's 'Disabled' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of youth and nature in Blake's 'The Schoolboy' Study Guide
- Analysing ideas of youth and nostalgia in Heaney's 'Blackberry Picking' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Catrin' by Gillian Clarke Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti Study Guide
- Analysing the Poem 'Kamikaze' Study Guide
- Analysing the Poem 'Remains' Study Guide
- Analysing the poem 'Sonnet 29' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of identity and isolation in 'Disabled and 'Kamikaze' Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of love and identity in 'Catrin' and 'Origin Story' Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of love in 'Sonnet 29', 'Cousin Kate' and 'Dusting the Phone' Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of war in Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' and Armitage's 'Remains' Study Guide
- Comparing ideas of youth and nature in 'The Schoolboy' and 'Blackberry Picking' Study Guide
- Developing interpretations of 'Remains' with Simon Armitage Study Guide
- Exploring and responding to the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
- Planning a written response on the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
- Reviewing a written response on the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of love and obsession in Kay's 'Dusting the Phone' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of love and relationships in Ewing's 'Origin Story' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of war and isolation in Owen's 'Disabled' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of youth and nature in Blake's 'The Schoolboy' Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of youth and nostalgia in Heaney's 'Blackberry Picking' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Catrin' by Gillian Clarke Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti Study Guide
- Understanding the Poem 'Kamikaze' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Remains' Study Guide
- Understanding the poem 'Sonnet 29' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning Study Guide
- Writing a written response on the Eduqas poetry anthology Study Guide
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