Year 9 - English
Comparing views in 'The Soldier', 'In Flanders Fields' and 'The Gift of India'
Comparing poetry from the First World War
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils explore how poets responded to the horrors of the First World War. They first explore Brooke's 'The Soldier', before looking at McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' and Naidu's 'The Gift of India'. They finally write a comparative response on perspectives of war and sacrifice.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to make detailed comparisons between how Brooke, Naidu and McCrae present ideas around war and the experience of dying at war.
Key Notes
- Both Naidu and Brooke personify their respective countries but they have different effects on the reader.
- Both Naidu and McCrae utilise natural imagery, but they have different effects on the reader.
- Thinking about poets as being in conversation with one another is a useful way of thinking about a comparative essay.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Attitude: The attitude of a poem is the way the writer thinks or feels about the subject they are writing about.
- Mood: The mood of a poem is the emotional undertone.
- Patriotic: Being patriotic means showing your love for your country.
- Content: Being content means being pleased with your situation and not looking to improve it.
- Duty: Duty is a moral or legal obligation or responsibility.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- That comparative essays should only focus on the differences between poems.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Both Naidu and Brooke personify their respective countries but they have different effects on the reader. Both Naidu and McCrae utilise natural imagery, but they have different effects on the reader.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Attitude'
The attitude of a poem is the way the writer thinks or feels about the subject they are writing about.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: That comparative essays should only focus on the differences between poems. Correction: The most successful comparative essays focus on both the similarities and the differences between the poems.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing John McCrae's call to arms in 'In Flanders Fields' Study Guide
- Analysing the humanity and fragility of soldiers in Naidu's 'The Gift of India' Study Guide
- Analysing the presentation of patriotism in Rupert Brooke's 'The Soldier' Study Guide
- Considering the relationship between the poetry of WW1 and the context Study Guide
- Understanding ideas of Empire and colonialism in Naidu's 'The Gift of India' Study Guide
- Understanding patriotism in Rupert Brooke's 'The Soldier' Study Guide
- Understanding the concept of remembrance in John McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' Study Guide
- Writing a comparative response on perspectives of war and sacrifice in WW1 poems Study Guide
- Writing about John McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' as a call to arms Study Guide
- Writing about patriotism in Rupert Brooke's 'The Soldier' Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 9 English guide library.