Year 9 - English
The presentation of trauma in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up the Line'
Literary perspectives from the First World War
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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, pupils explore and compare texts written about the First World War. They first read Beck's 'Propping up the line', Mansfield's 'The Fly' and Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter home to his mum. They finally read Brittain's 'Testament of Youth', and then plan and write a comparative response.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explore Ian Beck's presentation of the character of Alfred's trauma in 'Propping Up The Line'.
Key Notes
- Beck is interested in exploring both the physical and psychological effects of World War One on Alfred.
- Some of Alfred's actions and thoughts suggest he has some form of PTSD.
- Many soldiers suffered from PTSD (or what was then known as 'shell shock') following World War One.
- PTSD was not well understood in the early 20th century.
- Beck's short story is part of a body of literature which explores the experiences of PTSD caused by World War One.
Vocabulary To Learn
- psychological: of the mind
- PTSD: an acronym for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health condition
- debilitating: weakening
- pernicious: harmful, destructive, invasive
- manifest: show through emotional or physical reactions
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- You can't refer to other writers or texts in your analysis.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Beck is interested in exploring both the physical and psychological effects of World War One on Alfred. Some of Alfred's actions and thoughts suggest he has some form of PTSD.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'psychological'
of the mind.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: You can't refer to other writers or texts in your analysis. Correction: Often, you will be asked to write about a text, and that text should certainly be your focus. However, you can refer to other writers or texts if they help develop your analysis and understanding. This is called literary context.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing the presentation of the gas attack: Ian Beck's 'Propping Up the Line' Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One in comparative analytical paragraphs Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One using comparative topic sentences Study Guide
- Creative writing in the third person inspired by Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Debating different interpretations of Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Exploring the presentation of the boss in 'The Fly' by Katherine Mansfield Study Guide
- Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line': Alice's experiences on the Home Front Study Guide
- Improving a letter: deliberate verbs and precise adjectives Study Guide
- Improving the style of a letter: sentence structure and rhythm Study Guide
- Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' (1922): exploring character foils and symbolism Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth' as stimulus Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter as stimulus Study Guide
- Reading 'Propping Up the Line', a short story about World War One by Ian Beck Study Guide
- Reading Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly' (1922) Study Guide
- Skim reading and close reading: 'Testament of Youth' by Vera Brittain Study Guide
- Skim reading and close reading: Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter to his mother Study Guide
- Symbolism and motif in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up The Line' Study Guide
- Understanding why people write about war Study Guide
- Using sentence structure to create rhythm in writing about World War One Study Guide
- Vivid descriptive writing using Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line' as stimulus Study Guide
- World War One: propaganda and trench warfare Study Guide
- Writing a letter as a soldier in the trenches of World War One Study Guide
- Writing a letter from the British home front: tone, audience and purpose Study Guide
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