Year 9 - English
Understanding why people write about war
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 explain why people might choose to write about war, exploring the viewpoints of different writers who have chosen to write about war themselves.
Key Notes
- War literature can be impactful because it has the power to tell individual stories.
- War literature can be impactful because it tries to explain the experiences of war to those who have not experienced it.
- War literature can be used to expose the reality of war and serve as a warning to future generations.
- Arguably, war literature helps humans empathise with the pain of others.
Vocabulary To Learn
- war literature: a text which focuses on and explores war and conflict
- profound: deep or meaningful
- specific: particular, precise, exact
- empathise: to share the feelings of another person; a stronger feeling than sympathy
- annotate: to make short notes commenting on something of interest in a text
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- It isn't important to consider the ethics of writing about war. It is a topic just like any other.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
War literature can be impactful because it has the power to tell individual stories. War literature can be impactful because it tries to explain the experiences of war to those who have not experienced it.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'war literature'
a text which focuses on and explores war and conflict.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: It isn't important to consider the ethics of writing about war. It is a topic just like any other. Correction: There are important questions to be asked when considering writing about any harrowing experience, particularly war.
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
- The presentation of trauma in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up the Line' 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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