Starter quiz
- Match the terminology with the correct definition.
- form⇔the type of text ✓
- purpose⇔the reason for the writing ✓
- audience⇔the intended reader of the text ✓
- What is an open letter?
- a letter that is never officially sent
- a letter with a specific recipient, made public for everyone to read ✓
- a letter intended to be read by one person only
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- Every open letter is prompted by ...
- political issues.
- frustrations.
- a strong feeling about a topic. ✓
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- Which of the following uses emotive language?
- 'I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers.'
- 'I have seen and endured the suffering of the troops.' ✓
- 'I am not protesting against the conduct of the war.'
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- What does it mean to analyse a piece of writing?
- to plan and structure it appropriately
- to check and proof read it
- to examine its separate elements ✓
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- Which of the below uses colloquial language?
- 'You're gonna smash it!' ✓
- 'Good morning.'
- 'Fair is foul and foul is fair.'
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Exit quiz
- What word beginning with 's' would you use to describe the criticism of someone or something in a humorous way?
- 'satire' ✓
- What does it mean to parody?
- copy the style of something or someone else in a humorous way ✓
- use language opposite to what you truly mean
- use emotive language to shock the reader
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- Which of the below sentences uses satire?
- 'Why let pupils develop their teamwork when you could develop their anxiety!' ✓
- 'Exams are anxiety provoking.'
- 'I always dread exams. I'd rather submit an essay.'
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- Who does Sassoon write his open letter 'A Soldier's Declaration' on behalf of?
- his fellow soldiers ✓
- his fellow Englishmen
- the military authority
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- Which of the below is *not* an ingredient of satire?
- emotive language ✓
- a clear target
- irony
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- "I am not protesting against the military conduct of the War, but against the political errors and insincerities ...". This sentence uses:
- satire
- emotive language
- figurative language
- antithesis ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Open letters are letter written to a particular person or group but which are made publicly available for all to read.
- Siegfried Sassoon uses antithesis, emotive language and personal pronouns to make his open letter a powerful protest.
- The methods used in an open letter will differ depending on the purpose of writing.
- Satire can also be used in open letters to criticise a person or idea in an amusing way.
- Successful satire usually involves any of the following: a clear target, humour, exaggeration, irony and parody.
Common misconception
Students may think that Sassoon's style of open letter is the only way to write an open letter.
Open letters can have a range of purposes. Those that will never be read by the recipient or where the writer doesn't expect to create change (e.g. open letter to Mondays) will typically involve more humour.
Keywords
Antithesis - the direct opposite
Satire - a humorous way of criticising ideas or people, especially to make a political point
Blunt - saying what you think without trying to be polite
Parody - to copy the style of something or someone else in a humorous way
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