Starter quiz
- Which of the following poems from the Edexcel 'Conflict' anthology could be described as a war poem?
- 'Cousin Kate'
- 'Poppies' ✓
- 'Charge of the Light Brigade' ✓
- 'Extract from the Prelude'
- 'Exposure' ✓
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- Which of the following poets wrote about their firsthand experience of war?
- Lord Byron ('The Destruction of Sennacherib')
- Thomas Hardy ('The Man He Killed')
- Carole Satyamurti ('War Photographer')
- Wilfred Owen ('Exposure') ✓
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- Jane Weir's poem 'Poppies' is about ...
- a soldier fighting in the trenches and suffering against the harsh weather.
- two people reflecting on how the Vietnam War destroyed all Vietnamese culture.
- a woman reflecting on the conflicted feelings she experienced becoming a mother.
- a mother mourning her separation from her son after he leaves for war. ✓
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- What is propaganda?
- a short, amusing or interesting personal story
- spreading biased information to shape public opinion and promote an agenda ✓
- something that is based on observation/experience rather than theory or logic
- a false published statement damaging a person's reputation
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- What is inner conflict?
- tension between different age groups
- a disagreement between individuals
- a dispute within a community or society
- a personal struggle within oneself ✓
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- Which of these sentences is written in the first person?
- He was excited for his birthday party on Saturday.
- I can't wait for the party on Saturday. ✓
- Are you going to the party on Saturday?
- They will be a bit late to the party on Saturday.
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Exit quiz
- What does periphery mean?
- the middle; the heart of the action
- the outer edges or boundary of something ✓
- constantly moving around
- loosely connected; weak
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- What does tenuous mean?
- obvious; easily proved
- giving a false impression
- weak or easily challenged ✓
- unexpected; surprising
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- If two poems are closely linked and there are lots of common features to explore, we could say they ______ each other.
- 'complement' ✓
- Which of these poems is best complements 'Poppies' when exploring the theme of war?
- 'The Destruction of Sennacherib'
- 'War Photographer' ✓
- 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'
- 'No Problem'
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- As well as military conflict, which other type of conflict can we identify in 'Poppies'?
- inner conflict ✓
- interpersonal conflict
- generational conflict
- maternal conflict
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- Which of these poems begins 'in medias res'?
- 'Poppies'
- 'The Man He Killed'
- 'Belfast Confetti' ✓
- The Destruction of Sennacherib
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- 'Poppies' can be compared to many of the other war poems in the anthology.
- Unlike other war poems, 'Poppies' focuses on the relatives of soldiers who go off to war.
- 'Poppies' could be compared with poems that explore inner conflict and themes of loss.
- It's important to choose poems that complement each other and avoid tenuous links.
- Comparative language enables us to signpost the similarities and differences between two poems.
Common misconception
Poppies is a poem about a mother whose son died during WWI.
Although Poppies are a symbol of remembrance for those who died in WWI, Weir uses her poem to draw attention to the many conflicts that have occurred throughout history. It isn't clear which conflict the son is heading off to fight in.
Keywords
Futility - uselessness, pointlessness or ineffectiveness
Periphery - the outer edges or boundary of something
Tenuous - lacking a strong basis, support, or clarity; weak or easily challenged
Complement - when something supports something else or makes it more effective
In media res - a story begins in the middle of the action without any exposition or introduction
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