Starter quiz
- What is a superlative?
- saying that something is more ... or less ... than something else
- a word which presents something in a positive light
- highest degree of comparison indicating the utmost quality, degree, or intensity ✓
- listing the positives and negative aspects of something
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- Which of the following are examples of conjunctions?
- and ✓
- never
- but ✓
- frequently
- often
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- Which of these poems was written by someone with firsthand experience of war?
- 'Exposure' by Wilfred Owen ✓
- 'The Man He Killed' by Thomas Hardy
- 'What Were They Like?' by Denise Levertov
- 'War Photographer' by Carole Satyamurti
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- Which of these poems was written about the Vietnam War?
- 'Exposure' by Wilfred Owen
- 'The Man He Killed' by Thomas Hardy
- 'What Were They Like?' by Denise Levertov ✓
- 'War Photographer' by Carole Satyamurti
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- Which of these poems isn't influenced by a specific war or historical event?
- 'Exposure' by Wilfred Owen
- 'The Man He Killed' by Thomas Hardy
- 'What Were They Like?' by Denise Levertov
- 'War Photographer' by Carole Satyamurti ✓
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- How should you use wider context in your analytical response?
- You shouldn't - there's no need to discuss context when analysing poetry.
- You must include it in every paragraph.
- You should only include it in your introduction and conclusion.
- You should include it but only where it's relevant to your overall argument. ✓
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Exit quiz
- Which of the following sentences contains a superlative?
- She was a little bit nervous about the exam.
- They'd often wondered who was more adventurous.
- It was the biggest mountain he'd ever climbed. ✓
- Whenever David walked his dog, he felt like it was always raining.
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- 'Julia's __________ brother scoffed at every suggestion she made, convinced that nothing good could come out of their current situation'. Which of the words below best completes this sentence?
- critical
- cynical ✓
- apathetic
- strict
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- Which of these poems was influenced by the events of the Second Boer War?
- 'Exposure'
- 'The Man He Killed' ✓
- 'What Were They Like?'
- 'War Photographer'
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- Which of these poets conveys the most hopeless and futile attitude to war?
- Denise Levertov in 'What Were They Like?'
- Wilfred Owen in 'Exposure' ✓
- Thomas Hardy 'The Man He Killed'
- Carole Satyamurti in 'War Photographer'
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- Which of the examples below contains a comparative conjunction?
- 'Exposure' portrays soldiers' suffering in the harsh conditions of war.
- 'The Man He Killed' questions morality in warfare.
- Both poems explore human conflict amidst grim realities. ✓
- Since 'Exposure' evokes despair, we can argue that it is an emotive poem.
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- Which of these poems focus on the effect of military conflict on civilians?
- 'The Man He Killed'
- 'What Were They Like?' ✓
- 'Exposure'
- 'War Photographer' ✓
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Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Although not all poems describe the same wars, most poets are critical of war.
- The poems explore the impact on soldiers, civilians and bystanders of war.
- Comparative conjunctions can be used to compare themes, language, structure or form.
- Superlatives can be used to evaluate the differences between attitudes.
Common misconception
'The Man He Killed', 'Exposure', 'War Photographer' and 'What Were They Like?' display a purely negative and critical attitude to war.
Thomas Hardy's 'The Man He Killed' certainly questions the dehumanising nature of war but arguably isn't quite as critical as other war poems since in the last stanza the speaker describes war and killing enemy soldiers as "quaint" and "curious".
Keywords
Critical - focused on identifying flaws or shortcomings
Cynical - a sceptical or mistrustful attitude
Comparative conjunctions - words which show the relationship between two or more elements/ideas
Evaluate - making a ‘value’ judgement about the quality of something (e.g. it is longer, better, more harrowing)
Superlatives - the highest degree of comparison, indicating the utmost quality, degree, or intensity