Starter quiz
- During which time period did the Victorian era occur?
- 1616 - 1720
- 1723 - 1797
- 1801 - 1828
- 1837 - 1901 ✓
- 1900 - 1975
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- Which of the following best describes a struggle within someone's mind?
- interpersonal conflict
- internal conflict ✓
- international conflict
- imperial conflict
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- Which of the following is an example of a third-person pronoun?
- I
- you
- he ✓
- we
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- What is a 'critique'?
- an examination of something, often highlighting inequalities or injustices ✓
- a written analysis about two or more literary texts
- two opposing arguments, debating with one another
- a type of poem originated from 15th century France
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- What was the British Empire?
- how people thought of Britain on the global political stage
- an enormous exhibition centre, built to show off Britain's global exploits
- a vast network of global colonies/territories controlled by Britain ✓
- a military ship, built to defend Britain in world wars
- another way of saying 'British society'
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- What does 'melancholy' mean?
- a feeling of deep anger, directly at someone who has wronged you
- a feeling of deep sadness, often with a sense of longing or pensive reflection ✓
- a feeling of deep jealousy towards someone who has something you deserve
- feeling of deep contentment we associate with family memories and our childhood
- a feeling of upset caused by a confusing and disorientating environment
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Exit quiz
- Which of these is a synonym for 'foe'?
- friend
- superior
- enemy ✓
- teacher
- parent
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- What does 'futility' mean?
- a feeling of hope when faced with difficult circumstances
- a feeling of pride after having returned from war
- a feeling of pointlessness or ineffectiveness in achieving a desired outcome ✓
- a feeling of sadness after someone has died
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- What is interpersonal conflict?
- conflict in your own mind
- conflict between you and someone else ✓
- conflict between different societal groups
- conflict between global nations
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- Which of these words from the poem 'The Man He Killed' means 'a small container for liquids, holding about half a pint'?
- "half-a-crown"
- "infantry"
- "foe"
- "nipperkin" ✓
- "quaint"
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- Why does Hardy repeatedly draw similarities between the speaker and the enemy soldier in 'The Man He Killed'?
- to humanise the enemy soldier by showing they are not so different ✓
- to imply that the speaker is secretly evil like the enemy soldier
- to show that all men are predictable and have the same beliefs
- to suggest that the speaker is secretly fighting for the enemy
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- Which military conflict inspired Hardy to write 'The Man He Killed'?
- Second Boer War ✓
- World War I
- Word War II
- Falklands War
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Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The poem was written during the Boer War.
- Hardy was very critical of this war and the British Empire’s military tactics.
- Hardy was suspicious that the British Empire wanted to exploit South Africa’s natural resources.
- In the poem, Hardy explores the similarities between two ‘enemy’ soldiers.
- He implies that perceiving war as simply a battle between good and evil dehumanises the people fighting,
Common misconception
This poem is written about soldiers fighting in WWI.
This poem was published during the Second Boer War (1899-1902) fought during the Victorian era. The First World War wouldn't begin for another 12 years.
Keywords
Perception - the way something is understood or interpreted, influenced by personal beliefs or biases
Contradiction - a statement or situation that is inconsistent or incompatible with another, causing conflict
Dehumanising - depicting people as less than human, stripping them of individuality or complexity, often for propaganda
Propaganda - information or material spread to promote a particular cause or viewpoint, often biased or misleading
Futility - a feeling of pointlessness or ineffectiveness in achieving a desired outcome or goal