Starter quiz
- What is Romanticism?
- a genre of writing, focused on love and relationships
- a cultural movement from the late 1700s, focused on emotions and nature ✓
- a style of poetry used to write about love, usually written in the sonnet form
- writing using dramatic, flowery language
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- Who was Napoleon Bonaparte (later known as Napoleon I)?
- a famous Romantic poet who was close friends with Byron
- a French military and political leader, and the Emperor of France (1810-1814) ✓
- a religious leader from the Bible who received prophecies from God
- the leader of the Assyrian army before King Sennacherib
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- The colour purple often symbolises ...
- royalty and nobility ✓
- love
- jealousy
- innocence and purity
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- Which of these words is a synonym for 'wither'?
- perish ✓
- thrive
- exist
- succeed
- fail
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- What is a stanza?
- a single line of poetry
- two rhyming lines of poetry
- a phrase or line of poetry that is repeated throughout
- a section of poetry that is separated either side by line breaks ✓
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- Which of the following examples is a simile?
- Her laughter was a melody that danced through the room.
- The rain rattled against the window, a relentless reminder of the storm outside.
- The stars glittered like diamonds in the midnight sky. ✓
- The weary old tree stretched its branches towards the sun.
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Exit quiz
- What does divine intervention mean?
- a natural disaster or event deemed beyond human control, such as earthquakes
- the belief that a monarch's authority to rule comes directly from God
- direct involvement of a deity in human affairs, often in response to prayer ✓
- a social class with hereditary privileges, often tied to aristocratic titles
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- What does righteous mean?
- morally upright and virtuous ✓
- logical and strategic
- patriotic and loyal
- sensible and responsible
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- Which of the following similes from 'The Destruction of Sennacherib' does Byron use to emphasise the power of God?
- "like a wolf on the fold"
- "like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green"
- "the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea"
- "the Gentile [...] melted like snow in the glance" ✓
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- Which two colours does Byron use to emphasise the wealth, power and high status of the Assyrian army at the beginning of 'The Destruction of Sennacherib'?
- red and gold
- red and black
- purple and gold ✓
- purple and black
- silver and gold
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- Which wars were taking place across Europe during the period when 'The Destruction of Sennacherib' was written and published?
- The Second Boer War
- The Napoleonic Wars ✓
- World War I
- World War II
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- Why were depictions of divine intervention popular during the early 1800s?
- Most people were religious so they preferred art and literature about God.
- It helped to boost public morale and justify the conflict as a righteous cause. ✓
- It was likely Britain would lose the war so this gave many people hope.
- People were starting to question religion and this helped to stop this.
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The poem is based on a biblical depiction of how King Sennacherib and the Assyrian army attempted to invade Jerusalem.
- The Assyrian king was defeated by a divine intervention from God.
- War was a significant concern in Europe at the time Lord Byron wrote the poem.
- Poems which saw God intervene to help the 'good' forces during war were popular during this era.
Common misconception
Byron based this poem on a religious conflict which occurred during his lifetime.
This poem describes a conflict which was described in the Bible, when King Sennacherib and the Assyrian army attempted to attack Jerusalem and were prevented by a divine intervention.
Keywords
Destruction - causing severe damage or ruining something completely
Divine intervention - direct involvement of a deity in human affairs, often in response to prayer
Jerusalem - historic city significant to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, located in the Middle East
Morale - mental and emotional state of a group or society, reflecting confidence, enthusiasm and determination
Righteous - morally upright or virtuous; acting in accordance with principles of justice and goodness
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