Starter quiz
- When did the First World War begin?
- 1911
- 1912
- 1913
- 1914 ✓
- 1915
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- When did the First World War end?
- 1915
- 1916
- 1917
- 1918 ✓
- 1919
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- What is propaganda?
- accurate information that is published in newspapers
- reliable information that is spread by the Government
- biased information that is spread to influence public opinion ✓
- public opinion that is spread to the Government
- lies that are spread by other countries to mislead them in war
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- Who is the speaker in a poem?
- the person who wrote the poem
- the person whose perspective the poem is written from ✓
- the person the poem is about
- the person reading the poem
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- What language method is used in the following quotation from ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’: “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks”?
- metaphor
- onomatopoeia
- simile ✓
- caesura
- volta
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- A ______ is another name for a verse in a poem.
- 'stanza' ✓
Exit quiz
- When was 'Dulce et Decorum Est' published?
- 1916
- 1917
- 1918
- 1919
- 1920 ✓
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- What does the phrase “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” translate to?
- it is noble and right to give one’s life
- it is neither sweet nor suitable to suffer for one’s country
- it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country ✓
- there is no glory in death – even less in war
- he who dies for his country shall be rewarded
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- How are the soldiers feeling in stanza 1 of ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’?
- motivated and empowered
- exhausted and miserable ✓
- anxious and upset
- indifferent and numb
- inspired and optimistic
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- Complete the quotation from stanza 2 of ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’: “But someone still was yelling out and stumbling/ And flound’ring like a man in fire or ..."
- 'lime' ✓
- How does Owen feel at the end of 'Dulce et Decorum Est' when he writes “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest/ To children ardent for some desperate glory,/ The old Lie..”?
- He feels optimistic about the outcome of the war.
- He feels angry about the propaganda glorifying war. ✓
- He feels angry that he has been forced to go to war.
- He feels sad at the immense waste of young lives. ✓
- He feels homesick and misses his children at home.
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- Why did Owen write ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’?
- to illustrate the thrilling reality of war and how much of an adventure it is
- to dismantle the belief that war is noble and glorious ✓
- to portray the true, bleak reality of war ✓
- to document his experiences at war for his family
- to portray soldiers as brave so that people appreciate their sacrifice
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Wilfred Owen was a soldier who fought and died in WWI.
- There was a huge disparity in the glorified perception of war, versus the bleak reality of it.
- The poem dismantles and condemns the perception of war being promoted by propaganda.
- The poem paints a graphic image of soldiers who are caught in a gas attack.
- Owen used his poetry as a means of exposing the true futility and horror of war.
Common misconception
Students often think that the dying soldier was already dead when he was thrown into the wagon.
It is important that students understand that the soldier was still half-alive when he was tossed, dying, into the body wagon. This needs to be understood for students to grasp the brutality of war and the lack of respect soldiers were shown.
Keywords
Bleak - not hopeful or encouraging
To dismantle - to take apart/ to destroy the integrity of something
Disparity - a significant difference between two things
Propaganda - biased or misleading information used to influence public opinion
To glorify - to unjustifiably or wrongfully represent something as admirable
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