Starter quiz
- If something is futile it means that it is...
- difficult
- pointless ✓
- frightening
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- What is propaganda?
- information, often biased or misleading in nature, used to promote a cause ✓
- information, often unbiased and honest in nature, used to promote a cause
- information, often unbiased and misleading in nature, used to promote an event
-
- When was World War 1?
- 1899–1902
- 1914-1918 ✓
- 1939-1945
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- What is a relic?
- a common weapon used in WW1
- an object (usually of historical interest) ✓
- a defence tactic used in combat
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- Which word means to 'make strong or secure'?
- fortify ✓
- mimic
- plough
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- A ______ is a direct comparison between two things.
- 'metaphor' ✓
Exit quiz
- 'Mametz Wood' was written in 2005 but based on events which occurred in 1916. Which war does this relate to?
- WW1 ✓
- WW2
- The Boer War
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- What is true of the solders who were place in the 38th Division in WW1?
- they were selected for their previous battle experience
- they were young men who had been motivated to enlist by propaganda ✓
- they were poorly trained and ill-equipped ✓
- they were fire-arms trained
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- Match the key vocabulary to its definition.
- futile⇔pointless ✓
- inexperienced⇔having little knowledge in something ✓
- fortified⇔made strong or secure ✓
- slaughter⇔the killing of many people or animals unjustly ✓
- Starting with the first, order the events of 'Mametz Wood' as we read them in the poem.
- 1⇔Years after the Battle of Mametz Wood, local farmers are still finding remains.
- 2⇔The men’s bodies have been found in bits.
- 3⇔The men were told to walk towards the “nesting” machine guns.
- 4⇔Even years later, the earth still bears the scars of that fateful battle.
- 5⇔Earlier that morning, twenty young men had been dug up.
- 6⇔Their heads are tilted back, and they are still wearing their boots.
- 7⇔The poet imagines the men singing when alive.
- In 'Mametz Wood', Sheers illustrates that war affects not only people, but ______ too, as the land has been scarred by violence.
- 'nature' ✓
- What do some people attribute the death of the soldiers who fought The Battle of Mametz Wood to?
- poor tactical decisions made by commanders ✓
- poor weather conditions
- poor conditions in the woods made it hard to fight
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- ‘Mametz Wood’ was inspired by the Battle of Mametz Wood in 1916.
- Sheers tells the story of the discovery of the bodies of 20 young men, all of whom were slaughtered in battle.
- Some people attribute the 4000 deaths in the battle to poor tactical decisions made by commanders.
- The poem conveys how devastating, destructive and futile war is.
- The poet illustrates that war affects not only people, but nature too, as the land has been scarred by violence.
Common misconception
Students often make the mistake of thinking that, like many of the other war poems, this poem was written by a soldier at the time of the war.
This poem is not a personal account; Sheers wrote this poem in 2005. He wanted to raise awareness about the loss of Welsh lives in Mametz Wood and illustrate how destructive war is.
Keywords
Futile - pointless
Relic - an object (usually of historical interest) which has survived an earlier time
Inexperienced - having little knowledge or experience in something
Fortified - made strong or secure
Slaughter - the killing of many people or animals unjustly, or in a particularly cruel manner
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