War Poetry lesson - Suicide in the Trenches

First World War - Poetry

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Slide 1: Slide

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This lesson contains 16 slides, with interactive quizzes, text slides and 3 videos.

Lesson duration is: 50 min

Items in this lesson

First World War - Poetry

Slide 1 - Slide

Today

Siegfried Sassoon
Wilfred Owen
Time to ask questions

Slide 2 - Slide

Siegfried Sassoon

8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967

Established poet at beginning of war

Joined army in August 1914

Wounded twice

He became one of the leading poets of the First World War.

His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's view, were responsible for the war.

Slide 3 - Slide

Slide 4 - Video

Poem analysis - Suicide in the trenches

End rhyme/tail rhyme

eye rhyme

metaphor

Alliteration

boy - joy

glum - rum

brain - again

simple soldier

slept soundly

lice / lack

hell - war

Slide 5 - Drag question

What sort of person was the young soldier?
Why did "no one speak of him again?

Slide 6 - Open question

Slide 7 - Slide

Slide 8 - Video

Discussion

1. Sassoon uses sarcasm to sharp effect. Can you give an example and explain what he really means?

2. What is the theme of the poem? Can you illustrate this with examples from the stanzas?

Slide 9 - Slide

Discussion questions:

1. What is the truth about Jack's death?

2. Explain the irony in the title

3. Why does no one seem to care about Jack's death?

Slide 10 - Slide

Wilfred Owen

(1893-1918)

Most talented of "Trench Poets"

Wounded in 1917; wrote most of his poems back in England

Went back to France in 1918; killed November 4

Poems published in 1920 - edited by Siegfried Sassoon

Created tragic vison of world at war, dominated by pain and suffering

Slide 11 - Slide

Analysis of "Futility"

half rhyme

personification

ineffective, useless, unsuccessful

Poem and life of soldier = not finished

The sun will know

once - france

star - stir

why half rhyme?

Futility

Slide 12 - Drag question

The Ballad of Peace and War

Futility

1917

1914

horrors of battle

War will have positive effect

Slide 13 - Drag question

Slide 14 - Video

1) What is ‘the old Lie’?

2) Why does Owen hate “my friend”? What exactly is his message for him?

3) What is Owen’s attitude towards war? Negative

Slide 15 - Slide

This week

Study the reader + poems

Form questions + send them to me

Use the powerpoint in classnotebook

Thursday -> final lesson -> First World War Poetry - revision

Slide 16 - Slide