Actors Theatre Education DepartmentKatie Blackerby Weible, Education Director

Jess Jung, Associate Education Director

Lee Look, Playwriting in the Schools Coordinator

Megan Alexander, Education Intern

Fund for the ArtsMembers Agency

The Hearst Foundation, Inc.

GettinG the Most out of the

Study GuideOur study guides are designed for you and your students. Each article, worksheet, and activity can be implemented within exist-ing curriculum. Please feel free to copy the study guide for both your students and other teachers. We hope this material, com-bined with our pre-show workshops, will give your students the tools to make their time at Actors Theatre a valuable learning experience.

Before the PerformanceStudents will be more engaged in the performance with an under-standing of the play! Mary’s Wedding articles include: •An interview with the playwright, Steven Massicotte•Overview of WWI including the history, main players, and timeline•Canada’s involvement in the war•WWI poetry•A look into life in the trenches

after the PerformanceMary’s Wedding matinee and study guide addresses specific Core Content:Cross Reference - Modern and Contemporary drama/theatre •AH-1.3.1: Identify the elements of drama DOK 2•AH-2.3.1: Analyze how time, place and ideas are reflected in drama/theatre DOK 2•AH-3.3.1: Students will explain how drama/theatre fulfills a variety of purposes. DOK 2•SS-HS-1.1.1: Students will compare and contrast various forms of government in the world DOK 3•SS-HS-1.3.1: Students will explain how the rights of one individ-ual may, at times, be in conflict with the rights of another DOK 2•SS-HS-1.3.2: Students will explain how the rights of an indi-vidual may, at times, be in conflict with the responsibility of the government to protect the ‘common good’ DOK 2•SS-HS-2.3.1: Students will explain why conflict and competition may develop as cultures emerge in the modern world DOK 2•SS-HS-5.1.2: Students will analyze how history is a series of con-nected events shaped by multiple cause and effect relationships, tying past to present DOK 3

If you have any questions or suggestions for improvements in our study guides, please feel free to contact Jess Jung, Associate Education Director, at (502) 584-1265 or jjung@actorstheatre.org

Study Guide compiled by Megan Alexander & Cara Pacifico

MAry’sWeddinG

diScuSSion

1. How are the changing of time, place, and character shown throughout Mary’s Wedding?

2. Some events recalled in Mary’s dream are real while others are made up from her imagination. Why do you think this occurs? What motivation does the playwright have to veer from “reality”?

3. In your life, are there times when you veer from reality, adding details to memories or stories that really didn’t happen? How does memory compare to reality and how do they both impact our dreams? Have you ever looked back on a situation or conversation and day- dreamed about how you wished it had gone, instead of how it really went?

Part IVIn the stormy east-wind straining,

The pale yellow woods were waning, The broad stream in his banks complaining.

Heavily the low sky raining Over tower’d Camelot;

Down she came and found a boat Beneath a willow left afloat,

And around about the prow she wrote The Lady of Shalott.

And down the river’s dim expanse Like some bold seer in a trance, Seeing all his own mischance --

With a glassy countenance Did she look to Camelot.

And at the closing of the day She loosed the chain, and down she lay;

The broad stream bore her far away, The Lady of Shalott.

Lying, robed in snowy white That loosely flew to left and right -- The leaves upon her falling light --

Thro’ the noises of the night, She floated down to Camelot:

And as the boat-head wound along The willowy hills and fields among, They heard her singing her last song,

The Lady of Shalott.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy, Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,

Till her blood was frozen slowly, And her eyes were darkened wholly,

Turn’d to tower’d Camelot. For ere she reach’d upon the tide The first house by the water-side,

Singing in her song she died, The Lady of Shalott.

Under tower and balcony, By garden-wall and gallery,

A gleaming shape she floated by, Dead-pale between the houses high,

Silent into Camelot. Out upon the wharfs they came,

Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame, And around the prow they read her name,

The Lady of Shalott.

Who is this? And what is here? And in the lighted palace near Died the sound of royal cheer;

And they crossed themselves for fear, All the Knights at Camelot;

But Lancelot mused a little space He said, “She has a lovely face;

God in his mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott.”

It is a memorial to both the great war and great love

-Stephen MassicotteThe events of Mary’s Wedding take place as a dream the night before Mary Chalmers is to be married. In this stormy dreamland we experi-ence Mary’s first meeting with Charlie Edwards, a young farmer and horseman living in Alberta, Canada. Mary and her family have recently come to Canada from England, and Mary’s mother disapproves of Mary’s friendship with a “colonist”. As Mary and Charlie’s romance develops, The Great War begins in Europe. Charlie is caught up by his patriotic duty to enlist and, against Mary’s wishes, he joins up to fight overseas against the Germans. Charlie travels on a troop ship to England for training in the cavalry and then departs for the trenches of France. The letters that Charlie sends from France allow Mary to imagine his experiences in vivid

detail. Mary also envisions the past, replaying meetings with Charlie both real and imag-ined. Mary’s dream ignores chronological time sequences and blends events in different locations together. The shy encounters between Mary and Charlie in Alberta are intertwined with Charlie’s shocking experiences on the battlefield. Charlie also writes of his friendship with his troop leader Sergeant “Flowers” Flowerdew. Mary comes to know him so thoroughly through Charlie’s writ-ing that she can take on his role in her dream. As Flowers, Mary relives the cavalry charge in the Battle of Moreuil Wood, where Flowers’ bravery and death earned him the Victoria Cross medal. Dreaming of the war allows Mary to come to terms with what happened to Charlie so that she may wake up on the morning of her wedding and begin a new and sunny time in her life.

the Lady of ShaLottaLfred, Lord tennySon

Will Rogers

Charlie

Nell Geisslinger

Mary

Merv Antonio (Dramaturg and Director of New Play Development) : What inspired you to write MARY’S WEDDING?Stephen Massicotte: I’ve always wanted to be a history teacher and when I was growing up attending Remembrance Day, (the November 11th equivalent of Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day), with my Grandfather was mandatory. My brothers and I used to go door to door selling poppies, so I’ve always had an awareness of Canada’s military history. In University I saw the Calgary Stampede Parade for the first time (which is a big deal up here) and saw the Lord Strathcona’s Horse Regiment historical reenact-ment riding team. I picked up a book about them and found that they’d participated in some of the last cavalry charges in military history. The Charge at Morieul Wood was the starting point for the play. A couple years back on a visit to France I was actually able to visit Morieul Wood and found shells craters and slit trenches still visible to the eye. I also found rusted artillery shell casings and some unfired rifle rounds.

MA: What events, books, images, sounds, etc influenced you in the creation of this work?SM: There’s a regimental history written about the Strathcona’s in the First World War called Stand to Your Horses written by S. H. Williams that was instrumental in writing the play. Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and Robert Graves’ book Goodbye to All That were both very helpful because they both experienced the war first hand but were also great writers in their own right. Goodbye to All That also became the source for my next historical play, as Graves describes his friendship with Lawrence of Arabia in it. I dramatized their relationship in my play The Oxford Roof Climber’s Rebellion. Oddly enough, Kurt Vonnegut’s book Slaughterhouse Five was very influential on Mary’s Wedding… I tried to emulate the tone of pity and compassion for the human race that’s in that book. Also the fact that Vonnegut tells you right from the start how the story ends but rather than diminishing the suspense it actually increases it. And there is a song by Sinead O’Connor called In The Heart that I played over and over while writing the play.

MA: How did you decide on the dream-like and epistolatory structure for the play? SM: That came about in the trial and error efforts of writing the play. I tried writing it in about a half dozen or more different styles of theatre…

narrator driven with flashbacks, a letter driven play, a realistic play similar to the traditional fourth wall style etc. I found because of the size of the story I was trying to tell none of those styles could carry the play past page twelve or so. I wanted it to be a really intimate but with a back drop as big as the biggest Hollywood movie. Finally, I started taking bits and pieces from all the different versions and putting them together ‘til I had about twenty pages and then I wrote on from there. It was a matter of saying yes to the play that the play wanted to be. MA: Are Mary, Charlie and Flowers based on historical figures? SM: Mary and Charlie are technically fictional but Gordon Muriel Flowerdew was a real soldier and was awarded the Victoria Cross (the British Commonwealth equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor) for actions as described in the play. All the battles and historical events as described in the play are fact. However, I’ve had a lot of folks come up to me after performances of the show and tell me that Mary’s story is their mother’s or their grandmother’s story. The names are significant. Mary is the mother of Jesus, Mhairi’s Wedding is a traditional Highland song, Chalmers was the last name of the girl (Fiona) I was in love with that lived next door to us when I was in grade three. Charlie was a nickname a girl-friend had for me, and Edward is the name of my favorite cousin. MA: What do you hope the audiences walk away with after seeing the play?SM: I hope they go home exhausted. Some theatre people say they want to make people think while they watch the show. I don’t at all. I want them to have a good laugh and good cry and a shock or two while they’re watching the show. For the next week or two, that’s when I want them to think. Also, I want them to tell their friends. Audiences don’t realize how powerful their feelings and opinions are. If after every show they see they convinced one other person to go check it out, the amount of theatre in North America could double.

from the PLaywriGhtAN INTErvIEW WITH STEPHEN MASSICoTTEIn recent years Stephen’s plays A Farewell to Kings, Sherlock Holmes, Looking After Eden and the popular Star Wars inspired Boy’s Own Jedi Handbook series have played for audiences throughout Canada. In 2002 his play Mary’s Wedding premiered at Alberta Theatre Projects’ annual playRites Festival and was the winner of the 2000 Alberta Playwriting Competition, the 2002 Betty Mitchell Award for Best New Play and the 2003 Alberta Book Award for Drama. Washington DC’s Theatre Alliance production of Mary’s Wedding received seven Helen Hayes Award nominations and the play continues to be produced in English and French throughout Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Stephen’s play The Last Seduction of Giacomo Casanova won the 24 Hour Playwriting Competition at Alberta Theatre Projects and his play Pervert (now retitled The Dirty/Beautiful) won the 2004 Betty Mitchell Award for Best New Play in the fall. Also, his play The Emperor of Atlantis premiered in conjunction with Viktor Ullman’s opera Der Kaiser Von Atlantis as a co-production between Workshop West Theatre and the Edmonton Opera. Stephen’s play The Oxford Roof Climber’s Rebellion, a play about T.E.Lawrence and Robert Graves, just received its premiere at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. He also has been commissioned by The Stratford Festival of Canada to create a new play for that pres-tigious theatre. Stephen’s film writing credits include the screenplays for the feature films Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning and The Dark.

cauSeS of theGreat warMuch like a volcano, this war started with seemingly insignificant events rum-bling beneath the surface. however, with a strengthening loyalty of allianc-es, and a drive for imperialism, these contained conflicts exploded into one of the greatest wars in history.

repercussions What might have been a nationalist conflict between two small countries develops into a full fledged world war. Germany gives Austria-hungary a “blank check” in support of any action they take against serbia, in effect pushing them to declare war. russia immediately goes to defend serbia, with france not far behind. Germany, in an attempt to invade french territory, invades neutral Belgium. Great Britain sees this as a power threat and enters the war against Germany. thus the beginning of the first Great War.

BooM! franz ferdinand; heir to Austria-hungary’s throne, is assassinated by serbian nationalist, June 28, 1914. the assassin, Gavrilo Princip, had many accomplices, all of whom were under the age of 27.

Picking Fights: Meanwhile in Africa…Morocco, a British colony given to france, was being prompted by the Germans to demand their independence. france decides to make Morocco a protectorate. Germany facilitates Morocco’s independence once again, and only backs off in exchange for land in the french Congo. … in Bosnia… Austria-hungary and serbia both want to annex Bosnia. russia mobilizes in support of serbia, while Germany mobilizes to support Austria-hungary. russia backs down to prevent a full out war. But tensions are high.

Arms race: the German military is substantially powerful and very organized. during this time the french, British, and German armies and navies grow exponentially in a race to out arm the other alliance.

Alliances: Prussian leader, otto von Bismarck; is driven to make Prussia the most powerful country in the German Confederation. he forms an alliance with russia, Austria-hungary, and Germany in 1872, named the three emperor’s League. in response to french occupation in italy, Bismarck forms the triple Alliance comprised of italy, Germany, and Austria-hungary in 1882. Because of previous conflicts, russia distrusts Austria-hungary and is weary of joining an alliance with them. in 1890, Bismarck is thrown out of power by Kaiser William ii of Germany. russia is displaced from the alliances with Germany due to a general dislike of slavs. france then joins with russia in 1894, forming the franco-russian entente. Great Britain grows suspicious of Germany’s military power and unites allied with france, to which russia also pledged support, forming the triple entente in 1907.

Imperialism: Great Britain, france, and Germany each want to expand their foreign markets, following the increase in production from the industrial revolution. they all see opportunity in Africa. Britain and france cooperate with each other, but Germany proves more stubborn. in the Middle east, the ottoman empire is crumbling, giving russia, the Balkans, and Austria-hungary opportunity for their own expansion.

Nationalism: in 1815, following the downfall of napoleon i, the Congress of Vienna divides Germany and italy in favor of peace. they subsequently unify in 1861 and 1871 respectively, with a great sense of nationalism. the french who had lost Alsace-Lorraine to Germany in the franco-Prussian war hold on to a bitter grudge. Austria-hungary and the Balkans are presently comprised of various conflicting national groups.

191428 June Archduke franz ferdinand and Archduchess sophie of Austria-hungary are assassinated in sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip.

28 July Austria-hungary declares war against serbia.

1-10 August Germany declares war against russia, france, and Belgium; Great Britain declares war against Germany; france declares war against Austria-hungary.

5 September first Battle of the Marne, where the french held the Germans and sent them into retreat.

15 November first Battle of ypres ends with massive losses on all sides.

25 December An unofficial truce on Christmas day. German and British troops sing songs and exchange gifts instead of bombs.

191519 February Allies begin naval campaign of eighteen battleships to open the German blockade of the dardanelles.

10 March British expeditionary force launches an offensive at neuve Chapelle.

8 April Armenian genocide by the ottoman forces.

22 April Germans open on the second Battle of ypres with a new weapon in hand, chlorine gas. the Canadians play a huge role in this battle, though they suffer greatly for it as well.

26 April italy joins the Allied side, in betrayal of the triple Alliance with Germany.

7 May the Lusitania is torpedoed and sunk by German submarines, killing 1,000, of whom 128 were American.

191626 February the Battle of Verdun is progressing with heavy beat-ings by the Germans, but the french refuse to step down.

22 June Germans introduce the even deadlier, phosgene gas at Verdun.

1 July Allied offensive on the somme river begins.

19 November the Battle of the somme ends with over 600,000 casualties on each side.

22 December Germans end their strategy of attrition against Verdun, with over 300,000 casualties on either side, this was the ongest battle in history.

19171 March the Zimmerman telegram, sent by the German foreign minister to Mexico, proposing an alliance should the u.s. enter the war, was revealed to the American public.

7 April the united states declares war on Germany.

12 April Canadians face fierce gunfire and harsh conditions, yet capture Vimy ridge against the Germans sending them into retreat. 11,297 Canadians are killed or wounded.

6 July t.e. Lawrence and a band of howeitat tribesmen capture the Arab city of Aqaba after a two-month march across the desert.

31 July the third Battle of ypres, “Passchendaele,” begins. ending in november, this Allie gain was won by the charge of the Canadian troops.

19188 January u.s. President Woodrow Wilson announces his “fourteen Points” as a means to peace.

30 March Canadian Calvary Brigade is victorious at Moreuil Wood.

16 July tsar nicholas of russia and his family are murdered by the Bolsheviks.

3 october Prince Max, the new German chancellor, accepts Wilson’s fourteen Points. Austria-hungary does the same four days later.

11 November the Armistice is signed in Paris. Kaiser Wilhem ii of Germany and Karl i of Austria-hungary abdicate their thrones.

The War has ended.

191928 June Germany signs the treaty of Versailles.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_ani_western_front.shtml

Use this website to further understand the events on the Western Front. Includes animated slide show presentation.

timeLine of major worLd war i eventS.

Life in the trencheSWWI was a long and hard war. It was a war of attrition. It was not fought through battles of quick victory over the enemy. Instead the war was won by those who managed to survive the longest. This is not to say there were not particular battles of great courage and bravery. There were, but the reality of the war lies within the makeshift walls of the trenches, and in the minds and souls of the men who lived inside them. The war was projected by both sides to only last a short while. The Germans had a strategic plan known as the Schlieffen Plan that would take Paris, then St. Petersburg in one quick sweep before anyone could react. However, the new weaponry introduced into the war quickly interrupted the German’s plan and brought an onset of unforeseen horror and death. When the German advance into France failed at the river Marne, a stalemate ensued. Trenches were dug

all along the Western front on both sides, from the Swiss Alps to the English Channel. The Ally trench system was typified by four main types of trenches. The first in line of battle were the Front Line trenches. Located only 50 yards from enemy lines they were extremely vulnerable to enemy fire, but were also posi-tioned well to attack. The second line was the Support trench which was a few hundred yards behind the front lines and held reserve soldiers and supplies. The third line was the Reserve trench with emergency supplies, officers, and

more soldiers. Connecting the trenches was a series of Communication trenches. These small narrow trenches were used to move supplies and messages back and forth, as well as allow for reconnaissance. The soldiers typically were rotated through the first three lines of trenches, spending one week in each station. The Allied trenches were usually open-air spaces, fortified with planks of wood, rocks, sandbags, or what-ever they could find. The German trenches were quite different. They developed highly sophisticated and com-plex structures, often including underground tunnels and reinforced trenches. Many of the higher ranks had the luxuries of electricity, plumbing, mattresses, wall paper, and carpeted floors in their bunkers. Although it seems more comfortable than the Allies’ situation, trench-living was never a preferable lifestyle. On average 7,000 men from each side were

wounded, disabled, or killed in the trenches each and every day. The open land between the opposing sides was known as No Man’s Land. Continuous bombing cre-ated a barren space with little to no vegetation, cov-

ered instead by craters, shrapnel, and corpses. It was a very dangerous place for a soldier to be, putting him in plain sight of the enemy. For this reason, most of the fighting occurred at night. It was then that soldiers could attempt to sneak to the other side to spy on the enemy and fire surprise attacks. Daily life in the trenches was miserable. It was freezing cold at times, scorching hot at others. The rain caused the trenches to flood, soaking the soldiers’ supplies. As soldiers moved from location to location they each carried with them

over 60lbs of supplies on their backs, and when wet that weight could double. The rain also gave way to the curse of trench foot. This condition, similar to frostbite, was caused by the long hours of standing in wet soppy boots. The infected foot would go numb, turn red or blue, and pos-sibly turn gangrene, forcing an amputation. The soldiers were eventually ordered to change socks three times a day to prevent trench foot. Nothing was pleasant in the trenches. Sanitary conditions were crude at best. The smell of putrefaction, mildew, and gas was constant. Rats overran the trenches, feasting on corpses and growing to the size of cats. One soldier reported, “The rats were huge. They were so big they would eat a wounded man if he couldn’t defend himself.” Lice consumed the bodies of the soldiers as they itched compulsively to remove the disease carrying vermin. Nits infest-ed the men’s hair, and flies were everywhere. The food was spoiled and sparse. Aside from the physical damages, men’s minds often went astray from the impact of shell-shock, a term used to describe the mental stress caused by intense fear, claustrophobia, and constant sight of death the men experienced. Serving on the Western Front was not just about avoiding being shot or blown up. It was a struggle for survival against nature, their fellow soldiers, and their own mentality. It is estimated that 50% of WWI casualties were attributed to the foul life in the trenches.

activity

Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/world-warone for games, activities, and interactive infor-mation about trench warfare, soldiers’ letters, and the Homefront. You can plan your own trench warfare missions and see if you are successful, orsee what causes you to fail.

“the rats were huge. they were so big they would

eat a wounded man if he couldn’t defend himself.”[ ]

New technology and science gave way to a new kind of war. With advancements in the machine gun, artillery, and developments in the use of gas weaponry, new strategies of both defense and offense had to be applied. The war became one of attrition in which the men died out long before their ammunition did. Bayonets were issued to every soldier in World War One. A bayonet is essentially a blade secured to the end of a rifle, used primarily in close combat. The French preferred a needle bayonet, while many Germans used a saw-like bayonet. The English primarily stuck to the standard knife variety. Machine Guns soon took over the bayonet as the lead weapon in WWI. First invented by Hiram Maxim in 1884, it was the first auto-matic, continuous, portable firing weapon. It could fire between 400-600 rounds of ammuni-tion per minute, equaling the combined power of 100 rifles. It took three to six men to crew the machine which usually was positioned on a tripod. Machine guns were used by both sides in the war and were despised by the vulnerable infantry who could be gunned down in a down-pour of bullets. Artillery describes the large-caliber mount-ed firearms used in war. Light artillery refers to solid shots of 4-6 pounds, while heavy artil-lery refers to those weighing 8-12 pounds. The Howitzer and mortar were two of the most commonly used heavy artillery weapons. They fired heavy shells on a high trajectory through a fairly short barrel, making them efficient in their purpose. By the end of the war some of these machines could fire shells weighing over 900kg up to 18km. One major concern for these weapons was that they were heavy, and had to be modified in order to be trucked through the

mud and shattered ground. Grenades were originally hollow iron balls filled with gunpowder and ignited by a slow burning match. To be effective they had to be thrown over 100ft. At the start of WWI they used a stick grenade which was more effective but still had a short trajectory, proving danger-ous for the men in the front line trench who were often hit by friendly fire. In 1915, the British invented the Mills Bomb. Once the grenade was in the air, the lever flew up and released the striker, which ignited a four-second time fuse, allowing the thrower to take cover before it exploded. When the grenade went off, the cast-iron casing shattered producing a shower of metal fragments. The Mills Bomb was adapted to be fired from a rifle sending the grenade over 600ft. Over 33 million Mills Bombs were deployed by the British troops alone. Armored Cars were fortified open-topped vehicles with machine guns or other artillery mounted to them. The most popular Ally car was the Napier produced in 1912. The Armored cars had little use on the tough terrain of the Western Front, but were very successful in Palestine and in Mesopotamia where they were deployed in what had previously been the Cavalry role of outflanking and pursuit. Tanks did the job of what the armored cars could not. In the United States, the Holt Company built a tractor with caterpillar tracks that was used to move over difficult territory. The machine could successfully cut though barbed wire, and was fitted with revolving machine guns. Built under top secrecy, the tractor was given the code-name “tank” by the British Colonel Swinton. The WWI tank was slow and could not cross over the broad trenches, making it inefficient for this war, however it con-

tinued to be redesigned and was an indispensable part of WWII. Gas attacks discharged from bombs or cylin-ders and carried by the wind, often began in the morning hours when the cold air would main-tain the weapon’s power keeping it low to the ground. The Germans were the first to use gas at the Second Battle of Ypres on April 22, 1915. The French, having no idea what giant cloud of green mist was, fled in fear. Soon gas was being used on both sides. Chlorine gas was very commonly used and would cause asphyxiation and a slow death. Mustard gas also became very popular. Contact with this gas led to the rotting of the body, blisters, blindness, nausea and dete-rioration of the bronchial tubes. To combat the attacks, men used urine soaked cloth as means of neutralizing the chlorine gas. Later gas masks were developed covering the eyes, mouth, and nose with neutralizing chemicals. These masks were bulky, uncomfortable, and did not protect the men from the psychological fear of gas.

connectionS 1. How did the new technology of the war change the way in which soldiers fought and leaders strategize?2. How did the psychology of war change? What were the effects of trench life, gas, heavy artillery, and the presence of no-man’s- land on the soldiers?3. Imagine yourself as a soldier in the trenches. Why are you there? Is it duty to your coun try, respect for your family, loyal patriotism, or some other reason? Imagine your environment. What is above, below, and next to you? Write a diary entry describing your first impressions of trench life.

wwi weaPonS

When the historian of the future comes to analyze the events which made it possible for the Empire to stand like this, he will see that there must have been some overmastering impulse contributing to this wonderful result. One such impulse is to be found in the love of the liberty, the pursuit of ideals of democracy, and the desire and determination to preserve the spirit of unity founded on those ideals, which make the whole Empire united in aim and single in purpose. But there was, also, in all the Overseas Dominions, the intense conviction that this war was forced upon the Empire—that we could not with honour stand aside and see trampled underfoot the liberties and independence of a weak and unoffending nation whose independence we had guaranteed. And, above and beyond all that, was the realization of the supreme truth—that the quarrel in which we are engaged transcends even the destinies of our own Empire and involves the future of civilization and of the world.

-Prime Minister of Canada, sir robert Laird BordenOverseas Dominions’ Destiny, London, July 29, 1915

a continent away why canadianS feLt a need to fiGht

War is terrifying, deadly, lonely, a horrific place to be, yet it also has an appeal of romance and duty. Propaganda plays a large part in building that sense of duty and romance. Posters plastered all over the towns of each country involved in the war, promoted the support of its men, women, and children for the war. They urged citizens to enlist, buy war bonds, and conserve their resources. They were a very effective tool in culminating national pride, utter hatred for the enemy, and praise of sacrifice. But why did Canadians join the WWI war effort? The answer for many was simple, they were loyal subjects of the King of England. They were colonists in Canada, but felt a need to defend the “Mother Country.” For French colonists, however, it was not as easy to fight in the Canadian Cavalry and Regiments. This war brought about much hostility and resent-ment between French and British Canadians. Nevertheless, they did fight, and served the Allies well. They were respected as an army, and had goals above their own monetary interest. In return for their efforts, Canada conquered no new lands, nor did they prosper in the wealth of the losing nations. Those Canadians who fought did so because they felt it was their duty. This Great War was served by over 650,000 Canadian soldiers of whom 200,000 were injured, and 60,000 died. Thousands of women also took to heart their commitment and duty to their country. They were carried by the motto of the Canadian Army Corps- “Consentientes Vi Trahunt Victoriam,” “those in agreement seize victory by force.” Although technically, still under British rule, the valiant contributions set forth by the Canadian Military earned them an independent signature on the Treaty of Versailles.

connectionSWhat is your stance on war? Are you for it, against it? What reasons do you have to sup-port your opinion? Create your own version of a propaganda poster expressing your views on war. Remember to use strong images to persuade the public towards your opinion.

vocaBuLaryArmistice A temporary suspension of fighting by mutual consent; a truce.

Cavalry An army component mounted on horseback, motor vehicles, or heli-copters assigned to missions requiring great mobility.

Attrition the act of wearing down weakening and/or exhausting by constant harass-ment, attack, or abuse; a reduction in numbers as a result of death.

reconnaissance An exploratory military survey of enemy territory; the act of spying

Protectorate A state or nation under the protection of a superior one; the relationship of superior authority assumed by one power or state over a dependent one

Epistolatory Written in the form of letters or correspondence

further readinG

Canada in Flanders: The official story of the Canadian expeditionary forceBy Sir Max Aitken

Eye-Deep in Hell: Trench warfare in World War IBy John Ellis

Personal Perspectives: World War IEd. by Timothy C. Dowling

www.firstworldwar.com

http://www.bbc.net.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/

http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/

recreatinG the war…the romance of war cut by the sharpness of its reality has made for a very popular genre of entertainment and remembrance. the films and books listed below are just a few examples of those who have made their attempt at recreating the war in their own perspective.

BooKSGoodbye to All That, (1929) autobiography of Robert Graves A Farewell to Arms, (1929) novel by Ernest HemingwayAll Quiet on the Western Front (1929), novel written by Erich Maria RemarqueSeven Pillars of Wisdom (1922) by T. E. LawrenceJohnny Got His Gun, (1939) novel by Dalton Trumbo

movieSWings (1927), directed by William A. Wellman tells the story about two fighter pilots, only silent movie to win the Academy Oscar.All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), movie directed by Lewis Milestone, based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque (1929)Lawrence of Arabia (1962), movie covering events surrounding T. E. Lawrence in the pan-Arabian Theater, starring Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, and Omar Sharif and directed by David LeanJoyeux Noël (2005), Based on the 1914 Christmas truce.A Very Long Engagement (2004), movie directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, based on the novel by Sebastien Japrisot (1991)

diScuSSion

1. How do movies differ from books in the telling of war stories? How does the element of live theatre work in creating a war story? What are the restrictions and limitations of each medium? How is each medium unique and beneficial, specifically in the genre of war stories or period pieces?

We’d gained our first objective hours before While dawn broke like a face with blinking eyes, Pallid, unshaved and thirsty, blind with smoke. Things seemed all right at first. We held their line, With bombers posted, Lewis guns well placed, And clink of shovels deepening the shallow trench. The place was rotten with dead; green clumsy legs High-booted, sprawled and grovelled along the saps And trunks, face downward, in the sucking mud, Wallowed like trodden sand-bags loosely filled; And naked sodden buttocks, mats of hair, Bulged, clotted heads slept in the plastering slime. And then the rain began,—the jolly old rain!

A yawning soldier knelt against the bank, Staring across the morning blear with fog; He wondered when the Allemands would get busy; And then, of course, they started with five-nines Traversing, sure as fate, and never a dud. Mute in the clamour of shells he watched them burst Spouting dark earth and wire with gusts from hell, While posturing giants dissolved in drifts of smoke. He crouched and flinched, dizzy with galloping fear, Sick for escape,—loathing the strangled horror And butchered, frantic gestures of the dead.

An officer came blundering down the trench: ‘Stand-to and man the fire-step!’ On he went... Gasping and bawling, ‘Fire-step ... counter-attack!’ Then the haze lifted. Bombing on the right Down the old sap: machine-guns on the left; And stumbling figures looming out in front. ‘O Christ, they’re coming at us!’ Bullets spat, And he remembered his rif le ... rapid fire... And started blazing wildly ... then a bang Crumpled and spun him sideways, knocked him out To grunt and wriggle: none heeded him; he choked And fought the flapping veils of smothering gloom, Lost in a blurred confusion of yells and groans... Down, and down, and down, he sank and drowned, Bleeding to death. The counter-attack had failed.

counter attacKSieGfried SaSSoon

Yesterday, March 30, the “C” Squadron of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadian) aided in defeating the Germans in what is being called one of the most important victories in the war.The German offensive to Amiens to gain access to the Paris railroads began March 21st. French and British troops could not stand up to the fierce attacks by the German army and were forced to retreat. Their only reserves were three divisions of the Canadian Cavalry Corps. The Cavalry did much to support the French and British infantry but as of two days ago had not been able to take Moreuil Wood, a main strategic point blocking Amiens. The Allies had planned on sending in the squadrons to surround the Germans forcing them south into retreat. But the Germans fought back with heavy artillery and machine gun fire and Squadrons “A” and “B” were defeated. Squadron “C”, led by Flowerdew was called in last to action. Flowerdew, seeing a group of 300 Germans moving to higher group bellowed, “It’s a charge boys, it’s a charge!” His Trumpeter, Reg Longley raised the trumpet to his lips but was shot down before the call ever sounded. Nevertheless, Squadron “C” was on the move. Armed with sabers and swords the cavalry charged with fire in their eyes toward the enemy. They drove directly into the two lines of Germans armed with machine guns and bayonets, never looking back. Facing blasts of artillery and a downpour of bullets, the squadron made up of only one hundred or so men forced the Germans to retreat. The casualties were high on both sides. Private Dale of 4th Troop, rid-ing behind the fatally wounded Longley, recalls that everything seemed unreal, “the shouting of men, the moans of the wounded, the pitiful crying of the wounded and dying horses...” This battle marks the end of the German’s offensive to the North, but the price of this victory is high. Out of the 350 all ranks who were involved in the Battle of Moreuil Wood, 46 have been declared dead and 120 are wounded. Of those one hundred men of Squadron “C” who fought so bravely, 25 have died. Many more are wounded, 15 of those are in critical condition. Sadly, Lt. Flowerdew was one of those fatally wounded. He died today from deep wounds to his lower body. He is being awarded the Victoria Cross in honor of his gallantry in action. Of him it is said, “There can be no doubt that this officer’s great valour was the prime factor in the capture of the position”. Thanks to the Canadian Cavalry and Lt. Flowerdew, this major advance, may lead to an ever-nearing armistice.

waKinG from the dreammoreuiL wood and the reaL Lt. fLowerdew“IT’S A CHARGE BOYS, IT’S A CHARGE!”Canadian Lt. Flowerder and his Calvary take Moreuil Wood

March 31, 1918

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,Till on the haunting flares we turned our backsAnd towards our distant rest began to trudge.Men marched asleep. Many had lost their bootsBut limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hootsOf disappointed shells that dropped behind.

GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!-- An ecstasy of fumbling,Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;But someone still was yelling out and stumblingAnd floundering like a man in fire or lime.--Dim, through the misty panes and thick green lightAs under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could paceBehind the wagon that we flung him in,And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;If you could hear, at every jolt, the bloodCome gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cudOf vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--My friend, you would not tell with such high zestTo children ardent for some desperate glory,The old Lie: Dulce et decorum estPro patria mori.**”Sweet and fitting it is to die for one’s country”

duLce et decorum eSt wiLfred owen

6 September 1916 (letter from England): The news that you have no doubt been expecting is that I am going over to France... I feel great and am looking forward to it.15 September 1916 in France (diary): We have had a number of lectures from the various NCOs and officers and they are very blood-thirsty... have no mercy at all on the enemy, but kill every German that is possible. It is a teaching which we

will no doubt put to a practical use in the near future, but at the present stage I really do not feel as if I could run a man through with a bayonet in cold blood. It is a good preparation for what is coming tho’ and seems to inspire the men or perhaps rather it gets them more familiar with the thought of it, and they speak quite callously of killing men or “gouging their eyes out”.7 October 1916 (diary): This night I received my baptism of fire. We were on a working party and it was our duty to carry bales of wire up to the second line of trenches. Never, I think, shall I forget that carry. The bales weighed about 180lbs and were carried by two, through slip-pery trenches, in and out shell holes, over broken wires, all making the worst roads possible. I thought my back would break many a time. Add to this the sight of dead bodies seen in the half light, shells falling, which although not close were near enough to green men, it was, to say the least, not a pleasant night.9-17 October 1916 (diary): After a few hours rest we went on a working party digging a com-munication trench... We had little or no water brought to us in the front line and only about half a pint when we got back and it was mostly petrol as it had been brought up in petrol tins. My mouth dried up and I couldn’t swallow. I chewed a little tea and it helped temporarily but it was awful. Our work finished about 2am

and we returned to the trenches... A hot supper (or breakfast) was served to us...About noon we began to get some heavy shells put over at us. About the second one got a direct hit on the trench, lighting in a dug-out. It blew one of our boys to pieces, wounded another and temporar-ily buried two others. That was the first casualty in our company3 December 1916 (diary): I am getting pretty well all in, four days in the front line with little or no sleep is no joke. I have no hesitation in taking the rum these days and I feel it is quite necessary under the nervous strain, sleeplessness, cold and dampness.21 June 1917 (letter to his sister Etta): It may seem strange but in spite of the fact that I spent about seven months in the trenches I haven’t shot off my rifle yet. That’s modern warfare. The artillery do it all, or nearly all, the infantry are just the targets. Charlie survived the war unhurt, although he lost many relatives and close friends. Before being demobbed and returning to his family in February 1919, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the Prince of Wales, who told him, ‘Nice work, Charlie’.

Text and data provided by www.bbc.co.uk/his-tory/worldwars/wwone

one SoLdier’S StorycontriButed By aLex franciS

Dark clouds rolling in, strong deep winds, a chill in the air. Then CRASH, BOOM, a thunderstorm has begun. For many this can be a scary sight. But what exactly is thunder and lightning? Native Americans believed thunder was caused by the flapping wings of the sacred Thunder Bird, and lightning flashed from his beak. In Norse mythology, the god Thor, god of Thunder, was always seen with a hammer, whose strike sent the sound of thunder. Today, we have a more scientific cause of this phenomenon. A thunderstorm creates cumulonim-bus clouds. Inside these clouds air currents cre-ate strong updrafts where water droplets and ice particles rub against each other, creating static electricity. The lighter, positive charges cling to the top of the cloud, while the heavier, negative charges sink to the bottom. With the ground below being positively charged, the electricity flows between the charges caused the differ-

ence between them to grow. When the charges have reached their limit they neutralize through the release of electricity. We see this release as lightning. As the lightning strikes it heats the air around it up to 54,0000F. As the air heats it also expands, eventually exploding into what we hear as thunder. When Charlie counts the seconds between the flash of lightning and the roar of thunder in Mary’s Wedding, he is trying to figure out how far away the storm is. This has to do with how fast light and sound travel. Lightning will reach our eyes in mere micro-seconds, but sound only travels at a speed of 770mph. Therefore, it takes 5 seconds for sound to travel a mile. If you count the seconds between the lightning flash and thunderbolt, then divide that number by five you can determine how many miles away the lightning actually is.

the nutS and BoLtS of thunder and LiGhtninG

diScuSSion

How did you explain thunder and lightning as a child? As a class come up with a list of explana-tions. Then see how creative you can be by com-ing up with alternative explanations.

connection

Fear Factor: Charlie in Mary’s Wedding, is very afraid of thunderstorms. What are you afraid of? Face your fear by learning more about it. Is it really as scary as you thought?

activityThunder in the classroom: Create your own thunderclap by blowing up a small paper bag. Holding the top closed pop the bag with your other hand. The loud bang you hear is the result of the air inside the bag expanding quickly.

The front lines were surely a very scary place to be. The only communication soldiers had with their loved ones was through letters. Most soldiers also kept a diary of the battles they fought and the conditions they lived. Writing seemed to be a way for soldiers to stay grounded, maintain their humanity, and express hope for what’s to come. On 24 October 1915 Charlie Ross Francis, a 26-year-old insurance adjuster, joined the 90th Canadian Infantry Battalion in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Like nearly 55 per cent of his fellow Canadian soldiers, he was born in Canada, not Britain. Charlie never questioned why he should join up; it was simply his duty to go to France and fight in The Great War. Throughout his service, Charlie kept a diary as well as writing frequent letters to his other family members back in Manitoba. The following are extracts from his writings.

duLce et decorum eSt wiLfred owen

Before 1914, poems of war had been few and idyllic. Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade, which is quoted in the play is one well known example. The poem describes the courage of the British cavalrymen involved in a charge in October of 1854, during the Crimean War, a war between England and Russia. This dramatic poem venerates the “six hundred” British soldiers, and romanticizes the battle. It’s portrayal of war encouraged the character, Charlie, and young men like him to enlist in the Great War. However, there is much to take into consideration while reading Charge of the Light Brigade.Tennyson was a descendant of England’s King Edward III and attended at Trinity College in Cambridge. In 1850 he was appointed England’s poet laureate. A poet laureate is offi-cially appointed by a government and expected to compose poems for state occasions and in sup-port of government actions. The Charge of the Light Brigade was just such a poem. Poems like this were a form of propaganda. Tennyson sup-posedly wrote the poem after reading an account of the battle in The Times. Tennyson himself never fought in a war. The poem became very popular, and remained a classic piece of English literature. By the turn of the century, when Charlie and Mary were in school, it was easy to forget that the real Charge of Light Brigade had been a disaster in which 118 British soldiers were killed. Tennyson wrote in his poem that for the soldiers of the Light Brigade “Theirs not to reason why,/Theirs but to do & die.” Such blind obedience

might be considered patriotic and heroic in time of war, however, this “do and die” attitude can also be the mark of people who are not educated enough to voice a dissenting opinion. The com-mon cavalryman of the Light Brigade did not leave a record of his feelings about war. However, by 1914 the combination of compulsory school-ing and cheap printing (both developments of the late 19th century) greatly increased the lit-eracy rate around the world. In a war with long, uneventful periods of entrenchment, thousands of educated soldiers took up their pens.Many soldiers used their spare time in the trenches to write poems or make sketches. A huge number wrote long letters home or kept a diary. They expressed a vast range of opinions and beliefs about the war. Some soldiers were even more xenophobic and nationalistic than any propaganda back home. Many thought that the war would end very quickly. Some were opposed to the war. As the war dragged on and became more deadly and horrifying, these critical voices became increasingly vocal in their disapproval. One dissenter was Wilfred Owen, a British soldier who wrote graphic poetry about the hor-rors of trench and gas warfare. Two of his most famous poems are Dulce Et Decorum Est and Anthem for Doomed Youth. Owen’s greatest influence was his friend and fellow soldier-poet Siegfried Loraine Sassoon. Sassoon’s realistic poem Counter-Attack ends with the explicit statement “the counter-attack had failed”, mak-ing it a perfect foil to the Charge of the Light Brigade, where loss was not acknowledged.

Literary war the charGe of the LiGht BriGadeby Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Half a league half a league, Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred:

‘Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns’ he said:

Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’ Was there a man dismay’d ? Not tho’ the soldier knew Some one had blunder’d: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do & die, Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them

Volley’d & thunder’d; Storm’d at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred.

Flash’d all their sabres bare, Flash’d as they turn’d in air Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army while All the world wonder’d:

Plunged in the battery-smoke Right thro’ the line they broke;

Cossack & Russian Reel’d from the sabre-stroke,

Shatter’d & sunder’d. Then they rode back, but not

Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them

Volley’d and thunder’d; Storm’d at with shot and shell,

While horse & hero fell, They that had fought so well

Came thro’ the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of Hell,

All that was left of them, Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made! All the world wonder’d.

Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred!

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattleCan patter out their hasty orisons.No mockeries for them from prayers or bells, Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires. What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyesShall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes. The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;Their flowers the tenderness of silent maids,And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

anthem for doomed youth (1917)by Wilfred Owen

Perhaps the most famous poem to result from World War I is In Flanders Fields by Canadian army physician John McCrae. His inspiration was the death of a fellow officer, Lt Alexis Helmer, during the Second Battle of Ypres in western Belgium, for whom McCrae had performed the burial service. McCrae’s verses, which he had scribbled in pencil, were sent anonymously by a fellow officer to the English magazine, Punch, which published them under the title ‘In Flanders Fields’ on 8 December 1915. This short poem, spoken from the view of the war dead, is at once both patriotic and tragic. Since the poem encourages the living to “take up our quarrel with the foe” it elicited responses, including In Flanders Now and We Shall Keep the Faith. The poem has reached a mythic status in Canada, with a portion of it printed on the Canadian ten dollar note. Also, poppies are now an international symbol of remembrance.The literary records of soldiers in the Great War made fascinating reading for people back home. It was new and thought-provoking to see the diverse perspectives of fighting men. Poetry especially provoked emotional response, showed a marked change in the historical perception of war, and, impor-tantly for us, stood the test of time.

Edna Jaques was born in Ontario, Canada. In her early twenties, in Calgary, she wrote the following war poem which was to bring her widespread rec-ognition. Later, printed on a card, the poem was sold throughout the United States at ten cents a copy and raised one million dollars for war relief. It was later read at the unveiling of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, her vision of peace would not prevail.

Moina Belle Michael was born in Georgia in 1869. Her father was a Confederate veteran of the Civil War. The idea for the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy came to Moina Michael while she was working at the YMCA Overseas War Secretaries’ headquarters at Columbia University on a Saturday morn-ing in 1918, two days before the Armistice was declared. In a magazine she came across a vivid color illustration for the poem “We Shall Not Sleep” (later named “In Flanders Fields”) by John McCrae. At that moment Moina Michael made a personal pledge to ‘keep the faith’ and vowed always to wear a red poppy as a sign of remembrance and as an emblem for “keeping the faith with all who died.” Compelled to make a note of this pledge, she hastily scribbled down a response on the back of a used envelope, entitled “We Shall Keep the Faith.” She went to a New York department store and purchased 25 artificial red poppies and, pinning one on her own collar, distributed the remainder to the YMCA secretaries with an explanation of her motivation. Moina Michael hereafter tirelessly campaigned to get the poppy adopted as a national symbol of remembrance. In September 1920 the American Legion adopted the Poppy, and the symbol spread worldwide.

fLanderS fieLdS

in fLanderS fieLdSby John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on rowThat mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lieIn Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies growIn Flanders fields.

in fLanderS nowAn answer to Lt.Col John McCrae by Edna Jaques

We have kept faith, ye Flanders’ dead,Sleep well beneath those poppies red,That mark your place.The torch your dying hands did throw,We’ve held it high before the foe,And answered bitter blow for blow,In Flanders’ fields. And where your heroes’ blood was spilled,The guns are now forever stilled,And silent grown.There is no moaning of the slain,There is no cry of tortured pain,And blood will never flow againIn Flanders’ fields. Forever holy in our sightShall be those crosses gleaming white,That guard your sleep.Rest you in peace, the task is done,The fight you left us we have won.And “Peace on Earth” has just begunIn Flanders’ now.

we ShaLL KeeP the faithAn answer to Lt.Col John McCrae by Moina Michael - 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,Sleep sweet - to rise anew!We caught the torch you threwAnd holding high, we keep the FaithWith All who died. We cherish, too, the poppy redThat grows on fields where valor led;It seems to signal to the skiesThat blood of heroes never dies,But lends a lustre to the redOf the flower that blooms above the deadIn Flanders Fields. And now the Torch and Poppy RedWe wear in honor of our dead.Fear not that ye have died for naught;We’ll teach the lesson that ye wroughtIn Flanders Fields.

BacKwiLfred GiBSon (1878-1962)

they ask me where i’ve been,And what i’ve done and seen.But what can i replyWho know it wasn’t i,But someone just like me,Who went across the seaAnd with my head and handsKilled men in foreign lands...though i must bear the blame,Because he bore my name.

What is your reaction to this poem?

Who is the speaker?

What is the tone of the poem?

What is the speaker’s attitude towards war?

What visual images are evoked through the words of the poem?

What do you feel was the author’s intent in writing this poem?

What does the poem tell us about the soldier’s feelings towards war and duty?

over the toPYou’re going “over the top” in a full on battle of knowledge! To get though “No-man’s Land” you must solve the clues, fill-ing in the blanks with words found throughout this study guide. Your final challenge is to rearrange the boxed in letters to form a word granting your safety. Good Luck Soldier!

today is yet another day in the trench. you have been in the front lines for two weeks now, and have yet to see real com-bat. the rats are growing as big as street cats, but they are mean little buggers. you receive a few pages of a newspaper dated four weeks ago, they are calling this war, a war of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. But you are confident the war will end quickly, and you will return to your family.

Abruptly you are pulled from your seat and told to make ready. Moments before the call is made you stand guard with the words of Alfred, Lord tennyson ringing in your ears, “forward, the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.” you feel coura-geous and proud to be a soldier.

Whispers echo through the trenches. the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ mission is complete. they bring news that the enemy is too low on supplies to attack today. they must wait until next morning…

the call is made… heavy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ are set and ready to fire. BooM! BooM! the large shells hit the tar-get trenches.

With your bayonet in hand you climb over the trench wall and head straight into _ _ _ _ _’ _ _ _ _ _. speeding bullets spit from automatic _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ whiz past your head. But they are friendly fire, cover-ing you as you make your way through mud holes, craters, and across barbed wire.

tAKe CoVer! the enemy is firing back with hand _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. no wait, a heavy green cloud is beginning to form to the east of you. you were warned of this after it happened to your comrades at ypres. it is _ _ _! you cover your mouth and eyes, and luckily the wind dissipates the foreboding cloud.

thanks to the help of the wind and the advantage of our attack you have successfully completed this mission. We continue to weaken the enemy lines, and have delayed their shipment of supplies. you are called back to the trenches. fortunately you were not hurt badly in this raid, just a few cuts and bruises, but not all were so lucky. there were many _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. At night the medics will return to collect the injured and dead.

the lieutenant pulls the soldiers together and congratulates you on a job well done. “this makes us one step closer to the end boys, one step closer.”

And on the 11th of november, 1918 the end did come.

Unscramble the circled in letters to find the word below alluding to the end of the war. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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1. LITErArY WrITING

Write your own response to John McCrae’s in flanders field. think about images and symbols you would like to evoke with your words. Also, think about your audience, how will they, as well as generations to come, interpret your poem? remember to use proper punctuation and indentation when writing your poem.

or

When you wake up from a dream grab a pen and paper and write down as much of what you can remember as possible. then fill in the gaps to complete the “dream.” re-write the dream as if it were happening in real time, with dialogue and descrip-tive narrative. or you may choose to write it in the style of a short play including dialogue, stage directions, a character list, and description of the setting.

2. TrANSACTIvE WrITING

Pretend you are a newspaper journalist sent to the front lines of the trenches. your task is to report back on life in the trenches, and trench warfare. Write an article sum-marizing your results. Be aware, many wives, mothers, and friends of the soldiers will be reading this article. how will you report what you have learned without destroying all hope for the families of the soldiers in battle?

3. PErSoNAL WrITING Wr-e-1.2

Memory v reality. As a class choose an event that is familiar to all students. (examples could be 9-11, the election, a particular movie or concert, a pep rally, or yesterday’s class). have each student write about the event. include colors, smells, textures, emotions, sounds, and sequence of events in the writing. have the students share what they wrote with a partner in the class. then discuss how each student remembered the event differently. What parts of the event did everyone remember clearly? did anyone make up something that didn’t happen? Wri

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note for teachers: all writing Portfolio prompts have been designed to correspond with Kentucky department of education core content for writing assessment.