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THEME: CONFLICTS
1. WILFRED OWEN: DULCE ET DECORUM EST
Biography:
Refer to Dictionary of Literature
Themes:
Overall conflicts between humans
Conflicts manifested through war
Killing – without mercy
Cruelty of Mankind
Is WAR the solution?
Are there any other means to settle differences?
Language:
Stanza 1
stark reality of wars
exhausted soldiers bent double old beggars knock-kneed
burdened by war,
lines- a lot of redundancy repeating emphasising stark reality - bent double under sacks of coal in
order to reinforce the image of extremely tired, exhausted soldiers.
Stanza 2
Sense of urgency, panic, helplessness as conveyed by fumbling, yelling stumbling, floundering
and ultimately drowning and under the toxic imagery green sea image of drowning man
Like being swallowed by a death mist, drowning in poisonous gas
Sudden urgency - there was Gas - more like saying that while they were walking, suddenly there
is gas in the dark and something exploded
End of first stanza - it was dark, shell every where yet can’t be bothered and suddenly one
exploded before them
Image of fumbling, lost, don’t know what to do
Floundering, a sense of helplessness like fish out water gasping for air
Stanza 3
Only 2 lines
Dreamlike quality as if unreal yet it is real - stark!
To see a person really dying raw image of dying person and he brings it back to the present in the
last 4 lines
1st & 2
nd stanza in the past tense but in 3
rd stanza, present tense - it is real. He still has nightmares
about it. Cannot get out of the situation. He plunges at me.. grammar – ing (pr cont tense) as if
real, still happening, can still feel it haunting him, he is drowning in his past, the horror of his
experience is still haunting . it is a recurring nightmare, helplessness; tenses show it - pr cont
tense
green sea very deep end of the sea you just cannot go anywhere or escape
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Stanza 4
Raw image of a dying man, white eyes, hanging face never in your wildest imagination can you
see or feel it unless you have seen one experienced it so you call this ‘dying for your country’?
Reaction of the soldier dying in such excruciating circumstances likens it to cancer incurable
source innocent tongues did not go with the real idea of war young & naïve. Bringing us back to
the present reality. Think doing an honourable deed dying for the country think that going to war
for the country is n honourable act. Is it so?
Is it indeed honourable to die for the country and in excruciating depressing circumstances ? The
old lie – if u knew how extreme the circumstances wer u wouldn’t say it is patriotic to die for
one’s country.
Tone – to say/tell u the horrors of war. The glorified version of going to war
The reality of war is not what u think but it is far worse than u could ever imagine. So tone
begins with n depressing one and it move to panic and finally end in reflection panic and u come
to a situation where u cannot escape helplessness – negative reflective tone
Point of View – persona’s personal experience. How does it contribute to the whole poem – again it reinforces
the stark reality of the war
Figures of Speech
Similes – bent double like old beggars under sacks, bitter as a cud of vile
Metaphors – stanza 2 - whole thing a clear metaphor of a drowning man
Comparisons – comparison in terms of time
Flashback from the present but it cannot be divorced from the past
Imagery – colour - bloodshot eyes, green sea, white eyes
- sense of sight
No personification - Merely describing with a lot of similes
Suggested Activities
Scrap book on war, suffering soldiers
Talk ab hist of WW1 / wars
Film clips or pics of soldiers during WW1.
Internet reseach / project work
Questions to ponder
A.1. Ll 1&2 what image is conveyed from these lines
2. St 2 L l 3-6 what has happened to
a) the soldiers
b) one man in particular
B. Describe how the persona show the stark reality of war
C. From the persona’s point of view why is it not honourable to die for one’s country?
Can differences between / within countries be settled through wars?
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2. THOMAS HARDY :The Man He Killed
Biography:
Refer to Dict of Lit
Themes;
In war you don’t know who your friend or enemy is
Senselessness of war
War severs/dissolves friendship
Message
Even in times of war ur friend could be ur enemy
Language Monosyllabic words– very strong words to express how he kills so easily pressing idea of
negativity foe not enemy
That give u the stress points
no staccato stress, stress
so the line between friendships is merely a thin line that can be dissolved with war.
Hardy employs the 4-lines trad style alternate rhymes
Poems short following poetic style showing u the frivolousness of killing people choice of words
and the monosyllabic words is musical no big deal to kill the life of another human
The carelessness of human life
No value, respect for human life
Just so my foe
Shoot first then look for reason for shooting
St 3
The simplicity of the language and words used , the actions , the reasons given foe killing his
foe , the monosyllabic words used bring upon us rthe starkness and horror of war as if its alright
to kill because it’s WAR
Quaint curious war all in one line in relation to war make us wonder where humanity has gone to
Lack of humanity
Lack of compassion for the death of another fellow human
Stanza 1- friendly
Nipperkin – drinking buddies
Stanza 2 – war, foe
Since they were both in the army infantry, shot
Stanza 3
Justifying his action ‘because’ killed him
Stanza 4
Joined as soldiers because no work, no animal to trap as hunter
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Stanza 5
War is strange u kill where u could have been good drinking buddies or even share to buy drinks
Tone:
Casual
Matter-of-fact
No feeling of remorse today u r friend, tomorrow foe
Scary when man comes to such a sitn
Frivolous St 5 killing , casual so starkness of war treated casually and matter of factly
Scary because your friend could be ur enemy next
Point of View;
Persona’s point of view
Suggested Activities:
Give examples of how human life is seen as valueless
Discussion of why people turn against each other
Questions to Ponder:
S1 – What would have happened if the two men had met in an inn?
S2 – Describe the circumstances under which the two men actually meet.
S3 – What reason does the speaker give for shooting?
S4 – In what ways does the speaker compare the dead man to himself?
Interpretation:
Explain the irony of line 17 and of the poem in general
What is your attitude towards war from your reading of the poem?
A. Why did the persona shoot the other person in S3
5m
B. Explain the irony in the relationship between the persona and the person he met 8m
C. Do you agree with the persona that there is a thin line between friend and foe. 12m
D. Why do you think the persona says that war is quaint and curious 12m
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3. CECIL RAJENDRA: Death of a Rainforest
Biography
Themes:
Man’s disregard of nature in favour of money
The whole poem is a process which leads to the destruction of the enviroment
Language:
A lot of repetition. But ‘no words will come’ repeated three times
No action, No one’s doing anything ab it or speaking of them
All in pr cont tense still on-going
Later past tense – all gone see the stark reality of the process
Metaphorically no words will come means no action.
Tone:
Sense of helplessness, speechless, hopelessness
Hopelessness – everything gone foe money
‘widowed wind howling’ m- nothing to block it
Nature is already complaining but Man not saying or doing anything, no action,
Personification in last stanza
S3 a lot of words on noise
S2 line see a process but in the end, no one does anything.
Environment gone , desecrated
End – tone of anger being personified in frustration
Suggested Activities
Pre-reading:
Remind students about The Dead Crow
Watch a documentary or movie about saving the rainforests
Post-reading
Project _ go around and take pictures about the destruction of the environment / rainforests
Questions to Ponder
1. In S4, why are there no words to describe what is happening?
2. What is Man’s attitude towards Nature?
3. Progress comes with a price.
Based on the poem, what does the poet reveal in this poem?
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4. STANLEY KUNITZ: The War Against the Trees
Biography
Themes
War against the trees –the result is permanent destruction
Battle small; war bigger scale
Decisiveness
Language
Use of narrative mode to show the war against nature with specific reference to the destruction of
trees
Metaphors
It took centuries to grow but just a short while to destroy them
Bulldozers working full time drunk with gasoline
Magnanimous picture of tree giants being felled by modernisation
‘the green world turned its death-foxed page’ - confusing why this green world should give way
to its destruction
LI 25 the destruction is so great that it is difficult to accept it.
Roots torn from the earth look ugly like a gorgon head, ugly because of the damage done to the
earth
In the rear-view (30) see everything gone and past. Hyphenation of words frequent compound
words but oxymoron forsythia-forays, hydrangea-raids capturing the moment at that time
‘death-foxed’ centuries of beautiful trees suddenly outwitted, shocked by this destruction.
Stresses the idea of devastation
No remorse from the man who sold his land
Tone
Narrative
Matter-of-fact reconcile oneself to the situation of destruction to the natural environment
Point of View
Persona’s first person
Suggested Activities
Pre-reading:
Remind students about The Dead Crow
Watch a documentary or movie about saving the rainforests
Post-reading
Project _ go around and take pictures about the destruction of the environment / rainforests
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Questions to Ponder
1. L1-4
Why did the man find the situation amusing?
2. How is the sense of decisiveness conveyed in the poem?
3. Destruction comes stealthily.
With reference to this poem, discuss whether you agree with it.
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5. OMAR MOHD NOOR: A Quarrel Betwee Day And Night
Biography
Themes
Conflict over the allocation of time
A metaphorical conflict of night and day
Constant struggle between - good vs evil
Enjoyment vs work
Language
S1 - We seem to be losing focus in our priorities
S3 - Night time activities more seductive, dominating are more seductive
What is attractive? the stars, moon and all city lights
Tone
Disappointment that the attractions of night have overwhelmed those of the day
Metaphorical idea using quarrel bet nt and day, but about humans losing priorities in life.
Since nt activities too long, therefore the next day is all upset and we are not able to perform as
well. Loss of focus on one’s duty, withdrawal symptoms of longing for something or having too
much of a good thing. Losing track of time and priorities
Point of View
Persona’s
Suggested Activities
1. Word-association
eg: night – what activities, etc
day - ‘’
Questions to Ponder
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6. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Crabbed Age and Youth Cannot Live Together
Biography
Meaning:
Crabbed age – period of time in life when one becomes more difficult, fussy, and less tolerant,
and incapable of too much activity or movement
L12 – he resigns himself to old age, though he doesn’t want to accept it. He knows there is no
point in fighting it
He is frustrated because he is still vibrant, amorous and passionate about love though he has aged
and physically isn’t as fit anymore
Themes:
Contradictions of life esp between age and youth
Difficulty of accepting age when you still feel young
Language
Rhyme – ababcdcdefef
Similes – like summer morn,etc
Metaphor – age’s breath is short
‘my love, my love is youth’ metaphor to describe that though he is physically old yet he
is capable of love and passion , young at heart
Personification – Youth is nimble, age is lame
Age is sweet shepherd (nature)
Punctuation – a lot of commas, so a lot of pauses indicating persona revelling in youth and finds
it difficult that when you age, life become a contrast
- exclamation mark – excited that his ability to love is still young and vibrant
Juxtaposition – he juxtaposes youth and age , brings out the contrast by using antonyms such as
summer – winter, nimble – lame, abhor - adore
Tone: Excitement vs frustration
Anger vs resignation
A mixed up personality – emotionally chaotic does not like nature’s way of incapacitating man
Suggested Activities
Weaker students antonyms
Construct sentences using antonyms, then same sentences to show irony
Write using conjunction s to join sentences
Word association
Age, youth, show pictures of youth age or older people leading ‘youthful’ lives
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Questions to Ponder
1. L1-4
Based on these lines, why can’t age and youth live together?
2. How does the persona convey his frustration between youth and age in the poem?
3. In literature, we learn that Life is ironical.
How is this statement portrayed in the poem?
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