War+Theme+Comparisons

You might like to compare two texts on the theme of war. The subject can be the pity of war or be a comparison of different perceptions or attitudes to a war or two different wars in different times.

You could compare the famous "Dulce et Decorum Est" with another war poem, a film depiction of war, a short story set in a war situation or an non-fiction prose piece). You will need to research the poets/authors/directors and conside the genre, audience, purpose, main ideas, themes and author's techniques. For example with a poem you should think about emotive word choice and connotations, form/structure, imagery (simile, metaphor, personification), rhythm and rhyme, sound (alliteration, onomatopoeia) and tone. Other techniques to consider may be irony, euphemism, symbolism etc).

Suggestion: Compare and Contrast two World War 1 poems: "Dulce et Decorum Est" which shows the harsh reality of war with the pro-enlistment propaganda poem which provoked it "Who's for the Game?". There are lots of notes and presentations available on line and on Youtube. Make sure you check who has posted the information and remember no plagiarism.

Suggestion: Compare and Contrast a World War 1 written text (such as "Dulce et Decorum Est") with a film depiction of the war (can be a documenary or an effective fictionalised account such as "Blackadder Goes Forth" final episode "Goodbyeee" - [] [] [] [] )

Alternatively you may choose two texts from the following as long as one is a WRITTEN text.


 * Poetry –** **World War 1**
 * [|Suicide in the Trenches Siegfried Sassoon] //Sassoon describes briefly and vividly the damage that war does to one young soldier.//
 * [|Attack Siegfried Sassoon] //A description of ‘going over the top’, with questions on the poem.//
 * [|The Rear Guard Siegfried Sassoon] //A lone soldier has to find his way through horrors to get to headquarters.//
 * [|The Sentry Wilfred Owen] //The poet describes an encounter with a wounded soldier.//
 * [|Mental Cases Wilfred Owen] //A poem about the effects of what we now call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.//
 * [|Disabled worksheet] //A worksheet to help you to analyse Owen’s poem.//
 * [|Last Post Carol Ann Duffy] //Duffy re-imagines WW1 poets and the lasting impact of their work.//
 * [|Cannon Fodder Alec Waugh] //Waugh describes coming across the body of a soldier in No Man’s Land.//
 * [|The Man He Killed Thomas Hardy]//Hardy’s soldier describes how he could have been friends with the man he killed.//

//.//
 * Poetry** - **World War 2**
 * [|Pigtail Tadeusz Rozewicz] //A poem reflecting on the murder of Jews during WW2//
 * Poetry** – w**ar in history**
 * [|Henry V extract William Shakespeare] //King Henry V rallies his troops before the Battle of Agincourt.//
 * [|Iliad extract Homer] //An unflinching description of death in battle during the Trojan War.//
 * Prose –** **World War 1**
 * [|Prose extracts Wilfred Owen and Birdsong]
 * [|War Diary of Captain Noel Chavasse]
 * [|Propaganda Posters Task Sheet]
 * [|Wilfred Owen Letter Home]
 * [|WW1 information sheets]


 * Prose – contemporary**
 * [|Vietman War information sheet] //Information about the USA’s ill-fated war in South East Asia. Comparisons may be made with Iraq and Afghanistan.//
 * [|Prose extracts – political speeches] //Including Churchill, Hitler and US president George W. Bush.//
 * [|Prose – Principles of a Just War] //Is there ever a good reason to go to war?//
 * [|Marie Colvin Final Dispatch from Homs] //A newspaper report on the current conflict in Syria.//