Analysing the Poem 'Remains'

English

In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of power and conflict. In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils explore how poets presents the atrocities of World War One through their poetry. In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry', pupils analyse how a variety of different wars have been presented through poetry.

In this unit, pupis explore 12 of the 15 poems from the 'Power and Conflict' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in three groups, and they pause after each group to compare how those poems present common themes.

Poetry anthology: first study

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

The poem 'Remains' is written in which tense?

the soldier's lack of control over his emotions.

the soldier's feelings about the distant warzone vs home.

In 'Remains' the use of enjambment and caesura may reflect...

In 'Remains', what method is used to show the force of the intrusive thoughts the speaker experiences when he is back home, through the use of the word "bursts"?

At the start in 'Remains' the speaker sounds like he's telling an anecdotal story but by the end it is clear that he feels....

Causing disruption through being unwanted is known as being...

Why might Armitage have written the poem 'Remains'? 

Match the type of pronoun to the correct example.

'Us' is an example of a collective pronoun. What impact could the pronoun 'us' have when used in a text?

A looter stealing from a bank runs away from the speaker.

The speaker and his fellow soldiers shoot at the looter.

The speaker describes the impact of the bullets and the looter dying.

The soldier returns home but cannot forget the memory of the shooting.

The speaker sees the death of the looter in his dreams.

Starting with the first, order the key points of 'Remains' in chronological order.

The way a poem is organised is also known as the ...

The use of punctuation to pause in the middle of a line of poetry is called...

The method where by one line of poetry continues on to the next is known as...

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Adult supervision required

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Analysing the Poem 'Remains'

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.