causing severe damage or ruining something completely

direct involvement of a deity in human affairs, often in response to prayer

historic city significant to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, located in the Middle East

mental and emotional state of a group or society, reflecting confidence, enthusiasm and determination

morally upright or virtuous; acting in accordance with principles of justice and goodness

Understanding the poem 'The Destruction of Sennacherib' by Lord Byron

English

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

In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils explore how poets present the atrocities of World War One through their poetry. In 'Edexcel 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 'Conflict' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons on each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. Pupils study the poems in a thematically linked order so they can complete comparative and thematic lessons at key points in the unit.

Poetry anthology: first study

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

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

a natural disaster or event deemed beyond human control, such as earthquakes

the belief that a monarch's authority to rule comes directly from God

a social class with hereditary privileges, often tied to aristocratic titles

"like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green"

"the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea"

"the Gentile [...] melted like snow in the glance"

Which of the following similes from 'The Destruction of Sennacherib' does Byron use to emphasise the power of God?

Which two colours does Byron use to emphasise the wealth, power and high status of the Assyrian army at the beginning of 'The Destruction of Sennacherib'?

Which wars were taking place across Europe during the period when 'The Destruction of Sennacherib' was written and published?

Most people were religious so they preferred art and literature about God.

It helped to boost public morale and justify the conflict as a righteous cause.

It was likely Britain would lose the war so this gave many people hope.

People were starting to question religion and this helped to stop this.

Why were depictions of divine intervention popular during the early 1800s? 

a genre of writing, focused on love and relationships

a cultural movement from the late 1700s, focused on emotions and nature

a style of poetry used to write about love, usually written in the sonnet form

a famous Romantic poet who was close friends with Byron

a French military and political leader, and the Emperor of France (1810-1814)

a religious leader from the Bible who received prophecies from God

the leader of the Assyrian army before King Sennacherib

Who was Napoleon Bonaparte (later known as Napoleon I)?

Which of these words is a synonym for 'wither'?

a phrase or line of poetry that is repeated throughout

a section of poetry that is separated either side by line breaks

Her laughter was a melody that danced through the room.

The rain rattled against the window, a relentless reminder of the storm outside.

The stars glittered like diamonds in the midnight sky.

The weary old tree stretched its branches towards the sun.

Which of the following examples is a simile?

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision recommended

Introduction

What will you need for this lesson?

Are you ready to learn?

Equipment

Content guidance

Supervision

Worksheet