Hello everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today for another lesson from the World at War: Poetry unit.

My name is Dr.

Clayton and I'm here to guide you through your learning today.

Today's lesson is all about learning how to compare two poems, in preparation for our final lesson, which will detail how to write a comparative essay.

So for today, we're going to look at the three poems that we've covered in this unit, Rupert Brooke's "The Soldier," John McCrae's "In Flanders Fields," and Sarojini Naidu's "The Gift of India," and consider how we can compare these poems. The key keywords for today are attitude, mood, patriotic, content, and duty.

The definitions of the keywords are appearing on your screen now.

These will help you to unlock your learning for today and will be appearing throughout the learning material.

If you can, try to use them in your written work and discussions today.

So we have three learning cycles in our lesson today.

We're first going to consider how to approach the comparison of poems in a general way by thinking about how best to conceptualise this comparison and what questions you want to be asking about the poets and poems themselves.

Secondly, we're going to compare the perspectives and language, form and structure of Naidu's "The Gift of India," with Brooke's "The Soldier." And then finally, we're going to compare the perspectives and language, form and structure of Naidu's "The Gift of India" with McCrae's "In Flanders Fields." For the rest of this lesson and the next lesson, we're going to be working up to answering the question compare how the concept of dying at war is presented in Naidu's "The Gift of India" and one other poem.

So we're going to begin by deconstructing what the question is asking us to do.

Firstly, when the question says compare how, what it's asking you to do is consider the similarities and differences in ideas, language, structure, and form between two poems. Secondly, every analytical essay will give you a topic or concept to focus on, and in this instance, that is dying at war.

So what the question is asking you to do is consider the similarities and differences around this concept in the two poems. Finally, a comparative question will usually give you one poem and ask you to choose one other for your comparison.

In this instance, the question is asked you to focus on Naidu's "The Gift of India" and one other, which means you have to decide whether to use Brooke's "The Soldier," or McCrae's "In Flanders Fields" as your comparative poem.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

Which two of the following is the question asking you to consider? Is it A, compare the similarities only, B, compare the similarities and differences, C, compare "The Gift of India" with "The Soldier," or D, compare "The Gift of India" with one other poem? Pause the video and make your selection now.

The correct answers are B, compare the similarities and differences, and D, compare "The Gift of India" with one other poem.

So very well done if you selected those answers.

Now we're going to consider how you should think about approaching a comparison.

A comparative question will always give you a theme or idea to consider, but it may not give you a specific poem as a comparison.

That's something you must decide on your own.

What I'd like you to do is discuss how you might go about choosing which poem to compare with which.

Pause the video and take a few moments to discuss.

Amazing.

I heard some great ideas there.

Like Aisha, you might have said that you could think about the poets as having a conversation together.

Would they agree or disagree? Or like Andeep, you might have said you also want to make sure there is some point of difference in the ideas of the poems rather than being exactly the same.

Now I'd like you to consider the next step in preparing for your comparative essay.

Once you've chosen your comparative poem, what questions do you think you should ask about the poems to help you think about the themes, ideas, and attitudes of the poems? Pause the video and take a few minutes to consider.

Amazing, some great ideas there.

Like Jun, you might have said, you could ask who the speaker is in each poem and whether you think their views are similar or different.

Or like Alex, you might have said a good question to ask is whether they focus on the same aspect of the overall theme.

Or like Izzy, you might have thought that asking whether one poem presents a more positive attitude than the other would be a good question.

Finally, like Laura, you might have thought that asking what the tone or mood of the poem is would be a good question to ask.

You're all doing really well, everyone.

We're now onto our first task of the lesson.

What I'd like you to do is take those questions we just considered and apply them to our potential comparative poems. So who is the speaker in "The Gift of India," who is the speaker in "The Soldier," and who is the speaker in "In Flanders Fields?" Then consider what the mood of each poem is and finally, consider whether they have a positive or negative attitude towards the theme of dying for one's country.

Pause the video and take a few minutes to create your answers.

Amazing.

Well done everyone.

You might have said the speaker in "The Gift of India" is India, while the speaker in "The Soldier" is the individual soldier who is contemplating dying for his country.

And finally, the speaker in "In Flanders Fields" is the collective voice of the soldiers who have already died fighting for their country.

The mood in "The Gift of India" is grief or despair, since the speaker talks about the soldiers as if they were her sons who've been torn away from her.

the mood in "The Soldier" is peaceful and patriotic, since the soldier is firm in their resolution to die for their country since they believe it'll bring them joy in the afterlife.

And finally, the mood of "In Flanders Fields" is reassuring, since the poem is a call to arms and they want the reader to sign up to fight in the war.

For the attitude, the attitude of "The Gift of India" towards dying in war is negative, since it suggests the soldiers were taken away to fight by force and they will end up in lonely graves.

The mood of "The Soldier" and "In Flanders Fields," however, are both positive since they both suggest it's one's moral and patriotic duty to fight and die for one's country.

You're all doing really well, everyone.

We're now into our second learning cycle of the lesson, where we're going to delve a little deeper into how we can compare the language and structural techniques used in "The Gift of India" and "The Soldier".

We're going to begin by focusing on the focal point of the question, which is the concept of dying at war.

What I'd like you to do is discuss how you can compare how this idea is presented in both "The Gift of India" and "The Soldier".

Use the following quotations to help guide your discussions.

What was Naidu suggesting when she said the soldiers were gathered like pearls in their alien graves? And then what was Brooke suggesting when he said the soldier's grave would be forever England, and what did he mean when he metaphorically compared the soldier's body to a richer dust? Pause the video and take a few minutes to discuss.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said, the notion of the soldiers being gathered like pearls suggests that the soldiers were taken from their natural home by someone else, since pearls are taken from their home on the seabed to be sold as part of jewellery pieces.

Then you might also have said the idea of the soldiers being in alien graves suggest the soldier's bodies are in unfamiliar places far away from home, since the word alien suggest something unfamiliar.

In contrast, you might have said the notion of the soldier's resting place being forever England suggests an unbreakable bond between the soldier and home.

This is a very patriotic idea since it suggests the love between the soldier and England will last forever.

Furthermore, when we think of dust, the biblical phrase "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" might come to mind, which suggests that dying for your country, you are fulfilling the natural circle of life.

I'd like us to think now about the form and structure of "The Gift of India" and "The Soldier." I'd like you to discuss how you can compare how the writers use techniques in order to create meaning.

You might focus your discussion on the fact "The Gift of India" has a regular rhyme scheme since its written in rhyming couplets, and the final word of the poem is sons.

What is the significance of this choice? "The Soldier" also uses a regular rhyme scheme since it's written in the sonnet form, but is Brooke using the regular rhyme scheme to create the same effect as Naidu? Then in contrast to "The Gift of India," the final word of "The Soldier" is heaven.

What is the significance of this choice? Pause the video and take a few minutes to discuss.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said that since "The Gift of India" is written in rhyming couplets, then we know what is coming next in terms of the rhyme.

Therefore, the regular rhyme scheme of "The Gift of India" might reflect the predictability of war and the soldiers' deaths.

Then, since the final word is sons, this leaves the reader thinking about the humanity of the soldiers and their loved ones at home, which adds to the mood of the poem being that of grief and despair rather than the contentment with the notion of the soldiers dying at war.

In contrast, though Brooke also uses a regular rhyme scheme, the more likely interpretation's so the regularity of the rhyme reflects the peace and contentment the soldier feels at the thought of dying for their country.

The final word being heaven implies that the soldier's final destination is heaven, since they have died for their country.

In contrast to "The Gift of India," "The Soldier" ends on a very positive image which adds to the idyllic mood of the poem.

We're now going to discuss the use of language between "The Gift of India" and "The Soldier." So why has Naidu personified India? What is the effect on the reader, and why does she use evocative adjectives such as torn? In contrast, Brooke also personifies England, but how is he trying to achieve a different effect than Naidu? And in contrast to evocative adjectives, Brooke uses idyllic language such as friends and peace.

Pause the video and take a few minutes to discuss.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said that Naidu personifies England as a mother, through the images of the soldiers as sons torn away from her womb.

This adds to the despair of the poem.

The evocative adjectives that Naidu uses also add to the grieving, despairing mood.

If we take torn as our example, by suggesting the victory banners are torn, Naidu is suggesting the victory is ruined, since so many soldiers' lives have been sacrificed to achieve it.

In contrast, while Brooke also personifies England as a mother, the effect he achieves is to highlight the nurturing bond between the soldier and England, since he suggests that England raised the soldier and made them who they are.

The idyllic language throughout adds to the optimistic, positive mood, since it implies these idyllic images will await the soldier following their death at war, fighting for their country.

Our final point of comparison is the personal context of Naidu and Brooke, and what their experience of the war was.

This is important to consider as the personal experiences of the poets shape their attitudes and how they want the reader to feel.

For Naidu, she protested against the British Empire's rule over India, while Brooke volunteered to fight in the war but died before he saw any military action.

Pause the video and took a few minutes to discuss how these experiences might have influenced the poet's perspectives.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said the fact that Naidu protested the British Empire's rule over India suggests she will have a negative attitude towards the concept of Indian soldiers dying for the British Empire.

In contrast, the fact that Brooke immediately volunteered but did not see any actual fighting suggests he might have an idealised view of the war, since he did not experience the terror and trauma of combat.

Now, for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is match the following ideas with the correct poem.

So which poem personifies their country as a mother to create the evocative image of sons being torn from their mother, and which poem personifies their country as a mother to create the nurturing image of a son being raised by his mother? Pause the video and make your selection.

The correct answers are that Naidu's "The Gift of India" uses the personification to create the image of sons being torn from their mother and Brooke's "The Soldier" uses personification to create the image of a son being raised by his mother, so very well done if you selected those answers.

You're doing really well so far, everyone.

We're now into the second task of the lesson.

What I'd like you to do is create a single paragraph outline to plan a paragraph comparing the ideas of "The Gift of India" and "The Soldier" around the concept of dying at war.

Before you begin, let's just recap what a single paragraph outline looks like.

These are really useful planning devices since they help you map out your ideas and see how your essay will look as an argument before you start writing.

The single paragraph outline asks you to create a topic sentence that explains the specific focus of the paragraph.

You should write this as a full sentence.

Then your supporting detail is evidence from the language, form, and structural analysis that supports your argument.

This should be in note form.

And finally, it asks you to write a concluding sentence, which is a summary of the paragraph with a clear focus on the writer's purpose.

This should be written as a full sentence.

Pause the video and create your single paragraph outline now.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said the topic sentence could be, while both Naidu and Brooke reference the deaths of soldiers at war, Naidu presents this concept through negative imagery while Brooke presents the idea through an optimistic lens.

For the supporting detail, you might reference Naidu's use of the word alien to suggest the soldiers are in an unfamiliar place and far from home, as well as the idea of how the soldiers are gathered, which suggests they've been taken from their natural home by somebody else.

In contrast, Brooke suggests the soldier's body will be forever England, which suggests the soldier will always be a part of England no matter where they are.

Furthermore, the image of the soldier's body as dust is a metaphorical idea of it being natural to die for your country.

Finally, your concluding sentence might be, thus Naidu presents the soldier's deaths in a despairing tone, while Brooke uses positive imagery.

Naidu's presentation implies the soldiers were taken from their home by the British Empire to die and they will find no peace in the afterlife.

In contrast, Brooke implies that soldiers should find the concept of dying for their country peaceful.

You're all doing really well, everyone.

We're now into a final learning cycle where we're going to compare "The Gift of India" with "In Flanders Fields." As with our comparison of "The Gift of India" and "The Soldier," we're going to start by comparing the ideas in both poems about the concept of dying at war.

For "The Gift of India," you might again consider the quote "Gathered like pearls in their alien graves," while for "In Flanders Fields," you might consider the quotes "We are the Dead" and "Take up our quarrel with the foe." Pause the video and take a few minutes to discuss.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said the notion of the soldiers being gathered like pearls suggests the soldiers were taken from their natural home by somebody else, since pearls are taken from the home on the seabed to be sold as part of jewellery pieces.

Then you might also have said the idea of the soldiers being in alien graves suggests the soldier's bodies are in unfamiliar places far away from home, since the word alien suggests something unfamiliar.

In contrast, you might have said The fact that the speaker of "In Flanders Fields" is the voice of the dead soldiers shows they are still important.

By asking the reader to take up the quarrel, the poem reads as a call to arms to the reader, asking them to volunteer and fight in the war.

We're now going to consider how you might compare the form and structure of "The Gift of India" and "In Flanders Fields." For "The Gift of India," you might consider the regular rhyme scheme of the poem and the enjambment.

Now enjambment is where the meaning of the line continues over onto the next, so what might Naidu be suggesting is continuing? Both these techniques are also used in "In Flanders Fields," but how might McCrae be using them to create a different meaning? Pause the video and take a few minutes to discuss.

Amazing.

Well done, everyone.

For "The Gift of India," the regular rhyme scheme might suggest it's inevitable that the soldiers would fight and die for Britain.

The enjambment might also indicate the continuation of the British Empire using Indian soldiers.

In contrast, the regular rhyme of "In Flanders Fields" instead creates a reassuring contented tone, while the enjambment might represent that the reader will have to continue the fight for the dead soldiers and take up the call to arms. Now we're going to consider how you can compare the use of language in "The Gift of India" and "In Flanders Fields." In your discussions, you might consider the use of natural imagery in "The Gift of India," as well as the lack of euphonic sounds in the poem.

Rather than using soothing sounds, Naidu instead uses harsh plosive sounds.

What effect might that have on the reader? "In Flanders Fields" also uses natural imagery, but what effect does McCrae trying to create? In contrast to "The Gift of India," McCrae uses lots of euphonic sounds throughout the poem.

Why might he want to create a soothing tone? Pause the video and take a few minutes to discuss.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said the use of natural imagery, particularly images such as pearls and shells, suggest the soldiers don't belong on the battlefield.

Furthermore, the plosive sounds might represent the harshness of the war and the British Empire's rule over India.

In contrast, McCrae's use of natural imagery might instead suggest it's natural to die for your country.

Furthermore, his use of euphonic sounds creates a soothing, reassuring tone that would help convince the reader to take up the call to arms. Finally, we're going to compare the personal context of Naidu and McCrae and consider how their experience of war might have shaped their poems. For Naidu, she protested against the British Empire's rule over India, while McCrae volunteered for the war and had previously fought in other wars.

How might these factors have influenced their poems? Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

For Naidu, it suggests she'll have a negative attitude towards the concept of Indian soldiers dying for the British Empire, whereas we know from McCrae's continued volunteering and his letters to friends that he felt it was everyone's moral duty to fight in the war.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

is it true or false that both Naidu and McCrae use natural imagery in their poems? Pause the video and make your selection.

The correct answer is true, so well done if you selected that answer.

I'd now like you to justify your answer by selecting one of the following statements, either A, that both poets use natural imagery to create a hopeful, reassuring tone, or B, while both poets utilise natural imagery, only McCrae uses it to create a hopeful, reassuring tone.

Pause the video and make your selection.

The correct answer is B.

While both poets use natural imagery, only McCrae used it to create a hopeful, reassuring tone.

So very well done if you selected that answer.

You're all doing really well, everyone.

We're now onto our final task of the lesson.

What I'd like you to do is imagine that Naidu and McCrae were having a conversation with each other about the concept of dying at war.

What do you think they would say to one another? You might consider the following two questions, whether you think they would agree with each other and what their viewpoints might be.

Pause the video and create your answers.

Amazing work, everyone.

You might have said that while they both might have agreed that soldiers volunteer for war out of a sense of duty, they would probably disagree on whether this is a positive or negative thing.

Naidu would most likely argue that Indian soldiers were fighting and dying for a country that did not treat them well.

However, McCrae would most likely argue it's everyone's moral duty to fight for the greater good.

You all did really well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

We said that while both McCrae and Brooke present a positive attitude towards dying for your country, Naidu presents a negative attitude.

Naidu's use of language and structure creates a despairing mood, while McCrae and Brooke's use of language and structure creates a hopeful, reassuring mood.

Finally, thinking about poets as being in conversation with one another about a theme or idea is a useful way to approach a comparison.

I really hope you enjoyed this lesson and I hope to see you next time for our final lesson in the unit, which will cover how to write a comparative essay.

Goodbye, everyone.