Comparing views in ‘The Soldier’, ‘In Flanders Fields’ and ‘The Gift of India’
I can make detailed comparisons between how Brooke, Naidu and McCrae present ideas around war and the experience of dying at war.
Comparing views in ‘The Soldier’, ‘In Flanders Fields’ and ‘The Gift of India’
I can make detailed comparisons between how Brooke, Naidu and McCrae present ideas around war and the experience of dying at war.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Both Naidu and Brooke personify their respective countries but they have different effects on the reader.
- Both Naidu and McCrae utilise natural imagery, but they have different effects on the reader.
- Thinking about poets as being in conversation with one another is a useful way of thinking about a comparative essay.
Keywords
Attitude - The attitude of a poem is the way the writer thinks or feels about the subject they are writing about.
Mood - The mood of a poem is the emotional undertone.
Patriotic - Being patriotic means showing your love for your country.
Content - Being content means being pleased with your situation and not looking to improve it.
Duty - Duty is a moral or legal obligation or responsibility.
Common misconception
That comparative essays should only focus on the differences between poems.
The most successful comparative essays focus on both the similarities and the differences between the poems.
To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: Comparing views in ‘The Soldier’, ‘In Flanders Fields’ and ‘The Gift of India’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: Comparing views in ‘The Soldier’, ‘In Flanders Fields’ and ‘The Gift of India’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 english lessons from the Comparing poetry from the First World War unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to copies of Brooke's 'The Soldier', Naidu's 'The Gift of India', and McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions
Pain or injury
Something that doesn’t belong
Ripped or ruined