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Year 8

‘Where Have All the Flowers Gone?’: a song of conviction

I can explain how structure and imagery can be used to take a stand.

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New
New
Year 8

‘Where Have All the Flowers Gone?’: a song of conviction

I can explain how structure and imagery can be used to take a stand.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A poem can be turned into song and used to take a stand.
  2. ‘Where Have All The Flowers Gone’ is a famous anti-war song.
  3. The song uses a cyclical structure to show the inevitability of war.
  4. The imagery of flowers in the poem reflects the beauty and innocence that is destroyed by war.
  5. Repetition of “where” and “learn” reinforces the sense of loss and history’s inability to teach us about violence.

Common misconception

Students may think that there is a very clear distinction between poetry and music lyrics.

Encourage students to consider what the poetry and song lyrics have in common. For example the use of verses and refrains, as well as the use of figurative language, often crosses over.

Keywords

  • Poignant - making you feel sad

  • Melancholy - feeling or expressing a deep sadness

  • To reinforce - to make something stronger

  • Refrain - a short part of a song or poem that is repeated

  • Indictment - something that shows a policy or system is bad or wrong

Play the song to your class. Ask them about the tone and the mood created. Ask if they know of other songs that take a stand.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to the words of the song 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone' by Pete Seeger.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is the best description of what lyrics are?
a type of poetry with a set rhythm and meter
the melody or musical composition of a song
the emotional atmosphere created by a piece of music
Correct answer: the words of a song
Q2.
Which of the following is a synonym for "mood"?
Correct answer: atmosphere
theme
plot
character
Q3.
Which of the following is the best definition of the context of a text?
the structure of a text
the grammatical structures of a text
Correct answer: the social and historical background of a text
the language and structure of a text
Q4.
What do we call the technique when a writer deliberately uses an idea or an image or a word several times in the same text?
Correct Answer: repetition
Q5.
In literature, we often say that 'a thing' can represent an idea. Which of the following is the best definition of represent?
to look like the thing
to pretend to be the thing
Correct answer: to symbolise the thing
to describe thing in detail
Q6.
In literature, imagery means...
the sequence of events in a story
the underlying message of a story to teach the reader something
Correct answer: the use of language designed to create pictures in the reader's mind
the overall structure of a text

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who wrote the poem and song 'Where All The Flowers Gone?'?
Correct Answer: Pete Seeger, Seegar
Q2.
Match the words on the left with the synonyms on the right.
Correct Answer:poignant,moving, touching

moving, touching

Correct Answer:melancholy ,sad, sorrowful

sad, sorrowful

Correct Answer:to reinforce,to strengthen

to strengthen

Correct Answer:indictment,accusation

accusation

Q3.
In the following title, 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone?' which word evokes a sense of loss or that something is missing and cannot be found?
Correct answer: Where
all
flowers
gone
Q4.
What word beginning with r refers to a line or phrase that is repeated throughout a poem?
Correct Answer: refrain
Q5.
In the following title, 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone?' which word represents beauty and youth?
where
all
Correct answer: flowers
gone
Q6.
Which of the following explains the use of structure in 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone?'?
Correct answer: The cyclical structure reinforces the sense of war being ever ending.
The cyclical structure reinforces the innocence of the young people.
The cyclical structure reminds us of the fate of the soldiers.
The cyclical structure is key to the poem's mood.