New
New
Year 11
Edexcel
Analysing the poem 'Poppies'
I can explore how Weir uses language and structure to explore grief.
New
New
Year 11
Edexcel
Analysing the poem 'Poppies'
I can explore how Weir uses language and structure to explore grief.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The title could be suggestive of remembrance, the many grieving mothers of war or the outward display of deeper grief.
- Bird imagery may reflect the mother letting go of her son or the way in which she represses her grief.
- Two sestets either side of two longer stanzas may suggest the mother trying hard to contain her emotions for her son.
- The domestic and textile imagery may also show the mother’s containment of grief.
- Textile imagery also suggests the limitations of the mother’s ability to protect her son outside of the home.
Keywords
Grief - intense sorrow usually associated with the death of something or someone
Repress - to keep something under control and not let it come to the surface
Selflessness - concern more with the desires and needs of others rather than one’s own
Common misconception
Pupils may not notice the significance of the textile imagery.
The textile imagery was carefully chosen for the poem, Jane Weir would have been very conscious of putting this in as she was a textile designer.
When on the feedback task in the second learning cycle, you may want to live mark a pupil's response on the visualiser.
Teacher tip
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the AQA Power and Conflict Anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Who is 'Poppies' written from the perspective of?
a soldier
a soldier's sister
Q2.
In this quote from 'Poppies': "smoothed down your shirt’s upturned collar", how does the mother seem?
jealous
angry
nostalgic
Q3.
Throughout the poem 'Poppies', Weir uses frequent...
floral imagery
winter imagery
Q4.
Which quote from 'Poppies' suggests the mother may be at peace with her son's death?
"my stomach busy making tucks, darts, pleats"
"I listened, hoping to hear your playground voice"
Q5.
Look at these words: "steeled", "blockade", "reinforcements". All of these words fit the semantic field of...
love
peace
hope
Q6.
Through the dramatic monologue form used in 'Poppies'...
Weir places significance on the soldier's pain.
Weir shows the patriotism of mothers of boys at war.
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
In 'Poppies', the mother "steel[ing] the softening of her face" could reflect...
how she found it easy to say goodbye to her son
how she does not want to be alone
Q2.
The act of "releasing a song bird from its cage" in 'Poppies' could represent...
the mother releasing her son's childhood pet
Q3.
In 'Poppies', the two sestets either side of long stanzas could reflect…
how war seems to never end
the conflict between the mother and her son
Q4.
"The word “stitch” could further reflect how the mother tries to keep her grief neat and tidy." This response to the poem 'Poppies' contains...
absolute langauge
emotive language
Q5.
What is one way to ensure a nuanced answer when writing essays about poems?
choose the first analysis that comes to your head
name the poet's literary devices
Q6.
Why might Weir have chosen the title "Poppies"?
to encourage the reader to wear a poppy every year
to criticise the sheer loss of life in war