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Year 11
Edexcel

Comparing women's conflict in the Edexcel 'Conflict' anthology

I can make thematic connections between 'Poppies', 'Catrin' and 'Cousin Kate'.

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New
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Year 11
Edexcel

Comparing women's conflict in the Edexcel 'Conflict' anthology

I can make thematic connections between 'Poppies', 'Catrin' and 'Cousin Kate'.

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Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The role of 'mother' and the role of 'lover' both create conflict in a patriarchal society.
  2. Society's expectations of women have changed over time as people have become more progressive.
  3. 'Cousin Kate' is useful for comparing conflicts thrust on women due to society's expectations of them.
  4. 'Catrin' is useful for exploring the complexities of the mother-child relationship.
  5. 'Poppies' arguably presents a more traditional depiction of motherhood whereas 'Catrin' challenges this view.

Common misconception

We no longer experience gender inequality in today's society.

Although today's society is much more progressive than Victorian society, there are still areas where gender inequality is experienced, although it is usually much more subtle and institutionalised.

Keywords

  • Patriarchy - a social system in which men hold primary power and dominate roles in leadership

  • Maternal - characteristics associated with being a mother, such as nurturing, caring and protective qualities

  • Perception - an individual's interpretation or understanding of a particular situation, object or event

  • Altruistic - showing selfless concern for the well-being of others, often putting their needs before one's own

  • Institutional sexism - discrimination embedded within organisations that disadvantage people based on their gender

Consider running Learning Cycle 2 and 3 concurrently, splitting the class into two teams and encouraging groups to explore each pairing of poems and present their findings to the class.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the Edexcel Poetry Anthology for this lesson. We will be using the ‘Conflict’ cluster and focusing on ‘Catrin’ (Clarke), ‘Cousin Kate’ (Rossetti) and ‘Poppies’ (Weir).

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

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).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
'Cousin Kate' is a poem about ...
the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship.
a mother who is grieving after a family member leaves to fight in a war.
Correct answer: a woman who feels betrayed after her lover leaves her for another woman.
how class divisions in society cause prejudice and discrimination.
someone reflecting on how interpersonal conflict can lead to resentment .
Q2.
'Catrin' is a poem about ...
a woman who feels betrayed after her lover leaves her for another woman.
how class divisions in society cause prejudice and discrimination.
Correct answer: the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship.
someone reflecting on how interpersonal conflict can lead to resentment.
a mother who is grieving after a family member leaves to fight in a war.
Q3.
'Poppies' is poem about ...
how class divisions in society cause prejudice and discrimination.
someone reflecting on how interpersonal conflict can lead to resentment.
Correct answer: a mother who is grieving after a family member leaves to fight in a war.
a woman who feels betrayed after her lover leaves her for another woman.
the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship.
Q4.
Starting with the first, put these poems in chronological order of publication date.
1 - 'Cousin Kate'
2 - 'Catrin'
3 - 'The Class Game'
4 - 'Poppies'
Q5.
Which of these sentences contains correlative conjunctions?
Correct answer: Both men and women faced strict societal roles.
Gender roles have evolved significantly over time.
Social mobility has increased more than ever.
Class expectations remain less rigid compared to before.
Q6.
What is a patriarchal society?
a social system in which power and authority are predominantly held by women
Correct answer: a social system in which power and authority are predominantly held by men
a social system in which power and authority are shared equally by men and women
a social system in which power and authority are held solely by a dictator

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is institutional sexism?
blatant discrimination within an educational or healthcare setting
positive discrimination to ensure more women are able to get top jobs
Correct answer: discrimination embedded within organisations, disadvantaging certain genders
school and universities which teach sexist beliefs
Q2.
In Victorian society, men were the dominant gender. We could describe this as a society.
Correct Answer: patriarchal
Q3.
In Victorian society, women were valued for their __________ and __________.
Correct answer: modesty
bravery
resilience
Correct answer: virtue
status
Q4.
Throughout history women have often been objectified, viewed as either ‘lovers’ or .
Correct Answer: mothers, mums, maternal figures
Q5.
Which of these quotations implies that the speaker of 'Cousin Kate' views herself as impure after her affair with the nobleman?
"maiden"
Correct answer: "unclean"
"flaxen"
"fooled"
Q6.
Although 'Cousin Kate' and 'Catrin' were written over 100 years apart and depict different gender expectations, there are some similarities in the way ...
both speakers' lives are ruined by gender expectations.
both speakers are denied the love they deserve.
that societal expectations cause both women to be cast out.
Correct answer: that these societal expectations cause anxiety for women.