Understanding 'A Wife in London'
I can explain how Thomas Hardy presents the devastating consequences of war.
Understanding 'A Wife in London'
I can explain how Thomas Hardy presents the devastating consequences of war.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Hardy wrote 'A Wife in London' two months after the start of the Second Boer War.
- Hardy was strongly opposed to war - he viewed it as a monumental waste of life.
- The poem sees a wife receive a telegram informing her of the death of her husband.
- The wife then receives a letter from her husband before he died, detailing his hopes for their future together.
- The poem contrasts the hope of a returning soldier with the devastating loss of the wife who has been left behind.
Common misconception
Pupils often think that the wife receives two letters.
The wife receives a telegram and a letter. Both the irony and the tragedy are in the fact that, due to the quick nature of telegrams, the wife receives news of her husband's death before she receives his letter.
Keywords
Foreboding - when we get the feeling something awful is about to happen
Telegram - a piece of paper with a message on sent by a telegraph
Futile - pointless
Devastating - highly-destructive or damaging
Tragedy - an event that causes great distress or suffering
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 (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
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
when we get the feeling something awful is about to happen
when something feels pointless
highly-destructive or damaging