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Dulce Et Decorum Est

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In your answer you must refer closely to the text
and to at least two of imagery, word choice,
tone, sound or any other appropriate feature.

• Is there a poem that has genuinely shocked or
  inspired you?
• Explain what aspects of the poems language
  produced this response.

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The Good Bits

• Everyone (nearly) made an excellent attempt to
  learn their quotations. Well done!
• You all know that you are supposed to refer to
  the question.
• Many of you write very well no one will fail on
  expression at Int. 2
• Look how much you managed to write. Compare this
  with your first timed essay its much better.

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And the bad bits

• Analysis-most of have to develop this. Far too
  vague and general at the moment.
• Many of you dont give the impression of a
  genuine emotional response.
• Topic sentences. Make sure you have them and if
  you can, try to vary the way you refer to the
  question.
• Try to vary ref. to qu. throuout not just in T.S

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The downright ugly bits

• Inverted commas around title of poem
• Capital letters for title of poem.
• Learn title of poem!!!!!!
• STOP writing This quote and I have recently
  read
• AAAAAAAAAAAARHG!!!!!!!!!!

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Tips

• For all essay questions, look at the second
  line. This is crucial to your answer.
• The first line only gives you a clue to the text
  you might choose.
• The second line is the question.
• Use the second, not the first, line to finalise
  your choice of question.

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In your answer you must refer closely to the text
and to at least two of imagery, word choice,
tone, sound or any other appropriate feature.

• Is there a poem that has genuinely shocked or
  inspired you?
• Explain what aspects of the poems language
  produced this response.

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Consider

• What did shock you about the text?
• Really think about it.
• What have you learnt about war?
• Dreadful physical effects. The waste of young
  life and potential
• The horror of a mans painful and brutal death.
• The fact no-one could help him, even if they
  wanted to.
• The dreadful effect this has on those who witness
  this after the event.
• The apparently callous way the soldiers treat the
  dying man
• The strength of Owens anger at those who would
  encourage the idea that to fight and die for
  ones country is noble and honourable.
• You really need to try and touch on most of
  these to cover the main ideas of the poem.

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Analysis

• Firstly, at the start of the poem Owne writes
  about soldiers returning from the Front Line
• Bent double..
• sludge
• This shocks me because he is describing the
  soldiers that are supposed to be young and fit
  and he is comparing them to old, unwell people.

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Better

• Firstly, whilst reading this poem the physical
  effects of war on the soldiers shocked me as
  soldiers are normally associated with being fit
  and healthy. In th e first line, Owen describes
  the soldiers to seem like they are the complete
  opposite to this
• Bent doublesludge
• Owens use of similes here gives a clear
  understanding as to the effect the war has had on
  th esoldiers. He compares the soldiers to old
  beggars, suggesting that they have a hunched
  posture and are weary and decrepit. Owen also
  states that they are coughing like hags. This
  gives the impression that they are drained and
  ill, and being comoared to old witch like
  creatures. Both of these sililes have a sens eof
  irony to them as soldiers are normally healthy
  and fit. (this is very far from the image
  portrayed by the recruiting poems of glorious
  young heroes)

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But someone still was yelling ..or lime

• Owen powerfully sets the scene and emphasises the
  pain the man is in. The phrase and floundering
  like a man in fire or lime is a simile that Owen
  uses to powerfully show the pain the man is in.
  By comparing the man in gas to a man in fire or
  lime, Owen is able to make the reader understand
  the pain the man is in.

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Better

• In Stanza two, Wilfred Owen is describing the
  traumatic scene he saw, and continues to see, in
  his dreams when he saw a fellow soldier die
  during the gas attack
• ButLime
• This is a horrible image for the reader as it is
  a description of a man beginning to die a
  horrible death. The use of the word floundring
  shows just how sporadic and out of control his
  movements are, reflective of the distress he was
  in. later in the stanza, owen admits that this
  image haunts him in his sleep, which shows the
  disturbing mental effects war has on people.

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In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, he
plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

• This again reinforces the mans struggle for
  survival. Owen tells the reader he has nightmares
  about this. Owen also uses present participle to
  make it feel as though it is happening now. This
  sickens me as I still can even think about the
  picture of it in my head.

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• This shows owen feels helpless as he is incapable
  of helping the dying man , and he also cant
  escape his nightmares. Plunges shows how
  desperately the soldier is lunging for help, yet
  the narrator feels he cant save him. Owen
  effectively uses word choice as plunges also
  creates a horrific atmosphere which makes the
  reader think that Owen is experiencing dreadful
  nightmares which he cant get rid of. guttering,
  choking, drowning is also extremely effective in
  shocking the reader because the poet uses the
  present participle, making the poem sound
  immediate. This made me feel that Owen is
  inviting the reader to watch what is happening,
  which the reader is not naturally inclined to do.
  This shocks the reader as it puts the reader into
  Owens nightmares. Comparing a man dying in a gas
  attack to drowning is also very effective as it
  highlights the soldiers desperate call for help
  if you imagine someone drowning, they are
  fighting against the water in order to save their
  own life

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Now,

• Choose a section of your own essay.
• Read it over carefully.
• Look at the comments.
• Rewrite just one section, trying to improve your
  analysis.
• Ask you partner to look at your work and comment
  on whether or not it has improved.

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(No Transcript)
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Choosing a question

• Lets look at poetry questions over the last few
  years.
• Remember it is the second line that is most
  important.