Conflict Poetry Flashcards
English Literature, Paper 2, Section B
1
Q
Who wrote The Destruction of Sennacherib?
A
Lord Byron
2
Q
What type of poem is The Destruction of Sennacherib?
A
Romantic
3
Q
What is romanticism?
A
An artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 1700s.
4
Q
Give 3 aspects of romanticism:
A
Glorification of
nature/power of the natural world (destructive yet beautiful force)
Feelings > intellect - individual experience
Emotion>reason
Inspired by the bible (but NOT religious)
5
Q
What does The Destruction of Sennacherib retell?
A
Biblical story from Old Testament in which God destroys King Sennacherib’s Assyrian army as they attack the holy city of Jerusalem. Attempted siege.
6
Q
What religion were the Assyrian Army?
A
Mesopotamian religion
7
Q
Who prayed to God to save Jerusalem?
A
King of Judah
8
Q
How does Byron emphasise emotion and nature?
A
As a powerful & destructive force.
9
Q
Was Byron religious?
A
No, but he was fascinated by the Bible.
10
Q
What is the form of TDOS?
A
3rd person narrative poem - retells Biblical story.
11
Q
What is the rhythm of TDOS? What does this sound like?
A
Anapestic tetrameter - galloping horses
12
Q
Is there a regular rhyme scheme in TDOS? Why?
A
Yes, creates an impression of strength, adds to the force and energy of the poem.
13
Q
How do the rhyme and rhythm resemble the events of TDOS?
A
Quicken the pace
14
Q
Does TDOS have a regular structure?
A
Yes, quatrains throughout
15
Q
Why is TDOS in chronological order?
A
Adds to the tension and idea of storytelling
16
Q
Where is the volta in TDOS? What is it?
A
Line 7 - dramatic change; describes the Assyrian’s defeat.
“like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown”
17
Q
TDOS lauches into a description of the attack. What is this an example of?
A
In medias res
18
Q
Name 1 structural device in TDOS? What is its effect?
A
End-stopped lines - quickens pace - urgency
19
Q
Name the 6 themes relating to TDOS?
A
Loss
Suffering
War
Power
Nature
Anger
(religion)
20
Q
“The Assyrian came down…
A
like the wolf on the fold”
21
Q
“And his cohorts were…
A
gleaming in purple and gold”
22
Q
“For the…
A
Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast and breathed in the face of the foe as he passed”
23
Q
“loud in their wail,
And the…
A
idols are broke in the temple of Baal”
24
Q
“Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown..
A
that host on the morrow lay withered and strown”
25
"And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword...
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord"
26
"And the tents were all silent, the banners alone...
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown"
27
"waxed deadly and chill...
and their hearts but once heaved and for ever grew still!"
28
What is the Biblical reference in The Charge?
Book of Psalms - belief that God will protect them - idea that God is with them
29
Who wrote The Charge?
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
30
Significantly, who did Tennyson write for?
Queen Victoria. Poet Laureate 1850.
31
What was the role of the Victorian Poet Laureate?
Commemorate important events in the British Empire.
32
What's happening in The Charge?
British soldiers charged over the open terrain in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War.
33
Which poem is a tribute to men who died in a suicidal mission?
The Charge of the Light Brigade.
34
How many were in the Light Brigade?
600
35
What does the Charge glorify?
War, regardless of incompetence and waste
36
Who was the Crimean War fought between? Why?
Fought by Russia Vs. Britain, France and Turkey over control of the Dardanelles (a stretch of water)
37
Why did the Light Brigade need commemorating?
Given mistaken order to charge down a valley to a heavily defended Russian position. Memorialised.
38
What is the form of The Charge?
Narrative poem - focuses on the story of the 'heroes'
39
Is there a regular rhythm in The Charge?
Yes, dactylic dimeter. Imitates cavalry's advance and the energy of the battle. Military rhythm/pounding horses.
40
Is there a regular rhyme scheme in The Charge? Why?
No, irregular. Rhymes help to drive the poem forward but the momentum is broken by unrhymed lines which could mirror the chaos of the war.
41
Does The Charge have regular stanza length? Why?
No, reflective of the chaos of war - nothing is the same
42
What is the significance of the indented lines in The Charge?
Places importance on certain lines. Creates a sense of fragmentation reflective of the war.
43
What is the refrain of The Charge?
"Rode the six hundred"
44
What is the importance of the repetition/refrain
Places emphasis on the soldiers.
45
What is the structure of The Charge? How is this achieved?
Narrative - starts in medias res -tense atmosphere
Each stanza progresses the attack
3rd person chronological order
46
Why is the Charge in 3rd person chronological order?
Hear the power of memories and patriotism behind every word.
47
Name 6 themes in The Charge:
War (glorification)
Loss/Suffering
Patriotism
Honour
Sacrifice
Power (imbalance)
48
"Into the valley of death ...
rode the six hundred"
49
"Boldly they rode and well...
into the jaws of Death"
50
"Their's not...
to make reply
Their's not to reason why
Their's but to do and die"
51
"Cannon to ...
the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon in front/behind them"
52
"Sabring the gunners there...
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered:"
53
"Forward, the Light Brigade!...
Was there a man dismayed?"
54
"Not tho the soldier knew...
Someone had blundered"
55
"Volleyed and thundered...
stormed at with shot and shell"
56
Who wrote TMHK?
Thomas Hardy
57
When was TMHK written and why?
1902 - response to South Africa/Boer war
58
Who was Hardy?
Victorian anti-war poet who did not agree with the politics of his time
59
Who fought the Boer war?
British Vs. Dutch settlers of the Boer republics in South Africa
60
Did Hardy support the Boer War?
No, he thought the Boers were simply defending their homes
61
When and where was the Boer war fought?
South Africa 1899-1902 (Victorian)
62
Why did Britain start the Boer war?
Had possession of surrounding lands. When diamonds and gold discovered, Britain desired the area.
63
Why is it called The Man He Killed?
Universal, could relate to any soldier - nameless
64
What is the form of TMHK?
Dramatic Monologue - soldier telling someone else about his experience of fighting in the war.
65
Is there a regular rhyme scheme in TMHK?
Yes - unusual as it makes the poem seem to be less serious despite the seriousness of the conflict.
66
Is there a regular rhythm in TMHK?
Yes - strong, pulsating iambic rhythm -> conversational
67
What is the structure and stanzas of TMHK?
Cyclical structure, 5 quatrains
68
What is the significance of the cyclical structure of TMHK?
Cannot escape his memories and replays them constantly; trauma is ongoing.
69
What is the effect of TMHK being 1st person?
Working class soldier - colloquial language
Voice of an ordinary man who as no idea why he is fighting and no awareness of the political situation of his time.
70
What are 7 themes in TMHK?
Memories
War (effects of)
Loss/suffering
Individual experiences
Regret
Identity
Trauma
71
Who wrote WWTL?
Denise Leretov
72
What movement was Denise Leretov in?
Counter culture movement in 1960s which opposed authority, war and challenged inequality
73
Who was Denise Leretov?
Anti-war poet & activist
74
Why did Leretov spend time in jail?
Criticised the American involvement in the Vietnam war and protested against it
75
What inspired WWTL?
The bombing campaign
76
What was the longest war in US history?
Vietnam War (1989-1995)
77
What were the casualties of the Vietnam war?
2 million civillians and 1.1 million fighters died
78
What was the environmental cost of the Vietnam War?
Large parts of Vietnam's countryside were destroyed by bombs and laced with land mines. Took pride in their countryside.
79
What's napalm? How hot?
900-1300 degrees burns for up to 15 mins. Jelly like substance that when ignited sticks to practically anything. Unbearably painful and almost always causes death.
80
What is the form of WWTL?
Free verse - no rhythm or rhyme. Reflective of the seriousness of the topic
81
How does WWYL sound like an interview?
Q&A format. natural, conversational feel.
82
What does WWYL protest against?
American involvement in the Vietnam war.
83
What does lack of rhyme/meter suggest?
Conveys a sense of disorder which reflects the destruction caused by the war.
84
What is the stanzas of WWTL?
2 stanzas numbered, cold objective tone. Question and answer format
85
Who is the questioner in WWTL?
An American journalist looking for information. Doesn't understand the impact of the catastrophic war on the Vietnamese people.
86
Who is the 2nd speaker in WWTL?
Vietnamese. Speaking from experience. Has feelings for the people and children of Vietnam.
87
What is the significance of the address 'sir' in WWTL?
Creates a distance. Note of exasperation, bitter responses.
88
Lines 10 and 15 are solemn images. Why is this and what are they?
'Sir, their light hearts turned to stone'
'There were no more buds'
Consider these more deeply so that we recognise the destruction
89
What are 4 themes in WWTL?
Memories
Death
War
Loss/Suffering
90
"Did they hold...
ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds"
91
"Sir... [2 quotations]
their light hearts turned to stone"
OR
laughter is bitter to the burned mouth"
92
"It is not remembered...
remember, most were peasants"
93
"But after their children...
were killed, there were no more buds"
94
"Who can say?...
It is silent now"
95
"Maybe fathers told their sons old tales...
When bombs smashed those mirrors, there was time only to scream"
96
Who wrote War Photographer?
Carole Satyamurti
97
What were Satyamurti's jobs?
Poet and sociologist: studies humans.
98
What did Satyamurti focus on in sociology?
Focuses on difficult, complex and usually painful subjects. Interested in our fragility as humans. Focuses on the tensions between people's separate lives.
99
When was War Photographer written?
1987
100
Why do we not know the exact war in War Photographer?
Several wars taking place. Setting of this war is irrelevant, focuses instead on the impact war has on children.
101
War Photographer: the idea that wars are not fought on battlefields but where?
across cities
102
What does Satyamurti expose about how war is represented?
Criticism of some modern media outlets and even us as a consumer.
103
What is the form of War Photographer?
Free verse - no regular rhyme or rhythm
104
Why is War Photographer free verse?
Sounds like natural speech. Speaking with no artifice - brutally honest. Speaker's work troubles them. Wish to shine a light into the darkest, most brutal corner of the world.
105
What is the stanzas of War Photographer?
5 stanzas - irregular lines and length.
106
Each stanza takes a different perspective - but why are stanzas 2 and 3 the same length?
purposeful for juxtaposition
107
In war photographer, What causes a sense of fragmentation through the structure?
enjambment - fragmentation of the structure links to the conflict presented
108
Why is War Photographer so honest?
Written in first person
109
Give 3 themes in War Photographer:
War
Loss/suffering
individual experiences
110
"-as when at Ascot once I took...
A pair of peach, sun-gilded girls rolling, silk-crumpled"
111
"rolling...in...
champagne giggles"
112
"as last week, when I followed a small girl...
staggering down some devastated street"
113
"At the corner...
the first bomb of the morning shattered the stones"
114
"Instinct prevailing, she dropped her burden...
and, mouth too small for her dark scream"
115
"Instinct prevailing...
she dropped her burden"
116
"The picture showed the..
little mother
the almost-smile."
117
"Even in hell the human spirit triumphs over all...
but hell, like heaven, is untidy, its boundaries
arbitrary as a bloodstain on a wall."
118
Who wrote Belfast Confetti?
Ciaron Carson
119
When was Belfast Confetti written?
1940 during The Troubles (1968 -1998)
120
What was Carson's relation to The Troubles?
Born in Belfast in 1948. Personal experience of the conflict.
121
The Troubles were violence between..
nationalists and unionists.
122
What did the nationalists and unionists want?
The whole of Ireland to become an independent republic, while unionists wanted Norther Ireland to remain part of the UK.
123
British soldiers in Northern Ireland?
British soldiers became a prominent presence on the streets of Northern Ireland. Nationalists regarded the British forces as occupation forces.
124
What is 'Belfast confetti'?
Slang term for screws, bolts and metal scraps used by rioters as missiles. Homemade weaponry used by the IRA and protesters to throw at the British Army.
125
What is the form of Belfast Confetti?
Free verse, no rhyme or rhythm
126
Why is Belfast Confetti free verse?
Natural speech. Reflects the chaos of the riot; the poet does not know what is happening or where to go.
127
What does the poem symbolise? Breakdown of...
Breakdown of language and communication
128
Give 6 themes in Belfast Confetti:
Confusion/Chaos
Power(of words/imbalance)
Loss(of sanity and peace)
War
Fear
Individual experiences
129
What is the stanzas of Belfast Confetti?
2 stanzas - irregular line lengths and fragment sentences: sense of fragmentation
130
Belfast Confetti starts with 'suddenly'. What does this convey?
starts in medias res - does not reach any conclusions.
imitates the speaker's confused thoughts
131
What are the tenses of the two stanzas in Belfast Confetti? Why?
Past tense - stanza 1
Present tense - stanza 2
Sense of urgency
132
What structure devices are used in Belfast Confetti?
Enjambment and Caesura - chaos
Lines are extra long with words that are either over spill or isolated.
133
What indentation is used in Belfast Confetti?
Every second line is indented. Impact of explosion - confusion is captured - chaos
134
"Suddenly as the riot squad moved in...
it was raining exclamation marks"
135
"I know this labyrinth so well...
- Balaclava, Raglan, Inkerman, Odessa street"
136
"Why can't I escape?...
Every move is punctuated"
137
"What is
my name?
Where am I coming from? Where am I going?
138
"And the
explosion -
Itself -...
an asterisk on the map. This hyphenated line, a burst of rapid fire...
139
"I was trying to complete...
a sentence in my head but it kept stuttering."
140
Who wrote Exposure?
Wilfred Owen
141
What war did Wilfred Owen fight in? When was he killed?
Fought in WW1, killed at 25, 1 week before the Armistice
142
What did Owen expose?
The realities of the war. Exposed the truth about the lives of soldiers in the trenches and the horrors of war.
143
What did Owen's poetry contrast?
The official propaganda of his day.
144
When and why was Owen hospitalised?
May 1917, suffering from shell shock (now PTSD)
145
What were the conditions in the trenches like?
Very poor, with little shelter, thus exposing the soldiers to terrible weather conditions.
146
When is exposure set?
Winter of 1917, coldest of the war. Depicts the fate of soldiers who perished from hypothermia.
147
Is there a regular rhythm in Exposure?
Regular rhythm but it is not steady, gives a sense of confused minds, dazed by the snow.
148
Is there a regular rhyme scheme in Exposure?
Rhyme scheme ABBAC - half rhyme (pararhyme). Creates a sense of discord; they are awkward and wrong just as they are in the poem.
149
What type of poem is Exposure?
Semi-autobiographical poem.
150
What are 7 themes presented in Exposure?
War (effects of)
Loss/suffering
Death
Fear
Nature
Memories
Power (imbalance/nature)
151
"Our brains...
ache in the merciless iced east winds that knive us"
152
What is the refrain of Exposure?
"But nothing happens"
153
"We only know...
war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy"
154
"Slowly, our ghosts...
drag home; glimpsing the sunk fires, glozed"
155
"We watch them wandering up...
and down the wind's nonchalance"
156
"The burying party...pause over half-known faces...
All their eyes are ice"
157
"Therefore not loath, we lie out here; therefore were born.
For...
love of God seems dying"
158
How many stanzas are there in Exposure? How many lines?
8 quintains. First 4 lines are lengthy - focus on setting.
159
159
What is the purpose of the refrain in Exposure?
emphasises the idea that all the men can do is try to endure and underlines their helplessness and despair.
159
What is the significance of the short lines in Exposure?
philosophical comments - the idea that life and their suffering are pointless.
159
In Exposure, the language is multi-sensory and so includes...
sights, sounds, sensations
159
In Exposure, what is personified as the real enemy?
The weather.
160
Who wrote The Prelude?
William Wordsworth
161
Where did Wordsworth spend his childhood?
Born and raised in Cumbria's lake district which had a huge influence on his writing.
162
Where is the extract taken from in the Prelude?
Book 1 (childhood and schooltime) and an autobiographical account of a moment from his childhood.
163
What was the significance of the events described in The Prelude for Wordsworth?
Helped to shape and develop Wordsworth as a person - helped understand his place in nature.
164
What movement was Wordsworth a part of?
Romanticism - connection between nature and human emotion; the way in which human identity is shaped by experience.
165
What religious view does Wordsworth present?
Pantheist views:
Idea that God dwells in nature and glorification of nature.
166
What is the form of The Prelude.
Unconventional epic poem - rather than telling the story of a hero he tells his own.
167
What kind of narrative is the Prelude?
First person narrative. A complete story in itself, given an epic quality.
168
Is the Prelude blank verse, free verse, or neither?
Blank verse - sounds serious and important.
169
What is the regular rhythm of The Prelude?
Iambic pentameter. Slow storytelling. Conversational tone created.
170
What are 5 themes in The Prelude?
Nature, fear, memory, identity, individual experience.
171
"moved slowly through the mind by day and were...
a trouble to my dreams"
172
"One summer evening...
(led by her)"
173
"The horizon's bound...
a huge peak, black and huge"
174
"There hung a darkness, call it solitude or blank desertion..
no familiar shapes remained, no pleasant images of trees"
175
"It was an act of ...
stealth and troubled pleasure"
176
"small circles GLITTERING idly in the moon, until they melted all into one track...
of sparkling light"
177
"Upreared its head...
I struck and struck again"
178
"Growing still in stature, the grim shape
towered up between me and the stars"
179
"like a living thing...
strode after me"
180
"over my thoughts...
there hung a darkness"
181
"moved slowly through the mind by day...
and were a trouble to my dreams"
182
"She was an...
elfin pinnace"
183
What word is repeated in The Prelude?
And - breathlessness. Childish - loss of innocence
184
Where is the volta in The Prelude?
Line 22 - shift of tone from admiration to fear.
185
Why is The Prelude written in past tense?
It's a memory.
186
In The Prelude, why is the language conversational and informal?
links with the view of the Romantics that poetry should be easier for us all to understand.
187
What did Wordsworth believe poetry should allow?
"the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings"
188
Who wrote A Poison Tree?
William Blake
189
What collection does A Poison Tree come from?
'songs of experience' which explore the human soul, focusing on how innocence was lost. Darker tone and presents the world as a harmful place.
190
Is A Poison Tree a romantic poem?
Yes - about nature as a powerful and destructive force and man as a part of nature.
191
Was Blake religious?
Yes - hostile towards the Church of England. Anti-establishment figure. Revered the Bible and was heavily influenced by it.
192
What is the biblical reference in A Poison Tree?
Old Testament: Book of Genesis
Garden of Eden and the forbidden fruit.
193
Describe the rhyme of A Poison Tree:
Rhyming couplets create a strong rhyme - shows his anger is consistent and does not change.
194
Describe the rhythm of A Poison Tree?
Driving alternating rhythm
Trochaic trimeter and iambic tetrameter. Creates tension.
195
Why does A Poison Tree sound like a nursery rhyme?
Difficult and challenging ideas presented in a simple form. Morality lesson: even children can understand it.
196
In A Poison Tree what is the anaphora? Why?
Anaphora of 'and'
cannot contain his anger - sounds breathless because he is trying to explain himself - exasperated.
197
What structural devices are used in A Poison Tree?
Enjambment & end-stopped lines
198
Why are there end-stopped lines in A Poison Tree?
Emphasises his anger as he keeps pausing.
199
Why and how do the structural devices change in the final stanza of A Poison Tree?
Not end-stopped as he is no longer angry. Enjambment to show there is a change (he is happier as his foe is dead)
200
Where is the volta in A Poison Tree?
Final Stanza
shift in tone from serious and angry to relaxed and calm.
201
What person is A Poison Tree and why?
First person - his feelings/anger.
202
Name 6 themes in A Poison Tree:
Anger
Nature
Suffering
Loss (of morals)
Individual experiences
Revenge
203
"I told it not..
my wrath did grow"
204
"In the morning glad I see...
my foe outstretched beneath the tree"
205
"And I watered it in fears...
night and morning with my tears"
206
"In the morning...
glad I see"
207
"and into my garden...
stole"
208
"And I sunned it with smiles...
and with soft deceitful wiles"
209
"And it grew both day and night...
till it bore an apple bright"
210
"and my foe beheld it shine...
and he knew that it was mine"
211
Who wrote Half-caste?
John Agard
212
Where was John Agard born? What does he speak?
Born in Georgetown in Guyana. Speaks Guyanese creole (mixture of 2 or more languages)
213
What happened when John Agard moved to England?
Was mixed race - got sick and tired of being called half-caste.
214
Is Half-caste meant to be read?
No, poem is written to be performed.
215
Why does Agard use his own Caribbean style of speaking?
To give full expression to the voice of his homeland.
216
What is a caste?
The system of organising society. Any class or group sharing common cultural features.
217
