Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton, and I'm here to guide you through your learning journey today.

Today's lesson is called Comparing Ideas of War in Hardy's "Drummer Hodge" and Armitage's "Remains." So we're going to think about how we might compare ideas of dehumanisation and uncertainty in war, and then think about how we can express those comparisons in comparative topic sentences.

So if you're ready, grab your pen, laptop, whatever you use for this lesson and let's get started.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to compare how Hardy and Armitage present ideas of war in "Drummer Hodge" and Remains." So we have three words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

They'll be identified in bold throughout the learning material, and I'll try to point them out to you as well so you can see them being used in context.

So the first keyword is dehumanisation, which means regarding, representing, or treating a person or group as less than human.

We're going to be thinking about how the language that Hardy and Armitage use creates the idea of dehumanisation amongst the soldiers and how they're treated.

Our second keyword is inevitable, which means certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented.

And our third keyword is unpredictable, which means likely to change suddenly and without reason, and therefore not able to be predicted or dependent upon.

We're going to compare how Hardy and Armitage, create these ideas of inevitability and unpredictability, and what they might be saying about the nature of war through that.

So I'll just give you to write down those keywords and their definitions.

So pause the video, write them down now.

Fantastic.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So we have two learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to compare the methods that Hardy and Armitage use, and how they create similar and different effects on the reader in relation to ideas of war.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to think about how we can express those similarities and differences using comparative topic sentences.

So we're going to think about what a comparative topic sentence should look like and how you can go about constructing one.

So let's begin by thinking about what overall similarities we can see between "Drummer Hodge" and "Remains." Once we've established the overall similarities, then we can start thinking about the more nuanced similarities and differences we can see within the overall similarity.

So what I'd like you to start off by thinking about are these summaries of Hardy's "Drummer Hodge" and Armitage's "Remains." So we might summarise "Drummer Hodge" as depicting the unceremonious burial of a soldier in the Second Boer War.

And then we might summarise "Remains" as presenting a soldier who is haunted by his actions during combat.

And what I'd like you to think about is what initial similarities you can see between the poems. So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

Now the idea of dying at war, and then having a burial that lacks the proper care, and a soldier who is haunted by what happened during the war, both arguably depict the brutal realities of war and the effects it can have on soldiers, both within the war but also in the aftermath of war.

So now let's start thinking about the language that Harley and Armitage use, and think about how we might compare the effects of that language.

So what I'd like you to do is think about the following words used describe the treatment of the bodies.

So in "Drummer Hodge", we're told that Drummer Hodge's body is thrown into the ground and it's uncoffined.

So there's nothing covering the body or keeping it safe.

In "Remains," we're told the soldiers toss the body of the dead man into a cart.

Then it's carted away.

So what I'd like you to think about is how these words create a similar depiction of how the soldiers' bodies were treated.

Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might have said.

Now, I think the connotations of throw and toss are very similar.

They both create the idea of something being disposed of without respect or care.

And this might lead us to think the sense of dehumanisation in how the bodies are treated.

They aren't being treated with respect and care, that we would respect of fellow human beings.

So now let's think about how the poets use language to create a sense of place.

So what I'd like you to do is think about the following words from the poems. So Hardy describes drummer Drummer Hodge as being under strange stars and on the unknown plain, while Armitage uses the words distant and desert to describe the sense of place.

So what I'd like you to do is think about what both perms suggest about the sense of place.

What might the significance be? Pause the video, think a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back.

Everyone has some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might have said.

So you might have said, both poems create the sense of an unknown, the idea of Drummer Hodge being under estranged stars, suggesting in a part of a world that's unfamiliar to him.

Then the word distant in "Remains" also implies a soldier somewhere far away from home.

In terms of significance, the fact that both poets suggested soldiers are somewhere unknown could imply the soldiers are somewhere they don't belong, they shouldn't be there.

We might see that as a criticism of the nature of war where people are sent away to places they don't belong and into conflicts they have no part of.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which of the following is similarities between Hardy's "Drummer Hodge" and Armitage's "Remains?" Is it A, both poems suggests that dying in war is a glorious sacrifice, B, both poems suggests that soldiers' bodies aren't treated with respect, C, both poems suggest the soldiers are somewhere unfamiliar to them, or D, both poems suggest that the soldiers are somewhere familiar to them.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Now both poems suggest the soldiers' bodies aren't treated with respect through the words toss and throw.

Then we also see both poems suggesting the soldiers are somewhere unfamiliar to them through the words unknown and distant.

So very well done if you got those right.

So now we're going to start thinking about how we can see nuanced differences within the similarities.

Now arguably, both poems present a lack of knowledge and certainty in relation to the soldier's understanding of the war.

So what I'd like you to think about are the following quotations from each poet.

So Hardy tells us "the drummer never knew," and he was "Fresh from his Wessex home." And Armitage use the words probably and possibly to describe whether the man the soldier killed was actually carrying a weapon.

So what I'd like you to think about is what is different about the way the poems present this lack of knowledge and certainty.

Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

Now one of our Oak pupils, Aisha, said, "I think Hardy is suggesting that Drummer Hodge was unaware of the realities of what he was signing up for.

He was ignorant of what war actually entailed.

On the other hand, I think Armitage is depicting just how much uncertainty is involved in combat situations.

Soldiers never know whether they're making the right decision or not." So what I'd like you to do is think about whether or not you agree with Aisha.

Why, or why not.

Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now I think the difference here is subtle, but they're both really highlighting how mentally unprepared for the realities of war people are.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

Is it true or false? Both Hardy and Armitage present ideas of a lack of knowledge and ignorance.

Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

The correct answer is true.

Now I'd like to tell me why it's true.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

You might have said, "Hardy implies that Drummer Hodge was unaware of the realities of war.

While Armitage suggest that soldiers are constantly uncertain of their decisions." So very well done if you got those right.

So now let's think about how Hardy and Armitage utilise structure.

So what I'd like to think about is the fact that Hardy utilises a regular rhyme scheme throughout "Drummer Hodge." There's a regular pattern to the rhyming words, and Armitage use an irregular rhyme scheme throughout "Remains." There's no pattern to the rhyming words.

Now, we might represent the different structures like this.

Now, I love representing the structure of poems through shapes or lines, 'cause I think it really helps you focus on what pattern is being created, and think about how that pattern creates meaning.

So what I'd like to think about is what might the two different structures signify in relation to war? What might the significance be? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, one of our Oak pupils, Izzy, said, "I think the regular structure of Hardy's "Drummer Hodge" suggests ideas of control and inevitability, maybe he's suggesting the death of young men is inevitable when you send them to war." Now, inevitable is one of our keywords, means certain to happen, unable to be avoided or prevented.

So Hardy's arguably suggesting the deaths of young men cannot be avoided.

"In contrast, I think the irregular structure of Armitage's "Remains" suggests ideas of unpredictability.

Perhaps it's just that war is unpredictable, and soldiers are constantly faced with uncertainty." Now, unpredictable is one of our key words.

It means likely to change suddenly and without reason, therefore unable to be predicted or depended upon.

So Armitage is suggesting that situations in war can change suddenly, you cannot truly prepare for it.

So what I'd like you to do is think about whether or not you agree with Izzy.

Why, or why not.

Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

It was great to see people thinking about how the images of the regular and irregular structures help to think about these ideas.

We might associate regular structures with ideas of inevitability, 'cause we know the pattern the poem is going to follow.

We know that each alternating line is going to rhyme, for example.

In terms of the irregular structure, we don't know what's going to happen, and therefore that links to ideas of unpredictability and uncertainty.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false? The structure of "Drummer Hodge" and "Remains" both create the same ideas of inevitability.

Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

The correct answer is false.

Now I'd like to tell me why it's false.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

You might have said, "While the regular rhyme scheme of "Drummer Hodge" arguably creates ideas of inevitability, the irregular of "Remains" arguably create ideas of unpredictability instead.

So very well done if you've got those right.

Fantastic work everyone.

And now the first task of the lesson lesson.

Now, one significant difference between the two poems is their perspective.

Hardy writes from a third-person perspective, we don't hear from Drummer Hodge himself.

Armitage writes from a first-person perspective, we see the war through one soldier's eyes.

What I'd like to think about is which perspective do you think offers the most evocative portrayal of war? I'd like you to write a short answer to explain your ideas.

So pause the video, write your answer now.

Welcome back everyone, some amazing work there.

Now what I'd like you to do is think about Lucas's and Alex's ideas.

Whose ideas align most closely with your ideas? Why? So Lucas said, "I think Hardy's third-person perspective is the most evocative, 'cause it allows us to see what happens to soldiers after they've died." And Alex says, "I think Armitage's first-person perspective is the most evocative, because it allows to see combat through someone's eyes, and feel what they feel." So pause the video, and then, whose ideas align most closely with your ideas? Welcome back everyone.

Now there's no right or wrong answer here.

The way we respond to choices that poets make is very personal to each of us.

Fantastic work, everyone.

Now moving on to the second learning cycle.

We're going to think about how we can express those similarities and differences through comparative topic sentences.

So let's just talk through what a comparative topic sentence should do.

So the comparative topic sentence is the introductory sentence to your paragraph, so should explain the main focus of the paragraph so the reader knows what to expect.

It should also either state a similarity or a difference between the two poems in relation to the main focus, to show that you're going to compare how the poems relate to each other and the main focus.

So to express the similarities between the two poems, you might correlative conjunctions.

Now, correlative conjunctions are pairs of words that work together to connect ideas in a sentence.

So, some examples of the pairs of words might be both, and, neither, nor, either, or, just as, so does or is.

Now we might use those pairs of words to create the following examples.

Both Hardy and Armitage arguable suggest that the soldiers are somewhere they don't belong, they shouldn't be there.

So you can see how we've used the curative conjunction "both, and" to connect the ideas together.

Neither Hardy nor Armitage present dying in combat as a glorious sacrifice.

Here you can see we've used the correlative conjunction neither, nor, to connect the ideas together.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is select the sentence that uses correlative conjunctions.

So is it A, "Drummer Hodge" might be seen as exploring the inevitability of death in war, B, "Drummer Hodge" and "Remains" consider soldiers' lack of knowledge in relation to war and combat, or C, both Hardy and Armitage reference the dehumanising effect of war.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now sentence A just references "Drummer Hodge" rather than comparing it to "Remains." Sentence B does reference both poems, but it doesn't use correlative conjunction to show the similarities between the poems. So the correct answer is sentence C, 'cause it utilises the correlative conjunction both and.

So very well done if you got that right.

Now to demonstrate similarities or differences, you might use comparative conjunctions.

So comparative conjunctions can be used to compare ideas in a sentence.

So for example, you might use the words however, on the other hand, whereas, or contrastingly to show differences between ideas.

Then you might use the words similarly, likewise, or equally to show similarities between ideas.

So we might use integrate the following examples.

Hardy arguably creates a sense of inevitability in "Drummer Hodge;" however, Armitage arguably presents a sense of unpredictability.

So here we can see how the use of however show the difference between the poems. We could also say, Hardy implies that Drummer Hodge is ignorant of the realities of war; similarly, Armitage also indicates the soldier's ignorance over their combat decisions.

So here we can see the use of similarly show the similarities between the poems. Now what I just wanna point out here is a construction of the sentence using a comparative conjunction.

So you write your first sentence about your first idea, then you're connecting a second sentence to that idea using a comparative conjunction.

So you want to use a semicolon before your comparative conjunction, then a comma after it before you begin your second sentence.

Each sentence either side of the comparative conjunction should be a complete sentence.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which two of the statements use comparative conjunctions to create a comparative topic sentence? Is it A, Hardy offers a third-person perspective on Drummer Hodge's death; whereas, Armitage writes from a first-person perspective.

B, Hardy implies a lack of respect concerning soldiers' bodies; similarly, Armitage also implies a lack of care.

C, "Drummer Hodge" perhaps offers a criticism of colonialism and how young men's lives pay for gained land.

Or D, "Drummer Hodge" arguably considers dehumanisation of war.

"Remains" may be seen exploring the long-term effects of war.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now sentence C just references "Drummer Hodge" and doesn't compare it to "Remains." Sentence D does offer a sentence about each poem, but it doesn't connect them together.

So the correct answer, A and B, because they use comparative conjunctions.

whereas and similarly, to connect the sentences about each poem together.

Amazing work everyone.

And now the final task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is write two comparative topic sentences in response to the question, "How do Hardy and Armitage present ideas of war in "Drummer Hodge" and "Remains?" Now remember too, explain the main focus of the paragraph, state either a similarity or difference between the two poems in relation to the main focus.

Use correlative in comparative conjunctions to express similarities and differences between the two poems. So pause the video, write your comparative topic sentences now.

Welcome back, everyone, it's fantastic work there.

So what I'd like you to do is give Sofia's comparative topic sentence a what went well and an even better if.

So, Sofia said, "Hardy arguably presents the dehumanising effect of war through the treatment of Drummer Hodge body; whereas, Armitage arguably presents the constant uncertainty and unpredictability of combat situations for soldiers." So pause the video, gives Sofia's comparative topic sentence a what went well and an even better if.

Welcome back, everyone, and you might have said what went well is that Sofia has used a comparative conjunction.

However, a comparative topic sentence needs to show how both poems show similarities or differences in relation to the central focus of the paragraph.

Sofia's talking about the dehumanising effect of war in relation to Hardy, but the unpredictability of war in relation to Armitage.

And that's two different focuses.

So how could we rewrite Sofia's comparative topic sentence? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

You might have said, "Hardy arguably presents a dehumanising effect of war through the treatment of Drummer Hodge's body; similarly, Armitage also depicts a lack of care and respect shown to dead bodies during combat." So now both sentences are concerned with the dehumanisation of war, and therefore are relating the same central focus of the paragraph.

You all did amazingly well, today, Ron.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Both Hardy and Armitage arguably depict the dehumanising effect of war through the treatment of fallen soldiers' bodies.

Arguably both Hardy and Armitage suggest that the soldiers were somewhere they didn't belong.

While Hardy may imply the soldiers' ignorance of the realities of war, Armitage arguably shows the uncertainty of war.

We might interpret the regular rhyme of "Drummer Hodge" as showing ideas of inevitability.

However the irregularity of "Remains" may instead suggest the unpredictable nature of war.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.