Hello everyone, it's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

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

So today's lesson's called, Understanding Ideas of War in Hardy's, "Drummer Hodge." Now, Thomas Hardy's perhaps more well known for his novels, which is, "Far from the Madding Crowd," and, "Tess of the d'Urbervilles." But he also wrote some fantastic poetry and we're going to look at one of those poems today.

We're going to start by reading and responding to, "Drummer Hodge," and what we understand about war through it.

Then we're going to think about the context and what Hardy might have been trying to say about the Second Boer War.

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

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explore how Hardy presents ideas of war in, "Drummer Hodge." So we have four 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 our first keyword is unceremonial, which means done in a rude, sudden or informal way.

We're going to be thinking about the burial of, "Drummer Hodge," and how it might seen as disrespectful and informal.

So our second keyword is constellation, which means a group of visible stars that form a perceived pattern or outline typically representing an animal.

Now this is vocabulary that Hardy uses throughout, "Drummer Hodge," to help us understand that, "Drummer Hodge," is in a part of the world that he's unfamiliar with.

Our third keyword is colonialism, which means domination of a people or area by a foreign state or nation.

Now this relates the context of, "Drummer Hodge," as it was written just after the start of the Second Boer War, where the British Empire were trying to unite their territories in South Africa.

Our final keyword is Afrikaans, which is the language of Southern Africa, derived from a form of Dutch brought to the Cape by Protestant settlers.

We're going to be thinking about how Hardy used Afrikaans words in, "Drummer Hodge," and why he might be using them.

So I'll just give you a moment to write down those key words 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 begin by reading through, "Drummer Hodge," and thinking about our initial responses to the poem.

Then we're going to think about how Hardy presents "Drummer Hodge," himself and the manner of his burial and what conclusions we might draw about how Hardy's presenting ideas of war.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to think about the context of, "Drummer Hodge," and what conclusions we might draw about how Hardy wanted the reader to perceive the Second Boer War.

So let's start by reading through the poem together.

Now there's a copy of the poem in your additional materials, or you can also find a copy in the, "Eduqas 2025 Anthology." Now I'm going to read the poem to you and you can either follow along with me or you can read it through yourself.

So let's read through the poem now.

So let's read through Hardy's, "Drummer Hodge." "They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest, uncoffined, just as found.

His landmark, a kopje-crest that breaks the veldt around.

And foreign constellations west, each night above his mound.

Young Hodge, the drummer never knew, fresh from his Wessex home, the meaning of the broad Karoo, the bush, the dusty loam, and why uprose to nightly view, strange stars amid the gloam.

Yet portion of the unknown plain will Hodge forever be.

His homely Northern breast and brain grow up some southern tree, and strange-eyed constellations reign, his stars eternally." Welcome back, everyone.

Now I really hope you enjoyed the poem.

Now let's just think about our initial reactions to the poem.

So what I'd like you to do is highlight five words that particularly stand out to you and explain why they stand out to you.

Now remember that everyone will have different words that stand out to them because language has different connotations for all of us.

So pause the video, highlight your five words now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now I think exercises like that are so useful, 'cause it really helps you to think about the way you're connecting to and responding to the poem.

It helps you to think about how you might approach the poem as well.

You can start by thinking about why those particular words catch your attention and then build your understanding from there.

So now let's think about some specific lines from the poem, to make sure we understand what's happening to Drummer Hodge.

Then we can build our understanding of how Hardy's presenting ideas of war from that.

So I'd like you to think about the following lines.

"They throw in Drummer Hodge to rest, uncoffined." "And foreign constellations west, each night above his mound." And what I'd like you to do, is use them to summarise what's happened to Drummer Hodge in the poem.

Think about the words uncoffined and foreign.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Now one of our Oak people, Sam, said, "I think he was fighting a war in a foreign land and he has died during the fighting." So what I'd like you to think about is whether or not you agree with Sam.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Now a drummer was a role that people held during war, and the image of Drummer Hodge being thrown into the ground without a coffin, just hastiness.

So we're fairly certain that Drummer Hodge died during the fighting.

The image of foreign constellations suggests that Drummer Hodge is under a part of the sky he's unfamiliar with and therefore that implies he's died fighting somewhere away from his home.

So now let's think about the manner of Drummer Hodge's burial and what Hardy might be suggesting about it.

So what I'd like you to do is think about the following lines.

"They throw in Drummer Hodge to rest, uncoffined, just as found." And what I'd like you to think about is what these lines imply about the manner Drummer Hodge's death.

You might want to focus on the words, throw and uncoffined.

So pause 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, the image of his body being thrown into the ground suggests an unceremonial burial.

It was in an informal way.

There's just a lack of preparation or respect.

The image of him being uncoffined suggests body was just placed into the ground with nothing to cover or keep it safe.

And the idea was thrown in just as found, suggests his burial was hasty.

The people had no time to dress or prepare his body for the burial.

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? Hardy implies respectful care and attention was paid to Hodge's body during the burial.

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

Now 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 the phrase throw in implies an unceremonial burial, while uncoffined, suggests his body was simply placed into the ground with no care or attention paid to it.

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

So now let's think about how Hardy presents Drummer Hodge himself.

So I'd like to think about the following quotations, young, fresh, never knew.

And what I'd like to think about is what Hardy wants us to understand about Drummer Hodge through these words.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Now one of the Oak pupils, Izzy said, "I think Hardy wants us to understand that Hodge is a young and innocent boy who didn't understand what was happening or why he was there." 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.

Now I think the idea of him being young and fresh implies sense of naivety of someone who's too young to understand the realities of what he was signing up for.

Now, the original title of the poem was "The Dead Drummer," but Hardy changed it to "Drummer Hodge." So what I'd like you to think about is why do you think Hardy changed the title? What difference do you think it makes? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

Now one of our Oak pupils Laura said, "I think the addition of a name helps us to understand that men and boys who died during the war were real people.

It makes it a more powerful reminder that these events were happening to people just like you and me." So what I'd like you to do is think about whether or not you agree with Laura.

Why or why not.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Now Hardy was actually inspired to write "Drummer Hodge" 'cause he read about a young drummer who had been killed in the war in a newspaper.

And I think changing the title Drummer Hodge really helps to connect the idea it was a real person who died.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which of the following does Hardy arguably want us to understand about Drummer Hodge? Is, A, he signed up for the war hoping to find fame and fortune, B, he was a young, innocent boy who didn't understand what was happening, or C, he realised the futility of war during the fighting.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Now Hardy uses the words young and fresh to describe Drummer Hodge.

So he wants to understand he was a young, innocent boy who didn't understand what was happening.

So very well done if you got that right.

So now let's think about what Drummer Hodge's burial means for him and his family.

So I'd like to think about the following quotation, "Yet portion of that unknown plain will Hodge forever be." And what I'd like you to think about is what do you think Hardy's suggesting about Hodge's body? What's the significance of being forever on an unknown plain? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

One of our Oak pupils, Sofia said, "I think it signifies that Hodge will never find his way home.

His body will remain somewhere unknown to him, his family will never be able to see him again." So what I'd like you to do is think about whether or not you agree with Sofia.

Why or why not.

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

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think this is something that really drives home the reality of these situations.

We hold funerals and burial ceremonies because they offer a sense of closure, a way to say goodbye.

Often these families who sent their loved ones to war, were not given that chance of closure or a proper goodbye because their bodies were never returned home.

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 it's true or false? Hardy implies that Drummer Hodge's body will never be returned to his family.

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

Now 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 the image of his body lying forever in an unknown plain suggests that Hodge's body will never returned to his family.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

Now the first task of the lesson.

Now potentially we might read Hardy's "Drummer Hodge" as a criticism of sending young men away to die in war.

To what extent do you agree with that statement? I'd like you to write a short answer to explain your ideas.

I'd like you to use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Now, you might consider the description of Drummer Hodge as young and fresh.

This suggests that he never knew about the war.

Drummer Hodge's unceremonial burial, and the fact that Drummer Hodge's body will never be returned home.

So pause the video, write your answer now.

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

Now what I'd like you to do is think about Jacob's ideas and whether or not you agree.

So Jacob said, "I completely agree with the statement, the we can read Hardy's "Drummer Hodge" as a criticism of sending young men away to war.

I think Hardy's description of Hodge as young and fresh emphasise the youth and innocence of the young men being sent away, which makes their death seem more cruel.

Furthermore, the suggestion that Hodge never knew implies these young men did not understand what they were signing up for.

I think the depiction of Hodge's unceremonial death also reads as a criticism of how the bodies of the young men were treated.

Their treatment lacked respect and their remains weren't returned to their families for a proper burial.

So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Jacob.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now we're going to move on to the second learning cycle.

We're going to think about the idea that Hardy's not only criticising the general nature of war, but what he might be specifically saying about the context of the second Boer War.

Amazing work, everyone.

Now the second learning cycle, we're going to think about the context of "Drummer Hodge" and how Hardy might present in the context to us.

So Hardy's "Drummer Hodge" was written in 1899, just a few weeks after the start of the Second Boer War, October, 1899 to May, 1902.

So here's some of the context of the Second Boer War.

It was between 1899 and 1902.

The British army fought a bitter colonial war against the Boers in South Africa.

Now, colonialism's one of our keywords, means domination of a people or area by a foreign state or nation.

So the British Empire was a foreign nation that had control over areas of South Africa.

Now, Britain desired to unite their territories in South Africa with the Boer republics, however, the Boers wanted to maintain their independence.

Now, the British interest in South Africa had vastly increased after discovery of gold.

There's a huge influx of people who went to South Africa to mine for gold, and the British Empire wanted to have control over those mines.

Now though, the British army vast outnumbered the Boers, they initially suffered heavy losses because the gorilla warfare the Boers utilised, however, the Boers are eventually forced to seek terms. And the Boers accepted British sovereignty with limited self-government.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

Which of the following is true of the Second Boer War, is it A, the war began because the British wanted to maintain their independence from the Boers, B, the war began because the British wanted to unite their territories in South Africa, or C, the British were eventually forced to seek terms after suffering heavy losses.

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

Welcome back everyone.

It was the British Empire that was colonising South Africa.

So the correct answer is the war began because the British wanted to unite their territories in South Africa.

So very well done if you got that right.

So now let's think about how we connect that context to Hardy's "Drummer Hodge." Now, Hardy was critical of the Boer War and much of his poetry from the time including "Drummer Hodge" reflects this.

So what I'd like you to do is answer the following questions to explore Hardy's anti-war sentiment in more detail.

So question one, why do you think Hardy chose to use Afrikaans words to describe the setting? For example, a kopje-crest and the veldt? Question two, why do you think Hardy chose to emphasise the unfamiliarity of the setting? For example, foreign constellations, strange stars, and unknown plain? So pause the video, answer the questions now.

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

So what I'd like you to do is think about Sofia's ideas.

Do you agree, why or why not? So question one, why do you think Hardy chose to use Afrikaans words to describe the setting? And Sofia said, "I think Hardy chose to use Afrikaans words to emphasise the land belonged to the Boers rather than the British." So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Sofia.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now I personally think there's something really powerful, by Hardy using Afrikaans to describe the land.

I think it really shows an element of their ownership and right to the land.

Question two, why do you think Hardy chose to emphasise the unfamiliarity of the setting? And Sofia said, "I think Hardy was emphasising how the British didn't belong there.

It was somewhat unfamiliar and strange to them." So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Sofia.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now, I think this perhaps speaks to Hardy's criticisms of imperialism and colonialism in general.

The British Empire is taking over land from other countries and therefore did not actually belong there.

You all did amazingly well today everyone, here's the summary of what we covered.

"Drummer Hodge" depicts a soldier's unceremonial burial in a foreign country.

Hardy was referencing the events of the second Boer War.

Potentially we might read "Drummer Hodge" as a criticism of sending young men away to die in war.

We might interpret Hardy as suggesting that Hodge is now a part of the foreign land.

Specifically, we might see Hardy's criticising the Boer War and colonialism through "Drummer Hodge." I really hope enjoyed the lesson everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon, goodbye.