Understanding patriotism in Rupert Brooke’s ‘The Soldier’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Rupert Brooke presents the experience of dying at war.
Key learning points
- Brooke's poem is arguably patriotic - the soldier loves his homeland
- The poem is also quite idealistic - the soldier believes that England is paradise
- The soldier arguably believes that dying for his country will cleanse his soul of evil
- The poem was popular at the time of writing, before the realities of war where known
- Modern readers may find the poem very naive
Keywords
Idealistic - Idealistic means unrealistically believing in or pursuing perfection.
Naive - Naive means showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgement.
Sacrifice - Sacrifice means to give up something valued for the sake of other considerations.
Optimism - Optimism means hopefulness or confidence about the future or the success of something.
Patriotic - Patriotic means having or expressing devotion to and support for one's country.
Common misconception
That a poet had to experience actual fighting to write war poetry.
Though part of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, Brooke saw no military action.
Teacher tip
It would be useful if pupils were primed with knowledge around the harsh conditions of trench warfare in order to understand how Brooke's portrayal of dying might be considered idealistic.
Equipment
There is a copy of Rupert Brooke's 'The Soldier' in the additional materials.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When was WW1?
Q2.Which of the following were allies to Britain in WW1?
Q3.The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. is known as .
Q4.Name the techniques used in government propaganda posters to persuade?
Q5.'Bent double, like old beggars under sacks' from Owen's 'Dulce et Decorum Est.' could be interpreted as which two of the following?
Q6.Which is the most likely reason for why war poetry is so popular with the public?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does patriotism mean?
Q2.Which war inspired Rupert Brooke's 'The Soldier'?
Q3.The speaker in 'The Soldier' wanted to be remembered as a .
Q4.Put these events relating to 'The Soldier' and Rupert Brooke's life in chronological order.
Q5.Which of the following may have been reasons for the popularity of 'The Soldier' with the government?
Q6.Modern readers may find Brooke's purely positive attitude towards death in 'The Soldier' and naive.
To help you plan your 9 English lesson on: Understanding patriotism in Rupert Brooke’s ‘The Soldier’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 English lesson on: Understanding patriotism in Rupert Brooke’s ‘The Soldier’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 English lessons from the Comparing poetry from the First World War unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.