Understanding ideas of patriotism and optimism in Brooke's 'The Soldier'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can understand how Brooke presents the experience of dying at war.
Key learning points
- Brooke’s patriotism is evident in this poem - he views England as paradise.
- Brooke’s poem arguably glorifies war - he presents an idealistic view of war.
- Brooke arguably presents death in war as the ultimate display of patriotism and bravery.
- The poem was praised when is was published in 1915, however modern readers may view this poem as naive.
- Despite his bravery and patriotism, Brooke never actually fought in the war - he died of infection on a ship.
Keywords
Patriotism - having or expressing devotion to and support for one's country
Sacrifice - to give up something valuable for the benefit of others
Devotion - an unwavering commitment to something
Idealistic - having unrealistic expectations
To glorify - to praise something or make it seem good or special, usually when it is not
Common misconception
Pupils might think that Brooke fought and died in the war because he wrote a war poem.
Although Brooke bravely volunteered to fight in the war, he never actually engaged in any military action. Unfortunately, Brooke died from septicaemia on a ship en route to battle.
Teacher tip
Throughout the lesson, you could make links and comparisons to other war poems and other war poets' attitudes towards war e.g. Wilfred Owen - how do their attitudes compare and why might this be?
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the Eduqas poetry anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.World War began in 1914 and ended in 1918.
Q2.Which of the following poets was a famous war poet?
Q3.What is the name given to words which create a strong picture in the reader's mind?
Q4.Which of the following are true of World War One?
Q5.Why do you think war poetry was popular in the 20th century?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How did Rupert Brooke die?
Q2.Which of the following sentences uses the word 'idealistic' correctly?
Q3. is having or expressing devotion to and support for one's country.
Q4.Starting with the first, 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.What is the effect of Brooke presenting England as a mother figure in 'The Soldier'?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of patriotism and optimism in Brooke's 'The Soldier', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of patriotism and optimism in 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 4 English lessons from the Poetry anthology (Assessment until summer 2026) unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.