New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Comparing ideas of war in Hardy’s ‘Drummer Hodge’ and Armitage’s ‘Remains’

I can compare how Hardy and Armitage present ideas of war in ‘Drummer Hodge’ and ‘Remains’.

New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Comparing ideas of war in Hardy’s ‘Drummer Hodge’ and Armitage’s ‘Remains’

I can compare how Hardy and Armitage present ideas of war in ‘Drummer Hodge’ and ‘Remains’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Both Hardy and Armitage arguably depict the dehumanising effect of war through the treatment of fallen soldiers’ bodies.
  2. Arguably, both Hardy and Armitage suggest that the soldiers were somewhere that they didn’t belong.
  3. While Hardy may imply the soldiers’ ignorance of the realities of war, Armitage arguably shows the uncertainty of war.
  4. We might interpret the regular rhyme of ‘Drummer Hodge’ as showing ideas of inevitability.
  5. However, the irregularity of ‘Remains’ may instead suggest the unpredictable nature of war.

Keywords

  • Dehumanisation - regarding, representing, or treating (a person or group) as less than human

  • Inevitable - certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented

  • Unpredictable - likely to change suddenly and without reason and therefore not able to be predicted or depended upon

Common misconception

A comparative topic sentence should only focus on the differences between poems.

A comparative topic sentence should either state the similarities or differences between the poems in relation to the central focus of the paragraph.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Comparing ideas of war in Hardy’s ‘Drummer Hodge’ and Armitage’s ‘Remains’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

It might be useful to recap Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' and Armitage's 'Remains' before this lesson.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You may wish to have a copy of the Eduqas 2025 Anthology for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is an accurate summary of Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge'?
The poem depicts an injured soldier in the aftermath of war.
Correct answer: The poem depicts the unceremonial burial of a soldier.
The poem depicts the glorious sacrifice of a soldier.
Q2.
Which of the following comparative conjunctions would you use to show difference between ideas?
likewise
Correct answer: alternatively
equally
Correct answer: however
Q3.
Which of the following is an accurate summary of Armitage's 'Remains'?
Correct answer: The poem depicts a soldier haunted by his actions.
The poem depicts a soldier protesting against war.
The poem depicts a soldier being abandoned by his family.
Q4.
Which of the following is the context of Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge'?
The First World War
The French Revolution
Correct answer: The Second Boer War
Q5.
The word 'inevitable' means which of the following?
something that can be avoided
likely to change
Correct answer: certain to happen
Q6.
Which of the following does Hardy use to describe how Drummer Hodge's body is buried?
toss
Correct answer: throw
place

6 Questions

Q1.
Which comparative conjunction would you use to show similarities between ideas?
contrastingly
Correct answer: likewise
Correct answer: similarly
whereas
Q2.
Armitage describes the land in 'Remains' as which of the following?
unknown
Correct answer: distant
familiar
Q3.
Hardy's use of a regular rhyme scheme arguably creates ideas of __________.
unpredictability
freedom
Correct answer: inevitability
Q4.
Arguably, Armitage's use of an irregular rhyme scheme creates a sense of __________.
Correct answer: unpredictability
contentment
control
Q5.
The word 'unpredictable' means which of the following?
certain to happen
Correct answer: likely to change
unable to be avoided
Q6.
The use of the word "possibly" in Armitage's 'Remains' creates a sense of __________.
certainty
Correct answer: uncertainty
pessimism