Understanding ideas of war in Hardy’s ‘Drummer Hodge’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explore how Hardy presents ideas of war in ‘Drummer Hodge’.
Key learning points
- ‘Drummer Hodge’ depicts a soldier’s unceremonial burial in a foreign country.
- Hardy was referencing the events of the Second Boer War (1899-1902).
- 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 as criticising the Boer War and colonialism through ‘Drummer Hodge’.
Keywords
Unceremonial - done in a rude, sudden, or informal way
Constellation - a group of visible stars that form a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal
Colonialism - domination of a people or area by a foreign state or nation
Afrikaans - a language of southern Africa, derived from the form of Dutch brought to the Cape by Protestant settlers
Common misconception
Soldiers were always aware of what they were signing up for.
Many men and boys who signed up to fight for the British Empire were unaware of the realities of war and what it would mean for them.
Teacher tip
It might be useful to expand on the definition of colonialism and how it relates to the British Empire for LC2 if this is something that is unfamiliar to the students.
Equipment
You will need a copy of Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' for this lesson. You can find a copy in the additional materials or in the Eduqas 2025 Anthology.
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.The word "young" and "fresh" have connotations of which of the following?
Q2.Describing somewhere as "strange" and "foreign" implies which of the following?
Q3.To criticise something means which of the following?
Q4.To "throw" something implies which of the following?
Q5.'done in a rude, sudden, or informal way' is the definition of which of the following?
Q6.'a group of visible stars that form a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal' is the definition of which of the following?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is the context of Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge'?
Q2.Complete the quotation from Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge': “They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest / __________”
Q3.The original title of Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' was which of the following?
Q4.Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' implies which of the following will happen to Hodge's body?
Q5.Hardy uses the following words in 'Drummer Hodge': “a kopje-crest” and “ the veldt”. What language are these?
Q6.'domination of a people or area by a foreign state or nation' is the definition of which word beginning with 'c'?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding ideas of war in Hardy’s ‘Drummer Hodge’, 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 war in Hardy’s ‘Drummer Hodge’, 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 from summer 2027) unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.