1. Generally, war poetry takes one of two views of war: brave, support your country, heroes, patriotic, everything will be fine, good guys win death, suffering, agony, loss, bleeding to death in a ditch, disease, horror, evil

2. A body of England's, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, dreams happy as her day; In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. These quotations are taken from The Soldier, which we are about to study. Which sort of view of war does it offer? How can you tell? brave, support your country, heroes, patriotic, everything will be fine, good guys win death, suffering, agony, loss, bleeding to death in a ditch, disease, horror, evil

3. The Soldier - by Rupert Brooke If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England's, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, A pulse in the eternal mind, no less Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. This poem takes the patriotic, proud point of view and doesn't focus on pain or loss. It's a sonnet - the same style as Shakespeare used. 14 lines, 10 syllables per line, alternate rhyming couplets, usually linked to love.

4. The Soldier - by Rupert Brooke If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England's, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, A pulse in the eternal mind, no less Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. Translation: If I die, remember that a part of a field in a foreign country has me buried in it. That location amongst that great soil contains an even greater set of English remains. A dust which was created in England and experienced everything life had to offer in England, including giving flowers to a lover, breathing English air and enjoying English countryside. My heart now is now dead and has no flaws. I am now a tiny part of heaven And I can still remember the thoughts of England, her sights and sounds. I remember laughter, friends and gentleness in peaceful hearts under an English heaven. "That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England." This the most important image of the poem and key to understanding it. Look at the image. The place where that soldier died (or was buried), even though it is in France or Belgium, is effectively a little part of England. Because an English soldier lies there.

5. "A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware," A dust which was created in England and experienced everything life had to offer in England You may have heard of the phrase "ashes to ashes, dust to dust". It's often said at funerals. It comes from the Anglican book of prayer (Church of England). 1) Why is the writer talking about himself as dust? Clue: life and death. 2) Explain and analyse the quotation, referring to "bore" (gave birth to), "shaped" and "made aware"

6. "Washed by the rivers" "blest by suns of home." "all evil shed away" How do these quotations focus on good? How do they link to his entrance to heaven? cleaned/cleansed purified blessed nature England memories God cleaned/cleansed protectedhonoured good light nature England memories darkness removed sin destroyed purified cleaned/cleansed heavenly bliss

7. The Soldier - by Rupert Brooke If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England's, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, A pulse in the eternal mind, no less Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. "if" - was it likely he would die in WW1? why would he want his family to think he had his own corner? what is being "concealed"? what were the soldiers made aware of/taught? has England been good to them? why are soldiers "a body"? why mention the countryside? why would they think of this? why has any evil vanished? where is he? why focus on the "heart" and "pulse"? how can you link the pulse of the body with a pulse in heaven/eternal mind? why call England a she ("her")? why is he now "at peace" in more than one way? how does it create a lasting image at the end?

8. The word England or English is used 6 times in this short poem. FACTS It's a poem about dying, but mentions nothing about death. Patriotism is about the love of your country. Some people might say this soldier is idealistic, foolish or naive. It focuses on a transition from life to death and arriving at heaven. Using the information above and your notes made on the poem, answer the following (6/7 sentences): How does Brooke present this soldier's love for England?