1. How does this picture make you feel? Why?
“A Wife in London” by Thomas Hardy
How does this picture make you feel? Why?

3. A03: Context (The Boer War)
“A Wife in London” was written in 1899; the same year as the second Boer War:
There were two Boer wars, one in   and the second in  Both of these were between the British and the settlers of Dutch origin (called Boere, Afrikaners or Voortrekkers) in South Africa that put an end to the two independent republics that the settlers had founded.
The conflict was over the huge gold reserves in The Transvaal. The British eventually had over 400,000 men in South Africa. At their peak, the Boers had 52,000 using boys as young as 9. In addition, the Boers were mostly untrained farmers, fighting what was perhaps the greatest power in the world. So the match was uneven from the start.
The war eventually ended in May 1902 when the last of the Boers surrendered. 22,000 British troops and over 25,000 Boer civilians had died in the conflict.
Thomas Hardy was firmly against the Boer war and wrote several anti-war poems.
A03: Show understanding of the context in which texts were written.

4. A03: Show understanding of the context in which texts were written.
A03: Context (Setting)
This poem is set in the 19th Century. At this time, London would be unrecognisable to modern, 21st Century people.
Can you imagine how it felt to be surrounded by fog in Victorian London?
“A London fog is brown, reddish-yellow, or greenish, darkens more than a white fog, has a smoky, or sulphurous smell, is often somewhat dryer than a country fog, and produces, when thick, a choking sensation. Instead of diminishing while the sun rises higher, it often increases in density, and some of the most lowering London fogs occur about midday or late in the afternoon. Sometimes the brown masses rise and interpose a thick curtain at a considerable elevation between earth and sky. A white cloth spread out on the ground rapidly turns dirty, and particles of soot attach themselves to every exposed object.”
R Russell, London Fogs (London: 1880)
Think about:
What the fog is compared to.
The words the writer uses to describe the fog.
A03: Show understanding of the context in which texts were written.

5. I – The Tragedy She sits in the tawny vapour  That the Thames-side lanes have uprolled,  Behind whose webby fold-on-fold  Like a waning taper  The street-lamp glimmers cold. A messenger's knock cracks smartly,  Flashed news in her hand  Of meaning it dazes to understand  Though shaped so shortly:  He—he has fallen—in the far South Land…
Tawny – of an orange-brown or yellowish-brown colour.
Vapour – a substance suspended in the air, for example smoke, mist or fog.
Waning – decrease/diminish/dwindle.
Taper – a slender candle.

6. Write one sentence to summarise what the poem is about.
II – The Irony 'Tis the morrow; the fog hangs thicker,  The postman nears and goes:  A letter is brought whose lines disclose  By the firelight flicker  His hand, whom the worm now knows: Fresh—firm—penned in highest feather—  Page-full of his hoped return,  And of home-planned jaunts of brake and burn  In the summer weather,  And of new love that they would learn.
Morrow – the following day.
Penned – written.
Jaunts – a short excursion or journey made for pleasure.
Teacher’s Notes:
Brief outline of poem:
In this poem a wife is waiting at home in London for news of her husband who is fighting in South Africa during the Second Boer War.
Fog is filling the London streets when there is a knock at the door and a messenger arrives with news.
The wife gets a message saying her husband has died. The following day she receives a letter from her husband saying how much he is looking forward to coming home.
Write one sentence to summarise what the poem is about.

7. You must have evidence to support your point.
Agree or disagree?
You must have evidence to support your point.
After being away for so long, the soldier was worried to return home.
The streets of London are cold and foggy.
The wife struggles to comprehend the news brought by the messenger.
Teacher’s Notes:
Ask students to put thumbs up or down to each statement.
Ask students to justify their answers with evidence from the extract.
Disagree – the soldier’s letter is full of hope for a better future when he returns– “of home-planned jaunts by brake and burn”/ “And of new love that they would learn.”
Agree – “She sits in the tawny vapour”
Agree – “Flashed news is in her hand/ Of meaning it dazes to understand.”
A01 : Develop an informed personal response using textual references (quotations) to support interpretations.

8. Think. Pair. Share.
Look at the following quotes. Can you find any deeper meaning? What could the weather symbolise?
What technique is being used here?
“She sits in the tawny vapour”
“Behind whose webby fold on fold”
“'Tis the morrow; the fog hangs thicker”
A02 : Analyse the language used by a writer to create meanings and effects using terminology.

9. A01 – What is the wife waiting for
A01 – What is the wife waiting for? Why has Hardy left this woman unnamed?
A02 – Look at the words in bold, how is the weather described and why? What technique is this?
I--The Tragedy She sits in the tawny vapour    That the City lanes have uprolled,    Behind whose webby fold on fold Like a waning taper    The street-lamp glimmers cold.
Ask students to annotate the poem, using a green (A01) and blue (A02) pen.
Work in pairs to respond to the questions.
Teacher’s Notes:
A01: Hardy specifically leaves the wife unnamed to represent all the woman who are in the same position, waiting for their soldier to return/waiting for news.
A02: The image of a candle’s light diminishing could represent the solder’s life ending or perhaps how the wife’s hope of ever seeing her husband again is slowly fading.
A02: The technique used is pathetic fallacy. The dismal weather mirrors the sombre and mournful mood.
A02 – What technique is used here? Hardy is describing the light from the street lamp. However, could this represent something else? Think about the definition of ‘waning’.

10. A02 – What types of sounds are found in the word ‘knock’ and ‘crack’
A02 – What types of sounds are found in the word ‘knock’ and ‘crack’? What effect does this have?
A02 – The narrator uses the word ‘cracks’. What technique is this? What does it make you think of?
A messenger's knock cracks smartly,    Flashed news in her hand    Of meaning it dazes to understand Though shaped so shortly:    He--has fallen--in the far South Land . . .
A01 - Look at the words in bold; what do they suggest about the impact of the news on this woman? Is the news positive or negative?
Teacher’s Notes:
A02: Knock and crack both include plosive sounds, which reflect the abrupt/unpleasant news.
A01: The wife is unable to process/comprehend the tragic news.
A02: The word ‘fallen’ is a euphemism for the soldier’s death.
A02: The dashes indicate how she would have stuttered the words, which shows her struggle to come to terms with the news. The ellipsis shows her sorrow and anguish.
A02: The word ‘crack’ is onomatopoeic. It breaks the silence and could indicate how the news creates a crack in her life. Her heart breaking?
Extra:
A03: The ‘far South Land’ is South Africa: a 1899 reader would have known this.
A02 - Why is the word ‘fallen’ important? What is it a euphemism for?
A02 – Look at Hardy’s use of punctuation. Why effect do the ellipsis and dashes have?

11. A02 – Has Hardy used any symbolism in this poem
A02 – Has Hardy used any symbolism in this poem? Does the fog have any deeper or alternate meanings?
A01 – Why has Hardy used this heading? Are there any instances of irony in the second half of the poem?
II--The Irony 'Tis the morrow; the fog hangs thicker,    The postman nears and goes:    A letter is brought whose lines disclose By the firelight flicker    His hand, whom the worm now knows:
Teacher’s Notes:
A01: In this third stanza she received a letter from her dead husband. The irony is that he will not return or learn ‘new love’ because he died in battle.
A02: The technique is alliteration. The reader can picture the soldier writing the letter by a flickering fire, which creates deeper irony and sadness (Pathos).
A01: The soldier has died and is underground. The ‘worm’ links to the decomposing process.
A02: The fog is described as “webby” in the first stanza. In the third stanza we are told the “fog hangs thicker.” This could symbolise that her grief has surrounded her (she feels trapped by it), as the fog has surrounded London. She is isolated in her sorrow.
A02 – What technique is used here? What atmosphere does this language choice create?
A01 – What does this line tell us about the soldier?

12. A01 – Look at the phrases in bold
A01 – Look at the phrases in bold. What did the soldier write in his letter? Was it a positive or negative letter?
A02 – Why has Hardy used the words ‘Fresh’ and ‘firm’? Is there any irony here?
Fresh--firm--penned in highest feather -    Page-full of his hoped return,    And of home-planned jaunts by brake and burn In the summer weather,    And of new love that they would learn.
Teacher’s Notes:
A02: The letter was written with such enthusiasm and vigor, but the soldier is no longer ‘fresh’ or ‘firm’.
A01: The soldier wrote a letter full of optimism and hope for a better future when he returns home.

13. Don’t forget A02: Form and Structure!
Is there a rhyme scheme? What effect does it have on the reader?
The rhyme pattern is ABBAB, so although regular, it does not have a 'sing song' or playful quality to it. It adds to the wife’s uncertain and anxious feelings and allows a sorrowful tone.
What impact do the headings have?
‘The Tragedy’ refers to the soldier’s death and ‘The Irony’ highlights the lost hope of the soldier’s return.
Don’t forget
A02: Form and Structure!
Is there a shift or a change during the poem?
The two parts indicate a shift in time. The first two stanzas tell of the woman receiving information of her husband’s death, the last two stanzas describe the woman receiving a posthumous letter from her deceased husband.
The use of pathetic fallacy in the second part indicates how the wife feels consumed by sorrow and misery after the news of her husband’s death (‘fog hangs thicker’).
In pairs, students should discuss the answers to these questions before sharing with the class.
A02 : Analyse the form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects using terminology.

14. A03: Show understanding of the context in which texts were written.
A03: Link to context
If Thomas Hardy was firmly against the war, why did he write a poem involving the Boer war? Is he trying to convey a particular message?
Furthermore, why didn’t Hardy set his poem in the heart of the Boer war: South Africa? What is the significance of gloomy, foggy Victorian London?
A03: Show understanding of the context in which texts were written.