Poems - Mametz Wood - Flashcards in GCSE English

who wrote Mametz Wood?

Owen Sheers

1 of 22

The battle of Mametz Wood is a tragedy of the __ (first/second?) World War

first

2 of 22

give some context of the war

WW1 in Mametz wood (in france) - soldiers were ordered to walk towards germans with aim capturing Mametz Wood, but they came under fire and lost lots of lives

3 of 22

what were some of the outlooks on this event (were they praised/criticised for sacrifice?)

some criticised Welsh soldiers for lack of determination, others felt they were being badly treated and trained so there sacrifice wasn't appreciated

4 of 22

how does the poem begin? (what do we find out has happened at the start?)

farmers in france finding pones and skeletons in their fields when ploughing the land. Skeletons were from soldiers who dies during WW1

5 of 22

what is the effect of referring to the soldiers as ‘the wasted young’

refers to both the decaying of their body and that they died too young and it wasn't an act of courage, but rather stupidity as the wasted their lives + shows how childish the soldiers must have seemed

6 of 22

what word in the first linje of the poem emphasises that the war has taken away the soldiers identity so they're nameless and unidentified

'them' - 'the farmers found them' - can't be identified by a name so have to refer to the soldiers as 'them'

7 of 22

what is the effect of referring to the soldiers shoulder blade as a 'china plate'

dehunimies solider, and suggests he is easily broken. showing both the fragmented nature of the remains, as well as their fragility. China plates are generally considered to be priceless, as well as delicate, like the bones

8 of 22

what's the effect of 'a relic of a finger' (relic = old object and also is part of a saints body and gets worshipped)

could suggest admiration for those who died

9 of 22

which quote uses alliteration to contrast the violence of the war with the fragility of a skull? (second stanza)

'the blown and broken birds egg of a skull'

10 of 22

what's the effect of describing the machine guns as 'nesting machine guns'

'nesting' sugget new life, implies weapon's are natural + implies natural camouflage with wood, showing how well Germans hid, unlike Welsh + implies a pollution of the wood itself, german invasion was like virus, turing homeland into trap + deathbed

11 of 22

at which point in poem does time shift back to present? (write quote)

'and even now[...]' - fourth stanza

12 of 22

what does 'the earth stands sentinel' suggest about the earth?

personifies earth - suggest earth prevers the bodies in a determined yet calm way

13 of 22

whats the effect of comparing the soldiers to 'a foreign body'?

emphasis its unnatural for them to be there and to have died to young

14 of 22

what's the effect of 'skeletons paused mid dance'

dark humour - image of skeletons dancing - reminds us soldiers were once living people

15 of 22

what effect does the last stanza have? (what tone is created?)

'notes they had sung' - imagery from stanza 2 of soldiers singing contrats with violence of war. 'this unearthing slipped from their absent tongues' - discovery has given them a voice that they lacked when alive (following orders) - sense of peace

16 of 22

‘Walk, not run’ was the entire battle plan of Field-Marshal Haig; he demanded that his soldiers walk towards the German army, most of which were defending advantageous positions with much better weaponry. What can be implied from this knowledge?

Haig couldn't understand that to walk towards approaching guns made them sitting ducks/easy targets - shows both the willingness/obedience of Welsh soldiers as well as the stupidity and cruelty of the men who led them.

17 of 22

what does the fact that these bones have been discovered after laying there for so many years show about the earth and the soldiers sacrifice?

earth itself is trying to make sure that they are remembered, that their sacrifice is not in vain, and that their memories will live on in the lives of the living.

18 of 22

‘Like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin’ emphasises this. evaluate how this quote does this

Rather than the living plucking them wilfully from the grave, the earth itself gives them up to scrutiny, and in this way, it seems as though a rebirth of their identities.

19 of 22

what quote implies that the soldiers might be trying to call out to each other/to the living?

'their jaws, those that have them, dropped open'

20 of 22

we find out in the final stanza that the soldier have been trying to call out to the living. why might this be?

the dead soldiers have been trying to communicate with the living, to make sure that they and their sacrifice are not forgotten.

21 of 22

what's the effect of mentioning their tongues are absent? (what could it refer to?

could refer to how they didnt get a say in the war - they had to follow orders + they've been silenced, but the excavation of their remains brings them to the awareness of the living, and they become a memory of the slaughter of Mametz Wood

22 of 22

Get Revising

Poems - Mametz Wood

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Back

Card 3

Front

Back

Card 4

Front

Back

Card 5

Front

Back

Comments

Similar English resources: