Small Group Poetry Project: War and Heroism

Group Member Poem

Sam “To Lucasta” (1)

Grace “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (2)

Ethan “The Song of the Mud” (3)

Megan “Dulce et Decorum Est” (4)

Assignment Overview
Your group will analyze four poems about war heroes and form connections to our essential
question for Unit One. Honors English classes will also find an additional war poem not in
the textbook and include an analysis of it in the slide show. A copy of the additional
poem should be included in the slideshow. After discussing the initial hero question, you will
each read one of the four poems and answer specific questions about that poem. ALL FOUR
POEMS must be included in your responses unless you are assigned a group of three. In this
case, you choose three of the four poems to study. After completing all discussion questions
and analyzing each poem, your group will create a slide show presentation. This slide show will
answer the following question: What are the traits of a traditional war hero?

Directions and Procedures

❏ WRITTEN PORTION: For the written portion of the assignment (on this document), each group
member must turn in their completed work on or before the due date. This written portion must
include the paragraph about heroism and the table about poem titles and heroic traits (the first
two boxes below), plus the questions pertaining to your individual poem. In other words, if you
turn in your assignment without the first two sections completed, you will lose 30 points! YOU
are responsible for making your own copy and naming the file properly. If you turn in the wrong
document, I will grade the wrong one and there won’t be an opportunity to “re-turn in” your
assignment.

❏ SLIDE SHOW/PRESENTATION: For the slide show presentation, one group member will need
to create a blank Google slide show, make a copy of this document, then share it with your
other group members. All group members will create their own slides for their assigned poem on
this one, shared slide show. This will allow the group to see how each member is progressing
and make it easier to collaborate if one member needs to get a second opinion on their
interpretation of their poem.
When this portion of the group work is complete, you will have ONE group member attach your
slide show and submit it on Schoology. Only one group member will turn in the assignment, so
make sure you include group member names on the title slide. Note--remember that for the
written portion, EVERY group member must turn in their own doc with the completed questions
(see paragraph above).
❏ Before you begin analyzing each of the poems, allow each member of your group a few
seconds to respond to the question:
What are some situations in which someone might look for a hero? What character traits
do these heroes tend to possess?
As you take turns sharing your positions, be sure to provide reasons for your choice.

❏ After all group members have shared, discuss which ideas about the characteristics of a hero
you all share in common. Summarize the results of your discussion in a complete paragraph
below. This should be a minimum of 3-4 well crafted sentences.
A hero should possess many characteristics. These should include bravery, selflessness, and
courageousness. A person who is considered a hero would display these traits, while still
being a human and having normal, everyday lives.

❏ Next, have each member of the group read his or her poem and complete the response
questions. The link under each poem will take you to a PDF where you will find all of the poems.
(skip to the end of this document to see the questions related to each poem)

❏ Once you have finished your individual analysis of the poems, get with your group and discuss
the personality traits that apply to the heroes of each selection. Note any discrepancies or
differences among them. Then, make a list of traits that seem typical, and develop a claim. Use
the chart to capture your observations. This will serve as prewriting for the argument that you
will create together.
Title Heroic Traits

“To Lucasta” Honor and bravery

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” Nobility and courage

“The Song of the Mud” Ability to balance selfs morals

“Dulce et Decorum Est” bravery

Additional Poem (Honors only): selflessness

Soldiers Return
(http://www.helleniccomserve.com/war_po
ems.html)

The heroic traits that apply to the traditional war hero include these:

Bravery, courage, nobility, selflessness, and self values

When you have finished compiling this chart, you are ready to submit the Poem Analysis
assignment (which is THIS DOCUMENT--the one you are looking at right now), and move on to
the presentation portion.

Scripted Slide Show Presentation

Using the results from the table above, create a scripted slide show that addresses this
question:
What traits does the traditional war hero exhibit?

You will find specific details (direct quotes) from each poem to support your claim and include
these in your slides. You will also locate online photos, artwork, or video clips that illustrate your
claim, then embed them in your presentation. The goal is to create a complete presentation that
answers the above question, supporting the answer by explaining evidence from each of the
four poems. This means you are, in essence, creating an argument essay in the form of a
group presentation.

Organization:
❏ Your slideshow should be arranged in the same way you would organize an argument
essay:
❏ Your very first slide should work like a title page, which would include the title of
your assignment (this should be related to your main claim about heroic traits),
followed by your group members’ names, your teacher’s name, your class, and
the date.
❏ The introduction to your argument, in which you make your claim about the traits
of a traditional war hero, should appear on your first slide(s). (1 or 2 slides)
❏ The next slides should be arranged to communicate how each poem supports
your claim about the traits of a traditional war hero. This means you should
dedicate two slides to explaining each poem and its relationship to the claim. (8
slides)
❏ A conclusion about your claim should be explained using at least one more slide
(1 slide)
Requirements:
● Title slide
● At least eight (8) slides explaining and supporting your claim
● At least two quotes per poem supporting your claim (eight total)
● An additional two slides and two quotes for group-selected war poem. Also include text
of additional poem in the slide show. (Honors only)

Procedures
❏ Divide the work either by poem or by the traits you included in your claim. You may work
together on the “introduction” and “conclusion” slides, or delegate that to specific group
members.
 ❏ Organize your slides and visuals in a logical way, then write a script for your slide show
(the slides themselves should NOT contain all of the information you will say during your
presentation--use the “speaker notes” area for this. Where are the speaker notes? Click
this link to see: LINK)
❏ Proofread the speaker notes as a group, making sure that you present a unified
argument in answer to the question in the prompt and that you avoid mechanical and
grammatical errors.
❏ Once all slides are complete with images and basic text, have ONE group member turn
in your project under the Poetry Presentation assignment. Make sure all your group
members’ names are included at the top of this document.
❏ Celebrate that you are all done!

Individual Poem Analysis Questions

Poem #1: “To Lucasta, On Going to the Wars” (page 4 of link)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d4u18IDUbNCVwXpqJlTqh8Z92onlQRAf/view?usp=sharing#pag
e=4

Historical Background: What background info is essential to understanding this poem?

Essential Question: “What makes a hero?”

Consider the poem and how it relates to the essential question. Explain how the poem connects
to the concept of heroism, considering ideas such as honor, loyalty, sacrifice, leadership and/or
success.

Vocabulary: Choose at least three words from the poem that are unfamiliar to you and define
them below. For at least one of the words, explain how understanding its meaning is important
to understanding the poem as a whole.
Poetic Devices: Identify/quote three poetic devices that the poet uses, such as rhyme,
alliteration, repetition, imagery, metaphor, speaker, etc. Explain why each example qualifies as
that particular device and then determine the effect one device has on the poem as a whole.

Text Questions:
Which does the speaker of “To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars” love more—the idea of going to
war or his sweetheart? To support your answer, share your reasoning as well as evidence from
the text.

In “To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars,” what details refer to the kind of relationship the speaker
has with Lucasta? Why does the speaker describe his relationship with Lucasta in this way?

A paradox is a situation that seems to contradict itself but, on closer inspection, reveals some
truth. What is the paradox concerning the speaker’s inconstancy in “To Lucasta, on Going to the
Wars”?

Poem #2: “Charge of the Light Brigade” (page 6 of link)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d4u18IDUbNCVwXpqJlTqh8Z92onlQRAf/view?usp=sharing

Historical Background: What background info is essential to understanding this poem?

 Historical information that is essential to understanding this poem is knowing that it's about
the Battle of Balaclava. This battle resulted in the deaths of about 600 men. They all rode on
horseback and willingly charged at the enemy, not questioning the command.

Essential Question: “What makes a hero?”

Consider the poem and how it relates to the essential question. Explain how the poem connects
to the concept of heroism, considering ideas such as honor, loyalty, sacrifice, leadership and/or
success.

This poem connects to the concept of heroism by showing bravery and sacrifice. The men in
the cavalry willingly sacrificed themselves during the Crimean War, knowing that they were
ranked lower than their opponents. They followed their officer’s commands without
questioning it, showing their loyalty.

Vocabulary: Choose at least three words from the poem that are unfamiliar to you and define
them below. For at least one of the words, explain how understanding its meaning is important
to understanding the poem as a whole.

Cossack- people with a tradition of independence who received privileges from the Russian
government in exchange for military service

Volleyed- to propel (an object) while in the air

Blundered- make a stupid or careless mistake; act or speak clumsily

Understanding the meaning of blundered is important to understanding the poem because it

shows how the officer made a mistake of telling the men to charge, but how the men still followed
his orders regardless of knowing what their outcome was.

Poetic Devices: Identify/quote three poetic devices that the poet uses, such as rhyme,
alliteration, repetition, imagery, metaphor, speaker, etc. Explain why your example qualifies as
that particular device and then determine the effect it has on the poem as a whole.
 Repetition- “Cannon to right of them,/Cannon to left of them,/Cannon in front of them”
These lines qualify as repetition because each line starts with the same word, and the rest of
the line follows with a direction. It affects the poem by drawing attention to how the battle is
going on, and how there are cannons everywhere.

Alliteration- “Stormed at with shot and shell,”

This line qualifies as alliteration because the words begin with the same letter. This affects the
poem by emphasizing that the soldiers are being shot at and explains how they are sacrificing
their lives.

Imagery- “All the world wondered./Plunged in the battery smoke/Right through the line they
broke;”
These lines show imagery in the poem by describing the scenery around them. This helps the
poem by allowing its readers to image what is happening, and emphasizes the battle that is
happening, and how they charged at their opponents.

Text Questions:
In the first half of “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” Tennyson uses the phrase
“rode the six hundred” four times. In the second half, he modifies the phrase, first
saying “not the six hundred,” then “left of six hundred,” and finally “noble six hundred.” Explain
how the repetition and variation of the phrase about the six hundred helps the reader visualize
the change in the light brigade during the course of the poem.

This variation of the repeated phrase helps the reader to visualize how the brigade is
changing as they charge during this war. In the beginning, when the phrase is “rode the six
hundred”, it shows how there are 600 soldiers who are participating in this battle. As the
phrase changes to “not the six hundred” and “left of the six hundred”, it shows how there are
men slowly dying and how they are fulfilling the assumed outcome of this charge. The final
phrase, “noble six hundred”, shows how all the men, dead or alive, were noble enough to
even be willing to fight and sacrifice themselves.

When you paraphrase, you restate a text in your own words. Paraphrase the second stanza of
“The Charge of the Light Brigade.” Based on this stanza, what is expected of soldiers?

This stanza is saying that the soldiers are ordered to move forward and charge, and no one is
seen to show any distress. Then, the following lines reveal that the order was a mistake and
was not meant to be given. However, the soldiers don’t know this and do not argue against it
or question it, but instead follow it without any hesitation. The final lines show how the 600
soldiers are riding into their inevitable death. This stanza shows that the soldiers are expected
 to follow any orders given, and fight whenever they are told to do so.

In lines 24-25 and lines 46-47, Tennyson says that the brigade rode into the “jaws of Death” and
the “mouth of hell.” Explain what these metaphors mean in the context of the poem.

In the context of this poem, both of these metaphors mean that this battle is not in favor of the
cavalry. It explains that they are clearly outnumbered and that death is expected.

Poem #3: “The Song of the Mud” (page 10 of link)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d4u18IDUbNCVwXpqJlTqh8Z92onlQRAf/view?usp=sharing

Historical Background: What background info is essential to understanding this poem?

Essential Question: “What makes a hero?”

Consider the poem and how it relates to the essential question. Explain how the poem connects
to the concept of heroism, considering ideas such as honor, loyalty, sacrifice, leadership and/or
success.

Vocabulary: Choose at least three words from the poem that are unfamiliar to you and define
them below. For at least one of the words, explain how understanding its meaning is important
to understanding the poem as a whole.

Poetic Devices: Identify/quote three poetic devices that the poet uses, such as rhyme,
alliteration, repetition, imagery, metaphor, speaker, etc. Explain why your example qualifies as
that particular device and then determine the effect it has on the poem as a whole.
Text Questions:
Some lines in “The Song of the Mud” are meant to be understood literally—they mean what they
say. Many others are ironic—they convey one idea or tone, but the poet intends to convey the
opposite meaning or tone. First, cite at least one literal, or directly stated, line in the poem. Then
cite at least two lines that represent the poet’s ironic tone. Why do you think the poet used an
ironic tone?

In “The Song of the Mud,” what does the speaker mean by “the disguise of the war zone”?
Based on this, what do you think is the underlying message of the poem?

What conflicting images of the mud does the speaker provide in “The Song of the Mud”? What
is the purpose of this contrast?

Poem #4: “Dulce et Decorum Est” (page 12 of link)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d4u18IDUbNCVwXpqJlTqh8Z92onlQRAf/view?usp=sharing

Historical Background: What background info is essential to understanding this poem?

Essential Question: “What makes a hero?”

Consider the poem and how it relates to the essential question. Explain how the poem connects
to the concept of heroism, considering ideas such as honor, loyalty, sacrifice, leadership and/or
success.

Vocabulary: Choose at least three words from the poem that are unfamiliar to you and define
them below. For at least one of the words, explain how understanding its meaning is important
to understanding the poem as a whole.

Poetic Devices: Identify/quote three poetic devices that the poet uses, such as rhyme,
alliteration, repetition, imagery, metaphor, speaker, etc. Explain why your example qualifies as
that particular device and then determine the effect it has on the poem as a whole.

Text Questions:
Explain the literal meaning behind these figurative lines in “Dulce et Decorum Est”: “Men
marched asleep;” “…limped on, blood-shod;” and “As under a green sea I saw him drowning.”
Why do you think Wilfred Owen might have used these phrases? What did he want his readers
to feel? Then, note that the English translation of the full Latin phrase that concludes “Dulce et
Decorum Est” is “It is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country.” Explain why this is an ironic
line in the context of the poem.

In lines 15 and 16 of “Dulce et Decorum Est,” how does the speaker’s role shift? What does this
shift say about the horror of war?
Verbal irony is a discrepancy between what a speaker says and what the speaker actually
means. Reread lines 3 and 4 of “Dulce et Decorum Est.” Which words in these lines are meant
ironically? What is the actual meaning of those words?