Students should be aware that it is not only poetry that allows people to express their views and feelings in a particular era. Song lyrics are poetry, and they have expressed the emotions and beliefs of many generations, particularly their attitudes to war. Have these attitudes changed over time? With a look at some of the lyrics used over time about war, students can make their own assessment.
A collection of these lyrics can be looked at, as well as some close reading of a few of them.
If students or teachers wish to go beyond the study of WW1 and the war poets and songs of this time, they can look at Poetry and Music about the American Civil War.
The Trenches on the Web site features Italian war poetry and provides a further link to the German war poets.
Instead of using the war approach to the conflict study, possible tangents include:
* Novel - The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The film could be used as as a visual language approach. This could also provide a link into short story with On the Sidewalk Bleeding and The Last Spin by Evan Hunter. They also have a gang conflict theme. They deal with teenage issues of gangs, belonging, sense of self and identity.
* Novel - Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien. This deals with the nuclear theme and a short story emphasis could be added with The Weapon by Frederic Brown and Peter Appleton's The Responsibility poem. These help to question the students' beliefs in the nuclear issue.
Published on: 06 Apr 2009
