WW1+Coursework

Your COURSEWORK essay question will be as follows:
=The poems 'The Send-Off', 'The Parable of the Old Man and the Young' and 'Spring Offensive' all respond in different ways to the death of ordinary soldiers on the battlefield. Compare the ways at least two of the poems depict such deaths. Think about the methods used by Owen as well as the ideas and language in his poems.=

Download the three coursework poems here: [[file:Owen Coursework Poems.doc]]
=The Send-Off= For an annotated version of this poem, click here: To view the original draft of this poem, click here:

=The Parable of the Old Man and the Young= For an annotated version of this poem, click here: To view the original draft of this poem, click here: To read the version of this parable from the St James' version of The Bible, click here:

Remember, also, these extracts from letters by Owen around this time:
He must be a creature of killable age now. //[of his young, French friend, Johnny de la Touche]// God so hated the world that he gave several millions of English-begotten sons that whosoever believeth in them should not perish, but have a comfortable life. //[of civilians who stayed at home and never fought]//

And the poem, 'Soldier's Dream', written in Autumn 1917, the year before:
I dreamed kind Jesus fouled the big-gun gears; And caused a permanent stoppage in all bolts; And buckled with a smile Mausers and Colts; And rusted every bayonet with His tears.

And there were no more bombs, of ours or Theirs, Not even an old flint-lock, not even a pikel. But God was vexed, and gave all power to Michael; And when I woke he'd seen to our repairs.

=Spring Offensive= For an annotated version of the poem, click here: For a chart helping you to analyse the poem, click here: To view the original draft of this poem, click here: For the original draft of Owen's letter to his mother in which he describes the battle which inspired 'Spring Offensive', click here:; And for a military description of that same battle, click here: Finally, for a PEE chart to help you analyse the poem in detail, click here:

For a possible essay plan for your coursework essay, click here: [[file:WW1 Poetry Essay – A possible structure.doc]]
Stuck for a thread? How about one of these: _
 * 1) Parable = overview/context; Send-off/Spring Offensive zoom in on personal experience (before/during/after)
 * 2) Before war, faith in higher powers was strong; by end of war, faith in God (Parable/Soldier’s Dream) and Nature (Spring Offensive) eroded. Consequence = inhuman despatch to certain death (Send Off)
 * 3) Disappearance of Owen’s faith: Soldier’s Dream and Parable
 * 4) Death is everywhere: use of ominous language throughout the three poems, reflecting omnipresence of death.
 * 5) Antiheroism in Send-Off and Spring Offensive: inhuman acts; discomfort; crept back afterwards

__For the marking criteria we will be using when marking your essay, click below:__
__

Remember, when reading these criteria, that you need to aim for MORE THAN 11 MARKS to achieve a Grade C or above. I suggest, however, that you look at the criteria for BAND 3 as a starting point. Let me know if you need me to explain them in more detail.__

Planning

 * Thread: there must be an overall 'thread' or central argument running through your essay.
 * 5-point-plan: even if each of your points leads to 3 or 4 paragraphs, this is still a good framework to use.
 * PEE: this should form the structure of all paragraphs.
 * Introduction/Conclusion: plan/draft/redraft these VERY carefully, as they can MAKE or BREAK any essay.

Referring to the text

 * Embedded quotations: where possible, embed your quotations so that they make sense as part of your own sentences.
 * Extended quotations: if this is not possible, simply provide a colon and then indent the quotation on a line (or more) of its own. (Look at the exemplar essay on the main Romeo and Juliet page of the wiki to see what I mean.
 * Individual words: often, with poetry, it is useful to "refer" to individual "words" from a poem to put across your "point".
 * Analysis: every quotation needs to be ANALYSED and DISCUSSED, otherwise it should not have been included in the first place.

Content

 * Make sure your essay is INTERESTING to read. If it is interesting to WRITE, the chances are you have managed this.
 * You should also ensure the essay is ENGAGING, or, in other words, that the examiner will stay awake until the end, and want to read on.
 * Everything you write must be RELEVANT and help to answer the question in some way. Do NOT waffle, or write TOO much.
 * Your essay should be COHERENT, with all the points you make linked in some way to each other.

Finishing touches

 * Start with a quotation? This is NOT compulsory, but can be a fun way to start (or even finish) an essay. See my exemplar essay to see what I mean.
 * Perfect SPG (Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar). Basic errors like this will give the wrong impression - especially if you spell the characters' names wrongly!
 * Talk about audience (and performance, if it is a play). This shows that you understand that everything is written to have a particular EFFECT on its audience, and ensures you analyse...
 * ...the writer's STYLE (i.e. HOW they use language to achieve this effect)

Layout

 * Always put the essay question in full at the top of the paper.
 * Leave a line between paragraphs.
 * Put the poem title in 'single' inverted commas, whenever you use it in the essay.
 * No 'I' - find another way to write the sentence //without// this word.