Do Now Remains Remains What connotations does this

Do Now ‘Remains’ Remains What connotations does this word have? The word ‘Remains’ suggests… Connotation – something that is implied by another thing

Title: Remains Learning Aim: To explore the big picture of a poem from the anthology Success Criteria: -Explore the potential themes and context of a poem -Read a poem and discuss your first impressions -Analyse the key themes and message of the poem Key Words Power Conflict Context Humanity Guilt Haunted PTSD Lit AO Skills Focus AO 1, AO 2 AO 3

humanity Direct Vocabulary Instruction The nature of being kind, caring and decent. Mr. Spring showed exceptional humanity when he nursed the sick bird back to life. Now write your own individual Single and separate / a single human being. I hate team sports because I perform better as an individual. Now write your own guilt Feeling bad about something you have done. I felt so much guilt after running over my neighbour’s cat. Now write your own

Soldier (What it means to be a good soldier – the necessary characteristics required to perform this role effectively Conflict Humanity (what we are taught about being morally good people) Soldiers are brave men and women who are trained to function under unimaginable circumstances. They may have to witness extreme violence and, at times, they may be expected to kill without hesitation. Simon Armitage wrote the poem Remains about a real soldier who fought in the Gulf War. The soldier talked to him about the day he killed a looter. At the time, the soldier felt nothing about killing the man but after passing his victim’s, “blood shadow” on the street everyday, the soldier began to struggle with the reality of what he had done. The Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991), codenamed Operation Desert Shield (2 August 1990 – 17 January 1991) for operations leading to the build up of troops and defence of Saudi Arabia and Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) in its combat phase, was a war waged by coalition forces from 34 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.

Remains by Simon Armitage Annotating & Analysing On another occasion, we got sent out to tackle looters raiding a bank. And one of them legs it up the road, probably armed, possibly not. Well myself and somebody else are all of the same mind, so all three of us open fire. Three of a kind all letting fly, and I swear I see every round as it rips through his life – I see broad daylight on the other side. So we’ve hit this looter a dozen times and he’s there on the ground, sort of inside out, pain itself, the image of agony. One of my mates goes by and tosses his guts back into his body. Then he’s carted off in the back of a lorry. End of story, except not really. His blood-shadow stays on the street, and out on patrol I walk right over it week after week. Then I’m home on leave. But I blink and he bursts again through the doors of the bank. Sleep, and he’s probably armed, and possibly not. Dream, and he’s torn apart by a dozen rounds. And the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out – he’s here in my head when I close my eyes, dug in behind enemy lines, not left for dead in some distant, sun-stunned, sand-smothered land or six-feet-under in desert sand, but near to the knuckle, here and now, his bloody life in my bloody hands. If you have a copy of the poem, annotate how power and conflict are presented in it. If you do not have a copy of the poem printed, then write down the key quotes and what they show. Key vocab/focuses: Guilt Humanity Individuality Consequences Conscience

Now you’ve reread the poem: What are thoughts about it? • • • Persona: Taking on the voice of another person Give a detailed summary of the poem What persona has the poet adopted? Where can you see evidence of the human side of the soldier? Where can you see evidence of the trained man doing his job? What are the key messages of it? 1) Think 2) Write

Final Application What is the poem about? What is the BIG PICTURE of the poem? Consider its message and anything that the poet clearly seems to be trying to say through it. Key vocab/focuses: Guilt Humanity Individuality Consequences Conscience My Big Picture: In Remains Armitage shows how war strips men of their individuality and humanity and that conflict has devastating lasting psychological consequences.