Year 12 My Connections text: Hero of War by Rise Against

1. Hero of War
Rise Against

2. Continuum
• Cynical • Knowing • Depressed
• Regretful • Disenchanted • Misled
• Sorry • Bitter • Sad
• Broken • Hopeless • Disgusted

3. Hero of War
He said, “Son, I kicked in the door She walked through bullets and haze
Have you seen the world? I yelled my commands I asked her to stop
Well, what would you say The children, they cried I begged her to stay
If I said that you could? But I got my man But she pressed on
Just carry this gun and you’ll even get We took him away So I lifted my gun
paid.” A bag over his face And I fired away
I said, “That sounds pretty good.” From his family and his friends
The shells jumped through the smoke
Black leather boots They took off his clothes And into the sand
Spit-shined so bright They pissed in his hands That the blood now had soaked
They cut off my hair but it looked I told them to stop She collapsed with a flag in her hand
alright But then I joined in A flag white as snow
We marched and we sang We beat him with guns
We all became friends And batons not just once A hero of war
As we learned how to fight But again and again Is that what they see
Just medals and scars
A hero of war A hero of war So damn proud of me
Yeah that’s what I’ll be Yeah that’s what I’ll be And I brought home that flag
And when I come home And when I come home Now it gathers dust
They’ll be damn proud of me They’ll be damn proud of me But it’s a flag that I love
I’ll carry this flag I’ll carry this flag It’s the only flag I trust
To the grave if I must To the grave if I must
Because it’s flag that I love Because it’s flag that I love He said, “Son, have you seen the
And a flag that I trust And a flag that I trust world? Well what would you say, if I
said that you could?”

4. 1. Number the verses
2. Allocate each of the words below to a verse
• Cynical • Hopeless • Disillusioned
• Regretful • Misled • Patriotic
• Sorry • Sad • Sincere
• Broken • Disgusted • Wiser
• Knowing • Worldly • Shattered
• Disenchanted • Deceived • Naïve
• Bitter • Proud • Dismayed

5. 1. Number the verses
2. Allocate each of the words below to a verse
3. Go through and select a single line in each
verse that demonstrates most strongly one of
the words you have allocated it. Explain why.
• Cynical • Hopeless • Disillusioned
• Regretful • Misled • Patriotic
• Sorry • Sad • Sincere
• Broken • Disgusted • Wiser
• Knowing • Worldly • Shattered
• Disenchanted • Deceived • Naïve
• Bitter • Proud • Dismayed

6. Response
Write a paragraph on the ideas in the song and
how they are demonstrated by the words: their
strength, their significance and what tone they
suggest (use some of the single lines you
highlighted as evidence).
How do these ideas link to the main themes of
the song?

7. Title: “Hero of War”
Author: Rise Against (lyrics written by
Text Type: Song (oral text)
Date heard: 19th March 2012
1 This film/story is about... Summarise the story: introduce the main
characters, major details of setting etc.
2 A character I feel sorry for... Respond to a character or situation (how
A character I didn’t like... did they/their behaviour/that particular
An event that made me think situation make you feel?)
was...
An event that made me feel this Give examples from the text: quotes,
way... scenes/situations etc.
3 This made me think about... Write about an idea or message in the
text– go global. What is the main idea in
this text?