1. The document provides context and questions about the poem "The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke. It asks the reader to make predictions, visualize imagery, and discuss the mood, author's style and purpose, and personal experiences related to the poem. 2. The poem is written from the perspective of a soldier who says that if he dies, he wants to be remembered as belonging to England forever. His body will decay into the foreign land but his spirit will return to England through thoughts and memories. 3. The soldier presents himself as proud of what England has given him and shaped him to be. He seems willing to sacrifice his life for his country and presents England in a positive light.

1. Lessononthe ‘Soldier’byRupertBrooks
1. Before readingthe poem,pleaseanswerthese questions(pairwork).
What changesinhistoryhave had a lastingeffectonyou?
How dolife’sexperienceshelpusfindoutwhatmattersmost? What dopeople sacrifice themselves
for?Why?
How dopeople’sdreamsaffecttheirdecisions?
1. Readthe title andmake predictionsaboutthe contentof the poem.
2. Please readthe poemandvisualize it:
 lookback throughthe poemfor wordsthat create images
 use those wordsto make a picture inyourmindof the images
 rereadthe poem
The Soldier by Rupert Brooke (1887-1915)
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers,blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
3. Talk aboutthese questionswithyourpartner:
a. MOOD: What isthe moodof the poem?What wordsinthe poemsupportyouranswer?
b. AUTHOR’S STYLE AND PURPOSE:Who isthe speakerinthe poem?Canyoudescribe him?
How doesthe soldierpresenthimself? Whatishisintention?Whodoeshe speakto?
How doeshe presentEngland?
He says ‘(…)whom England bore, shaped, made aware,’ : How did England shape the soldier?
Consequently, what kind of person did he become?

2. c. PERSONALEXPERIENCE: Is Brook’smessage (partiotism, beingproudof one’scountryand
readyto sacrifice one’slife forit) stillvalidtoday?