Representations of War unit

Year 10 English

The Literature of War

Introduction

As we progress through this unit, you will be analysing various texts to identify the way war is represented. We will watch the film, Gallipoli, together in class as well as reading some poetry. You will read Maus in your own time, initially, and then we will work on identifying its representation of war together. The questions you need to ask yourself are:

  ·         What does this text say to the reader about war? How is the idea of war represented?

  ·         How does the text convey this message? What aesthetic features position the reader          to understand the text's messages about war and to respond?

The aesthetic features will be different for different kinds of texts. They will include the following:

Movies: camera angles, camera shots, lighting, costuming, characterisation, dialogue, setting, sound effects, music, structure, filming devices such as slow motion, fast forward etc

Graphic novel: structure, characterisation, point of view, shots and angles, juxtapositioning, symbols/motifs, language choices, setting, satire, irony

Poetry: simile, metaphor, alliteration, imagery, assonance, personification, repetition, rhyme, rhythm.

As you watch the film, read Maus or read a poem, you need to be aware of these questions and take notes in response to them.