War poetry - Analysing poems about the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War Two

3 Resources
1) A handout with questions for the three poems in the booklet about the atomic bombing (for students to complete as revision

2) A PowerPoint which first explores survivor's recounts of the bombing. This is to help students to understand how witnessing the bombing would influence the worldview of a person and be able to explain how this would insert subjectivity into poems written by survivors. View an excerpt of a documentary on the atomic bomb (which simulates the blast and includes interviews with survivors – one of which is a poet who will be studied in the next lesson. Students will read the poem 'At the makeshift aid station' together stanza by stanza, taking time to address the questions in the prompts down the side. The significance of the reference to the cherry blossoms will be explained so that students can reflect on the effect of this symbolism. It includes some other discussion questions which will help them to think like they need to for their feature article under exam conditions...

3) A PowerPoint which analyses Takashi Tanemori’s Blades of Grass in a Dreamless Field. Information about the author and something which shaped his belief system (the bushido code). What must be understood about the author in order to best interpret the poem. There are questions, discussion points and other annotations alongside each stanza of the poem.