Lit. Elements & Theme
Name 4 literary elements and the 4 layers of meaning.
4 literary elements: setting, characterization, conflict, plot and theme
4 layers of meaning: literal layer, mood, tone and purpose
Verbal, dramatic and situational
What is the difference between tone and mood?
Tone is the author's attitude towards the topic and mood is the atmosphere of the text
What does sirens mean as used in verse 4?
a loud warning device
Which word comes from the Hebrew origin meaning "to sing":
"Early in the morning it wakes up the sirens and dispatches ambulances in various places"
Sirens
What line from the poem best shows the narrator's disapproval of the leaders of war?
"and paints smiles on the leader's face"
What are the 4 characterstics of satire?
Humor, societal, implied and exaggerated
What does the phrase "summons rain from the eyes of mothers" convey?
That the mothers are crying
What does accustoms mean as used: "Accustoms young women to wait:
To be made familiar with
Which word comes from the latin root meaning "to move away"
"It produces the most questions in the minds of children and urges families to emigrate."
Emigrate
How do descriptions of the setting help create the mood?
The setting is described with sirens from ambulances, corpses everywhere with flies in the air contributes to the mood of despair.
How does the narrator's perspective create irony in the final stanza?
By contrasting the destruction war causes with the "praise it deserves"
How does the description "summons rain from the eyes of mothers" create a mood of despair?
It shows the narrator sympathizes with the pain of mothers who lose their children to the war
What is a word that could replace "tyrants" without changing the meaning of the sentence "It inspires tyrants to deliver long speeches"
Answers may vary, example: dictators
Which word comes from the Latin root artificium, meaning a work of art, craft, or skill.
"It contributes to the industry of artificial limbs provides food for flies"
artificial
How does the author's use of imagery in the first half of the poem enhance the overall meaning of the text?
By portraying the amount of death and destruction that is brought by war
How does the narrator's life experience contribute to the use of satire in the poem?
Her knowledge of life after war influences her perspective that war destroys people's lives
How does the author's use of personification contribute to the mood of despair?
It shows all the ways in which war impacts the community in negative ways
What word can replace "diligence" without changing the meaning? "It works with unparalleled diligence"
Which word comes from the Latin root vigorare, meaning to make strong or give life?
"fills the newspaper with articles and pictures, builds new houses for the orphans, invigorates the coffin makers, gives grave diggers a pat on the back."
invigorates
What strategy can be used to determine the theme of a poem versus a short story? What is the theme of the war works hard?
Poem: Use the 4 T's: title, topic, tone, theme
Short story: Analyze the character's journey
The War Works Hard: War has devastating long lasting effects on the community.
Identify an example if irony within the poem, what type of irony it is and why.
What does the phrase "provides food for the flies" imply?
That the dead bodies created by war becomes food for the flies.
What does invigorates mean as used in the line "invigorates the coffin makers"
To energize or to give life to something
Read the etymology of praise:
The word praise comes from the Latin root meaning "price" or "value."
What does the word mean as used "It works with unparalleled diligence yet no one gives it a word of praise."
Answers may vary. Example: admiration