Culpability

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Culpability

• Whos to blame?

Aim to introduce pupils to various sources that
explore this theme
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WILFRED OWEN

• Focus Poem Disabled

Other Poems The Last Laugh, Mental Cases
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(No Transcript)
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Disabled waiting for dark

• He sat in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark,And
  shivered in his ghastly suit of grey,Legless,
  sewn short at elbow. Through the parkVoices of
  boys rang saddening like a hymn,Voices of play
  and pleasure after day,Till gathering sleep had
  mothered them from him.About this time Town used
  to swing so gayWhen glow-lamps budded in the
  light-blue treesAnd girls glanced lovelier as
  the air grew dim,- In the old times, before he
  threw away his knees.Now he will never feel
  again how slimGirls' waists are, or how warm
  their subtle hands,All of them touch him like
  some queer disease.

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Disabled he wonders why

• There was an artist silly for his face,For it
  was younger than his youth, last year.Now he is
  old his back will never braceHe's lost his
  colour very far from here,Poured it down
  shell-holes till the veins ran dry,And half his
  lifetime lapsed in the hot race,And leap of
  purple spurted from his thigh.One time he liked
  a bloodsmear down his leg,After the matches
  carried shoulder-high.It was after football,
  when he'd drunk a peg,He thought he'd better
  join. He wonders why...Someone had said he'd
  look a god in kilts.

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Disabled didnt have to beg

• That's why and maybe, too, to please his
  Meg,Aye, that was it, to please the giddy
  jilts,He asked to join. He didn't have to
  begSmiling they wrote his lie aged nineteen
  years.Germans he scarcely thought of and no
  fearsOf Fear came yet. He thought of jewelled
  hiltsFor daggers in plaid socks of smart
  salutesAnd care of arms and leave and pay
  arrearsEsprit de corps and hints for young
  recruits.And soon, he was drafted out with drums
  and cheers.

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Disabled what..the rules consider wise

• Some cheered him home, but not as crowds cheer
  Goal.Only a solemn man who brought him
  fruitsThanked him and then inquired about his
  soul.Now, he will spend a few sick years in
  Institutes,And do what things the rules consider
  wise,And take whatever pity they may
  dole.To-night he noticed how the women's
  eyesPassed from him to the strong men that were
  whole.How cold and late it is! Why don't they
  comeAnd put him into bed? Why don't they come?

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Rate the responsibility

• List names of those Owen suggests might be
  culpable
• The soldier
• Women
• Media men propaganda
• Politicians
• Society - pressure from those at home
• Now rate their responsibility and be prepared to
  argue your case

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(No Transcript)
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SIEGFRIED SASSOON

• Focus Poem The General

Other Poems The Hero, They
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The General

• Haig
• What do you know
• about Haig?

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The General did for them

• "Good-morning good-morning!" the General said
  When we met him last week on our way to the
  line. Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of
  em dead, And were cursing his staff for
  incompetent swine. "Hes a cheery old card,"
  grunted Harry to Jack As they slogged up to
  Arras with rifle and pack.
• But he did for them both by his plan of attack.

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OSBERT SITWELL

• Focus Poem The Next War

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The Next War heroes became bores

• The long war had ended. Its miseries had grown
  faded. Deaf men became difficult to talk to,
  Heroes became bores. Those alchemistsWho had
  converted blood into goldHad grown elderly. But
  they held a meeting, Saying, 'We think perhaps
  we oughtTo put up tombsOr erect altarsTo those
  brave ladsWho were so willingly burnt, Or
  blinded, Or maimed,Who lost all likeness to a
  living thing, Or were blown to bleeding patches
  of fleshFor our sakes. It would look well.Or
  we might even educate the children.' But the
  richest of these wizardsCoughed gently And he
  said   

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The Next War a capital idea

• 'I have always been to the front-In private
  enterprise-,I yield in public spiritTo no man.
  I think yours is a very good idea-A capital
  idea-And not too costly . . . But it seems to
  meThat the cause for which we foughtIs again
  endangered. What more fitting memorial for the
  fallenThan that their childrenShould fall for
  the same cause?'

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The Next War will you sacrifice?

• Rushing eagerly into the street, The kindly old
  gentlemen criedTo the young 'Will you
  sacrificeThrough your lethargyWhat your fathers
  died to gain ? The world must be made safe for
  the young!'And the childrenWent. . . .

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Richard Curtis Ben Elton

• Focus Drama Blackadder Goes Forth

Episode Goodbyeee
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(No Transcript)
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Goodbyeee Synopsis

• Goodbyeee is the last (and the nation's
  favourite) episode in the Blackadder Goes Forth
  seriesGeneral Melchett has finally given the
  command for the company to go over "over the
  top", that is to say charge to their certain
  deaths. Blackadder pretends to be mad so that he
  can be invalided back to Blighty - unfortunately
  the penalty for pretending to be mad is death by
  firing squad, so that plan ends in
  failure.Melchett sends Darling to the trench to
  join them for the final push. Even George
  realises, in a fit of honesty, that he's afraid.
  All hopes of last-minute reprieve gone, the four
  men climb over the trench, and walk into the
  German machine-gun fire.

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Goodbyeee Final Episode

• Baldrick'Hear the words I sing,War's a horrid
  thing, But still I sing, sing, sing,Ding a ling
  a ling.' Melchett 'I'll just have to sit this
  one out on the touchline with the half-time
  oranges and the fat wheezy boys with a note from
  matron, while you young bloods link arms for the
  glorious final scrum down.' Blackadder
  'Whatever it was, I'm sure it was better than my
  plan to get out of this by pretending to be mad.
  I mean, who would have noticed another madman
  round here?'